Strict On Charity
Shroog Talal RadainGOVERNMENT officials announced that charities are now prohibited from soliciting donations at government schools, private schools and other educational institutions in Saudi Arabia, such as colleges and universities. King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) in Jeddah assured students, teachers and officials that on-campus solicitations have stopped after receiving a copy of the royal decree outlawing charity on campus.
“We used to see girls walking around the university with plastic bags and a receipt booklet asking for donations for Palestine, Bosnia and Kashmir,” said Sabah Ahmed of KAAU. “Honestly, we never thought that it could be donated to the wrong people.”
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and charities serve legitimate purposes. However, they can be vulnerable to abuse as a source of funding for terrorist groups. This is the reason Saudi Arabia has enacted new laws ensuring that donations to charity are used solely and specifically for humanitarian work.
The Saudi government is continuing to close loopholes in charitable donations to prevent them from getting into terrorist hands. This Saudi Gazette article has a bit more.
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May:26:2006 - 08:52
The current Saudi policy is completely wrongheaded. They have totally shut down international charitable activities by official charities inside the Kingdom. Of course, this has resulted in “unofficial” cash transfers to parts of the world where there is need, conflict and crisis.
May:26:2006 - 10:09
In terms of effectiveness, perhaps the policy is “wrongheaded”. In terms of public policy, in making it clear that even the best intentions can be twisted, then I think the government is sending the right signals.
There’s no control–arguably, no control possible–of private funds being transferred. That’s an issue the US is still trying to deal with, within the US.
May:26:2006 - 11:21
My point is that the government should put its emphasis on ensuring that charatable transactions are transparent and made for proper purposes rather than simply halting these transactions entirely.
May:26:2006 - 12:35
Certainly! But the education part takes time. The Saudi gov’t is under constant pressure to “fix” the problem. Stopping the flow of funds–even if it entails throwing the baby out with the bathwater–accomplishes that goal.
Yes, it’s hard luck for the charities. But it strikes me that the gov’t is prioritizing its problem solving, and is willing to take a (domestic) hit for tightening the screws in order to avoid (external) allegations of inactivity.
May:29:2006 - 03:12
Monday’s Winds of War: 29 May 2006
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday…
May:29:2006 - 03:19
Monday’s Winds of War: 29 May 2006
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Monday’s Winds of War b…