The Kuwaiti news agency is reporting on the 25th anniversary celebration of the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO), an organization founded by Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi with many ties to the Global Brotherhood. According to the report:
Under the auspices of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and in his attendance, the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) celebrated its 25th anniversary in a ceremony Monday at its headquarters, and kicked off its General Assembly session. His Highness arrived at the venue and was greeted by IICO Chairman Yousef Jassem Al-Hajji and organizers of the event. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah also attended the ceremony. Other senior officials in attendance included Sheikhs, Deputy Chief of National Guard Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Shiekh Nasser Al-Mohammad AL-Sabah, Acting Parliament Speaker MP Abdullah Yousef Al-Roumi, First Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Acting Amiri Diwan Affairs Minister Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, and other state officials. In his opening address, Chairman Al-Hajji said His Highness the Amir’s attendance is testimony to his keenness to support charitable work in Kuwait, and also paid tribute to the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and late Father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah who had walked this path before him and supported the organization and its peers in our homeland without fail. From a mere idea proposed by leading Islamic scholar Yousof Al-Qaradawi, the organization grew into an internationally active and recognized body with projects in over 136 countries. It supports and executed aid and development operations in the fields of humanitarian relief and disaster response, health, education, culture, and more, focusing all the time on sustainable development rather than transient solutions……Representing the guests of the IICO, Deputy IICO Chairman Abdullah Omar Naseef expressed gratitude to the Amir for his support of the organization throughout its history, and noted keen effort is being exerted now to upgrade and better organize charitable work in Kuwait to achieve maximum benefit.
The IICO lists branches in the MIddle East, Africa, Switzerland, and the U.S. and the U.S. IICO branch is listed at the same address in Herndon, Virginia as the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), an important part of the US Muslim Brotherhood. An earlier post reported that the directors and advisors of IIIT attended a general Assembly meeting of the IICO.
The IICO’s Palestine Charity Committee sends its funds through “zakat committees” in the Palestinian territories, many of which are linked to Hamas. The Swiss office of the Islamic “charity” Human Appeal is also registered at the same address in Geneva as the IICO. Human Appeal has also been linked to Hamas funding and is one of the members, along with the IICO, of the Union of Good. The Union of Good is a worldwide network of charities believed to be raising funds for Hamas and is chaired by Dr. Qaradawi. Three individuals affiliated with the Swiss IICO branch were also associated with the now defunct Al Taqwa Bank, founded and operated by Muslim Brotherhood leaders Youssef Nada and Ali Ghaleb Himmat.
IICO Deputy Chairman Abdullah Omar Nasseef has held many important positions in Saudi Arabia including serving as Vice-President of the Kingdom’s Shura Council, President of King Abdul Aziz University, and most importantly as Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL) from 1983-1993. Dr. Naseef is also the President of the Muslim World Congress and the Secretary-General of the International Islamic Council for Da’wa and Relief (IICDR) which includes a large number of affiliated organizations, many of which are associated with the global Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas fundraising, or support for Al Qaeda.