The Charity Commission has announced plans to appoint a completely new board of trustees at a mosque under investigation for links to extremist preachers, after two separate groups both claimed to be the rightful trustees.

The regulator first opened a statutory inquiry into the Masjid and Madrasah Al-Tawhid Trust in May 2012 following a complaint that the charity’s mosque was being used as a platform to promote extremist views.

It said that two different groups of individuals had both claimed to be the trustees of the mosque, but due to “a number of procedural flaws”, the terms of office of all those claiming to be the trustees had expired.

The six new trustees put forward by the Commission will be appointed for an initial period of a year, subject to them “complying with a supplementary order directing them to complete a number of activities which are expedient in the interest of charity,” the Commission said.

Three of the new trustees are currently listed as trustees of the mosque on the Commission website.

The Masjid and Madrasah Al-Tawhid Trust was contacted by Civil Society News for comment but did not repond by the time of going to press. 

A statement on the charity's website said: "Recently certain ex-trustees of the Masjid have caused controversy, but the orthodox management of the Trust now hopes to put that behind us and move the Community forwards in a positive fashion.

"We ask Allaah and then the community to assist us in fulfilling the purpose of the Trust."

History of the dispute

The Commssion first became invovled with the charity shortly after a former trustee, Usama Hasan, alleged that radical cleric Abu Qatada had once held a study session at the Leyton-based mosque and the radical Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki had spoken there several times.

Prior to contacting the Commision, Hasan, a scientist and part-time imam, had attracted criticism from trustees and users of the mosque for asserting that Islam is compatible with the theory of evolution. He resigned in May 2012, along with three other trustees who opposed his views.

At the time, trustees of the mosque said they believed the complaints to the Commission were “unfounded” and motivated “by political and personal agendas" as a result of a year-long dispute over control of the mosque.

In 2012, the Trust’s lawyer Saghir Hussain, said: "Within the Muslim community accusations of extremism are becoming common, as a way for people to settle scores and gain advantage in organisational and personal disputes. We urge the Charity Commission to exercise caution and deal with underlying issues, not headline-grabbing accusations."

Consultation

A public consultation has been opened by the regulator to appeal for feedback about the suitability of the proposed trustees: Mehmud Patel, Muhammad Idrees Sethi, Mohamed Patel, Suhaib Hasan, Liaquat Ali and Muhammad Tahir.

The consultation will remain open until 5pm on 20th August 2015.