Many Muslims in the United States are willing to send money for emergency aid and reconstruction in Lebanon, but they fear that they could end up in the government database of “suspected supporters of terrorism”, according to an article on the Washington Post.
This problem forced Muslim charities to accept food, medicines and other goods, although such in-kind donations cost more and delay the arrival of aid.
"Obviously, it makes more sense for us to get financial contributions. This is the most inefficient way to do humanitarian aid," said Muhammed Alomari, a spokesman for the charity, Life for Relief and Development in Southfield, Mich.
U.S. Muslim leaders say this is one of the consequences of the U.S. government’s crackdown on Islamic charities, which has complicated legitimate humanitarian relief efforts in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.
"Dozens of people have approached me. They want to help, they want to send money to buy medicine, and they're afraid of the government reaction to their contribution," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Some do it anyway. They can't sit idly. But they worry that one day they'll hear a knock on the door."
CAIR, the U.S.’s largest Muslim organization, was forced to encourage people to donate goods, rather than money, although the Lebanese Embassy recommended against sending in-kind donations because it's inefficient.
"We're forced to go the least effective route, which is sending actual relief supplies, because of the restrictions on, and the problems associated with, sending financial relief to the Middle East," CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said.
"If you send lentils, at least no one can accuse you of supporting terrorism,” he added.
”Chill factor”
James J. Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, a Washington-based advocacy group, also said that there is a “chill factor” on donating money to charities operating in Arab countries.
"In the context of the NSA monitoring everything under the sun, people are afraid," he said, referring to the National Security Agency's surveillance of international phone calls and e-mails.
Zogby also said that he has repeatedly urged American officials to publish a list of legal charities, but they didn’t respond.
Meanwhile, the United Jewish Communities, an umbrella organization for 155 Jewish charities across the U.S., announced that it will raise more than $300 million in emergency aid for Israel and the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington also plans to raise $10 million.
On the other hand, the flow of private U.S. donations for humanitarian aid in Lebanon and Palestine is estimated by relief groups at a few million dollars.
Some donors who are afraid to send money directly to Lebanon prefer to contribute to the International Committee of the Red Cross or large international relief groups.
Laila Al-Qatami, a spokeswoman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said that the group decided to transfer its relief to Lebanon through Mercy Corps, an Oregon-based group, because it “is not an Islamic charity”.
However, other Muslim groups are determined to collect money and distribute it by themselves without problems.
Ziad J. Asali, a retired physician in Illinois who heads the American Task Force on Palestine, said that his organization will donate $20,000 each to Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem and St. Luke's Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus.
"We specified the exact equipment they (the hospitals) are going to buy and the exact providers, and we have given all that information, with all the details, both to the State Department and to the Israelis," he said.
"We wanted to have our own channels, because we wanted the Palestinian people to know you can do this and be clean and be perceived as clean."
Re: U.S. crackdown on Muslim charities hampers aid flow
format_quote Originally Posted by Joe98
Perhaps the people could donate to other charities that are helping the people in Lebanon.
That is quite common. Many Muslims in the Western world have little access to donating to Islamic Charities. so we end up donating to the other charities. The frustrating part is then we are told that Muslims never donate to help their own people.
Re: U.S. crackdown on Muslim charities hampers aid flow
format_quote Originally Posted by Joe98
Curious to know whether Muslims help non-Muslims.
Can only speak for what I have personaly seen. I know of Muslims that contribute regulary to "World Wide Children's Fund" plus I know many contributed for disaster relief to the victems of Katrina. Since many of us do contribute to general established charities, we know the donations are not ear marked for any particular group.
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