In a world where being a Muslim only seems to set you apart to receive “special” treatment, Ireland seems to be a haven of normalcy. Generally speaking, travel in Europe is not a major problem for Muslims. And if you are Muslim and want to travel to Ireland, well why not? Whatever your specific reason for traveling, be it for business, for the joys of sightseeing, or even visiting family and friends, you shouldn’t encounter major problems on your way.
Of course, depending on the passport you have, you will have to meet the immigration and visa criteria. And depending on your ethnicity and way of dressing, you can be immediately recognized as a visitor, or at least as a stranger (it is politically correct to call him a ‘non-Irish citizen’). But this applies to all religions, so let’s not make a great song and dance about it.
No, let’s be practical and to the point: is it problematic and even advisable to travel to Ireland as a Muslim?
Traveling as a Muslim in Ireland: A Synopsis
First things first: simply adhering to Islam, being a Muslim, will in no way influence any practical aspect of an Irish holiday. Simply because being a Muslim per se does not distinguish you from the crowd. It’s your ethnicity, your style of dress, or even your hairstyle that will do it. And that’s true for all of us who deviate from the norm. If your outer layer blends in, no one will notice your inner self. For better or for worse.
Irish law does not allow discrimination against any ethnic or religious group, so dealing with the authorities about being Muslim should not be a factor at all. You will not be denied a visa or generally treated differently.
Will you encounter prejudice and aggressive behavior? It can, but perhaps on a smaller scale than in many other countries. What you will certainly find is that people in general do not know much about Islam. There is a very undefined concept, but actual knowledge is rare. And what you will also find is a tendency to group everything together: Islam, radicalism, terrorism … sad, but almost common in Europe and North America, where Islam is often seen as a “terrorist threat” by the less educated. .
So should you visit Ireland as a Muslim? If you need or want it, there is nothing to stop you and truth be told, there could be worse countries to choose from.
Irish accommodation from a Muslim perspective
Depending on your personal needs and budget, finding accommodation is always a game of chance. Booking rooms online is easy, but they may not be that great once you see them. If you are concerned about something, it may be a good idea to ask other Muslims for advice.
Generally speaking, the division between the sexes is almost non-existent in many areas of public life. Keep this in mind if it may be a problem for you. This is especially important if you are a young Muslim traveler on a budget: several cheap hostels offer mixed dormitories, where men and women sleep. Make sure you don’t end up on one of these, specifically asking if you have to. Or choose a private room, especially if you are traveling in a small group.
You may also be aware that open display of Christian religious symbols is common, especially in private accommodations, where any number of crosses can adorn the walls. However, if you can be offended by that, Ireland might not be the place to visit.
One more practical thing: be careful when booking accommodation with breakfast included …
Eating halal in Ireland
How to start your Irish day as a Muslim? Certainly not from eating a hearty Irish breakfast, which will likely include pork sausages and bacon. And even if they offer you vegetarian alternatives, you may not be sure what fat they are fried in … so never, ever order a breakfast cooked off the shelf.
However, they may offer you real alternatives in the form of cereals, fresh fruit, fish. Just talk to your host and be open rather than courteous.
When it comes to halal food, there is good news: you will find food stores offering halal meat and meat products in most of the larger cities and by the dozen in Dublin. Look for signs in Arabic, especially mentioning “halal” or describing the food as “ethnic.” A large number of Pakistani stores have a good selection of food mainly from the UK and Turkey that will have a halal stamp. A smaller number will also have a butcher counter selling fresh halal meat.
Just be careful: as any Muslim should know, the precise definition of “halal” varies from authority to authority, so halal chicken from one magnet may not be halal to the other. If you’re not sure who to trust, what stamp of approval to look for … be a vegetarian.
Worshiping as a Muslim in Ireland
This might actually be less of a problem than you think – there are mosques and prayer rooms in every larger city, and the larger cities offer an often bewildering variety. Many, if not most, are somewhat difficult to find as they are in residential or commercial areas and are not obvious. Small signs on doors are usually the only external indicator that you have actually found a place of worship.
If you want to join, for example, communal prayers on Friday, you could do worse than trying the contact list below or just keeping your eyes open and talking to other Muslims. In a city like Dublin, you will generally see small groups of (obviously) Muslim men sharing a moment before or after prayers. Most will be happy to help. The only problem is that these groups tend to hang out near the mosque, so unless you’re already on the right street, you might miss them completely.
