'Sadness' at Irish Islamic Foundation

At the Islamic Foundation of Ireland, the weeks since September 11th have been characterised by the taste of envelope gum and…

At the Islamic Foundation of Ireland, the weeks since September 11th have been characterised by the taste of envelope gum and a dwindling supply of stamps.

Suddenly, it seems, the Irish have discovered the existence of Islam and they want to know more.

Most people ask questions. Some want a copy of the Koran, the sacred text of Islam. All receive an information leaflet in a uniform brown envelope.

Imam Yahya Hussein, who has led the Muslim congregation at the adjacent mosque on Dublin's South Circular Road for almost 20 years, is not sure what to make of the sudden attention.

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"Yes, Islam and Muslims are to the forefront of the news and the headlines and people are starting to know we are here," he says with a smile that says ask me again in a year's time.

The Imam is less ambivalent on other aspects of the West's response to the atrocities and he heard of the air strikes on Sunday evening with "a mixture of disappointment, anger and sadness".

"We all condemn terrorism but to punish a country or a people for the acts of a few is wrong."

He believes the United States rushed into action because of the approaching winter, not because of any moral impetus and it angers him to think how long they waited for Slobodan Milosevic to be turned over and how they continue to wait with apparently endless patience for other global criminals to be brought to justice.

He takes it somewhat personally, finding himself agreeing with the Taliban leadership which has described the air strikes as an attack on the whole Islamic world.

"If you attack a section of the Muslim community, that amounts to an attack on the whole community."

One of the reasons Muslims everywhere have cause to feel under attack, he says, is language. Too quickly the US announced it was hunting "Islamic terrorists" when the Islamic part was incidental.

Fortunately, most Irish people do make the distinction. There have been incidents of name-calling against Muslims but nothing serious.

Many of Ireland's Muslims have themselves come from places of conflict and their experiences make them empathise with the Afghan people all the more.

At the mosque and in private, their prayers are full of pleas for the protection of the people and a speedy end to the conflict.

But even with prayer, Imam Hussein predicts an uncertain future for Afghanistan. If the Taliban are beaten - and they will fight long and hard - he wonders what will replace them and if the US will ever again allow the Afghan people to have an administration with a strong religious base.

"I am not advocating the Taliban model of administration but this was their understanding and their way."