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Couple Sentenced for Beating Roommate to Death

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Jacob Bailey and Renee Carpenter

Insets, from left: Jacob Bailey and Renee Carpenter (Craig County Sheriff’s Office). Background: the Craig County Sheriff’s Office in Vinita, Oklahoma (Google Maps).

An Oklahoma couple has been sentenced after admitting they beat their roommate to death at a home in Vinita.

Jacob Bailey, 38, and Renee Carpenter, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Sept. 25 in the death of 34-year-old Robert Sikes. Sikes lived with the couple before his body was discovered in September 2025. After investigating the death and allegations of repeated violent abuse, authorities arrested Bailey and Carpenter and initially charged them with first-degree murder.

An arrest affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate KSN said the couple gave investigators changing accounts before Carpenter acknowledged beating Sikes. She also told police that Bailey had beaten him. Carpenter said she “frequently” placed Sikes in pink handcuffs because his nighttime behavioral disturbances annoyed the couple. Both told police the handcuffs were eventually thrown away, although they offered different accounts of when that occurred.

Bailey reportedly admitted beating Sikes until he became unresponsive. An autopsy found that Sikes had suffered 69 fractures, including injuries to his clavicle, ulna, ribs, mandible and eye socket. The examination also revealed internal bleeding and a ruptured bowel.

According to the affidavit, Bailey said Carpenter once stepped on Sikes’ throat to stop him from calling for help. He also told investigators that she “took part in the striking of Sikes that ultimately led to his death.”

Police said Bailey, Carpenter and Sikes all had histories of mental illness. The couple told authorities they did not seek help for Sikes because they were afraid they would get in trouble.

Bailey and Carpenter were each sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Sonja Morgan: Carole Radziwill Thought RHONY Was Beneath Her

Former Real Housewives of New York castmates Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps have shared their reactions to Carole Radziwill rejoining the franchise. The three women appeared together on RHONY for several seasons, but Morgan admitted Radziwill’s comeback caught her off guard. She had never gotten the impression that Radziwill truly enjoyed her original experience on the reality show.

Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps aren’t impressed with Carole Radziwill’s RHONY return

Radziwill announced her exit from RHONY in 2018, explaining that she wanted to devote her time to other professional interests.

“After six seasons on Bravo’s RHONYC, I have decided to return to what I do best — journalism and producing,” she wrote at the time. “I am sure this does not come as a surprise to any of the viewers, all of whom have been supportive, encouraging, and kind.”

Now that Radziwill has returned to the series, de Lesseps and Morgan addressed the unexpected career turn during a recent episode of Call Her Daddy. De Lesseps said she was not shocked by Radziwill’s decision, while Morgan acknowledged that she never expected it.

“I was surprised because when Carole filmed with us, she always acted like, you know, she wasn’t in 100%,” Morgan said. “She was always like, ‘Well, this is a bit beneath me.’ You know, she always gave that air.”

Even so, Morgan acknowledged that Radziwill has performed well since coming back to RHONY. Morgan’s praise came with one reservation: she still does not believe Radziwill is completely invested in the reality-TV experience.

Carole Radziwill previously responded to Luann de Lesseps, not Sonja Morgan

De Lesseps recently suggested that Radziwill’s return made sense because she was not particularly “busy.” Radziwill responded with a playful video showing herself fishing from a dock.

“So I heard that the Countess recently said that I wasn’t that busy,” Radziwill said. “Now you know that I love the Countess. I went to her cabaret show at Bravo Con.”

Radziwill made clear that she was pleased de Lesseps was thriving with her cabaret career. As for herself, she said she had spent her entire life working and had reached a point where she was comfortable not constantly filling her schedule.

She shared why she decided to return to the show

After almost 10 years away from the franchise, Radziwill also admitted that returning to RHONY came with some nerves.

“I feel the pressure,” she told Bravo. “It feels different this time. It’s much more intensified. But I’m so grateful, because there’s so much love in the Bravosphere.”

