Parents in Stockport say they have been left too scared to take their children to their local mosque after it was subjected to six Islamophobic attacks in 18 months. Windows have been smashed, pork products thrown onto its roof, and copies of the Qur'an have been damaged at the Elaf Masjid in Edgeley.
According to one community leader representing mosques across Stockport, the borough has experienced the highest number of attacks on Muslim places of worship in Greater Manchester in recent months. Children as young as seven have been racially abused, one local councillor told the Manchester Evening News.
Community fear and police response
Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Sir Stephen Watson told the MEN: "We have seen the expression of hate crime on the streets of Greater Manchester in its most visceral form. We've seen the attacks on our Jewish communities, the Heaton Park synagogue, of course, being the principal example of that. In exactly the same way as anti-Semitism is wrong and is not to be tolerated, so too is Islamophobia, or any other form of hate crime. There is no place for hate crime anywhere in Greater Manchester."
Earlier this week, the borough's only Muslim councillor, Huma Khan, made an emotional appeal for help in the wake of anti-Muslim hostility targeting people's homes and places of worship. She described how even her young nephews, including one aged just seven, had previously been racially abused and people in her community faced 'anti-Muslim rhetoric in their everyday lives'. She said: "It shocks me and it hurts that here in Stockport we've had anti-Muslim hostility attacks."
Pig's head incident in Cheadle
In January 2026, Camran Butt's family discovered a pig's head on their Cheadle driveway while heading to school. Security camera footage showed two people approaching the property, one of whom appeared to unwrap the animal's head before placing it on a spike on the property's front gate. While Greater Manchester Police investigated the incident and supported the family, they were unable to trace any suspects.
Ten months later, Mr Butt said his family still feels unsafe despite overwhelming support from his neighbours, the local community, and the police. He said it was 'something I think about all the time'. His wife, he added, has faced abuse since. He said: "I have lived in Cheadle since the 90s and there just seems to be a different feeling in the area at the moment. It's quite worrying. It wasn't always like that. People feel they can say these things online and in public."
Mosque security measures and ongoing fears
The Elaf Masjid was ransacked in March just hours after the congregation celebrated the end of Ramadan. With support from the authorities and local MP Navendu Mishra, the mosque applied for Home Office funding set aside for protecting places of worship. There have been no incidents since March, with potential vandals thought to be deterred by beefed up 24-hour security measures, high quality CCTV, as well as reinforced doors and windows.
Despite the steps taken, Ahmed Helal, who is involved in running Elaf, told of a father who stopped attending out of fear for his children's safety and had not returned since. Mr Helal said people are now worried when another incident might occur. He told the MEN: "The community still has fears and they are scared, especially the women. They are scared about these incidents. They aren't feeling safe inside the mosque."
Dr Jawad Amin, from the Stockport Council of Mosques, said Stockport had seen the greatest number of mosque incidents out of any Greater Manchester borough in the last 18 months, the majority of which have been against the Elaf mosque. He said: "These are all isolated incidents but it's a worrying trend that is happening", adding: "It's become more tolerated. That is what is most worrying. The police are doing what they can."
Community response and hate crime statistics
In Greater Manchester between October 2025 and September 2026, there were 343 recorded anti-Muslim hate crimes, the highest for any religion. In the same period, there were 9,438 crimes recorded as racially motivated. Across the UK, religious hate crimes targeted at Muslims increased by 15% in the year ending March 2026.
Speaking to the MEN, GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said: "We are very much alive to those who would seek to do harm to any community based upon their ethnicity or on their religion, or anything of the sort. We pride ourselves in Greater Manchester on the fact that we play the ball that's bowled. If we have an increase in Islamophobia, and we are seeing an increase as has been reported, we are responding to that with all vigour. We will not put up with it and people should not put up with being frightened. I have been very vocal about this locally: the idea that parents are frightened of sending their children to a place of worship or a place of education is intolerable, and we need to combat it very, very fiercely, and we'll continue to do so."
At a Stockport Council meeting earlier this week, Coun Khan said: "This is on our doorstep and these are deliberate attacks. These attacks are designed to increase fear and make people feel unwelcome and unsafe. My personal response to hatred is not to hate back. I'm an educator and I believe that I need to create change through hearts and through minds and education is truly power."
In response to the concerns raised, Stockport council leader Coun Mark Roberts said the authority would look to build on work it is already doing in the area. Coun Dan Oliver, who oversees the council's community services as cabinet member, said they would be looking to implement council anti-racism policy already in place over the next year and encourage hate crime reporting.
This week, Coun Khan joined Coun Roberts at the 'first of its kind' round table with Muslim communities across Greater Manchester. The event hosted by Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig talked about what is needed to tackle the rise in Islamophobia in the region. Mayor Craig said: "We've committed to challenging the Home Office to make sure that we can get two mosques that are feeling under attack at the moment the funding they need to feel secure, and we've also committed to work in schools because this is where it starts. There is no place in Greater Manchester for hatred and hostility. We've seen time and time again how our Muslim community is demonized in our city region. There's absolutely no place for it. I will pick up with individual mosques that raise their concerns with me, and with individual schools, and make sure that they feel safe and supported."
