Al-Azhar Alumni UK, the UK Branch of the World Organisation for Al-Azhar Graduates, issues its strong condemnation of the abhorrent attack that took place in north Manchester on 2 October 2025. The stabbing outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, which resulted in the tragic loss of life and serious injury, is a vile act of sheer criminality with no justification whatsoever.
Every individual, community and congregation has the right to live in peace, security and dignity. In Britain, we value the ability to live side by side with people of all backgrounds, ethnicities and faiths. Those who seek to sow division and mistrust must not be allowed to succeed, for their actions ultimately threaten the wellbeing of society as a whole. In particular, places of worship must remain sanctuaries of peace and safety where no one should feel fear when entering a mosque, synagogue, church, gurdwara or temple.
The Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, the dedicated agency of the historic Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the foremost seat of Islamic learning worldwide, has also condemned this horrific attack. The Observatory stressed its total and absolute rejection of targeting civilians and threatening their safety and security in public places and houses of worship. The Observatory emphasised that such criminal acts, especially when coinciding with religious occasions, are contrary to human morals.
Speaking on behalf of Al-Azhar Alumni UK, President Bakhtyar Pirzada al-Azhari said: “With responsibility and duty towards our home country first, it is vital to speak with clarity: Al-Azhar Alumni UK stands in solidarity with the wider British community against all acts of violence in our streets, public spaces and houses of worship. Doors of dialogue must remain open. While our society faces many challenges and deep pains from events unfolding in our world, such issues must never be conflated. What is unacceptable, both religiously and morally, must be called out as such. When the sanctity of every human life is equal, caution is required so nothing implies condonation. This act was vile and criminal, and we stand firmly against it. Clarity, for the sake of both our faith and our shared society, is a necessity.”
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