One Year After Cairo Speech, Obama Needs to Address Charitable Problems

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Sahar Aziz has written a blog on the CNN.com website about the need for changing the “draconian legal regime” that restricts U.S. humanitarian aid organizations and prevents millions of privately raised dollars from being used for their charitable purposes. Aziz says reform measures should include judicial oversight of Treasury’s designation process to ensure an independent review of the process. Currently, Treasury acts as prosecutor, judge, jury and executor of any group either designated or “pending investigation.” (See KindHearts case)

 
She also called on President Obama to address the overreaching laws that have resulted in the seizure of $3-7 million dollars in charitable funds.  Collected by charities that are designated as supporting terrorism or under investigation, this money languishes in Treasury’s pocket “despite repeated requests to transfer the money to other charities. For instance, the Department of Treasury has rejected requests to transfer frozen funds to charities to assist earthquake survivors in Pakistan and Hurricane Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast.”
 
Click here to see the entire blog.