13 - 19 December 2001
Issue No.564
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 13 - 19 December 2001 Issue No.564 |
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First shot in phase II?
An American Muslim charity, the Holy Land Foundation, is the latest casualty of the US campaign against terrorism. But the move may well have been prompted by Israeli pressure on the US, as Anayat Durrani reports from Washington
The Bush administration has taken what it described as "another major step in the financial war on terrorism," and frozen the assets of a major US- based Muslim charitable organisation, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.
It alleges that the humanitarian organisation provides millions of dollars of financial and material support annually to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which claimed responsibility for a series of suicide attacks in West Jerusalem and Haifa last week, killing 25 Israelis. Hamas carried out the attacks in revenge for the assassination of its military leader, Mahmoud Abu Hannoud, a few days earlier by Israel.
The freeze on the Holy Land Foundation's assets and accounts is the first such action to be taken against an organisation unconnected to Al-Qa'eda.
"We began with Al-Qa'eda and the Taliban. We identified some of Al- Qa'eda's financial backers and we moved against their accounts," said President George Bush in comments he made regarding the financial fight against terror.
"In November, we advanced further and identified 22 more global terrorist organisations. And now we are moving against their financing as well."
Last week federal agents closed down the Holy Land Foundation's headquarters in Richardson, Texas, including its three offices in Bridgeview, Illinois; Patterson, New Jersey; and San Diego, California. The Holy Land foundation is one of the largest Muslim charities in the US and raised over $13 million last year.
"Hamas has obtained much of the money that it pays for murder abroad right here in the United States, money originally raised by the Holy Land Foundation," said Bush.
Bush went on to state that money raised by the charity has been used by Hamas "to support schools and indoctrinate children to grow up into suicide bombers." He said the money also was used to "recruit suicide bombers and to support their families." He explained that the action against the Holy Land Foundation was "not the final step," against organisations that are allegedly linked to terrorist networks, saying, "The net is closing."
The Holy Land Foundation is a humanitarian aid and disaster relief organisation that has served those in need in the US and abroad since its establishment in California in January 1989. It was originally known as the Occupied Land Fund, but changed its name to Holy Land Foundation in 1992 and relocated to Richardson, Texas. It has offices in California, New Jersey, and Illinois, as well as the West Bank and Gaza.
The organisation provides aid to several regions of the world but its primary focus has been on aiding Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. Its work has also taken it to Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Turkey, Chechnya and Mozambique. Its humanitarian and disaster relief work has brought the organisation to the fore during floods in Iowa, tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas and the devastation following the terrorist attacks of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It recently established a fund for the victims of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and has also provided for needy Muslim and Arab- American families in the United States.
Following the Bush administration's decision to freeze the Holy Land Foundation, the organisation released a statement denying the allegation that it provided any financial support to Hamas, which is on a State Department list of terrorist organisations. The organisation said that the administration has not provided any evidence supporting its allegations. The statement says, "We feel the Holy Land Foundation has been unfairly targeted in the nationwide smear campaign to undermine Muslims and the institutions that serve them."
Eight major national American Muslim organisations issued a joint statement asking Bush to reconsider his decision to freeze the assets of the Holy Land Foundation. They called his decision "an unjust and counterproductive move," and one that could give the perception that the war on global terrorism is really a war on Islam. They also questioned the timing of the government's action to shut down the charity during the holy month of Ramadan, a time when there is a surge in Muslim charitable donations. Though they expressed their support for Bush's efforts in the financial war on terrorism, they also stated that its purpose could not be carried out "by taking food out of the mouths of Palestinian orphans or by succumbing to politically-motivated smear campaigns by those who would perpetuate Israel's brutal occupation." The group accused Bush of bowing to the demands of the Israeli government and the pro-Israel lobby. For years, the charity has been the target of pro- Israel organisations and individuals who have accused the organisation of supporting Palestinian militants.
The decision to shut down the Holy Land Foundation was originally planned to happen later this month. However, the decision to act immediately was taken after last week's events in Israel.
The Coalition to Save the Holy Land Foundation, which has designated 7 December as a national call-in campaign to the President and members of Congress in support of the charity, called Bush's move "an appeasement of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon." It has also criticised the way in which the Israeli government has tried to draw a parallel between the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and the ongoing Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation since the 11 September attacks. Now it seems that Washington has fallen victim to exactly this linkage. Following the suicide bombings and heavy Israeli lobbying in Washington, actions were set in motion against the Holy Land Foundation. The coalition is fighting back by circulating a petition in support of the Holy Land Foundation, which it intends to present to the US president. It is also considering legal action to overturn the freeze on its assets and clear its name.
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