An investigation by the Criminal Justice Commission has revealed that two “interfaith” Islamic charities openly support Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. A prominent figure in both organizations was also involved in an attack on opponents of the regime on the streets of London.
The two charities, the Abrar Islamic Foundation and the Dar al-Hekma Foundation, occupy buildings in upmarket areas of central London, promote “friendship” with other religions, and between them have bank accounts worth millions of pounds.
Behind this mask of respectability, the joint committee may uncover two centers of support for Iran’s brutal regime and its terrorist networks.
A prominent figure in the two charities, Sayed Ahmad Al-Wadaei, was filmed in May participating in an attack on Iranian dissidents in London, which left one victim with serious spinal injuries.
Saeed Shahabi, a trustee of both organizations, was on the US “no-fly” list compiled by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center and posted a warm tribute to the mastermind of Iranian terrorism, Qassem Soleimani, after he was killed in a US drone strike, describing him as a leader “noble and wise” who “met his Lord covered in the blood of martyrdom.”
Meanwhile, Musa Abdul Ali Mohammed, who was granted asylum in Britain in 2006 and is listed on the Charity Commission website as a trustee of Dar al-Hikma, is an outspoken supporter of Iranian-sponsored terrorist groups—Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Both charities are run by exiled members of the Bahraini opposition, which seeks to overthrow the Gulf state’s monarchy, and are located in key areas of central London. The Abrar Society is located on Crawford Street, a few steps from Hyde Park, while Dar al-Hekma is located on Chalton Street, near the British Library.
The committee learned that the Charity Commission received files on the two charities months ago. The commission has not yet launched a formal investigation, but a spokesperson said, “We have opened regulatory investigations into them to determine whether the commission has a role to play in this matter.”
At the heart of the pro-Iranian network uncovered by the Shura Council is Saeed Shehab, the exiled leader of the Bahrain Freedom Movement, who has been living in Britain since receiving political asylum in 1985. He is a trustee of both the Abrar Foundation and Dar al-Hikma, and his ties to the Islamic regime in Iran go back many years.
In 2012, it emerged that the Iranian government had paid off the mortgage on the building that houses Shahabi’s office and that a hardline Iranian official was one of the directors of the company that owned it. At the time, Shahabi commented that he was “just a tenant” and was unaware of the mortgage arrangements.
He has given numerous speeches and attended events at the Islamic Centre of England (ICE), the central mosque in London whose successive heads have served as the personal representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the United Kingdom.
Leaked documents seen by the Joint Committee indicate that until at least 2019, his name was on the US “no-fly” list compiled by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, meaning he was unable to board a plane to, from, or within the United States.
The UK’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – dubbed by MPs as the “London office” of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps – is under investigation by the Charity Commission for allegedly sponsoring extremism. In 2020, the charity issued a “formal warning” after staging a protest over the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the mastermind of terrorism in the IRGC, in a US drone strike, while ICE continues to host lectures by Shahabi on its website.
When Soleimani was killed, Al-Shihabi tweeted that “Iran is proud of its heroes, such as Qassem Soleimani, because he is a son of the country who believes in God.”
In another post, he said: “May God have mercy on Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who defended his religion, his humanity, and his homeland, and met his Lord drenched in the blood of martyrdom… Those who are fair-minded describe him as courageous, intelligent, wise, gentle, and humble.”
