A lecturer in contemporary Islam in University College Cork (UCC) has revealed that he has received death threats. Dr. Amanullah De Sondy, who is a senior lecturer in the Study of Religions Department publicised the threats on Twitter.
The threat comes in the aftermath of a recent attack on a Muslim girl in Dundrum.
Threats of violence
Dr. De Sondy posted on Twitter that in a voicemail left on his phone he was called a “scumbag” and “a terrorist”. The caller went on to say that he “must stop lecturing the Irish on how they should live”. And in what the lecturer called the “most chilling” aspect of the message he was told “I hope you are executed”.
He also divulged that he received a similar threat in 2017.
Speaking with the Irish Times he said he believes there’s a “very sophisticated network of hate” which is responsible for stirring up anti-Muslim hate in Ireland.
Attacking Muslims
The death threat follow an attack on a Muslim teenager in Dundrum over the weekend of 17 August. The teenager was walking with a friend when she was attacked by a group of other teenagers. During the attack she was forced to the ground where some of the group kicked her. And they forcibly removed her hijab.
In the aftermath the attack was widely condemned. The Muslim Sisters of Eiré group issued a press release and argued that:
Despite the young women dressed casually as any other Irish teenager, they were not targeted for their jeans, rather the ‘hijab’ on their heads was the brand of their target.
It went on to declare that attacks such as this “have no place in any society or community”. And it argued that more needs to be done “to maintain a unified and peaceful community”.
Featured image via Pixabay – wellness555
