The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) in South Dublin, which was closed last week as part of a bitter internal dispute, is to reopen its national school and creche on Monday with heavy security.
However, the rest of the campus – including the mosque, which is the largest in Ireland – will remain closed. The centre’s management has said it will remain closed until a full security review takes place.
It has stated it fears there may be an attempt to forcibly take over the property.
The ICCI, in Clonskeagh, South Dublin, closed its doors last week following a physical confrontation at a meeting which had to be broken up by gardaí.
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Gardaí maintained a presence outside the centre over the weekend while several dozen private security guards patrolled the interior.
The decision to close the centre was taken by the Al Maktoum Foundation, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) charity which owns the centre and provides about €2.5 million a year in funding.
It has raised concerns about alleged financial irregularities at the centre as well as alleged links between some members and extremist ideologies.
Zahid Jamil, a Dubai-based lawyer and a member of the foundation’s board, said on Sunday the national school and creche will reopen on Monday morning.
It is understood there will be a significant security presence at the gates and that only children and staff will be permitted to enter.
Mr Jamil said the foundation’s board has been working with the management of the school to ensure it can reopen. He said it has worked out arrangements for security and protection and is grateful to the Irish authorities for their assistance.
“The Muslim National School is exactly the kind of organisation that fosters integration and works against extremism,” he said.
The Al Maktoum Foundation has sent Mr Jamil and an auditor to Ireland to examine the centre’s finances.
Concerns have been raised about the management of charitable donations, including funds raised for Gaza and the use of cash payments.
The foundation has also raised concerns about alleged links between officials and the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Islamist organisation which the UAE claims is a terrorist organisation.
To date, no official complaint has been made to gardaí about these matters. Garda sources said its only involvement with the centre has been to ensure the safety of attendees and to prevent any public order breaches.
It has also received information relating to a petrol canister found on the grounds of the centre.
In a statement last week, the Irish Muslim Peace & Integration Council backed the board’s moves and said that for “too long” the mosque has been controlled by people “who fail to represent the diversity of Irish Muslims”.
It criticised individuals “who prioritised power over service, division over unity, and stagnation over progress, including elements with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood”.
Meanwhile, the administrators of a religious school which takes place on the grounds of the centre, and is separate from the national school, have denied any accusations of wrongdoing.
The Nurul Huda Quranic School said it has been subject to “allegations and false accusations”. It said it has never refused to hand over financial information but did decline to hand over personal information on parents and students due to data protection laws.
Payments to the school are properly accounted for and are audited yearly, it said. The school said a meeting will take place soon “to present the full facts and respond to any questions”.
