A DECISION ON planning permission for a mosque in Tralee, Co Kerry has been delayed over concerns about a public call to prayer system.

Kerry Islamic Cultural Centre submitted an application in April to build a mosque in a business park in Killerisk, Tralee.

A previous application was rejected due to concerns over traffic.

According to The Kerryman, the proposed mosque would feature a traditional dome and minaret while the centre would include ten bedrooms and a dining hall to cater for 200 people.

The Islamic call to prayer takes place five times a day, including at dawn and just after sunset.

The Kerryman said Kerry County Council is seeking information on a number of aspects of the plan, including whether or not there will be a public call to prayer and the impact this may have on neighbours.

File photo Dominic Lipinski / PA Images Dominic Lipinski / PA Images / PA Images

Dr Rizwan Khan, chair of the Kerry Islamic Outreach Society (KIOS), told Tralee Today:

“The call to prayer has been an issue raised, but nobody has said because there is a minaret the call to prayer is going to happen.

There is not a chance it will happen because the neighbours’ rights are our utmost priority in Islam.

“For the last 20 years there has been a mosque in Clonskeagh in Dublin with a minaret and there is no call to prayer, so saying there is going to be a call to prayer in Tralee is just scaremongering,” Khan said.

Clonskeagh mosque Islam Ireland Islam Ireland

Earlier this month, the Irish branch of Pediga (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West) handed out flyers in Tralee protesting the mosque.

According to the last census, Kerry has the largest amount of Muslims in Ireland outside of Dublin, Cork and Limerick. There were 833 Muslims in Tralee and over 1,500 in the county as of 2011. The figure is now likely to be higher.

KIOS said the Kerry Islamic Cultural Centre won’t be commenting on the issue until the planning permission result is decided.

A spokesperson for Kerry County Council confirmed they have received the application, but said they cannot comment on it as a decision has yet to be reached.

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