The Irish Council of Imams is an umbrella organization for most Islamic establishments in Ireland. Its formation was announced in a press release on 15 September 2006. It represents 35 imams in Ireland, of both the

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

and

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

denominations, but excludes Ahmadiyya. The chairman is

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

Hussein Halawa (

Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI; Irish: ''Ionad Cultúrtha Ioslamach na hÉireann'') is an Islamic complex, including a mosque, in Clonskeagh, Dublin, Ireland. It is funded by the al-Maktoum Foundation of Dubai and has a Sunni ori ...

), the deputy chairman is Imam Yahya Al-Hussein (

Islamic Foundation of Ireland The Islamic Foundation of Ireland (IFI; ga, Fondúireacht Ioslamach na hÉireann) was formed in 1959 by Muslim students in Ireland. The society established the first mosque in Ireland in 1976. It also helped to establish mosques in other cities ...

), and the

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

is Belkacem Belfedhal. The Council consists of representatives from

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, Meath, and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s. A previous attempt to establish an all-Ireland Muslim council, similar to the Muslim Council of Britain was the Supreme Muslim Council of Ireland by a controversial Shaheed Satardien. Among the first actions was the setting of a common date for

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

for all Irish Muslims and non-Irish Muslims living in Ireland. However the imposition of a Ramadan date based solely on astronomical calculations has been widely contested by those who only believe in visual observation of the moon, to determine the new Islamic month, as well as questioning the unelected and unrepresentative nature of the Council. On 22 January 2016, founding member of the Council, Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri, resigned due to concerns about the lack of accountability, transparency and democracy in the Council.

References

{{Reflist 2006 establishments in Ireland Islamic organisations based in Ireland Islamic organizations established in 2006