A group supporting diversity gathered in Tallaght this evening to show solidarity to a senior Muslim cleric who says he was assaulted in what he described as a ‘hate crime’ last week.
A tweet from the Chairperson of the Irish Muslim Council, Dr Umar Al-Qadri, received widespread attention after he shared details of an attack which he said left him unconscious and in need of medical attention.
I received a call from a man claiming to have Irish and Pakistani heritage who asked me to officiate his marriage ceremony in Tallaght. After sending him the necessary application form and receiving it back with all details filled in, my assistant Imam prepared the marriage…
— Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri (@DrUmarAlQadri) February 16, 2024
The group Le Chéile organised tonight’s gathering saying that they wanted to condemn what they described as a ‘racist attack’ in the area.
A crowd gathered in Tallaght in Dublin this evening in response to an alleged assault on a senior Muslim cleric last weekhttps://t.co/ZN8uuxDF8Z
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 19, 2024
I joined @lecheilednd and stood in solidarity at a rally tonight condemning the recent racist attack in Tallaght.
Tallaght, a welcoming community, rejects division and fear-mongering. pic.twitter.com/iJyQILGRii
— Conor Kelly PBP Rathfarnham Templeogue (@ConorKellyPBP) February 19, 2024
The group said: “It’s important that Tallaght stands together against this attack and those who try to spread the messages of hatred and fear in our community.”
In a post on X yesterday, Dr Al-Qadri said “if it weren’t for the guardian angels who stepped in, the Irish woman who saw the attack and quickly came to help me alongside her partner, along with another Irish man, the situation would have turned out differently.”