A south east London mosque has criticised the charities regulator as “overbearing” after it was handed an official warning for hosting “inflammatory, divisive” sermons.
The Charity Commission said Lewisham Islamic Centre must improve its handling of speakers and events hosted at its premises.
The charity, described on its website as a centre which “aspires to help shape the future of the wider Muslim community whilst also promoting community cohesion”, has suggested it might seek to take a legal challenge against the commission “in defence of religious freedom”.
The regulator made a finding of “misconduct and/or mismanagement” after complaints were made about sermons given at the mosque in recent years.
The commission did not specify which comments in particular had prompted the warning.
One sermon, in October 2023 after the Hamas attacks on Israel, heard Imam Shakeel Begg speak about “suffering at the hands of the oppressors and the Zionists”.
He later referred to celebrities including Kylie Jenner and Justin Bieber, calling them “sick”, in an apparent reference to them showing support for Israel.
Another sermon, in August 2024, heard Imam Ashraf Dabous refer to those involved in the Southport riots that summer, saying “their manipulators are Zionists, and they are supporters of the state of Israel”, as he also referenced a “Zionist agenda”.
The commission said there had been “a breach of trust” in relation to “hosting two sermons that included content that was inflammatory, divisive, and not in the Charity’s best interests”; a failure to carry out adequate risk assessment in relation to an external speaker “which put the charity’s resources, including its reputation, at unnecessary risk”; as well as failure to ensure adequate policies and procedures to mitigate risks associated with speakers.
The commission warned that failing to take action on its recommendations could lead to further regulatory action.
Lewisham Islamic Centre said in a statement: “This is about more than one mosque or one charity.
“It is about whether Muslim institutions can discharge their religious and charitable responsibilities without being penalised for expressing solidarity with Palestine, conducting established forms of Islamic worship, or addressing issues of concern to their congregations, including repudiation of Zionism, or denunciation of the Israeli state for war crimes and genocide.
“Solidarity with the oppressed must not become grounds for charitable sanction.
“While issuing a public warning is not mandatory and, in our view, overzealous, the commission has nevertheless failed to provide adequate reasons for considering it necessary to publish an official warning, or for concluding that doing so was in the charity’s best interests or served the public interest.
“The centre is continuing to seek legal advice on the most appropriate course of action.
“Should legal action be pursued, we would urge others to come forward and join a united challenge to an overbearing commission in defence of religious freedom.”
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