North American Islamic Trust
Encyclopedia
The North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) is a Saudi-backed organization based in Plainfield, Indiana
, that owns Islamic properties and promotes waqf
(Islamic endowments
) in North America. It is the financial arm of the Muslim Students Association.
NAIT finances and holds titles to mosques, Islamic schools, and other real estate
to safeguard and pool the assets of the American Muslim community
, develops financial vehicles and financial products that are compatible with both Shari'ah and American law, publishes and distributes Islamic literature, provides legal advice to Muslim organizations, and facilitates and coordinates Islamic community projects.
In 2007, NAIT was named as an unindicted co-conspirator
in the Holy Land Foundation terrorist trial, as was board member Jamal Said.
. NAIT was established in 1973 in Indiana
by the Muslim Students Association (MSA) of the United States and Canada, the predecessor of the Islamic Society of North America
(ISNA), by some of the same Muslim Brotherhood
members who started the MSA. ISNA's President, Dr. Ingrid Mattson
Mattson, is a former member of the NAIT board of directors. A sister organization under the same name registered a few years later in the Canadian province
of Ontario
.
NAIT supports and provides services to ISNA, MSA, their affiliates, and other Islamic centers and institutions.
(CAIR), in 2000 NAIT funded an estimated 27% of the 1,209 mosques in the US. NAIT held title to over 320 properties as of June 2003. Title to about one in four mosques in the US are held by NAIT.
NAIT facilitates the establishment of mosques (such as the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, the grounds of which were purchased on June 19, 1983, by NAIT) and Islamic schools by extending limited interest-free loans to needy communities from its investment venture called the Islamic Centers Cooperative Fund (ICCF). About 8% of this fund goes annually to support local communities acquiring and improving mosques. The remainder is placed in real estate and other investments.
The Islamic Academy of Florida in Hillsborough County, Florida
, owned by NAIT and founded in 1992 by Sami Al-Arian
, was described in a 2003 federal indictment as a base of operations and support for a terrorist cell of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
, a group said to be responsible for the murders of more than 100 people. The indictment said the Academy's offices were used to communicate with Islamic Jihad operatives, and a woman seeking to support the Palestinian cause was told simply to write a check to the Academy. On March 2, 2006, Al-Arian entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to help the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a "specially designated terrorist
" organization. Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.
In August 2004 Mohammed M. Hossain and Yassin M. Aref
, two leaders of a mosque owned by NAIT in Albany, were arrested in a sting operation
on charges that they took part in what they thought was a plot to import a shoulder-fired missile and assassinate a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. They were convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2007.
s that invest in companies which meet the universal ethical principles of Islam.
"No political system or material power should put hindrances in the way of preaching Islam. If someone does this, then it is the duty of Islam to fight him until either he is killed or until he declares his submission," asserts an Islamic publication distributed by the North American Islamic Trust.
NAIT holds title to more than 300 mosques in America – including the large Islamic center outside Washington where the Fort Hood terrorist and some of the 9/11 hijackers worshipped.
has funded NAIT in order to spread Wahhabism
, the conservative fundamentalist Saudi Arabian version of Islam compatible with the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood
that views other versions as heretical, in the US. As NAIT has helped US communities build mosques, NAIT in turn has been dependent on Saudi funding. According to a September 30, 2002, Newsweek
report, "NAIT money has helped the Saudi Arabian sect of Wahhabism—or Salafism, as the broader, pan-Islamic movement is called—to seize control of hundreds of mosques in the U.S. Muslim communities." US law enforcement officials have indicated that they feel the mosques supported by NAIT have especially radical agendas. Furthermore, NAIT's book service promotes the writings of the founder of Wahhabism, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab
.
The mosques built through NAIT often require continued maintenance support from NAIT, which keeps title to the mosques, often appoints individuals to the mosques' boards of directors, appoints the mosque's imam (who is often Wahhabi), supplies free Wahhabi literature, and brings promising candidates to Saudi Arabia for additional indoctrination before sending them back to the US. The Constitution of Dar Al-Hijrah requires, for example, that the mosque at all times include on its 9-member Board of Directors the then-current General Manager of NAIT, Secretary General of ISNA, President of Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA), and President of Muslim American Society
(MAS). Directors serve for 5-year terms, and new Directors are elected by the then-current Directors.
