Parents whose children attend the national school and creche on the site of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) in South Dublin said they were shocked by the closure of the centre last week.
The centre in Clonskeagh abruptly closed last week following a bitter internal dispute and an alleged physical altercation at a meeting on April 19th.
The Muslim National School and creche reopened on Monday morning but the rest of the campus – including the mosque, which is the largest in Ireland – remains closed.
A number of parents who were dropping their children off at the school on Monday morning expressed their shock at last week’s developments.
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Hania and Malik Parvez, whose two daughters attend the school, said parents were not given any advance warning about the closure.
Ms Parvez described the closure as “very sudden and abrupt”, saying it happened “without any warning or without any communication before, so we were taken aback because of that”.
“We were on holiday, so we were shocked, not just surprised. We came back to a shut Islamic centre, but I don’t know what’s been happening.”
Ms Parvez said, if there are financial or other matters to resolve, this should be done “behind closed doors, instead of disturbing the whole community” by closing the campus.
Mr Parvez said the centre provided “a great space for the community to meet and get together”.
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 officials and the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Islamist organisation which the UAE claims is a terrorist organisation.
None of the parents said they were aware of anyone in the mosque with links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Usman Maqsood, whose child attends the national school, said he did not know exactly why the centre was closed, but the priority now is making sure the children can safely attend school.
Sujan Hossain, whose daughter is in senior infants, said he is “very, very disappointed” by the closure of the centre as people cannot worship in the mosque.
Mr Hossain was present at the mosque on April 19th, when gardaí had to be called following an altercation at a meeting.
He said he was unable to attend the meeting because it was being held in a room that fits about 50 people but a much larger group showed up.
“You never expect that the mosque is going to be closed, so it’s pretty disturbing.”
Said Bekradda, whose daughter attends the creche, said it is “really sad” that the rest of the campus remains closed, leaving people without a place to worship. “To be honest, it’s really, really hard.”
Mr Bekradda said he and others want to know what is happening.
“We’re just looking for answers, to be honest. All the people that I know, my friends, my relatives, they’re all looking for answers.
“What’s going on? What’s the reason behind it? There is a lot to answer. We haven’t got answers yet.”
The centre’s management has said it will remain closed until a full security review takes place.
