What Drives Saudi Arabia to Persist in Terrorist Financing?

Islamic scholars who are considered to be mentors of terrorist movements attribute great importance to "suicide attacks in the path of Allah," describing them as the highest level of jihad against the "enemies of Islam." One prominent radical Saudi scholar, Safar bin Abd al-Aziz al-Hawali, ¹ in his "call upon the Muslims to salvage their brothers in Palestine" (January 2002), termed the armed intifada "the pinnacle of jihad ," explaining: "The jihad of our brothers is glorious jihad in the path of Allah, designed to defend the Islamic Holy Places, to remove injustice, and to restore their land and the Muslims' land." ²

Since September 2000, the unprecedented phenomenon of Palestinian suicide bombing attacks has offered an inspiring model of jihad for many Islamic terrorist movements. The Israeli General Security Services (GSS) reports that during 2000-2004, there were 138 suicide attacks employing explosive belts or booby-trapped cars, as well as 431 thwarted attempts. This is in addition to many hundreds of shooting attacks by Palestinian terrorists that were also suicide attacks.

Hamoud al-Oqala al-Shuaibi, ³ the late Saudi scholar whose Islamic edicts were adopted by Hamas and al-Qaeda, determined that "the highest and most exalted degree [in jihad ] is the self-sacrificing jihad [martyrdom], as it is the most difficult for warriors, demanding of them the greatest self-sacrifice of martyrdom. The reward promised by God to the martyrs is well-known [marriage to 72 virgins, the right to intercede with God to bring 70 family members to Heaven, and enjoying the pleasures of Heaven] and is based on the premise that [self-sacrificing jihad ] brings about the decisive submission of the enemy...imposing terror on him and breaking his spirit. Thus, victory is achieved." ⁴

The definition of jihad in Islam, is not confined merely to waging war with arms, but includes several other aspects of support for "holy war." Islamic scholars specify these as:

The Islamic sources of financial jihad are found in the Quran, often intertwined with self-sacrificing jihad. The importance attributed to financial jihad in Islam is illustrated in the following Quran verses:

All Islamic scholars are unanimous in their interpretation of these verses regarding the centrality and importance of financial jihad as part of Allah's jihad commandment to Muslims. Some interpretations note the verses' internal order, in which "wealth" precedes "lives," as evidence of the significance of financial jihad and, in certain circumstances, its precedence over self-sacrificing jihad. In his Islamic edict on jihad in Chechnya , al-Shuaibi determined that the "significance of financial jihad is not inferior to self-sacrificing jihad, being even more important." ⁵

Dr. Hussein Shehata, ⁶ a professor at al-Azhar University in Cairo , explains the uniqueness of the financial jihad commandment as being "a trial of strength of Muslim faith" and "a means to purify the soul from stinginess." Through financial jihad, according to Shehata, Allah gives wealthy Muslims the opportunity to allocate some of their money for da'awa (literally, the call for Islam), the Islamic effort to teach or to convert people to Islam.⁷

Dr. Ajeel Jassem al-Nashami, ⁸ secretary general of the International Organization for Zakat (Islamic alms) in Kuwait , argued that donations made by Muslims for zakat should be funneled to finance jihad warfare in Palestine against Israel . In his interpretation of the Quranic verse ( al-Tawba, Chapter 9, verse 60), he noted that Allah determined eight ways for using zakat for the benefit of Muslims, four of them designated to support jihad and the other four aimed at helping the needy. ⁹

Praising the merits of financial jihad, Muslim scholars also rely on Islamic tradition ( hadith ) attributed to the Prophet Mohammad, which assures Muslims who donate money for jihad the same reward in Heaven as the mujahideen themselves. According to hadith: "One [Muslim] who equips a person on his way to raid [the enemy's camps] in Allah's path [ jihad ] is considered to have the same status as the raider [ mujahid ]. One [Muslim] who substitutes [the raider] concerning his family and [taking care of their needs] with good deeds is considered to have the same status as the raider [ mujahid ]." ¹⁰

In practical terms, financial jihad is designed to sustain self-sacrificing jihad and enable it to achieve its goals on the battlefield. Dr. Abdullah Qadiri al-Ahdal, ¹¹ a Saudi professor at al-Medina University , referring to the duty to support the Palestinian mujahideen, determined that "financial jihad applies to all of us [Muslims] in accordance with each person's capability. No excuse can dismiss anyone from donating money to the mujahideen and their families...as they are in urgent need of food, medication, clothing, weapons, and other [basic] necessities of life." ¹² Al-Ahdal views financial jihad as a vital means for the mujahideen in financing their military activity (purchasing weapons, etc.) and at the same time in securing proper social conditions for the families of the mujahideen, who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Islam.

