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Advocacy Blog
Monday, October 30, 2006
Fear Exceeds Faith
A story in The New York Times, "Fears of Inquiry Dampen Giving by U.S. Muslims," reports on a disturbing trend that is affecting U.S. Muslim communities and domestic charities. When Najah Bazzy started the charity Zaman International, she deliberately avoided any connection with a religious institution, yet donations have been sparse because of the fear that donating to an Islamic charity brings unwarranted suspicion of ties to terrorism. Importantly, this is not an isolated case. Ahmad Chebbani, former president of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, estimates that community giving is down by about half. The story also cites the five Muslim charities that have been shut down since 2001, with millions of dollars in assets frozen.
When Mrs. Bazzy calls people to solicit contributions, they quickly beg off and hang up, telling her later in the grocery store or the bank not to ask them for money on the phone because the government is probably eavesdropping. Nobody wants to write a check for any amount, and they look at her in horror when she offers a receipt — some of the largest donations she still receives have been anonymous wads of $100 bills stuffed into envelopes.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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