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MPAC seeks Senate hearing on Muslim Charities The Muslim Public Affairs Council is sending a petition calling on the US Senate Finance Committee to schedule a hearing regarding the status of American Muslim non-profit organizations. The MPAC move comes after Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, and Senator Max Baucus, ranking member, requested protected information about American Muslim tax-exempt organizations in connection with a committee investigation into terrorism financing. Their December 22 letter to the IRS states that “while much attention has been paid to where their money ends up, the source of their funds is equally important.” The letter goes on to request the names on the donor lists of 25 Muslim charities. In a statement issued on January 16,2004, the MPAC said: “It is MPAC’s long-standing position that violators of US law should be held fully accountable in the interest of national security. Broad brush tactics such as those of Senators Grassley and Baucus, however, serve only to stigmatize those in the mainstream American Muslim community, and undermine national security by alienating communities that work against extremism. MPAC is furthermore concerned that three of the targeted charities have already been closed by the government and had their funds seized, leading Muslims to question the political motives behind further violating the privacy rights of donors.” “In response to this event, MPAC began a petition requesting a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee regarding this issue, and gathered the names of over 300 people today. MPAC will continue gathering signatures, and has set up an online petition available, available here. MPAC is also working to set up a meeting with Senator Grassley,” the statement concluded. |