Attitudes towards Muslims in Ireland
Talking about Muslims coming together and being obvious, despite the strong Christian, mainly Catholic presence in Ireland, attitudes towards Muslims as individuals seem to be quite relaxed. As in “I leave you alone as long as you leave me …” However, obvious groups of Muslims can attract glances, occasionally openly hostile. And if Muslims want to establish a permanent presence (like a mosque), all kinds of problems can arise.
The acceptance of the Muslim as an individual has a lot to do with the fact that half of the Irish healthcare system would collapse were it not for Muslim doctors. Enter any Irish hospital and you will most likely be treated by a Muslim doctor, often from Pakistan (with the help of a Hindu or Christian Indian nurse in many cases). Again, ethnicity and religion are somewhat intermingled here. Expect to hear things like “Oh, he’s a Muslim … but a good doctor anyway!” sometimes. Moreover, even small villages these days often have a Bangladeshi GP in the local family practice.
Attitudes towards Islam are something else: as said before, there is a rather vague concept of Islam, in which religion, race and even politics are intermingled in a dangerous way. As in many other Western cultures, quite a few people (and not necessarily just the uneducated) draw a straight line between simply being Muslim… and potentially wearing an explosive vest. Again, ethnicity and outward appearance play a role in these downright stupid assumptions.
There is a fine line between acceptance of Muslims and general Islamophobia, but Ireland is not alone in this, it may not be as bad as other countries as well. But attitudes can change (unfortunately for the worse) if a “mass influx” or the establishment of Islamic structures is perceived. Witnessing the negative response to the establishment of a small mosque in the west of Ireland some years ago, the local council denied the request for the interesting reason that ‘visitors could lock their car doors’.
By the way: Muslim women should expect looks if they choose to wear a hijab, burqa, or chador. Generally speaking, the more western your appearance, the less it will be noticed.
A brief history of Ireland and Islam
Today approximately 1.1% of the Irish population are Muslim, the majority would be immigrants (only 30% have Irish citizenship). This is the highest number of Muslims in the country, with a growth of 69% in the decade before the 2011 census (and a growth of 1,000% since 1991). Islam can claim today that it is the third (or second) largest religion in Ireland: the first and second places go to the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland.
Historically speaking, Islam has only begun to play a role in Ireland since the 1950s, mainly starting with an influx of Muslim students. A first Islamic Society in Ireland was founded in 1959 by students. In the absence of a mosque, these students used private houses for Jum’ah and Eid prayers. Only in 1976 was the first mosque officially established in Ireland, supported by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Five years later, the state of Kuwait sponsored the first full-time imam. Moosajee Bhamjee (elected in 1992) became the first Muslim TD (Member of the Irish Parliament) in 1992.
In Northern Ireland, the first Islamic Center was established in Belfast in 1978, near Queen’s University.
The inclusion of a crescent in the coat of arms of the city of Drogheda has led to a popular legend that there was an older Irish connection to the Islamic states. The Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid ventured into famine relief and (as the story goes) sent ships full of food to Ireland during the Great Famine. Ships from Thessaloniki (then part of the Ottoman Empire) are said to have sailed down the Boyne River in early 1847, bringing food. However, there are no historical records of this and the Boyne may have been too shallow to navigate at the time anyway.
And … the crescent was in the arms before the famine …
Earlier contact with Muslim sailors was far less positive: privateers regularly raided Irish coastal towns during their heyday. In 1631, almost the entire population of Baltimore (County Cork) was driven into slavery. Memories of these forays and an unspecified “threat” from the East can be preserved in mummer plays, where “the Turk” occasionally makes an unwelcome appearance as the bad boy.
Modern Irish attitudes towards Islam and Muslims are often dominated by prevalent attitudes in the US, especially since the events of 9/11.
More information for Muslim travelers to Ireland
Muslim travelers heading to Ireland can find a lot of information simply by scanning the notice boards at halal food stores (often allowing time for local gatherings and listing helpful contacts). However, there are several major institutions in Dublin and Belfast that can provide general help and advice:
- Islamic Center of Belfast
- Islamic Cultural Center of Ireland (Dublin)
- Islamic Foundation of Ireland (Dublin)
And finally, don’t forget to visit the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, with its excellent collection of Islamic art.
