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How Muslims Helped Ireland During the Great Famine

By Mehedi Islam

Source: http://archiveislam.com

160 years ago, during the Great Famine in Ireland, the Ottoman Empire sent £1,000 sterling (about $1,052,000 today) and 3 shiploads of food to Drogheda, Ireland.

Ireland was ridden with famine and disease between 1845 and 1849. Also known as the Great Hunger, this famine had lasting effects: at least one million people died due to famine-related diseases and more than one million Irish fled, mainly to the United States, England, Canada, and Australia.

The Islamic State (Ottoman) ruler at that time Sultan Khaleefah Abdul-Majid declared his intention to send £10,000 sterling to Irish farmers but Queen Victoria requested that the Sultan send only £1,000 sterling, because she had sent only £2,000 sterling herself. The Sultan sent the £1,000 sterling but also secretly sent 3 ships full of food. The British administration tried to block the ships, but the food arrived secretly at Drogheda harbour.

This generous charity from a Muslim ruler to a Christian nation is also important, particularly in our time when Muslims are often unfairly accused of human rights violations. Likewise, the appreciative plaque and overall reaction of the Irish society in return for this charity deserves to be applauded. We hope that the Turkish-Irish friendship sets a model for peace among different nations.

In commemoration of the Ottoman aid, Drogheda added the Ottoman crescent and star to its coat of arms. Their football club’s emblem retains this design until this day.

Posted on February 10, 2014 at 7:29 am in History   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL

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4 Comments to “How Muslims Helped Ireland During the Great Famine”

    
  1. Rose
    May 10, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    Wow. That’s a nicely romantised story. Pity you didn’t include all the facts.

    Reply
  2. eoin
    August 31, 2015 at 3:06 am

    Hey dumbass they only sent what they sent as compensation for over 160 people they had previously kidnapped from west cork. People who were subsequently sold into slavery. So don’t print crap making out that they done it out of charity or the goodness of their hearts because they didn’t. Muslims are nothing more than savages that say they don’t support terrorism but don’t support the west either and would be quite happy to see all of us destroyed.

    Reply
  3. eoin Gallagher
    August 31, 2015 at 3:21 pm

    Don’t print that crap trying to make out that they sent food and money for the Irish people out of the goodness of their hearts, they only sent it as compensation for over 160 people they killed and kidnapped from west cork. People who were subsequently sold into slavery. Muslims are nothing but savages that won’t stop until everything and everyone in the west is destroyed. People like you are naive liberal assholes who are aiding our own destruction. So next time do your homework and include all the facts. TRAITOR.

    Reply
  4. Martin
    March 23, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    That was a great gesture by the Sultan of the Ottoman empire. He also offered more than Queen Victoria, he had to sneak food in because the British wouldn’t have allowed it. Also the people of Drogheda showed that they really appreciated it and till this day they still have the symbol on their badge. Also Colin Farrell is to star in a movie about it, that’s a film I’ll so look forward to see.

    Reply
    

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