London Islamic centre rebuked over Suleimani tribute

Regulators said any charity associating with terrorism was ‘completely unacceptable’

Qassem Suleimani was killed in a targeted US bombing in Iraq. AFP

A London Islamic centre has been rebuked by charity regulators after a speaker appeared to break terrorism laws by praising Qassem Suleimani as a great martyr after he was killed by a US drone strike.

The Islamic Centre of England, run by the UK representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran, held a candlelit vigil on January 3 to mourn the death of the commander of the Quds Force in the air strike in Baghdad.

A speaker at the event was filmed praising Gen Suleimani, who had been subject to UK sanctions for terrorism and terrorist financing since 2011. The UK’s terrorism laws make it an offence to encourage and glorify terrorism and it carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail.

The founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, Massoud Shadjareh, was videoed telling crowds: “We work hard to make sure there will be many, many more Qassem Suleimanis. We aspire to be like him.”

He had not been authorised to speak at the event, but trustees did nothing to intervene, the regulator said.

Mr Shadjareh later told British media he found much to praise in a leader “who defeated Daesh [ISIS], and is widely credited with ensuring the current stability in Iraq”.

Trustees of the charity organised a further event and published statements on the charity’s website to praise the dead general.

The charity, which has more than £4 million (Dh18.1m) in reserves, according to its 2018 accounts, has been given an official warning and has been told to review all statements about Gen Suleimani on its website to ensure they are lawful.

“Any charity being associated with terrorism is completely unacceptable and we are concerned by the corrosive effect this might have on public confidence in this and other charities,” Tim Hopkins, a senior investigator at the Charity Commission, said.

“Charities exist to improve lives and strengthen society, so it is vital that trustees honour their responsibility to act in the best interests of their charity at all times.

“We expect the charity’s trustees to comply with the required actions to address our concerns.”

Nobody at the centre was available for comment.