Good. Maybe the boycotters' accounts can be closed too! B
<http://www.express.co.uk/printer/view/77410/> http://www.express.co.uk/printer/view/77410/ MUSLIMS BOYCOTT BANK OVER CLOSED ACCOUNTS Sunday December 28,2008 Ted Jeory _____ BRITISH Muslims are organising a boycott of Barclays Bank after it closed the accounts of an Islamic charity that operates in some of the worlds terror hot spots. Barclays has given the Bradford and Bolton-based Ummah Welfare Trust just 30 days to move millions of pounds, but the bank has refused to explain why. The charity says it raises funds for orphanages and other humanitarian aid projects in war torn countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Kashmir, Kosovo, Chechnya, Sudan, Iran and Iraq. However, the Sunday Express has discovered that as part of its work, it also channels funds to controversial Palestinian charity Interpal, which is the subject of a current Charity Commission investigation over alleged improper links to Palestinian terror organisation Hamas, and whose own accounts were closed last month by Lloyds TSB. In a further finding, the charity also openly advertises its close associations to the Al-Salah Societyalso known as the Al-Salah Islamic Associationan organisation blacklisted last year by the US Treasury for being a charitable front for Hamass terrorist agenda. American pressure is believed to be behind Barclayss move, but the lack of any explanation from the bank has caused many in Britains Muslim communities to believe the decision is part of a wide-ranging Zionist attack by the City on Islam. Supporters of the trust are now urging Muslims throughout Britain to trigger a wave of account closures in protest. The Muslim Council of Britain has even called on Gordon Brown to intervene, saying Barclayss unjustified decision has caused anxiety and deep concern. The MCBs deputy general secretary Dr Daud Abdullah said the Prime Minister should resist any pressure from foreign government that result only in discrimination. He added that despite his warnings the actions against Muslim charities are being escalated. The Ummah Welfare Trust claims the decision will harm millions of vulnerable people in 25 countries and it has warned Barclays that its reputation among worldwide Muslims could be ruined. It is now urging Muslims to inundate Barclays chief executive John Varley with letters stating: I would also request you to review your decision to avoid unnecessary disruption. Otherwise, I will urge all friends and colleagues to close their accounts with Barclays Bank. Six years ago, the Charity Commission froze the accounts of the Ummah Welfare Trust while investigators and police probed allegations that donations were being misused in Kashmir. However, an eight-month commission inquiry was satisfied that considerable aid had been handed out in the region and investigators concluded they did not find any evidence of any misapplication of the charitys funds. The commission then allowed its operations to continue. Since then, its donations have spiralled from £240,000 a year to more than £2.3milion, according to latest accounts. Trustees say the bulk of the cash is sent to their flagship project in Pakistan, a rehabilitation academy for 1,000 orphans aged between eight and 14. The accounts also show that during the past four years, the charity has also issued more than £200,000 in grants to Palestine and Lebanon via Interpal. City legal sources believe British banks are becoming increasingly wary about how charity money is being used. They say that bankers concerns follow an historic court decision in America last month when the Holy Land Foundation, once the USs largest Muslim charity, was found guilty of illegally financing Hamas by about £8million. You cant be a multinational bank and hope not to fall foul of the USs anti-terrorism funding laws, one source said. The Holy Land Foundation trial that has made it pretty clear to bankers that you cant do Nelsonian Blindness about what these charities are doing. Under UK law, banks must report any suspicions of laundering to the Governments Serious Organised Crime Agency, which is unable to comment on any potential specific ongoing investigations. A Barclays spokesman its decision was not taken lightly, while the Charity Commission confirmed there was no current investigation into the Ummah Welfare Trust. Interpal chairman Ibrahim Hewitt said: This is the latest case of Islamophobia within the banking sector. This is purely another attack against the Muslim community." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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