Dr. Umar al-Qadri, the chief imam of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, said on Tuesday that mosques and other Muslim sites in the country needed to enhance their security measures to protect themselves from hate crimes.

Dr. al-Qadri was speaking on RTÉ radio after he was assaulted by two men in Tallaght, a suburb of Dublin, last week.

He said the attack was not a robbery, but a targeted and premeditated act of violence against him as a Muslim and a faith leader, The Irish Times reported on Tuesday.

He said he had received many messages of concern and support from his community and other religious groups. He urged them to wait for the police investigation to identify the attackers and their motives.

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“If this is an attack on me because I am a Muslim, because I am a faith leader, I am a prominent Irish Muslim leader, that changes everything for the whole community,” he said.

Dr. al-Qadri, who has lived in Ireland for 21 years and has been vocal against extremism, terrorism and racism, said he was shocked by the attack.

He said it showed that Ireland was not immune to hatred and intolerance, despite its reputation for being a welcoming and diverse country.

He said all imams and faith leaders in Ireland had to review their security and precautions, and avoid traveling alone or meeting strangers.

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He also said mosques and places of worship had to increase their security to prevent any negative incidents.

“I think that the message is that we just need to make sure that we have all these security measures in place,” he said. “And that’s something that my community is focused on.”

Source: Agencies