The effort to spread Wahhabism has led to conflict with more moderate and less fundamentalist Moslems as with Saudi backing NAIT has seized control of mosques in various states including Florida, California, Illinois, Texas, and Arizona. "We feel this is very much a war for the heart and soul of our religion," said Jamaluddin Hoffman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America
, which represents Sufi Muslims. Khalid Durán, an Islamic scholar and author, said NAIT wants "all the mosques to be ideologically pure in their own Wahhabist line. They want to prevent others from having influence." Durán and others say NAIT often takes title to a mosque after extremists have seized control. Soon, Wahhabi literature shows up in the mosques and related Islamic schools, only Wahhabi-oriented speakers are allowed to speak, and women are often separated from men for services.
and other Islamic terrorist organizations. NAIT was named as an unindicted co-conspirator
in the case, along with the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) and ISNA. The Al Ahram Weekly said "Muslims are witnessing a smear campaign
", and said "these groups represent the viewpoints and interests of the mainstream American Muslim community."
In 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis found that the Justice Department violated the Fifth Amendment rights of the NAIT and CAIR in 2007 by including them on the publicly filed co-conspirator list.
NAIT is also mentioned as an allied organization in a 1991 Muslim Brotherhood
internal memorandum on its US strategy.
Plainfield, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,396 people, 7,051 households, and 4,914 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,023.1 people per square mile . There were 7,449 housing units at an average density of 414.3 per square mile...
, that owns Islamic properties and promotes waqf
Waqf
A waqf also spelled wakf formally known as wakf-alal-aulad is an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes. The donated assets are held by a charitable trust...
(Islamic endowments
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
) in North America. It is the financial arm of the Muslim Students Association.
NAIT finances and holds titles to mosques, Islamic schools, and other real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
to safeguard and pool the assets of the American Muslim community
Islam in the United States
From the 1880s to 1914, several thousand Muslims immigrated to the United States from the Ottoman Empire, and from parts of South Asia; they did not form distinctive settlements, and probably most assimilated into the wider society....
, develops financial vehicles and financial products that are compatible with both Shari'ah and American law, publishes and distributes Islamic literature, provides legal advice to Muslim organizations, and facilitates and coordinates Islamic community projects.
In 2007, NAIT was named as an unindicted co-conspirator
Unindicted co-conspirator
An unindicted co-conspirator, or unindicted conspirator, is a person or entity that is alleged in an indictment to have engaged in conspiracy, but who is not charged in the same indictment...
in the Holy Land Foundation terrorist trial, as was board member Jamal Said.
Background
NAIT is a not-for-profit entity that qualifies as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue CodeInternal Revenue Code
The Internal Revenue Code is the domestic portion of Federal statutory tax law in the United States, published in various volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, and separately as Title 26 of the United States Code...
. NAIT was established in 1973 in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
by the Muslim Students Association (MSA) of the United States and Canada, the predecessor of the Islamic Society of North America
Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America , based in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, is a Muslim umbrella group. It has been described in the media as the largest Muslim organization in North America.-History:...
(ISNA), by some of the same Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
members who started the MSA. ISNA's President, Dr. Ingrid Mattson
Ingrid Mattson
Ingrid Mattson is a Canadian Muslim convert professor and activist and a former president of the Islamic Society of North America ....
Mattson, is a former member of the NAIT board of directors. A sister organization under the same name registered a few years later in the Canadian province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
NAIT supports and provides services to ISNA, MSA, their affiliates, and other Islamic centers and institutions.
Financing mosques and Islamic schools
NAIT offers waqf protection to properties of mosques, safeguards these community assets, and ensures their conformity to Islamic purposes. According to a report by the Council on American-Islamic RelationsCouncil on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
(CAIR), in 2000 NAIT funded an estimated 27% of the 1,209 mosques in the US. NAIT held title to over 320 properties as of June 2003. Title to about one in four mosques in the US are held by NAIT.
