REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE CLOSING OF ISLAMIC AWARENESS WEEK ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE CLOSING OF ISLAMIC AWARENESS WEEK ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF IRELAND, DUBLIN
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen.
Thank you for the welcome to this closing ceremony for Islamic Awareness Week 2010 and a special thank you to Fathima Patel for the kind invitation that allows me to be part of this special event through which the story of Islam and of our Muslim neighbours in Ireland and around the world is showcased, celebrated and explained to a wide audience.
Recent years have seen Ireland change dramatically through a remarkable increase in inward migration by people from all over the world. What once was a tiny trickle suddenly grew to become an important tributary. Ours is now a culturally very diverse place where the citizens of 188 countries make their lives and livelihoods. They have brought a rich mix of languages, religions, customs, traditions, histories and perspectives. They have come to a young Republic whose people fought long and hard for the right to a free society where all citizens are cherished equally. They have come to a country whose sons and daughters were often emigrants in strange lands themselves. They have come to a country which knows a bitter thing or two about religious and ethnic intolerance and where even the most recent history teaches us that it is possible for neighbours to live next door to one another and yet live in profound ignorance of one another’s culture and identity. We have learnt through the divisions between Christians on this island how vital it is that there is good, respectful mutual awareness and we have learnt the awful cost of failing to invest in that awareness, how fears, stereotypes, hostile attitudes and presumptions can take the place of friendship and informed awareness.
Historically Ireland’s links with the world of Islam have been relatively modest. They have largely been forged by Muslim students from many countries who paid us the compliment of undertaking their academic and professional studies here. They have proved to be wonderful ambassadors not just for their countries, faith and culture but for Ireland for wherever they have gone in the world they have spoken well of us, opened doors to us and become voluntary advocates for Ireland. Some made their lives here contributing greatly to the breadth of Irish civic and political life and implanting in Irish life a growing consciousness of the Islamic faith. And it was in fact Muslim students studying here who established the first Islamic Society in Ireland far back in 1959. Today Ireland’s Muslim population, though still relatively small, has been augmented by inward migration and by a large international student population. It is important to acknowledge here the very positive contribution that Islamic students make to Irish society and to our economy. They are helping to advance the frontiers of science, medicine and research - it is their encouraging experience of Ireland that helps our higher education institutions compete for students and recognition in this globalised world. The Islamic and Muslim Student Societies are very active in colleges across the country promoting awareness and fostering relationships across different cultures. That investment, which I hope is matched by a curiosity and a welcome from those who know little about Islam, is essential if we are to fully live our claim to be a place of many traditions about one community.
My warmest congratulations to all those in the Federation of Student Islamic Societies who have put such effort into this week of celebration of Muslim faith and culture. Through a large variety of activities and events ranging from seminars to food festivals to charity events, Islamic Awareness Week plays an important part in educating our society about itself and its members. The spirit of this week is the path to understanding and I hope that as the week comes to a close more and more people will have joined the journey of mutual understanding which is so essential for the development of a tolerant, peaceful, safe and nurturing society.
Ireland has been on a steep multicultural learning curve and there is plenty of evidence of a strong willingness to honour our reputation as a place of welcome. At Government level we have a Minister with a special responsibility for the integration of our migrant communities. We have state and voluntary organisations and agencies devoted to building genuinely intercultural society and doing the work at community level which promotes the fullest inclusion of all who share this island. The student societies which have come together to organise this week have made themselves part of that vital civic endeavour. They are terrific examples, inspirational examples of active citizenship. They undertook the work not for personal reward but for the fulfilment that comes from building bridges from person to person, from culture to culture, from faith to faith and country to country. We all benefit when those bridges are strong and when they become the pathway to mutual understanding. Those who organised this week have already busy lives and yet they value both Islam and Ireland so greatly that they put an enormous effort into this week. All those who organised and participated should be very proud of the success of Islamic Awareness Week. I am very proud of them all.