Donations to Islamic charities fall short

Islamic charities working to assure donors that contributions are not going to fund terrorism also are trying to make sure their own actions follow the law, Muslim leaders say.\nStudies report that news of charities shut down in the past year amid accusations of ties to terrorism have left some American Muslims feeling charitable contributions could be seized or marked as suspect for funding terrorist organizations.\n"Someone needs to give people the assurance that the need continues," said Ghanim Al Jumaily, CEO of Life for Relief & Development, an international Muslim charity founded outside Detroit after the 1991 Persian Gulf war. "There are lots of people worldwide that are dependent on these donations."\nA national Muslim magazine's study of the 50 largest U.S. Islamic organizations determined their collections had fallen by 20 percent since February, when the crackdown on charities began.\nWith a greater need for relief now that Iraq's infrastructure is damaged, about 25 charities are meeting this weekend outside Chicago to discuss the future of Muslim-sponsored relief during the Islamic Society of North America's annual conference.\nThe Plainfield, Ind.-based society is an umbrella group for several million people who follow orthodox Islam.\nIt was among the organizations that urged President Bush last year to take action so Muslims in the United States would feel safer making charitable donations.\nCharitable giving -- a practice referred to in Islam as zaka -- is one of the five pillars of the faith. But without safeguards, many Muslims fear that sending checks to humanitarian organizations will inadvertently make them suspect.\n"Muslims are trying every possible way to ensure that everything is open and everything is transparent," said Aslam Abdullah, editor of The Minaret, the Los Angeles-based magazine that conducted the charities study.\nSeventeen Islamic charities suspected of having ties to terrorism have already had their assets frozen. Three of them are in the United States, including the Holy Land Foundation of Richardson in Texas, the Benevolence International Foundation and Global Relief Foundation, both in the Chicago area.\nBesides the uncertainty many donors feel over how their contributions will be spent, fears persists among American Muslims that their money will be seized and never reach those who need it.\n"That money was given originally for relief work. It should be utilized for the purposes for which it was raised," Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary general of the Islamic society, said of roughly $125 million being held by the government.\nThe charities also will discuss the practices the federal government suggests for U.S. charities, including publicly identifying groups who receive the money.\n"These are best practices that can be undertaken to help reduce the risk that their charities are being abused by criminals or terrorists," said Taylor Griffin, spokesman for the Treasury Department. "Good Muslims don't want to give money to institutions or to charities that are fronts for the funding of terror"