Islam Online has reported that a U.K. charity tied to global Muslim Brotherhood Hamas fundraising has opened an office in France. According to the report:
As French Muslims ready to greet the fast-approaching Ramadan, a Muslim charity is preparing to feed thousands of poor people and orphans in the European country during the fasting month. “We hope our Ramadan campaign will be the real launch for the Muslim Hands charity in France,” Kamal Al-Zein, the charity’s exchequer, told IslamOnline.net. Established in 1993 in Britain, Muslim Hands is an international NGO offering help to people affected by poverty, natural disaster and conflict around the world.It has offices in more than 40 countries worldwide and has partnership with world relief organizations including the UN Food Program and UN children’s fund (UNICEF). Based in Faubourg Saint Denis district in the capital Paris, Muslim Hands made its first steps in France last year. “Over the past year, we focused on gaining a legal status to the group and promoting its activities,” he said. Now, the group is preparing to start its charity work. “Ramadan will see the group’s first real chairty activity in France.”
Muslim Hands has a member of the Union of Good since its inception and is currently listed as a member organization. As previous posts have discussed. the Union of Good is a worldwide coalition of charities chaired by global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and many of its constituent organizations have been banned or designated by Israel, the U.S. and European countries for taking part in Hamas fund-raising. Available annual reports for the organization indicate that Muslim Hands provided funds to the following organizations, all of which are considered to be associated with the global Muslim Brotherhood and/or Hamas:
- Al Lod Charitable Society – Palestine
- Zakat Committee Jerusalem 2003, 2004
- Islamic Charitable Organization- Palestine
- Al Zakat Committee- Palestine
- International Islamic University- Islamabad
- Islamic University Gaza
- Zakat Committee Hebron
- Muslim Hands Palestine
The Comité de Bienfaisance et de Secours aux Palestiniens (CBSP), the French Union of Good member organization, is also thought by Israel and the U.S. to be engaged in Hamas fundraising but has never been sanctioned by the French government nor have any of the U.K. Union of Good members been closed by that government.