Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes: Charities and the Financing of Terrorism

The period after January 2011 revealed thousands of civil associations and organizations operating in Egypt under the cover of charitable and humanitarian work, whether for the purpose of relieving the suffering of ordinary people, defending human rights and freedom of expression, or training and qualifying some young people in how to direct and manage gatherings and crowds to demand freedom and democracy under the slogan of “peaceful change and the policy of non-violence”. We saw the panic that struck many international organizations backed by Western governments when the case of the foreign funding of associations was referred to the Egyptian judiciary. The same happened when a national law was issued regulating the framework for the work of civil associations and laying down controls on governance, transparency and disclosure of funds received, and stating the purposes and fields of expenditure. This was in light of what the investigations revealed about some of these associations receiving sums exceeding two billion dollars, which led many lawyers, media figures and young people who were called “activists” to leave their jobs to join the boards of these associations and take center stage on satellite channels to carry out special agendas in return for the dollars they received. On the other hand, investigations into many incidents, whether in Egypt, Britain, France or elsewhere, revealed the hidden role of charities in supporting and financing terrorism, foremost among them the Qatar Charity foundation, which funded the terrorist group in Turkey and Europe. The French book “Qatar Papers”, prepared by the journalists Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, explained the role of Qatari charities in financing terrorism in Europe, especially in Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Britain and Serbia, in addition to their role in handing billions of dollars to terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria under the name of deals to release kidnapped persons. The motive behind our addressing this subject is to make our well-meaning Egyptian people aware of the risk of donating to charities without knowing anything about them; one must obtain a receipt for the donation and make sure it is directed according to the donor's intention. The Egyptian citizen is the first line of defense, through national, cultural and preventive awareness against crimes and diseases alike. True, the intelligence agencies play an important role. But the burden falls on us to know what is meant by the financing of terrorism, whether financing is only with money, and what our national, constitutional and moral duty is in combating corruption and terrorism. The Constitution establishes the state's obligation to combat corruption and preserve public funds, in addition to the state's obligation to confront terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and to track its sources of funding. And since the state rests on three pillars — (the people, the land “territory” and authority) — this means that combating corruption and the financing of terrorism is a constitutional and moral obligation on every citizen. This national duty also requires us to know the body to which we donate and the extent of its compliance with the law, with a statement of its fields of work, such as associations that help furnish homes for citizens or that roof houses in the neediest and poorest villages. If the love of giving is a fine trait among Egyptians, there is a responsibility that obliges us to make sure that these donations do not reach terrorist organizations or terrorists. The Egyptian legislator has made clear that the financing of terrorism is “any collection, receipt, possession, supply, transfer or provision of funds, weapons, ammunition, explosives, equipment, machinery, data, information, materials or other items, directly or indirectly, and by any means whatsoever, including in digital or electronic form, with the intent of using them for that purpose, or providing a safe haven for one or more terrorists, or for whoever finances them by any of the aforementioned means”. The Egyptian Court of Cassation has defined the financing of terrorism as: providing or making available funds by any means to a terrorist, a terrorist act or a terrorist association, body, organization or group, directly or indirectly, or for the use of these funds, or with the intent of using them to commit terrorist acts, with knowledge thereof. Here comes the role of every citizen in combating corruption and the financing of terrorism — so forward together.