Update on Management Situation

Under the Trust's policy of transparency and consultation, we feel it important to update the Community on the current management situation at the Masjid.

The Trustees are as listed on the Charities Commission website, and the Trust is confident that correct procedure has been followed in all its decisions. Full legal representation to the Charities Commission has been made. Dr Suhaib Hasan and his family members disagree over who the legitimate Trustees of the Masjid are, but unfortunately they have decided to use illegitimate means to voice this difference.

On the15^th of July, after the Friday Prayer, Dr Suhaib Hasan, who is still Imam at the Masjid, took the microphone and began to attack the Trust members claiming that they are trying to take over the Masjid. Raising his voice, he accused the Trustees of “hacking into the Masjid website” - an utterly false claim, as the Masjid website has always been paid for and controlled by the current Trustees. This false accusation of Dr Suhaib Hasan is even more troublesome given that the previous maintainer of the website had explained this to him a week ago.

Dr Suhaib Hasan also claimed that the Trustees had been plotting to remove him from the Trust for the last six months, and had now executed this plan. This is also a blatant untruth. His five year term expired on 29^th May 2011, and he chose not to request renewal of his Trusteeship – despite being present in the Masjid at the time the Trust held its meeting for renewal. According to the Constitution, no Trustee is automatically renewed. This has also been the established practise of the Trust in the past.

Also, when the current Chairman Mehmud Patel tried to make an announcement regarding the iERA event to be held at the Masjid on Saturday 16^th July, someone removed the microphone plug from the amplifier system. The Trust considers this vandalism of Trust property.

Later in the Masjid Office, Dr Suhaib Hasan continued to shout at the current Chairman, Mehmud Patel, and Treasurer, Ebrahim Patel, in the presence of large numbers of the public. This is not the way any dispute is resolved. For its part, only last week the Trust had once again submitted a request for mediation to Dr Suhaib Hasan, which has clearly been ignored.

The Trust can only describe this behaviour as unacceptable, and is left with the impression that the Hasan family is not willing to accept due process and civilised procedure in managing the Trust affairs. It would appear that the struggle to end the nepotism and abuse of power that we have witnessed over the last few years will take some time – and stern will and determination – to resolve. However, we firmly believe that the Help of Allaah is with the Truth, and hence we will not abandon our course of action.

We call upon the Community to support us in this difficult period by not abandoning the Masjid. Rather, all brothers and sisters who have stopped attending the Masjid are requested to return and show their support. Only with the help of Allaah and then the help of the Community will we be able to raise this Masjid back to the heights that it once enjoyed.

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