In another fatwa, Hussein Shehata argues that financial jihad is designed to assure mutual indemnity among Muslims and the commitment of Muslims to their warriors. According to Shehata, Muslims are committed to "financially support the families of the mujahideen who joined the call for jihad and left behind them their women and children....They [the families] are in desperate need of money and basic necessities of life such as food, drink, and accommodation." Shehata explains that the financial jihad commandment given by God is intended "to calm the mujahideen's [worries] by demonstrating that there are those [Muslims] who practice financial jihad and do not skimp on money for their families, even if they have fallen on the battlefield or their houses are damaged or destroyed." ¹³

In Seventy Ways to Support the Chechen Jihad, published on the official website of the Chechen mujahideen, the importance of financial and material donations is emphasized. The Chechen mujahideen called upon Muslims to support jihad in Chechnya against the "Russian enemy" in any way possible, and to begin by transferring financial and material support. ¹⁴

39 Principles of Jihad, a book by Mohammad bin Ahmad al-Salem ¹⁵ that appears on websites affiliated with al-Qaeda, offers readers an opportunity to comprehend the broad meaning of the concept of jihad as interpreted by Muslim scholars. Jihad is not only an expression of violent action against infidels, but comprises diverse acts that every Muslim is commanded to perform in order to sustain jihad. Eight of the 39 principles deal with various aspects of financial jihad:

Hamas leaders and sages make clear that financial jihad is indispensable for sustaining the "military" aspects of the intifada, including suicide attacks. Mohammad Hassan Sham'a, ¹⁷ one of the founders of Hamas and a senior leader responsible for its social and economic infrastructure, emphasized that the "social aspect (e.g., the activity of Hamas societies) in the intifada is no less important than public relations or political aspects, as it is the source of power for the intifada...and its lifeline for steadfastness and confrontation with the enemy....The material support provides the strength to persist and escalate the intifada. ¹⁸ He described Arab support for the " mujahideen in Palestine" and the Paletinian cause as "support for the Hamas movement to pursue jihad. " ¹⁹

Yusuf Qardawi, a well-known Egyptian scholar and preacher and prominent Hamas spiritual guide who today resides in Qatar , ²⁰ encourages Muslim believers in his sermons to open their hearts in every possible way, including financially, to sustain the Palestinian intifada. In his eyes, this is the only way to bring about the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state in Palestine . "We should replant in the [Muslim] nation's [mind] the passion of death, the desire for self-sacrifice in the path of Allah....These youth, the youth of Hamas and Islamic Jihad as well as the Fatah rebels, are those who terrorize the Zionist entity." ²¹

Qardawi regards financial jihad as the main tool for supporting the jihad of self-sacrifice - suicide attacks committed by men and women alike, which were legitimized in his Islamic edicts. ²² He said: "Our brothers [in Palestine] who commit the Jihad bi-al-Nafs sacrifice themselves every day....The [Palestinian] mother when notified that her son has fallen in the path of Allah...utters trilling cries of joy...and the fathers...react by reciting verses praising Allah. This is the [Islamic] nation which sacrifices martyrs every day." Qardawi ruled on this basis that Muslims should adopt reciprocal actions by "sacrificing the money for them [the mujahideen ]."

In this context, he defines the activities of the Islamic charitable societies sustaining the intifada as a "new type of jihad ," "financial jihad ," through which financial support is guaranteed to the martyrs' families, Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and every Palestinian whose property is damaged during the conflict." ²³ ardawi further argues that financial jihad , with its various financial and social aspects, is the central mainstay for preserving the flames of jihad during the intifada.

