Trial for Muslim Charity Expected to Influence Overseas Work by Many Charities
July 17, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Jury selection has begun in the trial of the largest Muslim charity in the country, which has been accused of supporting terrorists abroad, reports The New York Times.
Many charities are watching the case, in Dallas, because its outcome will probably help demarcate legitimate charitable work from prohibited activities in foreign countries.
The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development has been accused of channeling money to Hamas, which the U.S. government identifies as a terrorist group.
The lawyers defending the Holy Land Foundation point out that not one American charity has been convicted of wrongdoing in terms of supporting terrorists since new laws went into place after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Individual charity officials have been convicted.
However, an official at the Treasury Department, which will prosecute the case, said the government does not distinguish between officials and the charity itself.
“If any aspect of a charity’s organization is engaged in terrorist support, then the charitable organization is a problem,” said Chris Poncy, who directs strategic policy for the Treasury’s terrorism finance office.
Read an article in The Chronicle about the challenges facing Muslim charities.
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