KUWAIT CITY, October 14 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As in other oil-rich Gulf Arab states, charitable donations in Kuwait rise sharply during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts Friday, October 15.

But the Kuwaiti government has moved to make sure funds do not fall into the hands of “suspicious elements”, a Kuwaiti official said Thursday, October 14.

The restrictions have been imposed after Kuwait and Arab countries have come under US pressures to put a brake on charitable funds that it claims could be channeled into what are hysterically touted as “terrorist activities”.

Under strict rules to be enforced by dozens of government inspectors in coming weeks, religious donations can no longer be made in cash or in kind and must be made through banks.

“Forget cash or any form of material donations. A donation made during the holy month, or at any other time, must be made through bank transfers,” Nasser Al-Ammar, head of the Charity Societies Department at the ministry of social affairs told Agence France Presse (AFP).

“We have authorized the five main charity organizations and their 124 branches to collect donations. But this must be done through officially-stamped coupons authorizing deductions from the donors' bank accounts,” Ammar added.

“Our aim is not to stop charity, but to regulate it and stop funds from falling into the hands of suspicious elements," Ammar said.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims are ordered to pay their Zakaah for the poor and needy. Zakaah is the third pillar of Islam. It is obligatory on those who are able to do that.

Strict Regulations

Under the new regulations, fund-raising is now banned in mosques, except in the last 10 days of Ramadan.

Charities are now required to receive a prior approval from the Kuwait social affairs and foreign ministries to be able to transfer funds abroad.

The Kuwaiti charities, for their part, had reacted positively to the new government regulations as they agreed to open their books to government auditing to ensure that funds are not used to fund fundamental activities.

“We are pleased at the positive response and great cooperation extended by our charity organizations,” Ammar said.

The new Kuwait step came a year following a visit by a delegation from the US Treasury Department and a team from the International Monetary Fund to discuss with Kuwaiti officials means to dry up funds aimed at what they alleged terrorist organizations.

Since the 9-11 attacks, the United States has put pressure on Muslim countries to clamp down on Islamic charities under the pretext that they were channeling funds to terrorists and extremists, a charge vehemently dismissed by many charities.

The charities have complained that restrictions were affecting their work to reach out to the Muslim poor and needy.