Islamic charities vulnerable to extremists receive £6 million a year from taxpayers in gift aid, according to a new report.
The charities are accused of promoting hardline speakers by giving them platforms, spreading their literature, providing them with credibility and enabling access to beneficiaries and the general public.
The report accuses charities of supporting “the spread of harmful non-violent extremist views that are not illegal; by providing platforms, credibility and support to a network of extremists operating in the UK.”
One international charity mentioned in the paper is chaired by an Islamic preacher banned from entering the UK.
The claims provide an early challenge for Baroness Stowell of Beeston, who was appointed chairwoman of the Charity Commission by the government last week, despite strong opposition from MPs that accused her of having negligible experience with charities.
The report, Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing: How Islamist Extremists Exploit the UK Charitable Sector, has been produced by the Henry Jackson Society think-tank by its research fellow Emma Webb, a specialist in counter-extremism who studied 30 charities. [The Times (£)] Read more
