Islamic Relief has been criticised by The Times newspaper over a decision to invite a “hardline Muslim preacher to star in a fundraising tour of Britain”.

The Charity Commission is looking into Islamic Relief over its decision to invite Yasir Qadhi, a Saudi-educated American academic, to give lectures to raise funds for the East Africa Crisis Appeal.

The Times described Qadhi as a “hardline preacher” who told students that “killing homosexuals and stoning adulterers was part of their religion”.

The paper also reported that Muslim Aid and the Read Foundation – a not-for-profit body working to provide schooling for children in the Islamic world – are also under scrutiny over their decision to sponsor a speaking tour involving Qadhi.

But Islamic Relief has said the Qadhi had spoken out against terrorism and was thoroughly vetted through a two-stage screening process, including checking him against 540 global anti-terror watchlists. It said it was considering its action against the newspaper.

And Muslim Aid said it did not sponsor the event its logo appeared against, and had asked for its logo to be removed from all marketing materials.

A Charity Commission spokesman said: “The Commission has contacted all three charities regarding the information provided and their involvement in the respective events. We will assess the responses we receive to determine what regulatory action may be required.”

Islamic Relief response

“Dr Yasir Qadhi is a high-profile speaker with a large international following who has spoken out consistently against terrorism, extremism and anti-Semitism,” Islamic Relief said in its statement.

“Islamic Relief has invited Dr Qadhi to the UK to help the Muslim community here prepare spiritually for Ramadan, and to raise funds to fight famine in East Africa.

“Like all our speakers, Dr Qadhi has been through a two-stage screening process that involved checking him against over 540 global watch lists of proscribed individuals and organisations to ensure no terror links.”

Muslim Aid response

“Muslim Aid was recently approached by the Charity Commission regarding the alleged sponsorship of an event which featured the international speaker Yasir Qadhi.

"Muslim Aid did not sponsor the fundraising event advertised on social media and its logo was wrongly included on the poster which was circulated to promote the event. Once this came to our attention we requested that the logo be removed from all marketing materials.”