The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI; Irish: Ionad Cultúrtha Ioslamach na hÉireann) is an Islamic complex, including a mosque, in Clonskeagh, Dublin, Ireland. It is funded by the al-Maktoum Foundation of Dubai and has a Sunni orientation.
| Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland | |
|---|---|
Ionad Cultúrtha Ioslamach na hÉireann | |
 Mosque in Clonskeagh | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Muslim |
| Sect | Sunni |
| Location | |
| Country | Ireland |
  Shown within Dublin | |
| Geographic coordinates | 53°18′16″N 6°14′01″W / 53.304548°N 6.233721°W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Michael Collins & Associates |
| Style | Islamic |
| Funded by | Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| Groundbreaking | 1994 |
| Completed | 1996 |
| Construction cost | IR£5 million |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,700[1] |
| Interior area | 5,000 m2 (54,000 sq ft) |
| Minaret height | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Site area | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
| Materials | steel, stainless steel, brick |
| Website | |
| islamireland | |
Formation
editIn 1992 Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Governor of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry in the United Arab Emirates, agreed to finance a piece of land including a building to house a school. Later on agreed to sponsor the construction of an Islamic Centre on the same site.[2] At the time, 4,000 Muslims lived in Ireland.[3] Construction of the ICCI began in 1994. It was officially opened on 16 November 1996 by President Mary Robinson and Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. It is located next to University College Dublin. The mosque and cultural centre include a main prayer hall, a restaurant, a library, meeting rooms, mortuary facilities, Nurul Huda Qur'anic school, a youth club room, an events hall for sporting activities/conferences, administrative offices and a shop. A primary school is also located on the premises.[citation needed]
The ICCI was designed by the Irish architect firm, Michael Collins & Associates. The layout is based on a square divided into nine smaller squares, with the mosque placed in the centre. The building is a steel frame structure with brick infill and is detailed with stainless steel.[4]
Organisations and activities
editIn November 1996, Imam Yahya Al-Hussein became the first Imam of the ICCI, with his administration, Mr. Fazel Ryklief and Dr. Mudafar Al-Tawash, who were the original administration of the Islamic Foundation of Ireland (IFI) at the time. They were running the operations of the ICCI while the IFI offices were closed. As of late 1997, they had moved back to the IFI.
In late 1997, Imam Hussein Halawa and Mr. Nooh Al Kaddo oversaw the operations of the ICCI. The current Executive Director of the ICCI is Nooh Al Kaddo, an Iraqi native who moved from Liverpool to Dublin in 1997 to run the Islamic centre. The imam of the ICCI is Hussein Halawa, who came to Ireland from Egypt in 1996 and is also chairman of the Irish Council of Imams. The ICCI hosts the headquarters of ECFR.
The ICCI hosts the Muslim National School, a state funded primary school, with an Islamic ethos and with over 260 pupils. The religious department is sponsored by the al-Maktoum Foundation.[2]
The Centre housed the headquarters of the International Association of Muslim Scholars (later International Union of Muslim Scholars) before it moved to Qatar.
Also the ICCI hosts the European College for Islamic Studies which holds correspondent courses for another Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) central institution, the European Institute for Human Sciences.[5] Analysts state that FIOE is an umbrella for Muslim Brotherhood organisations in Europe.[6][7]
In 2018 it endorsed the No Vote for the Abortion Vote[8] and the No vote for the removal of the blasphemy ban.[9][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland celebrates 20th anniversary".
- ^ a b The Muslim Community in Ireland Archived 2007-11-19 at the Wayback Machine Ali Selim (ICCI), The Journal of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, issue 9: July 2005
- ^ 3,873 Muslims in Ireland according to the 1991 census CSO Ireland
- ^ archnet: information about ICCI construction Archived 2006-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Olivia Cosgrove, Laurence Cox, Carmen Kuhling and Peter Mulholland (Eds.), Ireland's New Religious Movements (Newcastle upon Tyne 2011) pages 331 and 334
- ^ Vidino, Lorenzo (22 September 2010). The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231151269.
- ^ Scharbrodt, Oliver; Sakaranaho, Tuula; Khan, Adil Hussain; Shanneik, Yafa; Ibrahim, Vivian (2015). Political Islam in Ireland and the Role of Muslim Brotherhood Networks - Edinburgh Scholarship. doi:10.3366/edinburgh/9780748696888.001.0001. ISBN 9780748696888.
- ^ "Islamic spokesman calls for No vote in abortion referendum".
- ^ "Religious groups back removal of blasphemy from the Constitution". Irish Independent, 23 October 2018.
- ^ "Blasphemy, Stephen Fry and referendum in Ireland". BBC News, 20 October 2018.
External links
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