An Garda Síochána held recruitment drives at Dublin’s Clonskeagh Mosque just months before the centre was closed over a “heightened security situation” and amid allegations of extremist influence within elements of the organisation.
According to Freedom of Information records released to Gript, Gardaí carried out “recruitment outreach” sessions aimed at “minority target groups” at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) in Clonskeagh on February 23rd and 26th of this year. One session is listed as completed, while the other was marked “in progress”.
Gardaí also had formal outreach to the Co. Mayo Islamic Centre for Friday prayers, the Balbriggan Mosque, the Mosque in Mullingar, the Muslim Sisters of Eire, and more.
This was part of a broader effort by Gardaí to canvass venues with high migrant attendance to recruit from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including “African Churches” in Balbriggan, “Traveller outreach”, the “Roma community” in Wexford, the “Pakistani community”, Chinese cultural events, and more. Other diversity drives included focusing on LGBT groups.
The Clonskeagh Mosque, which was subsequently closed in April following a disruptive incident at a Quranic school meeting, has since been the subject of numerous allegations concerning financial irregularities and alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a statement published on April 25th 2025, the Irish Muslim Council accused individuals within the ICCI’s management of prioritising “division over unity” and claimed that these individuals included “elements with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood”.
“For too long, the ICCI has been controlled by individuals who prioritised power over service, division over unity, and stagnation over progress, including elements with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation banned in multiple Arab states for its exploitation of religion for political ends,” the statement read.
While the Muslim Brotherhood is a proscribed terrorist group in countries such as Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, it is not banned in Ireland.
Sheikh Umar al-Qadri, chair of the Irish Muslim Council and a former founding member of the Irish Council of Imams, has also issued public warnings about the Mosque’s leadership.
He accused a “highly influential figure” within the ICCI of failing to condemn extremist militant groups and of fostering “dangerous ambiguity” about extremism within the community.
“The damage caused by those entrusted with [the ICCI Mosque’s] leadership cannot be overlooked,” al-Qadri wrote in a social media thread.
“From financial mismanagement to covert radicalisation and the spread of hate, these actions were facilitated by the very individuals who were in charge of the ICCI.”
He added that the Mosque’s management “refused to participate” in a protest against ISIS and “blocked the distribution of anti-ISIS posters within the Mosque”.
“This reluctance to take a clear stand against extremism spoke volumes,” he said.
Gript reached out to the ICCI for comment on these allegations by phone and multiple emails over several weeks. However, no reply was received.
The ICCI’s newly-appointed board, in its own public statement, alleged that a private meeting of Quranic school parents was disrupted by individuals trying to forcibly turn it into a community-wide gathering.
According to the ICCI, the disruption led to harassment, intimidation, and physical assault against board members and staff, prompting the Mosque’s closure due to “a heightened security situation”.
“There was a coordinated effort to instigate chaos, intimidate and harass parents, and obstruct their entry to the scheduled meeting, which also led to physical assault on a staff and the Board,” the organisation said in a statement explaining the Mosque’s closure.
“This resulted in a heightened security situation, creating an unsafe environment for our Board Member, staff, parents, the general public, and young people in attendance. Following this incident – and in light of credible information received by the Board regarding planned protests, including potential attempts to breach the Centre’s gates and forcibly take control of the premises – the Board determined that maintaining security would be impossible if the Centre remained open.
“The Centre remains concerned about ongoing safety risks, particularly given reports that further protests may be organized with the intent to incite individuals to breach the gates and forcibly occupy ICCI premises.”
The board also raised “serious concerns” about alleged financial misconduct. It stated that the Principal and Deputy Principal of the Quranic school had refused to provide financial documents and unlawfully removed sensitive records.
“The newly appointed Board, having recently taken charge, has also raised serious concerns regarding financial irregularities and governance failures at the ICCI,” the organisation said at the time.
“An internal review was underway, and an internal auditor had been appointed to assist with this process. As part of this effort, the management requested financial records and other relevant documents from the Principal and Deputy Principal of the Quranic School. However, they refused to comply, unlawfully withheld ICCI property, and removed sensitive records without authorisation.”
In the aftermath, ICCI Imam’s secretary Dr. Eid Zaher reportedly faced harassment after calling on a senior official within the Mosque to resign.
As reported by the Irish Times, the ICCI said it was “deeply saddened by the radicalised behaviour of certain individuals within our community who have attacked, intimidated, harassed, insulted and defamed Dr. Sheikh Eid”.
“Such actions to silence dissenting voices are unacceptable,” the Mosque said in its statement, describing the alleged abuse as “a cowardly attack and yet another example of the extremist tendencies of certain elements within the community.”
“Freedom of expression is a deeply valued principle and an integral part of the shared norms…in Irish society,” it added.
“We pray for the enlightenment and reform of these radical elements so that the mosque and centre can reopen in an atmosphere of peace and security for our employees, the children and the community.”
Dr. Ali Selim, who held a senior role in the ICCI until last September, told the Irish Times that it was “very hard to answer” whether there were individuals within the Mosque with Muslim Brotherhood ties.
Asked whether others within the Mosque were connected to the group, he said: “It is very hard to answer this question. None of them has ever expressed to me that he is a member of the group but, again, they never say.”
The ICCI is funded by the Al-Maktoum Foundation, which is based in the UAE – a country where the Muslim Brotherhood is banned. However, in Ireland, membership of the organisation is not illegal.