Original Source: The Chicago Tribune
Wire Service: AP
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/muslim-groups-try-to-ease-fears-with-accreditation/
As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan winds down, Rami Nashashibi sees a promising fundraising trend for the Chicago charity he runs.
Online donations ranging from $50 to $2,500 to his Inner-City Muslim Action Network have increased over the past weeks as part of an aggressive Ramadan Internet marketing push on the group's Web site and through social networking sites, he said.
But Nashashibi also credits the influx of online donations to his organization becoming one of the nation's first to be accredited by the Better Business Bureau's newest charity wing tailored for Islamic nonprofits.
Those involved in the accreditation program hope it along with the election of President Barack Obama — who has voiced his commitment to work with U.S. Muslims — will allow many Muslim groups to move past the mistrust that has come to define their post-9/11 relationship with the federal government.