Dr. Ahmed Al-Rawi (احمد كاظم فتحي الراوي) is a former director of Islamic Relief Worldwide, who also served as a director of the Muslim Association of Britain, the president of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Union of Good in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
On January 29, 2017 the Egyptian newspaper Alyoum Alsabee reported that in a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey the members of Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) voted in favour of a separation from the Muslim Brotherhood. According to this report, Ahmed Al-Rawi resigned from FIOE.
In 2008 the Union of Good was designated by the United States as a terrorist entity. Here are excerpts from the Department of the Treasury’s statement:
“The Union of Good is an organization created by Hamas leadership in late-2000 to transfer funds to the terrorist organization. Union of Good acts as a broker for Hamas by facilitating financial transfers between a web of charitable organizations—including several organizations previously designated under E.O. 13224 for providing support to Hamas—and Hamas-controlled organizations in the West Bank and Gaza. The primary purpose of this activity is to strengthen Hamas’ political and military position in the West Bank and Gaza, including by: (i) diverting charitable donations to support Hamas members and the families of terrorist operatives; and (ii) dispensing social welfare and other charitable services on behalf of Hamas.
“Funds raised by the Union of Good affiliates have been transferred to Hamas-managed organizations in the West Bank and Gaza. In addition to providing cover for Hamas financial transfers, some of the funds transferred by the Union of Good have compensated Hamas terrorists by providing payments to the families of suicide bombers. One of them, the Al-Salah Society, previously identified as a key support node for Hamas, was designated in August 2007 under E.O. 13224. The Society employed a number of members of the Hamas military wing and supported Hamas-affiliated combatants during the first Intifada.
The Union of Good’s executive leadership and board of directors includes Hamas leaders, Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), and other terrorist supporters. The secretary general of the Union of Good, for example, also acts as the vice-chairman of the United Kingdom-based Interpal, which was designated in 2003 for providing financial support to Hamas under the cover of charitable activity. As of mid-2007, this official served on the Hamas executive committee under Hamas leader Khaled Misha’al. Board members of the Union of Good include a West Bank Hamas member, and Abd alMajid al-Zindani, a Yemen-based Hamas fundraiser who was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 in 2004 for providing support to al-Qaida. In 2006, Zindani delivered a fundraising speech at a Hamas conference in Yemen where the crowd pledged millions of riyals for Hamas.”
In January 2000 Ahmad Al-Rawi participated in the Islamic National Conference held in Beirut, Lebanon. Among other speakers at the conference were Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hizbollah, Khaled Mashaal, leader of Hamas, Ramadan Shalah, then leader of the Islamic Jihad and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a spiritual leader for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
Following excerpts from the Islamic National Conference’s statement (originally in Arabic):
“Zionism is an racist aggressive movement that relied on the organic association with the arrogant powers to occupy Palestine and to establish an illegal and illegitimate usurping state in order to become the basis for dominating the nation and a means to subdue it… The Palestinian people has the right to regain all of its land… The responsibility for liberating Palestine is the responsibility of the entire nation, and it is the duty of the Palestinian people to refuse to bargain and to adopt all methods of struggle and jihad, and the duty of the nation is to participate and support [the Palestinian people]… The embrace of the Ummah [Muslim nation] for its jihad-fighting resistance in southern Lebanon and Palestine requires an integrated program of action that translates the will of Arab and Islamic participation to support of this struggle… In this context the conference calls on the Jordanian government to cancel the measures taken against the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas – that included the closure of its [Hamas] office and the deportation of its [Hamas] leaders… the conference also calls on the Lebanese government… to grant the Japanese fighter [Kōzō] Okamoto, the hero of the Lod Operation in 1972, and his fellow operatives political asylum in recognition of their sacrifice for the cause of Palestine and their fighting against the enemy…” [Note: The Lod Operation is a terrorist attack that occurred on May 30, 1972, in which three members of the Japanese Red Army recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-External Operations (PFLP-EO), attacked Lod airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport) near Tel Aviv, killing 26 people and injuring 80 others.]
