|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14205-2004Jan13.html
Panel Probes Alleged Terror Ties of U.S. Muslim Groups
(Washington Post) The Senate Finance Committee has asked the Internal Revenue Service to turn over confidential tax and financial records, including donor lists, on dozens of Muslim charities and foundations as part of a widening congressional investigation into alleged ties between tax-exempt organizations and terrorist groups. The Senate-led probe follows more than two years of investigations by the FBI, the Treasury Department, and other federal agencies into the activities of Islamic charities suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda, Hamas, and other groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. The charities named include the SAAR Foundation, Global Relief, and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the largest Muslim charity in the U.S., which was singled out by President Bush for allegedly supporting Hamas. "This is not a fishing expedition targeting Muslims," one Senate aide said. "All the groups we're looking at are suspected of having some connections to terrorism or of doing propaganda for terrorists."