Hinduism in Malta

Hinduism is the third largest religion in Malta after Christianity and Islam. However, it's not recognized as a formal religion. As of the 2021 census, there are 6,411 Hindus in Malta that constituted 1.42% of its population.

In 2021, Charles J. Muscat wrote Ekam Sat: Il-Verità Waħda: Esperjenza tal-Veda Dharma Ġabra ta' testi ewlenin u riflessjonijiet prattići, an anthology of South Asian religious texts in Maltese including the Vedas and Upanishads.

Demographics In 2010, there were about 840 Hindus in Malta. According to the 2021 Census, there are 6,411 Hindus in Malta of which 135 are Maltese Citizens and 6,276 Hindus are non-Maltese residents. Hindus form 0.04% of the Maltese Citizens and 6.02% of the non-Maltese residents. Hinduism is practiced mainly by the Indian Maltese and Nepalese Maltese people.

District-wise Hindu Population The District wise Hindu Population of Malta is shown below: District Percentage of Hindus(%) Population of Hindus Total Population South Harbour District 1.11 749 67,175 Northern Harbour District 3.06 3224 1,05,309 South Eastern District 0.68 395 58,448 Western District 0.5 259 51,695 Northern District 2.53 1557 61,547 Gozo and Comino District 0.78 227 29,130 Northern Harbour District has the highest percentage of Hindus and Western District has the lowest percentage of Hindus.

Ethnicity

Majority of the Hindus in Malta is of Asian origin, mainly Indian and Nepalese Hindus. There are 286 Caucasian Hindus, 164 Hispanic/Latino Hindus, 107 African and 51 Arab Hindus.

Community life A first floor flat is used as a temporary Hindu meeting point that is known as the Maltese-Indian Community Centre.

Hindus in Malta privately celebrate Diwali, Holi, Onam, and other Hindu festivals.

Cremation controversy

Deceased Hindu were buried using Catholic burial rites after the British left in 1964, rather than being cremated as required by their religion. Under British rule of Malta, cremation took place at the Lazaretto cemetery in Manoel Island. One Hindu leader in the United States, Rajan Zed, implored the Maltese government in 2019 to subsidize cremations abroad for Hindus in Malta.

Status Hinduism, along with other Indian religions (like Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism) and Judaism are not recognized in Malta and are treated as cults. In 2010, Hindu and Jewish groups urged Pope Benedict XVI to intervene to ensure that Malta treats all religions equally before the law.

Hinduism in Malta

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