Muslim charities first focus of Commission faith unit

Finance | Gareth Jones | 1 Nov 2007

The initial focus of the Charity Commission’s new faith and social cohesion unit, which officially launched last Friday, will be on helping Muslim charities improve their governance.

The idea to set up the unit came from the Commission and earlier this year the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) agreed it should be established as part of a range of measures to combat religious extremism. Some £1.2m of the unit’s £1.6m cost has been provided by DCLG, with the balance coming from the Commission’s own coffers.

The unit is to be headed up by Ghulam Rasool (pictured), a teacher who has spent years working with grassroots faith communities. Most recently, he was founding chair of the Green Light network in the West Midlands, a project that aimed to dispel misconceptions about Islam and promote understanding between different faiths.

The unit’s programme of work has been drawn up on the basis of two years of workshop-based consultation with more than 800 faith-based charities from 11 different religions. Topping the list of demands from the charities was more face-to-face advice, tailored guidance and trustee training.

The unit’s first priority will be to help Muslim charities address governance issues. The Commission said in a statement: “Not only is Islam Britain’s second-largest faith, but time and again Muslim charities have asked us for help in strengthening their governance and tackling the lack of understanding and mistrust about their work within society.”

A new Faith Advisory Group of external advisers has also been created to help the Commission stay abreast of the key issues and policies affecting religious charities.

A recent report by the NCVO, Faith and voluntary action, estimated that over 23,000 charities – at least one in every seven registered – was engaged in some kind of religious activity, accounting for a total annual income of £4.6bn. Christian charities form the biggest group.

Directory: Charity Commission

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