Penny Appeal’s executive director Aamer Naeem quits

LONDON: The executive director of the Muslim charity Penny Appeal, Aamer Naeem, has stepped down.

Aamer Naeem OBE, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Wakefield charity, confirmed that he has resigned from the Penny Appeal charity “amicably”. The charity has been supported by actress Mehwish Hayyat and boxer Amir Khan. The infighting in the charity started around three months ago when Adeem Younis, chairman and founder of the charity, was suspended unceremoniously while he was in Pakistan. Younis was in Pakistan touring the charity sites with actress Mehwish Hayat and Dragons’ Den star James Caan. Currently, the charity commission is looking into the functioning of the organisation. Rizwan Khaliq, the Interim Chair of Trustees of the organisation said: “We would like to thank Aamer for his leadership, hard work, and dedication. He has played a vitally important role, alongside notable others, in helping to grow and transform Penny Appeal into a household name. We wish him well for the future. We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Harris Iqbal, who takes over as interim CEO.”

Aamer Naeem said: “Penny Appeal has been my life for the last 7 years and, working with a great team, we have built a confident, contemporary and competent organisation. I’ve learned a lot and given a lot, all of which is invaluable to me.”

When asked questions by Geo and The News, Aamer Naeem stressed that the departure was cordial. “I resigned from Penny Appeal very amicably and on very good terms. The organisation and I remain supportive of one another.” Aamer Naeem previously worked in Nottingham-based NGO Muslim Hands.

The charity is down in revenue for the first time in its history after becoming the UK’s largest Muslim charity. The cleanup is now left to interim CEO Harris Iqbal who is the youngest CEO in a multi-million Pounds Muslim charity sector.” Several senior officials have resigned in recent weeks.

Sources in Penny Appeal had said at the time that Aamer Naeem OBE was behind suspension of Adeem Younis but a spokesman for Aaamer Naeem had dismissed the allegation. However, it was confirmed that Adeem Younis and Aamer Naeem OBE had developed serious differences and the two did not look eye-to-eye on several important issues.

Penny Appeal says it provides poverty relief across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, with programmes to help the poor and needy by building wells, caring for orphans, providing nutritious food, delivering emergency aid in response to crisis situations and providing healthcare.

It also works in the UK to help homeless people and women who have experienced domestic abuse. It has partnerships with the Department for Education and the Jo Cox Foundation.