The Charity Commission has opened a compliance case to assess concerns raised about a recent guest speaker at a mosque in west London.
Egyptian lecturer Shaykh Yusri Jabar spoke at the Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre Trust (HJM Trust) premises on 12 and 13 July.
According to reports in the Telegraph, Jabar has called for the death of Jews and backed jihad against the west.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp and Labour MP Damien Egan have both called for Jabar to be banned from entering the UK due to his comments.
A commission spokesperson said: “Charities must not allow their premises, events or online content to become forums for hate speech against any community.
“The public, rightly, expects charities to bring people together not to stoke division. When such allegations arise we will, within our regulatory remit, deal with it robustly.
“Following serious concerns raised in the media about an individual connected to Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre, we have opened a regulatory compliance case to gather more information and to engage with the charity's trustees.
“We have since received a complaint from the National Secular Society and will be considering the contents of this complaint as part of our case.”
A spokesperson for HJM Trust said they noted the opening of the commission’s case following Jabar’s recent appearance.
“We have no evidence that he holds or has repeated any such views in the UK, nor were any such views expressed during his talk at our mosque,” they said.
“We note that Shaykh Yusri was granted a UK visitor visa. The Home Office assesses all visa applicants against public good considerations, and we therefore rely on that assessment.
“HJM Trust is committed to upholding British values, promoting harmony across our diverse community, and operating at all times in full accordance with the law and Charity Commission guidance.
“We reject all forms of hatred and we will cooperate fully with the Charity Commission in their investigation.”
Other concerns raised
The National Secular Society (NSS) also raised concerns about a 2023 lecture posted online by the charity in which another speaker Ammar Siddiqui read from a book which states that the “agenda” of LGBTQ people is “to destroy the human race”.
Besides the mosque, HJM Trust also runs Suffah Primary School in Hounslow, which received a critical Ofsted report in January.
NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: “It’s outrageous that a registered charity, which has received hundreds of thousands in public money, has hosted a preacher who calls for the death of Jews and suggests to children it is acceptable for Islamic states to execute gay people.
“We urge the Charity Commission to evaluate this organisation’s suitability as both a registered charity, and the proprietor of a school.”
The government has announced plans to increase the commission’s powers to respond to charities promoting extremism and people that have engaged in hate speech.
