Mariam Al-Batool Mosque (, lit. "The Virgin Mary Mosque", also known as Paola Mosque or Corradino Mosque) is a mosque located in Paola, Malta. The first stone of the mosque was laid by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 1978Stråth, Bo (2010), Europe and the Other and Europe as the Other, p. 248. and its doors were open to the public in 1982, and officiated in 1984. The initial scope of the building was to serve the Muslims in Malta, at the time mainly economic migrants from Libya, and to promote Sunni Islam among the Maltese society.
Even though there are a number of other Muslim places of worship in Malta, the Mariam Al-Batool Mosque is the only officially recognized and mosque-designed structure in the country,Sammut, Carmen (2007), Media and Maltese Society, Lexington Books, p. 61. so it is colloquially referred to in Maltese as simply il-Moskea (lit. "the Mosque"). The building of others have been proposed.
History The mosque is built at Corradino Hill, close to the Corradino Lines and the Kordin III megalithic temple. The formerly public land, circa , was bought (or donated) from the Maltese governmentGoodwin, Stefan (2002), Malta, Mediterranean Bridge, pp. 185–186. in 1975 which consisted of an undeveloped site. A full development application was accepted by the pertinent authorities on 16 April 1975. Construction on the mosque started in 1978 and finished in 1982 when it was opened to the public.Geo, Volume 3, Issue 2 p.66 The mosque was officially opened in 1984 by Muammar Gaddafi"The Muslim Cemetery at Paola" Malta Family History. when Malta and Libya signed the Treaty of "Friendship and Cooperation".Uwe Jens Rudolf, Warren G. Berg (2010), Historical Dictionary Malta, p.143. The mosque and Islamic centre were given diplomatic immunity by the Maltese Government. Muammar Gaddafi directly contributed to the projectGlobal Affairs, 1986, p.94. both by buying the land and by partly funding the construction of the mosque.
The mosque is found on the side of Dom Mintoff Road (formerly Corradino Road) and is administered by the World Islamic Call Society (WICS). It was built during Prime Minister Dom Mintoff's term in office during the first wave of economic negotiations between Malta and Libya. The Government of Malta, under Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, has also contributed to the building of the Mosque. The Mosque and the minaret cost roughly £M 900,000.
Complex
The Mosque is found in an Islamic complex, referred to as the Mosque complex,"PL committed to help Mariam al-Batool school develop", Maltastar.com, 2012. called the Islamic Centre in Malta. The complex also consists of a school, the Mariam Al-Batool School,"Country Report: Malta", 2008. the Islamic Cultural Centre (Ċentru Kulturali Islamiku), a courtyard, the Imam's house, The Malta Islamic Cemetery (Iċ-Ċimiterju Islamiku f'Malta) and the Mediterranean Garden.
The latter is situated on public land, next to the mosque complex. It was originally called Gaddafi Gardens, and it became known as Libyans' Garden after the Libyan Civil War.Deidun, Alan (2014), "A tribute to local mature gardens", Times of Malta. It was officially renamed to its present name in March 2016.
The Malta Islamic Cemetery is built on public land with permission granted by the Maltese government. There is a plan to build a secondary school for Muslim children at the back of the Mosque. The complex, specifically the mosque, has become symbolic of the revival of Islam in Malta, and been seen by some as the first wave of modern "Muslim invasion"Gerard, Alison (2014), The Securitization of Migration and Refugee Women, Routledge, p. 19. and significantly it symbolizes 'Libya's bridge to Europe' specifically after the Lockerbie bombing.
The mosque and some of the buildings at the complex were built on the design of Libyan-born Architect Mohammed Abid el-Soukri.
Governance
The Mosque is administered by members of the Muslim community and separate from the government of Malta. The main Imam of the Mosque is Mohammed Elsadi,Vogel, Dita (2009), Stories and Reflections of Immigrant Activists in Europe, p.28. known as "Ix-Xih" (literally meaning "the elder").Emer Smyth, Maureen Lyons and Merik Darmody (2013), Religious Education in a Multicultural Europe: Children, Parents and Schools, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 78. Elsadi was born to Palestinian refugees whom came to Malta because of the Arab-Israeli war. As a consequence El Sadi has obtained Maltese citizenship. Elsadi is described as a fundamentalist by Fr René Camilleri for supporting the strict compliance to sharia, but anthropologist Ranier Fsadni believes this is not a common belief among Muslims and that the Imam is "intellectually honest". Indeed, the consumption of alcohol, by Muslims in Malta, is a common practice that goes against the fundamental teachings of Islam."Where to find halal food in Malta?", halaltrip.com, 2014.
The Islamic religious culture affairs is under the responsibility of Omar Ahmed Farhat. Muslims have the right to govern their religious environment issues in line with Maltese law and the government of Malta is sensitive about it. When the Mosque was inaugurated it was considered very large but today the mosque's religious service on its own has become too small to cater for the unforeseen growth of the Muslim community, mainly being foreigners.
Bader Zeina, a Palestinian migrant, is a separate Muslim organizer and leader of the Islamic Community Malta (ICM).
