Wajahat Ali: Perverse justice

Prosecuting a charity such as the Holy Land Foundation was nothing more than a means for the Bush administration to acquire a notch on its “get a terrorist” club.

By Wajahat Ali, altmuslim, 15 December 2008

The Bush administration’s “war on terror” paraded a feather in its tattered cap with the recent conviction of key leaders of the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) charity. Many observers accurately characterised this legal charade as a witch hunt, which used Muslims and Arabs (specifically Palestinians) as its targets. In doing so, the administration shamelessly abuses the legal system to advance failed security measures and pro-Israel policy initiatives that systematically punish Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Five leaders from the once highly-respected HLF, which gave nearly $12m to non-violent Palestinian institutions to build hospitals and feed the poor, were convicted on 108 charges of supporting terrorism by funneling money to Hamas. A US official proudly declared: “Today’s verdicts are important milestones in America’s efforts against financiers of terrorism.” However, Linda Moreno, a defense lawyer for one of the HLF leaders, disagreed. “This was a political, ‘win at all costs’ prosecution,” she said.

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