Charity in Iran inquiry broadcasts daily messages from ayatollah

From The Times

A charity placed under investigation after concerns were raised about its links to Iran has been broadcasting daily religious messages from the country’s Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Islamic Centre of England (ICE) has been described by a think tank as the London “nerve centre” of the Iranian regime and has held events that eulogised a commander of its Revolutionary Guard.

The Charity Commission is examining its governance and whether trustees at the mosque, based in Maida Vale, west London, have met legal obligations.

During Ramadan it has hosted daily videos on its Facebook page and YouTube site that include sermons by Khamenei. They have involved messages such as refraining from extravagance and offering advice for society. Although Khamenei has become known previously for inflammatory speeches in which he has questioned the Holocaust and compared Israel to a cancerous tumour that should be uprooted, the material uploaded by ICE has been only religious in focus.

Revelations that the ICE has broadcast daily messages during Ramadan from Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, whose regime has been accused of funding the October 7 attacks on Israel, have resulted in new calls for the regulator to take decisive action.

…the ICE … received a warning from the charity regulator in 2020 after it hosted a vigil for Qasem Soleimani, a military commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) killed in a US drone strike. Two years later it was placed under investigation.

A report by Policy Exchange claimed last year that the ICE was Iran’s nerve centre “sitting at the heart of a network of institutions that project influence”. The Times reported in 2023 that the IRGC allegedly used children at the centre to produce a propaganda video in which they pledged to become “martyrs”.

The charity says it does not endorse extremism or unlawful activity and is focused solely on religious, educational and community services.

The ICE said it served Shia communities to give religious support and that Khamenei was a scholar whose guidance was “within the scope of his role as a spiritual and religious authority and should not be interpreted as political affiliation or representation of the supreme leader of Iran or his political views or opinions.”

It said: “Ramadan is a significant and fundamental holy festival for our faith. Any announcements made on social media, website or otherwise throughout Ramadan or other Islamic festivals are solely concerned with this sacred event and aligned to our charitable purposes, promoting our beneficiaries and are wholly within the law…”