Regular readers of SFW know that we have devoted a considerable amount of space to covering financial support from Muslim charities for Jihadist organizations:

https://shariahfinancewatch.org/category/islamic-charities/

This is of particular relevance to Shariah-Compliant Finance because of the practice of zakat–a form of required tithing in Islam. Shariah-compliant firms donate 1/40, or 2.5%, of their assets through zakat.

Under Shariah law there are several approved destinations for zakat.

The most authoritative source for such information is a book which is available on Amazon called “The Reliance of the Traveler, A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law.” That book has a whole section devoted to the rules of zakat, including “THE EIGHT CATEGORIES OF RECIPIENTS.”  On page 272, section h8.17, one category is labeled:

THOSE FIGHTING FOR ALLAH

The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there, even if prolonged. Though nothing has been mentioned here of the expense involved in supporting such people’s families during this period, it seems clear that they should also be given it).

This passage, from a widely-used Shariah text written hundreds of years ago seems to have been written just yesterday about zakat payments to charities which have funded Al Qaeda, HAMAS, Hezbollah and the Taliban. Note that such payments are meant specifically for irregular forces who are not part of any army roster, which describes terrorist/guerilla/insurgent groups exactly. Note that they are meant for “Islamic” military operations and not secular groups (i.e. HAMAS and not the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command). Note that such payments are made even if the recipient is affluent…like Osama Bin Laden. And, finally, the families of fighters are to be taken care of, such as payments by Saddam Hussein and Saudi princes to families of Islamikaze bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

All too often, the destinations of zakat payments are to Jihadists, simply because Shariah mandates it. In the case of Shariah-Compliant Finance, decisions about the destination of zakat are made by men like Sheikh Yusef al Qaradawi and Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani, who we have covered extensively here.

These men, who are among the most influential Shariah scholars in the world today, are also outright Jihadists with ties to terrorist organizations. They also sit on the Shariah advisory boards of multiple Shariah-Compliant financial institutions.

Given two recent reports about Islamic charities funding the Taliban from around the world, this system of zakat is of particular interest now:

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.3377/pub_detail.asp

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124355226210564403.html

 

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