The chairperson of the Irish Muslim Council — Comhairle Mhoslamach na hÉireann, Shaykh Dr. Umar Al-Qadri today addressed the European Policy Development forum – jointly organised by KACIID, Network for Dialogue, European Council of Religious Leaders and God’s House – on the topic of Social Inclusion in Cities.
Responding to a question about the reasons behind hate crimes, he stated that religious bigotry was rarely theologically motivated in today’s world, but rather grounded in some form of otherisation. He continued, “And I think that’s an important distinction to make for two reasons. Firstly, when people pretend their hatred is not prejudicial hatred but rather a “legitimate criticism” of a belief system, they attempt to move it from the bigotry it is back into being legitimate free speech. I think it’s clear we need to reject that. But secondly, by recognising it for what it is: naked hatred, prejudice, and bigotry, we remind ourselves of the intersectional nature of this hatred. And that is key to devising – but more importantly, delivering – effective solutions to it.”
When asked to provide advice for minority religious groups and organisations around the EU, he said, “Build alliances – and more importantly friendships – with other marginalised groups in our society. I think two key examples [from our work] would be the Irish Traveller community and the LGBT community. This this pays dividends not only in terms of understanding and growth but also in goodwill. People remember when you stood with them and that opens both doors and hearts. So I think there’s a model for minority communities around Europe there.”
