Charity commission investigates UK foundation linked to Iranian leaders

The Charity Commission has opened a compliance case into a British foundation linked to the Iranian state which has hosted hardline Islamic clerics.

The Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust –  an organisation that claims to “relieve poverty and sickness of persons who profess the Islamic religion in the UK” – is alleged to have staged events links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The Kanoon Towhid, or Centre for Monotheism, which it owns is also accused of glorifying Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s Islamic revolution, while a social media page operated by the trust reportedly refers to the “Zionist vampire.”

It is situated in an old methodist church in Hammersmith, West London.

Compliance cases are opened by the commission, in order to determine whether a statutory investigation is required, which could lead to the removal of trustees, or in the most serious cases the shutting down of the trust.

Reports detailed how the pro-Shia Muslim Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust hosted an event commemorating Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, an elite division of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),  in January 2020.

After he was assassinated in a US airstrike 48 hours earlier, the trust described him as a “great martyr”.

The Soleimani “martyr” event was uncovered by The Sunday Times.

The Jewish Chronicle reported that the centre hosted an event last month in which an imam praised “martyrs” of the “axis of resistance”.

Seyed Hashem Moosavi, an imam and charity trustee, is described as the UK representative of Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader.

Another board member is Ali Akbar Dowrani, of Barnet, north London.

A Charity Commission spokesman said: “We can confirm that we have an ongoing compliance case into the Al-Tawheed (TUCF) Charitable Trust in relation to serious concerns regarding events held at its premises.”

The trust has not responded to requests for comment.