U.K. snores as Islamic charity funds terrorism

Interpal, a British-Muslim group with documented ties to Hamas, continues to operate with impunity in London.  The valuable Gatestone Institute has published a well-researched piece by Samuel Westrop (@samwestrop for Twitter users) compiling Interpal’s history of misdeeds.

Here are a few of the salient points from the Westrop’s article that should interest Money Jihad readers:

• Jamal Mohammad Tawil, a senior Hamas operative, signed for a $34K donation from Interpal in 2001.
• A 2002 Israeli investigation revealed that Interpal partnered with a Hamas affiliate.
• The U.S., Australia, and Canada have designated Interpal as a terrorist entity.
• The NEFA Foundation reported that Interpal is a member of the Union of Good, an internationally recognized network of charities that fund Hamas.
• A 2006 investigation by the BBC showed that Hamas-affiliated charities were receiving Interpal donations.
• Interpal claimed to sever ties from the Union of Good in 2009 after a review by the U.K. Charity Commission, but subsequent interviews, meetings, and statements (including anti-Semitic, pro-sharia, pro-caliphate, pro-Anwar al-Awlaki comments), and convoys to Gaza indicate that Interpal leadership remains deeply integrated with UoG.

The Gatestone article is entitled “Supporting our Own Demise:  Part 1,” which you can read in full at http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3514/terror-finance.  Looking forward to Part 2…

Previous Money Jihad coverage of Interpal can be found here, with a look back at the U.K. Charity Commission here.

Muslim NGOs demand “unrestricted” Gaza access

Members of terror funding network among those seeking waiver from charitable restrictions

A coalition of Islamic charities in Great Britain is insisting on unfettered access to distribute “humanitarian aid” to Gaza, which is code for the freedom to work with any entity in Gaza, even if it includes Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, PFLP; any other terrorist organization or their affiliated foundations, schools, orphanages, and hospitals; or for that matter, armories, safehouses, munitions depots; or whatever other group or facility these “charities” decide to work with.

The “restrictions,” which are pretty mild and reasonable, on transferring cash to Gaza (or to any overseas location for that matter) are in place for a reason.   Now is not the time for unmonitored, undisclosed, un-taxed financial transactions to Gaza under the guise of “humanitarian aid.”

The Nov. 19 letter from Muslim Charities Forum to foreign minister William Hague is signed by 17 Islamic charities.  Of these, at least three—Human Appeal International, Muslim Hands, and Muslim Aid—have been previously implicated for membership in Yusuf Qaradawi’s Union of Good—a network of charities known to fund Hamas (a charge which Muslim Aid denies).  Other signatories include the Muslim Charities Forum, which is itself an umbrella organization that unites several pro-Hamas charities in Britain; Islamic Relief, whose bank account with UBS was recently closed due to terror finance concerns; and the Ummah Welfare Trust, whose bank account with Barclay’s was closed in 2009 for the same reason.  Quite the group…

The Rt. Hon. William Hague MP
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London, SW1A 2AA

Monday 19 November 2012

Statement of concern regarding escalating conflict in Gaza

Dear Foreign Secretary,

We are writing to you regarding the recent upsurge in violence and military activity in Gaza.

As Muslim-led humanitarian agencies, we are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of the people of Gaza following the renewed intensification of conflict and violence within the region. Gaza is still in the process of reconstruction following the previous war that ended in January 2009, where 1,400 people were killed, 5,000 injured and 40,000 forced out of their homes. Based upon our experience of supporting those affected by conflict and disasters, we fear that the recent escalation in military action threatens to cause further untold damage and human suffering to the civilian population of Gaza.

Our paramount concern is to ensure that the people affected by this conflict are protected from direct and indirect consequences of the violence, and that those in need have unimpeded access to humanitarian aid and medical services. We therefore urge the British Government to emphasise to all parties involved in the conflict that they comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law with respect to safeguarding the lives and dignity of the civilian population. In addition, we stress the need for affected civilian populations in Gaza to have unrestricted access to humanitarian aid as necessary, and to ensure that all humanitarian workers, medical staff and hospitals are protected.

