The Charity Commission has issued a formal warning to the Islamic Centre of England following its support for, and honouring of terrorist Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in January. Statements on the charity’s website offered both condolences and praise for the general, who was designated as a terrorist by the United States in 2005, and had his assets frozen by the UK in 2011 under the Terrorist Asset Freezing Act.

At least two events were held by the charity in honour of the terrorist. At one candlelit vigil, the speaker was filmed appearing to praise and call for support for Soleimani. The Charity Commssion concluded that the charity’s trustees failed to intervene or provide a counter-narrative.

Tim Hopkins, Assistant Director of Investigations and Inquiries at the Charity Commission said that “any charity being associated with terrorism is completely unacceptable and we are concerned by the corrosive effect this might have on public confidence”. Shouldn’t the Charity Commission insist that they stop supporting Soleimani or lose their charitable status? If they had said they supported Brexit they would have come down like a tonne of bricks…