Terror backers' alleged funding towards Ajmal and Anfar foundations shows failure of Home Ministry?

NEW DELHI: Watchdog Legal Rights Observatory in a series of tweets earlier today alleged that Anfar Foundation of Assam’s Hojai got Rs. 8 crore from Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), an organization that also allegedly backs terror groups, via a tweet. The group has also termed these transactions as a violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

Earlier, the legal rights group alleged that the Ajmal Foundation run by Dhubri MLA Badruddin Ajmal received foreign funding to a tune of Rs 69.55 crore from various "dubious sources which have been primarily engaged in terror financing and money laundering activities."

As these allegations have surfaces merely months prior to Assam heading out for polls, several questions are being raised over the alleged funding from the questionable organization that allegedly funds terror outfits as well.

Question 1. Is it the total failure of Home minstry as well as intelligence?

Question 2. Why LRO was silent earlier or Is it a propaganda narrative just to polarise voters in poll-bound Assam?

The IRW's accounts have been frozen in the European Union countries for terror activities and its relations with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Turkish IHH (Ajmal Foundation donor).

Mushtaq Anfar, who heads the foundation. has denied the reports. "In 2020 in the month of April during Ramzan we have received funding of around 1.24 crore for COVID-19 relief from ECT (Euro Charity Trust). We have received money from IRW five years back in two installments, a total of Rupees 56 lakhs for the Ramzan food pack. The Anfar Foundation has not received any such money as is being claimed by the LRO report. Moreover, the fund that comes in from other countries is regulated and cleared by the Union Home Ministry," he told Inside Northeast over the phone.

However, to receive any FCRA funds it is important to get Home Ministry clearance. Nonprofit NGO organizations should have an FCRA certificate to receive foreign currency funds.

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Any type of NGO should apply to the Central government for prior permission to receive foreign currency from outside India towards their foreign fundraising.

The important point which you should keep in mind before foreign fundraising or any type of foreign contribution from outside India:

One should maintain a separate bank account for foreign contribution, and should not mix your local bank transactions or any local currency dealings, with such FCRA bank account.

Up to date, you should maintain accounts in separate books and accounts to avoid penalties, punishments, and imprisonments related to FCRA and foreign contribution activities.

WHO CAN RECEIVE FUNDS THROUGH THE FCRA?

Every asset acquired out of foreign contributions should be acquired and possessed in the name of the association and not in the name of its office bearers. The foreign contributions received after prior permission or permanent registration under the Act are to be utilized for the purpose for which they have been received. These are not to invested in any speculative investments including Mutual Funds or share markets. However, foreign donations may be utilized for self-sustaining activities which is not meant for commercial activities. Under FCRA, there are various categories of recipients of international funds and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act has different stipulation for each of them. For instance, political parties cannot receive foreign funds but an organisation of political nature can receive foreign funds on case to case basis after obtaining prior permission. But an organisation of political nature cannot get registered with FCRA. An organisation having a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social programme can receive foreign contribution after it obtains the prior permission of the Central Government, or gets itself registered with the Central Government.Associations which are not registered or which have been denied registration may receive foreign contribution with specific prior permission of the Central Government. (Source: http://www.fcra.co.in/)

“#FCRAViolation Anfar Foundation, Hojai Assam got Rs 8 Cr from Islamic Relief Worldwide- IRW, whose bank accs r frozen in EU countries for terror activities n its relations with Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, #Hamas, Turkish IHH (Ajmal Foundation donor), wrote @HMOIndia for action++,” the LRO's tweet read.

According to the LRO report, in the year 2012, the UBA Bank closed Islamic Relief Worldwide’s bank account due to concerns about counter-terrorism regulations. In 2014, the United Arab Emirates included IRW and IR-UK on a list of terrorist entities n has been designated as a terror organization by the UAE.

The report further stated that in 2017, Bangladesh banned three Muslim aid organizations, including Islamic Relief, from working in the Rohingya refugee camps as a “preventative measure against potential radicalization in the camps." However, according to General Secretary of Anfar Foundation, Fakhrul Islam Laskar, the IRW is still functioning in India, and has an office in national capital New Delhi and funds are being utilized in Jharkhand school support, West Bengal orphan support, and Hyderabad flood response, etc.

According to the Union Home Ministry, the FCRA is meant to ensure that foreign contribution is received from legitimate sources and utilised for legitimate purposes by any person. So, the question that arises is: why has the Home Ministry not banned the organization in India, if it has links to terror groups.

A list of banned organizations is available on MHA's website: http://mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?Id_Pk=292.

However, the fact that the IRW managed to bypass the security net of the Government, is truly baffling. Several BJP members, including Himanta Biswa Sarma, have claimed that Ajmal's finances should be probed.

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