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Advocacy Blog
Friday, February 29, 2008
Two Muslim Charities Demand Correction of Wall Street Journal Article
On Feb. 23 the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article Islamic Charities Draw More Scrutiny, that described the government's ongoing program to shut down charities it suspects of having ties to terrorist organizations. After summarizing a sequence of government designations of U.S. charities as supporters of terrorism, the article says, "Two other charities, Kinder USA and Life for Relief and Development, remain under investigation but have denied any ties to terrorism."
That sentence drew strong rebukes from the two charities named. Attorneys for each have written the WSJ demanding a retraction and correction.
- Ohio attorney John Kilroy sent a letter on behalf of Kinder USA that pointed out Kinder's cooperation four years ago with a U.S. grand jury that subpoenaed records. No charges or requests for further information were ever made, and Kilroy says, "the conclusion reached by me and by my client is that 'investigation', if could call it that, concluded long ago." Kilroy goes on to say, "As implication of an investigation or links to terrorism has a negative impact on charitable fundraising, you have an obligation to your readers, if not to the charity itself, to substantiate your claim with credible resources."
- Attorney Shereef Akeel, writing on behalf of Life for Relief and Development, said the FBI told the 15 year old group that a "September 2006 raid by federal agents was unrelated to terrorism." No charges have been filed against the group. Akeel also said the article "undermines our country's war against hunger by discouraging prospective donors from donating to LIFE's highly reputed projects." Akeel asked for retraction within 20 days, noting Michigan law that allows damages for defamation.
See more information about Kinder USA and Life for Relief and Development on our website. In addition, this Detroit News Online article describes how the raid on LIFE followed shortly after large demonstrations in the Detroit area that protested Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. The Feb. 21 issue of TIME has an article, A Doctor's Life in Bahdad that describes the challenges faced by charities in conflict zones, including a reference to LIFE.
Posted by Kay Guinane
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