London mosque's charity status questioned after sermons urging wife beating and gay executions

The Hackney Islamic Community Centre, also known as Masjid Daar Al-Hadeeth, holds charitable status and received almost £155,000 in donations in the year to March 2025, paying no tax on its £191,097 income. Its YouTube channel hosts sermons by teacher Yasin Munye that label a wife's disobedience as a major sin and advise husbands to discipline their wives physically, even suggesting abandonment if she resists. Munye also condemns gay sexual activity as one of the most evil acts, calling for execution and praising Saudi Arabia's continued use of capital punishment for such offenses.

The National Secular Society reported the centre to the Charity Commission, claiming the content breaches the requirement that charities operate for the public benefit. The commission has opened a compliance case to determine whether further action is needed. Additional lectures from the centre echo misogynistic and homophobic views, while a scholar named Abu Sa'ad Muhammad Al-Iraqi criticized women who involve police in domestic disputes. The investigation highlights tensions between religious freedom and charitable law in the UK.