Humanitarian agencies are committed to providing aid and relief to the most vulnerable communities regardless of the operating conditions, striving to prevent and alleviate human suffering and ensure that basic needs are met. The British Government also has a duty to ensure that those affected by conflict are not directly targeted by parties involved and are protected from the impact of fighting.

We hope the British Government can assist humanitarian organisations in providing relief to the civilian population in Gaza caught in the conflict.

Yours faithfully,

The Undersigned

Dr. Hany El-Banna OBE, Chairman, Muslim Charities Forum
Abdul Ahad Miah, UK Country Director, Al-Imdaad Foundation UK
Imam Qasim Ahmed, Chairman, Al Khair Foundation
Khalid Al-Fawaz, Chairman, Al Muntada Al Islami
Abdul Razzaq Sajid, Chairman, Al Mustafa Welfare Trust
Anjum Layla Tahirkheli, CEO, Basic Human Rights
Othman Moqbel, Chief Executive, Human Appeal International
Masood Alam Khan, Chairman, Islamic Help
Jehangir Malik OBE, Director, Islamic Relief UK
Saif Ahmad, CEO, MADE in Europe
Syed Sharfuddin, CEO, Muslim Aid
Sabooh Uddin, CEO, Muslim Charity
Syed Lakthe Hassanain, Chairman, Muslim Hands
Tufail Hussain, CEO, Orphans in Need
Tahir Begg, Chairman, Read Foundation UK
Zahid Parvez, President, UK Islamic Mission
Mohammed Athar, Secretary of Trustees, Ummah Welfare Trust

Muslim Aid had collection license for terrorists

Three Muslims, two of whom previously underwent terror training in Waziristan, knocked on doors in Leicester to collect £13,000—most of which was intended to fund jihad overseas. This evidence has been presented at an ongoing trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

The “Birmingham” men had collection authorization from Muslim Aid, a charity that has previously contacted Money Jihad to deny the organization’s documented ties to the Hamas-funding network of charities known as the Union of Good.

Officials assert that the men were merely “posing” as Muslim Aid workers to “beguile,” “trick,” and “dupe” the public into making donations.  But the evidence shows that Muslim Aid had a license for their collection, although the men continued collecting after its expiration.  Reportedly, the men only turned in to Muslim Aid a portion of what they collected.

Excuse me, but who is really being duped?  Those who believed the men were working at Muslim Aid’s behest, or those who believe they weren’t?

From BBC News on Oct. 23:

Terror trial: ‘Public duped into funding bomb plotters’

The general public unwittingly donated thousands of pounds to a group of men planning to carry out suicide attacks in Britain, a court has heard.

Three Birmingham men posed as collectors from a genuine charity – Muslim Aid – and went door-to-door in the city and Leicester, it heard.

But the charity received a fraction of the money, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, and Ashik Ali, 27, deny engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.

The court heard detectives found notes which suggested they had collected £12,100 but lost £9,149 of it after engaging in foreign currency trading.

Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said the men wore Muslim Aid T-shirts and tabards to “beguile the public into believing this was legitimate charity collecting, when it wasn’t.

“That money was stolen and… was not intended by the defendants to be used for any other legitimate purpose other than terrorism.”

eBay accounts

On the opening day of the trial the jury was told two of the men had received terror training in Pakistan and the trio planned to set off a series of suicide bombs in an attack which prosecutors said would have dwarfed the 7 July 2005 bombings in London.

Mr Altman said the collections took place after Mr Naseer and Mr Khalid returned from training in the Taliban stronghold of Waziristan, in Pakistan, in July 2011.

Mr Altman said Muslim Aid had had a licence for collecting door-to-door on a day in August 2011 but Mr Ali, Mr Naseer and Mr Khalid illegally collected cash over a longer period without the charity’s knowledge.

Charity collection: The men allegedly tricked local people into handing over funds

Mr Altman said they gave £900 to a madrassa, or religious school, in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, and kept the rest to finance their terror plot.

The jury has already been told that 12 people were arrested in September 2011 and six men had pleaded guilty to preparing for acts of terrorism.

The court has heard that one of the men who had pleaded guilty, Rahin Ahmed, had taken charge of more than £13,000 which had been raised by the group when they posed as legitimate charity workers…

Lebanese Islamic charities fund Hamas

The stench of laundered money has wafted from Lebanon throughout the international financial system for years.  Usually that’s because of Lebanese banks being used to fund Hezbollah.

