SHAYKH DR Umar Al-Qadri has announced he will run in June’s European Parliament elections in the Dublin constituency.
Voters across the EU will go to the polls in June to send 720 new Members of European Parliament (MEPs) to Brussels and Strasbourg.
In Ireland, the elections will take place on 7 June.
Announcing his intention to run today, Al-Qadri, the chairperson of the Irish Muslim Council and an imam based in Blanchardstown, Dublin, said he is hoping to “empower Dublin’s diversity in Europe”.
Running as an independent candidate in the Dublin constituency, Al-Qadri’s campaign will focus on affordable housing, immigration, helping small businesses and peace-building in Gaza and Ukraine.
Speaking to The Journal, Al-Qadri said he has been living in Ireland for the past 21 years and has seen housing and healthcare get “worse and worse” over that period.
He added that divisive rhetoric has been seen in Ireland over the past two years in regards to migrants. Al-Qadri said he doesn’t believe migrants are “proportionally represented in Irish public life even though they are contributing to Ireland”.
“I’d like to be the voice of diversity,” he said.
Al-Qadri said that he had discussions with various parties but decided to run as an independent candidate as he wants to “be the person that is, basically, impartial, that doesn’t have any conflict of interest in terms of party politics, that is there, genuinely, for the people”.
Last February, gardaí launched an investigation after Al-Qadri was allegedly assaulted in Tallaght.
He had said at the time that he was a victim of a “deliberate hate crime attack”.
He told The Journal following that incident that two men had scheduled a meeting with him.
“Upon arriving and coming out of the car, I was attacked from behind,” he said.
“I don’t remember anything after it until I was in my car driving seat disorientated and an Irish lady and two men were helping me to recover and had called gardaí and ambulance.”
Al-Qadri said he believes the attack was planned.