News

The Charity and Security Network monitors U.S. and foreign government activities and a wide range of news sources to identify developments in national security policy that impact American charities and foundations. We collect and disseminate this information - with a focus on its impact on civil society and nonprofit organizations.

 

News

Roundtable Discussion on Zakat Committees Highlights Problems with Anti-Terror Regime

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Date: 
January 26, 2010

On Jan. 14, 2010, a roundtable discussion with UK scholar Jonathan Benthall featured research on zakat committees in the West Bank, focusing on their evolutionary process during the past 20 years. Benthall was in Washington, DC to share the findings of a November 2009 report about zakat committees written by his colleague Emanuel Schaeublin of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding in Geneva, Switzerland.  Alistair Millar, President of the Fourth Freedom Forum and Co-Director of the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, described how nonprofit groups reduce the threat of terrorism but have been viewed with suspicion by governments. 

Supreme Court to Hear Oral Argument in HLP Case February 23, 2010

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Date: 
January 19, 2010

The Supreme Court has scheduled a one hour oral argument in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project for Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 at 10 a.m. The question before the court is the constitutionality of “material support” statute when applied to the Humanitarian Law Project's non-criminal activity. The Humanitarian Law Project filed its brief in November. Numerous friend of the court briefs have also been filed. The government filed its reply brief on Dec. 22, 2009.

In Legal Wonderland: Holy Land Foundation's Appeal Reveals Gaps in Law

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Date: 
January 15, 2010

A procedural boondoggle has been brewing in the appeal of the Holy Land Foundation's (HLF) November 2008 criminal conviction for providing material support to terrorism. The government, which is seeking to have $5 million in donations intended for humanitarian aid forfeited to it, is also seeking to block HLF's appeal.  HLF was not represented by counsel at the trial. At a Jan. 12, 2010 hearing prosecutors opposed pro bono appeal representation for HLF by University of Texas law professor Ranjana Natarajan, arguing no one was authorized to engage her on behalf of HLF as a result of the government shut down of the organization in 2001. Natarajan asked the court to appoint a trustee to act for HLF. The trial court ordered further briefs filed on the matter by the end of January. 

House Hearing Explores Protecting Speech While Preventing Violent Extremism

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Date: 
December 30, 2009

Coming on the steps of Americans allegedly plotting or committing acts of terrorism, a Dec. 15, 2009 Congressional hearing sought to identify where counterterrorism efforts intended to prevent violence cross the line into punishing radical, but protected, speech and thought. The hearing, "Violent Extremism: How Are People Moved from Constitutionally-Protected Thought to Acts of Terrorism," was held by the House Homeland Security subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment.

Vote on Expiring Patriot Act Provisions is Delayed 60 Days

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Date: 
December 29, 2009

Proponents on both sides of the Patriot Act reauthorization battle will have to wait until 2010 for a resolution. On Dec. 16, 2009, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) rejected the Senate plan to include the Patriot Act surveillance provisions with a defense spending bill. Instead the House voted for a 60-day extension of the three expiring provisions.  The additional time will be used to iron out the differences between the Senate and House versions of the new law. Lawmakers and civil liberty advocates are hopeful that the extension will result in curtailing of some of the broad authorities granted by the existing law. 

EFF Forces Release of Documents Revealing Intelligence Gathering on Peaceful Advocacy

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Date: 
December 28, 2009

Documents released by the Department of Justice on Dec. 16, 2009 show homeland security officials have been improperly collecting intelligence on American citizens and groups since 2007.  The 162 pages of “intelligence oversight reporting” were obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in July 2009. According to EFF, the report describes intelligence gathering activities that the agencies "have reason to believe may be unlawful." 

State Department Leaders Promote Human Rights as an Antidote to Violence

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Date: 
December 15, 2009

In two speeches marking the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Daniel Benjamin, State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, acknowledged the role of poverty and injustice in leading people to violence. They said the Obama administration will have a "wide focus" in addressing these issues. To be successful, this focus will need to address counterproductive rules for charities and charitable giving.  

Initial Supreme Court Briefs Filed in Humanitarian Law Project Case

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Date: 
November 25, 2009

On Nov. 16, 2009, opening briefs were filed by several parties in the Supreme Court case of Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project (HLP).  In the first ever challenge to a provision of the Patriot Act at the Supreme Court, the case contests the constitutionality of the law that makes it criminal to provide certain “material support,” including peaceful mediation, for groups designated as a terrorist by the U.S. government.  Filing a brief on behalf of HLP, a human rights group, and other plaintiffs, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) claims the law making speech advocating nonviolent activity a crime violates the First Amendment's protection of free speech.

Court Orders Author to Return CAIR Documents, Civic Participation Efforts Generate Fearful Response

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Date: 
November 24, 2009

On Nov. 19, 2009, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the author of a book about American Muslims groups to return all of the materials his son removed from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) office while working there as an intern. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly’s 3 page order requires the return of over 12,000 pages of documents, lists about employees and donors, and audio and video recordings. The documents revealed details of CAIR's plans for participating in public policy debates and encourage Muslims to pursue careers in government. These materials led some members of Congress to accuse of group of spying, but House Judiciary Chair John Conyers (D-MI) issued a statement support the right "to participate in our political process, including by volunteering to work in Congressional offices." 

Report: Constitution Project Calls for Reform of Material Support Laws

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Date: 
November 24, 2009

The Constitution Project's Liberty and Security Committee released a report on Nov. 17, 2009 calling for reform of U.S. laws barring "material support" of terrorism, proposing eight changes to "remedy serious First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment concerns created by existing federal law." The bipartisan committee of experts, scholars and former government officials said the law should protect "pure speech furthering lawful ends" and due process rights of U.S. organizations that wish to challenge executive branch listing them as a terrorist organization.