Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

May I congratulate Martin Scicluna on his measured and very necessary article (October 15) about the way in which the Muslim population as a whole has been tarred with the brush of extremism.

Visiting Malta over the past few years, my husband and I have noticed an increase in overtly racialist opinions from most respectable and educated people and it has become very difficult to have a reasoned conversation with them on this subject.

Some of them argue that the threat to this island is imminent and that they would almost wish to see a ‘Berlin Wall’ scenario for Malta so that the ‘pure’ culture of the Maltese is in no way contaminated. When asked if they actually have met members of the Muslim faith face to face, the majority would say they had never had a conversation with even one of them.

Most of the recent immigrants have no desire to be in Malta. Can we not as Christians at least try to understand their plight and remember that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ or members of the one human race if we are not believers?

No one deserves the hatred and fear that is being whipped up and which impacts so grievously on the lives of those with different faiths and, even more importantly to the Maltese, those with different coloured skin.