Head of Qatari charity in the UK is also co-founder of an extremist website
The head of a Qatari charity in the UK was also the co-founder of a website that issued extremist fatwas and advised British Muslims that they should not swear an oath of allegiance to the country.
Yousef bin Ahmed Al Kuwari oversaw the launch of Islamweb.net, which is sponsored by the Qatari ministry of endowments and Islamic affairs, where he was head of information technology.
Islamweb says it is “a site designed to enrich the viewers’ knowledge and appreciation of Islam”, and that is used by British citizens “seeking religious guidance on a range of issues”.
But it also espouses extreme views on issues such as integration into British society. In June, the website said of Jews and Christians: “It is incumbent to hate them for the sake of Allah.”
In response to a query about whether Muslims should sign an oath of allegiance when becoming a UK citizen, it says: “There is no doubt that a person who accepts the naturalisation of disbelieving countries commits many religious infractions.
“Among these is to utter what is not permissible to believe in or abide by, like accepting their regime which is totally different from Islam, and uttering an oath to be loyal and friendly with them.”
Mr Al Kuwari is listed as the chief executive of Qatar Charity UK and as chairman on the Qatar Charity website.
Accounts filed to the Charity Commission show that 99 per cent of the Qatari fund’s money comes from its parent organisation in Doha.
Mr Kuwari’s biography describes him as “a Qatari leader who is keen to help poor people around the world”.
In 2015, the charity provided a grant of £400,000 (Dh1.9 million) for a “multipurpose centre in the UK”, a project they worked on with the Emaan Trust in Sheffield, in north England.
The Daily Telegraph reported that one of the trustees of the Emaan Trust, Essam Al Fulaij, has said Muslims and Christians should unite against the “monster” Jews, and claimed he is “still convinced that the international Zionists and Mossad were behind the September 11 attacks”.
Neighbouring Gulf states have designated Qatar Charity a proscribed organisation.
Another trustee, Dr Khalid Al Mathkour, is “a member of the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood’s charitable arm, the Social Reform Society” and “follows the Brotherhood’s ideology”, the newspaper reported.
The UK branch also has links with preachers who have been banned in the UK. Accounts show that it donated £800,000 to the European Institute for Human Sciences in France.
The institute publishes fatwas following the guidance of the European Council on Fatwa and Research. The president of the council is Yousef Al Qaradawi, a Qatari hate preacher who has been banned from the UK.
The Qatari ministry of endowments and Islamic affairs has been a source of controversy since royal family member Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid was appointed minister in September 1992.
In his time there he encouraged Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon, to move to Qatar, leaked documents from the US department of defence show.
US intelligence officials say Sheikh Abdullah helped Khaled Sheikh Mohammed to avoid US capture in 1996.
Accounts filed to the Charity Commission show that 99% of the Qatari fund’s money comes from Doha