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UK bans firebrand Pakistani cleric from serving Muslim charity

Commission finds organization failed to take appropriate action over incendiary remarks made by Pir Afzal Qadri
UK bans firebrand Pakistani cleric from serving Muslim charity

Pir Afzal Qadri said that the three judges who acquitted Asia Bibi were liable to be killed. (Photo: YouTube)

Published: August 26, 2020 06:21 AM GMT
Updated: August 26, 2020 06:34 AM GMT

A firebrand cleric known for his vocal support for Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws has been banned by the British regulator from serving as a charity trustee or holding a senior function in any charity in England and Wales for 10 years.

Pir Afzal Qadri, a former leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Labbaik, a hardline politico-religious party which builds its support among Pakistan’s masses using blasphemy laws, was arrested in Pakistan under sedition and terrorism charges in November 2018 after he called for a violent uprising against the state following the acquittal of Catholic death row inmate Asia Bibi on charges of blasphemy.

The Catholic mother of five had been sentenced to death by hanging in 2010 until her release by the apex court in 2018. She eventually moved to Canada in May 2019.

According to court records, Qadri said that the three judges who acquitted Asia Bibi were liable to be killed, that Prime Minister Imran Khan is a Zionist agent and that army chief Gen. Javed Qamar Bajwa's orders should be not accepted.

In April last year, a video message and statement by Qadri were released in which he announced his retirement from the Labbaik movement and issued an apology for incendiary remarks against the acquittal of Bibi.

An accompanying press release stated that he was sorry for "hurting the sentiments of the government, the judiciary and the chief of army staff."

Qadri had been serving as a trustee for Muslim Foundation UK since 2013. 

The UK Charity Commission issued a disqualification order against the former trustee last August as part of a regulatory case involving the charity, finding that Qadri’s comments were contrary to fundamental British values, including the rule of law and Article 2 (right to life) of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Following the disqualification, the commission conducted a compliance visit which identified serious regulatory concerns regarding the governance and administration of the charity. The statutory inquiry was opened on Jan. 28.

The charity runs a place of worship with educational facilities for Muslims and non-Muslims in Nottingham, England.

On Sept. 10, 2019, the commission conducted a visit to the charity to consider how the trustees had managed the charity’s response to comments made by the individual while he was a trustee, including the management of conflicts of interest and/or loyalty in the administration of the charity.

In an inquiry report published on Aug. 25, the regulator was highly critical of the management, governance and administration of the charity, finding its trustees failed to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities in a range of areas.

The report sets out that the trustees, many of whom had personal links to the former trustee, failed to recognize the seriousness of the comments and did not take appropriate action.

“This charity has been mismanaged by its trustees over a number of years. They failed to take seriously the reprehensible public statements made by one of their fellow trustees and have since been unable to provide evidence of having complied with some of their most basic legal duties and responsibilities,” said Tim Hopkins, assistant director for investigations and inquiries.

“The trustees must now enact significant improvements to their systems, policies and processes. We will be monitoring their compliance with these actions and they are required to report to us on their progress.”

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