If a Muslim cannot fight in jihad himself, Islamic law stipulates that he must aid in the jihad in some way if a Muslim land is attacked. Hence many do so through monetary donations, which, as we have seen in recent years, are often funneled through Islamic charities.
From the New York Times, :
LONDON, Aug. 23 “” Once again, with another alleged terror plot that has a possible connection to a charity, the question is being asked here, with more urgency: To what extent do Muslim charities “” on the surface noble and selfless “” mask movements and money for terrorists and extremist groups?
The question has a long history, here and in the United States, but no precise answer. A quick bottom line, though, seems to be this:
Charitable groups, experts agree, continue to play a role in the financing and operations surrounding terrorist groups and plots. But with more scrutiny since the Sept. 11 attacks “” demonization, the charities say “” the role of charities seems to be changing: diminishing somewhat but also growing more subtle and harder to detect.
“Anyone who has bothered to study terrorist financing at the most shallow level knows the role that charities have played since 1985,” said Evan F. Kohlmann, an American expert on terrorism who acts as a consultant to American and British prosecutors. “Even if charities aren’t playing a primary role, it is almost certain that they are playing a secondary role.”
Read it all.