The Charity Commission has launched an official inquiry into London based charity Islamic Centre of England.

Concerns are around links the charity has to Iran, including events held at its premises two years ago that “eulogised” the late Iranian military commander Major General Qasam Soleimani, who was killed by a US air strike in Iraq in 2020 and is subject to UK sanctions.

These concerns had previously resulted in an official warning and an action plan for improvement being handed to the charity by the regulator.

Concerns have also been raised amid newspaper reports of a speech by one of the charity’s trustees condemning women protestors in Iran.

The trustee is reported to have referred to protestors as “soldiers of Satan”.

The regulator says it has launched the inquiry following “extensive engagement with the charity over the years”.

Last year the Commission found the charity was “only partially compliant” with recommendations to improve. Investigators have also raised regulatory concerns “about the content of the charity’s website and the trustees’ management of conflicts of interest”.

The investigation will look at the extent to which trustees have carried out their legal duties, in particular around their website and events.

It will also look at “whether the trustees are willing, and able, to further the charity’s objects”, management conflicts of interest and the administration and governance of the organisation.

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