Deputy principal at school at Dublin mosque which closed suddenly awarded €40,000

Seán McCárthaigh

A former deputy principal of an Islamic school attached to one of the largest mosques in Dublin has been awarded €40,000 following the sudden closure of the school last year.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that Noureldin Abdelgawwad, the deputy principal of the Nur-ul-Huda Qur’anic School at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) in Clonskeagh, was constructively dismissed by the centre’s operator, Al Maktoum Foundation CLG in breach of the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977.

The WRC said it appeared Abdelgawward had got caught up in some power struggle at the ICCI which resulted in him being sidelined “in pursuit of an unknown objective.”

The company did not attend a hearing before the WRC in April and was not legally represented in the case.

Abdelgawwad had worked at the ICCI since 2012 and had been promoted to deputy principal in July 2022.

He told the WRC that he resigned in April 2025 due to what he claimed were severe breaches of trust, professional interference, mistreatment and a complete breakdown in the employer-employee relationship.

Abdelgawwad claimed he had never been subjected to any disciplinary hearings, verbal or written warnings or any internal grievance process.

Evidence

He gave evidence that his salary was withheld by the ICCI without justification in September-October 2024 which he later was informed was due to the school’s income being diverted elsewhere.

The deputy principal said the ICCI falsely claimed ownership of a school system he had developed independently outside working hours in January 2025.

He said the ICCI repeatedly pressured him to hand over access to student data which he maintained would breach GDPR.

The WRC heard most of the board members were resident in the United Arab Emirates.

Abdelgawwad claimed the centre’s chief executive, Ahmed Hasain, responded to him in an unprofessional tone and threatened him that there would be consequences.

He said Hasain accused him and the school’s principal of obstructing ICCI operations in March 2025.

WhatsApp messages

The complainant said he received WhatsApp messages throughout this period, despite having requested professional communications via e-mail.

The WRC heard he resigned on April 9th, 2025 due to continued mistreatment and hostile working conditions.

He claimed the ICCI locked the school office without notice on April 12, 2025 and deployed security at the school gates the following day, while distributing leaflets to parents stating the school was cancelled without any consultation with school staff.

Abdelgawwad said this caused unnecessary distress to children and their families.

He claimed access to school e-mail accounts was also revoked while the ICCI was accessing confidential data on children, parents’ complaints and sensitive staff correspondence.

As a result, he said the ICCI sent misleading communication to gardaí claiming the deputy principal had no right to be on the site.

Resignations

Abdelgawwad, who was on an annual salary of €47,000, said over 30 teachers resigned during the same period due to similar treatment.

WRC adjudication officer, Penelope McGrath, said she was aware there had been a very public rupture which came to a head at the ICCI in April 2024 without understanding the specifics of what had happened.

McGrath said Abdelgawwad explained that a new board of management had been put in place in the aftermath of the death of the founder.

She noted that he began to notice changes in the workplace in September 2024 with lengthy delays in getting paid.

McGrath said she understood that the deputy principal, who was supported by his principal, resisted sharing information about students, their parents and fee records sought by the ICCI’s chief executive.

She said the decision of Abdelgawwad to write to parents looking for consent seemingly annoyed both Hasain and the board.

The WRC official observed that the complainant felt he had become caught up in some power struggle that was happening following the death of the founder and the creation of a new board.

E-mails

McGrath said she was satisfied that Mr Abdelgawwad was justified in tendering his resignation due to a complete breakdown in trust with the board.

She said the board through its intermediary had diminished and sidelined the deputy principal “in pursuit of an unknown objective.”

“It was not reasonable to expect the complainant to continue working under these conditions after the best part of fourteen or fifteen years of service,” she added.

Although Abdelgawwad had not raised a formal grievance process, she said there could be no doubt that he had highlighted many grievances through e-mails and other communications.

She noted he was now earning €13,000 as a part-time teacher at a school in Portlaoise.

The WRC awarded the complainant €40,000 in relation to the unfair dismissal and a further €1,000 for unpaid wages.