Radziwill said the decision to return was ultimately inspired by an encounter with a stranger at a hospital. The woman was there visiting her brother and told Radziwill that seeing her had brought a moment of happiness during an otherwise difficult day.

“Just something about that moment, not to be super corny or basic, but there was magic in it,” Radziwill said. “And I just thought, you know, people love that show. It’s these microtransactions that happen every day that really, over the long haul, change your life. You’re gonna bring them joy. It was one of the turning points.”

Flydubai Hijacker Who Stabbed Pilot Was Religious Extremist

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Israeli authorities are investigating how an Omani religious extremist, accused of stabbing his co-pilot during an attempted hijacking branded “Israel’s 9/11,” was permitted to serve on the flight.

Passengers and crew reportedly overpowered the pilot after he attacked his colleague and tried to seize control of a Flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning.

As the aircraft plunged 14,000 feet in only 29 seconds, those on board fought to restore control. Captain Smit Machchhar, suffering serious stab wounds, was left lying in a pool of blood on the cockpit floor. An off-duty British pilot is believed to have been among the passengers who helped subdue the attacker.

Another pilot has since alleged that the assailant, believed to be an Omani national, displayed signs of religious extremism.

Yosef Yisrael, a foreign affairs editor and news anchor for Israel’s Channel 16, said he had spoken with a colleague of the accused pilot who asked not to be identified.

According to Mr Yisrael’s Hebrew-language report, the colleague described the pilot as behaving in an unusually religious manner that appeared out of place among his Flydubai colleagues. He allegedly prayed frequently and refused to shake hands with women.

Mr Yisrael said his source expressed regret and accused Flydubai of having “betrayed Israel”.

“There is no other way to put it—we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,” Mr Yisrael quoted the source as saying. “Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel. It is not clear how he got on this flight.”

A pilot, believed to be a religious extremist from Oman, (pictured) stabbed his co-pilot in a suspected hijacking attempt

The pilot, believed to be an Omani religious extremist, allegedly stabbed his co-pilot during a suspected hijacking attempt

Graphic footage filmed by passengers on the flight shows the wounded pilot Smit Machchhar lying on the floor as others tend to him

Passenger footage appears to show injured captain Smit Machchhar lying on the cabin floor while others attend to him

Mr Machchhar was praised for helping protect the 174 passengers on board after reportedly fighting his co-pilot in the cockpit and preventing further interference with the aircraft’s systems

Israel is examining how the alleged attacker passed security checks and was approved to operate a flight bound for Tel Aviv. Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel, while foreign flight crews operating into Israeli airspace are subject to strict controls.

Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while it investigates the incident.

Flight FZ1073 changed course over Jordanian airspace on Wednesday morning before eventually landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

The crew issued a general emergency alert using squawk code 7700, a four-digit signal used to notify air traffic controllers of an in-flight emergency, as the aircraft turned around near the Jordan-Saudi border.

While over Saudi Arabia, the aircraft briefly transmitted code 7500, which indicates unlawful interference or a possible hijacking. Officials feared the incident could develop into another September 11-style attack, while reports said passengers had restrained the suspect and stopped an alleged “Israeli 9/11”.

A source who heard the crew’s mayday communication with air traffic control said the aircraft was redirected by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before being cleared to land in Tabuk, a major city in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

The anonymous source said the pilot sounded shaken as he repeatedly called “mayday”, reported that a hijacking was under way and warned that ambulances would be required after landing.

Saudi authorities initially refused permission to land and instructed the aircraft to seek clearance from Jordan. The plane was then told to wait for approval from the Jordanian military before being turned away.

The pilot subsequently returned toward Saudi Arabia and said he had no choice but to land in Tabuk. Air traffic controllers did not explain why the earlier landing requests had been rejected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with passenger Yaniv Hayun - who helped prevent the hijacking on the Flydubai plane

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with passenger Yaniv Hayun – who helped prevent the hijacking on the Flydubai plane

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the assailant’s arrest on Wednesday afternoon, adding he is ‘currently being questioned by the Saudi authorities’. His identity, intention and motive have not yet been confirmed. 

