Download Muslim Council formation

Ireland
Sat, Sep 16, 06
Council of Imams to help integrate Muslim faithful into society
John Downes
An Irish Council of Imams will be established on Monday to encourage the integration of
the Muslim community into Irish society, and to spread a "spirit of Islamic tolerance" .
Among the main aims of the 19-strong council, which will be broadly similar to the Irish
Bishops' Conference, are to form an official body to express Islamic viewpoints regarding
issues arising in Ireland, as well as to increase inter-faith dialogue.
Made up initially of 19 Imams from mosques around the country, the council will be seen
as the supreme Muslim theological body here. Its establishment reflects the size of the
growing Muslim community in Ireland.
The new council, which will meet every three months, will be chaired by the Imam of the
Clonskeagh mosque in Dublin, Sheikh Hussein Halawa.
Yesterday, he rejected suggestions that Muslim leaders here are "in denial" about the threat
of religious extremism.
"We are not denying it. But in fact it is not happening and it has not happened. And I would
advise that if somebody knows something then let them go to the authorities and report it . .
. but as for allocating false allegations, this is not our way," he told The Irish Times
yesterday.
"I hope that if somebody knows a person who has a terrorist ideology [that they will] report
it to the authorities."
Sheikh Halawa said the new body would aim to provide a "unified" Irish Islamic viewpoint.
"If there is an issue and the Government here want to know the Islamic stance in this
regard, we just wanted to provide them with a Muslim authority that can give the Islamic
verdict," he said.
"Currently we have heard people using terminology that is nothing to do with Islam, in
terms of the political Islam or the terrorist Islam, so we wanted to form a collective body
that will stand and say, 'well, here are all the Muslim scholars and they are saying one
thing'. So to give in other words a collective word issued by all of us who are scholars."
© The Irish Times
Irish Times
Tue, Sep 19, 06
New body launched to represent Muslims in Ireland
Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent
A Muslim representative body unique in Europe, the Irish Council of Imams, was launched
in Dublin yesterday.
Representing all 14 imams in Ireland, of both the Sunni and Shia traditions, it will have the
authority to speak on relevant issues on behalf of the estimated 40,000 Muslims in the
State.
Chaired by Imam Hussein Halawa, imam of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland at
Clonskeagh in Dublin, its deputy chairman is Imam Yahya Al-Hussein, imam of the Islamic
Foundation of Ireland on Dublin's South Circular Road, and its general secretary is Ali
Selim.
Representatives on the council include those from Muslim communities in Galway,
Limerick, the Cork Islamic Centre, Waterford, Meath, Clonee, the Milltown Islamic Centre
in Dublin, Tallaght, and Lucan.
The council is a theological body whose objectives, as well as giving the Muslim view on
events in Ireland, will also include the formation of a specialised official Muslim body to
give the Islamic verdict on topical issues in Ireland. It also aims to encourage positive
integration of Muslims in Irish society as well as providing social and educational
programmes for imams.
It intends making a positive contribution towards finding solutions to social and family
problems in Ireland and to co-operate, where relevant, with various agencies and
organisations. It also intends collaborating with people of other faiths through dialogue on
matters held in common and to spread the spirit of Islamic tolerance.
Imam Halawa described the council as "unique in Europe", in that it represented all imams
in Ireland, including those of both the Sunni and Shia traditions. The council had been
formed "to be a religious authority for Muslims in Ireland", he said.
Mr Selim said preparations to set it up had taken place for the past 14 to 15 months.
Its coming into being had not been influenced by the controversy last month when Sheikh
Dr Shaheed Satardien, of the Supreme Muslim Council of Ireland, accused other Irish
Islamic leaders of being "in denial" about claims that young Irish Muslims upwards were
being radicalised on trips to their parents' country of origin, Mr Selim said.
The director of the Islamic Cultural Centre at Clonskeagh in Dublin, Dr Nooh al-Kaddo,
said he did not agree at all with Dr Satardien's viewpoint. "I don't know where he got this
information from," he said.
"I am dealing with the grassroots directly. We try our best to help with the integration
process, to ensure that they are understanding how to be a Muslim and at the same time to
be a good citizen," he said.
Mr Selim also expressed surprise at findings in a Sunday Tribune poll last Sunday that just
42 per cent of those surveyed believed Irish Muslims were tolerant. "That is extremely low.
I believe it [ the figure] should be in the 90s," he said.
© The Irish Times