A dramatic upsurge of Islamophobic instances have occurred in Ireland since the September 11th attacks, says a new report.
The report, published by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), compiled information on Islamophobia in a number of EU countries including Ireland.
It revealed that attacks on individuals and groups that appeared to be of either Muslim or Arab descent increased in the State following September 11th.
Visually identifiable Muslim women, asylum seekers and members of the Sikh community became targets of abuse, although the report indicated that things had returned to a more normal state by the end of last year.
While most of the Islamophobic instances reported in Ireland were restricted to verbal abuse, other EU countries reported incidences of violent assault on Muslim women.
British tabloid newspapers printed in Ireland were cited as being sensationalist on the issue, and interaction and cooperation between the media and Muslim organisations was encouraged in order to combat this.
Initiatives, like the Government's 'Know Racism' campaign were commended, while the Taoiseach's visit to the Islamic Cultural Centre in Dublin was cited as an important visible gesture to combat the rise of Islamaphobic sentiment.
The report also recommended organising cultural events to introduce Islam to non-Muslims, as well as lectures, presentations, talks and exhibitions. Awareness programmes were also advocated, with the Government's incorporation of the issue of Islamophobia into its 'Know Racism' programme cited as an 'excellent' example.