Long time readers of SFW know that we have explained repeatedly that zakat has been used to fund Jihadists because Shariah mandates it.

Here we have an article on the subject from a Muslim writer in the Pakistani media acknowledging the fact that zakat funds Jihadists and pointing out that the Pakistani government has done nothing to stop the flow of money.

There is probably a good reason for this: there is no mechanism in Shariah for cutting off zakat funds from those waging Jihad…

The month of Ramzan is one of the seasons which militants use to secure their yearly finances. While extremist and militant groups are set to raise funds during the holy month, Pakistan’s government has not taken any concrete measures to stop them from doing so.

Apart from routine fund collection through charity and donations, banned groups have three major sources of financial supplies: zakat collection in Ramzan; collection of animal hides on Eidul Azha; and foreign funding. Even if one of these supply lines is blocked, it will have huge impact on the militants’ operations.

The militants’ media publications are still available, which carry appeals for donations. Pamphlets containing such appeals can also be found on notice boards of some mosques. Banned groups are still operating in cyberspace and attracting people to contribute to their cause.

It is interesting to know how these groups collect funds through couriers. Wealthy Arabs in the Gulf States, who take the religious obligation of zakat very seriously, deem madrassahs in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh as deserving entities for their charity. They usually assess and set aside their zakat before Ramzan and engage local religious scholars in these countries to distribute it among the deserving. Pakistani madrassahs, religious parties and militant groups remain in contact with these religious scholars, who keep them on the list of the deserving. Religious scholars either visit the Gulf countries themselves or send their represen-tatives as couriers to collect zakat. Most militant groups also send their couriers to collect such donations.

Once officials investigating the collection of animal hides on Eidul Azha found links between organised money laundering and banned militant groups. Militant groups use animal hides as a cover to legitimise funds received from abroad, by showing that the money had been generated by selling the hides.

Most militant groups in Pakistan are continuously changing their organisational structure, networks, and tactics and introducing new ways of generating funds. Many of them have also created permanent sources for finances. Militant groups have established public welfare wings to cover their activities.

After they were banned, many groups resurfaced as charity organisations to boost their image among the masses as well as to avoid government restrictions. This ploy has not only helped them gain social acceptance but also enabled them to expand their support base.

http://www.thestatesman.com/news/opinion/zakat-and-militant-finances/72541.html

 

 

 

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