In April 2003Ahmad Al-Rawi participated in the Islamic National Conference held in Beirut, Lebanon. Among other participants in the conference were Khaled Mashaal, leader of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook, then deputy leader of Hamas, Osama Hamdan, then Hamas representative in Lebanon, Munir Said, Hamas representative in Yemen, Mustafa Al-Lidawi from Hamas, Ramadan Shalah, then leader of the Islamic Jihad, Muin al-Rifai, Islamic Jihad representative in Lebanon, Maher al-Taher, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ali Saleh Ahmed, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Jumaa al-Abdullah of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hizbollah, Nawwaf el Moussawi, member of Hezbollah political council, Hassan Hadraj, member of Hezbollah political bureau, Hassan Hasan Izz-Al-Din, senior Hezbollah official (Hasan Izz-Al-Din was indicted for his role in planning and participating in the June 14, 1985, hijacking of a commercial airliner which resulted in the assault on various passengers and crew members, and the murder of one United States citizen).
Following excerpts from the Islamic National Conference’s statement (originally in Arabic): “The Palestinian people have chosen the right path to regain their rights, which is the way of jihad and martyrdom in the path of Allah, the way of intifada and resistance, which should be the subject of the nation’s consensus on the necessity of its support and the duty to uphold it… The Conference salutes the pure souls of the martyrs and also salutes the Palestinian people and declares its adherence to the armed struggle and heroic struggle carried out by the suicide attackers in the path of Allah and adopted by Palestinian organizations. It declares its stand against attempts to strike these organizations and stamp them with terrorism…”
The Sunday Times (UK) reported in October 2004 that Ahmad al-Rawi was one of 93 Islamic international scholars who signed a “bayyan” (declaration) in August supporting uprisings against the “filth of occupation” by both Iraqis and Palestinians. According to the report, the signatories included five Hamas leaders.
Here is an excerpt from The Sunday Times’ article:
“Defending the bayyan last week al-Rawi compared the coalition forces in Iraq with the Nazi invaders of France in 1940. He said: “If they (the British) attack, it’s the right of the civilians to resist the British. Any people who are occupied, they have the right to resist. I prefer it to be peaceful, but if they choose to resist by other means it’s their choice.” Although he would prefer a peaceful overthrow of the occupation, al-Rawi said he could not condemn attacks on coalition forces that have been responsible for many of the deaths of 1,112 American and 69 British soldiers in Iraq. “My opinion on the occupation is that it is illegal. I couldn’t call the resistance, even military resistance to the occupation, I couldn’t consider it criminal.”
In February 2009 Ahmad Al-Rawi participated in the Islamic National Conference held in Beirut, Lebanon. Among other participants in the conference were Osama Hamdan, then Hamas representative in Lebanon, Mohammad Nazzal, member of Hamas political bureau, Ziad Nakhleh, then the deputy leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Muin al-Rifai, Islamic Jihad representative in Lebanon, Maher al-Taher, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Fadl Shururu, politburo secretary of the The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), Hassan Hadraj, member of Hezbollah political bureau, Hassan Hasan Izz-Al-Din, senior Hezbollah official (Hasan Izz-Al-Din was indicted for his role in planning and participating in the June 14, 1985, hijacking of a commercial airliner which resulted in the assault on various passengers and crew members, and the murder of one United States citizen), Muhammad Kawtharani, member of Hezbollah political council (As the individual in charge of Hizballah’s Iraq activities, Kawtharani has worked on behalf of Hizballah’s leadership to promote the group’s interests in Iraq, including Hizballah efforts to provide training, funding, political, and logistical support to Iraqi Shi’a insurgent groups).
Following excerpts from the Islamic National Conference’s statement (originally in Arabic): “The General Conference of the National Islamic Conference sends special warm greetings to the heroic resistance in Gaza… and in particular, Hamas, [the Islamic] Jihad, Al-Qassam Brigades, Al-Quds Brigades, Salah al-Din brigades, Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, Al-Aqsa Brigades, Jihad Jibril Brigades, and the National Resistance are all salute and all those who fought with weapons and stead-fasted the Zionist aggression… In the same respect, the Conference sends its greetings to the heroes of the resistance in Lebanon… In the same vein, the conference salutes the Iraqi resistance who fought and resisted the US / British occupation for six years… Our general conference confirms that the conflict with the Zionist entity is an existential conflict…”