Iranian Terrorist Viewed as a “Martyr” in Shia Mosques in the UK

Events were organized to pay tribute to Qasem Soleimani

A former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Qasem Soleimani, was praised as a “martyr” in at least six British mosques, reports The Jewish Chronicle. What is most disturbing is that Muslim schoolchildren were offered special classes in those mosques honoring Soleimani.

In 1998, Qasem Soleimani became the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC division primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations. He also oversaw Iran’s funding and direction of terror groups, including Hezbollah. He was killed on January 3, 2020, by a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport.

During the weekend following Soleimani’s death, six Shia mosques in London, Luton, Birmingham and Manchester, UK, hosted events paying tribute to the work of the former commander, according to The Jewish Chronicle. Children were among the attendees in at least two of those events.

The six Islamic centers are the Masjid-e-Ali Centre in Luton, the Idara-e-Jaaferiya mosque and the Islamic Centre of England in London, the Islamic Institute in Manchester, the Imam Reza Cultural Centre in Birmingham, and the Idaara Maarif-e-Islam, in south-east Birmingham.

“In a post on social media, one teacher […], Aun Naqvi, is shown […] holding a picture of Soleimani with children sitting at his feet”, wrote the Chronicle. The Jewish media quoted Naqvi as saying that it was “essential we use our madrasas to teach our children about our [martyrs] and our leaders.” Naqvi did not respond to a request by the Chronicle for comment.

A Mosque Under Surveillance

Last November, the Islamic Centre of England, one of Britain’s leading Shia mosques, was said to be “undergoing a statutory inquiry launched by the Charity Commission over ‘serious governance concerns’ and failure to comply with previous rulings.”

In a press release, the Charity Commission stated that the decision follows “extensive engagement with the charity over recent years, which has included issuing the charity with an Official Warning.” The commission’s concerns relate to “two events held at the charity’s premises in 2020 that eulogized Major General Qasem Soleimani who is subject to UK sanctions.”

The commission also revealed that it was assessing a speech made by the center’s Director, Seyed Hashem Moosavi, in which he called Iranian anti-government protestors “soldiers of Satan.” It is precisely Seyed Hashem Moosavi who hosted a vigil for Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

Sources

UK Government, Middle East Monitor, The Jewish Chronicle, The Telegraph