When Nonprofits Support Terrorists

Most Americans have likely never heard of MyFundAction or the Islamic University of Minnesota. But for anyone worried about the spread of radical Islam in the United States, they serve as important case studies. According to two new reports from open-source research firm ColEven, both entities are engaged in a kind of subterfuge. They present themselves as nonprofits, taking advantage of the tax-exempt status afforded to charities and universities, while seeking to advance the ideological mission of terrorist groups like Hamas, the reports say.

Let’s start with MyFundAction, a Malaysia-based nonprofit that routinely hosts events and fundraisers in partnership with Muslim student associations in California. The organization’s own website describes itself as a youth-run nonprofit that provides education, food, medical relief, and financial support to the poor. The group hosts informal coffee chats and potluck dinners featuring MyFundAction speakers. In December, MyFundAction’s American branch received its tax-exempt status in the United States.

And yet, the group has a track record of unabashed support for Hamas.