Muslim charities struggle to stay open
In the wake of international commemorations on the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I think it behoves us to bear in mind that Muslim people in general have been tarred with the same brush as a few Muslim terrorists, which is obviously like blaming all Christians for the wrong deeds of a few Christians. This report shows that ill effects are falling upon innocent philanthropic organisations because of a general ignorance of the Muslim world:
Last year, workers at a small Muslim social service agency in Virginia received a disturbing letter from their bank. After six years, Wachovia Corp. was closing the account of the five-person agency that specializes in domestic violence services and other types of immediate assistance to families of all religious backgrounds.
“We were totally shocked,” said Margaret Farchtchi, board treasurer of the Foundation for Appropriate and Immediate Temporary Help, also known as FAITH. “We always kept our accounts in good shape.”
But the agency also had other reasons to think that they would not be targeted. “We felt very secure because we are a local charity,” explained Farchtchi. “We don’t have donors from overseas. We thought we were out of what you might call the danger zone.”
Many people thought the same. As such, the story of FAITH illustrates the challenge now facing the Muslim community. Since 9/11, the government has frozen the assets of six large Muslim organizations and shut them down — although no one has been convicted of any crime. People, in turn, have begun donating in larger numbers to local charities, assuming these organizations to be free of international ties and safe from government interference. But the experience of FAITH suggests that there are no guarantees.
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It has become a very dificult world for Muslims all over the world, Muslim run Charities and those of other ethnic minorities are suffering an untold exclusion from funding or contracts. It is very sad that since 9/11 many Ethnic minorities in the world are being subjected to discrimination with false assumption that they sympathise with terrorists! Untold discrimination has caused so many Charities to close in Sheffield in UK. A Ugandan boy was rescently jailed that he said inshAllah which simply means God willing. What is our world coming to. The terrorists must be laughing away as they see a world in tumoil due to their actions! Even muslims fear muslims, as they have been made to fear themselves. Few now dare gather for any good cause, they fear to be associated with who could tommorroww turn out to be charged wrongly or rightly with terrorism.
Muhammad the prophet used to refer to Jesus as his brother. The Negus, a Christian Ethiopian King gave Muslims asylum and protection from the Kuraish-Leaders of Makkah. Muhammad married Sofia a jew: The man preached integration and respect of black or white. What has our generation done to Islam? Disfigure it? What a shame
Comment by Rev I N Kaggwa | December 13, 2007