The Charity Commission has raised concerns with the Islamic Centre of England’s trustees over items sold on its premises at a recent event, amid an ongoing statutory inquiry.
On 14 December, the charity held a “grand community bazaar” at its London premises, with 87 vendors selling various items to more than 2,000 visitors.
A dossier of images from the event seen by Civil Society appears to show that some of the items being sold bore graphics or messages suggesting support for Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist group in the UK.
The images include items with apparent silhouettes of former Hezbollah commanders Hassan Nasrallah and Qassem Soleimani, both of whom are now dead.
In response, an Islamic Centre of England spokesperson said the trustees “take all concerns about the centre very seriously”.
“We are currently reviewing matters pertaining to the 14 December event and, in light of this, are unable to comment further at this time,” they added.
Ongoing inquiry
The commission opened its inquiry into the Islamic Centre of England in November 2022 after finding that the charity’s trustees had failed to comply fully with a previous official warning and action plan it had issued.
In May 2023, the regulator appointed an interim manager, a decision which was criticised by 35 civil society groups and individuals.
During its inquiry, the commission removed a requirement from the charity’s governing document for one trustee to be the official UK religious representative of the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the occupant left this role.
The interim manager oversaw the appointment of two new trustees and took steps to improve the charity’s management and governance, before being discharged.
Last year, the commission ordered governance reform at the charity, requiring the trustees to ensure that all religious services, speakers and events further the objects of the charity and are in its best interests.
On the 14 December event, a spokesperson for the commission said: “As part of our ongoing inquiry into Islamic Centre of England, we have raised concerns with the trustees about material sold by third parties at a recent event hosted at the charity’s premises.”
