Is there any public benefit to the “advancement of religion”? Under the Charities Act 2011, places of worship can achieve charitable status if they demonstrate that their activities are for the public benefit. But what if the views espoused in such settings cause harm to wider society?
This is an urgent question, because yet another mosque has fallen foul of the rules. This time it’s the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre, a registered charity in Birmingham which posted a video of a preacher who effectively condoned domestic violence and marital rape. Mahamed AbdurRazaq was advising a congregation on what a husband could do if his wife refused to have sex with him.
