Pro-Hezbollah teacher in London vows to make children holy warriors

A day later he wrote in a chilling post: “We will make our children soldiers of Imam (Aaj)” – a 9th-century figure whom Shia Muslims believe will reappear one day to wage an apocalyptic war against non-Muslims and rid the world of evil.

In another post on the day Israel attacked a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, Naqvi appeared to suggest that children should take up arms, saying: “When the lion among us is killed, the children recognise the enemy and seek revenge.”

Naqvi, who has claimed children in the UK are “brainwashed” by immoral Western values, also shared an image memorialising Hezbollah terror chief Ibrahim Akil as “martyr”, captioning a photo of him “martyr commander of H/e/z/b/o/l/l/a/h”.

The charity that runs the school and its mosque, Idara-e-Jaaferiya, is already under investigation by the Charity Commission and the JC’s evidence has been added to the probe, a spokesman said.

Children at Jaaferiya school[Missing Credit]

The mosque, which helps organise London’s Quds Day march, the annual Tehran-backed rally against Israel, has shared a poster encouraging followers to attend the demonstration featuring the Star of David in flames.

Numerous posts on the mosque’s social media pages glorify Khamenei and quote his speeches. One called for the “power of Islam [to] be established in the world”, while several others show children and babies in the mosque wearing green bandanas.

The mosque runs the Islamic Saturday school, or madrassa, for children aged five to 14 that professes to provide “a holistic Islamic education that fosters a strong sense of identity, compassion, respect, and community service”.

A poster shared in 2018 on the charity's page depictured the Star of David in flames (Facebook)[Missing Credit]

Naqvi – who has been photographed teaching large groups of young children at Jaaferiya – regularly shares gushing social media posts about the Supreme Leader and has posted about defeating the “enemy” and waging a “war against those who fought you until the Day of Resurrection”.

Naqvi claimed that children are being “brainwashed” in UK schools. In a post on his Facebook profile, he wrote: “Homosexuality, sex education, atheism, liberal ideology are openly taught to the children of primary schools... That means our children are being brainwashed. Just because you have come to the West does not mean that you will follow their example, brother.”

When Iran threatened Israel before it launched hundreds of drones and missiles in April 2024, Naqvi quoted Khamenei, writing: “You will regret the mistake of attacking the Iranian embassy... Most of the markets in Tel Aviv have closed. Shelters have run out of space. And still the whole world is waiting what is going to happen? Just a moment of a syed’s finger” [Khamenei’s finger].

As Iran’s Houthi proxies in Yemen seized a cargo ship in international Red Sea waters, the teacher appeared to celebrate, writing that Yemen had become “so strong today” and showed “no compromise”.

In 2023, the JC reported that Naqvi taught children to memorialise the Iranian terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani days after he was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.

As commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, Soleimani oversaw Iran’s funding and direction of terror groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Naqvi wrote it was “essential we use our madressas to teach our children about our Shahuda [martyrs] and our leaders”. His posts show children holding pictures of Soleimani and were captioned “General Soleimani Anti-Zionism”.

Despite the controversy, Naqvi continued to have an influential role at the school and sits on Idara-e-Jaaferiya’s board of trustees.

Last year Idara-e-Jaaferiya moved its school – which teaches on Saturdays only – from the mosque on Church Lane to the premises of local school Furzedown Primary. Furzedown was approached for comment.

Meanwhile, Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune reported in 2016 that the charity’s chair, Muhammad Raza, was a “senior leader” in a Pakistani political party that Reuters described as having been accused of running Karachi “like a mafia state”. Raza was active in Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) during the period that the allegations were made – he left the party in 2016 to join Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), founded by former MQM politicians.

In 2014, then Tooting MP Sadiq Khan thanked Jaaferiya for hosting an Iftar. The same year, Conservative councillor and former parliamentary candidate Dan Watkins addressed a crowd at Jaaferiya, standing directly in front of several images of the ayatollahs.

A bloody display of schoolwork at the mosque (Photo: Facebook)[Missing Credit]

Watkins told the JC: “If we want our political representatives to play their part in building stronger communities, I think it is hard for them to do that without visiting sites which might contain photos of people who we disagree with.”

Jaaferiya attracted headlines two years later in 2016 over images of a group of members practising the ritual of self-flagellation. Men wielded chains with razor-sharp knives, flogging the skin from their backs, as blood landed on a plastic tarpaulin stretched across the floor of the mosque.

