Zakat Foundation of America

Although Zakat denies having any direct ties to terrorism, several of its partner organizations and donor recipients have been linked to terrorist groups, including Hamas and Al-Qaeda. ^{4 5}

Background

Halil (also Khalil) Demir founded the Zakat Foundation of America in 2001 to respond to global crises through humanitarian work, including orphan sponsorship programs, clean water initiatives, and refugee relief. ³ In addition to providing food, housing, and other aid to hundreds of thousands of people annually, it has opened independent organizations in several countries, which provide services ranging from mental health to shelter for orphans to language education. ³

The Zakat Foundation lists two signature projects, the Jamea-tus-Salehat School Project and the Humanity Hospital and Medical Center Lahore. ⁶ The Jamea-tus-Salehat School Project is an effort to educate girls in India led by Sheikh Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Islahi. ⁶ The Humanity Hospital and Medical Center Lahore is the Zakat Foundation’s effort to establish a 100-bed medical center in Lahore, Pakistan, to address the increased rates of cardiovascular health issues in Pakistan. ⁶

According to Zakat’s 2022 annual report, it provided food and other support in Haiti, Yemen, Syria, the Palestinian territories, and across parts of Africa in 2023. Its charity assisted those impacted by conflict, natural disasters, and other critical issues. ⁷

The foundation also engages in domestic charity work. Its disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas, earned gratitude from former President George W. Bush. ⁸

The Zakat Foundation has renewed its efforts in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas War. ⁹ The foundation says it has helped in the area since 2002, but now must address what it said was “100 days of relentless bombing and a total blockade” by Israel. ⁹

In April 2024, The Zakat Foundation opened an office in Pakistan after nearly 20 years of humanitarian work in Pakistan’s Muslim community. ¹⁰

Congressional Republicans considered investigating Zakat because of its previous partnership with the Islamic Charitable Society, a West Bank-based group that received funds from the Holy Land Foundation (HLF). ⁴ HLF was sanctioned and shut down by the United States for its support of Hamas. ^{11 12}

Partnerships

In its 2022 Annual Report, the Zakat Foundation listed over 100 partner organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Office of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). CAIR has been accused of being a front group for Muslim terrorist organizations. ^{13 14 7} Other partners included secular charities like the Ronald McDonald House and DoorDash and non-Muslim religious groups such as several Methodist churches. ⁷

In May 2024, the Zakat Foundation partnered with the Royal Jordanian Air Force to airdrop relief into the Gaza Strip. ¹⁵ Zakat provided food parcels while the execution of the airdrop was coordinated by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization. ¹⁵

The Zakat Foundation partnered with American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) to promote the 2023 AMP Convention. ¹⁶ American Muslims for Palestine is an anti-Israel organization with strong ties to pro-Hamas individuals and organizations. While AMP refers to itself as an educational organization focused primarily on raising awareness for Palestinian causes, ¹⁷ it has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as “the leading organization providing anti-Zionist training” in America. ¹⁸

The Zakat Foundation also partnered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from 2014 through 2017. ¹⁹ This included a $50,000 agreement between the UNRWA and Zakat Foundation to feed 1,000 Palestinian refugee families caught in the conflict. ²⁰

Chicago-Area Work

The Zakat Foundation sponsored a Turkish festival in Chicago in May 2024 that drew over 10,000 people. ²¹ The foundation partnered with the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago in May 2024 to repurpose the former St. Bartholomew school building into a migrant shelter. ²² The Zakat Foundation will operate the shelter. ²²

In 2015, the Zakat Foundation of America opened the Rohingya Culture Center, a Muslim center to help settle refugees from Rohingya, Myanmar in the U.S. ³ In 2022, the Rohingya Culture Center reported  $621,860 in revenue, $581,496 in expenses, and $392,507 in net assets. ²³

Politics, Culture, and Foreign Affairs

In September 2018, the Zakat Foundation opposed then-President Donald Trump’s decision to cut $200 million in funding to international nongovernmental organization programs that support Palestinians. ²⁴

In 2021, the Foundation removed photos from its orphan initiative out of concerns of bias. It also commissioned an online national survey about Americans’ unconscious biases. The survey claimed that 80% of consumers form an opinion on matters based upon a headline, while 89% changed their opinion after reading the actual content. Nearly 60% polled in the survey said they are often the only person of their racial or ethnic heritage in a given room. ²⁵

Leadership

Halil Demir is the founder and executive director of the Zakat Foundation of America. ²⁶ He was born in Turkey and received a B.A. in sociology after moving to the United States. ²⁶ Before founding the Zakat Foundation in 2001, Demir worked for the Benevolence International Foundation and the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Organization (IHH), both of which have ties to Hamas. ⁵ A 2010 IHH news release describes Demir as an “IHH aid coordinator.” ²⁷ Also in 2010, IHH named the Zakat Foundation as a partner institution. ⁵

Demir also worked for the Benevolence International Foundation, a charity designated by the United States Treasury Department as a financier for Al-Qaeda in 2002. ²⁸ Demir signed off on the federal tax return for Benevolence International Foundation in 2001. ²⁹

In 2019, Demir wrote a book titled 9 Myths About Muslim Charities: Stories From the Zakat Foundation of America to dispel alleged “Islamophobic misconceptions” about Muslim charities in America. ^{30 3}

Raza Farrukh is a special advisor to Demir, and former CEO of Helping Hand for Relief and Development. He has been a Muslim activist since the 1980s, after a career working for AT&T. ²⁶

Hasan Arslan is chair of Zakat’s board. A Turkish native, he earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science in the United States. He joined Zakat’s board in 2005 and has been president since 2007 .²⁶

Finances

In 2022, the Zakat Foundation of America reported $19,208,557 in total revenue, $15,054,708 in expenses, and $17,882,245 in net assets Its biggest donations were to Muslim groups such as the Center on Muslim Philanthropy, which received over $209,000. Zakat-founded groups like Khalil Center received over $250,000, and the Rohingya Culture Center received almost $113,000. ³¹

Explicitly left-of-center groups, especially those involved in fiscal sponsorship, also received funding from the Zakat Foundation. Tides Center received $25,000. Proteus Fund received $10,000. Neo Foundation received $80,000. ³¹

At least two groups with alleged ties to terrorist organizations were funded in 2022. The Chicago-area Mosque Foundation received $26,000. The Mosque Foundation has been accused of ties to terrorist groups, primarily due to principal imam Jamal Said’s alleged involvement with the Holy Land Foundation (HLF), Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) through speaking at these groups’ events. ^{32 33 34}

The Muslim Legal Fund of America received $10,000. It has successfully represented American Muslims for Palestine against accusations that it was responsible for the death of an American teenager due to terrorist actions. ³⁵