Brotherhood raising funds, not for the poor, for itself

Sara Wahid

Muslim Brotherhood charities are actively raising funds under the pretext of helping poor families cope with the hardships induced by the coronavirus outbreak around the world.

Nevertheless, most of the funds raised do not go to the poor, which raises questions about whether the Muslim Brotherhood is using the virus outbreak in raising funds for itself.

Kuwait

On March 28, around 41 charities launched a fundraising campaign. They succeeded in raising 9.2 million dinars in the campaign.

However, Saleh Marie al-Shemari, a leading mosque preacher in the Kuwaiti capital, said 90% of the charities steal the funds they raise.

The funds do not reach the needy, he said. They only go to the administrative workers of the charities.

He called on Kuwaiti citizens to donate for the poor directly.

Turkish money

The money donated by the Turkish people do not reach the needy either. On March 30, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a major fundraising initiative to aid the national response against the coronavirus.

The Turkish government raised $130 million within the campaign. Nevertheless, Erdogan came under fire for accepting donations from his people. Some Turkish politicians said the government ought to help Turkish citizens, not vice versa.

This fundraising campaign comes at a time Erdogan dedicates the bulk of his time and effort to the war in Libya and his other expansionist projects in other countries.

This was why a group of rights groups accused Erdogan of squandering the funds of the Turkish people on his outside projects.