An Islamic charity linked to terror funding has been given a perfect four-star rating as a reputable organization for those wishing to donate money to help victims of wildfires still burning out of control in California.
Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) was listed by Charity Navigator as a reputable address for donations, with the caveat that it could not be guaranteed that all the charities on its list “will spend 100% of donations received [on] wildfire relief.”
Clarion Project learned of charity’s “status” through an article in Newsweek, which listed IRUSA as a recommended organization helping victims of the fires.
Charity Navigator not only gave IRUSA a four-star rating, but gave the organization a score of 100 percent for “accountability and transparency.”
IRUSA is the American branch of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), based in the United Kingdom.
IRW has many documented links to terror funding – particularly Hamas – and the Muslim Brotherhood. It also is managed by prominent Islamist extremists.
In 2014, the United Arab Emirates banned IRW as a terrorist group. The same year, the Israeli defense minister signed a decree banning Islamic Relief Worldwide because it is “another source of funds for Hamas.”
Back in 2006, Israel arrested the project coordinator of IRW’s Gaza office, Iyaz Ali, for funneling money to Hamas. At the time, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The IRW’s activities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip are carried out by social welfare organizations controlled and staffed by Hamas operatives. The intensive activities of these associations are designed to further Hamas’ ideology among the Palestinian population.”
Other governments and financial institutions have taken steps to curtail its activities due to its history of terror funding, including:
- The Swiss banking giant UBS, which blocked donations to the organization from its customers in 2012
- The international banking giant HSBC, which blocked donations in 2016
- Russia accused the organization of supporting terrorists in Chechnya in 2005
By 2013, three IRW offices were documented as having a confirmed relationship with IHH, a Hamas affiliate in Turkey. At the time, IRUSA said it delivered aid to Syria “through Islamic Relief partner offices in Turkey,” indicating the U.S. branch may also have worked with IHH.
In 2013, an Egyptian newspaper published a list of 30 alleged Muslim Brotherhood operatives in the U.S. which included five senior IRUSA leaders.
You can read more about Islamic Relief here
RELATED STORIES
$200 Million U.S. Islamic Charity Linked to Muslim Brotherhood
Israel’s ‘FBI’ Links ‘Islamic Relief USA’ Charity to Hamas
