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Showing posts from March, 2009

Joke of the Year: Welcome to Malta of the Middle Ages...

Speaking of the Danish Cartoon Crisis, Malta's Law is no way short of OUTDATED! Read on... Man gets suspended sentence for ridiculing religion Source: http://www.maltamediaonline.com/?p=5719 A 26-year-old man from Zejtun, Melvin Barbara, has been given a suspended sentence by the Gozo Courts after pleading guilty to ridiculing and making fun of the Roman Catholic religion.Melvin Barbara was accused that on the night between 21st and 22nd February 2009, he offended Roman Catholics or the ministers of this religion during the Nadur carnival. He was accused of wearing a sacred habit without permission, or against the prohibition of the respective authorities.

The Maltese: Reflecting the Continents' Rich Cultural & Linguistic Diversity

This article is written in reply to the Times of Malta article published 1st March 2009 - 'Malta... where Saudi makes its money - literally'. See: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090302/local/malta-where-saudi-makes-its-money-literally Malta is a Southern European Island, not just politically but also ethnically, and has been so for centuries. It has been occupied by the Arabs, which de-populated it and populated it for some time. This happened between the 8th and the 11th century. It is good to note that the population was small with around 10-20,000 inhabitants overall, consisting of people classified as Islamic, Christian and Jewish, in order of prevailing numbers. One must add, Arab rulers allowed other faiths to flourish given they paid the 'harag' tax, a subtle incentive for many to change faith. Al Qimyari , a respected Arab traveller of the time (read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbi_al-Himyari ), wrote that many Christians that inhabited Malta B