The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a charity associated with the Jamia Mohi Ul Islam Siddiqui Mosque in Oldham, where an “apparent split” means the charity is no longer providing a place of worship.
The regulator opened its statutory inquiry into the Alauddin Siddiqui Trust on 31 October 2019.
It opened the case “as a result of serious regulatory concerns that there may have been misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity”.
The Alauddin Siddiqui Trust was registered with the Commission in 2014 with objects to advance the Islamic religion.
Trustees have told the Commission that its main activities in recent years have involved sending £60,000 to Bangladesh in connection with the Rohingyan crisis and £47,000 to Pakistan in connection with Qurbani expenditure.
Trustees cannot apply funds for purposes which fall outside of their charity’s legal objects.
According to its accounts for the year to December 2018, filed with the Commission, the charity had an income of £171,404 and spending of £115,071, including £60,000 on overseas charitable work.
Charity no longer providing a place of worship
The Commission said that “an apparent split has also led to the charity no longer providing a place of worship”.
It said that the Oldham-based mosque appears to be an asset of the charity, however Land Registry records show that the mosque is not currently registered as such. This has led to concern about potential loss of charitable assets.
The regulator also raised concern that the charity and a company by the same name have “merged” to some extent. The Commission “is concerned about the governance, management and administration of the charity, and the current trustees’ ability to rectify the issues it has identified”.
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