Jaaferiya banned the bloodletting ritual later that year in line with the Islamic Republic, where a fatwa was placed on self-flagellation because it gave Shias a “barbaric” image abroad, according to the Ayatollah.

The Charity Commission opened an investigation into Jaaferiya in August 2024 and has invited members of the public to submit concerns to their portal. A commission spokesperson told the JC: “We have an active regulatory compliance case to review concerns about Idara-e-Jaaferiya. We are engaging with the charity’s board of trustees and gathering more information to inform our assessment.

“We are currently considering additional information provided by the Jewish Chronicle to determine if there is any additional role for us as regulator.”

Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at anti-regime advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (Uani), said: “In the case of the Idra Jafariyeh, it is clear that this UK-registered charity, which has a Saturday school for British children, is promoting Islamist extremists in Iran’s regime, including the late Butcher of Tehran president and individuals affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“It is also explicitly clear that this UK-registered charity is promoting the Iranian regime’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is proactively plotting and ordering terrorist attacks in the UK against British nationals. It is simply unacceptable for any entity in the UK, not least a UK-registered charity, to be promoting violent Islamist extremists like Khamenei, who pose a direct terror threat to Britain.

“The relevant UK authorities – not least the Charity Commission – should open an immediate investigation into this centre in the UK and, if necessary, shut it down.

“But let’s be clear, this is just the tip of iceberg,” he claimed. Turning to the broader UK picture, he said: “Khamenei has developed an extensive infiltration network across the UK – which has been operating with very little oversight or scrutiny by the relevant UK authorities. In the coming months, our new campaign at Uani, which has the backing of senior cross-party MPs, will be exposing Khamenei’s infiltration network in the UK and across Europe.”

Uani has launched a new UK campaign to ensure Britain is a “Khamenei free zone”, which is supported by Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Robert Jenrick, Lord Walney, Labour MP Mike Tapp, Suella Braverman MP and Reform MP Richard Tice. Uani has asked the government to shut down Ayatollah Khamenei’s British network, close his London base and other hubs and expel regime representatives from the country.

Responding to the JC’s investigation, a spokesperson for Jaaferiya said: “The personal affiliations and social media activity of individuals within our community, including trustees, do not reflect the official stance or operations of our mosque. Our trustees are dedicated to serving the community in compliance with the law and charity regulations. Allegations linking our leadership to extremism or illegal activities are baseless.

“The suggestion that our institution is a hub for ‘extremism’ or ‘radicalisation’ is categorically false, deeply offensive, and perpetuates harmful stereotypes.”

The mosque accused the JC of an “anti-Iran bias” and defended its images of Iranian leaders and representations of the “pursuit of peace”: “The presence of Islamic leaders’ imagery or quotes in our mosque reflects longstanding theological and cultural traditions shared by millions of Muslims worldwide. These symbols are not political endorsements but representations of religious scholarship and values, including justice, resistance to oppression, and the pursuit of peace.”

Jaaferiya denied that their education programme is “training children to become soldiers”.

“Our educational programs are centered on compassion, tolerance, and justice. Teaching children about historical and contemporary figures within a theological framework does not equate to promoting extremism.

“Children in our community are taught to respect all people, embrace diversity, and contribute positively to society. Any suggestion to the contrary is a gross misrepresentation.”

The charity said that their green headbands were “cultural and religious symbols often worn during Islamic commemorations, such as the remembrance of the tragedy of Karbala.

“These headbands symbolise faith, sacrifice, and commitment to justice—values that are universally cherished.

“Al-Quds Day is a peaceful and lawful expression of solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people. Recognised as such by law enforcement and local authorities, the event aims to call for justice and peace in the face of oppression.

“It is concerning that criticism of Israeli state policies and expressions of solidarity with Palestinians are routinely conflated with extremism. This conflation suppresses legitimate discourse and perpetuates Islamophobic narratives. Our mosque remains a place of peace, inclusivity, and dialogue, and we categorically reject all forms of hatred and violence.

“We unequivocally deny the allegations in your email and reject the narrative it seeks to construct.

“Our mosque will continue to serve as a beacon of faith, education, and community service, fostering understanding and standing for justice.”

The JC approached the charity, Naqvi and Raza for comment.