Irish Muslims urge US not to act in haste

Leaders of the Muslim community in Ireland have called on the US not to act hastily in retaliation for last week's killings in New York and Washington.

Contrary to reports of a backlash, they say Muslims here have encountered only isolated cases of hostility or verbal abuse since the attacks.

The Shia Muslim cultural centre in Milltown was evacuated on Thursday after receiving a bomb warning, which turned out to be a hoax. However, Imam Ali Abdulla said this was the exception, and many Irish people have called in to express solidarity.

Imam Hussein Halawa of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Clonskeagh said his community had not received any negative reaction as a result of last week's atrocity.

"In contrast, people came to our centre to say they understood the pressure on us and knew we had nothing to do with it."

He called on the US administration not to be hasty in allocating blame for the attack.

"It should take time to find out who the real perpetrators are. The US should not punish innocent people for this shocking crime. Indications are not enough." Once the perpetrators were known, they should be punished "under international law," he said. "The killer should be punished, not his parents or neighbours."

Imam Ali Abdulla criticised the ignorance in the West about Islam.

"When people were killed in Omagh, no-one accused all Christians of the crime. This shouldn't be any different." Dr Abdulla pointed out that several hundred Muslims were among the victims of the collapse of the World Trade Towers. "We too need time to grieve for this shocking tragedy."

He said the US should build on the widespread sympathy it now enjoys in the world to build a new foreign policy based on freedom and human rights. He expressed support for a US attack on the Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan if they are found to have carried out last week's atrocity.

"Terrorists are terrorists and any action against them is justified. If the US hits bin Laden and the Taliban, all Muslims will support them. But if it misuses this chance to attack other countries, it will be opposed."

Meanwhile, a Government spokesman has described media reports concerning possible links between Osama bin Laden and Muslims living in Ireland as "absolutely irresponsible and appalling".

He said the singling out of people and certain areas of the city could lead to people being wrongly accused of having such connections. The Muslim community, he said, played a positive role in Ireland and such reporting "could lead to serious problems for them".

The spokesman said Irish security forces were in touch with security forces internationally following last Tuesday's terrorist atrocities in the US.

"It is normal practice that we do not comment on such matters but the situation is being monitored carefully and whatever action that is required is being taken. The UN Security Council decision last week, to which we are a party, puts the onus on us to bring the perpetrators to justice."