UK Dept Ed. reviewing Muslim schools run by Al-Khair Foundation following reports of Hamas ties

The UK Department for Education (DfE) is investigating four Muslim independent schools operated by the Al-Khair Foundation after the Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into the organization suspected of having ties to Hamas. The Charity Commission received a complaint alleging the charity and its partners had connections to Hamas and had funded the group. Al-Khair's employee, Mohammad Yousef Hasna, was charged in the UK with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, leading to his extradition to the US.

The Charity Commission's inquiry was prompted by allegations that the schools might be at risk of safeguarding and Prevent-related issues due to the involvement of individuals allegedly linked to Hamas. UK Lawyers for Israel (UKFLI) sent a report to the DfE's Counter-Extremism Division on July 10, 2026, detailing the links between Al-Khair and the Hamas terrorist group, expressing concerns about safeguarding, extremism, and compliance with the Prevent duty at the schools run by the charity.

The four schools under the Al-Khair Foundation are located in Croydon, Oldbury, Birmingham, and cater to over 550 children. Annual school fees range from £3,600 to £5,468. UKFLI warned that the schools could be exposed to risks arising from Al-Khair's employment of individuals allegedly linked to proscribed terrorist organizations.

Schools are required to follow the Prevent duty, which mandates them to assess the risk of pupils being drawn into terrorism and challenge extremist narratives. UKFLI argued that the evidence gathered justified the examination of whether safeguarding measures were effectively implemented at the Al-Khair schools. The Charity Commission's statutory inquiry and separate criminal allegations being pursued by the US authorities emphasize the urgency of investigating these concerns.