In a nondescript building on an industrial estate in Tallaght, men sit on the ground floor, women on the second – and another room houses most of the children.
Sunday was the official opening of the Dawah Islamic Group of Ireland’s mosque, just off Greenhills Road, and around 80 local Muslims met for prayers, upstairs and downstairs, during this holy Islamic month of Ramadan.
“In Islam it is not halal [permitted] for men and women to stay together. It’s kind of trying to protect men from seeing part of the body of women – it is making honour of women,” offered Bilikisu Sulaimon, a care assistant originally from Osun State in Nigeria, as regards the separation of the sexes.
Downstairs was head imam Alfa Manzur Somide, who later told Metro Éireann that his hopes are to further expand the Tallaght mosque, which was previously based at the Killinarden Community Centre. Mosque numbers have grown fast in two years, he explained, and it now welcomes over 200 members.
Originally from Ogun State in Nigeria, the imam is also a care assistant and has lived in Ireland for seven years. According to Somide, he studied the Qur’an in Nigeria, and in his religious role can even assist in marital disputes. The mosque also stages Arabic classes for children two days a week.
According to Taofeek Owoyemi, the group’s PR officer, buying a computer to assist in the children’s lessons and liaising more with other Muslim groups are priorities.
Ireland’s Muslim communities tend to segregate themselves – even from each other – but assistant imam Huzzein Rasaq, from Lagos, confirmed that while most members are Africans, other nationalities are welcome within the Dawah Islamic Group.
“We have an Irish lady who joined us last week, she just converted to Islam,” he remarked.
“Today we’re having tafsir prayer readings from the holy Qur’an, and translations so that people know what’s being said,” he continued. “It’s important to come together, to preach to one another and urge people to do good.”
Monsurat Adediran from Ibadan in Nigeria, who has lived in Ireland since 1998, concurred with this sentiment. She explained that the sermons offer instructions on living a good life, on “how to behave in society and accommodate others”.
And according to the members, their religious rights are generally accommodated in Ireland, too. Bilikisu Sulaimon remarked: “At work, I wear a small hat to cover my head. Everyone knows I’m a Muslim and I’m allowed to practice my religion. Even last Friday at work, people I work with always gather together for tea, but I let them know I was fasting. Now they won’t call me when they’re going again.”
This isn’t meant as a slight, she underlined, but so as not to tempt her to break the fast. Furthermore, she can use some of her break period to fulfil her second and third prayers every day (there are five in total).
In Ireland for eight years, she is content with life here. “I think it’s a better place for me, and my contribution to this country is to work harder for them to overcome the recession.”
Clondalkin-based Abna Ajoka-Lawson has a Nigerian husband and Nigerian parents, but she was born in Ghana, and says wherever you came into the world is where you’re from. She’s lived in Ireland for three years, studying pre-nursing.
“Islam is very, very important in my life,” she says. “ I was born a Muslim, my mum and daddy were Muslim. I’ve also been to Saudi Arabia, to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage. Islam teaches that everybody is the same, we all have blood in our veins… [Here we learn] how to relate to others in sorrow and happiness.”
And for Ajoka-Lawson, this means reaching out to the Irish, non-Muslim neighbours and friends, who she “couldn’t do without ringing most even-ings”.
“I think some people understand Islam and ask questions,” adds Lateef Asiayanbi, who works as a security officer and has lived in Ireland for eight years. “Some of them understand – and some don’t.”
deputyeditor@metroeireann.com
