The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester
Established to develop the cultural and social ties between the Muslim and Jewish communities of Greater Manchester
5 September 2025
The Forum's mission is to promote friendship between the Muslim and Jewish Communities of Greater Manchester. Communities are made up of individual people, and a key element of our success has been fostering individual friendships.
One result is that for over 15 years some Forum members have gone on holiday together each year (except when prevented by the pandemic), at their own expense, to places of Muslim and Jewish interest.
This year they chose Milan in Italy from 2-5 September.
From the time of the Roman Empire, Italy has had a significant Jewish community, as well as being the home of the Catholic Church. For over 200 years, Italy’s largest island, Sicily, was ruled by Muslims, and Italian cities have a long history of trading with the former Muslim Ottoman Empire.
Today Milan is home to about 150,000 Muslims, making about 5% of the city’s population. They originate from many countries, with notable numbers from Morocco, Egypt, Albania, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, as well as converts of Italian ethnicity.
Milan is also home to between 7,000 and 10,000 Jews, making it the second-largest Jewish community in Italy after Rome.
During World War 2 Italy’s Fascist government helped to deport Jews by train to the German death camps. That is why Milan’s Holocaust Memorial is located under the tracks of Milan Central Station, showing the dates of transport trains and the names of victims.
Below you can see the visitors from Manchester at the Holocaust Memorial in front of a projected list of the names of deported Jews who will never be forgotten.
From left to right
Milan has a number of mosques catering to its diverse Muslim population, which generally operate in converted premises. The group visited the Milan Muslim Center, which is located in the basement of an office building. It caters primarily to Muslims of Bangladeshi origin.
The group photo below shows from left to right:
Mohammed Amin said:
“The visit to Milan’s Holocaust Memorial reminded me that even 80 years after the end of World War 2, the Holocaust overshadows the history of modern Europe. All of us have a duty to fight against the demonisation of minority groups, which can rapidly descend into hatred and violence.”
Heather Fletcher said:
“Our hosts at the Milan Muslim Center were very hospitable and spent a considerable amount of time with us answering our questions about Muslim life in Milan and their Muslim centre. It was an interesting visit.”
As well as visiting the Holocaust Memorial and the Milan Muslim Center, the group also engaged in regular tourist activities.
This included visiting the world famous La Scala Opera House and the nearby Milan Cathedral, which took six centuries to build and is the largest church in the Republic of Italy. (St Peter’s Basilica, which is bigger, is in the Vatican City — a separate country.)
Perhaps the highlight of the tourism was a boat tour of nearby Lake Como.
Their guide shared the history of the famous owners and visitors of the exclusive villas around the lake. Lake Como was a particular favourite of Sir Winston Churchill’s, especially Villa Passalacqua which was also stayed in by Napoleon Bonaparte!
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The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester
Established to develop the cultural and social ties between the Muslim and Jewish Communities of Greater Manchester