Sheikh Dr Shaheed Satardien, who caused controversy when he claimed Islamic leaders in Ireland were "in denial" about the radicalisation of young Irish Muslims, held a protest for peace at the top of Dublin's Grafton Street yesterday.
He was challenged vigorously by passing young Irish Muslims who vehemently denied his assertions of last month.
Dr Satardien condemned "all violence in all parts of the world", particularly that following the pope's address in Regensburg last week.
He demanded that the Clonskeagh mosque stop hosting the head-quarters of Sheikh Dr Yusuf al-Qardhawi, whom he described as "the theologian of terror" and "the sheikh of death".
Dr al-Qardhawi, who is seen as a moderate Muslim scholar, has vigorously opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq and American policy on Israel. He has also called for the boycott of American and Israeli goods.
A spokesman for the Irish Council of Imams yesterday denied the claim by Dr Satardien that Dr al-Qardawi had his European headquarters at Clonskeagh. "He has no headquarters in Clonskeagh. He has no headquarters in Europe. He lives in Qatar," he said.
The spokesman said Dr al-Qardawi was one of the 35-member European Council for Fatwa and Research, a scholarly Muslim body which offers theological opinion (fatwa) on issues.
The council's current secretary general is Imam Hussein Halawa, imam at Clonskeagh.
Four young Muslim men, passing through Grafton Street yesterday afternoon, confronted Dr Satardien on his claims about their radicalisation.
"You wrecked our reputation," said Abdullah Duibi (17), a student at Oatlands College in Stillorgan. "Most Irish Muslim youths are in Dublin and I know them all. None of them are as you say."
Mubarak Elfellah (17), a pupil at Coláiste Éanna in Rathfarnham, agreed and said young Irish people had shouted "terrorist" at him in the street since Dr Satardien made his claims.
Both young men were supported by Kusim Segheir (18) and his brother Muhammed, pupils at De La Salle, Churchtown, who asked Dr Satardien to produce evidence for his claims.
Dr Satardien claimed he had been misquoted in reports and that all he had done was agree that young Irish Muslims could be radicalised when they visited their parents' countries of origin.
Too many voices distort the truth at Islam's core: page 16
