The Holy Land Foundation was once the largest Muslim charity in the United States, providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and refugee populations in Lebanon and Jordan. Its founder, Shukri Abu Baker, was inspired to start the charity after a personal experience with generosity — a charity funded his daughter’s life-saving surgery, and as a Muslim who believed in giving, he dedicated his life to helping others. Yet in the aftermath of 9/11, five men associated with the Holy Land Foundation — known as the HLF5 — were convicted and sentenced to decades in prison in what many legal experts, civil liberties organizations, and former US diplomats have called a politically motivated persecution.
A Political Trial, Not a Criminal One
“What was going on in this country was charitable activity — one that is protected by our Constitution. These five people have been persecuted because of where they are in history. This was a political trial.”
Edward Abington, a former American diplomat who spent 30 years dealing with the Middle East and served as US Consul General in Jerusalem, testified that the Holy Land Foundation was considered a legitimate American charity with a good reputation for honesty. The US government never designated the zakat committees through which HLF worked as terrorist organizations — in fact, USAID was channeling its own assistance through American NGOs working with the same zakat committees. The allegation that these organizations were controlled by Hamas was an Israeli claim that contradicted the US government’s own position.
- The Holy Land Foundation was the largest Muslim charity in America, providing humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees and needy populations worldwide
- The US government never labeled the zakat committees as terrorist organizations — USAID worked with the same committees
- A former US Consul General in Jerusalem confirmed HLF had a good reputation and no warnings were ever issued about them
- Legal experts who reviewed thousands of pages of court documents over four years concluded the men are innocent
- The kind of evidence allowed in the trial was described as “completely unacceptable and irrelevant” by legal observers
- Shukri Abu Baker received 65 years in prison — his young daughter wrote a letter to the President pleading for her father’s release
An 11-Year-Old’s Letter to the President
“Dear Mr. President, my father got 65 years. He did not hurt anyone or anything — if anything, he helped people. I hope you think about this. Sincerely, an American girl who wants her dad back.”
The case of the Holy Land Five is one of the most devastating examples of how the post-9/11 climate was weaponized against Muslim charitable work in America. Men who dedicated their lives to feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and providing medical care to refugees now sit in prison cells while their children grow up without fathers. As Muslims, giving charity (zakat) is one of the Five Pillars of our faith — and the criminalization of Muslim charitable giving strikes at the very heart of our religious practice. The HLF5 deserve justice, and their case deserves the attention of every person who believes in fairness, constitutional rights, and the protection of religious freedom in America.
