Throughout the past weeks, international attention has focused on the dual use of Islamic charities as terrorist financing hubs. Although, specifically, attention has focused on the Pakistan -based Jamat-ud-Dawa charity and the charity’s involvement in the plot to blow up commercial airliners bound for the US , some Islamic charities worldwide have been financial conduits for terrorist organizations, both wittingly and unwittingly. In 1996, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report estimated that “approximately one third of?Islamic charities support terrorist groups or employ individuals who are suspected of having terrorist connections.”
Islamic charities that knowingly engage in illicit activities masquerade as legitimate charitable organizations, devoting a percentage of donations to relief and development operations while the remainder is used to indoctrinate new militants and plan terrorist attacks. However, both acts serve the cause of Islamic fundamentalism, either by ingratiating the terrorist group and charities among the local populace or inflicting harm on the group’s enemies and ensuring the continuation of the “struggle.”
Pakistani Earthquake Relief Operations
Militant Islamic charities target vulnerable Muslim populations by providing relief to communities devastated by natural disasters and catastrophes. Often, these militant-charities mobilize aid resources efficiently, providing immediate relief to local populations, as was witnessed in the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. A Danish Institute for International Studies paper by Evan Kohlmann in 2006 discusses Jamat-ud-Dawa’s judicious response to the 2005 earthquake: “Prompted into action by public anger at the slow pace of aid to local refugees, a host of religious extremist organizations have stepped forward in hopes of filling the void and presenting themselves as populist alternatives to the secular rule of President Pervez Musharraf.” Kohlmann specifically discusses the role of Jamat-ud-Dawa in the relief operations.
Additionally, intelligence officials in the US and the United Kingdom are investigating other quake-related money flows from charities and individuals, attempting to ascertain the final destination of contributions. The possible involvement of British charity, Crescent Relief, is likely, as the father of Rashid Rauf, the British suspect arrested in Pakistan, was a founding director of the organization.
The failure of the Pakistani government and the international community to provide immediate relief allowed a void to be filled by Islamic extremist organizations. Pakistani expatriate communities in the UK provided financial resources to charities operating in the region, stuffing the coffers of an al-Qaeda -linked terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba . Additionally, expatriate Pakistani volunteers?including those individuals arrested in the August 10 airlines plot– traveled to the region to assist local charities’ relief efforts and were indoctrinated themselves in extremist ideology.
Hezbollah Rebuilding Operations
More recently, Hezbollah pledged to assist residents of southern Lebanon who lost their homes in recent fighting between militants and Israel . Any Lebanese family whose house was damaged or destroyed in the attacks will receive US$12,000 from Hezbollah (see this WAR Report). Although several foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia , Kuwait and the US, have pledged millions of dollars to the Lebanese government to disperse as it sees fit, the immediate cash-in-hand effect from Hezbollah donations is immense. In addition, the contribution of Hezbollah cadres to the physical reconstruction of the infrastructure will further lure Lebanese civilians to support Hezbollah (see this WAR Report). This good will by Hezbollah, in turn, instills an obligation of loyalty and support to the local populations that benefit from Hezbollah’s efforts.
Hezbollah’s charitable work following the initial withdrawal of Israeli forces in May 2000 allowed the group to grow exponentially, as their ranks filled with young Lebanese Shiites. A similar occurrence is likely following the withdrawal of Israeli forces in August 2006. The Lebanese government’s bureaucratically slow reconstruction response will allow Hezbollah to demonstrate its ability to care for the Lebanese populace and rebuild a society far better and far faster than the national government.
Islamic law requires every Muslim to pay religious taxes: zakat, a tax on assets, and khoms, a tax on net income. These taxes are intended to be distributed to charitable organizations and religious leaders who spend the money on the poor and oppressed. However, the rampant infestation of terrorist organizations in charitable organizations ensures that a portion of these taxes continues to fund terrorism. Likewise, organizations, such as Hezbollah, will use the income to buy the allegiance of the oppressed and suffering. The continued involvement of Islamic charities in terrorist activities is likely unless a concerted effort is made by Middle Eastern governments and legitimate Islamic charities to follow the money to the end user.
