A Bristol councillor has been suspended from his role as chair of a prominent community mosque while the Charity Commission investigates social media posts he shared in 2023.
Writing on Facebook this week, Abdul Malik, a Green councillor for the Ashley ward, said: “I have been temporarily suspended from acting as chair of Easton Jamia Masjid while the Charity Commission reviews a historic social media matter from 2023.”
The regulator confirmed Malik had been suspended due to a regulatory compliance case relating to his personal social media use. In late 2023, the charity chair shared a video, also on Facebook, that reportedly showed a Hamas spokesperson providing an update on the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.
The Easton Jamia Mosque, one of Bristol’s largest, is a partner in the city’s Grand Iftar event at which people of all communities are invited to join Muslims in the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan.
Besides providing a prayer space for Muslims, the mosque says its charity “helps propagate the message of Islam and build bridges in the local community, provides education on the true meaning of Islam, and participates in local activity to promote peace and harmony”.
Serious misconduct warning over video
At the time when the video was shared, Malik, a businessman and magistrate, was not in elected office.
He claimed in early 2024, before that year’s local elections in May, that he had been tagged in the post rather than sharing it himself.
However, he later admitted he had directly shared it, leading to an investigation by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) which concluded in early 2025.
Malik told the JCIO he had shared the post believing it came from a UK-based charity that advocates for humanitarian aid in Palestine. He added he had shared the post without checking its source or content and did not endorse it nor comment on it.
Despite apologising for sharing the video and emphasising that he does not support Hamas, Malik nonetheless received a formal warning for serious misconduct from the JCIO.
Its spokesperson said in February he had “failed to exercise due care and diligence” and that sharing the video had “a detrimental effect upon the dignity, standing and good reputation of the magistracy”.
Compliance case ongoing
A Charity Commission spokesperson told Civil Society: “We have an ongoing regulatory compliance case into Easton Jamia Masjid to assess concerns regarding a trustee’s personal use of social media.
“As part of this case, we can confirm that we have suspended Abdul Malik as a trustee.”
In his statement this week, Malik described the commission’s investigation as “an administrative process, not a finding of wrongdoing” and said he was cooperating fully with the regulator.
“My record of community service, inter-faith work, and equality campaigning in Bristol is well known and will continue without interruption,” he said.
“I remain deeply committed to serving residents, supporting local charities, and promoting peace and understanding between all communities.
“I am confident that the process will conclude fairly and that the facts will speak for themselves.”
Civil Society has approached Easton Jamia Masjid for comment.
