New Delhi, Jun 16 (IANS): The Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) was not the only organisation stealing funds in the name of Covid crisis in India. There were many, as per DisinfoLab documents.
It was one-in-a-century crisis, and they knew how much they could milch it. It was also an opportunity to capitalise on India's and Indians' goodwill the world over. And they did capitalise, as per the disclosure.
It added that during the last counting, in one fund-raising platform alone (LaunchGood), there were about 66 fund raising campaigns being run in the name of India.
The maximum campaigns seem to have been run on LaunchGood, which also happens to be the least transparent platform, as per the report.
Some of the major organisations that have collected funds on LaunchGood include ICNA Relief Canada, Human Concern International (Canada), Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), and Islamic Relief UK.
Human Concern International (HCI) is a Canada-based NGO founded. The purpose behind the creation of HCI was to provide humanitarian relief in Afghanistan. However, in the past it was reported to have had links with Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida.
CBS News Canada had reported that Ahmed Said Khadr, the first head of the Pakistan desk of Human Concern International, had links with militant and Mujahideen leaders in Afghanistan. He was also accused of financing the Al Qaida during his tenure.
In July 2019, counter-terrorism forces of Pakistan had arrested Ali Nawaz, the head of Human Concern International (Pakistan office) for funding Al Qaeda militants.
The involvement in Pakistan goes up to its establishment. Former Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan, Rustam Shah Mohmand, was also accused of financing terrorism during the arrest of Ali Nawaz back in 2019. His association was also present with Human Concern International, as per Pakistani media Dawn.
The disclosure said it is not a coincidence that one of the most preferred platforms for siphoning India's money was LaunchGood. Ever since its official launch, the platform has emerged as the Silicon Valley for all the fund-raising NGOs and organisations that serve only one community all over the world.
The purpose behind creating this organisation is to serve the Muslim community worldwide via crowdfunding and providing aid, it said.
And as per the website, LaunchGood has helped raise over $243.8 million in 149 countries with over 30.5K campaigns since its advent.
IMANA is one of the largest Muslim medical healthcare organisations in North America. And while it does maintain a façade of charity, IMANA's background provides a good insight about the nature and potential utilisation of the Covid aid scam it has carried out in India, it said.
IMANA espouses the idea of Islamic Shura Council and Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). It has also worked with ‘Justice for All', the disclosure said.
Again, like its brainchild IMANA, the Islamic Circle of North America (ISNA) also projects itself as a charity and advocacy organisation, but has strong organic relations with radical Islamists and terror groups, it said.
In 2017, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) had audited ISNA's books for two years between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009. It found shocking details. The ISNA-established Jami Mosque was used for terror funding to Relief Organization for Kashmiri Muslims (ROKM), a charitable arm of Jamaat-e-lslami, Pakistan.
Subsequent to the findings, CRA revoked the charity status of ISNA for distributing over $280,000 to an organisation, which was linked to terrorist groups in Pakistan, such as Hizbul Mujahideen.
ISNA's terror funding networks do not only reach India's neighborhoods, but are spread the world over. ISNA has even been alleged to have financed terror activities of Hamas.
In addition, IMANA and ISNA have also been funding the Al-Khidmat Foundation, which apart from being the ‘charity wing' of JeI, has also been funding the Hamas. Another organization, Holy Land Foundation, is banned in the US for to its link with Hamas. Its connection is found with ISNA.
IMANA provides ‘help' to Pakistan through the Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust (AMT), according to the IMANA Care 2020 annual report.
The AMT is nothing but part of Pakistan's Milbus ‘military capital', that is used for the personal benefit of the Pakistan Army fraternity, especially the officer cadre, but is neither recorded, nor part of the defence budget.