Mick Hartley

The Times:

The head of a British charity has glorified a terrorist chief, promoted extremists who celebrated October 7 and personally accepted an award from the Iranian leader known as the “Butcher of Tehran”.

Syeda Umme Farwa runs the British-registered charity Labaik Ya Zahra (LYZ) in London, which says it “helps mankind” by advancing the Muslim faith and women’s rights through workshops, conferences and protests.

Something of a contradiction there, perhaps. Women's rights?

However, a joint investigation by The Times and the campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran can reveal that she has been hailed as a “jihadi lioness” in Iran and has given platforms to alleged extremists with links to terror organisations at her charity’s events.

Farwa, who is from Pakistan and lives in northwest London, was filmed receiving a trophy from Ebrahim Raisi at a ceremony in 2018, in honour of her charity work in the UK.

Raisi, a senior regime figure, was known as the “Butcher of Tehran” for overseeing the mass execution of thousands of people as part of the infamous “death committee” in the 1980s.

At the event, held in the Iranian city of Mashhad, he praised Farwa as a “faithful [Islamic] revolutionary woman”. A year later he was sanctioned by the United States for human rights abuses.

Is anyone the tiniest bit surprised by this?

The Charity Commission warns organisations not to invite speakers to their events who the trustees know are likely to promote extremist ideology to influence or direct the charity’s work….

In January last year Farwa said her charity commemorates the death of Soleimani, the assassinated IRGC general, every year. She told an Iranian state media outlet: “God willing … revenge will be taken for this bloodshed and the reign of the oppressors will come to an end.”

Soleimani was the mastermind behind Iran’s activities across the Middle East and helped to co-ordinate the military operations of terror groups in the region. After his death Hamas said he played a “major role” in supporting their operations.

Farwa appeared to acknowledge that Soleimani had been sanctioned in the UK but admitted that her charity had participated in demonstrations “at the time of the martyrdom of the commander”. She said that the charity produces films and videos to mark “the anniversary of the martyr every year”.