Local media is reporting that the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) has teamed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deliver Hurricane Sandy relief. According to a NY1.com report:
A Muslim charity group is teaming up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. The Islamic Circle of North America, along with FEMA and the Small Business Administration, held a health fair Friday in Brighton Beach, where storm victims were able to get essentials like blankets, heaters, and medical care. They could also get questions answered about how to file for federal aid. ‘This organization here is the one who reached out to us because they want to do something in the community, and FEMA always responds to these kinds of things,’ said Ricardo Lafore, a public information officer with FEMA. ‘Wherever we’re needed or wherever we’re asked to be, we’re going to be there to spread the word.’ ‘We invite people all over the neighborhood, ask them if they have any concern or question from FEMA,’ said Abdul Rauf Khan, assistant director of ICNA Disaster Relief. ‘Many of them, they don’t have their cards,’ said Dr. Badool Hussani, an internist. ‘They don’t have their medicine. They don’t have anything at home because even if they have a card, the cards are gone, they’re lost.’
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is a less well-known part of the Muslim Brotherhood network in the U.S., generally thought to be closely tied to the Jamaat-e-Islami organization of Southeast Asia, itself known to be allied with the Muslim Brotherhood. ICNA is particularly close to the Muslim American Society, a part of the US Muslim Brotherhood and tied to the Egyptian organization, and the two organizations have been holding joint annual conventions for many years. Previous posts have discussed ICNA ad campaigns intended to present Islam to the U.S. public. The New York campaign drew national media attention when it was reported that Siraj Wahajj, an American Islamic convert associated with the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was behind the New York campaign. A post from March reported on a new ICNA educational campaign on Shari’ah (Islamic Law) . A post from August 2011 discussed a personal appeal for donations from the founder and former president of ICNA to support ICNA’s “Understanding Shari’ah” campaign.