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34 Islamic NGOs get over Tk 200cr from donors a year

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Thirty-four foreign funded major Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGO) are registered with the NGO Bureau and around 15 of them are very active, getting over Tk 200 crore in donation every year from donors.
The amount they get varies from Tk 5 crore to 70 crore each a year, mainly coming from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Some of these NGOs also get funds from the UK and US.
The donors sometimes form consortium among themselves to fund these NGOs. Even at times money comes through Sudan, which is not a rich country, because of syndication abroad, sources told The Daily Star.
The NGOs include Islamic Relief Organisation (IIRO), Al Markajul Islami, Ishra Islamic Foundation, Ishrahul Muslimin, Al Forkan Foundations and Al Maghrib Eye Hospital.
Moreover, there are several hundred local Islamic NGOs registered with the social welfare department. The number of such NGOs increased significantly after a Jamaat-e- Islami leader became social welfare minister, the sources mentioned.
These local NGOs also get foreign donation but they do not give any report on it to the government as they work as affiliates of the foreign funded ones. The NGOs registered with the NGO bureau implement various projects themselves or provide funds to local NGOs for implementing projects.
Besides, a section of Islamic scholars, leaders of religion-based political parties including Jamaat-e-Islami and heads of madrasa go to Middle Eastern (ME) countries every year for fund-raising from zakat, fitra and individual donations in the name of religious education, charitable organisations and orphanages.
This money has no official records as it does not come through official channels. The persons concerned themselves carry the money or send it through unofficial channelslike hundi.
Some exporters and importers in Dhaka and Chittagong also help transferring the money. The foreign funds that are channelled through businessmen mainly come via Bangkok and Singapore, the sources pointed out.
This is one of the major sources of funds for the local Islamic NGOs and Qawmi madrasas which do not have government recognition. The income and expenditure of these madrasas are not accounted for properly as they are not accountable to any government body.
Earlier, these Qwami madrasas were fully dependent on donations of local religious elite but since 1980s money started coming in from the oilrich ME countries. As a result, such madrasas sprang up across the country with their number rising to over 10,000.
A large portion of the funds collected for the Qwami madrasas is allegedly used for arms training as part of preparations for'jihad'.
An Islamic scholar, who runs a religious cultural organisation, told this correspondent that a retired army person met him once and proposed to donate funds regularly for an Islamic revolution in the country. The army man asked him to recruit young people and give them training for jihad. He however rejected the offer fearing its dangerous consequences, he added.
Seeking anonymity, he said, "Many others accepted this lucrative offer because they always look for money."
A number of Bangladeshi returnees from Afghan war also operate such madrasas and charitable organisations with foreign funds, the Islamic mentioned.
One such returnee formed an Islamic NGO and has also became a legislator as the nominee of a religionbased party, which is a component of the ruling alliance.
The number of Islamic NGOs in the country rose after the 1991devastating cyclone in Chittagong and other coastal areas of the country. Since then, more than a dozen leading international Islamic NGOs started operation in Bangladesh.
They took part in relief operation and other charitable activities like building houses, providing pure drinking water, setting up hospitals, improving sanitation, mother and child healthcare and establishing religious educational institutions, said a high official of the NGO bureau.
They also built several hundred mosques in villages with funds from the ME countries, he mentioned.
The bureau however has no data on the activities of these NGOs and their operations.