The West Midlands police and crime commissioner has been accused of offering a “blank check” to a mosque with a documented history of hosting speakers accused of antisemitism and misogyny.
Internal documents have revealed that Simon Foster expressed willingness to provide the mosque with a generic letter of support for future, unspecified grants.
In January 2023, the commissioner praised what he called the “impressive range of work” carried out by Green Lane mosque.
The correspondence, revealed as part of a Freedom of Information request, showed that Mr Foster wrote that he would be “very happy” to supply a “general letter of support” for funding purposes.
The mosque’s representative had specifically requested backing “that we can use for future grant applications too”.
Green Lane Mosque received £2 million from the government’s Youth Investment Fund, per The Times.
However, this funding was suspended later in 2023 after footage emerged of a preacher at the mosque arguing that “homosexuality is not permissible”.
Mr Foster has denied issuing any general letter, stating he provided support only for the specific youth investment bid.
West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster has been accused of offering a ‘blank check’ to a controversial mosque
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The police boos maintained that he was unaware of concerns about the mosque until seven months later, when a video clip began circulating on social media.
“I did not write a general letter of support to be used in connection with other bids,” Mr Foster said.
He stressed that he was “implacably opposed to any and all forms of extremism, hate, misogyny, homophobia and racism and that includes antisemitism”.
Green Lane Mosque’s ties to West Midlands police extend beyond this correspondence. In 2022, a senior figure from Green Lane sat on the panel that appointed Craig Guildford as chief constable.
Green Lane Mosque has previously hosted a speaker who declared that men could physically discipline their wives
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GREEN LANE MOSQUE
Mr Guildford is currently battling to retain his position following a review that concluded “exaggerated and untrue” evidence had been used to justify banning fans of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a match against Aston Villa.
During the Maccabi ban controversy, West Midlands police consulted eight Muslim groups, including Green Lane and two others accused of hosting antisemitic preachers, yet failed to engage with any local Jewish leaders.
Last year, it emerged that Green Lane Mosque had hosted a preacher who stated that men could physically discipline their wives, who should not leave home without permission.
During the lecture, Aqeel Mahmood asserted men possessed “a level of authority over the woman” and were entitled to obedience from their spouses.
The mosque was also consulted by West Midlands Police in the build-up to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans last year
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Mr Mahmood stated physical discipline was permissible as a “last resort” when wives proved rebellious, although he added it should not cause pain, injury, fear or humiliation, describing it as “more symbolic”.
Green Lane Mosque has maintained that such quotes were taken out of context and categorically rejected harm of any kind, accusing the press of recycling historic and misleading allegations.
Lord Austin of Dudley, the former Labour MP and antisemitism campaigner, condemned Foster’s approach as wholly inappropriate.”It is completely inappropriate for someone in his position to provide an institution with the equivalent of a blank cheque they can use for any application without scrutinising each one first, especially a mosque which has been accused of extremism or antisemitism,” Lord Austin said.
“But this does show the cosy relationship between the PCC, the police and this local mosque, which is part of the problem this disgraceful episode has revealed,” he told The Times.
GB News has approached West Midlands Police and Green Lane Mosque for comment.