Passengers and crew, including the captain Mr Machchhar, have been hailed for their bravery in preventing what is believed to be an attempted suicide mission. One of whom is said to have been an off-duty British pilot. 

Mr Machchhar was praised for saving the lives of those 174 passengers on board, which included four Americans. While cruising mid-air, the hero was able to fight off his co-pilot in the cockpit and his attempts to sabotage the plane’s systems.

Distressing footage showed Mr Machchhar lying on the ground covered in blood as passengers tended to his injuries, while another pilot is seen seemingly lying nearby unconscious. Passengers can be heard telling one of the men: ‘You saved the plane.’

Delhi’s embassy in Saudi Arabia has since confirmed Mr Machchhar is being treated in a hospital in Tabuk.

The incident was described as ‘an attempted jihadist terror attack’ by Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz, which was ‘thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers’.

This includes one Israeli passenger, named by local media as Yaniv Hayun, who was called a ‘hero’ by Mr Netanyahu during a meeting as he arrived back in Tel Aviv. 

Mr Hayun, who was wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt, embraced the Israeli PM before describing how he broke down the cockpit door and wrestled the alleged terrorist before taking over control of the plane – the skills of which he credits to his watching of TV show Air Disasters, which investigates notable aviation crises. 

The jet dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds

The jet dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds

Passengers file out of the rear of the plane, which appeared to show a section of the rudder missing, after it landed in Saudi Arabia

Passengers file out of the rear of the plane, which appeared to show a section of the rudder missing, after it landed in Saudi Arabia 

One passenger Almog Itali described how the plane became a ‘rollercoaster’ before it ‘dropped down like a massive G-force’ for around 30 seconds. 

Mr Itali credits the passengers who intercepted the believed hijack with his life, telling BBC Newsnight: ‘They are very brave, the literally saved our lives.’

Aviation experts have marvelled that the plane didn’t crash, as the flight plummeted from 33,000ft to 17,000ft (around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters) in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk about an hour later, according to Flightradar24, which identified the aircraft as a Boeing 737 Max 8. 

United Airlines pilot and aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said he was surprised that the plane was able to land safely after most of the rudder was ripped off the tail during the extreme descent.

‘That was a serious descent and strong aerodynamic forces on that rudder for that to happen. I’m just amazed the aircraft didn’t come apart,’ Mr Arroyo said.

Another aviation safety expert, Jeff Guzzetti, said that given the rate of descent, it may not have been possible for the plane to level out if it had fallen below 10,000ft.

‘It is remarkable they were able to pull out of that dive. What saved them is there was enough altitude left for them to recover,’ said Mr Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration in the US.

Flydubai said in a statement it was suspending flights to and from Israel as it investigated Wednesday’s incident. 

READ MORE: Stabbed pilot is a true hero. He opened the cockpit door’: Netanyahu heaps praise on captain of Flydubai plane and passengers who overpowered attacker and averted 9/11-style disaster

Long Island Dad Lonnie Booker Shot and Killed at Bellport Park

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A Long Island father of two was killed in what police believe was a targeted shooting at a North Bellport park, while a separate confrontation involving the victim’s friend prompted a lockdown at a nearby hospital.

Lonnie Booker, 43, was shot in the chest at Robert Rowley Park at approximately 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

Booker was transported to NYU Langone-Suffolk in East Patchogue, located about three miles from the park. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said Booker appeared to know the shooter. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the suspect leaving the park in a red sedan.

“It appears that it is a targeted attack, and that the victim and perpetrator knew each other,” Catalina told ABC7NY.

No suspect has been arrested. Detectives with the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad are urging anyone with information to come forward.

The turmoil continued at the hospital shortly after Booker arrived.

Police said Booker’s friend, Emmanuel Mayo, went to the hospital and became involved in a confrontation with an officer, according to Greater Long Island.

Mayo, 37, allegedly pushed an officer as he attempted to enter the hospital and then resisted arrest, police said. Hospital employees and officers temporarily restricted visitors from entering the building until the situation was under control.

