The Islamic Centre of England is temporarily closed because of “insurance issues”, according to the Charity Commission.
In May, the Telegraph reported that the centre had “temporarily” closed its doors while the charity announced that it was suspending all its programmes “after receiving the concerns of the community and for their safety”.
In an update on its inquiry into the Muslim charity, the Commission confirmed that the centre has faced problems in “securing the necessary insurance” to reopen for public use.
The Commission has been investigating the charity since November 2022 and appointed Emma Moody from Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) as its interim manager at the start of May.
Problems with insurance
The regulator said that the insurance issues predate the appointment of Moody, who has been working with the trustees to source the necessary insurance for the charity to reopen to worshippers.
“This process is ongoing,” the Commission said.
It added that the trustees have known that “the charity’s then insurers had decided not to renew some of its insurance policies” since April 2023, and “therefore decided to temporarily cease some of the charity’s activities”.
“The IM was appointed on 4 May 2023. On 23 May 2023, in consultation with the IM, the trustees took the difficult decision to temporarily close the mosque,” the regulator said.
‘False and misleading’ claims
The Commission said that it is “aware of various reports and allegations relating to the causes of the temporary closure of the charity’s premises”.
“Until insurance policies are secured, it is not legal for the charity to reopen for public use. Suggestions that the temporary closure resulted from factors other than the insurance matter are entirely false and misleading,” it added.
Last month, 35 civil society groups and individuals sent a letter to the Commission’s chair criticising the regulator’s decision to appoint a non-Muslim interim manager to run the centre while it is being investigated.
In response, Moody said that 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”.
