When charity goes awry
Islamic groups say they may lose control of money they send overseas
The scholar also had ties to a now defunct Florida group called World and Islam Studies Enterprise, which was named in federal affidavits as a conduit for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. "It was clear that [he] had ties to terrorist organizations," said an Immigration and Naturalization Service official who was present at his arrest. Meanwhile, three of the groups may have links to questionable Middle Eastern organizations, government officials and counterterrorism experts say. The Virginia groups also advise and helped establish a local chapter of the Muslim World League, which, together with its closely affiliated group, the International Islamic Relief Organization, has been probed a number of times over the years for links to terrorism.
Raising flags. Those involved with the Herndon, Va., organizations strongly deny involvement in shady activities. "In a time of national concern about terrorist activity, our community of loyal Muslims has acted vigilantly to ensure that our activities are appropriate," says Richard A. Gross, a longtime attorney for the groups. "We've taken all the steps we can think of." Indeed, there is no evidence the groups are the target of current government probes, but their structure has the classic earmarks that draw investigators' attention, and even the groups' executives acknowledge their setup could arouse suspicion.
Company officers acknowledge they've twice been interviewed by FBI agents in the past, but say they've cooperated--even volunteered assistance--and that nothing has come of the inquiries. Khaled Saffuri, president of the Islamic Institute, says he's shocked that help and money his group received from the International Institute of Islamic Thought would raise questions. "We don't take money from bad people," he declares. Still, he and executives of the Virginia groups acknowledge that it's possible money sent abroad could be put to nefarious use. "There's no control over the money once it gets there," says Saffuri. Says Gross: "Nobody can ultimately determine that something didn't happen to it."
But if knowing where charity money goes can be tricky, tracking the origins of such money can be even more difficult. Islamic charities obtain much of their money in the Persian Gulf states from wealthy individuals, experts say. Once charities collect money, they move it to countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan by sending small amounts of cash--often under $5,000--via wire transfers or using banks with branches throughout the Muslim world.
In recent years, the Saudi royal family realized that some charities were using money collected in the kingdom to fund terrorists, including Osama bin Laden, who were committed to overthrowing Saudi royalty. Saudi leaders created an organization to crack down, called the Islamic Council. But while its auditing mechanisms are in place, the group does little because "it doesn't want to discover top people giving to the charities," the Saudi source says. Still, there are signs of hope. Saudi Arabia has ordered stricter monitoring of financial transactions. Pakistan has deported 89 staffers of Islamic charities suspected of links to terrorism and ordered closed some 76 nongovernmental organizations it said were involved in undesirable activities.
Clearly, the aim of investigators on the money trail is to shut down terrorism by choking the flow to those who commit the acts. But even that's more complicated than it sounds. Take the Al Rashid Trust, which appeared on President Bush's initial frozen-asset list. It proclaims having "aided widows and orphans of martyrs," which many take to mean giving money to families of suicide bombers and other terrorists killed in action. "Without the money that terrorists know will go to their families when they die, it would be harder for organizations to recruit," says Yehudit Barsky, an Islamic charities expert. "Cut off that support system of money funneled to families, and you'll be left with very few young men willing to die for terror and destroy their family as well."
With Philip Smucker
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