Toward reasonable accomodation of Islam in the Irish legal system : a focus on employment, education and healthcare

Abstract

This thesis examines accommodation of religious practice in the Irish legal system. The current level of accommodation is analysed with particular focus on the constitutional principles set out in the Supreme Court case of Quinn’s Supermarket Ltd V Attorney General [1972] IR 1. It is argued that there is an obligation on the State to accommodate religion. Building on this proposition, the future for accommodation of Muslim practices in this system is analysed. There is a focus on the fields of employment, education and healthcare throughout this examination. Irish society has been on a path to secularisation for some time now, and this journey has been accelerated by scandals in the Catholic Church. However, there has also been a recent and rapid increase in members of new and diverse faiths, who are articulating particular faith requirements. Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions in the country, and it is also the third-largest religious group overall.