A widely shared post on social media claimed that “the UK Government is hiring” while sharing a screenshot of a job advert for a “Shariah law administrator”. Another post said that “the role is for the Department of Work and Pensions” alongside a screenshot of the same webpage.
Evaluation
The advert was not for a Government job. The administrator was being hired using money a mosque said it had raised through donations.
The job was advertised on a portal run by the Government, which is open to private employers to post on.
The facts
The Find a Job service was launched by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in 2018 as a replacement for Universal Jobmatch.
It links thousands of employers with potential candidates.
Employers who want to post on the site must be verified in order to ensure that the job adverts are genuine. They are also checked to make sure they meet minimum wage, accessibility and Welsh language rules.
The Find a Job service is used to advertise both Government jobs and those offered by charity and private sector employers.
This was the case with the job advert in the screenshot shared on social media. The – now deleted – role for a “Shariah law administrator” was advertised by Manchester Community Centre.
The job description says the successful candidate will “provide all admin and secretarial work for Manchester Shariah Council”.
Following online discussions about the job advert, the Islamic Centre Manchester released a statement on Facebook through the Didsbury Mosque on July 28.
It said: “This is not a government-funded post; the mosque pays for it out of community donations. The DWP advertises many jobs to help people obtain employment.”
The statement added: “We have withdrawn the job in question and have asked the DWP to remove it from its website. The job advert will be reworded to avoid future misunderstanding.”
Data from the Charity Commission suggests that Manchester Community Centre has never received income from Government grants or contracts.
The Islamic Centre (Manchester) received Government grants in the year ending September 2021 and September 2022, although nothing in the year ending September 2023 – which is the latest available data.
The Manchester Community Centre, the Islamic Centre Manchester and the Didsbury Mosque all use the same address.
Links
Gov.uk – New ‘Find a Job’ service to support thousands of jobseekers into work (archived)
Gov.uk – How we’re helping people to Find a job (archived)
Head of Detect and Response – Home Office Cyber Security (archived)
Shariah Law Administrator (archived)
Didsbury Mosque post on Facebook (archived)
Charity Commission – Manchester Community Centre (archived)
Charity Commission – The Islamic Centre (Manchester) (archived)
Companies House – Manchester Community Centre (archived)
Charity Commission – The Islamic Centre (Manchester), contact information (archived)
