In a recent statement, the person behind the organisation of the Diwali celebration at “The Bell House” in the Brooklyn borough of New York to fundraise for a Pakistan-based Islamist Jihadi group AlKhidmat said that she was acting in accordance with the festival’s spirit and termed criticism of her actions as Islamophobic.
In the statement, the organiser of the event Arti Gollapudi wrote, “The decision to donate to The Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan’s flood emergency fund was one where we believe the foundational belief in our own practices and family lineages of Hinduism to help bring light amongst the darkness of all evils of the world.”
She said, “In that spirit, we chose to donate to a part of the world where much of our South Asian community has ties to: Pakistan. A large part of Pakistan is under water due to marginalized voices who have suffered due to climate disaster. We researched orgs, looked up resources, and through that found where to donate (to Alkhidmat that was primarily recommended through PBS.org).” PBS is short for Public Broadcasting Service, American public broadcaster.
She further stated, “If you are filling your messages with Islamaphobia, hate towards helping folks who are not of my same religion, or slut shaming images of me, then I cannot stand with you,” adding that Diwali is a hopeful holiday for Indian women and to raise funding for needy people is to “hope for a peaceful tomorrow.”
OpIndia reported how the Diwali celebration event was coordinated to fund the Alkhidmat Foundation, the charity wing of the radical Islamist Jihadi outfit Jamaat-e-Islami. Notably, Islam does not allow believers to celebrate the festivals of other religions (non-believers) and accept gifts and proceeds from such festivals. This raised concerns if the Diwali fundraiser could be used to fund terror activities in India and abroad.
Alkhidmat Foundation, for which the New York DIWALI PARTY is raising funds, and its links to terrorism
As per a 2018 report in Rabah Times, Alkhidmat Foundation serves as the charity wing of the Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Pakistan. The organisation was responsible for the genocide of the Bengali population during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
In 2006, JeI reportedly transferred $1,00,000 to the terror outfit, Hamas, to continue their Jihad against Jews and the State of Israel. Rabah Times had flagged how the organisation had been working closely with the ‘Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD)’, a Muslim American charity.
Global Terror Links – JeI/ Hamas
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) June 14, 2021
IMANA/ ISNA have also been funding Al-Khidmat, the ‘charity wing’ of JeI, and has also been funding Hamas. ISNA has also links with Holy Land Foundation, banned in USA for HAMAS links.
18/n pic.twitter.com/nhV3qjKOky
Last year, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraj-ul-Haq rejected the idea of using taxpayers’ money for constructing temples in Pakistan.
While assuming taxpayers in Pakistan to be only ‘Muslims’, Haq said that the money cannot be used against the guidelines of the Sharia and the discretion of the Muslim population in the country.
سراج الحق صاحب، اس ملک میں پچاس لاکھ ہندو ٹیکس پیئر شہری ہیں. آپ ان کے پیسوں سے بنادیں.
— Kapil Dev کپل دیو (@KDSindhi) February 28, 2021
اگر یہ بھی نہیں منظور تو ہمارے نام پر خرید و فروخ ہونے والی شراب کی مد میں موصول ٹیکسز سے بنادیں.
یہ بھی نہیں تو محکمہ اوقاف کو ملنے والے بند
مندرون اور گردواروں کے کرایوں سے بنادیں. https://t.co/OvgmsJyHIN
While slamming Siraj-Ul-Haq for his comments, Pakistani Hindu activist Kapil Dev tweeted, “Siraj-ul-Haq, there are five million Hindu tax payers in this country. You make it with their money. Even if it is not approved, make it from the taxes received from buying and selling alcohol in our name. If not, the endowment department will be closed. Build from the rents of temples and gurdwaras.”
It is thus ironic that a Hindu festival is now being used to raise funds for the charity wing of the Islamist outfit under the garb of relief work. Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist political party that is based in Pakistan, is the Pakistani successor to Jamaat-e-Islami, which was founded in colonial India in 1941.
Founded by Abul Ala Maududi in Lahore, The Jamaat-e-Islami was split into Jamaat-e-Islami(Hind) and Pakistan soon after the partition. Earlier in an OpIndia report, we revealed how the organisation is receiving funds from Saudi Arabia universities to spread radical Islam in the country.
