Manchester mosque hosts funeral for convicted Taliban fighter after mayor's Ramadan visit

Munir Farooqi, a Pakistan-born extremist who fought for the Taliban after 9/11 and later returned to Manchester, died in prison and was buried with a janazah at Manchester Central Mosque on September 30. The ceremony attracted over 100 participants, including his relatives who continue to view him as a martyr, according to a hard-line Islamist source. Earlier in February, Mayor Andy Burnham visited the same mosque for an Iftar, praising its sense of community and pledging to improve security at places of worship.

Labour MPs Debbie Abrahams and Afzal Khan, as well as Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig, accompanied him. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp demanded an apology, saying the event highlighted a failure to confront Islamist extremism. The mosque had recently experienced a security incident involving two men armed with an axe, hammer and knife, one of whom was charged with weapon possession.