The Charity Commission is considering reappointing six former trustees at a Muslim charity under investigation over links to extremists, including the father of the man whose complaint triggered the investigation.
Trustees at the Masjid and Madrasah al-Tawhid Trust were involved in year-long dispute between 2011 and 2012 over the leadership of the charity, culminating in accusations of links to extremists, which prompted the Commission to open an inquiry in 2012.
Before the Commission investigation began, the dispute had led to several trustees leaving, although it is contested whether they were sacked or resigned. In the course of the Commission investigation all trustees were suspended although some were allowed to continue day-to-day administration.
Six trustees have now put themselves forward for reappointment at the direction of the Commission, including three trustees who had left before the investigation started.
According to a recent statement published by the charity on its website: “The Charity Commission determined that there had been some irregularities in the appointment of trustees in 2003 and onwards. Based on this, they declared that all existing trustees' trusteeship was nullified, but they allowed the trustees in office to continue their day-to-day business until a new trust could be appointed by the Commission.”
The newly reappointed trustees are: Suhaib Hasan, who was the chair until 2011 and whose son Usama Hasan, complained to the Commission; Mehmud Patel; Muhammad Idrees Sethi; Mohamed Patel, Liaquat Ali and Muhammad Tahir. The six former trustees put themselves forward to be and were interviewed by the regulator before the appointments were confirmed.
Usama Hasan was also previously a trustee, but has not been reappointed.
In a letter to the congregation, also published on the charity's website, Iain Hewitt, head of investigations team at the Commission said: “We are aware that some members of the congregation may have concerns about this as these individuals were involved in a trustee dispute which caused damage to the charity’s reputation and standing.
“However, prior to this they had all worked together to manage the charity and have assured us that they are capable of doing so again.”
Hewitt added that the Commission would ensure that there are “safeguards” to make sure that they “work in the best interests of the charity”.
The dispute
Usama Hasan and the charity were embroiled in a year-long dispute following his dismissal as a trustee in February 2011. He then made a complaint to the Charity Commission in 2012. He claimed he was forced to resign after angering conservatives with lectures on evolution, warning that “extremists” were being allowed to take over the running of the charity.
The trustees at the time disagreed with his version of events an issued a statement saying he had been dismissed and was trying to “divert attention from the years of mismanagement that the trust has suffered under the control of the Hasan family”.
The the charity will then appoint four more trustees to comply with the charity’s constitution which states that there should be ten trustees.
The Commission will publish a report once its investigation has been concluded.
This article was ammended on 4 September to clarify that the six trustees have not been formally appointed and that once they are are, the trustees will be responsible for appointing new trustees.
