ClrionProject-The number of British charities investigated for extremist links is at an all-time high, according to the head of the Charity Commission, William Shawcross. He told The Sunday Times his organization spoke to police officers about concerns over extremist charities 630 times last year, up from 234 times just three years ago.

The commission opened eight compliance cases and four formal inquiries into charities for “allegations of abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes, including concerns about charities operating in Syria and other higher risk areas, in which terrorist groups operate” in the year 2015/16.

Shawcross told The Sunday Times extremism was “the most potentially dangerous and deadly” problem facing charities in the UK.

“It is the most dangerous because of the threat of Islamist extremism,” he said. “It is not the most constant threat – it is the most potentially deadly threat.”

Muslim charities complain their work has fallen foul of increasingly robust counter-terrorism policies and they are restricted from providing services due to unnecessarily intrusive scrutiny of Islamic charities.

In February 2016, two former secretaries of international development, Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) and Clare Short (Labour) wrote to the House of Commons International Development Select Committee to complain about the treatment of Muslim charities.

“We have got this enormous capacity in the UK of these Muslim humanitarian charities, yet they are struggling with one hand behind their back,” Andrew Mitchell said. “We need a proper scrutiny and examination bringing all this out. It is preventing efficiency.”

Several charities, including Islamic Relief, the world’s largest Muslim charity and one which is linked to the global Islamist organization the Muslim Brotherhood, had their bank accounts shut down.

Shawcross hit back at complaints by Muslim charities in his interview however, saying due diligence was necessary to protect both the public and the charities themselves so those doing good work were not caught up in controversy undeservedly.

“A group of Muslim charity leaders came in to complain when I said this the first time and I said, ‘Look we are here to protect you if there were another atrocity on the streets of London, like the murder of Lee Rigby,” Shawcross told The Sunday Times. “And, if an atrocity like the murder of Lee Rigby were in any way associated with your charity it would be catastrophic for you. We are trying to protect you and protect Muslim charities from that kind of abuse’.”

Middle East MEDIA POST, LLC – This is a list of charities accused of ties to terrorism. A number of charities have been accused or convicted in court of using their revenues to fund terrorism or revolutionary movements, rather than for the humanitarian purposes for which contributions were ostensibly collected. During the “war on terror” the names of several such organisations have been published, although the phenomenon predates 9/11.^[1] Some detainees have been captured largely because they volunteered or worked for these charities.

On August 23, 2007 the Bush Administration announced plans to implement enhanced security checking of the employees of American charities, which receive funds from U.S. Agency for International Development, looking for those who might have ties to terrorism.^[2] Charities which are turned down will not be offered an explanation, or an avenue to appeal the decisions.

Charities accused of ties to terrorism

Name	Headquarters	Accusers
Afghan Support Committee[3][4]	Pakistan	U.S. State Department	Alleged to have funneled support to fighters in Afghanistan.
Al-Haramain Foundation[5]	Saudi Arabia	U.S. State Department	Suspicion fell on Guantanamo detainee Jamal Muhammad Alawi Mar’i, in part, because he was a volunteer for Al Haramain
Al Kifah Refugee Center[4]	United States	Spanish police	Alleged to have served as a covert funnel for US support of those resisting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[6] Alleged to have trained fighters destined to serve in Afghanistan under Osama bin Laden.[6] Alleged to have provided military and demolition training to those who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993.[6]
Al Wafa al Igatha al Islamia[5]	Afghanistan	U.S. State Department	Suspicion fell on Guantanamo detainee Jamal Muhammad Alawi Mar’i, in part, because he was a volunteer for Al Wafa
Benevolence International Foundation	United States	Federal Bureau of Investigation	Alleged to have helped fund the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Placed on the Terrorist exclusion list.[3]
Bosanska Idealna Futura	Bosnia	Federal Bureau of Investigation	Branch of the Chicago United States-based Benevolence International Foundation. Shut down on US request in 2002
Global Relief Foundation	United States	Federal Bureau of Investigation	Bosnian offices shut down on US request in 2002 Commission of the European Union froze assets in 2006[7]
Health and Education Project International[8]	Canada	Canadian Security Intelligence Service	founded by Ahmed Khadr after Human Concern International cut its ties to him
Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development[9][10]	United States	Federal Bureau of Investigation	On November 10, 2004, convicted by US federal court of funding Hamas, and liable for damages in teen’s death.
Human Appeal International[11]	United Kingdom	U.S. State Department	employed Guantanamo detainee Boudella el Hajj – now cleared of all wrongdoing, American authorities have admitted that he was wrongly detained for over 6 years, and has been released.
International Islamic Relief Organization[4]	Saudi Arabia	U.S. State Department	being sued by families of the victims of the September 11 attacks
Interpal[12]	United Kingdom	United States Treasury Department	Accusation by US Treasury Department (2003) British government’s Charity Commission for England and Wales (2003) found no evidence to support allegations of connection to terrorism.[13] (Note: in 1997 Sunday Telegraph retracted accusations Interpal was run by Hamas activists[citation needed]; in 2003 the Board of Deputies of British Jews repeated such allegations, retracting them after it was sued by Interpal;[14] in 2010 Sunday Express issued an apology and made an out-of-court settlement for libel for making similar allegations.[15])
Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V.[16][17]	Germany	German Interior Ministry	Outlawed in Germany since it has financially supported Hamas, while presenting activities to donors as humanitarian help.[17]
Islamic Relief	United Kingdom	Israel,[18] United Arab Emirates[19][20]	Alleged to have funded Hamas.[18]
Jamaat al Dawa al Quran[21]	Afghanistan	JTF-GTMO	American counter-terrorism analysts at Guantanamo assert this group is an extremist militant group.
Jamat al Tabligh[22]	Pakistan	U.S. State Department	“The Jamat al Tabligh, a Pakistani-based Islamic Missionary organization, is being used as a cover to mask travel and activities of terrorists including members of al-Qaeda“
Maktab al-Khidamat[23]	Afghanistan	U.S. 9-11 commission	Alleged to have been transformed by Osama bin Laden into Al Qaeda.[6]
Muslim Aid[4]	London	Spanish police,[24] Israel,[25] Government of Bangladesh[26][27][28]	Alleged to have funded mujahideen fighters to Bosnia, Union of Good, Islamist militants of Bangladesh.
Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage[29]	Kuwait	U.S. State Department	Appears on the United States State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Sanabal Charitable Committee[29]	United Kingdom	U.S. State Department UK Police	“The Sanabal Charitable Committee is considered a fund raising front for the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.”[29]
Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation(TRO)[30]	Canada	Federal Bureau of Investigation	Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Tamil (Sri Lanka) Refugee-Aid Society of Ottawa[31][32]	Canada	Canadian Revenue Agency	Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam