Daniel

Pipes

January 23, 2011

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Dear Reader:

Two video clips of mine are now available:

1. I appeared on Russia Today's CrossTalk to discuss the impact of events in Tunisia with three leftists (moderator Peter Lavelle, panelists Stephen Zunes & Nabile Ramdani). Note our minor differences on Tunisia and the major ones on U.S. foreign policy. Oddly, French foreign policy never came up.

2. New Zealand's ShineTV just posted a August 2010 interview with me on U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Pipes

ISNA Canada Lives High on Charitable Funds

by Daniel Pipes

January 20, 2011

updated Jan 23, 2011

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2011/01/isna-canada-lives-high-on-charitable-funds

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ISNA Canada's logo.

The Islamic Society of North America's Canada branch, Jesse McLean of the Toronto Star reports in "Muslim charity squandered money for poor," has engaged in gross mismanagement. A 2010 audit of the prior four years carried out on behalf of the ISNA Canada board found that of C$810,777 collected in a special pool of Zakat and Fitrah money for "helping needy Muslims not only in Canada, but all over the World", less than one-quarter, or $196,460 actually went to the poor. The remaining $614,000 went for what the audit delicately calls "administration of the centre" by its 30-plus-year Secretary General Mohammad Ashraf, a 73-year-old microbiologist.

The auditor, Fareed Sheik, discovered a long list of abuses. He

took issue with how charity cash was used to cover … health benefits for Ashraf's daughters, even though they don't work for ISNA Canada. … The audit shows tens of thousands of charity dollars were shuffled from ISNA Canada to its affiliated services and businesses, several of which have secretary-general Ashraf as a director. …

The auditor also uncovered multiple cases where Ashraf or the organization inappropriately gave and received charity tax receipts, repeatedly violating federal charity rules. In a review of the financial statements for the halal meat certification agency, a business branch of the Society that certifies meat as permissable to eat under Islamic rules, the auditor discovered Ashraf had received a $15,000 tax receipt after moving money from the agency's business account over to ISNA Canada and claiming it was a "personal donation." Former board members told the Star Ashraf diverted profits from the certification agency to a secret account from which he paid himself and at least two family members. …

The agency's funds were also used from 2005 to 2009 to pay Ashraf's wife and one of his daughters nearly $150,000 for a handful of services, from consulting and promotions to putting together a newsletter that comes out four times a year, according to financial statements. There were also three cases where people received charity tax receipts from ISNA Canada for repaying scholarship loans. … The Society also issued charity receipts — more than $42,000 in 2009 — to those who purchased funeral services through the organization. …

Mohammad Ashraf, 73, a microbiologist, has served as ISNA Canada's secretary general for over 30 years.

The organization had a world-renowned Islamic scholar on its payroll, despite her not actually working for ISNA, in a bid to help her immigrate to Canada, the audit revealed. Farhat Hashmi had been invited to come from Pakistan to deliver lectures several times throughout the mid-2000s. "This is a serious violation of the (Canadian Revenue Agency) rules and immigration rules to hire someone just in the books to help get through immigration," the auditor's report said.

And this may not be all, for ISNA's management refused to give the auditor some documents. Consequently, Sheik noted, "I was not able to follow the trail of funds transferred from ISNA to other organizations. Hence I cannot conclude with certainty that there has been no misappropriation or embezzlement of funds or cash."

Comment: Islamic "charities" already have a notorious reputation because of their ties to terrorism; this case shows that they must be watched for more venal problems as well. (January 20, 2011)

Related Topics: Criminality, Muslims in Canada

John F. Kennedy's Inauguration

by Daniel Pipes

January 20, 2011

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2011/01/john-f-kennedy-inauguration

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My political awakening took place fifty years ago today. I had followed the 1960 Nixon-Kennedy presidential race and even stayed up late on election eve to watch the results; my parents were Democrats, so I was gratified by the outcome.

But it was the presidential inauguration on a bright, cold, snowy day in Washington, with an aged Robert Frost stumbling over his new poem, and Kennedy calling on Americans, "ask not what your country will do for you – ask what you can do for your country," that inspired my sustained interest in public affairs.

As a symbol of this interest, I started a scrap book with pictures of political leaders and even a transcript of that speech. I still have the scrapbook and am posting here the inaugural address transcript that I saved.

Skipping ahead, I was in biology class at school when Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. This pained me so badly that all these decades later, and with all the knowledge I know have, it still brings a lump to my throat and near-tears to my eyes. (January 20, 2011)

Related Topics: Daniel Pipes autobiographical This text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL.

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