Life in Ireland for Muslim teenagers can be "isolating, lonely and frequently dampened by incidents of racism", according to research by an NUI Galway migration sociologist.
A study which Dr Orla McGarry undertook with teenage members of an Irish-based Muslim population discovered they found it “very difficult” to fit into Irish society unless they were very involved in sport.
Getting to know their Irish peers in secondary school was frequently described as an “impossible task”, she says.
Dr McGarry is a visiting research fellow at the Unesco Child and Family Research Centre, who has conducted extensive research into religious and cultural adaptation among ethnic minority youth in Ireland.
This particular research, initiated four years ago, involved a cohort of teenagers, some of whose parents had settled in a west of Ireland area from the 1970s.
“The fact that the community is long-established made the research particularly valuable,” she said, noting the complex challenges faced could apply to any other ethnic group.
Social identity
The purpose of the study was to discover how Muslim teenagers could negotiate a social identity that was “compatible with their religious beliefs and with their need to fit in”.
One participant described his isolation in her series of confidential interviews. “I came here June something . . . June to August I didn’t talk to anyone at all!”
She noted that it was easier for those who had moved to Ireland when still at primary school level than for those who started in secondary school.
Dr McGarry found that there were few extra-curricular supports for teenagers in Ireland and few public spaces where they could spend time and mix with people from different backgrounds.
One positive aspect of the research was that those with a keen interest in sport found a niche for themselves in sports clubs, including the GAA.
“For these teenagers, balancing religious practices - such as prayer and diet - with fitting in to Irish society was a natural and automatic process,” said Dr McGarry.
“The benefits to members of ethnic minorities of being afforded an opportunity to be part of clubs like the GAA can’t be underestimated.
“The fact that one club remembered to serve both fish as well as sausages – recognising that some of the teenagers don’t eat pork – was really appreciated.”
Intercultural policy
Dr McGarry found that the GAA’s intercultural policy was being implemented somewhat “haphazardly” and much depended on individual coaches in clubs.
“I found primary school principals made very good efforts to try and include everyone,” she said. “None of the participants in this study showed any tendencies towards extremism” and they were “the most generous, welcoming and accommodating group of young people that I have worked with”.
Earlier this week, retired Supreme Court judge Catherine McGuinness also warned that Ireland needed to "learn lessons" from the situation of isolated communities living in France.
She contrasted the “constant pleas” being made by the Government to resolve the situation of illegal Irish working in the US while not being “particularly prepared” to adopt the same approach to non-EU immigrants here.
‘Cohesive society’
“The events in France should prompt us to examine what is being done in Ireland towards the creation of a cohesive, pluralist society,” Dr McGarry said.
“As a country where mass migration is a relatively recent phenomenon, we have an opportunity to take on board lessons from countries with a much longer experience of immigration and diversity. We should also open our eyes to the many positive examples of intercultural mixing that are happening around the country and seek to build on this.
“The need to provide practical social supports for young teenagers, both Irish and migrant, is an issue that should inform social policy and educational measures for decades to come.”
