Soccer Dad

The trouble with *some* zakat

Elder of Ziyon highlights an Al Arabiya story about the ACLU's objection to American efforts to shut down Islamic charities that fund groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

And the ACLU is completely wrong in implying that any US government actions are preventing Muslims from giving zakat, as there are no doubt many Islamic charities who do not give money to terrorists and which are tax-exempt under US laws.

The NYT reported this story the other day, giving primary attention to the ACLU's perspective. However Jonathan Tobin observed that the Times included real reporting that confirms Elder of Ziyon's speculation.

In other words, those groups with no ties to terror have been unaffected by the crackdown and have prospered.

But while legitimate Muslim charities have benefited from enforcement of the laws, many of the groups that pose as the leaders of American Muslims are still tied to the pro-terror agenda of institutions like the Holy Land Foundation.

President Obama's statement about zakat in his Cairo speech unfortunately confirmed the unsubstantiated charge that somehow American law enforcement efforts were interfering with the free exercise of the Islamic religion. American law enforcement has focused on shutting down the illegal pipeline of funds to terrorist groups.