"The sermon was inflammatory and divisive"
The Charity Commission has concluded its compliance case into Nottingham Islam Information Point, following serious regulatory concerns over a sermon delivered by one of its trustees.
The regulator launched the case in November 2023 after reviewing a sermon given on the charity’s premises by trustee Harun Abdur Rashid Holmes.
The sermon included the line: “The hour will not begin until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims will kill them until a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree.”
It also urged attendees not to “busy yourselves with politics and voting”.
While some of the content was drawn from a Hadith, a narration of events ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad, the Commission said it lacked the necessary context and was inflammatory.
The sermon took place just six days after the October 7, 2023, events in Israel. The Commission stated this showed “a lack of good judgement” by Mr Holmes, especially considering the timing.
Mr Holmes admitted: “With hindsight, the Hadith was sensitive, and he did not give sufficient context to it.”
Nottingham Islam Information Point was originally founded to support those in need, including victims of Islamophobic attacks, and to help correct misinformation about Islam.
The Commission said the sermon conflicted with those aims and undermined public trust.
The Commission also noted Mr Holmes had failed to follow prior regulatory advice issued when he was Chair of the charity.
This failure contributed to its decision to disqualify him.
The Commission issued an order to disqualify Mr Holmes, which took effect in July 2024. This order prohibits Mr Holmes from serving as a trustee or holding any senior management position in a charity in England and Wales for three years.
The Commission also issued the charity with a formal warning, as the whole trustee Board had a collective responsibility to have effective policies in place to manage the Charity, including those related to speakers.
The Official Warning sets out actions to improve the charity’s governance, which include:
- Ensuring all charity activity furthers its stated purposes.
- Introducing suitable and robust policies, including on social media and speaker management.
- Ensuring current and future trustees understand their legal duties.
Following this intervention, the Commission monitored the charity’s progress and has now formally closed the case after reviewing evidence of improvements.
Stephen Roake, Assistant Director of Investigations and Compliance at the Charity Commission, said:
“In times of conflict, people expect charities to bring people together, not to stoke division.”
“In this case, we found due consideration had not been given to the words and rhetoric used.
“The sermon was inflammatory and divisive, and we acted robustly and disqualified the trustee who gave the sermon. We also issued the charity with a formal warning.
“Following our intervention, the charity’s remaining trustees have taken positive steps to improve their governance. This includes the introduction of a more robust events policy.
“All charities that host events and speakers should take note of this case and ensure they have sufficient due diligence in place.”
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