The Charity Commission has found misconduct and / or mismanagement by trustees in the administration of the Al-Manar Centre Trust and issued the charity with an Order requiring it to take action on its social media use.
The charity , which operates a mosque in Cardiff, has objects that include advancing Islamic education, and fostering community relationships and religious harmony.
In January 2024, the Charity Commission became aware of a video shared on the charity's social media account in November 2023. The video contained content that, in the Commission's view, could be understood as demonstrating support for the proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas.
In February 2024, the regulator launched a statutory inquiry into the charity. The inquiry examined the charity's social media and website controls, as well as the circumstances surrounding the posting of the video.
Findings
The inquiry was told that the charity's chair, who was the only trustee responsible for managing the charity's social media content, posted the video after only listening to its audio. The chair believed that the audio aligned with the charity's objectives, without reviewing the visual content.
In the inquiry's view, the video - which was not produced by or for the charity - contains content that presents a positive image of Hamas and its October 2023 terrorist attack on Israel. It also attempts to downplay or justify the attack.
Consequently, the inquiry concluded that the video was likely to lead an ordinary member of the public to infer that the charity was supportive of and/ or glorified terrorism.
The inquiry found that the chair's decision to rely solely on the audio was wholly inadequate. Furthermore, and in the inquiry's view, even reviewing just the audio, the chair should have recognised from the narration that its content could be interpreted as supporting Hamas' actions.
There were also failings by trustees, at the time the video was posted, to undertake adequate diligence and monitoring of online content posted by the charity. The inquiry found that the video did not further the charity's objects for the public benefit.
Despite receiving regulatory advice in 2014 on protecting the charity from extremist abuse, the Commission found that the trustees had failed to implement adequate social media controls. At the time of the incident, the charity's social media policy consisted solely of a basic flowchart and lacked meaningful guidance or oversight mechanisms.
As a result of the trustees' misconduct and / or mismanagement regarding the posting of the video and lack of adequate social media controls, the Commission issued an Official Warning to the charity.
Additionally, in October 2024, the Commission made an Order directing the trustees to take actions on the charity's use of its website and social media, which included a review of all material on its website and social media platforms.
The trustees complied fully with the Order.
Joshua Farbridge, Head of Compliance Visits and Inspections at the Charity Commission, said:
A charity's reputation can be severely damaged in an instant through reckless use of social media.
Our inquiry concluded that the conduct of the trustees fell below the standards expected of them. Inadequate controls over social media led to the sharing of harmful content, and there is no excuse for failing to properly review content before it is shared by a charity.
Our swift intervention, which included an Official Warning and a legal Order requiring specific action to be taken, underscores the Commission's firm commitment to ensuring charities are not misused in supporting or glorifying terrorism.
The full inquiry report can be found on gov.uk.
