Manchester mosque holds funeral for convicted former Taliban fighter Farooqi
Manchester Central Mosque held a funeral for Munir Farooqi, a former Taliban fighter who was convicted of terrorism offences and died in prison aged 69. The event has drawn political criticism because Andy Burnham, then the city’s mayor, visited the mosque in February and praised its sense of togetherness.
Farooqi received four life sentences in 2011 for preparing terrorist acts, soliciting murder and distributing terrorist material. More than 100 people reportedly attended his funeral on 30 September, including relatives who reportedly regard him as a martyr. The article says Downing Street and the mosque were approached for comment; it also notes a separate security incident at the mosque during Ramadan.
- Manchester Central Mosque held Farooqi’s funeral.
- He was serving four life sentences for terrorism offences.
- Burnham’s earlier visit prompted criticism from a Conservative politician.
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Munir Farooqi was a former Taliban fighter convicted of terrorism offences who died in prison aged 69. Manchester Central Mosque held his funeral with more than 100 attendees, some of whom regarded him as a martyr.
In 2011, Farooqi received four life sentences for offences including preparing terrorist acts, soliciting murder and distributing terrorist material. His conviction reflected broader concerns about extremism and radicalisation in Britain.
The funeral has drawn political criticism because Andy Burnham, then Manchester's mayor, visited the mosque and praised its sense of community. The mayor's visit has since become controversial, as the mosque hosted the funeral of a convicted terrorist.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Religious communities have obligations to provide dignified funeral rites to their members regardless of their past, reflecting core Islamic practice and pastoral care rather than endorsement of any individual's crimes. Andy Burnham's visit and praise of the mosque's community values represented routine political engagement with a large Manchester institution and cannot reasonably be held responsible for one member's historical actions or interpreted as sympathy with extremism. A mosque conducting funeral rites for a deceased congregant, even one convicted of serious offences, is standard religious function, and judging an entire institution by one individual would be fundamentally unjust.
The case against
A public funeral attended by over 100 people for someone convicted of preparing terrorist acts, where family members characterise him as a martyr, risks conveying that the institution honours extremism rather than condemning it. Such events can normalise violent extremism to vulnerable individuals within the community and suggest problematic values beneath the mosque's stated commitment to togetherness. Andy Burnham's high-profile visit and praise become concerning in this context, raising legitimate questions about whether he and other officials exercised adequate scrutiny of the institution's actual culture and associations before lending political endorsement. Leaders have a responsibility to ensure their support is not inadvertently legitimising concerning elements within organisations they engage with.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Mosque praised by Andy Burnham just held terrorist’s funeral”.