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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 JANUARY 2015 8 News Sliema council replies – 'We are not a VAT inspector' Reference is made to the article ap- pearing in the MaltaToday Issue of 7 January, 2015, and entitled "€1.6 million in payments to Local Coun- cils not covered by fiscal receipts". In the list of councils being men- tioned, Tas-Sliema local council is being quoted as not providing receipts for an equivalent amount of €64,786. Well, for the benefit of all Maltese citizens, this warrants a clear explanation. First and foremost, the council is baff led by the fact that its official reply to the Auditor General's report on the matter in question has not been published in the same article. As a matter of impor- tance, with every payment voucher produced by the council, there are clear and bold instructions that the supplier in question must produce a fiscal receipt in terms of the VAT Act. This procedure has been in force at the Tas-Sliema local council since its constitution and since the introduction of VAT in 1995. The amount quoted in the article is represented by payments made to two of the council's suppliers. One of the suppliers is exempt by the VAT Department from produc- ing fiscal receipts, given that the supplier's fiscal system is compliant with the provisions of the Maltese VAT Act. There are specific manda- tory legal procedures to obtain this exemption from the VAT Depart- ment. The other supplier has indeed not provided a fiscal receipt for a payment made by the council in his favour. Despite the various re- minders, through different means, the supplier failed to produce the receipt in question. In view of this, the council has taken due action by blacklisting this supplier from any procurements which the council may need and which this supplier is able to provide. It is important to note that the Tas-Sliema local council endeav- ors to take all necessary actions to ensure and safeguard the collection of taxes into the national coffers. Yet, it is important to understand that the council's administrative team has no mandate to act as a VAT inspector or any other form of fiscal assessor. The council has a clean conscience that it is adher- ing to fiscal discipline within its direct control. Matthew Dimech Executive Secretary Tas-Sliema Local Council Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday Wednesday Edition, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. Letters Clarification ALONGSIDE an article published on 7 January, 2015, entitled "€1.6 million in pay- ments to local councils not covered by fiscal receipts", an image of the main square of Zebbug (Gozo) was used. The Zebbug (Gozo) council is not mentioned in the Auditor's General report with regard to payments not covered by fiscal receipts. The error is regret- ted. Download the MaltaToday App now www.gourmettoday.recipes 'Terrorists are terrorists. Terrorism is not a religion' A philosopher, a Muslim leader, a car- toonist, and a Francophile discussed the murder of French cartoonists from the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo, at the hands of Islamic ex- tremists last week, during the debate on the latest edition of the TV discus- sion programme 'Reporter'. Programme host Saviour Balzan asked Laiq Ahmed Atif, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta, about Islam being a religion of peace, confronting him in particular with the fact that there are many who interpret passages from the Koran which advocate violence in a literal sense. "Jihad is not about killing, it is an internal struggle. Terrorists are ter- rorists. Terrorism is not a religion," explained Atif. "We need more dia- logue between religions, which should spread love not hate". Philosopher Joe Friggieri said his initial reaction to the Paris killings was one of shock. "It was cold blooded murder and no further descriptions are necessary. "This attack was not only on the journalists themselves, but also on free journalism and freedom of ex- pression." This, he said, led to the historic reac- tion by the French who demonstrated that they would not tolerate this man- ner of intolerance. "Islamic militancy represents a mi- nority, not the majority of Muslims. However it must be said that in the majority of Muslim countries they do not enjoy the freedom of expression and liberties that we have here," Frig- gieri said. He described the participation of French Muslims in the protests that followed the shootings as a statement saying that they identify themselves as French first and foremost, and Muslims second. Balzan quizzed panel guest and car- toonist Ġorġ Mallia on cartoons that offend. "Are there limits on cartoon satire?" he asked. Satire and offence must be judged in the context of culture, answered the cartoonist. As an example, he said that in Malta the reaction to provocative art is conditioned by the Church and that, at least in his experience, Malta wasn't