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LAST UPDATE | 29 Jul 2019
GARDAÍ HAVE BEGUN an investigation, after people arriving for morning prayers at a mosque in Galway found “a considerable amount of criminal damage” caused in the premises.
Windows and locks were broken, and furniture was damaged in the attack overnight at the Ahmadiyya Muslim mosque to the east of Galway city, with the building being accessed by those responsible.
The incident took place sometime after evening prayers which finished at around 10pm last night, and the morning. A number of stones were found in the main prayer space of the building after the vandals used them to break the windows.
Spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association of Ireland Dr Nauman Iftikhar told TheJournal.ie that people were shocked following the vandalism.
“We’re a peaceful community,” he said. “We’ve a very strong relationship with the people of Galway. And we never have any problems with our neighbours.”
A similar act of vandalism saw windows smashed during evening prayers in July 2017.
Dr Iftikhar said: “People were terrified. But the good thing that came out last time was that the people of Galway came in to stand with us.
This is no place for hate, and people understand that and stood with us. We felt privileged.
No one was injured in the incident, and the mosque has handed over CCTV to the gardaí to assist in their inquiries.
“This is a place of worship, of peace,” Dr Iftikhar added. “It’s such a shame for something like this to happen here, where there’s such lovely, generous people.”
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, a garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí are investigating a burglary that occurred in Ballybaan, Co Galway on the 29 July 2019.
“A considerable amount of criminal damage was caused to the premises. No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.”
In a tweet this afternoon, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said he was “greatly disturbed” by the attack.
“A Garda investigation is underway and I urge anyone with information to come forward,” he said. “I want to reassure worshippers that their freedom of religion will be protected.”
Charlie Flanagan / TwitterI’m greatly disturbed by news of an attack on Galway’s Ahmadiyya Mosque in the early hours of this morning. A Garda investigation is underway and I urge anyone with information to come forward. I want to reassure worshippers that their freedom of religion will be protected. pic.twitter.com/skMIWmzHsO
— Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) July 29, 2019
Also reacting today was Bishop of Galway Brendan Kelly. He said: “Together with so many of my fellow Galwegians, I am dismayed and shocked at the wilful and malicious assault made last night on the Maryam Mosque in our city. I wholeheartedly condemn the actions of the perpetrators.
Later today I will visit my good friend Iman Ibrahim Noonanto to assure him of my personal support and prayers and to convey to him the very deep sense of outrage felt across our community. An attack on a place of worship is an assault on God and an assault on all people of faith. We stand in solidarity with our Muslim neighbours. With them, we reject violence, we reject division and we reject hate.
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Disgusting attack. Reminds me of sectarian attacks up north. No place for this kind of thing in Ireland.
My crucifix was ripped off my neck at customs in Saudi Arabia and thrown in the trash
You’d like us to be like Saudi Arabia?
@JeremiahMcDonagh: lol yeah that’s a true story
@JeremiahMcDonagh: Saudi Arabia has a lot of issues but what aboutism doesn’t make what happened in Galway ok.
@JeremiahMcDonagh: what brought you to Saudi Arabia?
@Justin McNulty: Ramadam? That or he wanted to see his first beheading?
@Justin McNulty: he was going on pilgrimage to Mecca clearly. He just brought the wrong jewellery.
@Reg: nope
@Dublinguy2013: Yes it is.
@Justin McNulty: A particularly deep sleep, I’d say.
@JeremiahMcDonagh: Were they the fashion police?
@JeremiahMcDonagh: “until we live under Sharia law” that’s the type of mentality that the simpletons who perpetrated this have.
@Bruce Van der Gutschmitzer: more likely to be kids who are “bored” on their summer holidays. Happens in churches around the country quite frequently but it doesn’t make the news.
@JeremiahMcDonagh: UAE has a large number of Christian churches. There are a good 10 million or more Christians in Egypt, there are a lot of paestinian Christians. It was all fine in Syria before the war. Lebanon has what a third of the population is Christian. Your answer to certain countries being backward is what? For us to become intolerant in equal measure when we are proud of our freedoms we have to just strip that and be like the others. We wouldn’t be any better then would we?
