Gifts Flow Slowly to Muslim Groups
August 9, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
Cash donations are flowing slowly to Muslim groups working in Lebanon because many people are afraid their donations could put them on government terrorism watch lists, reports The Washington Post.
Some donors are instead sending packages of food and other supplies, a far less effective way of donating. Some charities are collecting the goods, but others, like the Arab American Institute, are turning away gifts of supplies.
Arab American leaders say the slow pace of giving is one of the unintended consequences of the U.S. government’s crackdown on charities run by Muslims. Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government has shut down three major U.S. charities for allegedly sending money to terrorist groups.
(See The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s article about giving to aid groups working in the Middle East.)
