Hate preachers and mosque bosses who allow vile sermons face bans from running charities under tough new rules

8 comments 8 Next MOSQUE bosses who allow hate preachers to deliver vile sermons could be banned from running charities under sweeping new Government proposals. Ministers want to give the Charity Commission more powers to ban trustees or managers who preach hate or incite violence, even if they have not been convicted of a crime. 8 An imam at Redbridge Islamic Centre called for Allah to “curse the Jews and the children of Israel” just days after the 7 October terror attacks Credit: Redbridge Islamic Centre/YouTube 8 Dame Julia Unwin speaking at the Charity Commission’s Annual Public Meeting on Thursday Credit: Charity Commission/YouTube Advertisement It comes after the Metropolitan Police came under fire last year after dropping an investigation into an imam at Redbridge Islamic Centre who called for Allah to “curse the Jews and the children of Israel” just days after the 7 October terror attacks. Officers said there was insufficient evidence to secure a conviction, while the Charity Commission has still not made a public decision on the case, nearly three years after the sermon was first reported. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. The new crackdown could also target charity bosses who allow inflammatory and extremist sermons on their premises, even if they do not personally make the remarks. The move comes after a string of mosques with charitable status faced complaints over alleged anti-Semitism, homophobia and sermons appearing to condone domestic abuse , some of which were livestreamed on social media. READ MORE NEWS 'CLERIC OF HATE' Synagogue attacker followed hate preacher who described Jews as 'animals' HATE BAN Islamist hate preachers set to be stopped from entering Britain under new plans Speaking at the Charity Commission’s Annual Public Meeting on Thursday, Dame Julia Unwin said: “We never want charities to be a place of safety for people who are committing those crimes.” The Government’s fresh consultation proposes disqualifying trustees who “use charity funds, property or premises to host speakers or hold an event where views are promoted that are violent, or hateful towards a person or persons, groups or communities of a particular race, religion, or belief”. It also highlights cases where a trustee calls for “violence or the eradication of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”. Since the October 7 terror attacks, the Charity Commission said it has opened more than 400 cases involving charities linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict, and has made over 80 referrals to police over suspected criminal offences. Advertisement Most read in The Sun SMASH TRAGEDY Boy, 16, dies & another teen injured in car crash - as driver, 19, arrested TRAGIC FIND Body of man found inside flat in UK port town in early hours - as man arrested DEATH RIDDLE Body of singer found ‘tied up’ at bottom of pool in ‘suspicious’ death PURE EVIL Warped tactics of sex traffickers luring women into UK from Thai party city 8 Mahamed AbdurRazaq said that “hitting” wives who repeatedly refuse sex is acceptable during a sermon at the An-Noor Masjid Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 8 Lord Walney previously said there was a “climate of fear” within the Charity Commission Credit: Supplied But the Government’s former extremism tsar claimed in March that a “climate of fear” within the Charity Commission was preventing it from tackling organisations accused of undermining British values. Writing in The Times, Lord Walney described the regulator as “currently toothless” and urged it to tackle its “enormous backlog of investigations”. At the time, the Commission said its investigations were “rigorous and follow the evidence” and that it often ordered charities to “take immediate steps” while its cases were ongoing. Advertisement The Charity Commission said on Thursday it had seen a rapid increase in regulatory matters, up 23% year-on-year, but did not provide a total number of cases. The watchdog has not publicly revealed how many of those cases involved allegations of anti-Semitism at British mosques and it is unclear how many investigations are still ongoing. In July, the charity regulator confirmed it was carrying out an initial assessment of sermons at Al-Sunnah Mosque in Manchester after an imam was recorded praying for God to “deal with the Jews” and “seize them” in 2024. The mosque was attended by Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad al-Shamie and his accomplice Mohammad Bashir. Meanwhile, the Mosque and Islamic Centre of Brent in London received just an ‘official warning’ after speeches delivered by Sheikh Babikir Ahmed Babikir in late 2023 included “inflammatory and divisive” remarks about Israel and Zionism, including reported claims that Zionists were plotting to “control the world”. Advertisement The Charity Commission found four of five speeches reviewed contained inflammatory or divisive material, with two potentially encouraging support for Hamas . It ruled that trustees had failed to put adequate safeguards in place to manage the risks posed by speakers. Babikir told the Telegraph in January 2024, he “vehemently” denied his comments were anti-Semitic, and insisted he had promoted religious brotherhood for “decades” and that his remarks referred to “Zionists, not Jews”. In the East Midlands , the Charity Commission went further and banned a trustee at the Nottingham Islam Information Point for three years in July 2024 after an “inflammatory” sermon just days after the Oct 7 terror attack. 