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Four Muslim schools probed over link to charity accused of Hamas ties
More than 550 pupils attend the schools run by Al-Khair Foundation, which is also facing a Charity Commission inquiry
The Department for Education is reviewing concerns surrounding four Muslim independent schools run by a charity facing scrutiny over alleged links to Hamas.
Officials are assessing information about schools operated by the Al-Khair Foundation after UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) raised concerns about safeguarding, extremism and compliance with the government’s Prevent duty.
The move comes as the Charity Commission carries out a separate statutory inquiry into Al-Khair following allegations concerning its links to Hamas and the handling of charitable funds.
The four schools are Al-Khair Preparatory School and separate secondary schools for boys and girls in Croydon, as well as Al-Khair Preparatory School in Oldbury, Birmingham. Together, they educate more than 550 children.
UKLFI contacted the DfE’s Counter-Extremism Division on 10 July, submitting a report which alleged links between people associated with the foundation and Hamas.
The organisation said its investigation had identified at least two people employed by Al-Khair as alleged Hamas operatives and another employee with significant links to Hamas figures.
The DfE subsequently confirmed the case had been referred to its Counter-Extremism and Non-School Education team.
In correspondence with UKLFI on 11 August, the department said: “We are continuing to work with other government departments and agencies to assess all the information that has been provided to us and determine next steps.”
The review follows the arrest in London on 31 July of Mohammad Yousef Hasna, who had described himself on LinkedIn as Al-Khair Foundation’s global director.
US prosecutors have charged Hasna with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism and financing terrorism. Each charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Allegations against Al-Khair and the individuals associated with it have not been established against the four schools, and the DfE has not announced any enforcement action against them.
UKLFI said it had warned education officials that allegations involving people connected to Al-Khair raised questions over checks on staff, outside speakers and organisations working with its schools.
Under the statutory Prevent duty, schools must have measures in place to reduce the risk of children being drawn into terrorism.
A UKLFI spokesperson said: “We welcome the Department for Education’s review. The allegations concerning Al-Khair Foundation are extremely serious in themselves, but they become still more concerning when an organisation facing such allegations is also responsible for the education and safeguarding of children.
“UKLFI alerted the Department to these concerns because schools must have robust procedures to protect pupils from extremist influence and from being drawn into support for terrorism. We hope the Department will now examine the governance of all four schools, their relationships with the Foundation and its personnel carefully, and whether their safeguarding and Prevent obligations have been properly discharged.
“The Charity Commission’s statutory inquiry and the separate criminal allegations now being pursued by the US authorities underline why these concerns required urgent investigation.”
The Charity Commission announced its statutory inquiry after receiving allegations that Al-Khair and organisations it worked with had links to Hamas and had provided funding to the terror group.
The regulator has said its investigation will examine the trustees’ management of the charity, checks carried out on international partners and the ultimate destination of money sent overseas. It has also imposed restrictions on some of the charity’s financial activities over what it described as a possible “serious risk to charitable funds”.
Al Khair reported gross income of around £74.8 million in the year ending July 2025, up from approximately £31.3 million two years earlier. It reported spending around £69.3 million on charitable activities in 2024/25.
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