LAGOS OCTOBER 3RD (NEWSRANGERS)-A mosque in London is under investigation by the charities watchdog after a preacher encouraged husbands to beat their wives.
Yasin Munye, an Islamic scholar at Hackney Islamic Community Centre, urged men to “discipline” their wives if they disobeyed them, footage posted on the mosque’s YouTube channel showed.
The National Secular Society (NSS), claimed that in the same video the scholar had also said that men who had gay sex should be stoned to death and that “both of them are executed in the Sharia [Islamic law]”.
It also said that in another video, Abu Sa’ad Muhammad, a teacher at the east London mosque, had said it was an “unfortunate reality” that many women felt entitled to phone the police if their husbands had hit them.
Abu Sa’ad Muhammad, a teacher at the mosque, said it was an ‘unfortunate reality’ that women called the police if their husbands hit them
The NSS has referred the centre to the Charity Commission, arguing that the views it has shared online are in conflict with charitable status.
The centre, which describes itself as supporting “mankind” in its efforts to “advance the Islamic faith”, receives several tax exemptions as a registered charity.
The mosque transitioned from a standard trust into a charitable incorporated organisation in April this year, allowing the centre to separate trustees from debt and own property under charity law.
‘Promoting harmful ideologies’
Megan Manson, the head of campaigns for the NSS, said: “It is alarming that this charity has been permitted to re-register, despite hosting lectures which promote violence against women, say women cannot refuse their husbands sex and condone the death penalty for gay men and those accused of ‘witchcraft’.
“Hackney Islamic Community Centre is just one of many charities promoting misogyny, homophobia and other harmful ideologies through the charitable purpose of the advancement of religion.”
She added: “This charitable purpose must be urgently reviewed. It is evidently facilitating the advancement of ideas which, far from benefiting the public, could fuel discrimination, division and abuse.”
In the mosque’s video lectures Mr Munye, who is a teacher at the centre, recites a poem containing what Islam regards as “major sins”.
Mr Munye described “disobeying the husband” and “leaving the house without his permission” as a sin.
He said: “Advise her, and boycott her in bed, don’t touch her in bed – and discipline them [wives] physically as well, by lightly hitting them to show them who is in charge.”
He also called gay sex “one of the most evil acts” and “a crime” for which both participants should be “executed in the Sharia” by sword or by being thrown off a building.
Homosexuality is punished by execution under Islamic law in countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The terror group Islamic State executed men who had been accused of homosexuality by throwing them from tall buildings in the late 2010s.
The Charity Commission said it had received the NSS complaint and would decide whether it warranted a statutory inquiry.
A spokesman told The Telegraph: “The Commission has clear expectations that all charities, regardless of their purpose, must operate for the public benefit and provide a safe and trusted environment for all.
“Concerns have been raised with us about alleged sermons and social media content linked to Hackney Islamic Community Centre and we have opened a regulatory compliance case to further assess these. This will determine any next steps.”
Hackney Islamic Community Centre was contacted for comment.
The Telegraph
For advertisement placement, events coverage, media consultancy, placement of publications and further enquiries please WhatsApp 2348023773039 or email: labakevwe@yahoo.com