But the latest announcement by the U.S. Treasury Department indicates that Lebanon is being used as a funding base for Hamas as well.

Treasury has designated two Islamic charities in Lebanon, Al-Waqfiya and Al-Quds, as being “controlled” by Hamas.  Treasury’s press release explains that the charities exist, “to support the families of Hamas fighters and prisoners and to raise money for programs and projects in the Palestinian territories intended to spread Hamas’s influence and control.”

It’s important to note that the sanctions won’t have much of a practical effect unless Al-Waqfiya or Al-Quds normally keeps money in a U.S. bank, does business with American companies, or receives zakat donations from American Muslims.

Treasury’s announcement also revealed that Al-Waqfiya and Al-Quds charities are members of Yusuf Qaradawi’s Hamas-funding network, the Union of Good (UoG).  Treasury should go farther than these two designations by publishing an exact list of all charities that fall under the UoG umbrella.

While Israel has published a members list before, the U.S. only maintains a blanket designation against UoG, and has only specified a few of the charities that belong to it.

Muslim Aid distances itself from UoG, MWL

Responding to our post last week about a conference of the Muslim World League (the leading sponsor of Wahhabism on earth), a Muslim Aid spokesperson has contacted Money Jihad in an attempt to deny their links to the Union of Good (a pro-Hamas network of charities) and the MWL.  Muslim Aid tells us that it’s all based on a “misunderstanding.”

Muslim Aid’s credibility is questionable, but it is quite interesting and satisfying to see them throw UoG and MWL under the bus so quickly.  From Muslim Aid’s Communications Department through our “Contact us” page on July 26:

Name: Inlia Aziz
Email: inlia@muslimaid.org
Website: http://www.muslimaid.org
Message: Dear Sir/ Madam

I would like to bring your kind attention to the blog “World Muslim League plays host” which was published on your website on 25th July 2011.

I would like to inform you that Muslim Aid has never been a member of the Union of Good. It is based on a misunderstanding. Our regulator, the UK Charity Commission is aware of this unfortunate association which we strongly reject.

I would also like to inform you that our CEO did not attend the conference of the Muslim World League in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He is currently at Muslim Aid headquarters in London.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further queries.

Thank you

Kind regards

Inlia Aziz
Communications Department
Muslim Aid | PO Box 3, London E1 1JX | Tel: 020 7377 4200 Fax: 020 7377 4201 | Web: http://www.muslimaid.org

A few final notes.  First, it’s true that the U.K. Charity Commission is “aware,” of Muslim Aid, but it is also true that the Charity Commission has made an international laughingstock of itself for whitewashing Muslim Aid’s financial improprieties.

Second, Inlia Aziz may well be correct that Muslim Aid’s CEO did not attend the conference.  The Saudi Gazette reported that Muslim Aid’s assistant CEO was a participant.  I corrected that portion of my blog post accordingly, and followed up with an email back to Inlia Aziz, also on July 26.  I asked, “Did your organization send anybody to the conference in question?”

As of yet, no response.

More question marks for the Zakat Foundation

FrontPage Magazine has posted a somewhat unevenly researched (and unfortunately, not the best written) article on the connections of the Zakat Foundation.  I am excluding the portions of the text that I cannot substantiate through my own research or by following the hyperlinks included in the orginal article.  What remains is the Zakat Foundation’s financial role in the anti-Israel flotilla escapades:

…[T]here is the question of how the Zakat Foundation distributes its funds. The Caipirinha Foundation, the  charitable organization created by anti-Israel documentarian Iara Lee and her billionaire husband George Gund III, utilized Zakat as a  fiscal sponsor for a grant to the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief (IHH). The IHH is part  of the “Union of Good,” an umbrella coalition of Hamas-affiliated organizations led by Qaradawi. The Foundation supports the IHH’s efforts to disrupt Israel’s self-defense, describing last year’s controversial flotilla as a “heroic effort.”

It might have benefited the author to take a look at Money Jihad’s article on the Zakat Foundation here, which exposed with visual evidence the ties between the Zakat Foundation and a charity that funds Hamas.

