torsdag, maj 27, 2010

Emiraten - nytt centrum för terrorfinansiering ?


Västvärlden har under de senaste åren
fått Saudiarabien att strama åt de islamiska
stiftelsernas användning av zakat, den religiösa
skatten. Det handlar om miljardbelopp som
under många år missbrukats genom alltifrån
att sprida wahhabism i Europa till direkt
terrorfinansiering av Al Qaeda, Hamas och
talibanerna.
Nu kontrollerar saudiska regeringen hur
stiftelserna utövar sin islamiska välgörenhet.
Det är ännu så länge ett grovmaskigt kontrollnät....
Stora belopp från Saudiarabien hamnar fortfarande
hos terroristerna, men helt klart går det
i rätt riktning.
Samtidigt håller Kuwait och Emiraten på att
utvecklas till nya centra för extremism- och
terrorfinansiering...
***
While the Treasury Department reports that
many of the charities al-Qaeda has relied on
in the past as a source of funds have been
disrupted or deterred from continuing such
activity, the department has also noted that
charities serving as fronts for terrorist groups
often open up under new names soon after
they are shut down.
After a flurry of designations in the period after
9-11, Treasury has continued to designate
charities tied to al-Qaeda and its affiliates
on a regular basis.
These include a number of NGOs based in
Saudi Arabia, such as the International Islamic
Relief Organization (IIRO) and al-Haramain,
as well as the Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic
Heritage Society (RIHS).
Also in June 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department
designated the entirety of another Gulf-based
charity, the Kuwaiti Revival of Islamic Heritage
Society (RIHS).
In January 2002 the U.S. government and United
Nations designated the Afghanistan and Pakistan
offices of RIHS, but despite these and other
actions—like the closure or raid of six RIHS
offices from Azerbaijan to Cambodia—the
organization continued to engage in support
for al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups,
according to the U.S. government.
Announcing the designations, Treasury
informed that RIHS leadership not only
“actively managed all aspects of the
organization’s day-to-day operations,”
but was fully aware of its illegitimate
activities. Such activities included RIHS
financing for the operations of the Pakistan-
based Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group responsible
for the 2006 Mumbai commuter train attack
and the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament.
Similarly, an RIHS employee provided logistical
support to then-fugitive Jemah Islamiyah (JI)
leader “Hambali,” while the RIHS office in
Bangladesh was accused of funding the military
activities of Jamaat Mujahedin Bangladesh, the
group that launched near-simultaneous bombings
across Bangladesh in 2005.
RIHS funded al-Qaeda and other groups in Somalia
as well, according to Treasury.
Speaking in the Gulf, Treasury Undersecretary Stuart
Levey noted that “terrorist organizations and al-
Qaeda raise money in the Gulf by going to individual
donors and through charities.” This was evident
in 2006, when Treasury designated Abd al- Hamid
al-Mujil, executive director of the Eastern Province
office of the International Islamic Relief Organization
(IIRO), described by fellow jihadists as the “million
dollar man” for his support of Islamic militant groups.
According to the public statement announcing his
designation, Mujil boasted a long history of
financing al-Qaeda and its Southeast Asian affiliates,
the Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemah Islamiyah.
****