American Charities Face Difficulties In Giving
Joseph S. Mayton - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - American charities are facing problems in raising money for Lebanon because the United States lists Hezbollah as a terrorist entity and giving money to the group is illegal. Many Arabs and Muslims fear that if they give money for Lebanon the FBI will be at their doors questioning where the money is going. This once again highlights the difficulties of post-September 11 America for Arabs and Muslims. "A lot of people are afraid of donating to Middle East causes because they are afraid they'll be accused of supporting something other than humanitarian causes," Duston Barto, spokesman for the Zakat Foundation of America, said in a statement. According to the Illinois-based foundation, they pledged to raise $250,000 for Lebanon, but were only able to collect $140,000 because of the fears that plague Arabs and Muslims in the country. Various other groups and organizations have been busy trying to raise millions of dollars for the war-ravaged nation, but Washington has been adamant that no money can be given to Hezbollah. The majority of the money collected is expected to be given to families whose homes have been destroyed by Israeli bombings.
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