Islamic American Relief Agency

The Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA-USA) is an "American non-profit organization established in 1985 and dedicated to the empowerment of disadvantaged people everywhere through relief and participatory development programs emphasizing human dignity, self-reliance, and social justice." [IARA-USA brochure, Ramadan 2003] It has been under scrutiny by the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force since October 2004, when its offices were raided and its operations shut down, one week before the Ramadan month of fasting and giving for Muslims around the world.

Since then, the members of the board and employees have been living their normal lives, working in and around Columbia. On March 8, 2007, the organization and five of its leaders were charged in the 33-count indictment, handed down by a grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri for sending $1.4 million to Iraq during the sanctions that took place from 1990 to 2003. [Luecke, Jacob [http://archive.columbiatribune.com/2007/mar/20070308news012.asp "Islamic Group Faces Charges"] , Columbia Daily Tribune, March 8, 2007]

Early history

IARA-USA opened its doors in Columbia, Missouri by a group of concerned Sudanese residents in the United States as a response to the humanitarian emergency in Sudan and other parts of Africa. As the time went on, the organization has helped many people in many parts of the world, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the United States. Although they were all Muslims, they served to help the needy around the world, no matter what nationality or religion their recipients may be.

Orphan sponsorship

Of all its programs, IARA-USA was very successful in its Orphan Sponsorship program, where donors could sponsor an orphan in another country for $1.00 per day. This amount provided food, clothing, medical care, education, and other necessities to the orphan in the time he/she was sponsored. Every sponsor received a photo and biographical information for each child he/she sponsored. The IARA-USA Orphan Sponsorship program served orphans in Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chad, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Pakistan, Somalia, Uganda, and Yemen.

Health clinics

IARA-USA was also concerned with poor health care in areas of conflicts around the world. They addressed the need for adequate health care (particularly for children and pregnant women) by providing primary health care, immunizations, nutrition counseling, and supplementation, prenatal care, infectious disease prevention, and sanitary water supplies. IARA-USA also helped to establish medical and therapeutic facilities for rape victims, and to train medical personnel at those facilities. These projects have been especially strong in Mali, Bangladesh, Somalia, and the Balkans.

Education and training facilities

Education and vocational training was a vital part of all IARA-USA’s development initiatives. It sponsored educational projects supporting elementary and secondary schools as well as community education services. Many of IARA-USA’s development projects involved vocational training in sewing, welding, carpentry, and other areas. Health education programs were implemented in coordination with their medical projects.

Djindjini-Koire Community School in Mali

The Djindjini-Koire Community School in Mali served 123 boys and 92 girls. It was built as part of IARA-USA’s Community Education, Water, and Income Generation Project, under which a number of similar educational initiatives were being implemented. These efforts included helping local people to organize their own educational systems, train their own teachers, and construct more schools. The goal of the project was to establish a self-sufficient, quality educational infrastructure in the Circle of Timbuktu through the active participation of the local communities.

Anwar Educational Center in Bosnia

The Anwar Educational Center in Bosnia was established in 1996 to address the post-war recovery needs of the inhabitants of Bosnia, especially the young women and demobilized soldiers. The Anwar Center provided computer and language training, the purpose of which was to help the target groups overcome the economic and social difficulties arising from the war by helping them get jobs and attain economic self-sufficiency and a sense of personal confidence.

Alleged connection to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda

On January 16, 2008, Mark D. Siljander, former U.S. Representative for the state of Michigan, was indicted for his role in helping the Islamic American Relief Agency raise more than $130,000 that was allegedly sent to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. [cite news
url = http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/16/former.congressman.indicted.ap/index.html
title = Former lawmaker charged in terrorism case
publisher = Associated Press
work = CNN
date = 2008-01-16
accessdate = 2008-01-16 ]

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