Years of seeking a place for Friday prayer yesterday came to an end as a Muslim community of around 400 people met at the Ospizio in Floriana.

The community will be using the premises, which form part of a complex of buildings used by the Education Department, while talks are held on finding a longer-term solution.

For three Fridays in a row, the community met in front of the Msida parish for prayers because they had been evicted from several of their meeting places. This caused an outcry among some and a protest was held on Sunday.

But the Muslim community “welcomed with great pleasure” the news on Thursday that they could pray at the premises in Floriana. The Education Ministry also provided transport from Msida to Floriana for those who were not aware of the overnight change of venue.

Addressing the media following the prayers, Malta Muslim Council spokesman Bader Zina said some had failed to understand why the community was meeting in Msida and why it needed a place for prayer because of lack of information and miscommunication.

Media coverage had eased the pain and helped people understand the situation, he said, adding that once misunderstandings were clarified, even the government recognised the community’s need for a place to meet for prayer.

Mr Zina said the community was very grateful for the government’s understanding and discussions would be held in the coming weeks on how to regularise places of worship in full adherence to Maltese laws.

As Maltese citizens, the community abided by the government’s request to pray at the Ospizio, he added.

Earlier this week, the community insisted that it did not expect the government to provide them with space to pray, but that it simply wanted greater cooperation over permits to regularise their own premises.

The group has been denied a permit to change the use of a large garage in Santa Venera to be used for prayers, against the recommendation of a Mepa case officer, and they have also been evicted from a building in Msida last month.

The prayer meetings at Msida had not been intended to antagonise anyone but to draw attention to the need for a centrally-located meeting place, the group said.