J-10
01-05-2005, 04:33 AM
Gulf Arabs Lament Lack of Tsunami Aid
Tue Jan 4, 3:15 PM ET
By DIANA ELIAS, Associated Press Writer
KUWAIT CITY - The governments of oil-rich Persian Gulf states have pledged about $50 million for victims of the southern Asia tsunami, but many people wonder if the amount is too small.
Some Saudis, Kuwaitis and other Gulf citizens have said publicly that more generosity might be a way to correct an image in the West that they are both decadent and financial backers of terrorists such as Osama bin Laden.
But the controls imposed on Muslim charities after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and the lack of public campaigns for tsunami relief, have so far kept the donations down.
The flow of private money is expected to increase in the coming days as more charity activities are planned and advertised. Several countries have moved to increase donations, with the United Arab Emirates boosting its pledge Tuesday to $20 million from $2 million.
"This tragedy is an opportunity to revitalize the real Islamic aid work ... and to present the true face of the peace-loving, humanitarian kingdom, which is open to the whole world," a Saudi columnist, Jamal Khashokji, wrote in Kuwait's Al-Watan daily.
The columnist said extremists have "hijacked" Islam, and Saudi charities should go back to "moderation and tolerance."
Another paper, Al-Qabas, wrote in an editorial that Kuwait should have "reacted differently" and given more in aid to the Asian people "who have supported us."
As in most Gulf countries, south Asians account for most of the foreign work force in Kuwait — toiling as laborers, housecleaners and nannies. In addition, many of the victims in southern Asia are Muslims.
Gulf countries cracked down on charities, especially in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, after Washington accused some of funneling money to Muslim militants such as bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist group after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Israel has deployed a medical team in Sri Lanka to help tsunami victims. It has also denied that Indonesia turned down an Israeli offer of assistance for political reasons.
"There was no formal Israeli offer of humanitarian aid to Indonesia, so in consequence, there was no Indonesian refusal of the aid," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Amir Gissin said Tuesday. Israel is widely unpopular across the Muslim world.
A day after the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster, U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland urged the richest countries to be more generous and expressed hope that Asian and Gulf nations with growing economies would join the global response. Governments and global groups have pledged about $2 billion, a quarter of it from Japan, according to the United Nations (news - web sites).
"After the Sept. 11 crisis, people were reluctant to give money (to Muslim charities), but now they are beginning to respond," said Faisal al-Jiran, the secretary general of the Kuwaiti Joint Relief Committee, an umbrella for Muslim aid organizations in Kuwait.
The committee has donated $100,000 to the victims, and representatives are traveling to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia to assess needs.
Millions of dollars in donations are expected when the committee starts to advertise its campaign in the newspapers, he said.
Lebanon's Daily Star also urged the region to come forward with more generosity — noting that high oil prices have put extra money in the region's pockets.
"Long-established images ... of white-robed sheiks sailing their luxury yachts on seas of oil and using $100 bills to light their Havana cigars will only be reinforced in the face of collective miserliness in this hour of human need, especially if the petroleum-rich Gulf states do not dig a bit deeper into pockets," the paper editorialized.
But Saudi businessman Khaled al-****ri says he is hesitant.
"Gulf countries and particularly Saudi have become very sensitive about where (charity money) goes," he told The Associated Press.
The CEO of two companies said he was afraid to make a donation to a charity because he might later learn it had been added to America's list of terror-supporting groups.
From (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=8&u=/ap/20050104/ap_on_re_mi_ea/tsunami_gulf_aid)
Tue Jan 4, 3:15 PM ET
By DIANA ELIAS, Associated Press Writer
KUWAIT CITY - The governments of oil-rich Persian Gulf states have pledged about $50 million for victims of the southern Asia tsunami, but many people wonder if the amount is too small.
Some Saudis, Kuwaitis and other Gulf citizens have said publicly that more generosity might be a way to correct an image in the West that they are both decadent and financial backers of terrorists such as Osama bin Laden.
But the controls imposed on Muslim charities after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and the lack of public campaigns for tsunami relief, have so far kept the donations down.
The flow of private money is expected to increase in the coming days as more charity activities are planned and advertised. Several countries have moved to increase donations, with the United Arab Emirates boosting its pledge Tuesday to $20 million from $2 million.
"This tragedy is an opportunity to revitalize the real Islamic aid work ... and to present the true face of the peace-loving, humanitarian kingdom, which is open to the whole world," a Saudi columnist, Jamal Khashokji, wrote in Kuwait's Al-Watan daily.
The columnist said extremists have "hijacked" Islam, and Saudi charities should go back to "moderation and tolerance."
Another paper, Al-Qabas, wrote in an editorial that Kuwait should have "reacted differently" and given more in aid to the Asian people "who have supported us."
As in most Gulf countries, south Asians account for most of the foreign work force in Kuwait — toiling as laborers, housecleaners and nannies. In addition, many of the victims in southern Asia are Muslims.
Gulf countries cracked down on charities, especially in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, after Washington accused some of funneling money to Muslim militants such as bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist group after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Israel has deployed a medical team in Sri Lanka to help tsunami victims. It has also denied that Indonesia turned down an Israeli offer of assistance for political reasons.
"There was no formal Israeli offer of humanitarian aid to Indonesia, so in consequence, there was no Indonesian refusal of the aid," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Amir Gissin said Tuesday. Israel is widely unpopular across the Muslim world.
A day after the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster, U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland urged the richest countries to be more generous and expressed hope that Asian and Gulf nations with growing economies would join the global response. Governments and global groups have pledged about $2 billion, a quarter of it from Japan, according to the United Nations (news - web sites).
"After the Sept. 11 crisis, people were reluctant to give money (to Muslim charities), but now they are beginning to respond," said Faisal al-Jiran, the secretary general of the Kuwaiti Joint Relief Committee, an umbrella for Muslim aid organizations in Kuwait.
The committee has donated $100,000 to the victims, and representatives are traveling to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia to assess needs.
Millions of dollars in donations are expected when the committee starts to advertise its campaign in the newspapers, he said.
Lebanon's Daily Star also urged the region to come forward with more generosity — noting that high oil prices have put extra money in the region's pockets.
"Long-established images ... of white-robed sheiks sailing their luxury yachts on seas of oil and using $100 bills to light their Havana cigars will only be reinforced in the face of collective miserliness in this hour of human need, especially if the petroleum-rich Gulf states do not dig a bit deeper into pockets," the paper editorialized.
But Saudi businessman Khaled al-****ri says he is hesitant.
"Gulf countries and particularly Saudi have become very sensitive about where (charity money) goes," he told The Associated Press.
The CEO of two companies said he was afraid to make a donation to a charity because he might later learn it had been added to America's list of terror-supporting groups.
From (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=8&u=/ap/20050104/ap_on_re_mi_ea/tsunami_gulf_aid)