Moslems across the world have just concluded their 40 days of fasting, which is known as Ramadan.

Entwined with the act of fasting is also the exercise of prayer. Where possible, these prayers are done within a community and in a special place, which is known as the mosque.

All this brings to mind the question that has lately arisen in Malta, that of another mosque.

Locally, this question is actually one of déjà vu as it already arose in the early 1970s when the Maltese government strengthened relations with Libya and other Arab countries.

It was a time when Malta was inundated with Libyan nationals. Some came to Malta as tourists and to buy goods while others served as government representatives in different entities that started to mushroom in Malta along the years.

Libyan students (at times amounting to more than 900) attending Libyan colleges in Malta, as did teachers, instructors and administrative staff at the colleges. The introduction of Arabic teaching in Maltese schools added to the influx of Libyan personnel.

Also, at that time, Malta’s forays into the Arab world resulted in countries from that region deciding to open diplomatic missions in Malta.

Besides these personnel, there were also Moslem sailors from ships brought to Malta for repairs at the dockyard, and a number of Pakistanis working with Air Malta or as doctors with the Health Department.

At that time, Moslems used to pray in institutions owned by Libyan entities.

Later, a certain Imam Subhi Billo started to organise Islamic prayers at the Turkish cemetery situated in Marsa.

The need was therefore felt for an appropriate place where Muslims could exercise their religious activities and the Libyan Arab Cultural Institutein Malta , that was housed at the Main Guard, in Valletta took the initiative to look for and acquire such a place.

The person involved in this quest was the deputy director of the institute, Mohammed Saad, who in turn instructed me, as an employee of the Libyan embassy and cultural officer at the institute, to look for such a place.

Being from Ħamrun, I had located at my hometown a very large furniture shop and its adjacent factory in St Joseph High Road, owned by Joseph Fenech, who agreed to sell.

The Islamic Centre became a hive of activity for Moslems

The complex had a large entrance on St Joseph High Road and backdoors in Butterfly Street, Marsa (parallel to High Street), as well as a side-door in St Peter’s Alley just off St Joseph High Road.

To be double sure and to find more than one site which could meet the Libyan Institute’s requirements, I located another place in the same locality and exactly in the same area, namely the Hollywood Theatre in Ħamrun.

This theatre had served as a skating ring, a conference centre and had been very popular as a cinema in its time.

The building had then been bought by the family of the sister of entrepreneur Tumas Fenech. I had contacted them and fixed an appointment.

When I went to meet them to discuss whether they were interested in selling the place, I was astonished to see Tumas Fenech himself there. I don’t know if this was arranged in advance or just a coincidence.

During the meeting, his sister told him that day happened to be the birthday of one of her sons, who was present, and he took out his wallet and gave the boy a 20-pound note.

After making both contacts, I arranged for Saad to go and see the places He was pleased by the choices and I am sure he wrote to his superiors in Libya about the two proposals. But things in this regard did not materialise.

Today, the two complexes have been pulled down and the whole area now houses Danniel’s Shopping Centre adjacent to the HSBC Bank.

Later, I came to know the reasons for dropping these options, the main one being that a new World Islamic Call Society had been set up in Libya and it had been entrusted to build an Islamic Centre in Malta.

In fact, on April 11, 1975, Libya, through the World Islamic Call Society, started negotiations with the Maltese government over an area of 6,700 square metres at Corradino Hill in Paola.

The negotiations also included that the Libyan embassy would take care of a garden adjacent to the mosque and which later was given the name of Gaddafi Garden.

Five days later, the application was accepted and, on July 2, 1978, then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had travelled to Malta to lay the foundation stone of the Islamic Centre on Corradino Hill.

By 1980, a 40-metre high minaret had taken its place on the Maltese skyline.

The following year, even though the mosque itself was not ready, the building was used for the commemoration of the birth of Prophet Mohammed.

It took just nine years later to complete the whole Islamic complex made up of a mosque, a well-stocked library, reading rooms, a residence for the Imam, a school for Islamic thought, an Islamic school, conference rooms, a children’s playground, a cemetery and offices.

Since then, not only has the Islamic Centre become a hive of activity for Moslems in Malta as well as a font of information for all those who want to learn more about Islam, but it also started organising other related activities, which are mainly of an ecumenical nature.

The Islamic complex in Corradino also holds courses in the Arabic language.

On the initiative of the present Imam, Mohammed Saadi, who has now been in Malta for more than 35 years, an Islamic college has also been set up that teaches not only religious subjects but also follows the usual curriculum of primary and secondary schools in Malta.

But most important of all, the Islamic Centre has established staunch relations with the local Church authorities, with the Maltese government and with all political parties in Malta.

Throughout these years there have been no problems with regard to Moslems exercising their religion in Malta and it is important that all Moslems in Malta keep this in mind.

Without entering into the recent controversy arising from the fact that a particular group of Moslems in Malta have been pushing to have their own mosque, it is apt to suggest that it is important for the Moslem community in this country to remain compact, to not have divisions and to continue to liaison with the actual Islamic Centre in Malta.

Joe Cordina has been involved in Maltese-Libyan affairs for 37 years and was PRO and cultural officer of the Libyan Embassy in Malta.