Qardawi has criticized the Arab regimes for their passivity, saying: "If the Arab states cannot wage a war [against Israel ]...they should at least support the intifada. The resistance should persist, the intifada should persist. The intifada has its martyrs, wounded, handicapped, and detainees....Many aspects [of the intifada] need money...as long as the battle continues, it is essential to support it with money." Qardawi illustrates his point by mentioning the Qatari Id bin Mohammad charitable society as an example of the "praiseworthy" activity of charitable societies in support of the Palestinian people, and thus focuses attention on the importance of these societies in sustaining the intifada. ²⁴

The Saudi Committee to Support the al-Aqsa Intifada ("the Saudi committee") provides an example of the concept of financial jihad for the Saudi regime. The committee, established by royal decree several weeks after the intifada erupted in October 2000, has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars donated by Saudi individuals and institutions to Palestinian charitable societies, most of which are controlled by Hamas. These donations are distributed to several categories of Palestinian beneficiaries: "martyrs' families" (including families of suicide bombers), prisoners and detainees' families, the wounded and handicapped, needy families, and Palestinians whose property was damaged or destroyed during the intifada. The financial support bestowed by the Saudi committee was transferred directly to the Palestinian beneficiaries and the charitable societies, which are mostly front organizations of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Saudi scholars supplied the Islamic justification for the committee by defining the intifada as a "legitimate jihad ," thus ruling that Muslims have a duty to financially support the Palestinian intifada. ²⁵

Saudi financial support for Hamas charities has not ceased, even after a Saudi commitment to President Bush in June 2003. At the Sharm el-Sheik summit attended by Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, President Bush underscored that Arab leaders "have declared their firm rejection of terror regardless of its justifications or motives" and are "committed to practical actions to use all means to cut off assistance including arms and financing to any terror group." ²⁶ Yet the Saudi committee is continuing its financial support for various projects within the PA, mainly through Palestinian charities. ²⁷ Documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have revealed that the Saudi al-Haramain charitable foundation (dismantled in 2004 due to American pressure because of its suspected ties to al-Qaeda) transferred 5,624,370 Jordanian dinars on 20 August 2003 to the al-Quran and a-Sunna Society in Qalqilia, which was designated by Israel in 2002 as a "terrorist organization." Other documents demonstrate that the Idhna society (affiliated with Hamas) had contacts with al-Haramain until at least February 2004.

Financial jihad includes many aspects whose common denominator is the direct and indirect support of self-sacrificing jihad, the Islamic holy war against the infidels. The financial framework supportive of jihad is based on the perception that jihad can only achieve its goals if its financing is guaranteed and if social and economic security is arranged for the warriors and their families.

The Palestinian Islamic terrorist organizations share this same outlook and vision. Hamas, under the leadership of Ahmad Yassin, was the first organization to develop a widespread social, economic, and educational infrastructure supportive of its military wing. At the front are the so-called "charitable societies," which are in fact an integral part of the Hamas movement.

In an interview into al-Hayat newspaper in early December 2003, Khaled Mashaal, ²⁸ head of the Hamas political bureau, detailed the historical background of establishing the supportive infrastructure of Hamas. The first step was the reorganization of the local Muslim Brotherhood movement, from which Hamas originated. The internal reforms concentrated on deepening Islamic penetration and influence in all segments of society. The institutions established by the Muslim Brotherhood supplied social and educational services to youth and needy Palestinians who were considered the weakest segment and thus a preferred target.

Mashaal affirmed that donations from wealthy Muslims worldwide facilitated the financing of these activities. In response to a question about whether Hamas received donations from the Muslim Brotherhood in Saudi Arabia , Egypt , and other states, Mashaal replied: "Indirectly. Any [charitable] society...raised proposals [for projects and]...the societies met with benevolent Arabs and merchants...who were briefed on the projects. Those who were determined to support the nation donated zakat [Islamic alms] to the charitable societies. After the establishment of the al-Mujama al-Islami [by Sheik Ahmad Yassin], the Islamic [charitable] society [al-Jam'iya al-Islamiya] was established in Gaza, as well as other societies in the West Bank, Hebron, Nablus, and al-Bireh. One of them was the Muslim Youth Association [in Hebron ]." ²⁹ Mashaal acknowledged that the Hamas charitable societies "received hundreds of millions of dollars."