NAIT facilitates the establishment of mosques (such as the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, the grounds of which were purchased on June 19, 1983, by NAIT) and Islamic schools by extending limited interest-free loans to needy communities from its investment venture called the Islamic Centers Cooperative Fund (ICCF). About 8% of this fund goes annually to support local communities acquiring and improving mosques. The remainder is placed in real estate and other investments.
The Islamic Academy of Florida in Hillsborough County, Florida
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, owned by NAIT and founded in 1992 by Sami Al-Arian
Sami Al-Arian
Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian , is a former resident of Temple Terrace, Florida, now living in Northern Virginia, who is a Muslim activist, and former University of South Florida professor of computer engineering...
, was described in a 2003 federal indictment as a base of operations and support for a terrorist cell of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
, a group said to be responsible for the murders of more than 100 people. The indictment said the Academy's offices were used to communicate with Islamic Jihad operatives, and a woman seeking to support the Palestinian cause was told simply to write a check to the Academy. On March 2, 2006, Al-Arian entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to help the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a "specially designated terrorist
Specially Designated Terrorist
A Specially Designated Terrorist is any person who is determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to be a specially designated terrorist under notices or regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ....
" organization. Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.
In August 2004 Mohammed M. Hossain and Yassin M. Aref
Yassin M. Aref
Yassin M. Aref is a resident of Albany, New York, who was arrested by Federal authorities in August 2004 as part of a counter-terrorism sting operation, convicted in October 2006 of conspiring to aid a terrorist group and provide support for a weapon of mass destruction, as well as money-laundering...
, two leaders of a mosque owned by NAIT in Albany, were arrested in a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
on charges that they took part in what they thought was a plot to import a shoulder-fired missile and assassinate a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. They were convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2007.
Financial products and services
NAIT develops Islamic financial products that comply with Shari'ah while addressing the investment and financial needs of Muslim organizations, individuals, and their businesses. Over the last two decades, NAIT has established and sponsored mutual fundMutual fund
A mutual fund is a professionally managed type of collective investment scheme that pools money from many investors to buy stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, and/or other securities.- Overview :...
s that invest in companies which meet the universal ethical principles of Islam.
The Dow Jones Islamic Fund
The Dow Jones Islamic Fund (IMANX) is a no-load mutual fund launched in June 2000 and offered by Allied Asset Advisors, a subsidiary of NAIT, which in 2003 had over $35 million ($ today) in assets. NAIT invests in Shari'ah-compliant companies. It includes, among others, shares of stocks from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes, which consist solely of common stocks that meet universal Islamic principles, as advised by a Shari'ah Supervisory Board of six Islamic scholars from six countries.Islamic literature
NAIT says that the ever-increasing Muslim population in the US demands a variety of Islamic literature. Some publishers of certain Islamic literature believe, it maintains, that the media and others misrepresent Islam and Muslims. NAIT says these publishers believe that this alleged misrepresentation necessitates the development of authentic Islamic literature. NAIT believes it meets this need by publishing and distributing what it views as credible Islamic literature.American Trust Publications
American Trust Publications (ATP), established by NAIT in 1976, is a publishing house that has published over 260 books, mostly focusing on Islamic faith and practice."No political system or material power should put hindrances in the way of preaching Islam. If someone does this, then it is the duty of Islam to fight him until either he is killed or until he declares his submission," asserts an Islamic publication distributed by the North American Islamic Trust.
NAIT holds title to more than 300 mosques in America – including the large Islamic center outside Washington where the Fort Hood terrorist and some of the 9/11 hijackers worshipped.
Islamic Book Service
Islamic Book Service (IBS), established in 1965, offers a comprehensive stock of books by Muslim scholars, titles for children, and multi-media products. IBS sells over 2,500 book titles (primarily in English and Arabic), CDs, DVDs, and audio and video tapes about Islam, and is one of the largest distributors of Islamic books in the West.Wahhabism
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
has funded NAIT in order to spread Wahhabism
Wahhabism
Wahhabism is a religious movement or a branch of Islam. It was developed by an 18th century Muslim theologian from Najd, Saudi Arabia. Ibn Abdul Al-Wahhab advocated purging Islam of what he considered to be impurities and innovations...
