Washington, June 18: With an “unchecked power”, the George W. Bush administration’s war on terror has undermined American Muslim charities providing needed humanitarian aid and “chilled” fearful U.S. Muslims from practicing their faith through charitable giving, a leading rights organization said.
“The federal government’s enforcement of terrorism financing laws has disproportionately affected Muslim charities,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a report.
The report, titled “Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity”, found that the U.S. war on terrorism has dealt a harsh blow to Muslim charities that left man of them mistakenly subject to targeting, abuse and intimidation.
The ACLU made some 120 interviews, mostly with Muslim community leaders and officials from American Muslim charities.
It found that almost all charities harmed by terror financing laws are Muslim-owned.
“Of nine U.S.-based charities whose assets have been seized by the Department of Treasury, seven are Muslim charities.”
Many other Muslim charities have been forced to close due to the disastrous impact of the public police raids and investigation.
“In some cases, the US government has smeared the reputations of Muslim charities, Muslim community organizations, and associates of Muslim charities without affording these organizations and individuals their day in court or any other opportunity to clear their names.”
ACLU slammed the Bush administration for the broad “unchecked power” it has given to the Treasury Department to designate charities as terrorist organizations.
“Despite the often weak nature of the evidence, when it designated Muslim charities, indicted them criminally, or raided them, the Bush administration publicly trumpeted its actions as successes.”
Since the 9/11 attacks, US authorities have placed Muslim charities under the microscope on claims of channeling funds to terrorists.
The intense pressures have forced many charities to stop transferring needed aid to orphanages in Muslim countries in order to keep operating at home.
In 2005, a coalition of Muslim-American leaders asked federal officials to issue a “white list” of clean charities Muslim-Americans could donate to without fear of prosecution or investigation, but Treasury officials refused.
Climate of fear
The ACLU report affirms that the implications of haunting Muslim charities were severe on the US Muslim community
The government’s actions have created a climate of fear that chills American Muslims’ free and full exercise of their religion through charitable giving, or Zakat, one of the “five pillars” of Islam,” the organization said.
The report describes how anti-terror laws have scared off law-abiding Muslims from fulfilling their religious duty enshrined by constitution.
In interviews with American Muslim donors, the ACLU documented Muslims’ pervasive fear that they may be arrested, prosecuted, targeted, deported, or denied citizenship or a green card because of charitable donations.
“Many American Muslims reported that the climate of fear has made it impossible for them to fulfill their religious obligation to give Zakat in accordance with their faith and to associate with fellow Muslims.”
The report slammed the former administration for undermining American Muslims’ protected constitutional liberties by such policies.
“These policies and practices are neither fair nor effective, and are undermining American values of due process and fairness.”
Though there is no official figures, American Muslims are estimated between six to seven million.
Not only that, the report warned that the discriminatory terror laws have also hurt the US national security.
“Many American Muslim community leaders and members have pointed to the disproportionate enforcement of counterterrorism laws against Muslim charities as evidence of discriminatory, religion-based targeting of Muslims,” contends ACLU.
“Such practices have… undermined US standing in the Muslim world, and have fueled often inflammatory allegations by radical groups that the United States is against Islam and Muslims.”
In his keynote speech to Muslim world on June 4, President Barack Obama has acknowledged wrongful practices against Muslim charities and vowed a review to some anti-terror laws.
“In the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation,” Obama has said.
“That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.”
-Agencies