Islamic Centre of England
Iran
The Islamic Centre of England (ICE) is part of the Iranian influence network in the UK. Its website states that it was founded in December 1995 and opened officially in November 1998. On its website, the Centre says it wishes to serve the Muslim community and the wider community in various fields, with religious guidance and cultural issues being at the forefront. The Centre was headed until 2020 by Hujjat Al-Islam Mohammad Ali Shomali, who in 2016 received a letter of appreciation from the Office of Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, in which he was titled The Respected Representative of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei. Shomali is currently a lecturer and the head of dept. of Religions at the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute in Qum. Leading figures connected to ICEL take part in pro-Iranian initiated events like the annual International Quds Day. In June 2014, it co-hosted with the Ahlulbayt Islamic mission (AIM) the 5th annual Imam Khomeini Conference, to commemorate the death anniversary of the late leader of the Islamic Revolution.