A mosque has banned women and girls over the age of 12 from participating in a charity fun run.
Muslim Charity Run, organised by East London Mosque called the event “inclusive” and “family-friendly” despite only letting men and boys take part.
The event is being held in Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets and will see no women complete the 5km circuit.
The Aspire Party is the local authority in the area, headed by Lutfar Rahman, a former Labour councillor who was removed from his position for electoral fraud, but re-elected in 2022.
The move by East London Mosque comes amid increasing concerns about the rise of sharia values incorporating themselves into British society.
Yesterday evening, the Equality and Human Rights Commissions said it would look into the case, after it was revealed by the Mail on Sunday.
Campaigners have described the move as “regressively sexist” and “plainly unlawful”.
Founder of feminist group Party of Women, Kellie-Jay Keen, said: “Banning women and girls over the age of 12 from a public charity event is plainly unlawful… and reinforces regressive sexist attitudes towards women’s place in public life.
East London Mosque has banned women and girls over 12 from running
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PA
“No charity should be allowed to operate under a different set of rules because of religion or culture. Equality before the law must apply to everyone.”
Ms Keen noted that the mosque’s move raises questions about whether it “may also breach the Equality Act”.
She continued: “The East London Mosque Trust reports annual revenues exceeding £5million, including £10,000 from the Government, and claims to spend much of this on education, training, social welfare and community cohesion.
“It is clear that this organisation does not understand, or chooses to ignore, its legal responsibilities to women and girls.”
The annual event has been held in Victoria since 2012, originally named Run 4 Your Mosque.
One woman has previously raised concerns about the exclusion of women before on social media.
The user, who goes by the name “Farahyd89”, wrote on Instagram: “Why aren’t women allowed to join?” adding in a separate post: “Why are you not allowing women to even walk? Your grandmothers and mothers with prams also not welcome?”
Leaders at East London Mosque insisted that their policy did not breach the Equality Act, which makes it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their sex.
Campaigners called the ban on women running in the event ‘unlawful’
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PAThey did fail to explain why some girls could take part in the event, those under the age of 12, but not others.
It comes as US President Donald Trump claimed London wants “to go to sharia law” under its “terrible” mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan.
In a fiery rant, Mr Khan responded, accusing Mr Trump of being “racist” and “Islamophobic”.
An East London Mosque spokesman said: “The suggestion that our event breaches the Equality Act is entirely incorrect.
“Single-gender sporting events are lawful under Section 195 and Schedule 23 of the Act, and are common across the UK, including the Women’s Run Series, Nike Women’s 10K, and gender-segregated swimming sessions at Orthodox Jewish facilities like Manchester Jewish Community Centre.
“The Muslim Charity Run operates under the same legal framework as these established events.”