Syeda Umme Farwa runs her own Islamic charity – located minutes from a synagogue – where she reportedly memorialised Iranian terrors leader as ‘martyrs’
January 29, 2025 11:45
A UK charity boss described by an Iranian media outlet as a “jihadi lioness” has spoken at a number of pro-Iran NGOs in Britain, the JC can reveal.
Syeda Umme Farwa, who runs the UK-registered charity Labaik Ya Zahra (LYZ), was the recipient of a prize in honour of her charity work in Britain from Ebrahim Raisi, the former Iranian president known as the “Butcher of Tehran” for his role overseeing the mass execution of thousands of people.
The Charity Commission confirmed it was investigating LYZ’s ties to Iran following the revelation, originally published in The Times.
Based in London’s Stanmore just minutes from a synagogue, LYZ is an Islamic charity that claims to “help mankind” by advancing the Muslim faith and women’s rights through classes, conferences and protests.
However, according to the Times, Farwa told Iranian state media that LYZ commemorates the death of Iranian terror leader and Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani every year.
Now it can be revealed that Farwa, who is from Pakistan and lives in north west London, spoke at Idara-e-Jaaferiya in Tooting, the charity that oversees a school where the JC uncovered a pro-Hezbollah school teacher. She also addressed an audience via the Islamic Centre of England (ICE) in Maida Vale and spoke to students at the University of Manchester.
Both Idara-e-Jaaferiya and ICE are UK-registered charities but have images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on their walls. Iran’s brutal Supreme Leader, Khamenei is notorious for human rights violations and seeking the destruction of Israel.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei oversaw the execution of at least 901 people in Iran last year, including about 40 in a single week in December (Credit: Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
A joint investigation by The Times and advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (Uani) claims that Farwa and LYZ memorialised Iranian terror leaders as “martyrs”.
After Soleimani – who was sanctioned under UK law – was killed by an American strike in 2020, Farwa reportedly said she hoped “revenge will be taken for this bloodshed and the reign of the oppressors will come to an end” and that her charity produces films to mark “the anniversary of the martyr every year”.
When Farwa was reportedly filmed in Iran receiving an award from Raisi in 2018, she was praised as a “faithful [Islamic] revolutionary woman”.
A trustee from LYZ told The Times that Farwa’s receipt of the award was acceptable because Raisi was a “religious scholar” at the time and not yet president of Iran – even though the mass executions of political prisoners took place in the 1980s. The awards ceremony occurred before the US sanctioned Raisi for human rights abuses.
After Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May 2024, LYZ charity shared “exclusive” footage of his funeral on its YouTube page, according to The Times.
Farwa told Iranian state-run media that LYZ commemorates the death of Iranian terror leader Qassem Soleimani every year (Photo: Facebook)[Missing Credit]
LYZ was also reportedly listed as a “supporting organisation” of a vigil held for Raisi at the Iranian embassy in London last year, along with – the JC can reveal – the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) and Idara-e-Jaaferiya.
According to The Times, Farwa was described as a “jihadi lioness” by an Iranian media outlet run by the IRGC-affiliated Ammar Popular Film Festival. She was said to be one of the “women of the Axis of Resistance” and praised for standing with the “men of jihad” in “defending sacred ideals”.
Uani claims to have uncovered material that shows LYZ celebrated its 20th anniversary annual conference in Iran.
The Times claims the event was partnered by entities sanctioned by the US and Britain, including Al-Mustafa International University, sanctioned by the US in 2020 for its connections to IRGC recruitment, and the Astan Quds Razavi Foundation, sanctioned by the US since 2021.
Another partner was reportedly the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, the head of which has been sanctioned by the UK since 2020.
Regime figures were invited to deliver keynote speeches which included extremist rhetoric and Qassem Soleimani was commemorated as a “martyr”, according to the Times.
During her speech at the controversial conference, Farwa reportedly said the event was “in line with the demands of the supreme leader of the Islamic revolution, Imam Khamenei”.
An LYZ trustee denied allegations that the event hosted extremists linked to terror organisations when asked by The Times.
Farwa (second left) was praised as a “faithful revolutionary woman” when she received an award in Iran from the "Butcher of Tehran" in 2018 (Photo: Facebook)[Missing Credit]
At another LYZ conference last year, which Farwa did not attend, former Iranian ambassador to Damascus, Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, urged the crowd to “wage jihad”, according to The Times.
Shortly after October 7, Akhtari reportedly praised Hamas’s “victory” for inflicting the “biggest blow on the Israeli murderers”.
Akhtari was said to have told the LYZ audience: “We have a responsibility to wage jihad and fight for religion, for religious values, for moral values and for social values.”
According to The Times, another speaker at the event was Alireza Panahian, who is understood to be a senior member of the Supreme Leader’s office and an IRGC-affiliated cleric. He also celebrated the October 7 attack.
At the conference, Panahian allegedly said: “The great Islamic civilisation … seeks to gain victory in a battle with which civilisation? The civilisation of liberal democracy.”
The government’s anti-extremism tsar and MPs from both main parties have called for an urgent probe into LYZ’s activities following the investigation.
Fawra and LYZ trustees told the JC that they “categorically reject and dispute the insinuations of wrongdoing”.
“As trustees of Labaik Ya Zahra, we remain steadfast in our commitment to abiding by all laws and regulations applicable to our operations, conducting our work with the utmost integrity and in line with the highest ethical standards.
"Any allegations suggesting improper conduct or associations are unfounded and misrepresent the mission, values, and principles of our organisation.”
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: “We take any concern about possible links between a charity and extremism or terrorism very seriously, and will respond robustly to evidence of wrongdoing including making referrals to other agencies where appropriate.
“Such links are abhorrent not only because of the potential misuse of charitable funds for malign purposes, but because they are corrosive to the trust on which the charitable sector thrives.
“In light of the recent concerns raised about Labaik Ya Zahra, we have immediately opened a compliance case and are engaging with the charity’s trustees to investigate the allegations.”
A van is driven around Westminster to launch a new campaign to end the influence of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei on the UK by UANI. Byline John Nguyen/JNVisuals 07/01/2025 John Nguyen/JNVisuals
The claims about LYZ come as Uani launched a campaign calling for the UK to become a “Khamenei free zone”.
Uani has asked the government to shut down Khamenei’s British network, close his London base and other extremist hubs and expel regime representatives from the country.
In response to a request for comment, the IHRC accused the JC of “political bias in favour of a genocidal apartheid state” and refused to comment on the specifics of the allegations.
Idara-e-Jaaferiya and ICE were approached for comment.