In another interview, Mashaal noted that Arab donors transferred donations to Hamas and other organizations for financing jihad. According to Mashaal, Hamas used the money to cover expenses needed to sustain the jihad by funding mujahideen activity and supporting the families of more than two thousand martyrs and detainees in the West Bank and Gaza. ³⁰

Another Hamas leader, Isma'il Abu Shanab (killed by Israel in 2003), described the reciprocation between the charities and Hamas to the al-Watan newspaper. Shanab termed the al-Salah charitable society (alongside with al-Mujama al-Islami and al-Jam'iya al-Islamiya) as an integral part of the social infrastructure of Hamas. ³¹ Furthermore, when asked about ways to implement financial jihad in Palestine, Isma'il Haniya, a close assistant to Ahmad Yassin, recommended transferring donations to these three charitable societies. Calling these societies "reliable" in their support for "martyrs' families, the wounded...prisoners and detainees," Haniya emphasized that Hamas functions as a movement that unifies all aspects of its activities, political, social, humanitarian, and military (its terrorist wing). He noted that Hamas operatives run the humanitarian and social activities of the movement and are assigned to bestow support to the Palestinian people on behalf of Hamas. ³²

Thus, financial support for Palestinian charities often finds its way into the hands of Hamas operatives who use the money to enhance the movement's popularity. The Palestinian daily Al-Quds reported on 14 March 2003 that funds received from several charities and committees (including the Saudi Committee to Support the al-Aqsa Intifada ³³ ) were given directly by Hamas operatives to needy students at a-Najah University in Nablus . Each student received $300 in cash and another $100 was transferred to his bank account. In this way, Hamas was able to strengthen its grip on the university campus, reinforcing it as a hothouse for recruiting students to its military wing, Iz a-Din al-Qassam, and as suicide bombers against Israeli civilians. Hamas leaders have even called a-Najah the "suicide bombers' university" due to its success in recruiting so many students for such actions. ³⁴

The Hamas fundraising campaign in the Gaza Strip on 9 April 2004 demonstrates the important function of the charitable societies in supporting the movement's military wing. The campaign was held two weeks after Arafat ordered a freeze on the bank accounts of 38 charitable societies, most of which were run by Hamas. Under the slogan of a "campaign in support of the financial jihad in the path of Allah," Hamas military-wing operatives collected $3 million. Palestinians were called upon "to join the honored jihad by donating money in support of the way of jihad and resistance." Nizar Rayan, a senior commander of the Hamas military wing, referred to the Palestinian Authority when he said: "those who decided to freeze our money should know that the way of jihad persists....In spite of their policy which strives to strike and weaken the resistance, the Palestinian people with its men, children, and women came out to support the mujahideen and swore to follow the path of jihad ." ³⁵

Money funneled to charitable societies in the Palestinian Authority under the title of "humanitarian aid to the needy" is used in practice as part of the financial jihad conducted by the Islamic terrorist movements, primarily Hamas. That movement's civil infrastructure, which comprises economic, educational, and social institutions, serves as an organizational framework to support its terrorist wing. ³⁶ To combat Islamic terror effectively requires international cooperation in both the political and intelligence arenas. Intelligence services should devote more attention and resources to uncovering how the terrorist organizations avoid the international control mechanisms by operating through "innocent" front organizations. Defeating terror is possible once the financial resources that nourish jihad are eliminated.

* An artical that appeard in The Jerusalem Letter and Jerusalem Letter/Viewpoints are published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 13 Tel-Hai St., Jerusalem, Israel; Written by Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi is a researcher of the Middle East and radical Islam, and a founder of the Orient Research Group Ltd. He is a former advisor to the Policy Planning Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. . A version of this essay is to appear in the forthcoming book, Fulfilling Bin Laden's Promise and the Undermining of the U.S. Economy, by Rachel Ehrenfeld.

The opinions expressed by the authors of Viewpoints do not necessarily reflect those of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

