Designation of Islamic Relief Sverige and Islamic Relief Humanitäre Organisation in Deutschland e.V as ‘certified humanitarian partners’
22.7.2021
Question for written answer E-003720/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Dominique Bilde (ID)
In a question for written answer dated 11 December 2020[1], the Commission was asked about its support for the NGO Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) – Islamic Relief, which the Middle East Forum says was founded by ‘prominent members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’[2][3].
IRW has been embroiled in several scandals concerning anti-Semitic remarks made by some of its members[4][5][6].
According to the website NGO Monitor, in 2014 the United Arab Emirates included IRW on a list of terrorist entities[7].
In its answer, the Commission said that IRW had received the following amounts in EU funding: EUR 600 000 and EUR 1 200 000 in 2017, and EUR 400 000 in 2018.
The list of NGOs certified as European Union humanitarian partners for 2021-2027, which was published on 19 May 2021[8], mentions Islamic Relief Sverige and Islamic Relief Humanitäre Organisation in Deutschland e.V. These two NGOs are legally separate from IRW but, judging from their respective websites, are indeed connected to it[9][10].
Given the aforesaid facts, what justification can the Commission give for the inclusion of these two NGOs, with their links to IRW, on the list of certified EU partners?
- [1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-006812_EN.html
- [2] https://www.meforum.org/61740/islamic-relief-subsidizes-terror
- [3] ‘IR’s headquarters, Islamic Relief Worldwide’.
- [4] Heshmat Khalifa, a trustee and director of Islamic Relief Worldwide, had to resign following revelations in The Times newspaper about anti-Semitic remarks he had posted on his Facebook page; https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/islamic-relief-leader-quits-as-times-discovers-antisemitic-posts-5dplrw9vv.
- [5] https://www.islamic-relief.org/Islamic+Relief+acts+swiftly+and+creates+new+board
- [6] https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/islamic-aid-director-resigns-after-getting-called-out-for-antisemitism-649171
- [7] https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/islamic_relief_worldwide_irw_/
- [8] https://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/default/files/weblistpartners.pdf
- [9] https://islamic-relief.se/om-oss/historia/
- [10] https://www.islamicrelief.de/wer-wir-sind/