Baitulmaal, formerly known as AHED International, ¹ is a U.S.-based Islamic international aid organization that supports Muslim communities around the world, including in Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, East Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the United States. ^{2 3  4}

Baitulmaal and its leaders has been accused of directly or indirectly supporting groups identified as terrorist organizations by the United States or other international authorities, but neither the organization nor its leaders have been convicted of any criminal activity related to alleged terrorist support.  ^{5 6  7}

Background

Baitulmaal, which means “institution of charity” in Arabic, raises donations from Muslim donors in the United States to support its international aid efforts. ⁸  It is headquartered in the Dallas suburb of Irvine, Texas and operates U.S. offices in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey. ⁸

Baitumaal was founded in 2004⁹  but has previously claimed it was founded in 1991, ¹⁰ operating under an organization called the Islamic Trust of North Texas. ¹¹

As of 2025, Mazen Mokhtar was Baitulmaal’s executive director. ¹² In 2004 he was investigated by the Department of Justice for allegedly operating a website that solicited funds for the Taliban and mujahideen groups in Chechnya and was also indicted for tax fraud in 2007. ^13 14  Mokhtar was not charged in relation to the website and the tax fraud indictment was dismissed in 2008.  ^15 16

Activities

While Baitulmaal primarily undertakes assistance projects in majority-Muslim communities around the world, it does operate some programs in non-Muslim areas. In 2022, for instance, it provided $2 million in emergency medical aid and undertook some refugee relief services in Ukraine after the Russian invasion of the country. ⁸

Many of its programs involve support for basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and health care. ¹⁷ It also operates an orphan sponsorship program. ¹⁸

Before the October 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and Israeli military response in Gaza, Baitulmaal was active in Gaza and the West Bank. The group operated roughly 400 water tanks in Gaza, some of which were sponsored by individuals or Muslim congregations in the United States. ¹⁹ Baitulmaal also previously claimed to build mosques and sponsor “Qur’anic schools in Palestine.” ²⁰

However, Baitulmaal’s work in Gaza allegedly went further than humanitarian assistance to include support for Hamas, which controls the government of Gaza and has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States government since 1997. ^21 22

Baitulmaal has been listed as a partner of the Unlimited Friends Association for Social Development, which has been accused of links to Hamas through members of its executive team. ^23 6

Investigators into radical Islamic fundraising have alleged that Baitulmaal is connected to the Islamist fundraising collective Union of Good, which in 2008 the U.S. Treasury Department said “reports directly to the Hamas military wing and is composed of additional U.S.-designated organizations that generate revenue for Hamas under the guise of legitimate charitable work.” ^24 5

Funding

Baitulmaal’s fundraising has expanded from $5.9 million revenues in 2019 to $14.3 million in 2020, $32.3 million in 2021, $36.9 million in 2022, and $23.7 million in 2023. ²⁵

U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) claimed to have raised nearly $70,000 for Baitulmaal and the Institute for Middle East Understanding in 2021. ²⁶  In 2021, she also retweeted Twitter posts with links to Baitulmaal’s fundraisers.  ²²

Controversial Palestinian-American left-wing activist Linda Sarsour hosted a fundraiser with Baitulmaal to support the group’s Gaza COVID-19 Fund. ²⁷

In 2016, the group received a $1,147 grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation. ²⁸

1. “Tax Exempt Organization Search Details: EIN 20-0942434.” Internal Revenue Service. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/details/.
2. “Baitulmaal Inc.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/200942434.
3. “Turn Your Compassion into Hope.” Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/.
4. “Where We Work.” Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/where-we-work/.
5. Shankar, Abha. “Revised Complaint Bolsters AMP’s Ties to Old Hamas-Support Network.” JNS, April 10, 2019. https://www.jns.org/revised-complaint-bolsters-amps-ties-to-old-hamas-support-network/.

6. Westrop, Sam. “The U.S. Charitable Network That Subsidizes Hamas, and the Donors Behind It.” Focus on Western Islamism, November 14, 2023. https://islamism.news/research/investigations/revealed-the-funding-behind-the-u-s-charitable-network-that-subsidizes-hamas/#united-hands-relief.

7. [1] Foldi, Matthew. “Rashida Tlaib Promoted a Fundraiser for Group Tied to Hamas, Taliban.” The Washington Free Beacon, August 27, 2021. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/rashida-tlaib-promoted-a-fundraiser-for-group-tied-to-hamas-taliban/.
8. “FAQs.” Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/faq/.

9. Baitulmaal. Audited Basic Financial Statements for the Year December 31, 2014. Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/990s/200942434_2014-audited_financials.pdf.

10. “Who We Are: Mission Statement.” Baitulmaal. Archived August 11, 2004. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20040811193246/http:/baitulmaal.org:80/who_we_are.asp.

11. Westrop, Sam. “It’s Time to Prosecute Terror Finance Again.” Middle East Forum, October 24, 2018. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.meforum.org/7597/it-time-to-prosecute-terror-finance-again.
12. “Our People.” Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/people/.

13. Priest, Dana and Schmidt, Susan. “Terror Suspect’s Arrest Opens New Inquiries.” Washington Post, August 8, 2004. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48936-2004Aug7.html.

14. Sills, JoAnne. “Man investigated for terror connections arrested today on tax charges.” NJ.com. April 25, 2007. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://www.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/04/man_investigated_for_terror_co.html.
15. Foldi, Matthew. “Rashida Tlaib Promoted a Fundraiser for Group Tied to Hamas, Taliban.” The Washington Free Beacon., August 27, 2021. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/rashida-tlaib-promoted-a-fundraiser-for-group-tied-to-hamas-taliban/.

16. “United States v. Mohktar.” Investigative Project on Terrorism. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.investigativeproject.org/case/236/us-v-mokhtar.
17. “What We Do.” Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/what-we-do/.
18. “Orphans.” Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/orphans/.   
19. “FAQs.” Baitulmaal. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://baitulmaal.org/faq/.  
20. “Education.” Baitulmaal. Archived June 6, 2004. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20040606045928/http:/baitulmaal.org:80/education.asp.  
21. “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.” U.S. Department of State. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/.
22. Foldi, Matthew. “Rashida Tlaib Promoted a Fundraiser for Group Tied to Hamas, Taliban.” The Washington Free Beacon. Posted August 27, 2021. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/rashida-tlaib-promoted-a-fundraiser-for-group-tied-to-hamas-taliban/.
23. “Partners & Donors.” Unlimited Friends Association for Social Development (accessed via Wayback Machine), August 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210828191218/https://www.ufa.ps/en/partners-donors/.
24. “Treasury Disrupts Sham Overseas Charity Networks Funding Hamas and the PFLP.” U.S. Department of the Treasury, June 10, 2025. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0162.
25. “Baitulmaal Inc.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/200942434.   
26. “Human Rights around the World.” Rashida Tlaib for Congress. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://rashidaforcongress.com/issues/human-rights-around-the-world/.
27. Linda Sarsour Facebook Post. Facebook. March 23, 2020. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/linda.sarsour/posts/10158585800245572.
28. “JP Morgan Chase Foundation.” Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2016. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237049738/201732979349100003/IRS990PF.