Nottingham Charity Trustee Disqualified for Sermon
The Charity Commission has concluded its compliance case into Nottingham Islam Information Point following significant regulatory intervention – including issuing an Official Warning and imposing a 3-year disqualification.
Nottingham Islam Information Point was set up to provide relief to those in need, including by providing a support network for victims of Islamophobic attacks. The charity also helps to address misconceptions about the religion of Islam.
The charity regulator for England and Wales opened a compliance case in November 2023 following concerns raised over a sermon delivered on the charity’s premises by a trustee, Harun Abdur Rashid Holmes. The regulator reviewed the sermon and found that it contained language such as “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”. The sermon also included statements on politics which could be interpreted as encouraging people not to vote or to disengage from the democratic process, calling on attendees not to “busy yourselves with politics and voting”.
The Commission recognises some of the content had been taken from a specific Hadith, a narration of historical events ascribed to the prophet Muhammad. However, the sermon was given without the appropriate context to its source material and as such was inflammatory and divisive. There was no consideration given to how appropriate it would be to deliver such a sermon just six days after the events in Israel of 7 October 2023.
To the regulator, it showed Mr Holmes lacked the good judgement expected of a trustee. Mr Holmes accepted that with hindsight the Hadith was sensitive, and he did not give sufficient context to it.
The sermon did not further the charity’s purposes, including to provide relief to those in need, and was not in the charity’s best interests. The regulator found that the sermon amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement.
The Commission also found Mr Holmes did not act in accordance with his trustee duties, despite the charity receiving previous guidance when he was the charity’s Chair. Failure to comply with regulatory advice amounts to misconduct and/or mismanagement.
As a result, the regulator made 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.
As part of its case, 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 set out actions to improve the charity’s governance which include:
- ensuring all activity at the charity contributes to its purposes
- creating, implementing and adhering to robust and suitable policies on topics including social media use and speakers
- ensuring all current and future trustees understand their legal duties as set out in the regulator’s guidance
The Commission has been monitoring the charity’s progress with these actions and, after recently receiving evidence of steps taken, has now concluded its case.
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.
Notes:
- The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regulator-disqualifies-nottingham-charity-trustee-over-inflammatory-sermon