A Manchester venue has been criticised for hosting an event with an ‘extremist’ imam from Kuwait who called Jewish people ‘animals’.
The Bridgewater Hall is under fire for allowing the event with Sheikh Mishary Alafasy to go ahead on Sunday evening (January 5). It comes after the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region raised concerns with the venue and Manchester council about the imam, describing him as an ‘extremist’ and calling his past comments on social media ‘racist and inflammatory’.
Sheikh Alafasy also appeared at Cheadle Masjid on Saturday (January 4). The mosque said the imam did not comment on any humanitarian or political matters during the event and ‘only recited prayers’, while Bridgewater Hall has declined to comment.
UK Lawyers for Israel wrote last week to Manchester council which owns Bridgewater Hall, as well as the venue’s chief executive and trustees, calling for the event to be cancelled. The letter, seen by the Manchester Evening News, cites several examples of Sheikh Alafasy’s past comments on social media, including his personal account on X, formerly Twitter, which currently has 15m followers.
In one post on X from 2020, Sheikh Alafasy criticised peace treaties between Israel and a number of Muslim-majority countries, accusing Jews of ‘treachery’. In another Arabic-language post from 2011, he said Jews have an ‘eagerness to wage wars and corruption’.
The M.E.N. has also found other posts on Sheikh Alafasy’s personal X account that followed the October 7 massacre, including one on the day of the attack by Hamas which killed 1,200 people in Israel featuring a hashtag for the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ – the name given to the operation by the Palestinian militant group. The post dated October 7, 2023 says: “O God, cast terror into the hearts of the Zionists.”
The Bridgewater Hall
(Image: PA)
Another post on X the following week calls for Zionists to be torn apart ‘in the worst possible way’. On October 21, another post claims Jewish law permits the rape of non-Jewish girls once they reach the age of three, arguing that this ‘proves that they are the animals’.
The Bridgewater Hall event on Sunday (January 5) was billed as ‘An Evening of Inspiration’. It was part of a UK tour with other events in Birmingham and London also organised by the Al Mustafa Welfare Trust in aid of the charity’s Palestine and Gaza Emergency Appeal.
Promoting the tour on its website, the London-based charity said the events would ‘celebrate the Quran and Islam in all their glory’. Sheikh Alafasy also appeared at Cheadle Masjid on Saturday (January 4) for prayers at the mosque, billed as ‘A Night for Palestine’.
In a statement on Sunday evening (January 5) issued after the Bridgewater Hall event had gone ahead, the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region said: “Despite raising our concerns regarding previous racist and inflammatory comments made by Sheikh Alfasy including calls for violence against Jewish people and social media posts accusing Jews of condoning child rape, the Trustees of The Bridgewater Hall and Leadership of Manchester City Council have not seen fit to cancel this event.
“To allow an extremist a prominent platform in one of our city’s most iconic venues makes a mockery of the assurances we have received to tackle antisemitism in all its forms. It also raises the serious risk of further attacks on Jews and the Jewish community in Greater Manchester.
“We will be working communal partners to raise this issue with the charity commission and push for strict sanctions regarding this flagrant breach of their charitable objectives.”
On Sunday (January 5), Bridgewater Hall said it was ‘not able to make a comment’. The M.E.N. has since contacted the venue again.
Cheadle Mosque said: “Sheikh Mishary Alafasy is a globally respected figure, known for his contributions to promoting peace, unity, and humanitarian values. He is also a member of the United Nations-affiliated body for arts and culture, further demonstrating his commitment to fostering understanding across diverse communities.
“He has been hosted across the world, including in multicultural and multi-faith contexts, without any issues or concerns. At Cheadle Masjid, Sheikh Mishary Alafasy did not in fact comment on any humanitarian or political matter but only recited prayers from the Qur’an.”
Manchester council, which owns Bridgewater Hall and leases it to a company which appoints an operator, said it does not have a direct role in managing or programming events at the venue. However, the local authority said it has been in dialogue with the operator and trustees of the venue for reassurance that the necessary due diligence is undertaken ahead of events being booked.
The M.E.N. has contacted the Al Mustafa Welfare Trust and other event organisers as well as approaching Sheikh Alafasy directly.