@JeremiahMcDonagh: Bullshit, there is a Christian church under construction now in Bahrain. Cathedral of our lady of Arabia, located in Awali.
@Dublinguy2013: You’ll believe what you want to believe!
This is what happens when you have fringe groups peddling fear and lies constantly over the past few years about immigration, asylum seekers and stereotyping Muslims.
@Graham Wilson: GO’D being the major player in that now.
@Graham Wilson: Real issues and concerns with immigration have nothing to do with this. The people who have painted Muslims in a bad light over the last few years more than anyone have been the Islamic State. They don’t need any help from the right. I tend to lay the blame squarely on the perpetrators and no-one else however. Valid criticism of Islam is allowed and shouldn’t be shut down because of a small group of morons.
@ObsidianShine: Big time.
@Toomasu Sumitsu: I agree fully with valid criticism, it’s the exaggerations, lies and worst of all, focus on only perpetrators of violence from certain backgrounds whilst ignoring violence by others.
@Graham Wilson: I strongly disagree with Islam in Ireland and religion as a whole for that matter but attacks and vandalism are never the answer and only create more divide, hatred and tension, incident’s like this will always happen unfortunately when people are so blinded by their faith, setting up mosque’s in certain parts of Ireland isn’t a great idea the same way trying to build a church in a Muslim country wouldn’t be accepted by certain people, it’s crazy in 2019 people are shooting,bombing and maiming each other over faith and ideology hopefully the next generations aren’t so naive.
@ObsidianShine: and that person is getting worse by the day. What worries me more is yhe amoi t of people who agree with her.
@Graham Wilson: Are you talking about the PC Brigade?
@Guill Ire: That’s the problem there’s a seething undercurrent of xenophobic ethno-nationalist white power types growing here.
The Galway Racists
@Killian Ryan: it actually isn’t too far from Ballybrit
@Joe Vlogs: brilliant.
@Joe Vlogs: it is in Ballybrit ,right bang in the middle of it !!
I hope some locals come out and show some support and despite these neanderthals attempts to divide the community, that this incident actually strengthens ties.
@Bruce Van der Gutschmitzer: the guards are treating it as a burglary.
@Seamus Mac: are they actually or are you just trying to minimise what’s happened this showing your attitude to such incidents?? Similar to your whatabouttery comment on another thread. It’s the same mosque that had a similar incident where stones were used to smash windows 2 years ago. The place has been damaged inside. It’s vandalism/racist act as far as I can see.
@Seamus Mac: as they should. Must have been seen as a soft target.
This is terrible and not the type of behavior of a real Galwegian. Hope there caught and the law deals with them properly, none of “good behavior” treatment.
That is not the behaviour that I’d associate with the welcoming Folk of Galway that I’ve known & trusted for 40++ years >>
Skum.
Very sad, each to their own space of prayer, meditation, community of faith without anger. Let’s respect that, much healthier.
Why do we have no pictures of the damage?
@alan: a bunch of thuggish vandals throwing a violent tantrum because a single mosque exists in the countrys fourth largest city? That’s the result of insecure racists being so terrified by scaremongers. That’s the marginalisation and bigotry that makes radicalisation attractive to young people. That’s the result of terrified Internet trolls peddling falsehoods to give themselves some illusion of control and importance. You are pitiful
@*The* Brendan Gordon: Would you be able to tell me how many Christian churches there are in Riyadh? Not using this for an excuse for what those toe rags did but you shouldn’t be using the only mosque in Ireland’s 4th largest city as an excuse for your argument.
@alan: hi Alan, could you provide a link please?
@alan: That was 5 years ago and no mention of religion of the perpetrators, disgraceful trying to link the two.
Only a stone’s throw away from my house!
@Aidan Mccullough: Bit like Prods and Catholics up North is it?
Sickening
Ballybane not Ballybaaan
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