Investigation Forces U-Turn on 'Regressive' Fun Run Ban
An East London mosque has been compelled to abandon its controversial policy of barring women and girls over the age of 12 from a charity fun run following an investigation by The Mail on Sunday and scrutiny from the UK's equalities watchdog. The 5km event, held last month and promoted as an 'inclusive' and 'family-friendly' occasion, faced significant backlash after organisers explicitly forbade female participation beyond the specified age.
Public Outcry and Official Intervention
The rules imposed by the organisers of the Muslim Charity Run were exposed by this newspaper, prompting an immediate assessment by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Campaigners labelled the ban as 'plainly unlawful' and 'regressively sexist'. In a swift reversal, a spokeswoman for the EHRC confirmed that the East London Mosque organisers have now promised to allow women of all ages to take part in next year's event.
Shadow Women and Equalities minister Claire Coutinho stated, 'It was appalling that women and girls over the age of 12 were ever banned from taking part in a Muslim fun run simply because they are women.' She commended the reporting that brought the issue to light and expressed relief that 'common sense has prevailed'.
Calls for Accountability and Lasting Change
Despite the policy change, some have questioned why stronger sanctions were not applied. Human rights campaigner Aisha Ali-Khan argued for accountability, noting the charity had spent 12 years sidelining women from the annual event, originally named 'Run 4 Your Mosque'. 'This saga has exposed community leaders living in their little ivory towers feeling untouchable. It is damaging to our religion,' she said.
The event takes place in Tower Hamlets, a borough led by the Aspire Party under Bangladesh-born politician Lutfur Rahman, who was re-elected in 2022 after previously being removed from office for electoral fraud. On the day of the run, October 12, he had defended the event, claiming there should be 'no room for criticism'.
The EHRC has confirmed its investigation has now been halted, but a spokeswoman added, 'If we are made aware of any further complaints about the event, we stand ready to re-examine the concerns and take action where appropriate.'
