Remarks by President McAleese at the launch of Islamic Neighbourhood Week 2010, Islamic Cultural Centre
Dia dhÌ_bh. TÌÁ an-ÌÁthas orm bheith thar nais anseo i bh̼r measc inni̼ agus tÌÁ mÌ© buÌ_och dÌ_bh as an cuireadh agus an fÌÁilte a thug sibh dom. I'm delighted to be here for the launch of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland Neighbourhood Week. Thank you all for that warm welcome and my particular thanks to Mr Shaheen Ahmed for the invitation to be part of this very special week of friendship and good neighbourliness.
The Mosque and cultural centre here in Clonskeagh are the outward signs of the life of a vibrant faith community drawn from all over the world. For new or well-established members of the Muslim faith in Ireland, this is a place of welcome, of belonging, a place to make friends, to celebrate together, to pray together, to work together, learn together, and just simply to be together. But it is no bunker nor are its walls barricades to keep others out ÛÒ the very opposite is the case as I have reason to know having often been invited here as President and having a daughter who regularly had lunch here during her student days in UCD. For this centre is where the Muslim community says to its neighbours of all faiths and of none that it is also an active and engaged part of the local and national community, contributing to the rich texture of Irish life and anxious to be involved in the kind of friendly, open dialogue that leads to healthy intercultural contact and mutual respect.
The annual Neighbourhood Week is an important expression of your desire to live not among strangers but among friends ÛÒ friends who are whole-heartedly invited to drop in for a chat or a tour, to view your buildings, experience at first hand the hugely diverse elements of Islam's rich faith, heritage and culture. It is a particularly good opportunity to see the genius of Islamic art which is exhibited so proudly here.
We want Ireland to be a happy place for people of all faiths and of none. We want Ireland to be a place where everyone is regarded as equal, is respected and cherished. We want Ireland to be a place where people are free to express their own unique identity but where that does not ever shut them off from the mainstream of Irish life but rather is precisely what they bring to the mainstream of Irish life. Events like this are ideal opportunities to open us up to one another, break down stereotypes, and promote much better understanding of one another. It is in befriending each other, talking and listening to each other, entertaining and hosting one another that we build a shared sense of belonging and social cohesion.
Ireland has had many bitter lessons in the damage done by sectarianism and the demonisation of others. We have direct evidence of how easy it is to live as strangers among strangers, to live side by side in awful ignorance and fear of one another. The Peace Process in Northern Ireland has done much to heal the damage caused by centuries of discord between Christians of different denominations and different ethnicities. We have already decided that we want the future to be very different. We have demonstrated that we are willing to make significant political compromises in order to speed up our escape from the stranglehold of a divided and violent history. I hope the lessons we have learnt are informing the relationship we are developing with our growing Muslim and international community of citizens.
Ireland's Muslim community itself encompasses a wide variety of languages, cultures, perspectives, experiences and ethnicities. We have many Muslim Irish citizens who were born here, many others who came here as migrants or as students. Some are here for life, others for a short time but all are contributing to the growing awareness of the Muslim faith in Ireland and its increasingly prominent profile. Ireland is their home. Their skills, qualifications and their work invest not simply in their own lives but in Irish life at every level, from politics to the arts, from business and the professions to spiritual life and sporting life. This special week is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate that contribution, to let the wider society know more comprehensively the key role played by Ireland's Muslim community in our dynamic, multicultural society.
The old saying would have us believe that good fences make good neighbours, but I prefer to think that good bridges between neighbours are the true basis for strong, healthy, thriving communities. An invitation to share a cup of tea, a handshake, a smile, a word of encouragement and welcome ÛÒ these are the bridges you are building here through your Neighbourhood Week. Each event creates a platform of shared memories, strong enough to build strong relationships between Muslim and non-Muslims within Irish society. The Proclamation on which this State began its difficult journey to statehood called all Irish men and women to the job of creating a pluralist, egalitarian republic where each child of the nation would be cherished equally. It is a call and a challenge to us as a society but also to each of us as individuals who contribute to the making and shaping of that society. Thank you to the Muslim community for promoting a culture of good neighbourliness and care for one another. I hope many, many people will respond to your generous invitation this week and in doing so I hope they will join the journey towards making Ireland a land of real, deep understanding and tolerance. I have no doubt that Neighbourhood Week 2010 will be a huge success. I congratulate all whose hard work has contributed to the organisation of the events and I congratulate all those who cross the door this week for the first time in search of a new friend and a good neighbour.
Go raibh mÌ_le maith agaibh.
(source http://www.president.ie/index.php?section=5&speech=899&lang=eng)
