The Anatomy of an Alms for Jihad Transaction

Zakat, a legitimate Sharia tax can be used for many different things, including alms for the poor and even paying a Mujahadiin's expenses. To the payer it is simply a mandatory religious tax on money left in the bank. Many of these funds are rerouted (called money laundering) and used to pay for terrorism.

Someone fighting a" religious cause" or Holy war is a legitimate candidate for Zakat funds under Sharia law. The following is a hypothetical anatamoy of what an alms for jihad transaction looks like:

• A Jihadist logistical leader hunts down wealthy or well connected Ikhwans, (Muslim Brotherhood) believers who are ideologically aligned with a particular Jihad.
• They meet them on line, at conferences, through funding Brokers (UBL brokered deals like this at high levels, for example the Golden Chain List).
• They come to agreement about funding. The Funder need not be aware of the details of what the funding is for as long as he gets credit for the Zakat religious taxes they owe in accordance with Sharia.

• Then they transfer the funds using a Hawala or remmitance company. For example, a not-so-hypothetical funder in UAE agrees to fund a Mujahadeen group in Northern Nigeria, Somalia, Cameroon, Western Sahara, or even the new country of South Sudan.

The Zakat transaction recorder gives the name and number of one or more of his independent Hawala agents to the fund provider who is located in the funder's country, in this case, the UAE.

• The Agent looks up an agent in the receiving country from his agent directory, or more likely is given a preferred agent by the terrorist logistician in the country where the funds are needed; in our example, Northern Nigeria,
• The Sending Hawala Agent calls the receiving Hawala agent, and they make a deal.
• They then call the Hawala Agency, in our example, Dahabshiil (based in Somalia) and the Agency agrees to back the transaction.
• Dahabshiil is supposed to ask questions about what the transaction is for. In our example, the sending Independent Hawala Agent tells the agency that he thinks it is for "farm equipment".
• The Funder gives the funds to the sending Independent Hawala agent. The agent charges a 4% commission for the transfer. He keeps 25% of the commission, the agency (Dahabshiil in this case) keeps 50% of the commission, and the receiving Independent Hawala Agent keeps 25% of the commission.
• There are many transactions like this a month, and Dahabshiil settles up with the Independent Agents by receiving and paying the funds out in Aggregate every week or month.
• The terrorist in the receiving country gets a phone call with an agent's contact information if needed, and a transaction code number.
• The Terrorist goes to the receiving agent in Northern Nigeria and gets the cash.
• The funder takes his Zakat religious tax receipt for "farm equipment"from the sending Hawala back to the Zakat accountant - he may never know to whom his Zakat is going, or what it is used for. This is permissible under Sharia.

The steps in this process provide deniability for terrorism support at every level. It may be true that someone thought their zakat funds were going for the medical needs of children, and they were actually used to buy an explosive vest used by a child.

• The funder could say they did not know the funds were for a child's explosive vest
• The Sender could say they did not know the funds were for a child's explosive vest
• Dahabshiil could say they did not know the funds were for a child's explosive vest
• The receiver might say they did not know the funds were for a child's explosive vest
• The fund user could say he did not know the funds were for childrens' medical needs, and he buys the child's explosive vest.

Only one person commits the crime, but no one else in the process accepts responsibility for equipping the war criminal to use a child as a bomb.

Note: Dahabshiil is used as an example. There are many many Hawalas in almost every country on earth. Dahabshiil and its leaders were severely sanctioned after 9-11 for a history of unaccountable transactions.

Since that time, they have taken steps to mitigate the process and many sanctions against Dahabshiil have been lifted by the US. This global corporation has taken strategic steps to look more like a bank, but every day diaspora around the world send money home to their families and clans using the Hawala system... And some of those transactions fund terrorists.

The following posts from a discussion among Hawala