Architecture and customs The Mariam Al-Batool Mosque is the first Mosque in Malta to be built in modernity,2006, New Oxford Review, Volume 73, p. 34. with the most previous Mosque having been built in 1702 during the Order of St JohnWettinger, Godfrey (2002), Slavery in the Islands of Malta and Gozo ca. 1000-1812, Publishers Enterprises Group, p. 455. for Turkish slaves within a prison buildingWettinger, Godfrey (2002), in Cini, George, "Horrible torture on streets of Valletta". of which no traces remain and limited description of its construction. A street in Mdina, Triq Mesquita (Mesquita Street) and Piazza Mesquita, may have been named after a former Mosque that stood on site during the Arab period in Malta.Gülhanın Galaksi Rehberi (2011), "MALTA Hakkında TV programları", Malta'da Öğrencilik."Islamic Focus". p.6. However these were probably named after a former Governor of Mdina that was named Don Mesquita.Francesco Balbi, Ernle Dusgate Selby Bradford (1965), "The Siege of Malta, 1565", Boydell Press, , p. 176.Pickes, Time (1998), "Malta 1565: Last Battle of the Crusades", Osprey Publishing, , p. 79.
Most Islamic-related themes have been "eradicated from the national narrative."
On 21 April 1975 Libya bought a land area of in Paola. The land was acquired to build a muslim centre according to Libyan customs designed by the Libyan architect Mohammed Abid Elshukri, who was the architect of the Mosque, the Islamic Cultural Centre and a terrace overlooking the original gardens where the school and the cemetery are found today. The project was entrusted to Gebco International Ltd. Co. under the supervision of Maltese engineer Alfred Balzan. The first stone was laid by Muammar Gaddafi on 2 July 1978 in a public ceremony. The Mosque was constructed with the use of Limestone, plastered, and painted in green, yellow and pink colors. The minaret became a landmark in Paola skyline since then, being the second highest building after the parish church until day, at high.
Exterior
On the façade a plaque refers to the building simply as 'Moskea' that is a word in use in Maltese when referring to a Mosque. The shell structure of the Al-Batool Mosque is made of limestone while the arabic architecture is made of both limestone and wood. The mosque has one dome painted in green and one minaret that is a landmark in its own right by being visible from wide parts of the surroundings, and for this reason it is often used to explain directions.
The minaret has been recently restored, of which during restoration the flag of Libya was put to waive on it as a symbol of the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi, during the Libyan civil war. After the restoration the green color surface of the minaret was changed from dark green to light green could be observed, with the pink color being completely removed; while the mosque has had no recent restoration keeping the traditional colors since the inauguration by Gaddafi.
The mosque and the minaret are distinguished from the rest of Maltese architecture by adopting arabic masonry such as the building of the dome, the windows, an octagonal minaret, and the aesthetic use of eye-catching light colors from the exterior.Peter L. Twohig and Vera Kalitzkus (eds.) (2005), Social Studies of Health, Illness and Disease: perspectives from the social sciences and humanities, p. 50.
Interior The interior consists mainly of the Islamic prayer hall in the form of sex segregation. Women have separate rooms next to the mosque of which entrance is from the back side, probable within the cultural centre building. An Islamic code of clothing is followed and provision for decent covering, mainly for women according to Muslim traditions, is available. Malta has no restrictions on Islamic dressing such as the veil (ḥijab) nor the full face veil (burqa and/or niqab)Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 4 p. 393. but strictly speaking face covering is illegal,Dalli, Miriam (2015), "MP calls for banning of the burqa: ‘Decision requires rational debate’", Malta Today. however an official ban on face covering for religious reasons is ambiguous.Camilleri, Neil (2015), "In Malta, wearing a burqa while driving is ‘not illegal’ - police", The Malta Independent. However it is guaranteed that individuals are allowed to wear as they wish at their private homes and at the Mosque. Imam El Sadi has said that the banning of the niqab and the burka "offends Muslim women". Elsadi said that the Maltese's "attitude towards Muslim women" is positive and despite cultural clashes they tolerate their dressing. Some Muslim women share the belief that it is sinful to be seen in public without veiling themselves, however they are lawfully required to remove it when needed such as for photos on identifications.Jørgen Nielsen; Samim Akgönül; Ahmet Alibašić; Egdunas Racius (2014), Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 6, Brill, p.411. The mosque also consists of a washing room for the obligatory tradition of Muslims to wash themselves before prayers.Ahmad Chaudhry, Rashid (2015),"Ahmad and Sarah go to Mosque", Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta. A larger than usual Koran is displayed inside the mosque.Press Releases, "U.S. Ambassador Visits Paola Mosque and Mariam Albatool School"
Public policy
The mosque is open for the public, including non-Muslims, from 08:00 to 22:00. Traditional Friday prayers are held every Friday at 13:00. Conservative Muslim customs have to be respected, such as the removal of shoes before entering the mosque, men-only space and women-only space specifically during prayer time, and other Islamic-related customs.
Catering According to Imam Mohammed el-Sadi, the Islamic centre issues certificates for each wedding that takes place on site but these are not considered legitimate by the state and are legally null. Wedding ceremonies are celebrated at the mosque, including interfaith ceremonies, but Muslim women are not welcomed to conduct their ceremonies at the mosque if they wed a non-Muslim, while non-Muslim women are told to raise their children as Muslims when marrying a Muslim man and advised before the ceremony takes place at the mosque. Imam El Sadi does not encourage mixed-faith marriages as the overwhelming majority of them fail. The mosque does not cater or welcome LGBT people and their rights, bringing some controversy in the Maltese political sphere.
Attendants