Mosque handed warning over 'inflammatory' sermons seeks legal advice

An Islamic centre that was given an official warning for hosting "inflammatory, divisive" sermons by the charities regulator is seeking legal advice.

The Lewisham Islamic Centre in south-east London had been told by the Charity Commission that it must improve its handling of speakers and events at its premises.

This followed a sermon in October 2023 - after the Hamas attacks on Israel - in which Imam Shakeel Begg talked about the "suffering at the hands of the oppressors and the Zionists".

He later referred to celebrities including Justin Bieber and Kylie Jenner, calling them "sick", in an apparent reference to their show of support for Israel.

Lewisham Islamic Centre said in a statement that it was "continuing to seek legal advice on the most appropriate course of action".

Lewisham Islamic Centre said: "This is about more than one mosque or one charity.

"It is about whether Muslim institutions can discharge their religious and charitable responsibilities without being penalised for expressing solidarity with Palestine, conducting established forms of Islamic worship, or addressing issues of concern to their congregations, including repudiation of Zionism, or denunciation of the Israeli state for war crimes and genocide.

"Solidarity with the oppressed must not become grounds for charitable sanction."

The statement continued: "Should legal action be pursued, we would urge others to come forward and join a united challenge to an overbearing commission in defence of religious freedom."

Another sermon at the centre, in August 2024, heard Imam Ashraf Dabous refer to those involved in the Southport riots that summer, saying "their manipulators are Zionists, and they are supporters of the state of Israel", as he also made reference to a "Zionist agenda".

The regulator made a finding of "misconduct and/or mismanagement" after complaints about sermons at the mosque in recent years.

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The commission said there had been "a breach of trust" in relation to "hosting two sermons that included content that was inflammatory, divisive, and not in the Charity's best interests".

The commission did not specify which comments had sparked the warning.

The commission warned that failing to take action on its recommendations could lead to further regulatory action.

The charity is described on its website as a centre which "aspires to help shape the future of the wider Muslim community whilst also promoting community cohesion".

(c) Sky News 2026: Mosque handed warning over 'inflammatory' sermons seeks legal advice