https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/8332 2026-07-27T12:52:43Z 2026-07-27T12:52:43Z Bazana, Mohamed Mustafa Cassar, Frans X. Mercieca, Simon https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147844 2026-07-07T08:12:59Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The history of Malta during the islamic era Authors: Bazana, Mohamed Mustafa; Cassar, Frans X.; Mercieca, Simon Abstract: In 1970, during the final years of Malta’s Nationalist administration and while NATO still held strategic sway over the island, a lesser-known Arab-Libyan intellectual arrived in Malta. His name was Mohamed Mustafa Bazama. His purpose? To explore the deep-rooted historical ties between Malta and Tripoli, particularly when both were under the rule of the Order of St John. But Bazama’s findings would go far beyond mere local history. He uncovered a narrative with broader significance for the entire Arab world. Bazama’s book, written in Arabic, is divided into two parts, following a traditional Arab methodological structure. The introduction deals with the Malta of his time; the other with Malta’s past. His contemporary reflections focus on Malta’s potential importance to the Arab world, not only due to its geographical position but because, in his view, it still retained an Arab cultural and linguistic influence. This, he argued, was evident in the Maltese landscape, architecture, and especially in the language. More strikingly, Bazama advocated for Malta’s neutrality in global affairs, anticipating a position that would later become a cornerstone of Dom Mintoff’s foreign policy. Bazama appears to have arrived at this vision independently before Mintoff developed it politically. At the time of his visit, Malta remained a NATO-linked territory. Still, Bazama’s analysis likely resonated with the views of Muammar Gaddafi, who was by then the leader of Libya, explaining, in part, the latter’s eagerness to support a neutral Malta. Despite this ideological alignment, Bazama was no admirer of Gaddafi. When the Libyan leader came to power, Bazama distanced himself, relocating to Cyprus, then Sardinia, and eventually becoming active in the Italian Socialist Party of Bettino Craxi. Bazama’s contribution, however, extended well beyond politics. He also pioneered Arab historiographical sources to bear on Maltese history, especially those ignored mainly by Western scholarship. He was the first modern writer to highlight the overlooked observations of the 10th-century Arab geographer Ibn Ḥawqal. Bazama challenged the simplistic citation of Ibn Ḥawqal’s claim that Malta was inhabited only by donkeys and sheep. He pointed out that scholars typically stop there, but Ibn Ḥawqal continued to write about Malta, offering valuable commentary on why the Arabs lost control of the island. According to Ibn Ḥawqal, both Malta and Crete fell out of Arab hands due to corruption and sexual misconduct, particularly prostitution, an accusation that may also carry implications of homosexual activity, though Bazama leaves this interpretation open. Here, Bazama makes a critical historical misreading. He assumes that Ibn Ḥawqal referred to the Norman conquest of Malta in 1091. But this could not be the case: Ibn Ḥawqal died in 988 CE, long before the Normans arrived. In his own time, Malta was already lost to the Arabs, though not yet taken by the Normans. This is why later Arab sources like al-Qazwini say that Muslims only returned to the island in 1048.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Mercieca, Simon https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147843 2026-07-07T08:06:33Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Mohamed Mustafa Bazama’s contribution to Malta’s Arab Muslim intangible heritage : a demographic perspective Authors: Mercieca, Simon Abstract: Mohamed Mustafa Bazama’s The History of Malta During the Islamic Era marks a significant milestone in the study of Malta’s medieval history. While many of the historiographical elements presented in this work are widely accepted today, this was not the case when Bazama first published his book in 1971. Unfortunately, his writings remained largely unknown to the Maltese public, primarily because they were written in Arabic. However, thanks to Frans X. Cassar’s translation, Bazama’s research is now accessible to Maltese readers and scholars interested in Malta’s Arab and medieval past. [excerpt]

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Fenech, Dominic https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/140788 2025-11-03T09:25:52Z 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Malta : political developments and data in 2023 : stirred, not shaken Authors: Fenech, Dominic Abstract: The year in politics was marked by the exposure of a number of scandals, chief among which concerned the privatisation of three public hospitals. Polls still continued to give the governing Labour Party a strong lead over the opposition Nationalist Party, which showed little sign of recovery. The economy performed well, but inflation hit people's spending power, and sustained growth continued to be reflected in overcrowding and congestion. The abortion debate closed in an anti-climax. A brighter picture emerged in foreign relations as Malta took its place in the UN Security Council and was chosen to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

2024-01-01T00:00:00Z Buttigieg, Emanuel https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/140144 2025-10-15T11:51:32Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: 'For once the banner of St John flutters from atop a vessel, that vessel cannot pass to any other sovereign' : the sovereignty, war and diplomacy of the Hospitaller Island Order State on Malta Authors: Buttigieg, Emanuel Abstract: '...he erupted with devout joy speaking the words of Holy Simeon[:] "Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine"', that is, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace' (St Luke ii, 29-32) (NLM AOM259 f. 175v-176r, 17 July 1656). These words were uttered by Grand Master Fra Jean-Paul de Lascaris-Castellar (r.1636-1657). He was lying in bed, sick, unable in fact to carry out many of his duties as Grand Master, so much so that a lieutenant had been appointed to see to the day-to-day business of the Order and Malta. On 17 July 1656, the lieutenant brought the news to the sick Lascaris that a few days earlier, on 26 June, a joint Venetian-Maltese squadron had inflicted a significant defeat upon the Ottomans right at the mouth of the Dardanelles. It was this happy news that inspired Lascaris to proclaim - in imitation of Simeon at the Temple when he beheld the infant Christ - that having witnessed the greatness of God, his soul could now depart this world in peace. It would be another year before Lascaris actually passed away, on 14 August 1657, but at least for those few days during the summer of '56, Lascaris basked in the glory of the success of his navy, confident in the knowledge that this was a clear sign of God's blessing as his reign drew to a close. This battle was one episode in the 24-year-long Venetian-Ottoman conflict known as the War of Candia ( 1645-1669), a struggle that arguably began as a result of the daredevil actions of the Maltese galleys in the Eastern Mediterranean (Freller & Campoy, 2006). Whereas the galleys of the Order of Malta were Venice's most constant ally in this war against the Ottoman Empire, it did not mean that relations between the two were always harmonious (Mallia-Milanes, 1992). The account of the battle of 26 June 1656 will serve here as a case study to focus on the themes of sovereignty, war and diplomacy of the Hospitaller 'Island Order State' on Malta.

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z