Muslims Fight Tag of Conspirator

August 24, 2007

Author: DAVID KOENIG

Source: Star-Telegram

Wire Service: AP

http://www.star-telegram.com/dallas_news/story/212248.html

DALLAS -- The leader of a nationwide Muslim civil rights group says fundraising has fallen off since the organization was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism-financing trial, a label that the organization is fighting in court.

Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he believes that the government tried to shut his group down by publicly alleging that it was involved in the case.

The Washington-based group was one of about 250 Muslim individuals and groups that were named unindicted co-conspirators in the trial of the Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. Five former Holy Land officials are accused of helping finance Hamas, which the government designated a terrorist group.