I guess this has been made up, but ... Fury over charities that fund ISIS' Jihadi John apologists | Daily Mail Online
It would be so much better if journalists covered up things like this: We have thousand potential jihadis on UK radar, warns ex-MI6 chief | Daily Mail Online
"Charity" is a word that is often misunderstood. Pretty much anyone can set up a charity. As long as you have stated aims and comply with the fairly loose guidelines you can register for charitable status - and there can be tax benefits. The assumption amongst the general public is that "charity" implies well-intentioned people working towards some noble, altruistic aim; but that's not always true...
Before the Charities Act 2011 there was a long-standing presumption in law that all religious bodies were charitable. Regardless of the activities they carried out, or how much harm they did, or what they spent their money on, they could register as charities and gain various tax reliefs. Thankfully those days are now past, and the Charity Commissioners are able to remove charitable status from a few of the more appallingly abusive bodies (such as the Plymouth Brethren).