Mayo faces charges of second-degree harassment and resisting arrest.

Back at Robert Rowley Park, Booker’s loved ones and friends created a memorial and gathered to grieve.

“My cousin was an outstanding guy, and boom, he shouldn’t have died like that,” Earl Parker told ABC7NY.

The fatal shooting has also renewed questions about security at the park.

Just seven days before Booker was killed, police detained seven people for allegedly trespassing at the park after dark. Four were taken into custody on outstanding warrants, while three received field appearance tickets, Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico told Newsday.

Panico said Brookhaven has made significant investments in the park, including installing surveillance cameras after residents raised concerns about people lingering there after hours.

Catalina said Booker was the first person shot in the Fifth Precinct this year, while emphasizing that “one homicide victim is one too many” and “one shooting victim is one too many.”

The investigation into the North Bellport shooting remains ongoing, police said.

Powerball Winning Numbers for Wednesday, Sept. 30: Did Anyone Win the $409 Million Jackpot?

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Before taxes, the Wednesday jackpot’s lump-sum cash option was valued at $170.2 million.

WASHINGTON — Powerball players should check their tickets after a $409 million jackpot went up for grabs in Wednesday night’s drawing.

The advertised jackpot carried a pre-tax cash value of $170.2 million for winners who chose the one-time payment instead of an annuity.

Powerball winning numbers for Sept. 30, 2026

Wednesday’s winning combination was 4, 6, 23, 33 and 44, with Powerball number 13. The Power Play multiplier was 4X.

Because no ticket matched all of the numbers, the jackpot will climb to an estimated $440 million for Saturday night’s drawing.

A ticket purchased in Texas matched the five white-ball numbers and earned a $1 million prize.

When are Powerball drawings and how much do tickets cost?

Powerball drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the results aired live at approximately 10:59 p.m. Eastern time, or 7:59 p.m. Pacific. Sales generally close about an hour before the drawing, although deadlines differ by state.

A Powerball play costs $2. Players select five numbers from 1 through 69 and one Powerball number from 1 through 26. Those who prefer not to choose their own numbers can use a computer-generated Quick Pick.

For an additional $1, players can add Power Play, which boosts non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times, based on the multiplier drawn. Powerball is available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom.

The 10 largest U.S. jackpots won: 

  1. $2.04 billion – Powerball – Nov. 7, 2022 – California
  2. $1.817 billion – Powerball – Dec. 24, 2025 – Arkansas
  3. $1.787 billion – Powerball – Sept. 6, 2025 – Missouri and Texas
  4. $1.765 billion – Powerball – Oct. 11, 2023 – California
  5. $1.602 billion – Mega Millions – Aug. 8, 2023 – Florida
  6. $1.586 billion – Powerball – Jan. 13, 2016 – California, Florida and Tennessee
  7. $1.537 billion – Mega Millions – Oct. 23, 2018 – South Carolina
  8. $1.348 billion – Mega Millions – Jan. 13, 2023 – Maine
  9. $1.337 billion – Mega Millions – July 29, 2022 – Illinois
  10. $1.326 billion – Powerball – April 6, 2024 – Oregon

EDITOR’S NOTE — If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, free and confidential help is available here and 24/7 by calling or texting the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). Prediction market gambling is also increasing, you can watch our interview with a gambling clinician about the concerns for addiction, by clicking here.

Tennessee Death Row Inmate Survives Two Lethal Injection Attempts

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Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, was still alive Wednesday night after receiving two lethal injections, according to her attorney.

Pike’s legal team said in a motion filed Wednesday night that the attempted execution had failed to kill the convicted Tennessee murderer and asked a court to stop the process.

At 8:26 p.m. local time, witnesses reported that execution officials had “injected both syringes of lethal injection chemicals” but that Pike remained alive and was snoring, her lawyers wrote in a federal court filing, according to The Associated Press.

Her attorneys said Pike “has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat.” They also reported that the curtains separating the execution chamber from witnesses “have gone down twice,” the AP said.

