Usanas Foundation, an India-based geopolitics and security think-tank, recently dug deep into the network of Wahhabi organisations’ network in India and their role in the radicalisation and spread of terrorism in the country. In a report published in the Sunday Guardian, the think tank’s founder and head of research explained how Qatar-based Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association, also referred to as Eid Charity, has been funding millions of dollars to organisations associated with the Wahhabi school of thought since 2008-2009.
Eid Charity sent $7.82 million to India
The Middle East Forum, which is a Philadelphia-based organisation, recently came across a massive cache of documents related to the Eid Charity. The organisation found over 1,200 transactions made to India either directly via Eid Charity or contributions by individuals. It suggested that a total of approx USD 7.82 million, or roughly Rs 58.25 crore, were sent to eight organisations in India. The money was allegedly used for projects directly linked to the Muslim community, including building supporting mosques, building hand pumps and more.
The Eid Charity faced global scrutiny in 2013 when the US Department of Treasury named Abd Al-Rahman al-Nu’aymi, one of the founders of Eid Charity, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGTs). The US Treasury sanctioned him for providing financial and material assistance to al-Qaeda and its affiliate terrorist organisations in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Somalia. Donations made by Eid Charity and its affiliate organisations are under investigation in several countries, including the US.
Salafi Charitable Trust Narikkuni – the top beneficiary of Eid Charity’s funds to India
The documents further revealed that Salafi Charitable Trust Narikkuni, which is a Kerala-based organisation, received the largest chunk of the funds. Records suggest that between 2008 to 2017, this organisation received USD 4.9 million. This particular organisation is being run by another Qatar-based charity group, RAF or Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Al Thani Foundation for Humanitarian Services. A royal family member of Qatar is behind RAF. It is noteworthy that Arab Nations had banned RAF in 2017 for its involvement in funding terrorist organisations. RAF has serious charges against it, including providing funds to terrorist group al-Qaeda’s affiliate groups al-Nusra in Syria and providing weapons to Muslim-Brotherhood-backed militants in Sudan.
The investigation showed that the money received by Salafi Charitable Trust was mainly meant for financial support to the poor Muslim population. A portion of the money was also used to promote and distribute Hijab. Dr Hussain Madavoor, who is Kerala’s one of the most prominent religious leaders and vice president of Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM), one of the largest faith-based organisations, serves as chairman at Salafi Charitable Trust as well.
In 2018, Salafi’s chairman, Dr Madavoor, posted a video message on Facebook. In his address, he extended support to Peace Education Foundation and its founder and MD, M.M. Akbar. Notably, Peace Education Foundation has been under security agencies’ radar since 2016. It was revealed that several people who were radicalised and joined ISIS were associated with this organisation.
Akbar, who is known for his controversial statements, is often called “Zakir Naik of Kerala”. In 2018, he was arrested while trying to fly to Qatar on the charges of radicalising school children using inflammatory content in the schools funded by his organisation.
Abdul Rashid Abdullah, mastermind of ISIS Kerala module and former employee of Peace Foundation, had released an audio message in which he claimed several teachers and parents of Peace Schools support ISIS. He further alleged the organisation tried to hide the identity of two of its former employees who had joined ISIS-KP in Afghanistan.
Usanas Foundation said in the report that during the investigation, they found Eid Charity also funded an organisation named Peace Education Centre. Most of the money received by this organisation was meant to support an orphanage. However, Usanas could not establish a link between Peace Education Foundation and Peace Education Foundation. However, it added if the two organisations are linked, “it would be the most direct evidence of Eid Charity funding organisations in India that are alleged to be involved in radicalisation activities.”
Symposium Educational Charitable Society – Ghost charity of Uttar Pradesh
The second organisation that received the maximum funding from Eid Charity in India was of Symposium Educational Charitable Society. It received around $2.01 million. However, when Usanas Foundation tried to trace down the organisation, there was no information available about it in the public domain. The majority of the funds were transferred for the projects running in the Siddharthnagar district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
A large chunk of that money was sent to Al-Farooq Group, which is based in Iowa, district Siddharthnagar, UP. Al-Farooq Group is known for its dismissive stand against Sufi Islam which is quite popular in India. Itwa is known for organisations that propagate fundamentalist Wahhabi interpretations that are intolerant towards the non-Wahhabi Muslim community.
Eid Charity’s beneficiary Al Safa’s criminal history
The next organisation on the list is Al Safa Educational, Industrial and Islamic Charitable Society. Maulana Sheikh Meraj Rabbani, a controversial religious leader, runs this organisation. He was arrested in 2010 for hate speech against Muslim communities that follow Barelvis and Sufis. He was also involved in the Heera Gold fraud case, which was a Ponzi scheme. He had urged people to invest in the scheme.
The investigation also revealed that the funds were transferred using ghost individuals and shell organisations in order to escape the scrutiny of law enforcement agencies and tax regulatory bodies. For example, they were not able to trace Al-Habib Educational and Charitable Foundation and Relevance Charitable Foundation existence.
Qatar is possibly on the verge of falling in the FATF grey list
Usanas Foundation said in its report that the authorities in Qatar may fall under the FATF grey list if they do not take aggressive steps to avoid the situation. Its strong allies, Turkey and Pakistan, are already on the grey list for their involvement in terror funding. As international investigation agencies are investigating several Qatar citizens for the terror funding, Qatar may follow suit. Recently, it was reported that Qatar was on track to become the ninth Middle East and North Africa (MENA) country to complete the latest FATF assessments. Among the eight MENA countries that have completed the FATF assessment, Morocco and Jordan found a place in the grey list that means these countries post high risk in terms of foreign investment.
