Excerpt:
President Michael D Higgins believes prejudice against the Muslim community is fuelled by a lack of understanding of the Middle East.
Mr Higgins called on Irish people to engage with Islamic culture at the opening of an exhibition featuring one of the most valuable Korans in the world at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin.
The Koran was created by calligrapher Ruzbihan Muhammad al-Tab'I al-Shirazi in Iran in the mid 16th century.