The Charity Commission has launched an investigation into the Al-Tawheed (TUCF) Charitable Trust after the BBC revealed footage of “death to Israel” chants at an event held at the Kanoon Towhid Islamic centre, which is owned by the trust. The charity regulator is investigating serious concerns over misuse of charity premises. The trustees of the charity claim they were not in office at the time of the event.
The event in question, held in January 2020, was a commemoration of Iran’s top military commander Gen Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US air strike. The Charity Commission stated that the event was described as a “religious remembrance programme” for Soleimani, organised by a third party and not the charity itself.
The commission has expressed significant concerns and will be examining the charity’s controls for events and external speakers. The BBC also verified two videos showing online talks by active and retired members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which are being separately examined by the regulator.
Following the BBC reports, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced pressure from MPs to proscribe the IRGC. The Charity Commission has since prohibited the trustees from allowing the charity’s premises to be used by the third party that organised the 2020 event. The inquiry will examine the management and administration of the charity by its trustees, their oversight and control of the use of the charity’s properties by third parties, and the charity’s relationships with partners.
The Islamic Students Associations of Britain, which uses the Kanoon Towhid centre as a meeting place, denies any role in organising the January 2020 event and maintains that it is an independent group with no government affiliations. The Al-Tawheed (TUCF) Charitable Trust did not respond to requests for comment.
