Islam in Ireland
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The documented history of Islam in Ireland dates to the 1950s. The number of muslims in Ireland increased considerably since the 1990s.
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[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)[1]. 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[citation needed]. In 1976 the first mosque and Islamic Centre in Ireland was opened in a four story building at 7 Harrington Street, Dublin 8[citation needed]. 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.[citation needed]
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.[2] 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.[citation needed]
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.[3]
In 1992 Moosajee Bhamjee became the first (and to date only) Muslim Teachta Dála (Member of Irish Parliament)[4].
[edit] Demography and ethnic background
According to the 2006 Irish census, there are 32,539 Muslims (19,372 males and 13,167 females) living in the Republic of Ireland.[5] representing a 69.% increase over the figures for the 2002 census (19.147). In 1991, the number of Muslims was below 4000 (3.873).[6]
According to the 2001 census in Northern Ireland, there are 1,943 Muslims (1,164 males 779 females) living north of the border.[7]
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 migrant workers and their descendants. There is no dominant ethnicity within the Muslim community in Ireland. The country's Muslims come from South Asia, East Asia, Oceania, and Indonesia. There are also Muslims from Arab countries, a growing number from Sub-Saharan Africa. The large Muslim immigration in the end of the 90s was caused by the Irish economic boom and asylum seekers from diverse Muslim countries.[8]
Muslims now make up the third largest faith group in Ireland.[9]
[edit] Mosques and religious centres
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 [1] (Sunni Muslim), in Clonskeagh, Dublin. Imam: Sheikh Hussein Halawa;
- the Dublin Mosque (run by the Islamic Foundation of Ireland [2]) 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
- Al-Mustafa Islamic Cultural Centre, Dublin 15 : Sheikh Dr. Z.U. Al-Qadri
- Muslim Association of Ireland [3] Executive Director: Dr. Khaled Suliman
- Belfast Islamic Centre [4], established in 1977.
- Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre[5] (Shi'a Muslim), in Milltown, Dublin; and
In 2003, the Islamic Cultural Centre and Foras na Gaeilge joined forces to translate the Qur'an into Irish for the first time[10].
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.
In 2008, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee of Ireland (MPACIE) [6] came into being with the stated aims of promoting equality, empowering Muslims and building bridges. The group actively champion the cause of Irish Muslims and Muslims in Ireland. They also strongly advocate mosque reform, wishing to see the mosques as vibrant centres of learning and activism, akin to those established by Muhammad.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "The Islamic Foundation of Ireland". DCU Islamic Society. http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~isoc/mosques.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ^ Islamic Foundation of Ireland, Projects
- ^ About the Cork Mosque
- ^ "The Muslim-Irish prove to be a surprisingly moderate bunch". Irish Independent. 2006-12-19. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/the-muslimirish-prove-to-be-a-surprisingly-moderate-bunch-65169.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ^ Central Statistics Office of Ireland
- ^ ICCRI inside spectrum issue 9: July 2005
- ^ Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
- ^ Irish Muslims at a Crossroads By Idris Tawfiq, IslamOnline Feb. 5, 2008
- ^ Islam Ireland's 3rd largest faith, BBC 29 November 2007
- ^ "Koran to be translated into Irish". BBC News. 2003-03-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2840591.stm. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
[edit] External links
- Islamic Foundation Of Ireland
- Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland
- Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre of Ireland
- Dublin City University Islamic Society
- The Muslim Survival Guide for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
- Mary Fitzgerald (13 December 2006). "Ireland's Muslims forging an identity". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/gageby/underthecrescent/identity.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-08.
- Cork Mosque
- Cork Muslim Women's Group
- Muslim Public Affairs Committee of Ireland
