A religious charity under investigation by the Charity Commission is struggling to secure the necessary insurance to reopen its mosque.

A statutory inquiry into Islamic Centre of England was launched in November 2022 amid concerns around events at its mosque that “eulogised” the late Iranian military commander Major General Qasam Soleimani, who was killed by a US air strike in Iraq in 2020 and subject to UK sanctions.

This followed an official warning being issued and concerns around “the content of the charity’s website”.

In addition, an interim manager was appointed in May to review its governance.

In an update to its investigation the regulator has revealed that the charity was forced to close its mosque in May after its insurers had “decided not to renew some of its insurance policies”.

The regulator stresses that the closure of the mosque is due to its insurance problems rather than other issues.

“The Commission is aware of various reports and allegations relating to the causes of the temporary closure of the charity’s premises,” it said.

“Until insurance policies are secured, it is not legal for the charity to reopen for public use.

“Suggestions that the temporary closure resulted from factors other than the insurance matter are entirely false and misleading.”

The Charity Commission has said that interim manager, Emma Moody of Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, “has worked hard with the trustees to secure the necessary insurance for the charity so that it can reopen the mosque to worshippers and this process is ongoing”.

The Commission’s investigation is also looking at management of conflicts of interest amid media reports last year of a speech by a leader at the charity condemning women protestors in Iran. Protestors were reportedly referred to as “soldiers of Satan”.

Moody was brought in after the trustees’ “failure to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities and their failure to protect the charity’s assets”, said the regulator.

“We need to act robustly where serious concerns about a charity exist, so that the public, and the charity sector itself, can have confidence in what it means to have charitable status,” said Charity Commission chair Orlando Fraser at the time.

“The investigators leading this inquiry are assessing all information thoroughly. The appointment of an interim manager will help the Commission ensure the charity’s governance is restored and is improved to a better standard.”

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