Head US Islamic org to use $140 MILLION in tithes to finance campaigns of Muslims running for office

The Fiqh Council of North America recently issued a religious ruling (fatwa) allowing charitable giving and tithing known as “zakat” to be used for political purposes. The goal is reportedly to “empower” Muslim communities in the US and to fund campaigns supporting policies that oppose Israel and criminalize criticism of both the Prophet Muhammad and Islam.

The revelation is reportedly part of a broader effort by Muslim Americans to increase their political prominence and influence within American government. According to a report by RealClearInvestigations, Islamic organizers have worked to advance a potential political war chest of more than $140 million a year in mosque and other donations from Muslim Americans.

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic primary with at least $315,000 in funding tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, a pro-Jihad group. El-Sayed is seeking to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

Concerns have continued to be raised about candidates who have allegedly had ties to radical Islamic figures or groups. Adam Hisham Hamawy, the Democratic nominee running for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, was reported to have had close ties in the past to the al-Qaeda “Blind Sheikh” who was convicted for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Critics have warned that some Muslim political and religious leaders are seeking to expand the influence of Islamic beliefs and institutions within American society.

RealClearInvestigations reported that “Muslim elected officials and spiritual leaders, backed by their own funds and foreign money, some tied to officially designated terror groups, are seeking to carve out their own societies within the United States."

"And while many Muslims are assimilating more traditional Western values, there is also a strong push to recreate communities based on the values and cultures of their former homelands,” the report added. One example cited by the outlet is the proposed EPIC City development in Texas, which would be built on 400 acres of prairie land outside Dallas. Islamic leaders involved with the project have described it as an “epicenter of Islam in North America.”

EPIC has previously featured several controversial clerics, including Imam Yasir Qadhi, who chairs the Fiqh Council of North America. Qadhi recently applauded El-Sayed's victory in securing the Democratic nominee for Michigan, calling it a "game-changer" in the political shift of opposing pro-Israel groups. He also said while Europe is "long changed," America is the "final stronghold."

GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns that an increase in Muslims holding office could weaken the concept of separation of church and state. Concerns have also been raised about so-called "no-go" areas for non-Muslims similar to those in Europe.

During a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing on the threat of Islam in the US, Missouri Republican Representative Bob Onder warned against tolerating communities influenced by radical Islamic ideology.

“Tolerating beachheads of radical Islam in our country is literally civilization suicide,” Onder said. “We’re seeing in many cases a lack of assimilation [from Muslim immigrants]. They join these very closed groups that are committed to imposing Sharia law.”

“Tolerating that seems to be utter insanity,” Onder added, pointing to the growing issue of Islamic influence in European countries such as Germany, France, and England.