Charity Commission finds Misconduct at Birmingham Mosque

Regulators opened a full inquiry into a charity running a Birmingham mosque amid an influx of complaints and fears about child safeguarding.

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

Failings and concerns led to an investigation that lasted over three years.

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

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

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

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

During this period, the trustees temporarily closed the education centre.

A serious breach of duty was found as the charity had no safeguarding policies in place at the time of the incident.

In November 2021, the regulator escalated its engagement to a statutory inquiry.

The escalation occurred after finding that the charity had reopened its education centre without implementing appropriate safeguarding measures.

The re-opening occurred despite incomplete disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks.

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 undertake a governance review.

The inquiry identified several regulatory issues. Most issues 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 the mosque manager Saddique Hussain caused controversy. The post appeared to praise the Taliban’s leaders in prayer after taking over Kabul.

The posts have since been deleted, and an apology was issued.

The Commission, in a statement on October 17, 2024, asserted:

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

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

On Facebook, the mosque released a statement about the Commission’s findings and closure of the inquiry.

The team at the Small Heath mosque is determined to continue to “make improvements towards governance, administration, and management”.

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

“Our inquiry found a number of regulatory concerns and several instances of misconduct and/or mismanagement, but the trustees have taken significant steps to improve how the charity operates.

“We are now closing our inquiry with the expectation that the current trustees will continue to make necessary changes to help ensure this charity is providing a safe and trusted environment for all.

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

“Failing to do so can leave a charity and those it serves at risk.”