Colleen Slemmer in a portrait photo.

An undated portrait photograph of Colleen Slemmer provided by her mother. (May Martinez/Special to the News Sentinel)

Officials appeared to administer two doses of pentobarbital, but Pike remained awake and continued snoring more than 40 minutes after the second dose, according to the AP.

At 8:53 p.m., officials escorted media witnesses from the area, The Associated Press reported. The Tennessee Department of Corrections said it could not immediately provide an account of what had occurred.

Emergency vehicles were seen arriving at and leaving the prison, according to the outlet.

The development came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a last-minute stay, temporarily clearing the way for Pike’s execution. If carried out, she would have become the first woman executed in Tennessee since the early 1800s.

Emergency vehicles

Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The Supreme Court granted Tennessee’s request to vacate the stay issued Wednesday morning by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, allowing the state to proceed with Pike’s execution.

The Sixth Circuit had issued the stay “until further notice” in a 2-1 decision while considering motions from Pike’s attorneys and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.

Tennessee immediately appealed to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to lift the stay.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented from the Supreme Court’s ruling. Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined her dissent.

Sotomayor said the Sixth Circuit should have been allowed more time to review Pike’s pending legal challenge before the execution went forward.

“In capital cases, ‘[a]ppreciation of our own fallibility, and respect for the judgment of an appellate tribunal,’ demand caution before ‘acting irretrievably,’” Sotomayor wrote.

She added that the Supreme Court “chooses to overlook that principle precisely when it matters most.”

Pike, 50, was 18 in 1995 when she, her boyfriend and another person beat, kicked and stabbed 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer to death in a brutal attack described as “satanic.” Pike said the killing lasted between 30 minutes and an hour, according to court documents.

Pike and Slemmer met through the Job Corps Center, a vocational program in Knoxville, according to court records.

Case records say Pike accused Slemmer of “trying to get [her] boyfriend” and “running her mouth.” The day before the killing, Pike told another classmate that she wanted to kill Slemmer because she “just felt mean that day,” the records state. She was carrying a box cutter and a meat cleaver.

Pike and her accomplices lured Slemmer out, telling her they wanted to go to a music store and pick up some marijuana they’d hidden in a park nearby.

Pike attacked her, knocked her to the ground and hit her in the face with her knee and foot, according to court documents.

Christa Pike wearing white with curley red hair at trial in 1996

Christa Gail Pike is seen during her trial for the murder of Colleen A. Slemmer on March 18, 1996, in Knox County Criminal Court. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

At one point, Slemmer broke away from Pike and tried to flee, but Pike’s boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, grabbed her and held her down while Pike slashed her with the box cutter. The victim begged for her life, but the attackers kept going. At some point, they gagged her with a hair tie.

Shipp also carved pentagrams into the victim’s face and chest.

A vertical photo of a death row inmate in Tenneseee

Christa Gail Pike is set to face execution after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a last-minute stay on Sept. 30, 2026. She would be the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1819. (Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)

At trial, forensic psychiatrist Dr. William Bernet testified that the crime had “satanic elements” but also appeared to involve “the phenomenon of collective aggression, in which a group of people become emotionally aroused and ‘the end result is that they engage in some kind of violent, extremely violent activity,'” court records show.

Dr. Eric Engum testified that Pike had been diagnosed with “very severe borderline personality disorder” in addition to showing signs of cannabis dependence and depression. However, he said, she had no symptoms of brain damage or insanity.

Dr. Murray Marks holds the victim's shattered skull at Christa Pike's murder trial in 1996

University of Tennessee forensic anthropologist Dr. Murray Marks testifies about the wounds to Colleen A. Slemmer’s skull during Christa Gail Pike’s murder trial in Knox County Criminal Court on March 25, 1996. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Pike took a piece of the victim’s crushed skull as a trophy and later showed it off in school, recounting that Slemmer had begged the trio to stop, according to court records. Pike told the friend she’d cut Slemmer’s throat a half-dozen times and then smashed her head with a rock. She showed off her bloodstained sneakers to another classmate and brought Slemmer’s skull fragment to breakfast the next morning.