World Muslim League plays host

Muslim Aid, a Britsh-based Union of Good charity (which means it funds Hamas), has sent its assistant CEO as a representative to a conference of the Muslim World League in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The Muslim World League is the primary financial vessel for Saudi hardcore Wahhabist ideological propagation around the world (see some recent coverage here and here).  MWL money put the conference together during which the “problems facing the Muslim world” are being discussed.

Yes, “problems,” and how, when, and where to line each others’ pockets to fund Islamist zealotry.  Meanwhile, the U.K. continues to slumber while a pro-Wahhabi, Hamas-funding “charity” thrives within its borders.

From the Saudi Gazette today:

MAKKAH – Several reputed scholars presented their papers Sunday, the second day of the three-day Muslim World League conference here on ‘Issues and Challenges of the Muslim World.’ The papers dwelt at length the causes and effects of the ongoing crisis in the Muslim World.

The scholars were unanimous in calling the situation in some of the Muslim countries as demonstration of modern sedition (fitna) and that the only solution to the misfortune befalling the Ummah is to seek refuge in Islam and the Tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Sunday’s deliberations spread into three sessions and saw many prominent figures of the Ummah discussing topics like ‘Current Situation and Problems’, ‘Rights and Obligations’, and ‘Reformation of the Society.’

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh and Dr. Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid, Chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council, chaired the morning sessions which dealt with in-depth discussions on economic and social situations in Muslim countries as well as challenges facing them and means of addressing them by Islamic teachings.

Eminent participants unanimously termed the holding of the conference as timely and important. “This conference is a very timely one and a very important one. The Muslim World is facing many crises. At this point of time Saudi Arabia is organizing this conference, and I appreciate Rabita Alam Al-Islami for leading the way and which will definitely contribute to the unity of Ummah,” said Hamid Azad, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Muslim Aid, London.

“I hope this conference will pave the way for establishing peace in the Muslim countries and globally as well,” he said.

Azad praised the speech of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in which, he said, four points have been outlined for maintaining order in the society.

A participant from India, Hussain Mudavoor, was upbeat about the timing and holding of the international meet and praised King Abdullah and the MWL for organizing the conference.

“Apart from a number of valuable presentation by Islamic scholars of the world, the best thing I found is the gathering of so many Muslim luminaries at one place, and that too to discuss the issues facing the Ummah. This is the character of Islam, which the Kingdom is upholding well despite upheavals in the Muslim society,” Mudavoor, Principal of an Arabic college in a southern Indian state, said.

The three-day conference is expected to release a final communiqué Monday.

Tony Blair’s relative speaks at Interpal event

Lauren Booth, the half-sister for former British prime minister Tony Blair’s wife, has visited Interpal, a notorious Union of Good charity.  The Union of Good raises money for Hamas, and Ms. Booth spoke at an Interpal fundraising event.  (Prior Interpal coverage is available here and here.)  No safeguards to ensure that the money is used legally without aiding Hamas are mentioned.  Hat tip to TGMBDR for highlighting this Humanitarian Voice article from Mar. 28:

Journalist Lauren Booth visited Bradford last weekend to speak at a fund-raiser for medical aid for Gaza.

The programme was organised by the Bradford office of Interpal, a British charity working to provide humanitarian aid and development support for Palestinians. Interpal works in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon.

The fund-raiser at which Ms. Booth spoke about her path to Islam, which started during her visit to Gaza in 2008 on one of the Free Gaza boats, was held at Panshee restaurant, off Leeds Road.

A packed venue ensured that £32,000 was pledged on the night to help buy much-needed medical equipment and supplies for the besieged Gaza Strip.

Muslim Aid in foreign politics

The news and analysis website E-Bangladesh has uncovered more duplicity by Muslim Aid, a Union of Good (pro-Hamas) charity based in Britain.  While Muslim Aid tries to tell the public that it is a humanitarian relief organization, it is really sending zakat dollars to support a major Islamist political party in Pakistan.  E-Bangladesh rightly calls on the U.K.’s feckless Charity Commission for a renewed investigation into Muslim Aid.

