Did Group Raise Funds for Hamas on Campus?Even if one were to claim that all money collected would go towards humanitarian supplies alone--what are the chances that it would actually find its way to the Palestinian Arabs there and not Hamas and its people?
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A U.S. congressman is the latest to call for a Justice Department investigation into whether a pro-Palestinian group has been raising money on college campuses for Hamas.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) urged a probe into Viva Palestina USA, a humanitarian aid convoy led by British lawmaker George Galloway that brought medical supplies to Gaza last July.
Both the Zionist Organization of America and the Anti-Defamation League in recent months have urged Holder to investigate reports about the convoy's links to Hamas.
The groups made their requests after Galloway and other Viva Palestina USA members appeared and reportedly raised funds at some college campuses in the spring and summer.
"Clearly, people and organizations in the United States cannot be allowed to solicit funds for foreign terrorist organizations," Sherman wrote in his letter to Holder.
"That such solicitation is occurring during the middle of the day at a public university is truly frightening," he said, referring to the University of California, Irvine.
The chances are not good:
From the BBC in February:
UN halts Gaza aid over 'thefts'From the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs--describing the humanitarian aid Israel provided to Gaza during the war:
UN trucks have been passing through Kerem Shalom crossing to deliver aid
The UN aid agency in Gaza says it has suspended all aid shipments, accusing the Hamas government of seizing hundreds of tonnes of food supplies.
Ten lorries carrying flour and rice were taken from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, the UN's Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) said.
Hamas admitted a "mistake" had been made and says it will return the goods.
But Unrwa says deliveries will not restart until it has assurances that such seizures will not happen again.
And then of course, there are the pictures of Gaza--in a Palestinian paper--that prove the lie to the image of Gaza that Galloway and others seek foist upon a sympathetic public.
Recently, reports have been accumulating saying that Hamas elements are confiscating food donations sent into Gaza during the current operation. The reports point in particular to the confiscation of flour and its sale, often at outrageous prices.
On January 11, 2009, in a Hamas internet forum, surfers complained about the confiscations of flour donations in Dir-al'Balech by Hamas elements. There is also a description of how Hamas transfers the donations to its own warehouses, and distributes them to only two bakeries in the city - Albana Bakery and Al-Tzalah Union Bakery - both of which belong to Hamas (see following screen capture).
UPDATE: Meanwhile, in Great Britain--courtesy of Islamist Watch:
Technorati Tag: Gaza and Hamas and Terrorism.
the record of UK bureaucrats sending money to Islamists in the form of grants. Two recent scandals:
The TaxPayers' Alliance released a report in September on the Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) program, through which the government teams with private organizations in efforts — often highly misguided — to combat radicalization. But consider some recipients of the largess.
The study finds that "around £850,000 has been given to the Muslim Council of Britain's official affiliates" over the past several years. Not only has the group heavy-handedly sought to implant Islam in public schools, but the government suspended links with it in early 2009 after one of its leaders signed a document indirectly "advocating attacks on the Royal Navy if it tries to stop arms for Hamas being smuggled into Gaza." Then there is this embarrassing grantee:
One organization, the Muslim Welfare House (MWH), has received just under £50,000 in PVE funds over the last two years. The MWH is a member of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), which represents the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Europe. The FIOE has very close ties with Holocaust promoter and leading MB scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and his European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) was founded by the FIOE.
[…]
The MB connections with the MWH are strong and up until 2007, of the five registered owners of the MWH, three were also directors of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), the Brotherhood's main presence in the United Kingdom.
One month later the Telegraph disclosed more funding follies: The government, through various programs, paid £113,411 in 2008 to a foundation operated by senior members of the international Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. Specifically, the money has supported schools "where children are taught key elements of Hizb's ideology from the age of five." The Telegraph article goes on to outline the anti-Semitic and pro-jihad aspects of this ideology, summarizing Hizb ut-Tahrir's separatist worldview as follows:
Hizb regards integration as "dangerous" and says that British Muslims should "fight assimilation" into British society. It wants to create a global Islamic superstate, or "caliphate," initially in Muslim-majority countries and then across the rest of the world.
Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, responded to the report by accusing officials of "sleeping on the job." He is far too polite. Only one adjective properly describes a government that funds those who seek its destruction: suicidal.
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