8 Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad al-Shamie attended the Al-Sunnah Mosque Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk Advertisement 8 Al-Shamie’s accomplice, Mohammad Bashir, also attend the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Manchester Credit: PA According to the Commission, the preacher said: “the hour will not begin until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims will kill them until a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree.” In another case, the watchdog opened a regulatory compliance case into Hounslow Jamia Masjid in West London after video footage appeared to show Imam Shaykh Ammar Siddiqui claiming gay people would “destroy the human race” during a 2023 seminar. He also appeared to defend the use of the death penalty for homosexuality in Islamic states. And in Birmingham , the Charity Commission issued “advice and guidance” to An-Noor Masjid after a video uploaded in September 2024 appeared to show preacher Mahamed AbdurRazaq saying a husband could hit his wife if she refused sex. Advertisement But the new proposals have already drawn criticism for failing to explicitly extend the new disqualification grounds to misogyny and homophobia. The National Secular Society’s Megan Manson said: “These proposals fall far short of tackling some of the most egregious problems in the charity sector. “Greater powers to tackle charities which promote violence, or hatred based on race or religion or belief, are of course welcome and long overdue. But the failure to protect women and LGBT people, who are too often the subject of stigmatising sermons hosted by religious charities, is unacceptable.” While a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told The Sun: “After three years of rampant political and religious extremism in the charity sector, this initiative is well overdue, but better late than never. 8 The Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre in Hounslow where another imam claimed gay people would “destroy the human race” Credit: Alamy Advertisement 8 Fiyaz Mughal said the consultation is a “positive step forward” but doesn’t go far enough Credit: Louis Wood – The Sun “So we welcome these tentative plans to clamp down on this radicalism among charities – which too often takes the form of racism toward Jews and hostility to British values. “This consultation is an admission of what everybody already knows: the Charity Commission has been far too weak in regulating extremist charities, and has spent disproportionate energy over-regulating others to try to look ‘even-handed’. “We will be making a submission to the consultation, and we will push the Government to follow through on its plans to root out extremism and put an end to charities being used as tax-free breeding grounds for hate.” Fiyaz Mughal, founder of Faith Matters and Muslims Against Antisemitism, welcomed the consultation but warned that it did not go far enough. Advertisement He told The Sun: “The consultation is a positive step forward but misses out a key element, which is if a charitable organisation hosts a speaker or preacher who promotes wholesale stereotypes of communities or groups and not just ‘hateful’ comments. “For example, as a Muslim, I have been sickened by the tens of mosques who hosted Imams or preachers who promoted antisemitism post-October 7th 2023. “This is not what a mosque is for and there is a duty on the mosque to promote positive values, otherwise the Charity Commission should step in, remove their registration and hold them to account.” On Thursday, Dame Julia Unwin said the Charity Commission welcomed the Government’s proposals but stressed the importance of getting the new powers right. She said: “We are keen for our powers to be strengthened, not because we want more power, but so that we might better protect the sector against racial and religious hatred and violence crimes under the National Security Act. Advertisement “But it is important that the measures are drafted precisely and the appropriate safeguards are built in.” The Al-Sunnah Mosque and Redbridge Islamic Centre were contacted for comment. A previous statement from 2023 on Redbridge Islamic Centre’s website said: “It has been brought to the attention of the RIC that the video of a talk at the RIC on the Oct 20 may have caused offence to some members of the public. “We have taken swift action to investigate this matter. Whilst the matter is investigated, we have decided that the member of staff in question cease his public speaking engagements, pending the outcome.” A spokesman for Hounslow Jamia Masjid said its trustees had “engaged fully and transparently” with the Charity Commission over concerns about sermons delivered at the mosque. Advertisement RECOMMENDED STORIES The mosque said its head imam, Shaykh Ammar Siddiqui, had explained that his remarks referred to “scholarly commentary from historical Muslim jurists” which had been taken out of their theological and academic context. The spokesman added: “The Masjid has no tolerance for hatred, extremism, or any conduct that is contrary to its charitable purposes or to the values it seeks to promote.” 8 comments 8