ready. "In fact I had attempted to broach this subject in the past but the reaction was very negative." Mallia described offence as central to the very nature of the cartoon as an art form. "It offends. The French are very liberal in the cultural sense – they wanted to test the limit of freedom of expression with these cartoons". Asked if the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed offended him, Atif said that they did. "I switch channels if I see them, but Mohammed, peace be upon him, did not endorse violence. In fact he had said that if someone at- tacks you with the pen, you must re- taliate with the pen." Broadcaster and francophile Charles Xuereb described the reaction to the attacks as unprecedented. "The reac- tion is astonishing, even in the context of the libertarian culture of Paris. You saw three million Parisians marching for liberty yesterday." He did not think that the carica- tures by Charlie Hebdo were the cause of the violence, citing France's history with Algeria – the attackers' country of origin – global terrorism and the fact that France is a symbol of liberty as more realistic factors. "They wanted to attack the birthplace, the symbol of liberty." Balzan pointed out that in the past months and years there have been a number of atrocities by Islamic militants: Pakistan saw massacres of children, there was violence between Sunni and Shia all over the Middle East, and he asked the panel whether calling Islam a peaceful religion could be described as hypocrisy. Friggieri commented he would often try to embrace the point of view that Islam is a religion of peace, "but when you see the atrocities and the punish- ments of Sharia law you ask yourself whether this is so. "What happened in Paris was that the atrocities did not take place in a faraway foreign land, governed by those laws, where we would say 'what a shame'. It happened in the centre of Europe – and it shocks. Will it happen again? The majority of the millions of French Muslims are not this way in- clined." He laid the blame at the feet of those Muslim preachers who "need to learn that the West views religion the same way as any other philosophy – open to discussion and criticism and not on a pedestal". Xuereb disagreed, saying that the Algerian connection cannot be ig- nored. "While France is no longer a colonising power, the history be- tween France with Algeria is not a happy one," he said, mentioning the 1961 massacre of 75 Algerians whose bodies were thrown into the Seine, which resulted in the reprisal killings of eight French nationals. Balzan pointed out that in Algeria hundreds of journalists have been murdered without a whisper of pro- test by the West. Ġorġ Mallia dismissed the religious aspect entirely, saying that terror- ists are simply criminals looking for a justification to murder. "They are also doing a lot of damage by allow- ing the far right to gain a fingerhold in Europe." Atif, asked for his opinion of the factors that drive people to perform these acts, said there are many rea- sons. "There is a lack of education, a lack of employment, frustration. There is also brainwashing by lead- ers. Many poor people, orphans, are brainwashed into thinking that this is the only way they can better them- selves. They expect paradise, but the point is: where does the blame lie? On the children or on the leaders? The leaders will have to appear before God and give an account of their actions." Muslims have a right to not be of- fended, said the local Muslim leader. "Freedom of expression is a right, but humankind also has rights. Islam says everything one does should be done with decency – yes the cartoonists have a right, but so do Muslims. A right not to be offended." Mallia believes the central issue is protection of power, however. "We are talking about power, the Imams are looking for material power and are sending people to be cannon fodder. The Imams never ask their children to be suicide bombers. "The pen is also a powerful weapon," added the cartoonist. Friggieri said there is already a dan- ger that the Maltese, who "do not like immigrants much already", will begin to view all immigrants as terrorists, also pointing out however that "there is no guarantee that what that hap- pened in Paris will not happen here". "The only weapon is vigilance." Atif said he was not aware of any in- stances of Imams spreading inflam- matory teaching among the Maltese Muslim community. On the contrary, Atif said, every Muslim should inte- grate and obey the laws of the land they live in. "The love of your country is part of your faith. If I live in Malta I should love Malta. If I am a bad Mus- lim, I can do what I want, but if I am a good Muslim, I will love the country I live in." provocative art is conditioned by subject in the past but the reaction was Mallia described offence as central Laiq Ahmed Atif, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta (inset) on the Paris attacks: "We need more dialogue between religions"