The Islamic community today expressed their appreciation of support shown to Irish Muslims since the US attacks last month and reiterated their condemnation of the atrocities.
In a meeting with President Mary McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin today members of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) emphasised the horror felt by their community at the September 11th attacks in New York and Washington, the President’s spokeswoman said.
In requesting the meeting today, the ICCI also wanted to underline the Islamic community does not equal terrorism, she said.
During what the ICCI described as a "productive" meeting, a letter was presented to the President which condemned the US attacks and expressed Irish Muslims’ gratitude for "warm support and acknowledgment" from all sections of Irish society.
The letter expressed appreciation for the Government’s role in "long setting the ground for healthy, positive, and constructive relations between the Muslim Irish community and the Irish society at large".
But the letter also voiced the ICCI’s concern over US military action in Afghanistan.
It condemned the killings of innocent Afghan civilians and called on the UN to stop the killings immediately.
It criticised the international community for its treatment of Palestine people and for leaving them "defenceless against Israeli military might".
The ICCI called for an end to international sanctions against Iraq saying the "suffering of the Iraqi people has to stop".