The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester
Established to develop the cultural and social ties between the Muslim and Jewish communities of Greater Manchester

Home page

Future events - see future events page for full details

14 January 2024 — Kosher meal

Why this Forum was created

Islam and Judaism are closer to each other than any other two religions. However many Muslims and Jews grow up in Britain knowing little about the other community. In 2004 a group of us decided that, even if we couldn’t change the world, we could do something to bring the two communities together locally, and set up the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester which was incorporated on 14 June 2005.

Our mission is set out in paragraph (3) of our Memorandum of Association which is reproduced below:

“3. The objects for which the Forum is established are to develop the cultural and social ties between the Muslim and Jewish Communities of Greater Manchester; to educate members of the Muslim and Jewish Communities in relation to their shared values and common Abrahamic tradition, heritage, history and culture; maximising their potential and improving their health and well-being as residents of Greater Manchester; and to promote better understanding within the wider community of the interests and values that are common to the Muslim and Jewish Communities.”

There are two main reasons for doing this

1. Muslims and Jews have many common interests which are better pursued if we act together. Some are listed below.
2. Learning more about each other, and making new friendships, enriches us as individuals as well as making our city a better place.

Some common interests of Muslims and Jews

The list below is reproduced from our Declaration of Principles.

• The right to hold religious beliefs
• The right to manifest religious practices
• The retention of religious humane methods of animal slaughter for food in the United Kingdom and Europe
• The right for young people to be educated in faith schools and to have their religion respected in mainstream schools
• The retention of male circumcision
• The right to have religious observances respected by public bodies and the wider community
• The provision of acceptable methods of post mortem examinations

How we operate

Everyone is a volunteer.

We bring together Muslims and Jews with events that are enjoyable, often educational, and often involve eating!

Everyone attends as an individual and no special status attaches to rabbis, imams, community leaders, or politicians (unless they are presenting), although many of them do attend.

The events we have held are listed on the page News and past events. From 2005 to 2022, there were 140 of them!

Becoming a member

We welcome new members. You can download a membership form from the "Join us" page.

The Charter for Faith & Belief Inclusion

We are signatories to this charter which is organised by The Faith & Belief Forum.

The principles of the Charter for Faith & Belief Inclusion are :

1. We believe in an inclusive society where people of different faiths and beliefs have strong and positive relations. We believe that intolerance has no place in our communities or workplaces, and that diversity adds value to our society.
2. By connecting people of different faiths and beliefs, we can create a society which is fair to people of all backgrounds – religious and non-religious. We encourage people to engage more across differences and learn to understand each other better.
3. We recognise the need to create a more open conversation about faith and belief in our communities and in all of the UK. We will have these conversations in a spirit of mutual respect and curiosity, and be open to different perspectives.

Signatories of the Charter commit to working together in a spirit of partnership to promote good relations between people of different beliefs in our communities, workplaces and wider society.

You can see a full list of signatories on The Faith & Belief Forum website.

Joint Declaration Against Hate

We are signatories. Click thumbnail for larger image.

PDF version

The Armed Forces Covenant

While Muslims and Jews in Britain have some specific interests, as listed above, they are also citizens who share the same concerns as all other citizens.

Both communities have a long tradition of support for our country's Armed Forces. Muslims and Jews have fought side by side for Britain in every conflict from World War 1 onwards.

Accordingly we are proud to be signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant. You can learn more about that by clicking on the logo below.

Reporting suspicious activity

In an emergency, call 999.

Otherwise, the national freephone number for suspicious activity, such as people who may be scouting your premises, or suspected terrorists, is 0800-789-321.

Reporting hate crime

In an emergency, call 999.

Otherwise, report hate crime to the police by calling 101.

You can also report antisemitic hate crime to the Community Security Trust and anti-Muslim hate crime to Tell MAMA.

GDPR statement

Please visit the linked page for our statement under the General Data Protection Regulation.

The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester
Established to develop the cultural and social ties between the Muslim and Jewish Communities of Greater Manchester