Umar Al-Qadri

In 2018 he called for Irish Muslims to support the "Yes" vote in the referendum to repeal the 8th amendment to the Irish constitution, allowing for the legalisation of abortion. This resulted in criticism from other Islamic scholars in Ireland and also from members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy and establishment.[9]

Al-Qadri has spoken against extremism among Muslims and believes that it is his responsibility as a Muslim to contribute to a peaceful society and to fight against extremism.[10][11] He has launched an anti-radicalisation website, www.jihad.info, to promote the true concept of Jihad and to stop Muslim youth from radicalising.[12] The launch took place in the Waterford Institute of Technology on Thursday 22 January 2015, where Al-Qadri delivered a talk on Islam, Jihad, and Terrorism.[13]

Al-Qadri is a traditionalist and considers the views of extremists like al-Qaeda as religiously illegitimate and inauthentic. He decries the failure of extremists to adhere to the classical canons of Islamic law and theology and denounces their fatwas. He unequivocally rejects suicide bombing and considers the killing of noncombatants as always forbidden.[10] According to Al-Qadri, members of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab and Boku Haram are un-Islamic, unqualified vigilantes who violate basic Islamic teachings.[10]

In June 2015 he organised a protest against ISIS in Dublin City Centre where he launched "Guidelines to Prevent Radicalisation among Irish Muslims".[14]

In February 2018, following remarks by Muslim scholar Ali Selim supporting the practice of female genital mutilation, Al-Qadri issued a fatwa against female circumcision, saying that it is forbidden and sinful in Islam, and that any Muslims aware of it taking place in Ireland should stop it and report it to the authorities.[15] Minister for Health, Simon Harris, welcomed the statement, tweeting "I welcome this strong statement this evening from the Islamic Centre of Ireland which makes it clear that FGM has no place in any society, it is wrong in all situations and is harmful and a violation and condemns it and rejects the appalling comments of Mr Selim #EndFGM"[16]

Al-Qadri promotes integration of Muslims in Ireland and has spoken on many public platforms stressing the importance of integration. Al-Qadri was mentioned in the Wikileaks US cables as one of the few Muslim voices calling for integration in Ireland.[17][18]

Al-Qadri promotes interfaith and intra-faith relations. As a Sunni Muslim scholar himself, he has attended many Shia Muslim gatherings and events as main guest. In the Islamic Centre that he has founded, he has also invited the national Shia leader of Ireland, Shaykh Dr. Ali Saleh. He wrote the preface to "A journey together, A Muslim Christian dialogue resource" published by Cois Tine.[19][20]

Al-Qadri has also condemned the persecution of Christians in Kenya, and blamed the ignorance on false interpretations of Islamic texts by the terrorists.[21][22]

Al-Qadri was criticised by foreign LGBT groups in 2018 for his invitation to members of the LGBT community to an iftar meal at the mosque, an invitation some viewed as "insulting" as he continued to describe homosexuals as "sinful." He claimed the invitation had been welcomed by LGBT groups in Ireland.[23] In 2022, he was criticised by Irish LGBTQ+ groups for comments described as insulting, when he stated "You cannot force me to believe that this lifestyle is right. In my view, according to Islam, this lifestyle, it contradicts the Koran. You like somebody from the same gender? Maybe that's natural, but Islam, it strictly forbids from engaging in physical sexual activity with the same gender. Simple as that."[24] He stated on Twitter: "I did say that sex between men is prohibited in Islam. And so is drinking alcohol, eating pork or sex outside marriage. Can we not just agree to have diversity in identity, lifestyle and choice but live together peacefully without accusing others as homophobic or Islamophobic?"[25] In March 2023, Al-Qadri wrote on behalf of the Irish Muslim Council that it supported the position of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association in opposing teaching children about gender identity, saying "The Irish Muslim Council believes every child in primary school should be supported, respected and treated with consideration. We think it is unacceptable to teach children about gender identity under the pretext of teaching them about diversity."[26] In subsequent tweets, Al-Qadri said "Celebrating diversity is done by respecting all opinions without imposing our own on others. Inclusion means embracing and valuing all diverse perspectives, even if they differ from our own. #DiversityMatters",[27] and "I do believe trans rights are human rights. But at the same time I disagree with SelfID and gender affirming education to young children due to safety and protection of women and children. There are many complexities involved. Not everyone in disagreement is transphobic.", with many replies claiming that that statement was, in itself, transphobic.[28]