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| Fifth Column |
| Saudi Link Among Suspect Islamic Charities. Really. |
| 2002-04-03 |
Rilly? Who'da thunkit? Investigators are looking into the Safa Trust, the Saar Group, the Wafa Humanitarian Organization, and 16 other Islamic charities with ties to the Saudi royal family. The hell you say? The royal family! I'd never have guessed. Ummm... Which ones? The Saudi's have pledged to help choke off terrorist financing. Hey, it could happen! And publicly, U.S. officials say Saudi Arabia is trying to be part of the solution. Privately they spit and hold their noses. "We're fully satisfied with Saudi Arabia as we work together on the important financial aspect of the war against terrorism," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said. Yep. Every time they get 'em cornered, they shut down the culprits, who then open up under a different name. Privately, however, investigators complain that powerful factions of the Saudi government are part of the problem because they're associated with — or look the other way — when some Islamic charities funnel cash to terrorists. What's that you say? Powerful factions? You don't mean... The Treasury Department's terror financing investigation, Operation Green Quest, has raided nearly four dozen American Muslim organizations with ties to Saudi officials. Hmmm. Officials. That means they're in the government, carrying out official policy, doesn't it? They include offices of the Muslim World League, the International Institute of Islamic Thought and various others groups. In addition, hundreds of other warrants, raids and arrests have been conducted by other federal agencies across the country. You must be joshing. Organizations with such high-minded sounding names? In the United States, more than 1,000 Islamic centers, mosques and schools operate, many legitimately, and are both furious and heartbroken that terrorists are giving Muslims a bad name. Bet they're so furious and heartbroken they could just explode. But the problem is pervasive, cash donations are almost impossible to trace or control. Donations could be paying for sandals for orphans or explosives for suicide bombers. Or paying for sandals for the orphans of the suicide bombers they also paid for. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |