Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage

The Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage (Arabic: ﺟﻤﻌﻴﺔ اﺣﻴﺎء اﻟﺘﺮاث اﻻﺳﻼﻣﻲ‎; Jamiat Ihya at-Turaz al-Islami) (RIHS) is a long-established Kuwait-based NGO with branches in a number of countries.

Connection to terrorism

The branches in Pakistan and Afghanistan allegedly became corrupted by members of al-Qaeda; those two branches, plus two of their personnel, plus the so-called Afghan Support Committee which they ran, were therefore embargoed on 9 January 2002 by the United States[1] and two days later by the United Nations Security Council Committee 1267.[2] The government of Russia has banned RIHS from operating anywhere in Russia and has deemed the society to be a terrorist organisation.[3]

A release from the Treasury's Press Office alleged that the Pakistan office, under the direction of Abd al-Muhsin al-Libi, had inflated the number of orphans under its care.[4]

The United States has the organization listed on the OFAC SDN list (as Administration of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society Committee), thus prohibiting U.S. citizens and permanent residents from doing business with the organization.

Guantanamo captives whose continued detention was justified through connection to RIHS

The continued detention of several Guantanamo captives has been justified, in part, through their association with the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society.

Mohammed Fenaitel Mohamed Al Daihani
  • Two of the allegations against Al Daihani were:[5]
    • "The detainee worked for the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society."
    • "The Revival of Islamic Heritage Society appears on the Terrorist Exclusion List of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security Terrorist Organization Reference Guide."
  • Al Daihani, an accountant at Kuwait's State Audit Bureau, pointed out that the charity was

“an official society from the Kuwaiti government”, and that more than a third of all Kuwaitis donated to it.[6]
Salim Mahmoud Adem Mohammed Bani Amir
  • Two of the allegations against Amir were:[7]
    • "Detainee was employed with the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) since 1994."
    • "RIHS is suspected of supporting extremist activity, and some employees are suspected of financing terrorism."
Sami Mohy El Din Muhammed Al Hajj
  • Three of the factors used to justify Al Hajj's continued detention were:[8]
    • "While in Azerbaijan, the detainee came into contact with Ashraf, who ran the juice distribution business for the Union Beverage Company in Azerbaijan."
    • "Between 1994-1998, Ashraf Abdulrahim Ayub worked for the Kuwaiti Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), a non-governmental organization."
    • "The Revival of Islamic Heritage Society has been identified under Executive Order 13224 as a terrorist affiliated organization.
Hammad Ali Amno Gadallah
  • Four of the five allegations against Gadallah were:[9]
    • "The detainee stated that he worked as an accountant for the Society for the Revival of Islamic Heritage (RIHS)."
    • "The RIHS is listed in the United States Department of Homeland Security - Terrorist Organization Reference Guide."
    • "Before being named The Society for the Revival of Islamic Heritage, the office in Peshawar, Pakistan, was called the Afghanistan Support Committee (ASC)."
    • "The ASC was designated on the United States Executive Order Asset Freeze List for suspected support of terrorism financing in late 2001."
  • Gadallah was one of the few Guantanamo captives whose Combatant Status Review Tribunal determined should never have been classified as an "enemy combatant".[10]

References

  1. ^ O'Neill Reports Progress Against Terrorist Financing United States State Department
  2. ^ UN list of affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Taliban
  3. ^ 'Terror' list out; Russia tags two Kuwaiti groups Arab Times
  4. ^ Fact Sheet: The Continuing War on Terrorist Assets, US Treasury Office of Public Affairs, January 9, 2002
  5. ^ Summary of Evidence memo (.pdf) from pages 25-26 of Mohammed Fenaitel Mohamed Al Daihani's Combatant Status Review Tribunal
  6. ^ Summarized Transcripts (.pdf) from pages 12-23 of Mohammed Fenaitel Mohamed Al Daihani's Combatant Status Review Tribunal
  7. ^ Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Salim Mahmoud Adem Mohammed Bani Amir's Combatant Status Review Tribunal - pages 73-76
  8. ^ Summarized transcript (.pdf), from Sami Mohy El Din Muhammed Al Hajj's Administrative Review Board hearing - page 121
  9. ^ Summary of Evidence (.pdf) prepared for Hammad Ali Amno GadallahCombatant Status Review Tribunals - December 14, 2004 - page 46
  10. ^ Guantanamo Bay Detainees Classifed as "No Longer Enemy Combatants", Washington Post