E-Bangladesh, Feb. 20, 2011–Muslim Aid is charity based in the UK. It has sister organisations around the world. These include the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and Muslim Aid Australia. They are all affiliated to the Jamaat-i-Islami movement and give donations to the Al-Khidmat Foundation in Pakistan.

In February 2011, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dr. Peter Tibber, visited Liaquat Baloch, the Secretary General of Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan. Baloch also acts as the Chairman of the Al-Khidmat Foundation. Tibber told Baloch that he praised Jamaat for its social work through the Al-Khidmat Foundation…

Muslim Aid and its sister organisations do provide vital support to people in poor countries and conflict afflicted areas. That can not [sic] be disputed. However, Muslim Aid(s) support for Al-Khidmat is designed to increase the political influence of the Jamaat-i-Islami. It is also trying to undermine the Pakistani government.

The Jamaat-i-Islami movement was founded by Maulana al-Mawdudi. He envisioned a quasi religious/political/social party which would try to emulate the spirit of fascist and communist revolutionaries. The movement would then build a core ideology around Mawdudi’s interpretation of Islam. He believed Jihad and armed struggle was essential to give energy to his revolutionary programme which looked to overthrow secular society and replace it with an Islamic theocracy.

Muslim Charities Forum bridges gap among Hamas donors

Dr. Hany El Banna, Islamic Relief President

GEO Television reported on Jan. 22 that Muslim Charities Forum representatives from the U.K. visited Islamabad to be thanked by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for their contributions to Pakistan.

A line toward the end of GEO’s article reads “The forum coordinates and bridges the gap between charitable organizations like Islamic Relief, Human Appeal, Muslim Hands and Human Relief,” according to Dr. Hany El Banna.  MCF’s website confirms that.  Some forum!  Human Appeal International, Muslim Hands, and Humanitarian Relief Foundation are all recognized by Israel as members of the notorious Hamas-financing Union of Good network of “charities.”  If El Banna wants to throw his lot in with them, then his own Islamic Relief organization might as well be listed as a Union of Good charity too.

I didn’t realize there was a “gap” among the charities that are already members of the same Hamas network.  Thank goodness that Hany El Banna is there to fill it.

UBS blacklists Urgence Palestine

The Swiss bank UBS has banned money transfers to Collectifs Urgence Palestine (CUP), an anti-Israel organization that funds projects in Gaza.  UBS says the decision has to do with risk, not politics.

That may be technically true.  UBS doesn’t spell out exactly what the “risk” is, but clearly that bank has made an assessment that money transferred to its customer, CUP, is at risk of funding Hamas.  That presents a level of legal and financial exposure that UBS will no longer accept.

(Now if UBS would also cease its Noriba Bank sharia financing operations, they could really be applauded.)

Here’s an excerpt from a SwissInfo article from Jan. 5 (h/t Elder of Ziyon for briefly mentioning the story):

UBS upholds ban on pro-Palestinian transfers

Swiss bank UBS has defended itself for blocking transactions to benefit pro-Palestinian groups based in Switzerland.

The bank has stopped such payments in the past but the issue was rekindled on Wednesday when the bank said it was obligated to respect “legal provisions” regarding embargoes and sanctions.

The Geneva-based Le Matin newspaper reported that about ten Swiss people or groups sympathetic to the Palestinian cause – namely Urgence Palestine – had money transfers blocked by UBS.

The decision “is not linked to political motives but to an assessment of risks associated with such transactions”, the bank said in a statement.

“UBS must respect the hundreds of legal provisions” in terms of “international decisions concerning embargoes and sanctions”, the bank added…

In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Union of Good, which includes a Swiss charity known as the Association de Secours Palestiniens (ASP), as a terrorist entity.

Notably, the Swiss CUP is made up of individual members and smaller organizations including an organization calling itself the Association Suisse-Palestine.  It may just be a coincidence that that organization has the initials ASP, the same initials as the Swiss Union of Good affiliate.

Or like some other Islamic charities have done when they get designated by the U.S., they simply changed their name.  The Jerusalem Fund for Human Services, a Canadian Union of Good member, changed its name to IRFAN after being outed.  The Islamic American Relief Agency was formerly known as the Islamic African Relief Agency, which was designated by the Treasury Department in 2004.

If the two ASPs are the same, that would help explain UBS’s concern about doing business with CUP.