There has been an upsurge in racist incidents reported since the terrorist attacks on September 11th, a report by the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) says.
Almost one in five of all incidents recorded between May and October were directly related to September 11th, according to the NCCRI Racist Incidents Report.
There were 41 racist incidents reported to the NCCRI since it set up a procedure to record and respond to racism in May.
The report showed 56 per cent of racist incidents occurred in the greater Dublin area.
A total of 24 per cent of incidents occurred in urban areas outside of Dublin including Cork city, Ennis and Limerick. Ten per cent occurred in predominantly rural areas in counties such as Cork and Leitrim.
After September 11th, racist incidents were directed at the Islamic community and those perceived to be of Asian origin. These included visitors to Ireland, migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers.
"While it is important not to exaggerate the extent of these incidents, the reporting procedure has highlighted that these are taking place and some have involved serious assaults," the report said.
The main incidents reported were abusive phone-calls to members of the Islamic community, verbal insults directed at women in Islamic dress and physical assaults.
"Concern was also reported about the speculation and sensationalised nature of some of the stories in Irish and international media about alleged existence and links between Irish-based Islamic militants and events related to September 11th," the report said.
The NCCRI called for a more systematic and consistent approach by gardaí.