Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans against the military and interior ministry during a protest around Ain Shams square in east CairoPicture: REUTERS
Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, decided to take action against the Muslim Charities Forum after the Telegraph found links to a group alleged to fund Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood political movement
A leading Muslim charity that was given a £250,000 taxpayer-funded contract to run a major faith project has been stripped of state funding in a crackdown on Islamist extremism.
Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, decided to take action against the Muslim Charities Forum after the Telegraph uncovered links to a group alleged to fund Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood political movement.
The revelations prompted a full-scale government review of the charity's activities, which led to wider concerns and criticism over the group’s links to extremist speakers at events in Britain.
Mr Pickles said he was determined to cut off funding to any group that is linked to “individuals who fuel hatred, division and violence”.
The Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) is an umbrella group for Muslim aid organisations which work in 71 countries around the world and have a combined income £108million.
It was set up in 2007 and supports its member groups by acting as a voice for the sector and providing, training, research and a central point of contact for Muslim organisations.
The MCF was awarded a contract to run a government scheme intended to foster integration among minority faiths, improve the treatment of women and reduce youth crime as part of the Coalition’s response to the terrorist killing of Lee Rigby in May 2013.
Last year, the MCF received two grants worth a total of £110,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government for the Faith Minorities in Action Project, which was to operate in six cities across England with representatives from at least 10 world faiths.
The charity was expecting a further £138,000 this month to continue the work, but this grant has now been scrapped and the contract to run the programme is expected to be awarded to another group later this year.
A charity that is a member of the MCF, Islamic Help, will also lose state funding worth about £6,000 for English language courses, after inviting an unnamed “individual with extremist views” to speak at an event, the minister said.
Guests and speakers who have attended Islamic Help events include the Princess Royal, the US Ambassador to Britain, and Amir Khan, the boxer.
Mr Pickles said a Whitehall review of the MCF found that it could not give assurances over the activities of its member charities and warned that concerns had been raised over links to unnamed radical speakers.
Mr Pickles told the Telegraph: “Following a formal departmental review of the project, which included examination of the organisation’s poor performance in delivering against agreed objectives, and further allegations raised by the Telegraph, the decision was taken to terminate finding.
“Faith institutions play a key role by reaching out to their local communities and engaging in social action, but we have always been very clear that only organisations that uphold fundamental British values will receive funding.”
Mr Pickles added that the MCF had “failed to reassure us that they have robust measures in place to investigate and challenge their members”.
“Concerns have also been raised about events held by member organisations, at which individuals with extremist views have been invited to speak. This has undermined their work and means they are no longer able to deliver on the Faith Minorities in Action objectives.
“I hope this action illustrates our resolve to cease funding any organisation that supports or is linked to individuals who fuel hatred, division and violence.”
Mr Pickles set out his decision to cease the funding in a statement on a parliamentary website.
The moves come after the Telegraph disclosed in September that several member charities of the MCF were early members of a group called the Union of Good, a fundraising body with close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was created to raise money for the terrorist group Hamas.
The United States has designated the Union of Good as a sponsor of terrorism, saying it is an “organization created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organization”.
Last year, David Cameron launched an inquiry into the Muslim Brotherhood earlier, prompted by concerns it was stoking an Islamist ideology that had encouraged British jihadists to fight in Syria and Iraq.
The Brotherhood insists it is non-violent and seeks to impose Islamic rule only through democratic change. It has condemned Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and al-Qaeda.
However, the Telegraph reported in October that the Whitehall investigationhad identified “an incredibly complex web” of up to 60 organisations in Britain, including charities, think tanks and even television channels, with links to the Brotherhood, which will come under intense scrutiny.
A spokesman for the MCF rejected the government's criticism and said the group was “considering all options available to contest the DCLG's decision and allegations”.
“The Muslim Charities Forum is extremely disappointed at the decision,” he said.
“The MCF is committed to creating an integrated Muslim charitable network in the UK and to building partnerships which have been a key part of its work since its inception. We reject the basis on which this funding decision has been made.
“The Faith Minorities in Action Project is about bringing people together to build trust between communities across the country. It is now likely that this vital work will cease.”
A spokesman for Islamic Help also denied the allegatoins and said the charity was “surprised, angered and dismayed” by the minister’s decision to cut its funding. “This action is a smear on the good work we have been doing in the UK and overseas since 2003,” the spokesman said.
Islamic Help, which has not been linked to the Union of Good, said it had received only £1,000 so far in government funds under the scheme to teach English to minority groups in London.
“We utterly refute any accusations of being linked to or of playing any part in promoting extremist views or extremism. We are dismayed by the decision to stop funding for the project.
“By its actions, the government has not only contributed to the very atmosphere of ‘Islamophobia’ that it claims to be combating but has harmed its own objective of promoting integration and British values.”
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