Labour holds Iftar reception at Ramadan’s end

The Labour party yesterday brandished its secular identity with a reception, the first of its kind, for Muslims celebrating the breaking of the fast at the end of Ramadan.

30 August 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

“We’re a secular party in a predominantly Christian society, whose members are in their majority Christians, but which embraces the diversity of Maltese and foreigners of different beliefs,” Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said at the Iftar ceremony.

Also in attendance were Imam Mohammad El Saad and Monsignor Joe Vella Gauci, the Maltese representative in COMECE, the Bishops’ Conference commission in the European Community.

Muscat said he expected some criticism for having celebrate the first Iftar ever as a political party. “But it’s this that strengthens Labour as an organisation that wants to break down barriers and that believes in an open society that respects everybody.”

On Libya, Muscat said there was a need to rediscover the value friendship between Malta and Libya and build on this relationship before any other commercial relationship.

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Secular political parties have no business organising religious activities of any denomination. Muscat was very badly advised - probably by some fanatical fundamentalist like Ray Azzopardi or Alfred Falzon. This was a ridiculous initiative which will haunt the party for years to come.