Bush Freezes Assets of Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, a Muslim Charity

March 9, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On March 9, 2002, The New York Times reported that "the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the largest Muslim charity in the United States, sued the federal government yesterday for labeling it a financier of terrorism and freezing its assets... The Bush administration has accused the foundation of raising money for Hamas, the Palestinian group that claims responsibility for suicide bombings in Israel... In a 20-page civil complaint against the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury, the foundation charged that the Bush administration had violated its constitutional rights to religious freedom, among other liberties. The suit [was] filed in Federal District Court in Washington... The Federal Bureau of Investigation... produced evidence indicating that the foundation was 'the primary fund-raising entity for Hamas'... The foundation, which was started in 1989 and is based in Richardson, Tex., said that it 'has never donated funds or provided services to Hamas, or any other designated 'foreign terrorist organization.'"