A petition has been launched to close down the Islamic Centre Of England In London, which is reportedly funded by Iran.

The petition, which has been launched on change.org under the title ‘Immediate closure of the UK-based institution backed by the Islamic Republic regime’, had over 25,000 signatures of the 35,000 needed at the time of writing, today, on the afternoon of Friday 25th November.

The Islamic Centre of England is located in London’s Maida Vale, an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London.

The summary of the petition says: “We ask the UK government to shut down The Islamic Centres of England (ICEL), seize their assets and expel its organisational leads.

“What is the Islamic Centre of England (ICEL)?

“‘The centre, based in a former cinema in northwest London, is a registered charity which boasts assets of more than GBP 4 million. It funds other Islamic centres in Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle.

The centre’s legal aims are ‘advancing the religion of Islam, education, and the provision of social and religious welfare facilities’.”

But the petition summary also says: “It also serves as an office for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who has appointed its director, Seyyed Hashem Mousavi, a mid-ranking cleric.”

And it said: “The centre (ICEL) is part of a network of organisations considered to have close links to the regime in Tehran, including the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC).”

The petition is calling on the British government to shut down the organisation and its affiliated offices, saying: “Therefore, we believe it is just and necessary for the UK government to take proactive responsibility in protecting the Iranian, Iranian-British and British people residing in the UK, by shutting down this organisation and its affiliated offices.”

The petition on change.org can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/immediate-closure-of-the-uk-based-institution-backed-by-the-islamic-republic-regime

The move has also been reported in independent Iranian media including Iran International, which the Tehran regime has branded a terrorist organisation.

Other Iranian media outlets have reported that the Islamic Centre of England is the subject of a statutory inquiry launched by the Charity Commission over “serious governance concerns” and failure to comply with previous rulings.

Iranian forces have been cracking down on waves of civil disorder following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, who was on a visit to Tehran when she was arrested by morality police, accused of violating hijab rules on 13th September.

She was allegedly beaten while in custody and spent the following days in a coma in the hospital before succumbing in the ICU on 16th September.

The clinic where she was treated said in a now-deleted social media post that she had been admitted brain-dead.

Alleged medical scans of her skull leaked by hackers showed that she had suffered bone fractures, haemorrhages, and brain oedema.

Independent Iranian media have claimed that Mahsa’s medical records showing her history of heart disease were faked by the Iranian government.

Numbers differ regarding how many people have been killed since the protests began.

The ongoing protests in Iran have killed at least 419 people, including 51 children, and injured at least 1,160, according to independent estimates.

It is also understood that more than 17,500 people have been arrested so far.