D.C. News & Views: Re-engaging Muslim Charities & Groups to Develop New Policies on Giving
July 31, 2009
A recent poll conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs reveals a remarkable trend in Americans' views on the use of foreign aid to reshape and rehabilitate America’s image abroad.
Just consider these three statistics:
- 92% of Americans believe it is important to combat world hunger
- 72% of Americans believe that helping poor countries develop their economy is a measure that can assist in combating terrorism
- 70% of Americans believe that the government should not support humanitarian aid programs operated by Muslim charities
Taken together, these findings are reflective of the immense challenges of post-9/11 terrorist financing policies regarding the charitable sector, specifically, Muslim American charitable organizations.
In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and the earthquake in Kashmir the following year, Muslim American aid agencies were some of the most efficient in delivering aid to the devastated populations. Former President Bill Clinton visited a health project run by Islamic Relief Worldwide and praised the organization's work in conjunction with the U.N. and other agencies.
It is heartening that the White House and the Department of Treasury have begun re-engaging the charitable sector as well as Muslim American organizations, including MPAC, to develop a framework to address the policy and implementation issues which hinder aid from being delivered to its intended targets.
In a recent speech in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said:
Recognizing that many Americans want to continue to make philanthropic contributions to charities abroad, the President has asked us to work with the American Muslim community, devoted to the sacred of obligation of zakat, to develop safe and effective ways to facilitate humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations, while ensuring that charitable contributions are not diverted to support those who promote violent extremism.
As the blessed month of Ramadan approaches, the Muslim American community is ready to be a resource so that the President's words in Cairo this past June and Secretary Geithner's remarks in Saudi Arabia will be realized in Washington, D.C., and will benefit vulnerable populations around the world.
