The South African Non-Profits/Public Benefit and Relief Sector must come together and respond Quickly and Firmly and Counter the Narrative that wants to paint ALL our hardworking dedicated relief organisations with the same “tar”.
The “Sensational Headlines” pretty much directly attack South African Muslim Organisation which have been recognised the world over for their exceptional service to humanity, yet even a cursory review of the Actual Report reviews a very different picture.
Among these is:
>Only 301 organisations were surveyed out of over 230,000 (0.098%)
>86% of NPOs receive no foreign funding, and only 2% send money abroad. Rather than focusing on the 98%, we are making this about the 2%
>Of ONLY 3 convictions in SA for Terror Funding IN 10 YEARS,
1 was for a Separatist Nigerian Org in its Christian Dominated South,
1 was a failed attempt of 2 individuals wanting to go to Syria, and
1 was of the leaders of a local “Right-Wing” Christian Organisation known as the “Crusaders.”
>There are various case studies in the report that are based on claims and allegations (all which should be investigated) but don’t prove any proof of widespread and irresponsible behaviour on behalf of our NGOs. eg. One relates to negotiating the release of kidnapped South Africans abroad, “infers” wrongdoing by absence of evidence by saying it is “unknown whether funds were paid over”.
>Domestic Right-wing Terrorism is repeated throughout and is a national security risk, but media “Headlines” are focusing almost exclusively on what feed Islamphobic tropes.
Helping Humans in Need, has No Politics
While we do need to ensure that there aren’t people using humanitarian funding to promote ideologies and terrorism, we need to remind the public that during our liberation struggle, many of our Organisations that were deemed “terrorists” by the same regions that have FUNDED this Report, declared South African Freedom Fighters and activists “terrorists”.
Many were incarcerated, under banning orders, unable to support their families, and communities were made impoverished due to the struggle against the Apartheid Crime against Humanity.
Yes, Better and Transparency, but not to fight others’ Political Battles
We must and will support legitimate actions against funding of terror groups, but the “definition” of terrorist organisations is not universal.
As we have seen, those nations behind funding this report have very different definitions in Ukraine vs. Palestine.
This report also ignores “state terrorism” and “political funding.”
>Is a political party claiming genocide in SA to collect funds from right-wing Americans?
>Is food for Starving Gazans support for any political group?
>Is funding Extremist/Hate Ideology political parties in Israel, India, or France not funding Terror?
>Is funds to the Israeli National Fund, that enables occupation and violent settlers (who are now sanctioned in many countries) not terrorism?
>Does convictions of Soldiers for Human Rights Abuse, in Australia, of Americans or Myanmar abd trading with their governments fall outside of funding terror?
>If the US, UK, EU, Russia, France, and US (etc) have had more domestic terror incidents than South Africa, should they not be listed as Extremely High Risk for Terror Funding?
South Africa’s “Medium Risk” is a Global Terrorism Medium Risk
The world has become a very unsafe place due in large part to much of the past political/ideological battles between its economic power players.
This spillover creates problems, not of our making, that other smaller countries have to deal with.
Furthermore, South Africa has a sophisticated Financial and Banking system that is connected to “both sides” of a more bipolar ideologically split world.
This makes SA attractive to criminals of ALL sorts.
It isn’t and shouldn’t abouts be framed as “NGOs and Aid Organisations being complicit” in illicit activities, as much as it is about the growing issues of Extreme Nationalism, Hate, Economic Disparity, Economic Dominance amd a host of other issues.
The Globally-Connected Financial System is at risk of abuse. Let’s not target those in our Civic Society and working hard to deal with Natural and Unnatural Disasters (often based on bad political policies).
Let’s not make their almost impossible job, impossible.
Read the Report Critically (Download from the SARS media release – Click Here)
Shared by the South African Muslim Network (SAMNET) in support of our NGOs and Releif Organisations and as part of our fight against Hate and Islamophobia.