Brighton Mosque investigated

The Charity Commission has started an investigation of the Brighton Mosque & Muslim Community Centre in Dyke Road after a former trustee was convicted of encouraging terrorism.

The mosque was issued with an official warning in May after Abubaker Deghayes gave an unsolicited speech in November 2020 encouraging people to take part in violent jihad, following the death of two of his sons in Syria.

The speech was delivered after evening prayers when approximately 50 people were present, including children, young adults and at least one other trustee.

Abubaker Deghayes was convicted of encouraging terrorism under the Terrorism Act in January this year. He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment and given another year on licence.

The inquiry will examine the administration, governance and management of the charity, and in particular, whether trustees have been properly appointed or removed. It will also investigate whether the mosque’s income and spending has been properly accounted for and if spending has been used exclusively to further a charitable purpose.

A spokesman for the Charity Commission said: “The commission determined that the trustees knew or ought to have known the risk this individual posed to the charity, and set out the actions trustees should take to protect the charity and its beneficiaries from abuse”.

The charity has experienced financial management issues and has submitted its statutory annual returns late for the past four financial periods.