Muslim Council of Britain:
Following the attack on Manchester Arena last night, Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, issued the following statement:
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I understand teenagers and children have been caught up in what the police has confirmed to be a terrorist attack. This is horrific, this is criminal. May the perpetrators face the full weight of justice both in this life and the next.
I pay tribute to the police and emergency services who have worked valiantly to save lives last night. They were helped by civilians who rushed into offer their support. I urge all those in the region and around the country to pool together to support those affected.”
Greater Manchester Muslim Community:
“The Greater Manchester Muslim Community is saddened and horrified by reports of yet another terror attack, this time in our very city at the Manchester Arena yesterday. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and our emergency services who are at the forefront of dealing with this tragic incident. This is and will always be a mindless and unjustifiable act, targeting the innocent and young in this indiscriminate manner. The perpetrators, whoever they may be, must bear the full consequences of their actions. We note that GMP are treating this as a Terrorist Incident and offer any support that they may need at this difficult time, we urge our communities to remain calm and alert. We would also urge all to support our emergencies services in this difficult hour.”
Manchester Council of Mosques (MCOM):
Qadir Cohan-Chair Manchester Council of Mosques commented saying:
“Today, we wake up to the sad news of an terror attack at the heart of our city that has killed many innocent individuals, tragically some are our very young who were at the concert with friends and families. Manchester communities are strong and resilient and will no doubt deal with this latest tragedy in the usual Mancunian way working together and not allowing anyone to hijack this tragic event for their own agenda. We ask all communities to be extra vigilant over the coming weeks and support our police service with any information that they may have to prevent any further incidents.”
MCOM represent over 70 mosques in Manchester with a combined congregation of over 80,000 people. MCOM aims to work for Manchester and beyond to be a great place to worship, live, work and prosper in. MCOM regularly issues statements and press releases to mosques and the wider society to build a just and harmonious society.
Bolton Council of Mosques (BCoM):
Imteyaz Ali- Bolton Council Mosques commented:
“We are shocked at the tragic news of this terror attack at the heart of Manchester City Centre, the tragic loss of life and the sheer scale is difficult to comprehend. We ask for all to stay calm and support our emergency services in whatever way they can to help them in this hour”.
The Bolton Council of Mosques (BCoM) has been uniting, and standing up for Muslims in Bolton for over 20 years. Its goal is to ensure that all Muslims have the opportunity to take an active part in building a better society for everyone who lives in Bolton by involving them at a grass roots level, and highlighting the vital contribution they make to the town. BCoM has 26 affiliated Mosques.
Rochdale Council of Mosques (RCM):
Tahir Mahmood-Rochdale Council Mosques commented saying:
“We are horrified by this attack and the loss of all lives and injuries to all victims. This tragedy has struck at the heart of our communities and we will work with all concerned to ensure that we help the victims and emergency services in dealing with the aftermath”.
The Rochdale Council of Mosques has been working with communities in Rochdale since 2003 and it has 15 mosques affiliated to it. Its vision is to develop successful, confident and united Muslims, who pursue their aspirations with respect and dignity in order to make valuable contributions to the economic, spiritual and civic life of Rochdale. Their work is about developing a framework for addressing issues affecting local Muslim people through effective partnership working, promoting harmony and unity between the people of Rochdale. They endeavour to consult, contribute, help develop and where needed, deliver services which meet the needs of the Muslim communities living in Rochdale, and also acts as a gateway to service providers, enhancing access and participation of the Muslim community.
Bradford Council of Mosques:
“There are no words to capture the deep anger and frustration we feel by this cowardly and despicable attack on innocent lives at the Manchester arena. What should have been an enjoyable evening turned to be one of mayhem resulting in loss of life especially of young people. It will also prove to a life changing experience for all involved. In keeping with our tradition, Bradford Communities undoubtedly will stand in defiance and united with families of the victims and doing all that we can to share their pain and loss.”
Joseph Interfaith Foundation:
Signed by Trustees, Sir David Michels, Judge Khurshid Drabu CBE, and Executive Director, Mehri Niknam MBE.
“The Joseph Interfaith Foundation, including its National Council of Imams and Rabbis, utterly and unreservedly condemns the cowardly and barbaric attack in Manchester last night.
The murder of innocent defenceless people and children fills us with revulsion. The perpetrator of this vile action and their perverted ideology is an aberration of all humanity and all religions.
We offer our prayers and condolences with a sorrowful heart to all the victims and families and friends of this abhorrent attack.
Let us all come together, regardless of age and belief, to further strengthen our efforts to remove chasms of hatred and build bridges of cooperation; and also let us remind ourselves not to condemn any community with “guilt by association”.
Wiltshire Islamic Cultural Centre
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the resilient people of Manchester which includes the emergency services and NHS staff attending to the tragedy and its aftermath.
We stand united with Manchester, the British people in general and people all over the world who suffer at the hands of the small yet dangerous minority of murderous extremists and remind people that terrorism has no religion and despite their claim, the terrorists have nothing to do with Islam.
We urge all peace-loving people of all racial and religious/non-religious backgrounds to stay united in the face of terror and to not let the extremists divide us.We also urge people to look out for one another, stay vigilant and co-operate with the authorities if they know or are aware of any extremist activity.
CHARITIES
Human Appeal:
Human Appeal have set up a fundraising page to help victims and their families.
“As a Muslim, as a Mancunian and as a father, I want the victims and their families of last night’s attack to know that my prayers, the prayers of everyone at Human Appeal and the prayers of Manchester’s Muslim community are with them. Although the details are currently unclear, this is a despicable and abhorrent attack targeting innocent members of our community.
I want to pay tribute to the emergency services who helped my fellow Mancunians in their hour of need. Human Appeal are working with the Muslim community here in Manchester to do what we can to support the victims and their families.
We have set up a “Muslims For Manchester” page here, please donate to support the victims: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/muslimsformanchester
Manchester’s Muslim community stands united with everyone in the city. All funds raised will go directly to supporting the victims and their families. We hope many Muslims and non-Muslims will donate.
Once again my prayers and love go to the victims, their families and this great city.
Human Appeal are a Muslim-faith based humanitarian aid charity based in Greater Manchester, who help people in need all across the world and here in the UK. Human Appeal are being supported by the MCF member charities including Muslim Aid, Muslim Hands, Islamic Relief, World Federation, Al-Imdaad Foundation, Muslim Charity, Read Foundation, Islamic Help and Al-Khair Foundation. The Muslim Charities Forum [MCF] is an umbrella body of UK Muslim Humanitarian Charities, including Human Appeal.