Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Irish Dominican presence in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The column below appears in this week's INM Irish regional newspapers.

Michael Commane
Tralee man Paul Lawlor joined the Dominican Order in 1968, the year after I did, so we have been in touch with one another over the years, even if our paths have gone in different directions.

When I went to work in The Kerryman in the 1990s I got to know Paul's mother, and since then we have become great friends. Mrs Lawlor celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, March 28. There was a party for the centenarian. I was there as was Paul, who travelled from Tehran for the special day.

The Irish Dominicans went to Iran in 1962. And since then we have had a presence in Tehran, where we have a priory right in the heart of the capital city.  In the 1970s an Irish Dominican and past pupil of CBS Synge Street, Fr William Barden was archbishop in Isfahan.

Twelve years ago I visited Paul in Iran. I was bowled over by the beauty of the place and its people. They could not have been kinder to me. On one occasion I lost my way in the middle of Tehran and a policeman came to my aid. He ended up stopping a car and asking the driver to bring me to my destination. I speak no Farsi, he no English and still it worked.


Last week I sat down with Paul and we chatted about what it's like for an Irish Dominican priest living in the capital city of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Paul is the only Irish Dominican in Iran. Before we began our chat I pointed out that I had recently been in Synge Street Primary School in Dublin and the first book I saw when I passed the hall door was a copy of the Koran.


The Irish Dominicans since going to Iran have been working with the small Christian community in the capital but they have also been involved in building relations with Islamic leaders. Paul, who speaks Farsi and with his experience of living among his Muslim neighbours for many years, has a practical knowledge of Islam.

Iranians are mostly Shia Muslims, which is the second largest denomination of Islam. They believe that Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad and his descendants were the rightful successors of the Prophet as leaders of the Muslim community. Ali and his successors are called Imams and there have been 12 of them. The last Imam went into hiding and they are awaiting his return. In the meantime Islamic leaders are the deputies of the 12th Imam who, though hidden, is the leader of Shia Muslims.

Ali is the great hero, the perfect man, who lived the Koran. He is a manifestation of God's self-revelation, who was created before the world. The word Ayatollah means "sign of God." Many Shia Muslims believe that the hidden meaning of the Koran is revealed through the Imams.

Talking to Paul it was clear that he believes in the importance of the work of understanding and relating to this religion, which has such a large following. In his own scholarly and methodical way he is constantly learning more about their world. He has been living in Iran some 18 years. In that time he has made many Muslim friends. 

There’s the old adage that if you want to know me then come to live with me. That's exactly what Paul is doing. And chatting with him I learned so much about the world of Islam. We all need to spend more time talking and listening to one another. It makes far more sense than making war.

2 comments:

Dylan said...

Very interesting

richard said...

Michael - I was in Tehran in 1991 and remember meeting a good number of the Irish community there via the Irish embassy. Who would have been there with the Dominicans at the time? I'm trying to remember names, but failing ...

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