A ‘potential terror finance links’ between Jamaat-e-Islami and its proxy groups have caught the attention of three US Congressmen, who have urged the State Department to conduct an investigation.
Jamaat’s affiliate and proxy groups are not limited to South Asia and extend to other areas of Asia and Europe, and even extend to the United States, according to them.
On Nov 1, Congressmen Jim Banks (R-Indiana), Chuck Fleishmann (R-Tennessee) and Randy Weber (R-Texas) wrote to State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator Nathan Sales with ample and convincing evidence about the terror financing links between Jamaat and its two affiliates – Helping Hands for Relief and Development (HHRD) and Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
“There is no serious doubt that ICNA and HHRD are part of Jamaat-e-Islami’s international network,” said the letter adding, “There is significant evidence that Helping Hands for Relief and Development and ICNA are directly involved in terror finance.”
Highlighting the history of Jamaat, the Congressmen said it acted as paramilitary forces of Pakistan intelligence during the War of Independence in 1971 and killed numerous Bangladeshi freedom fighters and civilians.
“Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing in Bangladesh, Islami Chhatra Shibir, was named the 3rd most violent non-state armed group in the world in 2015,” the letter said.
The Congressmen said that HHRD organised a conference in Pakistan in 2017, where the other co-sponsors were Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation and Al-Khidmat, "the main charitable wing of Jamaat-e-Islami".
“In 2016, the US Treasury Department designated Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation as a terrorist organization,” the letter said adding, “Al-Khidmat supports the aforementioned Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Jamaat-e-Ismali’s armed wing, a US-designated terrorist group.”
The Congressmen said, “According to HHRD’s 2017 report, HHRD had done 214 different projects with Al-Khidmat.”
When contacted with Jamaat about terror financing, its leader and spokesperson for Europe wing Abu Bakr Mollah said, “We are aware of the letter that the Congressmen sent to the State Department.”
He denied any link between ICNA and Jamaat and claimed that earlier other Congressmen wrote to the State Department, but no action taken. He, however, did not say anything about HHRD.
When asked had they reached to the three Congressmen, he said, “No, we did not contact with the Congressman.”
When contacted, the State Department declined to comment whether they launched an investigation or not.