London bridge charity’s £1.17m grant to Muslim forum draws scrutiny

The City Bridge Foundation, which maintains several historic London bridges and distributes grants to charitable causes, gave £1.17 million to the Muslim Charities Forum in 2023. The grant has drawn scrutiny because the forum’s treasurer, Shuaib Yusaf, also leads the Al-Khair Foundation, which is under investigation over alleged links to Hamas. The allegations have renewed debate about whether the bridge charity should focus more of its funding on London’s deteriorating crossings.

The Muslim Charities Forum says none of the grant went to Al-Khair, and says Yusaf stepped back from his forum role after the Charity Commission inquiry began, though he remains listed as a trustee. Al-Khair paid the forum a £25,000 membership fee in 2024-25. Separately, US prosecutors have charged Mohammad Yousef Hasna, who worked for an Al-Khair partner charity in Gaza, with terrorism-related offences; allegations include diverting aid to Hamas, which he denies by virtue of the charges remaining unproven. US documents cited in the article say Al-Khair’s gross income rose from about $41.8 million in 2023 to $81.56 million in 2024.