Calls for ‘jihadi lioness’ boss of UK charity to be investigated

A UK charity is being scrutinised after reports that its boss has been hailed a “jihadi lioness” and was the recipient of an award from the “Butcher of Tehran”.

Syeda Umme Farwa, who runs the British-registered charity Labaik Ya Zahra (LYZ), is also alleged to have given platforms to alleged extremists at her charity’s events and mourned an Iranian general as a “martyr”.

A joint investigation by The Times and the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) found that Ms Farwa had been labelled a “jihadi lioness” in Iran.

London-based LYZ calls for “women of today to be educated and independent” and pledges to “help mankind” by advancing the Muslim faith and women’s rights through workshops, conferences and protests.

At a 2018 ceremony held in the Iranian city of Mashhad, Ms Farwa was filmed receiving an award in honour of her charity work in the UK from Ebrahim Raisi, the former hardline Iranian president known as the “Butcher of Tehran”.

She was praised as a “faithful [Islamic] revolutionary woman” before Raisi was sanctioned by the US for human rights abuses.

When Raisi – who had positioned himself as a potential successor to Ali Khamenei, supreme leader – died in a helicopter crash in May last year, Ms Farwa’s charity posted an “exclusive” video of his funeral on its YouTube channel.

The charity was also listed as a “supporting organisation” of a vigil held for him at the Iranian embassy in London.

That came despite the Charity Commission’s rules stating charities should not “operate in association with individuals or groups who are engaged in terrorist activities, or who support terrorists”.

A trustee from LYZ told The Times that Ms Farwa’s acceptance of the award was acceptable because Raisi was then a “religious scholar” and not yet president.

Charity conference in Iran

The investigation also found LYZ celebrated its 20th anniversary annual conference in Iran, despite operating in Britain.

Addressing the conference audience of hundreds, Ms Farwa said the event was “in line with the demands of the supreme leader of the Islamic revolution, Imam Khamenei”.

Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed in an American drone strike in 2020, was also labelled a “martyr” at the event.

The findings have led to calls for an urgent probe into the charity’s activities, including from Mark Wallace, the former US ambassador to the UN and founder and chief executive of UANI, Tom Tugendhat, a Tory MP and former security minister, and Mike Tapp, a Labour MP.

The Charity Commission said that links between charities and terrorist groups or terrorism were “corrosive to public trust and confidence in charities”.

It confirmed it was assessing allegations that Ms Farwa and LYZ broke charity law.

Ms Farwa and LYZ were approached for comment.

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