The Lewisham Islamic Centre has criticised the UK’s Charity Commission for imposing disproportionate expectations on Muslim charities.
Published On 12 Nov 2026
The Lewisham Islamic Centre (LIC) in London has rejected a warning from the UK’s independent Charity Commission, which reprimanded the mosque for comments on Palestinian suffering made by an imam during its October 2023 sermons.
The mosque said the Commission’s actions amount to a troubling effort to scrutinise, restrict, and penalise legitimate religious worship and the expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The statement follows the Charity Commission’s accusation that the centre included inflammatory and divisive content not in the charity’s best interests during two separate sermons. The regulator issued an official warning on 20 October, urging the centre to improve its handling of speakers and events hosted on its premises.
The Commission warned that failure to remedy the alleged misconduct could result in further enforcement action.
‘Unnecessarily burdensome’
The mosque further accused the Commission of imposing disproportionate expectations on Muslim charities, characterising the warning as ‘unnecessarily burdensome’. It explained that a sermon, or khutbah, is an integral part aut of Islamic worship and frequently addresses issues affecting the wellbeing of congregants and their communities. The centre expressed concern that the warning implied the Commission could dictate subjects imams may address in their khutbahs.
LIC stated that it is seeking legal advice on how best to proceed in response to the warning.
CAGE International, a London‑based human‑rights organisation, voiced support for the mosque and alleged that the Charity Commission displays leniency toward pro‑Israel charities.
CAGE contended that the Commission treats the term ‘Zionist’ as inherently inflammatory, arguing that this conflates opposition to a political ideology with hatred of a people and places Muslim religious expression under suspicion by default.
A CAGE spokesperson said the Commission has indicated that naming those responsible for Palestinian suffering falls outside acceptable religious practice, adding that the regulator is also seeking expanded powers to remove trustees based on their views, as outlined in a recent government consultation.
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