Irish Muslims left shaken and ‘afraid to attend their daily prayers’
IRISH-BASED Muslims have been so ‘shaken’ by the terror attack in New Zealand that some opted not to attend prayers at Dublin mosques yesterday, security sources reveal.
The Muslim community yesterday said the attack which killed 49 was particularly unnerving as many of them would have regarded New Zealand as an even safer country than Ireland.
It is understood that some Muslim leaders have told senior gardaí in Dublin that some of their flock had contacted them to say they were ‘too afraid’ to attend daily prayers yesterday.
An Garda Síochána yesterday said it had ‘reached out’ to Muslim leaders nationwide to ‘offer any support and assistance required’ over the coming days – but would not be maintaining a high profile presence.
A source explained: ‘Gardaí are offering support and will be in contact with all mosques, asking if they can assist or if there are any fears from their community that gardaí can help with.
‘It is unlikely to be the case that mosques around Ireland will want Garda patrols outside their place of worship – that sends the wrong message to everyone. But if there is a genuine threat identified, or if Muslim leaders specifically request it, gardaí will increase patrols around mosques.’
When contacted, Garda Headquarters said in a statement: ‘To provide support following the terrible events in New Zealand, community gardaí will be attending Friday prayer in their local mosque and making themselves available to those communities.’
Gardaí have built up good relationships with Muslim leaders over the past decade, predominantly over concerns of persons being radicalised.
‘But we are now dealing with the opposite side of the coin. The attack in New Zealand was orchestrated by right-wing Islamophobic elements. There is nothing to suggest anything of such a nature is being plotted in Ireland but it all must be kept closely monitored,’ a source added.
Gardaí discreetly patrolled the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland in Clonskeagh in south Dublin yesterday where Elizabeth Kenna, head of community welfare, said the centre asked gardaí to make their presence as discreet as possible so as not to frighten people.
She said: ‘They [gardaí] were here this morning, quite a few of them and they said they would maintain a patrol through the prayer time. We wouldn’t like a heavy presence of gardaí, it would frighten our community.’
Ms Kenna said the attack in New Zealand sent shockwaves. ‘The shock was great because we envisaged New Zealand to be even safer than Ireland could ever be. For it to have happened in New Zealand rang home. That this really happens anywhere we are shocked that members of our wider community have been killed.’
The head of the Islamic Centre of Ireland said yesterday that increased security measures will be needed at Irish mosques in the wake of the shootings.
Chair of the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council, Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, said members of his community have told him they are very fearful.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, yesterday, he said: ‘We will be increasing our security in the coming days... We urge Muslims to remain calm in this distressing time. IMPIC will continue to work with authorities to protect all of our communities against the growing threat posed by all extremists.’
Meanwhile, a woman who knew Irish Jihadi bride Lisa Smith has told how she has been subjected to social media abuse since coming forward earlier this week. Carol Duffy said that since she went public on radio, she has been abused on social media, had insults hurled at her on the street, and had rashers thrown at her home.
‘It’s a lot of ignorant comments and hurtful,’ she said on RTÉ’s Liveline.
In the wake of the mass shooting in New Zealand, Ms Duffy said Irish Muslims were now scared, and she sympathised with the people in New Zealand who lost their lives.
‘It’s something absolutely awful. I think the fact that they done it to people on the floor praying... for someone to come in and do that in such a cowardly and disgusting way. There are no words to describe it, it’s absolutely awful,’ she said.
‘Gardaí are offering support’