The Charity Commission is investigating an Islamic charity over a third-party event held in one of its premises where speakers praised Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, the regulator said on Wednesday.
Anti-Semitic chants were also heard during the event, which was held in 2020 at a premise run by the Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust (TUCF), the regulator said.
According to the report, the trust’s literature described Soleimani as a “great martyr.” The report also said the trust owns and operates Kanoon Towhid Islamic centre in Hammersmith, West London.
The regulator said on Wednesday that video footage it has received raised “significant concerns.”
“Through reviewing video footage provided to the regulator, the Charity Commission is aware that speakers praised Soleimani and could hear anti-Semitic chants being made during the event,” the regulator said.
“The Commission has significant concerns about these matters and will be examining what controls the charity has in place for events and external speakers.”
The regulator didn’t specify the origin or content of the footage.
The BBC said the event, celebrating Soleimani, was held at Kanoon Towhid in January 2020.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the airstrikes that killed Soleimani in January 2020 because he had been “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” the Pentagon said at the time.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, which Soleimani headed, is an elite branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“When the event was held, Soleimani was subject to sanctions imposed by the UK Government. The IRGC is still subject to these sanctions,” the Charity Commission said.
Launching a statutory inquiry allows the regulator to compel TUCF trustees to answer questions and provide documents.
The Charity Commission said it has also banned trustees from allowing the third party, who organised the 2020 event, to use TUCF premises.
The regulator didn’t specify who the third party is. In an email to The Epoch Times on Wednesday, TUCF said the event was organised by the Union Islamic Students Association of Europe (UISAE), which uses the name “Kanoon Tawheed” when using the venue but is not affiliated with TUCF.
Registered in 1994, TUCF’s stated purpose is to help “persons who profess Islamic religion” by relieving their poverty and sickness, and advancing their education, promoting the Islamic faith in the UK; and provide facilities.
The Charity Commission said the inquiry will examine the management and administration of TUCF by its trustees, the oversight and control by trustees of using the charity’s properties by third parties, and the charity’s relationships with partners.
The regulator also said it may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.
All three current trustees were appointed after the event, according to information registered with the Charity Commission.
The regulator said they had told the commission the event was a “religious remembrance programme” for Soleimani organised by a third party.
TUCF said its current members “acknowledge the gravity of the allegations raised” and are “actively working to understand and rectify the situation.”
“Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we are unable to provide detailed comments at this time. However, we wish to reassure the public and our stakeholders that we take these allegations seriously and are actively cooperating with the Charity Commission to address and resolve the concerns raised,” the trust said in a statement.
TUCF said its current trustees are “resolute in upholding the charity’s values and ensuring that all activities on our premises adhere to relevant regulations and ethical standards.”
“The Commission will always deal robustly with those who intentionally or recklessly abuse their charities, and we will not hesitate to take action in accordance with the law to protect the reputation of the sector as a whole,” he said at the time.
The government has been under pressure to proscribe IRGC, a terrorist organisation, including from over 60 parliamentarians who wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the matter in November last year.
