AN ISLAMIC primary school in Tottenham has had funding pulled by Haringey Council following allegations of links to controversial Muslim party Hizb ut-Tahrir.

The Islamic Shaksiyah Foundation, in St Ann's Road, received £113,411 of Government educational grants in 2007/8 for its schools in Tottenham and a sister school in Slough from the Early Years Fund to help support its nurseries.

The registered charity writes the schools' curriculum which contains elements of Hizb ut-Tahrir's version of Islam. It calls for a union of all Muslim states into one global empire — the caliphate — and rejects democracy as well as assimilation into Western culture.

The schools were set up in 2005 by a group of mothers accused of having strong ties to the militant Islamic party, according to a report from the Centre for Social Cohesion published today.

More than 54 young people aged between 3 and 11 of both sexes attended the school, run by headteacher Foziya Reddy, in 2007 but has not been inspected by Ofsted.

Two of the foundation's four trustees —Yusra Hamilton and Farah Ahmed — are both British Hizb ut-Tahrir members. Mrs Hamilton is also the wife of HUT executive member Taji Mustafa. An Ofsted report lists Hamilton as the school’s proprietor and Farah Ahmed as the headteacher who writes the school's religious curriculum.

While Hizb ut-Tahrir insists it is a non violent, the organisation has been accused of helping to radicalise Omar Sharif, the Derby-born Muslim who tired to blow himself up outside a bar in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2003.

Yet, despite calls to ban the group, both Prime Minister Tony Blair and predecessor Gordon Brown both agreed there was insufficient evidence to order a ban adding the situation would be "constantly reviewed".

And the school in Slough was praised by Ofsted in its 2005 inspection report which stated: "The provision for the pupils' spirtitual, moral, social and cultural development is very good."

But the report suggeststhat Hizb ut-Tahrir used schools as "front organisations" to gain a foothold in target communities to help recruit new members.

Brother Abdool Ali, the president of Wightman Road Mosque, said: "I have heard something about a school in Tottenham but I don't know much about it and neither have I heard of any link to Hizb ut-Tahrir so it would be unfair of me to comment.

"As a mosque, we were one of the first to shun the organisation because their beliefs are quite militant and in contradiction with ours which is to teach and practice Islam in harmony with the rest of the community."

The Tottenham branch of the Islamic Shaksiyah Foundation were unavailable for comment but Mr Mustafa, the press spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir, disregarded any claims the political party was involved with the schools.

He said: "We do not run the Islamic Shaksiyah Foundation or any other school, and have never run any school. We do not, and have never, received any form of Government funding. It is well known that Hizb ut-Tahrir never accepts any funding from any Government.

"We certainly approve of those in the Muslim community who seek to establish good Islamic schools that develop a strong foundation so that our children stand out as a models of achievement and behaviour and participate in the society as active citizens without eroding their Islamic identity".

A Haringey Council spokeswoman said: "We have launched an investigation which will report findings swiftly and have suspended funding pending that outcome."