Iman Chairman welcomes move to shut down terrorist linked 'charities' in Mauritania
Viernes, 7 Marzo 2014
Charities connected with extremists have been banned
Mauritania shuts charity linked to Muslim Brotherhood
AL ARABIYA NEWS
The Mauritanian government has ordered the closure of several Islamic charities for “overstepping their mandate,” a security official said on Friday, including an organization with links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
No official explanation has been given for the crackdown but ministers made the decision after holding a cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss security issues and “the consequences of past excesses on the stability of the country”, the official told AFP.
Authorities sealed off premises across the country belonging to the Association for the Future of Preaching, Culture and Education (AFPCE), a charity run by Mohamed el-Hacen Ould Dedaw, who is widely referred to as “the spiritual father of the Muslim Brotherhood in Mauritania.”
Ould Dedaw was jailed under the regime of then president Maaouya Ould Taya after being arrested in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in 2003 by the “Knights of Change,” a rebel movement formed by army officers accused of having ties with Islamists.
Denouncement
The AFPCE released a statement denouncing its closure as “an action targeting a forum for preaching and culture that has taught generations about morals and the word of God.”
“The association is concerned only with its fields of activity as visitors and followers could testify. Any other charges remain unsubstantiated,” it added.
The government shut down several other charities working in health and education, including “Education for the Girls of Nouakchott”, the source added.
The action follows demonstrations across the country on Monday over the alleged desecration of copies of the Koran at a mosque in Nouakchott.
Sidi Mohamed Ould Maham accused Mauritanian political organisations that he did not name of being apologists for “practices unknown in our society” following the protests.
Tewassoul, the main opposition party, which is associated with the Muslim Brotherhood but professes to hold more moderate beliefs than the country’s jihadist fringe, said on Thursday it had been banned from holding a meeting in Nouakchott “for security reasons.”
Welcoming the move, IMAN Chairman, Ribal Al-Assad said:
"I welcome and commend the Mauritanian government's actionsin shutting down terrorist linked 'charities'. This proactive approach is necessary and justified to combat terrorism.
As we have seen on many occasions, extremist Islamist groups often hide behind proxies and paper organisations to fundraise and carry out their activities.
Getting to the root of a terrorist organisation is the only way to effectively combat it; it is the duty of every country to follow Mauritania's lead and shut down Islamist surrogate bodies.
This will significantly help in making progress in the fight against extremism."
