Mosque praised by Lord Hermer investigated for ‘Israeli lobby' claims
The Abdullah Quilliam Society, which was described as 'inspiring' by the Attorney General last year, is being investigated by the Charity Commission over the potentially 'divisive' remarks, which were posted on its social media account in June.
The video in question, which has since been taken down, suggested that senior members of the Government were acting improperly and had received donations from the 'Israeli lobby', the watchdog said.
It also claimed that the commission had been unduly influenced to 'silence' trustees, according to a notice published on the Government website.
It comes after the watchdog issued the mosque, in Liverpool, with an official warning over a separate 'inflammatory' talk held shortly after the Oct 7 Hamas massacre in 2023.
In that sermon, which focused on the war in Gaza, Haroon Hanif, an Islamic preacher, accused Israel of 'genocide' and told worshippers that Muslims should 'continue waging your war for Allah and his messenger, don't back down'.
The nature of Mr Hanif's affiliation with the mosque, if any, is unknown. He delivered the talk on Oct 20, roughly two weeks after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.
On Thursday, the commission announced that it had launched a statutory inquiry into the Abdullah Quilliam Society in relation to a new video posted in June this year.
As it has since been taken down, The Telegraph has been unable to view the footage. However, the commission said it suggested that named senior members of the Government had received donations from the 'Israeli lobby'.
The video is believed to have been drawn from a sermon that took place after the charity was served with its official warning in June, which required it to implement 'robust' social media policies.
The mosque has been ordered to refrain from holding any sermons or posting any videos that go against its 'best interests' while the investigation is carried out.
Lord Hermer went to visit the Abdullah Quilliam Society in August last year, discussing ways to keep the Muslim community safe in the wake of the riots triggered by the Southport killings.
He said it had been 'truly wonderful' to hear about the community's response to the protests, which affected the mosque directly, and said he had come away with 'many ideas'. In a video posted on the society's Instagram account, he said: 'It's been inspiring learning about the work of this mosque... It has been a huge, huge pleasure.'
It is understood his trip to the mosque was organised through local justice and policing teams and formed part of a wider set of visits to the area that day.
In a statement on Thursday, the Charity Commission said: 'The investigation is launched after the charity posted a video to its social media channels in June 2025, whose contents may not have furthered the charity's objects [and] could potentially be considered political, divisive and inflammatory.
'The video suggested that named senior members of the Westminster Government were acting improperly and had received donations from the 'Israeli lobby' and that the commission was also being unduly influenced to 'silence' trustees.
'The video appeared to be drawn from a sermon delivered at the charity's premises on June 27 2025 and has since been removed from the charity's social media platforms.'
It added: 'The commission's concerns are aggravated by previous engagement with the charity over the content of sermons and speeches at its premises, which culminated in an official warning issued against the charity on 12 June of this year.
'The warning stated that the trustees should take a number of steps, including to ensure all the charity's activities are in furtherance of its purposes, and to create, implement and adhere to robust policies around the use of speakers and social media.'
The inquiry by the Charity Commission will look into the circumstances around the latest video, determining whether its content was 'in furtherance of the charity's objects' and in its 'best interests'. It will also seek to understand whether the charity has updated its policies following the official warning in June.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'It is shocking that Keir Starmer's Attorney General has praised a mosque that is under investigation for sermons accusing Jewish 'lobbies' of controlling Westminster.
'It is a long-standing and despicable anti-Semitic trope that Government or the media is under the control of the Jewish lobby.
'Labour can't have it both ways. You can't hand out warm words to groups fuelling hatred one week and pretend to stand for community cohesion the next. This is now a test of Labour's credibility.'
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