An east London independent school where a jihadi extremist worked as a teacher and was able to show an ISIS propaganda video to pupils has been given an official warning by the Charity Commission.
Umar Ahmed Haque, 28, was put in charge of classes at the Lantern of Knowledge School in Leyton while working as an Islamic Studies teacher between April 2015 and January 2016.
He had no formal teaching qualifications and had concealed criminal convictions on his application to join the £3,000-a-year school, his Old Bailey trial heard.
Haque was convicted in 2018 of plotting to recruit an army of children for an ISIS-inspired terror campaign, and had picked out targets including Parliament, the City, and London’s transport network.
He had denied the claim of criminal wrongdoing at the east London school despite admitting to showing pupils an ISIS propaganda video during a lesson, and the charge was left to lie on file following a hung jury.
However in a scathing report released today, the Charity Commission said the lack of a criminal conviction did not diminish concerns over how Haque was managed by the school's trustees.
“The inquiry is critical of the trustees’ conduct and their failure to recognise the seriousness of the matter”, the report found.
“The fact that Daesh-related material was shown to the charity’s beneficiaries was not in dispute, and something which the trustees were fully aware of as set out in the inquiry opening letter and through media reporting of the trial.
“The trustees failed to consider the implications of showing the video, given its content, to the charity’s beneficiaries, irrespective of whether or not doing so constituted a criminal offence.”
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The school complained when the Charity Commission opened its investigation, and tried to play down its ties to Haque and his offending after he was found guilty of a string of terror charges and jailed for life.
Making findings of misconduct and mismanagement, the commission said: “By showing the children in his class pro-Daesh material, (Haque) grossly abused the position of trust he held at the charity.
“In his witness evidence, (Haque) recognised at the time of showing the video that ‘it was not a good idea’, but instead of pursuing the matter as a potential safeguarding concern, he exploited an opportunity to show children in the charity’s care the video which promoted the ideology and tactics of a proscribed terrorist organisation.
“The public rightly expect charities, particularly those working with children and young people, to be safe places, free from abuse or harm. In light of (Haque’s) actions this was not the case within this charity.”
Haque was found guilty of trying to radicalise children during classes he ran at the Ripple Road mosque in Barking, and had identified terror targets including Big Ben, the Queen’s guard, the London Underground, police and army bases, as well as courts and journalists.
Sentencing him, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave called Haque a “dangerous liar” who was able to convert his young followers by being “intelligent, articulate, and persuasive, with an easy smile – he is narcissistic and clearly enjoys the power he wields over others.”
Following the sentencing hearing, the Met’s anti-terror commander Dean Haydon said he was "horrified" when he learned Haque had been allowed in charge of classes of children at the Lantern of Knowledge school.
"It's a fee paying school, they are paying significant amounts of money to send their children to this school and they expect them to be safe, with safeguarding measures, and taught by fully qualified teachers. In this case, they weren't", he said.
The Charity Commission said there was “no evidence whatsoever” of Haque being challenged by the school over his false declaration to not have criminal convictions, and the trustees said during the investigation that they had not been involved in hiring him.
“The charity’s staff recruitment procedure has now changed to ensure trustees have oversight of the application and interview process and it now has a dedicated section on the recruitment of ex-offenders”, the report said.
“Should this situation arise in the future the trustees should refer to and follow the steps set out in the recruitment policy before a recruitment decision is made. This should also include if false information is provided by an applicant.”
The commission’s report also looked into the sliding standards of the school, going from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’ last year when a disturbing discovery was made by inspectors.
“On the first day of the inspection, a book which contained text that contradicted British values was found in the library. Leaders and staff were not able to provide inspectors with an explanation as to how the book came to be in the library. There was no school stamp on the inside cover.
“The book’s contents promote violence and intolerance towards groups protected by law. An excerpt from the book states ‘Homosexuals advocate a view of human relationships that is at odds with the natural order and stability of human society. Tolerating homosexuality and promiscuity means encouraging them and pushing more and more people to practice them.’ Another excerpt states ‘A person who is married and commits adultery, and who either confesses or whose act is proven, pays for it with his life’.”
The Charity Commission concluded that changes in leadership have now been made at the school, an independent review had been conducted in to Haque’s employment, and a string of changes have been made including around safeguarding.
Tim Hopkins, Assistant Director for Investigations and Inquiries at the Commission, said: “Umar Haque’s action at this charity was appalling. It is completely unacceptable for any charity to be associated with terrorism and we are concerned by the corrosive effect this might have on public confidence in this and other charities.
“We expect the trustees of this charity to learn from the failings set out in our report, and to comply with the required actions to strengthen the charity’s administration. We will closely monitor the trustees’ compliance with these actions."
The Standard has contacted the Lantern of Knowledge School for comment.