Ex-ISIS bride Lisa Smith sparks mosque row as leader says she can't be stopped from attending

Exclusive - Karimah Duffy, a former pal of Lisa, and a leading member of the Dundalk Muslim Community Centre, exclusively told us that as far as she and several other women were concerned Smith, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison for being a member of Islamic State, 'is not welcome here.'

Former Isis Bride Lisa Smith cannot be stopped from attending her local mosque, its leader says, despite protest from some members.

Karimah Duffy, a former pal of Lisa, and a leading member of the Dundalk Muslim Community Centre, exclusively told us that as far as she and several other women were concerned Smith, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison for being a member of Islamic State, “is not welcome here.”

However the Imam of the mosque Noah Buye said he could not prevent Smith from attending - and said if members had objections, they needed to go through a formal process. Our exclusive pictures show Lisa, who was freed from prison last year, walking the streets of Dundalk this week, amid the dispute.

Her former friend Karimah, who gave evidence of Lisa’s conversion to Islam in her Special Criminal Court trial, told this paper that Smith continues to show up to classes and prayers - but is not wanted there.

READ MORE: 'ISIS bride' Lisa Smith to walk free 'in weeks' after getting early release for good behaviour

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“We don’t want her there,” Karimah, who said she was speaking on behalf of a number of women at the mosque.

“It’s ridiculous. I want to make it clear that we think it’s very dangerous and why is she allowed back into our community? She’s a Walter Mitty type character and a fantasist. She put us through two years of hell.

"The point is we don’t want her there and we made a promise to the community that we weren’t involved with her,” she added. “But she just arrived in when we are usually in the middle of prayers. So no one can really say listen get out.”

Karimah said the Imam Nooh Buye was aware of her and the other women’s concerns. When contacted by this paper Mr Buye said the women had not made a formal complaint to him and the management - and that as things stand, he cannot stop Smith from attending.

“Number one she is an Irish citizen and the government need to protect her. If she is judged then they have to restrict her and stop her coming to the mosque. In our mosque there’s freedom of expression and there’s nothing stoping her. On what grounds are we supposed to stop her? She has all the rights of any member of the community to come.”

The Imam said he advised anyone who had concerns to come to the management officially and make the case, as opposed to “running to the newspapers.”

“I’d advise them to bring the case to the management. We have a structure in place,” he said.

In 2022 Smith became the first person to be convicted in an Irish court of an Islamic terrorist offence committed abroad when the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court found that she joined Isis when she travelled to Syria in 2015. The 41-year-old from Dundalk, Co Louth had pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28th, 2015
and December 1st, 2019.

Sentencing her to 15 months in prison, Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted that while Smith is a low risk for re-offending, she was persistent and determined in her efforts to travel to Syria and join Isis and has shown no remorse for her actions. He said it was "serious" for an Irish citizen to take up allegiance with a terrorist organisation and persist with it.

He added that "she may have been easily led by circumstances and other people" but she had also shown resilience and determination to join and remain with Isis "to the bitter end".

She had rejected her family and one of her husbands, who refused to swear allegiance to Isis, and had aligned herself with terrorists such as John Georgelas, an American Isis fighter and propagandist who was killed during fighting in Syria. He said that a custodial sentence was necessary to mark the seriousness of the offence and to deter others from offering support to dangerous organisations.

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