Prominent figures from the Irish Islamic community have voiced concerns about the plight of their co-religionists enduring Ramadan in war-torn Gaza. Given the ongoing destruction caused by bombardments since the fatal Hamas attack last October, the city is left with insufficient food, water, and a drastically limited number of mosques. Dr Ali Selim, representing Clonskeagh, Dublin’s largest mosque, the Islamic Cultural Centre, highlights the dire necessities of the Muslims in Gaza during this significant period. He is calling for a temporary halt in fighting to allow them to observe Ramadan. Despite the devastation, he has observed Gazans continuing to pray on the sites that once housed their places of worship.
Dr Selim criticised the wanton destruction caused by the Israeli bombing, including mosques, churches, and schools, as a disregard for human life. He inculcated that this war has also had a toll on Irish Muslims, with many having relatives in the troubled region.
Meanwhile, Shaykh Umar al-Qadri, from the Islamic Centre of Ireland in Blanchardstown, West Dublin, drew parallels between the world’s indifference to the Gaza situation and global apathy during the Holocaust. He expressed disappointment at the response from Europe and the US and noted the dire circumstances of the Gazans having to pray in the open air and losing entire families.
Both Dr Selim and Shaykh al-Qadri have been active in the protests in Dublin, featuring a diverse group of participants, expressing their dissatisfaction with the situation in Gaza. Dr Selim praised Ireland’s position of fairness towards Palestinians, while also conveying the sadness marking this year’s Ramadan due to the carnage Gaza and the Palestinians — many connected to families in Ireland — have been facing. Shaykh al-Qadri, recently recovered from an assault in Tallaght, has also been at the vanguard of multiple Dublin rallies demanding an end to the violence.
Last year, in the month of December, he was actively involved in a Hanukkah candle lighting service organised outside the Mansion House in the city, attended by individuals from the Irish Jewish community. Notable attendees included Rabbi Zalman Lent and Rabbi Yoni Weider from the Terenure synagogue.
In his address to attendees, Rabbi Lent made an emotional confession about the persecution of Jews throughout history. He said despite numerous attempts to annihilate Jews and extinguish their symbolic light, their resilience kept them going. He also enlighteningly commented on the symbolic endurance of the Menorah itself, which was preserved even in the vilest of circumstances including ghettos, concentration camps, Inquisitions and Holocausts, only to shine brighter each time.
Shaykh al-Qadri explained that he was there to clarify that the tumultuous situation in Gaza is not of religious, but political nature, asserting that it’s not a clash between Islam and Judaism. He emphasized on the shared values of the two faiths and urged for more positivity in relationships in the Middle East.
As indicated by the 2022 census data, the Muslim population in Ireland has grown up to 81,930, marking a noteworthy increase of 32 per cent compared to the 2016 data. Dr Selim suggests an informal estimate of around 120,000, with 30 worship places located in Dublin and a total of 95 around Ireland. The recent wave of Muslim immigrants have made significant contributions particularly in the healthcare sector at varying levels of doctor and consultant roles in hospitals.
Ramadan is a sacred time of 30 days during which healthy Muslim adults are obliged to fast from dawn till dusk and then take part in a special evening prayer at a mosque following their evening meal and drinks. Shaykh a-Quadri, being an imam himself, will lead the congregations in the evening over the month, including the additional Tarawih prayer at the Blanchardstown mosque. The fasting obligation during this time excludes children, elderly people, those unwell, and those who are menstruating or expecting a child.
People’s capacity to meditate, pray and experience what it feels like to be without food and drink, living in the shoes of those suffering from hunger and thirst, is both a spiritual exercise and a discipline, said the spokesperson. Ramadan, an annual event that progresses 10 days each year, is scheduled according to the lunar calendar. Currently, as day and night are nearly equally divided, fasting is somewhat easier compared to the summers in Ireland when days are significantly longer.
During summertime in the north, where the day could last up to 24 hours in certain regions, Muslims may opt to observe regular fasting hours as followed in the south, or from sunrise to sunset like in Mecca, pointed out Shaykh al-Qadri.
Ramadan concludes with Eid, a significant festival likened to Christmas globally or Thanksgiving in the US. Dr Selim reminisced about the approximately 5,000 individuals who joined the Eid festivities at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Clonskeagh. He highlighted the attendance of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who was recently elected in June 2017, and expressed his hopes for his return. This year, Dr Selim invited him to join them in celebrating Eid at Clonskeagh on April 10th.
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