Neither Shipp nor the third attacker, Shadolla Peterson, received death sentences. Shipp was under 18 at the time and not eligible for capital punishment. Peterson testified for the state.

Pike’s supporters counter that her defense did a poor job presenting mitigating factors before her sentencing, including untreated bipolar disorder and PTSD stemming from repeated domestic violence and sexual assaults. Just under 25,000 people had signed a petition to Gov. Bill Lee asking him to commute her death sentence to life in prison.

Ashley Tisdale’s Husband Speaks Out on ‘Toxic Mom Group’ Drama

Christopher French says life at home has remained steady despite the public reaction to his wife’s comments.

The Annie Automatic musician said he and Ashley Tisdale have not allowed the criticism surrounding her essay about leaving a “toxic mom group” to disrupt their everyday lives.

“We’re doing fine,” French told Page Six in an interview published Sept. 30. He praised Tisdale as “a super smart, capable person” who understands how to handle her own situation—an independence he said is one of the qualities he loves about her.

French, host of the Recovering podcast, shares daughters Jupiter, 5, and Emerson, 2, with Tisdale. He explained that he never believed the controversy was something he needed to personally enter.

“I have no problem supporting my wife completely in her ability to deal with her own interpersonal relationships in whatever way [she] feels is right for her,” he said. “That doesn’t mean getting involved or feeling like I have to speak for her.”

Calling Tisdale a “really smart chick” and “a very capable person,” the composer said that recognizing how deeply the issue affected her helped him understand why the situation had been so difficult.

“We are very private,” French added, “but this was something that really mattered to her.”

Islamic Preacher Urges Men to Beat Wives Who Refuse to Obey

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A London mosque registered as a charity is under investigation after sermons shared online appeared to encourage husbands to hit their wives and endorse the execution of gay people.

Videos posted to the Hackney Islamic Community Centre’s YouTube channel describe gay sex as “one of the most evil of acts” and tell men to “discipline” wives who disobey them—including women who refuse sex.

In another lecture, the same preacher praised Saudi Arabia for continuing to execute people accused of “witchcraft”.

A community elder at the East London mosque, also known as Masjid Daar Al-Hadeeth, described it as an “unfortunate reality” that many women now feel able to call police when their husbands assault them.

The National Secular Society (NSS) has referred the centre to the Charity Commission, arguing that the views promoted through its social media channels are incompatible with its charitable status.

As a registered charity, the Hackney Islamic Community Centre—whose stated aims include helping “mankind” and “advancing the Islamic faith”—receives a range of tax exemptions.

The centre paid no tax on £191,097 in income recorded for the year ending March 2025, according to its latest accounts. Nearly £155,000 of that total came from direct donations.

In April this year, it re-registered as a charitable incorporated organisation. The change separated its trustees from liability for the charity’s debts and enabled it to own property in a structure similar to a limited company, while remaining subject to charity law.

Hackney Islamic Community Centre teacher Yasin Munye described homosexuality and a wife's disobedience as 'major sins'

Hackney Islamic Community Centre teacher Yasin Munye described homosexuality and a wife’s disobedience as “major sins”

Megan Manson, the NSS’s head of campaigns, called the charity’s renewal “alarming”, saying it had hosted “lectures which promote violence against women, say women cannot refuse their husbands sex, and condone the death penalty for gay men and those accused of ‘witchcraft’”.

“Hackney Islamic Community Centre is just one of many charities promoting misogyny, homophobia and other harmful ideologies through the charitable purpose of ‘the advancement of religion’,” she said.

“This charitable purpose must be urgently reviewed. It is evidently facilitating the advancement of ideas which, far from benefiting the public, could fuel discrimination, division and abuse.”

Many of the most controversial statements appear in a series of lectures delivered at the centre by Yasin Munye, an “ustaadh”, or teacher. In the videos, he reads from Manthumatu al-Kaba’ir, a poem listing what Islam identifies as “major sins”.

