Mosques which hosted Islamist extremist preacher investigated by charity watchdog
Four mosques are being assessed by the Charity Commission after hosting an Islamist extremist preacher.
The watchdog launched an investigation this week over events which featured Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer, a Pakistan-based scholar who toured the UK earlier this month.
Mr Zaheer has previously called for apostates who denounce Islam to be killed, defended the use of sexual slaves by Muslims and said Jews and Christians “cannot be our friends”.
His remarks prompted calls from the Government’s extremism adviser for the preacher to be banned from entering Britain in future for the sake of public safety.
All four of the mosques are registered with the Charity Commission, meaning they enjoy tax breaks and reputational advantages.
Mr Zaheer spoke at the Umm-Ul-Qura Islamic Centre in Bradford on July 12 and the Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith mosque in Birmingham on July 17.
He then addressed the Makkah mosque in Manchester, run by the Makki Masjid charity, on July 19, and the Muhammadi Mosque, managed by the AlHikmah Project charity, in Bradford, on July 22.
In footage from 2012, Mr Zaheer said: “Apostates [don’t] have the right to live on Earth. This is my own belief and I can never abandon this belief.”
He said of female prisoners of war in 2021: “Islam designed a solution to the problem – that they are distributed to the soldiers in an organised manner, or are sold as slaves.”
In 2010, Mr Zaheer said Islam “of course” permitted sexual slavery. Two years later, he told a rally in Lahore: “As you know that Allah Almighty has said in his holy book, Jews and Christians cannot be our friends.
“Enemies of Pakistan will be crushed. India will be disgraced. America too will be disgraced; and Israel also will be humiliated.”
‘Dangerous and inflammatory’
Lord Walney, the Government’s adviser on political violence, said Mr Zaheer’s “dangerous and inflammatory” views were “utterly at odds with British values”.
“There must surely be a strong case for the Government to refuse Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer entry to the UK in the interests of public safety,” the peer said.
The Charity Commission confirmed it was “assessing concerns” after the National Secular Society complained about the four charities linked to the mosques that hosted Mr Zaheer.
Megan Manson, the society’s head of campaigns, said: “It’s galling to see tax breaks handed to mosques that host fundamentalists with divisive agendas when this clearly serves no public benefit.”
Mr Zaheer said: “Firstly, I have done many lecture tours of the UK and various other countries. Whenever and wherever I have spoken to Muslim communities living as minorities in non-Muslim countries, whether previously here in the UK or most recently, I have always stressed the importance of them following the law of the land.
“Secondly, I have delivered hundreds, if not thousands, of speeches over the years. If certain snippets of my many speeches are going to be misconstrued, misinterpreted or transposed in a way that ignores the socio-political or historical context, then this is entirely selective and subjective criticism.
“Finally, I would like to reiterate that I have always emphasised the need for Muslims living in the UK to follow the law of the land. This is the only way to ensure a cohesive and inclusive society and that is exactly what I always encourage all the Muslims in the UK to contribute towards.”
In a joint statement, the Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith mosque, the Makki Masjid charity and the Umm al-Qari Islamic centre said their organisations worked towards “betterment, peace and harmony”.
They said all their speakers must “respect the law of the land” and that their reputations were checked in advance but it was not “practically possible” to vet all of their historic speeches.
The statement added: “If someone draws our attention towards a specific objection or notable matter that goes against our principles, then we do thoroughly investigate the matter within our organisation to ensure that the said content is not sensationalised, misconstrued, misinterpreted or transposed in a way that ignores its actual context.”