On August 11, 2010, more than 40 Muslim, Arab, Sikh and South Asian charities delivered a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to reform federal charitable giving laws and regulations that restrict the humanitarian work of legitimate U.S. charities. The letter identifies several barriers that harm humanitarian groups, their donors and the people they serve. It also outlines “concrete action” the President can direct the Departments of Justice, State, and Treasury to do to “protect innocent donors and charities.”
Barriers to charity stated in the letter include:
In a press release about the letter, Muslim Advocates (MA) said U.S. charitable groups responding to the urgent needs of victims of natural disasters in places like Pakistan “offset any charitable influence by violent extremists.” “When disaster strikes and Americans give prominently, then public opinion in [the Middle East] becomes more favorable towards Americans” and not for violent extremist groups, MA said.
To address these barriers, the letter urges the President to:
The letter also calls on Treasury to further engage with the U.S. charitable sector. It says, “Despite intensive dialogue and the submission of multiple policy proposals by religious, humanitarian and other nonprofit groups, the administration has not yet substantively addressed these problems or changed any policy. In June, for example, the U.S. Department of Treasury released U.S. Department of the Treasury: Protecting Charitable Giving Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) a messaging document intended to clarify policy regarding restricted charities and related prosecutions. Instead, these FAQs are a continuation of the mixed messages the charitable sector has received.” Click here to see a printable version of the Charity and Security Network’s analysis of Treasury’s FAQ.