Latest news with #AlMaktoumFoundation
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘It is our Christmas': Eid celebrations in Tallaght a mix of faith and fun
At the National Basketball Arena in the Dublin suburb of Tallaght, it was a mix of quiet holiness and children's laughter. Men and women bowed and prayed fervently in one part of the venue while children played everywhere else. That was a precursor to when the praying ended and a fleet of bouncy castles sprouted, seemingly out of nowhere, like mushrooms in a field following a hot August night. About 4,000 people attended Eid al-Adha, with food stalls positioned inside and out. The aroma of barbecued meat filled the air and flavoured the day. Eid marks the end of Ramadan fasting and is one of the two great festivals in the Muslim calendar. 'It is our Christmas ,' said Mohamed Nasr from Egypt, who works in tech and has been in Ireland for five years. He was at the arena because of the dispute at the Islamic Cultural Centre (ICCI) in Dublin's Clonskeagh which has resulted in its closure. The dispute has arisen out of the alleged unlawful appointment of new directors to the centre's operating company, the Al Maktoum Foundation CLG. READ MORE Nasr lives near the ICCI. 'I'm listening to both sides,' he said, noting that the next High Court hearing involving the centre will be in late June. Regardless of the closure, he says 'people have to celebrate, they have to enjoy themselves'. Eid at the arena was hosted by the South Dublin Islamic Centre, which was set up in 2020. Eid celebrations also took place at Croke Park on Friday. It was Ahmed Elsayed's first Eid at the arena. Normally, he would celebrate it at the ICCI. Elsayed, who also works in tech, said the Tallaght venue was 'the place to be on a nice day'. Outside the arena, a man registered his displeasure that such an event was taking place there. He had a camera phone in one hand and the leash of his calmer German Shepherd in the other. He made unfounded claims about St Patrick's Day now being called Green Day, along with other anti-immigration rhetoric.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
School closed due to dispute over control of Islamic cultural centre in Dublin, court hears
A school at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland in Clonskeagh, Dublin, has closed as part of a dispute over control of the centre's operations, the High Court heard. Mr Justice Brian Cregan was also told Clonskeagh is the primary place for holding a major annual Muslim festival, Eid al-Adha, which falls on Friday, but is now closed. The mosque at the centre had also closed, the court previously heard. The dispute arises out of the alleged unlawful appointment of new directors to the centre's operating company, the Al Maktoum Foundation CLG. Dr Abdel Basset Elsayed, a Co Meath-based medical consultant, says he has been a director of the foundation company since 2012. He claims the purported appointments of four new directors to the board are invalid and not in accordance with the company's constitution. READ MORE He sought orders from the court requiring the Companies Registration Office to rectify its register by removing the allegedly unlawfully appointed members and restraining the new directors from performing any duties or representing themselves as directors of the company. Barrister Niall Ó hUiginn, for the new directors, who are notice parties in the case, on Wednesday said his clients dispute the claims and contend Dr Elsayed has no legal standing to bring the case as he has been removed as a director. Counsel said Dr Elsayed was purporting to give directions on behalf of the Al Maktoum Foundation. His clients will say Dr Elsayed's removal from his directorship was in accordance with the company's constitution. [ Dublin Islamic cultural centre temporarily closed after gardaí called to altercation Opens in new window ] Counsel said he did not wish to get into the merits of the case at this stage as his side needed time to put in a replying affidavit to Dr Elsayed's claims. Barrister Joseph Sallabi, who told the court he has a contract as in-house counsel with the Al Maktoum Foundation, objected to a three-week adjournment. His side argue a corporate body in Dubai is appointing the directors and they are acting for the company, counsel said. There were 27 teachers in the Clonskeagh school who had collectively resigned and the school has closed. Mr Ó hUiginn objected to Mr Sallabi making claims that had not been put on affidavit and were not part of any orders sought. Mr Justice Cregan told Mr Sallabi he would have to put his new claims on affidavit, and that he would also give the notice parties time to put their position on affidavit. It was an 'unfortunate situation', he said, and Mr Sallabi, if he wanted the school and mosque to be reopened, would have to bring a separate application in that respect. He adjourned the matter to later this month.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Dispute over control of Clonskeagh Islamic centre reaches High Court