, the conservative fundamentalist Saudi Arabian version of Islam compatible with the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
that views other versions as heretical, in the US. As NAIT has helped US communities build mosques, NAIT in turn has been dependent on Saudi funding. According to a September 30, 2002, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
report, "NAIT money has helped the Saudi Arabian sect of Wahhabism—or Salafism, as the broader, pan-Islamic movement is called—to seize control of hundreds of mosques in the U.S. Muslim communities." US law enforcement officials have indicated that they feel the mosques supported by NAIT have especially radical agendas. Furthermore, NAIT's book service promotes the writings of the founder of Wahhabism, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab
Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab
Muhammad Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab was an influential Sunni Muslim scholar.-Childhood and Early Life:...
.
The mosques built through NAIT often require continued maintenance support from NAIT, which keeps title to the mosques, often appoints individuals to the mosques' boards of directors, appoints the mosque's imam (who is often Wahhabi), supplies free Wahhabi literature, and brings promising candidates to Saudi Arabia for additional indoctrination before sending them back to the US. The Constitution of Dar Al-Hijrah requires, for example, that the mosque at all times include on its 9-member Board of Directors the then-current General Manager of NAIT, Secretary General of ISNA, President of Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA), and President of Muslim American Society
Muslim American Society
The Muslim American Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 that describes itself as an Islamic revival and reform movement....
(MAS). Directors serve for 5-year terms, and new Directors are elected by the then-current Directors.
The effort to spread Wahhabism has led to conflict with more moderate and less fundamentalist Moslems as with Saudi backing NAIT has seized control of mosques in various states including Florida, California, Illinois, Texas, and Arizona. "We feel this is very much a war for the heart and soul of our religion," said Jamaluddin Hoffman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America
Islamic Supreme Council of America
The Islamic Supreme Council of America is a Muslim religious organization in the United States.The ISCA strives to integrate traditional scholarship in resolving contemporary issues affecting the maintenance of Islamic beliefs in a modern, secular society...
, which represents Sufi Muslims. Khalid Durán, an Islamic scholar and author, said NAIT wants "all the mosques to be ideologically pure in their own Wahhabist line. They want to prevent others from having influence." Durán and others say NAIT often takes title to a mosque after extremists have seized control. Soon, Wahhabi literature shows up in the mosques and related Islamic schools, only Wahhabi-oriented speakers are allowed to speak, and women are often separated from men for services.
Links to terrorism
In 2007, federal prosecutors brought charges against Holy Land Foundation for allegedly funding terrorist activities of HamasHamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and other Islamic terrorist organizations. NAIT was named as an unindicted co-conspirator
Unindicted co-conspirator
An unindicted co-conspirator, or unindicted conspirator, is a person or entity that is alleged in an indictment to have engaged in conspiracy, but who is not charged in the same indictment...
in the case, along with the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
(CAIR) and ISNA. The Al Ahram Weekly said "Muslims are witnessing a smear campaign
Smear campaign
A smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is a metaphor for activity that can harm an individual or group's reputation by conflation with a stigmatized group...
", and said "these groups represent the viewpoints and interests of the mainstream American Muslim community."
In 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis found that the Justice Department violated the Fifth Amendment rights of the NAIT and CAIR in 2007 by including them on the publicly filed co-conspirator list.
NAIT is also mentioned as an allied organization in a 1991 Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
internal memorandum on its US strategy.
External links
- NAIT website
- Muslim communities in North America, Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, Jane I. Smith, SUNY Press, 1994, ISBN 0-7914-2019-1 ISBN 9780791420195
- Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America, "Chapter 20: NAIT and the Economic Jihad," P. David Gaubatz, Paul Sperry, WND Books, 2009, ISBN 1-935071-10-6 ISBN 9781935071105