No Place for Hate: CEO Speaks Out After Manchester Mosque Arrest

Written by Ulfat Hussain, CEO of Arawak Housing.

Last week’s events at Manchester Central Mosque were deeply unsettling. During evening prayers in the holy month of Ramadan, when around 2,000 worshippers had gathered in peace, a man entered the mosque carrying weapons including an axe and a knife. Thanks to the calm, courageous and responsible actions of mosque volunteers, no one was hurt. That fact should never distract from how serious and frightening this incident was for those present, or from the wider impact it will have on Muslim communities across our city.

We should be honest about the context in which this happened. Islamophobic abuse, threats and intimidation are rising, fuelled by far-right rhetoric that deliberately scapegoats Muslims and presents them as something to fear. Words have consequences. When politicians and commentators normalise division, it creates an environment in which acts like this become more likely. As Afzal Khan MP rightly said, this is Islamophobia, plain and simple, and it must be called out as such.

Yet this incident does not define Manchester. Manchester’s strength has always been its diversity. It is a city where people of different faiths, backgrounds and cultures live side by side, work together, and stand up for one another when it matters most.

At Arawak Walton Housing Association, we serve some of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Manchester. Many of our residents are Muslim. All of them deserve to feel safe, respected and valued in their homes and communities. Incidents like this reinforce why our work goes beyond bricks and mortar. Housing associations have a responsibility to stand against hate, to support community cohesion, and to speak up when any group is targeted because of who they are or what they believe.

Acts of intimidation, driven by far-right and Islamophobic sentiment, will not break Manchester. They will not divide us. They will not weaken the bonds between communities that have been built over generations. What they will do is strengthen our resolve to challenge hatred wherever it appears, to support those affected, and to reaffirm our shared values of dignity, safety and mutual respect.