Irish Muslim gets top role in fight to counter extremism
An IrishMAN has been chosen to lead a group of powerful European Muslims in the fight against Islamic extremism.
Sheikh Dr Shaheed Satardien was elected as Chairman of the European Muslim Council for Justice, Peace & Equality in a unanimous decision at a conference in Rotterdam.
Dr Satardien, who is originally from South Africa, is based in Blanchardstown and has an an Irish grandmother.
Speaking after his recent appointment, Dr Shaheed said: "I am very humbled and I will give it my best shot. I do realise it is a mammoth task but I'm sure, at a European level, we will be able to impact in a major way, especially due to the fact that we have the support of the European Commission."
The cleric also expressed his joy that Ireland had been chosen to lead a host of other countries, including France, Spain and Italy, in the fight against extremism.
But he advised that, as a nation, we must be conscious of the number of radical extremists living in our midst.
"There are still a lot of radical extremists living in Ireland but I think I am keeping them on their toes.
"The Irish people should know that these extremists are in the minority but they should also recognise that these people have access to the corridors of power in the country."
He warned, "The risk [for Ireland] will come at a later stage because the children are now becoming radicalised when they're as young as 15 and 16 years of age."
During the conference, an executive committee was formed and network of representatives from various countries and organisations was established to work in partnership with each other in the fight against extremism.
Next year, further conferences will be held in Sweden, the UK, Ireland and Italy to evaluate the progress of the organisation and to explore ways of replicating models of good practice in other parts of the EU.
- NIAMH HORAN
