Bishop Brendan Kelly said he was “dismayed and shocked at the willful and malicious assault made last night on the Maryam Mosque in our city,” and he wholeheartedly condemned the actions of the perpetrators.

The mosque, which is located on the Monivea Road on the outskirts of Galway city, was “badly and severely vandalised” late on Sunday night.

A statement from the mosque said locks and windows were broken during the attack and security camera equipment was stolen from inside the building.

This is the second time the mosque has been vandalised since it opened in 2014 with the first attack in 2017.

Members of Galway’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community say they are feeling terrified following an attack in the early hours of Monday morning

Bishop Kelly said he would visit his “good friend” Iman Ibrahim Noonanto to assure him of his personal support and prayers and to convey to him the very deep sense of outrage felt across the Christian community.

“An attack on a place of worship is an assault on God and an assault on all people of faith. We stand in solidarity with our Muslim neighbours.  With them, we reject violence, we reject division and we reject hate,” he said.