He identified one such sin as “disobeying the husband, leaving the house without his permission, and disobeying the husband when it comes to calling her to bed, when it comes to calling her for intimacy, when she says ‘no’ without any excuse”.

He then said husbands should “advise her, and boycott her in bed, don’t touch her in bed—and discipline them physically as well, by lightly hitting them to show them who is in charge”.

If a wife continued to refuse, he said her husband “doesn’t have to give her a house anymore”. He added that a man with multiple wives could leave her and remain with another wife “until she becomes obedient again”.

In the same lecture, Mr Munye called gay sex “one of the most evil acts” and “a crime”, claiming that both participants would be “executed in the Sharia”.

He continued: “Scholars, they differ on how the execution occurs. Some of them say he is executed through the sword, like every other normal execution.”

“Others say that they are thrown off of a tall building and rocks are thrown after that on top of them.”

In another video, mosque scholar Abu Sa'ad Muhammad Al-Iraqi said it was 'unfortunate' that women felt empowered to call the police if their husbands were violent

In another video, mosque scholar Abu Sa’ad Muhammad Al-Iraqi said it was “unfortunate” that women felt empowered to call the police if their husbands were violent

Countries including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen continue to execute people for homosexuality under Sharia law.

The terror group Islamic State executed dozens of men accused of homosexuality by throwing them from tall buildings during its peak in the late 2010s.

Elsewhere, Mr Munye said the act of ‘sihr’, or witchcraft, is ‘real’, and praised the government of Saudi Arabia for continuing to execute those accused of the practice.

‘Sihr (magic) is real, it is true… In Saudi Arabia, they are killed, alhamdulillah (praise be to God), bless that, because a lot of Muslim countries today you don’t find this ruling applied,’ he says. 

‘Alhamdulillah, in that country, that punishment is still applied.’

In 2016, father-of-seven Jalal Uddin, 71, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in a Rochdale park by Islamic State extremist Mohammed Kadir because he practiced a form of Islamic healing the terror group labelled ‘black magic’.

Misogynistic views were expressed in other lectures. 

In another video, mosque scholar Abu Sa’ad Muhammad Al-Iraqi said a woman should serve her husband even if he ‘mistreats’ her.

‘If he is not nice to you and mistreats you, there is a way: you bring your family, speak to his family, to teach him a lesson. But you have to give his right, otherwise don’t be his wife,’ he said.

‘Women think these days, our sisters think, that you only be kind to him if he’s been kind back… it doesn’t work like that.’

Imam Jalal Uddin was bludgeoned to death in Rochdale in 2016 by an Islamic State fanatic who believed he was practising 'black magic'

Imam Jalal Uddin was bludgeoned to death in Rochdale in 2016 by an Islamic State fanatic who believed he was practising ‘black magic’

He added: ‘In another country they (women) can’t do that, they won’t. But it is an unfortunate reality of this country that they turn wife against husband.

‘They know if you slap them once, they’ll call the police for you. They don’t fear Allah.’

Masjid Daar Al-Hadeeth was contacted for comment.

The Charity Commission says it has received the NSS complaint and will consider it before making a decision on whether to open a statutory inquiry.

A spokesman said: ‘The Commission has clear expectations that all charities, regardless of their purpose, must operate for the public benefit and provide a safe and trusted environment for all.

‘Concerns have been raised with us about alleged sermons and social media content linked to Hackney Islamic Community Centre and we have opened a regulatory compliance case to further assess these. This will determine any next steps.’ 

However, the law may be on the mosque’s side.

The Equality Act and Human Rights Act make provisions for the expression of religious freedom, and charity watchdogs have refused to act because teachings are ‘in accordance with… religious beliefs’.

Earlier this year, Islamic preacher Ahmed Shah escaped censure after telling worshippers at Hatch End Islamic Centre that it was ‘mandatory’ for women to do the housework and serve their husbands. 

The Charity Commission instead said it would give ‘advice and guidance’ to the mosque in north London, which took the sermon down from its YouTube channel.