The Charity Commission has stepped up its investigation into the Islamic Centre of England by opening a statutory inquiry into its governance and administration.
Last month, the commission said it was “assessing” a speech made by Seyed Moosavi, one of the charity’s trustees, in which he described protesters in Iran as “soldiers of Satan”.
Comments about the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini were looked into as part of an ongoing regulatory compliance case.
The regulator said that case had concluded and it had decided to upgrade the probe to a statutory inquiry, which comes with the power to intervene in a charity’s management.
The charity, which had an income of £485,621 in 2021, runs an Islamic centre in Maida Vale, north-west London.
A commission spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we opened a statutory inquiry into the Islamic Centre of England Limited on 14 November.
“The scope of the inquiry includes examining the governance and administration of the charity by the trustees.”
A full opening statement is expected in the coming days, with a report due to be published when the inquiry concludes.
Moosavi’s speech last month came in response to the protests after Amini, 22, died in custody after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for refusing to wear a hijab.
The Islamic Centre of England received a written warning from the Charity Commission in June after it hosted a candle-lit vigil in memory of Major General Qasem Soleimani, who was subject to terrorism sanctions by the UK government.
The warning told trustees they must take care over “any future events” hosted by the charity.
The commission found the vigil “risked associating the charity with a speaker who may have committed an offence under the Terrorism Act, as the speaker was filmed…appearing to praise and call for support for Soleimani”.