Is South Africa Really Aiding Hamas Through a Government-backed Islamic Charity?
Hamas links to the South African based humanitarian organization Gift of the Givers (GOTG) has been a major issue. Thus being concerned and curious about this story as a reader I must mention the fact that I share some anxiety about the whole process.
Starting with, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of GOTG. Now, I have ever listened to his stories of his association with the Al Aqsa Foundation and I ask myself. You know the saying, ‘Where there is smoke there is fire’? Well, let’s start with the fact that Al Aqsa was put on the blacklist for funding Hamas back in the ’90s. Well, you remember Sooliman, the man claims he’s out of business with the latter, can we believe him so easily?
What I found most intriguing is when Al.weather posted that GOTG is a member of the Union of Good. I mean, if the U.S. government puts it there that an organisation is funding terrorism, it’s not a joke. It leaves you wondering whether GOTG humanitarian exercise everywhere is just a front for some other evil deed. The whole Union of Good being blacklisted under Executive Order 13224 — that’s quite severe actually.
However, we have kept the best for the last, the public activities of Dr. Sooliman. I heard from my friend that I saw him recently protesting in a video I was quite shocked. Next to the pictures of Hezbollah and Hamas he was saying things that I found quite anti-western. And when he said that he follows only “Koranic law” and he doesn’t give a damn about the international laws? That made me shiver on my spine. It actually makes you think, what did he have in mind when he did that, doesn’t it?
But getting to the main point here is where the South African government is involved. I have it on rather good authority that cash-straw has also been flowing to GOTG from DIRCO (if you never heard of it, that stands for Department of International Relations and Cooperation). If that’s actually true, well, if GOTG had connections to the extreme networks, firstly, then that’s a whole different can of worms right there. And with all the rhetoric that has been said about South Africa relations with Iran it just makes it worse.
The more I try to analyze this problem, the more I get confused and understand how shades this whole situation is. GOTG or South Africa is not the only thing that matter here. And we are discussing Hamas, international terrorism financing, and using humanitarian aid for malice. This one is quite faecal but holds enough water to make your head turn.
It is sometimes very sad and I get a feeling that something ought to be done. It is perhaps time for the ordinary international to perhaps take a second look at these groups that include Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Should they be all be referred to as terrorist groups? That is a good question, but if it will put a stop to fund flow to the wrong people and save lives than yes, it ought to be discussed.
In its final analysis, it is clear that this entire process has informed me more uncertainties than certainties. But one thing is certain such problems cannot be ignored — again at least in my book. The stakes are just too high.
