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Hinduism in Malta

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Hinduism and related religions are not recognised in Catholic Malta although Maltese Catholics are in India since 1924 CE.. Unlike the rest of EU and the developed world from USA to Australia, Hinduism and religions of Indian origin are labelled as cults in Catholic Malta[1] There are estimated 100 Sindhi Hindu families in Malta.[2]

Community life

There are about a hundred Sindhi Hindu families settled in Catholic Malta. With recent arrival of skilled, semi skilled and unskilled workers from India the number of Hindus and Hinduism related religions may now number in their 1000s. Added there are a few Hindus at the Indian built Aurobindo Pharmaceutical Plant in Hal Far and perhaps some others at Malta's Enemalta plc and India's Streamcast Technologies Inc. development of a Euro 75 million data centre in Marsa and a handful Hindus run Misom Labs the state-of-the-art Pharmaceutical testing Laboratories in San Gwann. There is religious discrimination in Catholic Malta. There is no Hindu temples and after the British left Malta the Hindu deceased are buried under Catholic burial rites instead of being cremated.[citation needed] as required by religions of Indian origin. Under British rule of Malta cremation took place at the Lazaretto cemetery in Manoel Island. A first floor flat is used as temporary Hindu meeting point that is known as 'Maltese-Indian Community Centre', with address 'Sukh Sagar', 25 Triq Bella Vista, San Gwann SGN 2690. [3]

Hindus in Catholic Malta privately celebrate Diwali, Holi[4] Onam[5] and other Hindu festivals.

Status

Hinduism with religions of Indian origin (Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism) and Judaism are unfortunately not recognised in Catholic Malta and 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.,[1] but the Pope did not intervene. Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, with Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, a Jewish leader in California and Nevada in the US, said in a statement in Nevada that he believed the Catholic Church in Malta was not serious about sharing the minority religious viewpoint, and that he was disappointed that they did not want to discuss issues of religious equality with minority religions and denominations.[6] With the arrival of Indian High Commission to Malta in 2018 the religious discrimination and difficulties of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains in practise of their religion in Catholic Malta has been brought to the attention of the Indian High Commission in Catholic Malta.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Hindus seek Pope's intervention to bring equality of religions in Malta". Timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  2. ^ https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/51779/the_changing_map_of_world_religions
  3. ^ "Religious Communities To Join If You've Just Moved To Malta". lovinmalta.com.
  4. ^ "Malta's Indian community heralds spring with colour". Timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  5. ^ "WATCH: Kerala Indians in Malta celebrate Onam Festival in a big way - TVM News". Tvm.com.mt. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Pope Disappoints members of the Hindu and Jewish Community - ChakraNews.com". chakranews.com. 19 February 2010.


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