In Islam, zakat — the alms required of every Muslim — can and should be given to further the jihad. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that there are so many jihad-linked charities.
“Audit of B.C. mosque charity alleges personal spending, ‘relationship’ with Qatar group accused of supporting terror,” by Stewart Bell and Rumina Daya, Global News, September 27, 2017 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Two worshippers at the Masjid Al-Hidayah and Islamic Cultural Centre speak with Global News about a Canada Revenue Agency audit that allegedly revealed troubling details about a charity which runs a mosque….
The audit documents released by the CRA further said the Sheikh Eid Bin Muhammad Al-Thani Charity Foundation (Eid Foundation) in oil-rich Qatar had “maintained some level of control or influence over the affairs” of the B.C. charity.
“The organization’s connection to and possible control by the Eid Foundation is particularly concerning given that publicly available information … indicates that the Eid Foundation is alleged to have provided support to terrorism,” the CRA Charities Directorate wrote.
“Our research indicates that the Eid Foundation is a member organization in the Union of Good, a global coalition of Islamic charities operated by Hamas, a listed terrorist entity in Canada,” read the letter.
In May, the CRA said in a “Notice of Penalty” letter that while it had initially proposed a $126,000 penalty for Bahr’s spending, it had decided not to follow through after the Islamic Society said it would remove him from the board and improve its internal controls, financial oversight and record keeping.
But the CRA did impose a $9,000 penalty against the charity for issuing $182,000 worth of donation receipts that were deemed “not compliant.” The letter said the penalty could be paid to another registered charity.
Qatar group was one of several areas of possible non-compliance
No penalty was imposed in relation to charity’s “relationship” with the Qatar group. The Islamic Society’s lawyer, Sebastian Elawny, said the CRA had found no wrongdoing and was satisfied with the charity’s reply to the allegations.
“The organization’s response was clear and the evidence was unequivocal in proving that the organization was not involved in any activities involving terrorism. Had there been any shred of evidence supporting a terrorist financing claim, the CRA would not have permitted the organization to continue to be designated as a registered charity,” he said.
One of four organizations listed on the CRA website as “penalized,” the Islamic Society of B.C. built a mosque with a gym and underground parking that opened in 2003. Recent visitors have included Christy Clark, when she was the B.C. premier, and local MP Ron McKinnon, a Liberal member of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. McKinnon’s office said the MP was unaware of the CRA audit and did not know about the sexual assault case against Bahr until July 2016.
“The main issue probably was the personal expenses of the person that was running the organization being mixed up with the organizational expenses,” said Mark Blumberg, an expert in non-profit and charity law who reviewed the CRA documents.
He said the CRA had also expressed concerns about possible terrorist links.
“Canadian charities have to be scrupulous and careful that when they’re dealing with foreign partners that they avoid any even perception that those organizations could be involved with a terrorist organization,” said Blumberg, a partner at Blumberg Segal LLP.
The allegation that the Eid Foundation was “directly involved” in the affairs of a B.C. charity has emerged as Qatar is under diplomatic pressure from its Arab neighbours for allegedly bankrolling groups spreading extremism in the Middle East.
In June, the governments of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain closed their borders with Qatar and placed dozens of charities and individuals on a terrorist list. The Eid Foundation was among them, the Gulf News and Al Arabiya reported.
Also listed was an alleged Eid Foundation co-founder and ex-board member, Abd al-Rahman al-Nuaymi. The United Nations has identified him as a key financier of Al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq. The Eid Foundation said Nuaymi had not served on its board since 1999.
The Canadian charity’s relationship to the Eid Foundation was one of several areas of possible non-compliance raised by the CRA in its 32-page “preliminary findings” letter. The letter said the Islamic Society’s records “indicate that a 2005 agreement was signed between the organization and the Eid Foundation.” Documents mentioned that two board members would be “from Qatar,” the CRA wrote….