A hundred Muslims at prayer in Galway’s Masjid Maryam mosque were traumatised when it was attacked on Monday evening.
Rocks hurled through the windows terrified the worshippers, who included women and children.
Imam Ahmad Noonan said “The rocks came smashing through the windows and could have seriously injured one of my members.
“We have had attacks in the past, but I feel this is a deliberate attack.
“We can tell that this is a deliberate attack based on the tragic events in London and Manchester.”
Noonan was referring to the ISIS-backed attacks that killed and injured dozens at the Ariana Grande concert and on London Bridge recently.
He has appealed to the Irish public not to attack other mosques in retaliation for these attacks.
In a joint statement, leaders of five Christian churches in Galway – Catholic, Church of Ireland, Methodist, Presbyterian and Quaker condemned the incident, saying it was malicious and unprovoked.
This is particularly so, they said, because the violence was perpetrated during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and during Mosque prayers.
“These factors “make such loutish, criminal behaviour particularly outrageous,” they said.
The church leaders offered their wholehearted support to the Imam and their “Muslim brothers and sisters throughout Ireland”.
Source
- The Irish Times
- RTE
- Image: The Irish Times
Related Posts:
News category: World.