1. Safar Hawali, an influential Saudi cleric, is a professor at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca . Hawali was identified in the first World Trade Center bombing trial as a spiritual adviser to bin Laden. He was jailed for radicalism during the 1990s in Saudi Arabia .
2.http://saaid.net/Warathah/safar/1.htm
3. Hamud bin Uqla al-Shuaibi is a prominent and influential Saudi scholar. His students included a number of important Saudi religious leaders, including the current grand mufti. Al-Shuaibi published religious edicts supporting the Taliban regime in Afghanistan , including the destruction of the Hindu statues, as part of jihad against the infidels. He religiously justified al-Qaeda's attack on the U.S. in September 2001 and gave religious legitimacy to the suicide attacks against Israel carried out by Palestinians. In October 2001, bin Laden cited al-Shuaibi when he spoke of his justification for killing Jews and Christians.
4.http://saaid.net/Warathah/hmood/h3.htm
5.http://saaid.net/Warathah/hmood/h48.htm
6.Dr. Hussein Shehata is a professor at al-Azhar University in Cairo . He served as financial consultant for Islamic institutions and zakat funds in the Arab world.
7. http://www.islamonline.net/fatwaapplication/arabic/display.asp?hFatwaID=70024
8. Dr. Ajeel Jassem Al Nashami is a professor of Islamic Law at Kuwait University . He has published Islamic edicts justifying suicide attacks aimed at Israeli civilians.
9.http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/palestoday/dailynews/2002/apr02/23_4/detail.htm
10.http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?Doc=2&Rec=2695
11. Dr. Abdullah Qadiri al-Ahdal is head of the Islamic Law department at al-Medina University in Saudi Arabia . Al-Ahdal published Islamic edicts which regard Muslims who collaborate with the American Army in Iraq as "traitors of the Islamic nation."
12.http://saaid.net/Doat/ahdal/18.htm
13. http://www.islamonline.net/fatwaapplication/arabic/display.asp?hFatwaID=70024
14.http://www.chechenonline.com/d_da3m_elgehad.htm
15. The author's name, Mohammad bin Ahmad al-Salem, does not appear in other writings, suggesting the possibility that the author preferred to conceal his identity from the Saudi government, which under American pressure has tightened its grip on radical Islamic organizations and operatives.
16.http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/var/39p_e.htm
17. Mohammad Hassan Sham'a is Chairman of Al-Mujama Al-Islami in the Gaza Strip. He was deported by Israel to Lebanon in 1992 with 412 other terrorist operatives.
18.http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/arabic/Browse.asp?hGuestID=6KYkth
19.http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/arabic/Browse.asp?hGuestID=6KYkth&hCounter=15
20. Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a prominent Islamic scholar known as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qaradawi heads the Sunni studies department at Qatar University . He was the first Sunni Muslim scholar to give religious legitimacy to the suicide operations of Hamas (1995), and to the participation of women in suicide attacks. Qaradawi has generally defended bin Laden as a representative and defender of oppressed Muslims against "American and Zionist evilness," even though he condemned the attacks on American soil against innocent civilians.
21.http://www.aljazeera.net/programs/shareea/articles/2001/4/4-9-1.htm
22.http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/fatawa/alamaliyat/qaradawi1.htm
23.http://www.aljazeera.net/programs/shareea/articles/2001/5/5-22-1.htm
24.http://www.qaradawi.net/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=1111&version=1&template_id=104&parent_id=15
25. Al-Yaum ( Saudi Arabia ), 17 December 2002.
26.http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030603-1.html
27. The Saudi Committee is a member of the "Union of Good" - a coordinating organization for Islamic charities headed by Sheik Yusuf Qardawi. This organization was designated by Israel as "terrorist entity"; http://www.101days.org/arabic/moassasatw.htm. On the Saudi Committee activities in the PA, see also http://www.badil.org/Arabic-Web/haq-alawda/news.htm; http://www.al-watan.com/data/20050506/index.asp?content=islamic; http://www.aljazeera.net/news/archive/archive?ArchiveId=106029; http://www.palwakf.org/website/modules.php?name=News&file=categories&op=newindex&catid=1; http://www.palwakf.org/news/2004/21-04-2004-mosa3adat.htm; http://www.alriyadh.com/2005/03/03/article44263.html; http://www.alriyadh.com/2005/04/04/article53647.html
28. Khaled Mashaal is the Hamas bureau chief in Damascus . In 2004, Mashaal became the undisputed leader of Hamas. Mashaal supports the armed struggle against Israel by all means including suicide bombings.
29. Al-Hayat ( London ), 5-6 Decmber 2003.
30. http://saaid.net/Doat/rida-samadi/7.htm
31. http://www.alwatan.com/graphics/2001/Jan01/6.1/heads/ft8.htm
32. http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/arabic/Browse.asp?hGuestID=0ng5TJ
33. http://www.najah.edu/arabic/newsletter/issue68/page3.htm
34. Ibrahim Abu al-Hija [Hamas senior leader]: "We should not forget that a-Najah University is actually named the suicide bombers' university and that all its cadres within the students are included in the wanted list of the occupation"; http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/palestoday/readers/articles/aboalhaja/15_11_01.htm
35. http://www.islamonline.net/Arabic/news/2004-04/10/article21.shtml
36. See the Israeli Center for Special Studies report on how the Hamas civil infrastructure supports its terrorist wing at http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/12_04/interpal.htm#part2.