Islam in Ireland
Encyclopedia
The documented history of Islam in Ireland dates to the 1950s. The number of Muslims in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
has increased since the 1990s. although most of those are not Irish nationals.
History
The organisational history of Islam in Ireland is complex, not least because of the immense variety of ethnic backgrounds of Irish Muslims. The first IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Society in Ireland was established in 1959. It was formed by 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
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Dublin. The students used their homes and later rented halls for Jum'ah (Friday) and Eid
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
(Muslim holiday) prayers. 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
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975. As king, he is credited with rescuing the country's finances and implementing a policy of modernization and reform, while his main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamic Nationalism, anti-Communism, and pro-Palestinian...
. In 1981 the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
sponsored a full time Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
for the 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.
In Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, prayer halls are located in housing estates. Cork's Muslim community operates out of an industrial estate, while hoping to raise money to build a new mosque.
In 1992 Moosajee Bhamjee
Moosajee Bhamjee
Moosajee Bhamjee is a former Irish Labour Party politician. He was Ireland's first Muslim Teachta Dála .Moosajee Bhamjee was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in 1947. His father emigrated from India in 1906 and had set up a hardware shop there...
became the first (and to date only) Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(Member of Irish Parliament).
Demography and ethnic background
According to the 2006 Irish census, there are 32,539 Muslims living in the Republic of Ireland. representing a 69% increase over the figures for the 2002 census (19.147). In 1991, the number of Muslims was below 4000 (3.873). Islam is a minority religion in Ireland, behind Roman Catholicism and members of the Church of Ireland (incl. Protestants. The 2006 census recorded the number of Roman Catholics at 3,644,965, with 118,948 Church of Ireland, including Protestants. In terms of numbers, Islam in Ireland is relatively insignificant, and although Muslims can claim to be the third largest faith group in Ireland they also lagged significantly behind those who claimed to have no religion, at 175,252, and those who did not state a religion, at 66,750.According to the 2001 census, there are 1,943 Muslims (1,164 males 779 females) in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
The Muslim community in Ireland is not just small but 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. Just over 55 per cent of Muslims were either Asian or African nationals with 30.7 per cent having Irish nationality. The census also revealed that of the 31,779 Muslims resident in Ireland at the time of the census, 9,761 were Irish nationals, less than the number of Asians (10,649) although more than the 6,909 African nationals.
The Muslim immigration in the end of the 90s was caused by the Irish economic boom
Economy of the Republic of Ireland
The economy of Ireland has transformed in recent years from an agricultural focus to a modern knowledge economy, focusing on services and high-tech industries and dependent on trade, industry and investment. In terms of GDP per capita, Ireland is ranked as one of the wealthiest countries in the...
and asylum seekers from diverse Muslim countries, But because of the economic situation in Ireland many Muslims are returning to Muslim countries and the Islamic population is decreasing rapidly with many mosques closing.
Mosques and religious centres
The mosques and Islamic cultural centres in Ireland are:- the Islamic Cultural Centre of IrelandIslamic Cultural Centre of IrelandThe Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland ' is an Islamiccomplex, including a mosque, in Clonskeagh, Dublin, Ireland. It is funded by the al-Maktoum Foundation of Dubai and has a Sunni orientation.-Formation:...
http://www.riai.ie/gallery.html?type=regional&year=1997&item=3 in ClonskeaghClonskeaghClonskeagh or Clonskea , is a southern suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district straddles the River Dodder.-Location and access:Whilst located fully within the traditional County Dublin, Clonskeagh lies partially within the administrative area of Dublin City Council but mostly in that of Dun...
, Dublin. Imam: Hussein Halawa; - the Dublin MosqueDublin MosqueDublin Mosque is a mosque on the South Circular Road, Dublin in Ireland. The building was previously in use by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland...
(run by the Islamic Foundation of IrelandIslamic Foundation of IrelandThe Islamic Foundation of Ireland was formed in 1959 by Muslim students in Ireland. The society established the first mosque in Ireland in 1976. It also helped to establish mosques in other cities in the country. The headquarters of the foundation is currently at the Dublin Mosque and Islamic...
http://www.islaminireland.com) on the South Circular RoadSouth Circular Road, DublinThe South Circular Road is a road in Dublin, Ireland, one of the longest in the city. It runs from Kilmainham in the west of the city, through Rialto and Dolphin's Barn to Portobello, near the centre. As it runs mainly through residential areas, it is used by numerous bus routes.-History:Until the...
