"They are unjustified attacks, and exclusively discriminative against Muslims," Uddin

Photo courtesy of Minority Ethnic Regeneration Group

By Mustafa Abdel-Halim, IOL Staff

CAIRO, November 18 (IslamOnline.net) – British Muslim charities do not have the best of their times, as they face a thrust of accusations of fundraising for terrorism, impaired image in media, in addition to government pressures to keep them at bay, according to analysts.

In August, the British charity regulator froze the assets of Interpal, a non-governmental organization collecting money to help Palestinian children and homeless, after U.S. President George W. Bush claimed it is linked to “terrorism”.

However, weeks of investigations by the main British regulator Charity Commission gave the group a clean bill of health, as Washington failed to provide evidence of the accusations.

“Interpal was vindicated more than one month afterwards, with its assets de-frozen, but not its reputation,” said the group's executive manager Ibrahim Hewitt.

"Although we are proven innocent, the government and U.S. accusations left smoldering fire," Hewitt told IslamOnline.net.

"With our legs now pulled into a game of accusations and counter-accusations, we feel our plans for developing our charitable work are derailed," he admitted.

Hewitt accused Jewish lobbies of having a hand in the whole case, as the first to publish the terror-connection remarks was the website of the Board of Jewish Deputies.

Interpal already took a legal action and issued a writ against the board, after "getting no response retracting earlier remarks, paying damages for libel, or even offering apologizes".

Hewitt sounded confident of winning the libel case, recalling a settlement with the Sunday Telegraph in 1997, when the paper accused Interpal of funding bomb makers in Palestinian territories.

The Jewish Chronicle reported last week that the board was "embarrassed" by publishing the allegations.

Furious

"Muslims could lose confidence in both (government the charities),” Sacranie

The bitter accusations have drawn furious reactions from other Muslim groups, who also took the brunt of similar suspicions into how they could spend their money.

"They are unjustified attacks, and exclusively discriminative against Muslims here," Baroness Uddin, a member of House of Lords IslamOnline.net.

Ahmed Versi, the editor of the Muslim News, agrees.

Versi had worked with many of  charity groups, and "they were only giving money to the poor and needy in many parts of the Islamic world".

He opined that given the case of Interpal, the Charity Commission could level accusations against charities "on the basis of misleading information and biased assessment".

Britain had earlier refused to block the transfer of several million pounds in charity to an Indian group "that was responsible for having 2000 Muslims killed and hundreds of women raped in the sectarian flashpoint of Gujarat".

For Chowhurry Mueen-Uddin, chairman of the Muslim Aid whose five million pounds operation is run from an office in northern London, said the kind of restraint that some charities are feeling "is not fair".

"You get headlines saying 'Muslim aid agency' has been banned, and I get dozens of worried phone calls from donors," Mueen-Eddin had told the BBC NewsOnline.

Losing Faith

With the cauldron of resentment and frustration, especially after the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq that was largely believed as unprovoked offensive for occupation of the oil-rich country, many feel these restraints could be unexpectedly counter-productive.

"If people lose confidence in the two faces of the coin, the government and the charities, Muslims could lose confidence in both," said Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).

Giving something of a warning flag, Sacranie said that "Muslims could give their money to unknown individuals to fill the void, something I am sure the government does not want to happen".

So, the government should work with Muslim charities for its own good and this feeling runs high among Muslim leaders in the West European country.

"Blair's government has to work with us," said Azzam Tamimi, the director of London-based Institute of Islamic Political Thought (IIPT).

On the advent of Ramadan, Muslim charities across the world had intensified their TV campaigns for winning the pockets of donors, who unfold their purses for alms during the holy month.

Perplexed

But many Muslim Britons have become more concerned where the funds go, a premise long enhanced by the blurry picture painted for charities.

"Now that I watch or listen to accusations against the group, I have to think twice before giving my money to them," said Fatma, a member of the London-based EU Muslim youth Organization.

"People are so suspicious of what is happening behind the altruistic scene. They are neurotic about that," said Fatma, preferring not to give her real name.

"Also, we are less comfortable with the government, and the society is much hostile under lurking waves of discreet racism and Islamophobic hints," she added with a mixed tone of caution and frustration.

A dossier compiled by the Islamic Human Rights group in Britain this year found that Muslims are living "in an atmosphere of heightened mistrust".

Tamimi of IIPT downplayed the phenomenon, however, saying many British Muslims are still less affected by the allegations against the charities, and give much aid benevolently to them.

Asked how she will pay her alms this year for Ramadan, Fatma gave a concise and a clear answer: "there are still some reputable charities I could feel grateful to go to".

'Different Europe'

Taking the issue on the European arena,  Muslim leaders in the continent agreed that things have taken a less deviant turn, saying that members of the 15 member EU are less obedient to the Americans.

"We are living in countries of law, and the British stance rather goes with its blind support to Washington's Iraq policy," said Adli Abu Hajjar, of the Islamic European Council.

"Although some gingerly consider turning their money for charities in Europe, many are more chivalrous," said French Muslim activist Mohamed el-Bishari.

El-Bishari believed that Britain's anti-terrorism law is no much difference from that of the U.S. Patriotic Act "as both are based on leveling charges, without – or with secret- proof".

The U.S. had asked several European countries to freeze Muslim charities' assets and close their offices, "but the requests were turned down swiftly".

Many of those spoke to IOL said that Britain's strict measures against Muslim charities were only meant to satisfy Washington's main ally; Israel.

"Americans give Israel missiles and tanks to kill the Palestinians, and now it helps cut off funds providing food and medicine to them" said Hewitt.

Muslim charities are sacrificed at the altar of political advantage, he said, in reference to the mounting trade and strong economic links between Britain and Israel, clearly manifested in London's exports of military equipment.

"The issue is rather purely political – but ridiculous game, and the main question is how Muslims could compete as powerful as others do".