A new international Islamic philanthropic organization with strong Muslim Brotherhood representation will be holding it first conference in Istanbul in March. The group, known as the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP), describes itself on its website as follows:
The is an initiative, which provides knowledge, resources and networking opportunities to people who have the will to make a difference. WCMP works in partnership with the global community of humanitarians and charitable entities to mobilize financial and human resources to advance the common good.
The website also indicates that in addition to annual conferences, the group plans a quarterly publication, an “Academy of Philanthropy”, a charity rating system, “giving networks”, and research/analysis. The WCMP is headquartered in a Chicago suburb and appears to be an effort strongly tied to the Islamic Society of North America, a part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.
Sponsors of the Istanbul conference include the Kingdom Foundation, likely the organization established by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia who has already donated $1,500,000 to an ISNA scholarship fund and the Islamic Development Bank, a Saudi group that is known to finance Muslim Brotherhood organizations. Featured speakers include a number of individuals associated with the Brotherhood/Hamas such as Nihad Awad, a leader of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Wadah Khanfar, Director General AL Jazeera Network. Other prominent speakers include Tayyip Erdo?an, Prime Minister of Republic of Turkey and Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General, Organization of the Islamic Conference as well as members of the Qatari royal family. Other participants of note include:
- Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (funds European Muslim Brotherhood)
- European Union (EU)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Gaddafi International Foundation
- Islamic Outreach ABIM (likely Malaysian Muslim Brotherhood youth organization)
- IslamOnline.net (tied to Youssef Qaradawi)
- Islamic Foundation UK (tied to Jamaat-e-Islami)
- Rand Corporation
The event is probably a reaction to the worldwide pressure faced by charities associated with the global Muslim Brotherhood, particularly in the U.S. where they have faced closure and/or prosecution in recent years.