Islam in Ireland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The documented history of Islam in Ireland dates to the 1950s. Some newspaper accounts suggest that there were some "Turks" living in Ireland in the early 20th century but whether they were Muslims or even Turkish is unknown.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Demography and ethnic background 3 Mosques and religious centers 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

The first Islamic Society in Ireland was established in 1959. It was formed by Muslim students studying in Ireland and was called the Dublin Islamic Society (later called the Islamic Foundation of Ireland). At that time there was no mosque in Dublin. The students used their homes and later rented halls for Jum'ah (Friday) and Eid prayers. In 1969 the students began to contact their relatives and some Islamic organizations and Muslim countries for the purpose of collecting donations to establish a Mosque. In 1976 the first mosque and Islamic Centre in Ireland was opened in a four story building at 7 Harrington Street, Dublin 8. Among those who contributed to the project of the Mosque and Islamic Centre was the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. In 1981 the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs of Kuwait sponsored a full time Imam for the Mosque.

A few years after the establishment of the first Islamic Centre and Mosque in Dublin, the Mosque became too small for the increasing numbers of worshippers. The Muslims in charge of the society started a second campaign to collect donations in order to establish a bigger mosque. In 1983 the present building of the Dublin Mosque and Islamic Centre was bought, renovated and the headquarters of the Society moved from Harrington Street to 163 South Circular Road, Dublin 8.

The same situation has been happening in Cork, with many prayer halls being located in housing estates. At present, Cork's Muslim community are operating out of an industrial estate, while waiting for funding to build a new mosque.

In 1992 Moosajee Bhamjee became the first (and to date only) Muslim Teachta Dála, a testament to the integration of the Muslim Community.

[edit] Demography and ethnic background

According to the 2002 Irish census, there are 19,147 Muslims (11,726 males and 7,421 females) living in the Republic of Ireland.[1] According to the 2001 census in Northern Ireland, there are 1,943 Muslims (1,164 males 779 females) living north of the border.[2]

The Muslim community in Ireland is considerably diverse and its numbers are not determined by the country's history to the same extent as the UK and France, where the majority of Muslims are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from former colonies, or Germany and Austria, where the majority of Muslims are Turkish immigrants and their descendants attracted to those countries under labour agreements signed after the Second World War.

There is no dominant ethnicity within the Muslim community in Ireland. The country's Muslims come from South Asia, East Asia, China, Oceania, and Indonesia. There are also Muslims from Arab countries, a growing number from Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as converts from Catholicism.

[edit] Mosques and religious centers

The growing number of mosques are testament to the fact that the Muslim community, albeit relatively small, is now established in Ireland.

The main mosques and Islamic cultural centres in Ireland are:

• the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland [3] (Sunni Muslim), in Clonskeagh, Dublin. Imam: Sheikh Hussein Halawa;
• the Dublin Mosque (run by the Islamic Foundation of Ireland [4]) on the South Circular Road. Imam: Sheikh Yayha Al Hussein; Director: Dr Nooh al-Kaddo
• Supreme Muslim Council of Ireland: Sheikh Shaheed Satardien
• Muslim Council of Ireland
• Minhaj-ul-Quran Clonee Islamic Centre (Dublin 15) Imam: Sheikh Allama Zille Umar Qadri
• Muslim Association of Ireland [5] Executive Director: Dr. Khaled Suliman
• Belfast Islamic Centre [6], established in 1977.
• Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre (Shi'a Muslim), in Milltown, Dublin; and
• Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque in Wellpark Grove, Galway. Run by the Galway Islamic Society [7]

In 2003, the Islamic Cultural Centre and Foras na Gaeilge joined forces to translate the Qur'an into the Irish for the first time.

In September 2006 an umbrella organization, the Irish Council of Imams, was established. It represents all 14 imams in Ireland, of both the Sunni and Shia traditions. It is chaired by Imam Hussein Halawa (Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland), its deputy chairman is Imam Yahya Al-Hussein (Islamic Foundation of Ireland), and its general secretary is Ali Selim.

[edit] See also

• Islam

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Islamic Foundation Of Ireland
• Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland
• Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre of Ireland
• Dublin City University Islamic Society