A charity sector lawyer has defended her appointment as interim manager at the Islamic Centre of England after campaigners said it had been “politically motivated”.
The Commission has been investigating the charity since November 2022 and appointed Emma Moody as its interim manager at the start of May. The Telegraph also reported last month that the charity’s centre had closed its doors.
Then in a letter sent to the chair of the Charity Commission last week, 35 civil society groups and individuals criticised the regulator’s decision to appoint a non-Muslim interim manager to run the centre while it is being investigated.
Moody has now said she was appointed by the Commission on the back of her “governance expertise” and “years of experience advising charities of all faiths across the UK, including a number of Muslim-faith led organisations”.
“I am committed to working collaboratively with the Islamic Centre of England, and its trustees, and our first priority and focus is to reopen the centre as soon as possible,” she said in a statement.
Civil Society has contacted the charity for comment.
Response to criticism
Moody, who is head of charities at law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, said: “I am committed to working collaboratively with the Islamic Centre of England, and its trustees, and our first priority and focus is to reopen the centre as soon as possible. I have been appointed by the Charity Commission on the back of my governance expertise and my years of experience advising charities of all faiths across the UK, including a number of Muslim-faith led organisations.
“I always approach my work with compassion, understanding and a desire to secure the best possible outcome for the charities with which I work, for the good of the communities they serve. Media reports on why the centre closed are misleading – the decision was not made by the Charity Commission nor as a result of my appointment as interim manager. The trustees and I wish to re-open the centre as soon as possible, and once we do so, we can then focus on supporting the charity’s future effective governance.”
The Islamic Centre for England has been the subject of a statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission since November 2022 due to “serious governance concerns” and following “extensive engagement in recent years”.
The regulator previously issued an official warning to the charity after “the trustees allowed a candlelit vigil to be held at the charity’s West London premises in response to the death of the Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani” who had been subject to UK financial sanctions.
Last month, the charity announced that it was suspending all its programmes “after receiving the concerns of the community and for their safety,” according to a sign posted on its gates and photographed by IranWire.
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