A trustee of a charity that runs a mosque in Bristol has avoided disqualification after being investigated over a social media post about Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Abdul Malik will continue to sit on Easton Jamia Masjid’s board after the Charity Commission ruled that his decision to repost the material was “unquestionably wrong” but “did not fully meet the legal test for disqualifying him”.
Malik, also a Green Party councillor in the city, was suspended in December last year, when chair of the charity, as the commission opened a compliance case into a Facebook post he shared in late 2023 about the attack on Israel.
In late 2023, Malik reposted a video that reportedly showed a Hamas spokesperson giving an update on the attack in which around 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
A businessman and magistrate, Malik received a formal warning from the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) in early 2025 before the commission’s separate probe.
The regulator temporarily suspended Malik as a trustee and considered whether to disqualify him permanently, but has now decided not to do so after completing its case.
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “Mr Malik’s decision to repost this material on social media was unquestionably wrong.
“However, the commission can only use the powers given to it by parliament and, having weighed up the evidence and Mr Malik’s representations as required under the legislation, we concluded that while his conduct was damaging to trust and confidence in charities it did not fully meet the legal test for disqualifying him as a trustee.
“While Mr Malik is now able to continue to serve as a trustee, should any further concerns come to light we will not hesitate to assess those and reserve all regulatory options for the future.”
Malik welcomed the ruling and told Civil Society: “I hope this outcome provides reassurance to charity leaders that due process works when matters are assessed carefully on the evidence rather than on commentary or external pressure.”
Limit to commission’s powers
The commission had initially proposed a three-year sector wide ban for Malik, the BBC reported, but decided a disqualification was not appropriate following its review.
Despite criticising Malik’s behaviour, the commission cannot issue an official warning to an individual for personal conduct which could be damaging to trust and confidence in charities.
Civil Society understands the commission is in dialogue with the government over its powers.
At the end of last year, the government said it would consult on expanded powers for the commission, including the ability to ban people convicted of hate crimes from trusteeship and holding senior manager positions.
Previous JCIO warning
When the video was initially shared, Malik was not in elected office.
In early 2024, before that year’s local May elections, Malik claimed that he was tagged in the post rather than sharing it himself.
However, he later admitted he had directly shared it which prompted the JCIO investigation.
The JCIO probe concluded in early 2025 after Malik told the office he shared the post believing it to be from a UK-based humanitarian aid charity for Palestine.
Malik admitted he had not checked the post’s source or content, but said he did not endorse nor comment on it.
Despite apologising for sharing the video and emphasising that he did not support Hamas, Malik received a formal JCIO warning for serious misconduct.
A JCIO spokesperson said in February 2025 that Malik “failed to exercise due care and diligence”.
