An Islamic charity dubbed the “nerve centre” of the Iranian regime received over £240,000 in furlough scheme cash during the Covid pandemic, a new report has revealed today.
The Islamic Centre for England, which occupies a converted cinema in Maida Vale, West London, received two furlough payments of £109,476 in 2020 and £129,556 in 2021.
The charity received the cash despite its accounts holding £4.2million in reserve at the close of 2021.
Think tank Policy Exchange has revealed the payments in a new report, which said that all four of the centre’s directors since 1994 had been named as representatives of Iran’s supreme leader in Britain.
The centre held a commemorative event in January 2020 after Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike
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The centre held a commemorative event in January 2020 after Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump.
Director of ICE Seyed Hashem Moosavi said at the time that Soleimani was a “great martyr.”
It has also frequently held events to mark the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The commemoration attracted the interest of the Charity Commission, which launched a statutory inquiry.
It said that “the event risked associating the charity with a speaker who may have committed an offence under the Terrorism Acts, as the speaker was filmed during the event appearing to praise and call for support for Soleimani.”
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The Islamic Centre for England occupies a converted cinema in Maida Vale, West London
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The report recommended that visas should not be issued to Iranians who attempt to come to Britain to work at the centre.
It added: “ICE, with its director serving as the representative of Iran’s spiritual leader, is an arm of the Iranian regime in this country. The policy of issuing visas to Iranian clerics to minister in this country should end.
“The role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in disputes in this country concerning blasphemy must be fully investigated.”
The centre has previously issued statements that it is a “purely religious and cultural organisation, which provides various services to the local communities.”
At the time, the spokesman added: “It is an independent charity regulated by British law, which is totally funded by the local beneficiaries. The majority of the trustees, donors, and attendees are British citizens.
"Indeed, this charity is nothing to do with politics, while we strongly believe that the politically motivated lobbies are trying to drag the charity into their political disputes.”
The Times newspaper spoke to a government source, who said: “This report raises a number of serious concerns, and deserves strong consideration.”
The government spokesperson added: “The UK government, law enforcement and our international partners continue to work together to identify, deter and respond to threats from Iran. This includes protecting communities from malign Iranian influence activity in the UK.
“Our world-leading security and intelligence services work tirelessly to protect the UK from all threats.”
The Islamic Centre for England has been contacted for comment.