Stanisland Magazine

Opinion: The Manchester synagogue attack is being used to whip up Islamophobia again

Last updated: 5th October 2025

The attacks in Manchester on a synagogue are nothing short of vile and evil. The culprit, who crashed into the building, sought to wound worshippers with a knife and was also equipped with an explosive device. Two people were killed, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, one shot by armed Manchester police. in a statement, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said:

“At this time, we know that a car was driven directly at members of the public, outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall in Manchester. The driver of the car, was seen to then attack people with a knife. He was wearing about his body a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device.”

The statistics are telling, hate crimes against Jews hit 1,510 in 2023, accounting for 19% of religiously motivated offences. However, Muslim-targeted hate crimes rose to an astonishing 3,400, accounting for 44% of attacks. Fast forward to 2024, and Islamophobic incidents grew to 3,866 (38%), with acts against Jews reaching 3,282 (33%). But we must also take stock of perceived anti-Jewish hate crimes, often conflated for anti-Israel sentiment, which is not religiously motivated, and likely misreported.

The problem is an intense partiality in the way attacks on different communities are framed. Extremism against Muslims, for example, receives a very different response. The media has played a powerful role in shaping negative stereotypes of the Islamic community. Post 9/11, Muslims have been disproportionately portrayed through the lens of extremism, with very little good highlighted — such as its charitable actions, humanitarian aid and volunteer contributions, as noted by the Charities Aid Foundation. What is very rarely mentioned is that Muslims face far greater danger from religiophobia than any other group in the United Kingdom and worldwide.

Today, the British Government’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmoud made remarks on pending pro-Palestine protests:

“Imagine if that was you, that has had a family member murdered on the holiest day in your faith. Imagine how you would feel and then just step back for a minute, give people a chance to grieve. We can get back to our protest later. Just because you have a freedom doesn’t mean you have to use it”

In contrast, the 2017 attack on Finsbury Park Mosque received minimal coverage from the nation’s international broadcaster, the BBC. It was not discussed on Question Time, while the Manchester Synagogue attack has dominated airtime, with countless commentators who not only vent about the attack, but further their international aims for Israel and its genocide against the Palestinians. What Shabana Mahmoud is saying, implicitly, is that one death here is worth more than the hundreds and thousands in Gaza. These protests are not driven by vanity or social clout — these demonstrations are far from seeking public approval, they’re about standing up for the lives of millions in Palestine, who for nearly 80 years, have endured untold suffering at the hands of Israel.

UK Muslims consistently contribute to the country, rebuild it a after World War Two, and in return their thanks are anti-Muslim sentiment. Only three days ago, Shabana Mahmoud also said that defining Islamophobia could give Muslims “special treatment.” Perhaps this a long-overdue preference. As a speaker at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue vigil said: “Words matter,” and indeed, they really do. The press is now seeking to weaponise disorder, hoping to sow division and further a very obvious cause — and liking — for Israel. This does not benefit anyone; only a machine hatred and war.