Maverick Mosqueloose_horse2024-03-15T21:38:12+00:00
INSIDE IRELAND’S MAVERICK MOSQUE is a unique opportunity for a noisy access-led peek behind the veil of Irish islam. It will be provocative, noisy and ultimately enlightening.
Imam Noonan is himself a charismatic and compelling lead character. A Waterford native, he converted from christianity in his early 20’s. He strikes a dash as he walks through Eyre Square – his six foot frame draped in a traditional tunic and topped off with a striking purple Moroccan Fez hat.
Many of his concerns will be familiar to any Irish father in his 40s – he argues with his ageing Irish parents about going to mass and eating a fry, he worries about the fledgling acupuncture business set up by his wife (by arranged marriage), his son is being bullied at hurling training and he has a teenager daughter in the throes of adolescent rebellion, not least against the hijab.
But in other ways, his story is entirely unique. His mosque is incongruously situated in the heart of a Ballybrit housing estate and niggles with the neighbours are threatening to bubble over. The deep conservatism of his primarily Pakistani congregation – particularly when it comes to women’s dress and integration – is complicating his mission of improving community relations.
Relations meanwhile with other Irish Muslim communities are at boiling point, as Imam Noonan ‘calls out’ the mainstream mosques and accuses them of harbouring homegrown jihadists. The establishment Imams in turn accuse Noonan of running a cult.
In 2017, Loosehorse observational cameras will be rolling as we follow a diverse set of story lines and characters in Ireland’s maverick mosque.