Mosque chair faces suspension over Hamas post

Abdul Malik is appealing his suspension by the Charity Commission

A Green Party councillor and chair of one of the region's biggest mosques faces a possible three-year charity suspension imposed by the Charity Commission after sharing a social media post about the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.

Abdul Malik was suspended as chair of Easton Mosque earlier this month. The Charity Commission's ruling would prevent him being a trustee of any charity.

The investigation relates to a Facebook post from October 2023, which contained a video from Hamas about its attack on Israel earlier that month.

Mr Malik initially claimed he had been tagged in the post, before admitting he had shared it. He told the BBC he is appealing his suspension.

Abdul Malik had been a trustee of Easton Jamia Masjid for eight years

His supporters claim the Charity Commission's investigation is "disproportionate".

Mr Malik, who is also a magistrate, received a formal warning from the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office in February 2025 for "serious misconduct" over the post.

It found that "his initial denial of responsibility… compounded the damage caused by the initial sharing of the post."

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Malik said he accepts "100%" that the delay in taking responsibility made the situation worse, but also said he has "no reason to regret" not owning up sooner, because he "didn't realise" what had happened.

"Ultimately it was showing on my timeline, it should not have been showing on my timeline," he added.

The 7 October attacks saw approximately 5,000 gunmen from Hamas and other Palestinian groups break through the border fence around Gaza and attack nearby communities and the Nova music festival.

An estimated 1,200 people were killed, and more than 250 taken back to Gaza as hostages.

'Being targeted'

A post on Mr Malik's social media timeline last week claimed he was being "targeted by the Zionist lobby".

Lord Mann, the independent advisor to the UK government on antisemitism, described that language as "unacceptable", and suggested Mr Malik was "digging a deeper hole for himself".

Asked about the phrase "Zionist lobby" by the BBC, Mr Malik said he had not put the post on his page.

"It's not written by me, somebody is propagating that message, I do not stand with that message," he said.

"It's really important that people's views don't always constitute what I think," he added. "Some people think there is a Zionist lobby that is pursuing this."

A post from Abdul Malik's social media page, which has since been deleted.

Shortly after the BBC interview, a message was sent to a community WhatsApp group from Mr Malik's phone number.

Underneath a screenshot of a Jewish Chronicle article, the message said: "Latest from the "Jewish News/Chronicle" who feel offended that my supporters (or me) have used the words "Zionist lobby" on our publicity."

Asked why he wrote "or me", Mr Malik said it was because "the media are saying its me".

"I've been clear it's not me, it's the group who have done the publicity of the meeting," he added.

The Jewish Chronicle was established by the British Jewish community in the late 19th Century and is thought to be the oldest continuously-published Jewish newspaper in the world.

A member of Bristol's Jewish communities said that social media has become "increasingly toxic" and leaders should use it "with extreme caution."

"Everyone in a position of leadership has a responsibility to choose langauge carefully", they added.

Asked whether the language in the post - which has since been removed from his page - was wrong, Mr Malik said he "can't comment".

'Serious pressure'

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition in support of Mr Malik, which argues that the Charity Commission's investigation "appears disproportionate".

Campaigners argue the decision to suspend Mr Malik "followed serious pressure from a prominent Zionist newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle, renowned for targeting public figures who advocate for Palestinian rights".

When questioned by the BBC, Mr Malik acknowledged that the Charity Commission's investigation "has nothing to do about Palestine".

But he said the Muslim community is under "huge scrutiny" and being made to be "answerable for matters that wouldn't normally be considered for any other community".

Mr Malik says the campaign supporting him was set up by "really close friends". He has repeatedly shared the petition and spoke at a community meeting about his cause.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: "We have an ongoing regulatory compliance case into Easton Jamia Masjid to assess concerns regarding a trustee's personal use of social media.

"As part of this case, we can confirm that we have suspended Abdul Malik as a trustee".

Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali has released a video saying the party is "fully backing" Mr Malik.

In the video Mr Ali said that "any punitive measures that authorities take against him are discriminatory".

"They're targeting him for his activism," Mr Ali added.

The BBC has contacted the Jewish Chronicle for comment.