The British Department for Education is investigating a Muslim charity that operates several schools in Britain, after a man affiliated with the group was accused by the F.B.I. of financing terrorism by funding Hamas.
The man, Mohammad Yousef Hasna of Turkey, identified himself on LinkedIn as global director for the charity, Al-Khair Foundation, and his arrest last month in Britain at the behest of American prosecutors has cast a shadow over it.
The foundation, which runs several schools and raises funds for humanitarian campaigns around the world, said Mr. Hasna was not an employee but “works for one of our many implementing partners overseas.”
The charity was not charged in the complaint that federal prosecutors unsealed last month in New York, in which Mr. Hasna was accused of providing material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The complaint against Mr. Hasna — who is in custody in Britain awaiting an extradition hearing and could not be reached for comment — accused him of coordinating “extensively with individuals at the highest levels of Hamas to raise funds, as well as to procure and transport commodities and materials to Gaza.”
Since Mr. Hasna’s arrest the British Department for Education has sought information from Al-Khair about four Islamic schools it runs — three in London and one in Oldbury, near Birmingham, England — the foundation said in a statement.
The department’s investigation comes after a formal inquiry was announced by Britain’s Charity Commission,which is also investigating “the nature and extent” of Al-Khair Foundation’s ties to Mr. Hasna, its governance and compliance policies.
“Serious allegations have been made about Mohammad Hasna, and we are cooperating in full with all relevant authorities,” the foundation said in a statement, adding that “Mr. Hasna has had no involvement or contact with these schools whatsoever.”
Al-Khair Foundation began as an education nonprofit in 2003, opening several schools in Britain, and it has since expanded into humanitarian relief and aid activities around the world, including Gaza.
“Al-Khair Foundation is a humanitarian organization dedicated to supporting those in need, and unreservedly condemns violence of all kinds, including terrorism,” it said. “We are committed to the highest standards of governance, compliance and oversight in ensuring that aid only reaches its intended beneficiaries: poor and marginalized people in the communities we serve.”
It has been difficult for charities to channel money into Gaza without Hamas accessing donations, and there have been cases in which some charities have been accused of acting as fronts for the militant group. Israel has repeatedly accused aid groups of being manipulated by Hamas, compounding the complications of delivering aid.
The foundation’s predicament illustrates the tricky situation that nonprofits and donors face amid crushing humanitarian needs in Gaza nearly three years after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel ignited a devastating Israeli military response that has left much of the enclave in dire straits.
The Trump administration has sought to prosecute people it says are funding Hamas, which has been the de facto civil governing authority in Gaza for nearly two decades. American prosecutors under President Trump have shown a new willingness to link charity work to Hamas. The Israeli authorities have also consistently accused aid organizations of allowing the Palestinian militants to infiltrate their ranks and siphon aid, a claim the groups have denied.
Prosecutors say Mr. Hasna gave money and goods to Hamas leaders, worked at their direction and “manipulated photographs and documents to conceal from the public and potential donors that Hamas was the actual beneficiary of his fund-raising and to obfuscate the true nature of his purportedly humanitarian work.”
Last month, U.K. Lawyers for Israel, a pro-Israel group, urged Britain’s interior ministry to investigate Al-Khair Foundation, saying there are “reasonable grounds to suspect” links to Hamas.
The lawyers’ group said it had not drawn any conclusions about the organization and registered concerns based on public information. “Our purpose in submitting our reports was not to prejudge the outcome, but to ensure that evidence raising potentially grave national security, charity regulation and safeguarding concerns was properly examined rather than ignored,” it said in an email.
Al-Khair Foundation has pushed back against assertions that it has any connection to terrorism or supports any violence. “The educational approach of Al-Khair schools intentionally serves as a positive antidote to extremism and isolationism,” it said. “The objective is to provide a holistic education in which pupils learn to debate, critique and think for themselves, and subsequently to contribute positively to society.”
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