London Muslim Preacher Under Investigation After Making a Statement Some People Found Offensive

The Charity Commission has started an investigation into Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre after concerns were raised about comments made by one of its imams and a guest speaker invited to the mosque. The investigation comes after the National Secular Society sent a formal complaint to the charity watchdog, claiming the mosque allowed messages that could spread hatred and division.

The concerns are linked to a seminar held at the west London mosque in January 2023. The event was later uploaded to the mosque’s YouTube channel, making it available for anyone to watch online. According to the National Secular Society, the two-hour seminar was based on a book called Advice for the LGBTQ and appeared to be aimed at children and young people.

During the seminar, the mosque’s imam, Shaykh Ammar Siddiqui, said he believed the LGBTQ movement would “destroy the human race” because same-sex couples cannot have children together. He also spoke about countries where homosexuality is punished by law. He said those punishments were meant to stop people from doing it and acted as a warning rather than encouraging violence.

The National Secular Society said it was very concerned by these comments. It argued that charities should bring people together and should not promote messages that could make people feel hated or excluded.

The complaint also focused on the mosque’s decision to invite Egyptian preacher Yusri Jabar to speak at an event this week. Jabar has been criticised in the past for comments in which he called for violence against Jewish people. He has also publicly supported armed conflict against Israel in Gaza and spoken in support of jihad against Western countries.

Earlier this year, Jabar said in a video that wars would end after Jewish people were killed. His comments led to calls for the Home Secretary to stop him from entering the UK. However, he was still allowed to travel to Britain and spoke at the mosque’s event.

The mosque has also been mentioned because one of the men involved in the 2003 suicide bombing at Mike’s Place bar in Tel Aviv had attended the mosque in the past. There is no suggestion that the current mosque leaders were involved in that attack.

Megan Manson, head of campaigns at the National Secular Society, called the situation “outrageous.” She said the mosque has received hundreds of thousands of pounds in public money and urged the Charity Commission to investigate fully. She also asked the watchdog to consider whether the organisation should continue to be a registered charity and run a school.

She said the charity system should be changed so that organisations cannot use charity status to spread hatred or divide communities.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said charities must not allow their buildings, events or online content to become places where hate speech is shared against any group of people. They said the public expects charities to bring communities together, not create division.

The spokesperson confirmed that the Charity Commission had already opened a regulatory compliance case after concerns were raised in the media. The watchdog said it will gather more information, speak to the mosque’s trustees and examine the complaint from the National Secular Society as part of its investigation.

The Charity Commission said it will decide whether any further action is needed after reviewing all the evidence. GB News said it contacted Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre for a response, but the mosque had not commented when the report was published.