Glasgow Central Mosque called in charity watchdogs to provide maximum transparency for what it called a "mess" left by its former leaders, it has claimed.

The committee which runs the religious centre said the decision was taken as it aimed to open up the institution to women and other previously excluded groups.

It came after The Herald reported that the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) had found the former, orthodox, trustees had failed to run Scotland's biggest mosque to the standards required for a charity.

The figures who came under fire from the watchdog have refused to comment on the findings.

Revelations from the new committee include that a loan was made from the central mosque, under the old administration, to an ultra-conservative group labelled a recruiting ground for extremists by US Homeland Security.

The Mosque committee in a statement yesterday said: "We’ve got a very clear mission and it’s not just about cleaning up the mess that has accumulated over the years.

"Given the role of the mosque, and the trust placed in the institution by donors, we have been working hard over the last six months to rectify matters and that is why we called in the Charity Regulators of OSCR.

"Our mission is to get Scotland biggest mosque operating the way everyone expects – with the maximum degree of openness, financial probity, and transparency."

The OSCR investigation came amid a lengthy power struggle over the Central Mosque between liberal reformers and Conservatives.

This stand-off, despite the liberals currently being in the ascendency, has not yet ended.

The committee, however, stressed its decision to call in OSCR was not ideologically motivated.

So-called property trustees, mostly elderly Pakistan-born businessmen, retain the right to select the leadership every two years and are scheduled to do so again this spring.

The Mosque committee suggested a new way of running the charity.

It said: "We have to get the right policies and procedures in place. We need a constitution that is fit for purpose.

"This is not a struggle between strands of Islamic thought, it’s about meeting and exceeding professional standards, which is what is incumbent on us as Muslims."

But the committee added that it was continuing to reform the Mosque. It said: "We’re also making strides to get the talents of everyone in the community involved in this process of transformation, including parts of the community that have been excluded for too long. This mosque should be run for the benefit of everyone regardless of ethnic background and gender.

"In starting this process we are reaching out to the community to help bring about the necessary change."

The OSCR criticism relates to some the mosque's property trustees and those they appointed to run the charity. These trustees have declined to address criticism.

One trustee, businessman Mohammad Ashraf, said he would comment in due course.

The watchdog's investigations are continuing.