A dispute over the alleged unlawful appointment of new directors to a company behind the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland has led to the month-long closure of the mosque in Clonskeagh, Dublin, the High Court heard. Mr Justice Brian Cregan on Wednesday said he will likely make orders under company law regarding the appointments if five named new directors of the Al Maktoum Foundation CLG, which owns the cultural centre, do not respond to the lawsuit. The case has been brought by Dr Abdel Basset Elsayed, a Meath-based medical consultant and director of the company since 2012, and secretary since 2022. The Al Maktoum in-house counsel, Joseph Sallabi, told the judge that in August 2023, there were only three directors, one of whom was Dr Elsayed. READ MORE One of the three resigned, and Mirza El Sayegh, the third director, appointed five new directors and took control of the company, he said, adding that this was without Dr Elsayed's knowledge and without board approval. 'The situation is really grave as they have now filed submissions with the Companies Registration Office (CRO) changing the constitution and tampering with the records of the company,' he said. Mr Sallabi said the five directors, who are listed as notice parties in the case against the CRO, are all resident in Dubai but have their places of business in Ireland. He said notice of the proceedings has been served by post on the five: Ahmad Tahlak, Hesham Abdulla Al Quassim, Khalifa Aldaboos, Mohamed Musabeh Dhahi and Zahid Jami, all of Roebuck Road, Clonskeagh. None appeared or had representatives in court. Mr Justice Cregan said notice should also be served to them by email. When the judge pointed out that the issues all appear to have taken place a year ago, Mr Sallabi said they only became aware of them in October. In a sworn statement, Dr Elsayed, who is an applicant in the case alongside the company, said the company received a letter from its auditor confirming only he and Mr El Sayegh were directors after the other resigned last August. The auditor recommended that the board includes at least two directors who are based in Ireland to ensure an adequate governance structure. Last January, Dr Elsayed said, Mr El Sayegh received a directive from the Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment to add four directors to the company. On January 20th, Mr El Sayegh allegedly passed a purported board resolution authorising the appointments of four individuals. [ Inside Dublin Islamic centre: pressure on 'senior official' to step down amid claims over staff links to banned group Opens in new window ] 'The purported resolution was issued without my knowledge, attendance or contribution,' said Dr Elsayed. Between April 19th and June 7th last, he said, Mr El Sayegh submitted forms to the CRO appointing the five new directors. Dr Elsayed claims those appointments are invalid, and did not follow the requirements of the company's constitution. The case alleges the appointments were made 'under instructions from an unrelated Dubai-registered organisation with no corporate ties to the company, except Mr El Sayegh's directorship in both entities'. The applicants seek an order, under section 173 of the Companies Act 2014 and under the court's general jurisdiction, directing the rectification of the CRO register by removing the allegedly unlawfully appointed members. They also seek an order restraining the new directors from performing any duties or representing themselves as directors of the company. The Al Maktoum Foundation was incorporated in 1997 to 'establish a position for the Muslim community within the Irish society that is fair and based on due rights and to work for a more enlightened appreciation for Islam and Muslims in wider society, as well as fostering better community relations and working for the good of society as a whole'.
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Islamic Cultural Centre closed amid dispute over appointment of directors, court told
A dispute over the alleged unlawful appointment of new directors to a company behind the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland has meant the mosque in Clonskeagh, Dublin, has been closed for a month, the High Court heard. On Tuesday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan said he would make orders under company law in relation to the appointments if there was no response to proceedings over the dispute from five named new directors of the Al Maktoum Foundation CLG, which owns the centre. Advertisement The case has been brought by Dr Abdel Basset Elsayed, a Meath-based medical consultant and director of the foundation company since 2012 and secretary since 2022. The Al Maktoum in-house counsel, Joseph Sallabi, told the judge that in August 2023, there were only three directors, one of whom was Dr Elsayed. One of the three resigned and without Dr Elsayed's knowledge, or without board approval, the third director, Mirza El Sayegh, appointed five new directors and took control of the company, he said. "The situation is really grave as they have now filed submissions with the Companies Registration Office (CRO) changing the constitution and tampering with the records of the company," he said. The dispute has meant the mosque in the Clonskeagh centre has been closed for a month now, he said. Advertisement Mr Sallabi said the five directors, who are notice parties in the case which is against the CRO, are all resident in Dubai but have their place of business here. He said notice of the proceedings had been served by post on the five: Ahmad Tahlak, Hesham Abdulla Al Quassim, Khalifa Aldaboos, Mohamed Musabeh Dhahi and Zahid Jami, all of Roebuck Road, Clonskeagh. There was no appearance by them or on their behalf and Mr Justice Cregan said there should also be service on them by email so that they can contest the matter if they