. Imam: Yayha Al Hussein; - Al-Mustafa Islamic Cultural Centre, Dublin 15 :Imam: Dr. Umar Al-Qadri http://www.islamiccentre.ie)
- Muslim Association Forum, Ireland, situated at the Islamic Foundation of IrelandIslamic Foundation of IrelandThe Islamic Foundation of Ireland was formed in 1959 by Muslim students in Ireland. The society established the first mosque in Ireland in 1976. It also helped to establish mosques in other cities in the country. The headquarters of the foundation is currently at the Dublin Mosque and Islamic...
http://www.islaminireland.com) in Dublin and established since 1999, and acquired Charity status in 2001, as a melting pot for Muslims from African background to teach and share Islamic knowledge. - Muslim Association of Ireland http://www.mai-ireland.ie Executive Director: Dr. Khaled Suliman
- Belfast Islamic Centre http://www.belfastislamiccentre.org.uk, established in 1977.
- Ahlul Bayt Islamic CentreAhlul Bayt Islamic CentreThe Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre is the main Shia Islamic centre in Ireland and is situated at Milltown Bridge, Dublin. It is commonly known as ‘Hussainia’ and was previously the only Shia Muslim Islamic centre and mosque in the whole of Ireland....
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~ahlulbyteassociation (Shi'a Muslim), in Milltown, Dublin - Turkish Irish Educational and Cultural Society Fethullah GulenFethullah GülenMuhammed Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish preacher, author, educator, and Sufi Muslim scholar living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania . He is the founder and leader of the Gülen movement...
in Dublin, established in 2004 - Mosque to be constructed in GalwayGalwayGalway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim CommunityAhmadiyya Muslim CommunityThe Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the larger of two communities that arose from the Ahmadiyya movement founded in 1889 in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian . The original movement split into two factions soon after the death of the founder...
. This will be the first purpose built mosque in Galway. - Dawatul Haq Islamic Cultural Centre, Galway.
In 2003, the Islamic Cultural Centre and Foras na Gaeilge
Foras na Gaeilge
Foras na Gaeilge is the governing body of the Irish language, responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland. Its name can be translated into English as "The Irish Language Body", although the body has no official English-language name...
joined forces to translate the Koran into Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
for the first time.
In September 2006 an umbrella organization, the Irish Council of Imams
Irish Council of Imams
The Irish Council of Imams is an umbrella organization for all Islamic establishments in Ireland. Its formation was announced in a press-release on September 15, 2006. It represents all 35 imams in Ireland, of both the Sunni and Shia denominations...
, was established. It represents 14 imams in Ireland, of both the Sunni and Shia traditions. It is chaired by Imam Hussein Halawa (Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland) and its deputy chairman is Imam Yahya Al-Hussein (Islamic Foundation of Ireland). Imam Dr. Umar Al-Qadri (Al-Mustafa Islamic Cultural Centre Dublin 15), Imam Salem (Cork Mosque), Imam Khaled (Galway Mosque) and Imam Ismael Khotwal (Blackpits Mosque) are among its founding members.
Muslim Students in Universities
There are several student Islamic societies (ISOC) in universities all across Ireland especially in the major universities such as UCD, TCD, UCC, NUIG, ISSNI Queen's Belfast, RCSI, DCU, DIT, IT Tralee, IT Tallaght, IT Blanchardstown, DBS.Yearly events include regular (weekly halaqas & linguistic classes), social (Food festivals), cultural (Eid), Charity drives (Charity week), physical (sports), Academic (speakers tours, lectures, courses, conferences & seminars) Intellectual (debates) and campaigns (Islam awareness & justice)
The Federation of Students Islamic societies (FOSIS) Ireland http://ireland.fosis.org.uk/, is an umbrella organisation was established in the early millennium (~2000) whose vision is to unite, serve and represent Muslim students. It also seeks to bring these students together, to share experiences and to offer help and advice where appropriate, uniting Muslim Students to positively contribute to Irish communities.
- UCD ISOC http://www.ucdisoc.com/ http://ucdisoc.wordpress.com/ was established in 1991
- TCD MSAMSA-Organisations and businesses:*Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, the former name for Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines*Maritime Safety Administration, one of two PRC Coast Guards. The other being the China Coast Guard...
http://muslim.csc.tcdlife.ie/ was established in 1998 - RCSI ISOC http://isoc.wordpress.com/ was established in 1999
- DIT ISOC was established in 2004
- IT Tralee was established in 2008
- IT Blanchardstown was established in 2009
External links
- Islamic Foundation Of Ireland
- Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland
- Dublin City University Islamic Society
- The Muslim Survival Guide for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
- Cork Mosque
- Cork Muslim Women's Group
- Federation of Student's Islamic Socities Ireland
- University College Dublin Islamic Society
- University College Dublin Islamic Society Blog
- Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland Islamic Society
- President McAleese FOSIS Islam Awareness Week '10 Grand Dinner Speech
- Trinity College Dublin Islamic Society
- University College Cork Islamic Society
- National University of Ireland Galway Muslim Youth Society