Here’s an interesting piece in Saudi Gazette, originating in the Arabic Al-Watan: The clamp down on charitable contributions is really affecting the way Al-Qaeda is conducting business. After abusing the Islamic imperative to donate to charities, the terrorist group is now finding that people aren’t interested in funding it any more. Perhaps attacks that wantonly kill Muslims has something to do with the lack of incentive. Certainly, controls on how money is transferred to charitable groups has weeded out those whose ends were less than charitable.
Qaeda in financial crisis due to tabs on charity – Otaibi
JEDDAH – Fawwaz Al-Otaibi, the wanted terrorist whose return to the Kingdom was announced in an Interior Ministry statement last Wednesday, has said that Al-Qaeda is in “financial crisis” and that increased vigilance of charity activities coupled with state rehabilitation programs had convinced many individuals to “return and repent.”
Speaking to Al-Watan newspaper Sunday, Al-Otaibi said that the lack of funds reaching leaders in Afghanistan had resulted in a reduction in the numbers of fighters being brought in from abroad, and that the recruitment of Arabs and Saudis was focusing on the execution of terrorist operations in their home countries.
“All the leaders said they had enough fighters and didn’t want to take on any more,” Al-Otaibi said. “They kept passing people on to the other leaders who might want to take them.”
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September:10:2009 - 07:28
That news is both good and bad. Good against Al-Qaeda, and bad that at least here Muslims are afraid to donate to Muslim charities and causes for fear of harassment by the government. There has been a notable reduction in giving that is challenging for the Muslim community.
September:10:2009 - 17:42
In the article, a member who joined Al-Qaede stated, “We asked members of the organization why they wouldn’t let us fight as that’s what we’d come for, and they said they had a policy of basically hiding and planning to prolong the war as that was what would hurt the Americans the most,” Al-Otaibi told Al-Watan.
Al-Qaeda wants to prolong the war? They must not want Americans to leave Afghanistan.
A charity should be set up to pay Afghan civilians to destroy their poppy fields and start growing wheat instead. This would drain any funds Al-Qaeda has, and more bread would be produced.
September:10:2009 - 19:26
There have been a variety of efforts, both by the US and the UN, to get Afghan farmers to shift crop production. Those efforts date back to long before even the Soviet invasion.
The problem is that opium brings in so much more money than even market prices+ for wheat, barley, or any other legitimate crop. It would remain that way, too, until the price of opium dropped to that of grain crops or grain crops became more expensive than poppies.
When the Taleban first came into power, they decreased poppy production significantly on moral ground, but then discovered that they needed the money…
September:11:2009 - 14:39
Medical Opium ie growing poppies for sale to companies that make medical grade opium for cancer pain, end of life, etc seems to be one of the better solutions. But Turkey has almost a monopoly and doesn’t want Afghanistan sharing in the profits.
September:11:2009 - 14:41
Turkey is heavily dependent on the income it receives from its legal opium production. Cutting its quota in order to help Afghanistan might not be a wise thing to do as it would propose serious problems for the Turkish economy. Do we need two Afghanistans?
September:12:2009 - 10:57
Increased demand for medical opium would be a boon to both economies but that implies increased illness (usually cancer pain) necessitating it–hmmm ethical dilemma, or not. If as has been proposed recently drug addiction programs switch from methadone to heroin that would increase market demand. Another rather unhappy solution! I doubt Turkey would fall into the disarray of Afghanistan, as the latter has had none stop war for almost 30 years, and devastation of the infrastructure.