IU Indianapolis’ Lilly Family School of Philanthropy cut ties with a philanthropy organization after Indiana lawmakers demanded the university launch a formal investigation into the group last week.
Indiana lawmakers alleged the group, Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, has ties to Hayat Yolu Association, which the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control designated as a “sham charity” with ties to militant group Hamas.
Susan Guibert, a spokesperson for the philanthropy school said in a Tuesday email to the Indiana Daily Student it is ceasing all training activities, reviewing all partnerships and collaborations and suspending any new partnerships with the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, which was founded in 2017.
What is Muslim Philanthropy Initiative?
The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative is a project of Amir Pasic, dean of the IU Indianapolis philanthropy school, and the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, one the school’s five affiliated groups.
MPI is led by Shariq Siddiqui, inaugural director and assistant professor of philanthropic studies, and is guided by a 13-member Council of Advisors appointed by Pasic. In addition to guidance, the council acts as a financial steward and advocate to create “continuous growth and lasting impact for MPI.” The council comprises thought leaders, philanthropists and nonprofit executives.
Siddiqui and the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative did not respond to request for comment by time of publication.
MPI brings together scholars and philanthropy professionals and offers professional development workshops on fundraising and philanthropic leadership centered on Muslim and Islamic giving traditions. The initiative has trained over 3,500 Muslim nonprofit professionals from more than 30 countries since 2018, its website states.
MPI’s mission, its website states, is equipping communities, organizations and leaders with information and thought leadership to address the “understudied” area of Muslim philanthropy.
The initiative also hosts an annual “Symposium on Contemporary Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society,” as well as three to four webinars a year.
Why are lawmakers calling for an investigation?
In a letter to IU, eight Indiana Republican state representatives referenced unspecified “public reporting” that said MPI co-organized an event in January 2026, with Hayat Yolu, the organization designated a “sham charity.”
Siddiqui presented a session, “Philanthropic Leadership and Management for Nonprofits,” according to Radio Republik Indonesia coverage of the three-day training program in Jakarta, Indonesia. The first two days concentrated on fundraising, Siddiqui said at the event. The third day, he told Radio Republik Indonesia, was focused on leadership and project and volunteer management.
Hayat Yolu Deputy Director Ahmad Abu Adam said at the event the organization was trying to enhance the capabilities of their partners in Indonesia through learning new techniques in management, leadership and fundraising. Hayat Yolu Association is a Turkish humanitarian nongovernmental organization founded in 2014, according to its website.
The U.S. Treasury released a statement March 12 claiming Hayat Yolu is one of three Turkish nonprofit organizations that “have provided significant material support to Hamas.”
The U.S. Treasury OFAC cites internal documents as evidence of links between Hamas and Hayat Yolu, the contents of which are not included. The U.S. Treasury did not respond to an inquiry regarding what influenced its designation by publication.
A “key element” of how Hamas raises money overseas is with nonprofits that channel funds and other assets through Hamas-controlled charities in Gaza, according to the U.S. Treasury release. Hayat Yolu operates in 15 countries, its website states.
The report also identifies Hayat Yolu as an operational headquarters, banking and financial hub for the Muslim Brotherhood, according to Hamas military internal documents said to be obtained by U.S. officials.
The U.S. Treasury OFAC designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations due to their “material support” of Hamas, according to a January press release. According to a U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Security hearing, the Muslim Brotherhood has affiliates in over 70 countries.
OFAC administers and enforces economic sanctions against targeted foreign jurisdictions in addition to individuals and entities “engaging in harmful activity,” such as terrorists or international drug traffickers. Sanctions may block the property of individuals or entities, or they may prohibit transactions through trade embargoes on sectors of a country’s economy.
OFAC has previously been criticized for lacking transparency in its decision-making and due process for designations and their “disparate” impact on minority groups, particularly Muslim charities, according to a Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area report.
Lawmakers allege in the letter “public reporting” shows MPI co-organized another event with Hayat Yolu in Istanbul in July 2025. An attendee, who was invited by Siddiqui, posted on LinkedIn stating the event was organized by Hayat Yolu.
According to a now-deleted 2021-25 annual report, MPI expressed its thanks to a list of organizations for their “generous support in advancing its work,” including Hayat Yolu.
Lawmakers sent the letter to IU President Pamela Whitten and Pasic on March 20. The letter also pointed to a 2022 program about the impact of the war on terrorism on Muslim charities in which IU hosted Sami Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida professor who pled guilty to a charge of conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in 2006.
According to the National Counterterrorism Center, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was founded as an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood and designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
The legislators’ letter also included requests that IU preserve records related to Hayat Yolu, Siddiqui and MPI, suspend any ongoing ties with Hayat Yolu and disclose whether IU or MPI received funding or support from the organization.
The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, Siddiqui, IU spokesperson Mark Bode and Reps. Ireland and Bascom did not respond to requests for comment by time of publication.
