A Maltese-Egyptian interpreter is receiving threats of violence ahead of his controversial theatre performance next month because it claims all religions, particularly Islam, are “poorly written fairy tales”.

“Some have told me I will be shot down and killed for this. I was recently asked if I thought I would ‘get away with it’, like this is some devious plan,” Will Abela, 37, said as he sat back in his chair dismissing the threats with a wave.

The interpreter and poet was quick to add that any raised eyebrows in the Maltese Muslim community were no fault of his own and were likely due to “misinterpretations” of his debut theatre performance, The Diary of an Ex-Muslim.

The hour-long monologue is the first in a series of three productions Mr Abela plans to stage this year and is based on the questions he asked himself before arriving at “the obvious conclusion” – that there is no God.

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