A preacher at a London mosque has sparked a backlash after telling Muslims they should “discipline” their wives if they disobey their husbands, as regulators investigate concerns over sermons and social media content published by the charity.
Yasin Munye delivered the lecture at the Hackney Islamic Community Centre, which publishes sermons and religious lectures on its YouTube channel.
During one sermon, Munye discussed what he described as major sins, reading from Manthumatu al-Kaba’ir, a poem outlining actions regarded as serious offences within Islam.
He identified disobedience towards a husband as one such sin, including leaving the home without permission and refusing intimacy without what he described as an acceptable excuse.
“Advise her, and boycott her in bed, don’t touch her in bed – and discipline them physically as well, by lightly hitting them to show them who is in charge,” Munye said.
The sermon has prompted criticism from campaigners concerned about the potential impact of religious teachings advocating violence or control within relationships.
In another section of the lecture, Munye described homosexual acts as a “crime” and discussed punishments under Sharia law.
He said: “Scholars, they differ on how the execution occurs. Some of them say he is executed through the sword, like every other normal execution.”
The mosque has charitable status and describes its purpose as assisting “mankind” through efforts to “advance the Islamic faith”.
Its published accounts show that it received £191,097 in income during the year to March 2025, with just under £155,000 coming from donations. The organisation did not pay tax on that income.
The Hackney Islamic Community Centre re-registered its charitable status in April.
Megan Manson, head of campaigns at the National Secular Society (NSS), described the situation as “alarming” and argued that the charitable status of religious organisations promoting harmful views should face greater scrutiny.
“Hackney Islamic Community Centre is just one of many charities promoting misogyny, homophobia and other harmful ideologies through the charitable purpose of ‘the advancement of religion’,” she said.
“This charitable purpose must be urgently reviewed. It is evidently facilitating the advancement of ideas which, far from benefiting the public, could fuel discrimination, division and abuse.”
The NSS has referred the mosque to the Charity Commission, arguing that the material published by the organisation may not be compatible with its status as a charity.
The Charity Commission confirmed that it had received the complaint and said it had opened a regulatory compliance case.
A spokesman said: “The Commission has clear expectations that all charities, regardless of their purpose, must operate for the public benefit and provide a safe and trusted environment for all.
“Concerns have been raised with us about alleged sermons and social media content linked to Hackney Islamic Community Centre and we have opened a regulatory compliance case to further assess these. This will determine any next steps.”
The case comes after the Charity Commission earlier this year declined to censure a preacher at Hatch End Islamic Centre following a sermon in which he said it was “mandatory” for women to serve their husbands.
The sermon was subsequently deleted. Rather than removing the mosque’s charitable status, the regulator said it would provide “advice and guidance”.
The latest investigation places renewed scrutiny on the boundary between freedom of religious expression and the responsibilities attached to charitable status, particularly where sermons or publicly distributed material are alleged to promote discrimination, abuse or hostility towards particular groups.
Leave a Comment