Note to readers: Gript is aware that it was reported elsewhere that Gardaí attended at the relevant location in response to an incident. We have asked An Garda Síochána to explain why Gript was told they had “no involvement” with the incident and await a response.
An Garda Síochána has confirmed to Gript that it is “not involved” in regard to an incident which is alleged to have taken place at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.
A Garda spokesperson said, “An Garda Síochána is not involved in any matter at the mentioned location.”
As reported yesterday, the Islamic Cultural Centre in Clonskeagh in Dublin is currently closed to the public after what is being described as an “unprecedented” and “deeply disturbing incident” which took place on the 19th of April.
The issue, the nature of which is unclear, is understood to be an internal incident.
A sign posted on the gate of the centre, written in Arabic and English, advised visitors that it is to remain closed until a “full investigation” is carried out and “robust” safety and security measures are put in place.
The notice advised that the incident was “unprecedented and distressing”, adding that the decision to temporarily close the centre “has been made with the utmost concern for the safety and well-being of our community, especially the children of the Muslim National School.”
The move to close is “a deeply sorrowful moment in the history of the Mosque and Centre” it said.
Previous controversies.
The mosque was previously the subject of controversy after Imam Hussein Halawa, father of Ibrahim Halawa who was jailed in Egypt, denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 2018, the Irish Independent reported comments made by Hussein Halawa in which he said, “I would not accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of being bad people, but I am not a member of them,” he said. “They have even accused my son Ibrahim and my daughters and all my family of being members of the Brotherhood, but when it was investigated, it was realised none of us were members,”.
Also in 2018, the Islamic Cultural Centre’s spokesperson, Dr. Ali Selim, expressed support for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in an interview with RTÉ.
At the time he said, “I’m not an advocate of female genital mutilation but I am an advocate of female circumcision. We see female circumcision in the same way we see male circumcision. It might be needed for one person and not another, and it has to be done by a doctor and practised in a safe environment,” he said on the program.
“The same medical reason that would justify male circumcision would be the same for females. It is not an obligation, but it should be allowed by law if needed and a medical doctor can decide if it is needed or not,” he said.
“People by nature are different and their organs are different. What one person needs is not necessarily needed by another, and it should be determined by a doctor,” and that “In the Koran it says clearly, ask of the people of knowledge if you do not know, so it means you ask a medical doctor,”.
Garda Detective Superintendent Ian Lackey previously said there are an estimated 10,000 victims of female genital mutilation present in Ireland although it is prominently found in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
He said that the Criminal Justice Female Genital Mutilation Act 2012 outlaws the practice which he said was “a child protection and welfare issue”
Lackey said there were “very few prosecutions” for FGM worldwide saying there was one case ongoing in Ireland which he described as “the first ever case”.
The mosque was also the subject of repeated criticism by auditors with the Irish Times reporting in 2018 that questions had been raised regarding the treatment of charitable donations.
It was reported that, “The auditors of the Al Maktoum Foundation, the company that runs the centre, have expressed concern over a period of years that the cash is not being properly recorded and is being held at the centre rather than banked.
Deloitte has also raised concerns about payments made using the cash not being adequately recorded, and over the tracking of money loaned to staff and people in receipt of welfare payments.”