Wednesday 29th May
In response to today’s story by 5Pillars about NZF, Iqbal Nasim, Chief Executive said:
We completely reject any assertion that NZF has ever used Zakat funds (or any other funds) to support Prevent, counter extremism or Israel lobby related activities. Moreover, we have never received any funding related to any of these agendas.
The circumstances in which these claims have arisen involve defamation, false assumptions, tenuous links and slander; and all of this in the last days and nights of Ramadan.
Please do not share this ‘news’. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The one who spreads rumours with mischievous intent will not enter Paradise.”
NZF is bound by Islamic ethics, data protection regulations and our commitments to 10,000+ beneficiaries since 2011 to keep confidential the circumstances of individuals who may have received Zakat from NZF under any of our programmes. This includes the 70+ individuals that NZF has funded under the Leadership Investment Programme (LIP). By contrast, we are open about the organisations that NZF has funded under the LIP.
We recognise that it may be of significant interest and concern to some Muslims, including Zakat payers to NZF, as to who the specific individuals funded under the LIP will be going forward. There are a number of complex factors to consider. We are carefully assessing whether to change our policy on this matter and commit to issuing an update before the end of the year.
In the meantime, I would like to reassure NZF’s supporters and the UK’s Muslims at large that we treat the distribution of Zakat with the utmost seriousness. We will continue to listen, to learn and to strive for excellence in everything that we do.
May our hearts become settled and united.
For the full statement of clarification issued on Monday 27th May in relation to the same allegations, please see here: https://nzf.org.uk/blog/statement-of-clarification/