choose. When the judge pointed out this all appeared to have taken place a year ago, Mr Sallabi said they only became aware of it in October. The judge noted the urgency of the matter and said service of the papers should take place within two days and the case could come back early next week. Advertisement "You can indicate to them that if they don't appear or are not represented, I will make the orders being sought unless I hear a reason that I should not". In an affidavit, Dr Elsayed, who is an applicant in the case along with the company itself, said following the resignation of one of the three directors last August, the company received a letter from its auditor confirming there were only two directors (Dr Elsayed and Mr El Sayegh). The auditor recommended that the board include at least two directors who are based in Ireland to ensure an adequate governance structure. Last January, he said Mr El Sayegh received a directive from the Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment to add four directors to the company. Advertisement On January 20th, Mr El Sayegh passed a purported board resolution authorising the appointments of four individuals. "The purported resolution was issued without my knowledge, attendance or contribution", Dr Elsayed said. Ireland Islamic Cultural Centre in Dublin temporarily clos... Read More He said between April 19th and June 7th last year, Mr El Sayegh submitted forms to the CRO appointing the five new directors who are notice parties. He said those appointments are invalid and without effect and did not follow the requirements of the company's constitution. It is claimed, in legal submissions, that the appointments were made "under instructions from an unrelated Dubai-registered organisation with no corporate ties to the company, except Mr El Sayegh's directorship in both entities". Advertisement The applicants seek an order, under Section 173 of the Companies Act 2014 and under the court's general jurisdiction, directing the rectification of the CRO register by removing the allegedly unlawfully appointed members. They also seek an order restraining the new directors from performing any duties or representing themselves as directors of the company. The Al Maktoum Foundation was incorporated in 1997 to 'establish a position for the Muslim community within the Irish society that is fair and based on due rights and to work for a more enlightened appreciation for Islam and Muslims in the wider society, as well as fostering better community relations and working for the good of society as a whole'.
Irish Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Dublin Islamic centre criticises ‘radicalised' members as internal row deepens
The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) at Clonskeagh in Dublin has accused a 'radicalised' wing of the Muslim community of intimidating and trying to 'silence' one of its leading members. A bitter dispute over control of the centre deepened on Friday when the ICCI criticised attacks on social media against Dr Eid Zaher, who had pleaded during the week for a resolution. In a letter circulated on Muslim-community WhatsApp groups last Wednesday, Dr Zaher, who is secretary to ICCI imam Sheikh Hussein Halawa, called on an unnamed 'senior official' at the ICCI 'to step down in favour of the public interest and to prevent further harm'. He also appealed to 'wise and thoughtful members of the Muslim community in Ireland to kindly encourage this senior official to step down'. READ MORE The ICCI has been closed since an alleged physical altercation took place there at a meeting on April 19th, to which gardaí were called . An auditor has been appointed by the Al Maktoum Foundation, which built and funds the ICCI, to investigate alleged financial irregularities there . In a statement following social media posts about Dr Zaher's intervention this week, the ICCI said it was 'deeply saddened by the radicalised behaviour of certain individuals within our community who have attacked, intimidated, harassed, insulted and defamed Dr Sheikh Eid [Dr Zaher]'. He 'is a member of the religious Dawah department of our mosque (which gives religious guidance),' it said. 'Such actions to silence dissenting voices are unacceptable' and were 'a cowardly attack and yet another example of the extremist tendencies of certain elements within the community', it said. 'Freedom of expression is a deeply valued principle and an integral part of the shared norms that are firmly established in Irish society,' the ICCI statement said. 'We pray for the enlightenment and reform of these radical elements so that the mosque and centre can reopen in an atmosphere of peace and security for our employees, the children and the community,' it said. However, as it 'takes seriously the safety and security of our staff, employees and the public', and 'in an effort to maintain the sanctity and security of our beloved mosque, we had to take the difficult decision to close the mosque and centre until further notice', it added. Meanwhile, a group of Muslims pleaded at a press conference in Dublin on Friday for the reopening of the mosque at the ICCI , describing it as 'the heartbeat of our community'. The Muslim Community Ireland group described itself as 'a grassroots, community-led initiative formed to peacefully advocate for the reopening of the Masjid [mosque] at the ICCI'. Its chair, Abdul Haseeb, insisted they had gathered 'not in protest, but in pain, and in hope'.
