Truth About Irish Muslims. TV3 Muslims in Ireland

Sceala Philosopher

Tv3 have a documentary that should be interesting. I heard they wanted to call it Muslims in Ireland uncovered, but thought again.
The Truth About Irish Muslims
Newstalk reporter Henry McKean meets a series of Irish people who have converted to Islam.
The Truth About Irish Muslims airs tonight, on TV3
In this eye-opening TV3 documentary, presenter Henry McKean meets a series of Irish people who have converted to Islam. He talks to them about their upbringing, why they converted and how their lives have changed in terms of lifestyle and friends.

Along the journey he stops off at the Muslim national school where he speaks to children about Muslim traditions as boys and girls sit separately. He also asks them about learning three languages. Henry celebrates the end of Ramadan in the Clonskeagh mosque and washes himself before prayer with local Muslims. He also chats to Irish women converts about their role in Islamic society and why they have chosen to wear the veil. One Muslim girl talks to him about playing for a GAA club and how she feels Muslim people interact with Irish Catholics. Lastly Henry talks to both sexes about segregation in the mosque and their views on pre-arranged marriage.

One convert, Jusuf, based in Galway, tells us it was difficult telling his parents he had converted to Islam. “When I finally did tell them, at first it was a little bit of a shock. But as it sunk deep, in a post 9-11 environment, they were afraid, they were worried for me. But then they began to realise the Islam I was practicing was not the Islam of 9/11, but it was the Islam which means religion of peace”.

Meriem Djazouli, plays GAA for a club in Dublin, “I was looking for a Gaelic football team because I really wanted to get to know the Irish culture. In our team I’m the only Muslim, I’m actually the only foreigner. I’ve been really well welcomed by the whole club“.

She also explains why Muslim women choose to wear the veil, explaining it’s not by force from their husbands, but rather their own choice.
Irish Community Images

“I know a lot of people, have an issue with the veil, but if I go out and all I’m trying to show is my cleavage or trying to show how pretty I am instead of trying to show I have a beautiful soul, that my brain works. The whole idea of the veil is to free you from that idea of showing your body first”.

Romaysa, an Irish woman who wears the veil, and a convert to Islam, explains that Western perceptions of pre-arranged marriage are incorrect: “When you’re looking for a husband and the husband is looking for a wife, it’s not arranged in the sense there’s some blind date and you get married on your first meeting. Often you’ll hear of a person through somebody else and they might have some meeting with other people to get to know each other. You don’t just go into it blindly”.

The Truth About Irish Muslims airs tonight, Tuesday 29th March 2011 at 10pm on TV3

Many Irish people consider the full muslim veil as medieval attire, it is certainly not modern or progressive.
I do not personally know a single Irish person who thinks positively about the full veil.
I personally view the full Muslim veil a disturbing sight. I do not feel comfortable around anyone covered up head to toe, it is just so strange to see.
Irish Community Images

I can not buy into the idea that most Muslim women anywhere, choose, decide for themselves, to wear such extreme clothing.
It is obvious by the prevalence of dress custom, that most women who wear the full veil are doing so because they were encouraged to by their society.
Others in western societies, are rebelling against authority that tries to ban them.
Give everyone a open education and freedom of choice, without pressure from any quarter, and such impractical habits as wearing a full face and body veil will rapidly decline.

I know that hundreds of years ago, many Irish women dressed in long shawls and wore head scarves, but that was not really their choice, it was custom coming from a completely male dominated society. Those very dark and uneducated days of total suppression and domination of Irish women are long gone.
Most Irish people think we should not be encouraging such discrimination from antiquity back into Ireland.
I am not convinced that trying to ban anything is effective, often bans have the reverse effect.

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Truth About Irish Muslims. TV3 Muslims in Ireland