The Charity Commission has disqualified a trustee at a Brighton mosque charity after finding it was ‘poorly managed’ following the conviction of another former trustee for encouraging terrorism.

Three years ago, Abubaker Debhayes, a former trustee at Brighton Mosque and Muslim Community Centre, was convicted of encouraging terrorism under the Terrorism Act.

He was sentenced to four years in prison with another on licence after he delivered a speech calling for a violent jihad at the charity’s mosque in 2020.

He made the speech after evening prayers in front of around 50 people following the death of two of his sons in Syria. Those present included children, young people and at least one trustee, according to reports at the time.

But a Charity Commission investigation following the conviction found that a row arose between the charity's then trustees and a “group claiming to have taken over as new trustees”.

The regulator said this row “risked undermining the charity’s governance” in particular its “ability to act” on an official warning it had put in place after the Commission found that the then trustees either knew, or ought to have known, about the risk posed by Debhayes.

It found that both the former trustees and those claiming to have taken over as trustees “are responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement”.

Trustee ban

In addition, one of the former trustees Dr Karim Aboutayab has been disqualified for four years and six months, starting from July 2024.

The regulator says it found he “had been particularly culpable for a number of failings, including the failure to properly resolve the dispute within the charity”.

During the regulator’s investigation an interim manager was put in charge and managed the recruitment of new trustees.

“As a result of the inquiry and the work of an interim manager and a newly appointed board, the regulator notes that the charity's management and governance has improved,” said the Commission.

The regulator’s head of compliance visits and inspections Joshua Farbridge, said:
“Abusing a charity to encourage terrorism is a grave breach of public trust and we expect all trustees to take steps to ensure their charities cannot become safe havens for terrorist or extremist views,”

“While the earlier criminal conviction was outside the scope of our inquiry, what occurred at Brighton Mosque and Muslim Community Centre demonstrates how serious disputes within a charity can not only severely impact its running and reputation, but leave a charity unprotected from the risk of exploitation by those with malign intentions.

“In this case, we acted robustly to address the issues and get the charity back on track – disqualifying a former trustee, safeguarding the charity’s assets, and establishing a stable and effective governance structure.”

Meanwhile, Abubaker Debhayes has been disqualified automatically from charity leadership roles.

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