Charity Commission finds misconduct at Birmingham mosque

Regulators have opened a full investigation into a charity operating a mosque in Birmingham, amid an influx of complaints and fears over child protection.

The Charity Commission has now released the findings of its investigation into Dar ul Uloom Islamia Rizwia (Bralawai) in Small Heath.

Failures and concerns led to an investigation that lasted more than three years.

Dar ul Uloom Islamia Rizwia (Bralawai) is the official name of the charity that manages the Ghamkol Sharif Mosque.

The charity provides a place of worship, religious teachings and community services. It also operates an educational center for the benefit of the local community.

The regulator found that the trustees were responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement.

In 2019, a security incident occurred at the charity’s education centre, prompting the regulator to open a compliance case.

During this period, trustees temporarily closed the education center.

It was found that there had been a serious breach of duty as the charity had no safeguarding policy in place at the time of the incident.

In November 2021, the regulator escalated its involvement to a regulatory investigation.

The escalation came after it was found that the charity had reopened its education center without putting in place appropriate safeguards.

The reopening took place despite incomplete disclosure and blocking services (DBS) controls.

In 2022, the charity attempted to reopen again without complying, which amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement.

Accordingly, the Charity Commission used its powers to appoint Virginia Henley as interim manager to conduct a governance review.

The research identified several regulatory issues. Most of the problems resulted from poor practice in implementing and following the charity’s own governance policies.

This included policies on social media use, conflicts of interest and safeguarding.

For example, in 2019, a social media post by mosque manager Saddique Hussain sparked controversy. The post appeared to offer prayers to Taliban leaders after taking over Kabul.

The messages have now been deleted and an apology has been issued.

The Commission claimed in a statement dated October 17, 2024:

“The charity’s failure to use or complete its draft social media policy contributed to the making of multiple inappropriate social media posts by administrators and staff, which resulted in the charity receiving negative media attention.”

Following the Commission’s action, it was found that “positive steps had been taken to address the failures and weaknesses in the way the charity operated”.

The mosque published a statement on Facebook about the Commission’s findings and the closure of the investigation.

The Small Heath Mosque team is committed to “implementing improvements in governance, administration and management”.

Joshua Farbridge, Head of Compliance Visits and Inspections at the Charity Commission, said:

“Our investigation has identified a number of regulatory issues and several cases of misconduct and/or mismanagement, but the trustees have taken significant steps to improve the way the charity operates.

“We are now concluding our investigation with the expectation that the current trustees will continue to make the necessary changes to ensure that this charity provides a safe and secure environment for all.

“This case shows how important it is for all trustees to agree with and use their charity’s internal policies.

“Failure to do so could put a charity and those it serves at risk.”