Manchester Arena families call for mosque where bomber worshipped to lose charitable status

The Manchester families (other than the mother of Martyn Hett, and I won’t criticise how she has dealt with her grief because she is right that we should be kind to each other) have not all followed the ‘Don’t look back in anger’, let us all be friends in peace path. They are angry, and they are critical. And so they should be.

From the Telegraph

Families of victims of the Manchester Arena attack have called for the mosque at which the bomber worshipped to be stripped of its charitable status over its failure to condemn the bombing.

Salman Abedi, who killed 22 people at the arena, prayed at the Didsbury Mosque in the years before the attack. There is no evidence that the mosque was involved in his radicalisation.

On Monday, the families of several of the victims criticised the mosque’s failure to publicly condemn the attack on its website. Lawyers representing 12 families called for the inquiry into the attack to refer the mosque to the Charity Commission so an investigation into its status can take place.

In a statement issued outside the inquiry room, Richard Scorer, of Slater and Gordon, said: “Our clients firmly believe that the vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving and totally opposed to terrorism. Where pockets of extremism and violent ideology exist, it is imperative that community leaders confront and challenge this with no ifs or buts.

“The families that we represent have been appalled by Didsbury Mosque’s refusal to include a clear condemnation of violence on its website. Whilst we do not allege that the mosque was directly involved in Salman Abedi’s radicalisation, we are dismayed at the mosque’s failure to do all it could to combat and prevent radicalisation within its community.

“We urge the inquiry to refer Didsbury Mosque/Manchester Islamic Centre to the Charity Commission so that its charitable status can be reviewed. It is simply unacceptable for a charitable organisation to turn a blind eye to violent and extremist views in its community…”

John Cooper QC, the inquiry counsel, echoed the comments to the inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders, calling for him to refer the mosque to the commission.

The comments came in the closing days of the inquiry