“Their head scarves frame faces that are unmistakably Irish and their Dublin accents seem out of place among the strictures of their religious dress. They are unlikely targets of racial abuse, but Patricia Fitzpatrick, 43, and Lesley Carter, 35, have been spat upon, called Pakis, Osama Bin Laden and even ‘Jewish bastards’ on the streets of their native city. As converts to Islam they have joined Ireland’s estimated 26,000-strong Muslim population, which has become the focus of controversy since the discovery of planned terrorist attacks in Britain two weeks ago.”

Sunday Times, 27 August 2006