Kuwait closes 'terror-link' charities

Donation booths are common sight on Kuwait streets

		By the BBC's Frank Gardner

The authorities in Kuwait have begun closing down dozens of unlicensed Islamic charities, some of which are suspected of having links to extremist groups such as Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation.

No proof has yet been made public and Kuwait's main charities say they have nothing to hide.

I'm pretty sure a good portion of the money involved in the charities business in Kuwait and in the Gulf region ends up in the wrong hands

Liberal Democratic leader, Ahmad Bishara

But some politicians, such as the Liberal Democratic leader Ahmad Bishara, believe money has been passing to terrorist groups disguised as charity donations.

"I'm pretty sure a good portion of the money involved in the charities business in Kuwait and in the Gulf region ends up in the wrong hands, by feeding extremist groups in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Pakistan, Palestine, Bosnia and other places," he said.

'Nothing to hide'

Donation booths for Islamic charities are a common sight on the streets of Kuwait.

Set up in the shadow of the nearest mosque, their posters speak of the plight of Palestinian orphans and homeless Kosovars.

Now many of these booths are being closed down and towed away.

Islamsits in Kuwait's parliament are under pressure

Pressure is also mounting on Islamists in Kuwait's all-male parliament, accused of encouraging militant Islamism.

To their great embarrassment, Osama Bin Laden's new spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is a former Kuwaiti preacher.

But when it comes to the Islamic charities, the Islamists say they have nothing to hide.

Abdulla al-Mutawa, head of the Association of Islamic Charities, said they are fighting the causes of terrorism.

"We provide education and other things to the needy and by doing this we're actually fighting terrorism because we're fighting the sources of terrorism and extremism, which is poverty and ignorance.

"I challenge anybody to prove that any Kuwaiti charity channels even one Kuwaiti dinar to a terrorist group."

Terrorist hunt

That is exactly what banks here are now checking, hunting through their accounts for names on Washington's list of terror suspects.

The government is scrutinising dozens of unlicensed charities, looking for links to terror.

We're fighting the sources of terrorism and extremism, which is poverty and ignorance

Abdulla al-Mutawa, head of the Association of Islamic Charities

Kuwaiti Information Minister Sheikh Ahmad Fahd al-Sabah said there was no evidence to suggest the main charities had given any money to al-Qaeda

"But because there are a lot of charities in Kuwait we think there are some people who use this charity movement and try to move locally without any umbrella and are trying to raise this money and send it to al-Qaeda," he said.

And in oil-rich Kuwait there's plenty of money around. Almost everyone here donates part of their wealth to charity, it is an Islamic duty.

American investigators believe part of the money trail to Osama Bin Laden's network leads back here, to the wealthy Gulf states.

But the number of Gulf Arabs who could be knowingly funding terror is tiny, compared to the millions who are simply donating to genuine, charitable causes.