Raids conducted by police have uncovered a Bengaluru based trust and has also brought to light the method by ISIS of using charities as a front to fund terror related activities.
Running a charity to cover up acts of terror has been rampant for some time now. During the nation-wide raids conducted in connection with an Islamic State case, one such charity cropped up.
The police found that this charity being run in Bengaluru was in reality a front to carry out terror related activities.
The Al Hind Trust:
During the coordinated action carried out by Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu and Delhi Police, it was found that a person named Hussain Sharif was one of the main players in this racket. He was arrested for allegedly providing shelter to Shameem and Thoufiq who, in a revenge killing, shot dead an inspector in Tamil Nadu.
It may be recalled that special sub-inspector Wilson was shot dead by the two operatives in Kanyakumari district recently. Investigations found that Sharif was running a charity called the Al-Hind trust, an officer associated with the probe tells MyNation.
The trust would carry out charity related activities. However further investigation revealed that this charity was just a front to carry out terror related activities. Through this trust, Sharif had managed to conceal his original motives for long. The aim was to pursue violent Jihad and this charity acted not only as a fundraising source, but also a perfect front to cover the illegal activities of this group.
Textbook Lashkar-e-Tayiba:
It is a well-known fact that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has been raising funds through charities for long. The outfit first floated the Jamaat-ud-Dawah and after the heat on it increased, it floated the Falah-i-Insaniyat.
To the outside world, these outfits were charity organisations. However, in reality, the charity activities were only a cover and they were being used to raise funds for terror related activities. A large part of the money that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba spent on carrying out the Mumbai 26/11 attacks were raised through charity.
It was through the Falah-i-Insaniyat that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba sent money to raise modules in North India. The FiF uses hawala to pump in money and the various probes conducted showed that a huge part of funding for terror and separatist related activities in Jammu and Kashmir came in through this outfit.
This outfit of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has around 50,000 members and each one of them is assigned the task to raise money. The probe into the 26/11 attack revealed that most of the money spent on the mission was raised through charity.
Charities of terror:
The Al-Hind was following a similar model that the FiF or JuD followed. It has members who would collect money in the name of charity. However, the funds were being diverted to carry out operations for the Islamic State.
In the case of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba it was found that the most common way of raising funds was through collections. The outfit had set up fish farms, carpet businesses that acted as fronts to raise money. Further it also made it compulsory for agriculturists in Pakistan to contribute 10% of their annual income, known as ushr.
The outfit has also set up centres in Saudi Arabia and have been collecting money from the Hajj pilgrims in the name of charity. It was found that the money has also reached places like Gaza and Myanmar. Through the charities, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has created a major outreach programme and the larger aim is to rope in the Rohingya Muslims into the web of terror.
The Zakir Naik link:
Recently, the NIA learnt that NGOs and charities set up by Islamic preacher Zakir Naik had played a vital role in further activities of the Islamic State in South India.
While probing an operative by the name Shihas, it was found that he was closely linked to the Peace Foundation that was being run by Zakir Naik. The Peace Foundation not only raised funds but was also involved in a major radicalisation programme across Kerala and other southern states.
Shihas would coax many youths to attend classes at the Peace Foundation. These youth would then be roped into collecting funds and also to carry out subversive activities. It was the Peace Foundation and Shihas that played a big role in ensuring that 21 persons linked to the ISIS had left Kerala for Afghanistan. The probe showed that most of them had been radicalised and brainwashed by Shihas, following which they joined the ISIS. The Peace Foundation was also instrumental in converting several persons to Islam. In the batch of 21 that left for Afghanistan, at least five had been forcibly converted to Islam, the NIA had also learnt during investigation.
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