A Manchester venue is under scrutiny for hosting an imam with a history of anti-Semitic remarks
The event took place at Bridgewater Hall, and it was supposed to be a nice evening of inspiration. But after the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester raised concerns, people are questioning why the venue went ahead with it. They described Alafasy as an extremist and pointed out his past comments on social media as racist.
Before this event, Alafasy had also been at Cheadle Masjid, where the mosque claimed he only recited prayers and didn’t touch on any political issues. But the backlash didn’t stop there. UK Lawyers for Israel even wrote to the Manchester council, urging them to cancel the event.
Alafasy has a huge following on social media, and some of his posts have raised eyebrows. For instance, he criticized peace treaties between Israel and Muslim-majority countries and made some pretty harsh statements about Jews. One post even called for violence against them.
After the event, the Jewish Representative Council expressed their disappointment, saying it undermines efforts to combat anti-Semitism. They’re worried this could lead to more attacks on the Jewish community in Manchester.
Bridgewater Hall didn’t comment on the situation, and Cheadle Mosque defended Alafasy, saying he’s known for promoting peace and unity. They insisted he didn’t make any controversial remarks during his time there.
Manchester council, which owns the venue, said they don’t directly manage events but are in talks with the venue’s operators to ensure proper checks are in place. The whole situation has sparked a lot of discussions about what’s acceptable in public spaces and how to handle controversial figures.
