Didsbury Mosque to be investigated by the Charity Commission

Another post, another dubious mosque. This was reported yesterday by both the Telegraph and the BBC. 

The public inquiry into the atrocity last week concluded that Didsbury Mosque had played down its links to Salman Abedi and showed a “wilful blindness” to support within its congregation for the conflict in Libya. Sir John Saunders also found that the evidence of Fawzi Haffar, the mosque’s chairman, was “unreliable” and that the mosque suffered from “weak leadership”.

The report found that mosques attended by the bomber were not an active factor in his radicalisation. But Sir John also said that meetings took place at Didsbury mosque connected to political situation in Libya, contrary to evidence from Mr Haffar, and that some of those present “supported the fighting”.

The Charity Commission has now announced it is “actively considering” the findings of the inquiry and has “opened a regulatory compliance case to assess concerns raised” about Didsbury Mosque.

Didsbury Mosque declined to comment and said it would issue a public statement at a later date.

When the inquiry found that Salman Abedi was not radicalised at the Didsbury, or any other local mosque, but rather by his parents and family 5 Pillars were ecstatic;

MI5, media and far-right owe Didsbury Mosque and Manchester Muslims an apology was the headline.

We saw the immediate vilification of the mosque by mass mainstream media from all over the world who converged on it within a day or so of it being named as THE mosque. We (the volunteers and regular attendees) were all deemed guilty by association.

In the days following the attack, myself and other sisters felt compelled to go out into St Anne’s Square to show a visible Muslim presence. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was walking on eggshells in my own city. We fed and consoled visitors at the vigil site that was strewn with bouquets of flowers and teddy bears. We felt we had to tell them how sorry we were for the heinous acts of one deranged individual, whose only link to us was that he happened to share our faith.

We stood outside the mosque in a show of solidarity in front of the world’s media, but some of us point-blank refused to hold up “I Love Mcr” placards at the request of the trustees. I was born and brought up in a small, white, working-class industrial town called Radcliffe in Manchester. Why was I being told that I had to publicly declare my love for Manchester when I am more Manc than a Manchester worker bee? We discarded those placards in front of them. “We’re absolutely NOT doing it.”

And so on – we the Muslims are the victims here, and now we are vindicated as we did not radicalise Salman Abedi.

But the reality is even worse, if that were possible. Abedi was radicalised by Mum and Dad. And what was Mum, Samia Tabbal? She taught in the mosque’s Arabic classes. She was also a benefits cheat, but that’s another matter.

And Daddy? Ramadan Abedi? He was respected and considered a suitable person to lead the call to prayer. 

Elder brother Ismail also taught in the Mosque school. They are now in Libya.

Younger brother Hashem, currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment for his part in the massacre also attended but doesn’t seem to have had any role of influence or authority.

So while the mosque trustees and attendees say they have been demonised but are now vindicated I think they have been further condemned. They didn’t radicalise Salman and Hashem; they placed those who did in positions of authority and allowed Ismail to intimidate the one Imam who tried to preach peace.

In his evidence, El-Saeiti said he received death threats on social media over one address he gave at the mosque following the Islamic State murder of Salford taxi driver Alan Henning – and there were concerns he would be attacked by the Abedi brothers Salman and Hashem.

Vindicated my aunt Frances.

This is an interesting piece of video from a BBC documentary of 2016. It includes part of a sermon given at Didsbury Mosque in December 2016 by  Imam Mustafa Graf in which he clearly calls for armed jihad to support ‘our brothers’ in Syria. This was referred to the police in 2018 but they decided that the sermon wasn’t an offence. 

A joint statement from Manchester City Council and Counter Terrorism Policing North West confirmed no offences had been committed. It said: “We recognise that mosques have a very important and valuable role to play within our communities and we will always seek to work with trustees to strengthen those community relationships. Although at all times freedom of expression must be respected we understand that people may be concerned by the content of the BBC report, in particular the tone of the speech…”

Judge the sermon for yourself. I can’t get to embed it here, but this is the link. 

Oh, and Imam Mustafa Graf was himself in Libya in 2011, in a militia during the revolution. 

The Muslim scholars from Quillam are in no doubt that this is a call to violent military jihad. They wouldn’t be surprised if this sermon inspired him to commit the suicide murders; it is known that Abedi bought his ticket for the gig a few days later. As did Martin Hibbert, a father who was badly injured waiting for his daughter (also very badly injured) who bought a ticket for his daughter’s Christmas present. 

Anyway, the worshipers of Didsbury Mosque need not fear. 

Police increase patrols to protect Didsbury Mosque following Arena bomb inquiry criticism

From the Manchester Evening News

Police have increased patrols around Didsbury Mosque amid fear of attacks after it was criticised in the third and final report of the public inquiry into the bombing at Manchester Arena.

…now, after it was criticised by the public inquiry into the bombing, it is understood police have stepped up patrols in the area. Mosque leaders say they fear attacks by ‘right-wing elements’.

Mr Haffar has not responded to an M.E.N. request for an interview. However, asked if the mosque was getting protection or whether he feared attacks on the mosque, Mr Haffar told 5Pillars YouTube channel: “Absolutely. As a matter-of-fact right wing elements have been saying many things on social media for the last few days. We have been approached by the police as well as the Manchester City Council. And I would like to praise the police and the Manchester City Council and our councillors and MPs for all the help and assistance they’ve been giving us…”

Mr Haffar repeated that he ‘never knew’ or met the Abedi family. He said the inquiry’s verdict on him had been unfair and said another iman, Mustafa Graf, should have been called to give evidence rather than himself.

Mr Graf, described to the M.E.N. in 2013 how he was captured and tortured in Libya by forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, who had been killed two years earlier during the Arab Spring uprisings, before managing to flee back to his home in Chorlton. He said he’d gone to Libya to visit family. Mr Haffar, asked about pictures which emerged after the Arena bombing of Graf in military fatigues in Libya, told the inquiry his colleague told him it was to ‘blend in’ rather than fight. Graf was suspended by the mosque but later re-instated.

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: “Greater Manchester Police officers in the City of Manchester’s South district have designated regular and adaptive patrol plans in place which cover key areas across the district which are based on intelligence and demand. Officers regularly patrol these routes to provide passing attention to key areas and provide reassurance to the local community.”

The Charity Commission have a lot of work to do. 

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