German taxpayers’ money in the pockets of the Muslim Brotherhood: investigations and criticism over support for Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief and its alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood continue to spark controversy in Germany, particularly in light of the substantial government funding it received in previous years.
The amounts provided by several German governments to support Islamic Relief, which has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, were extremely significant, prompting numerous investigations and widespread criticism.
Between 2013 and 2016 alone, nearly €8.5 million from the German Foreign Ministry was transferred to Islamic Relief accounts, followed by additional funding despite Berlin’s acknowledgment of the organization’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“Islamic Relief Worldwide” has been linked to “Muslim Brotherhood circles” since the publication of the 2009 report by the Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.
Following an inquiry submitted by former Green Party parliamentarian Volker Beck, the federal government informed Parliament in January 2017 of close ties between Islamic Relief Germany (IRD) and the German Muslim Community organization, regarded as the Muslim Brotherhood’s branch in the country.
Nevertheless, funding for projects managed by Islamic Relief continued to be provided by the Foreign Ministry at the time, according to the German newspaper Die Welt.
This situation only changed after a parliamentary inquiry submitted by the Free Democratic Party in April 2019.
According to the German government’s response to the inquiry, Islamic Relief “maintains significant personal connections with the Muslim Brotherhood or organizations close to it.”
As a result, the Foreign Ministry suspended its funding.
Investigation
In recent days, media reports have circulated findings from a judicial investigation conducted as part of a lawsuit filed against the government five years ago, demanding disclosure of the reasons behind and outcomes of the funding granted to Islamic Relief projects.
According to the judicial review, the German Foreign Ministry “was unable to explain the basis on which it concluded that Islamic Relief possessed a good reputation as a non-governmental humanitarian organization,” and therefore granted it funding for several years.
The investigation also accused the Foreign Ministry of ignoring the “comprehensive strategy for combating terrorist organizations,” which calls on ministries to “refrain from supporting relevant organizations whenever constitution-protection authorities possess relevant information.”
In a second report, Germany’s Federal Court of Auditors concluded that the Foreign Ministry had supported the organization “without first ensuring procedural integrity and spending effectiveness.”
Although Islamic Relief has stated that it conducted an internal review and severed ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, these connections still exist according to information cited by Die Welt from Germany’s domestic intelligence authorities.
Islamic Relief’s receipt of German government funding continues to provoke significant criticism within German political circles and has led to numerous parliamentary interrogations and inquiries over recent years.
“The absent guide” has further fueled the controversy through a new message.
