One of many things I love about Islam is the concept that the needy actually have a right to a portion of the wealth of others. It is not simply a good thing to share your wealth. Sharing your wealth does not simply better your standing before Allah. Sharing your wealth is an outright obligation.
The number of people with a claim on a portion of others’ wealth has vastly increased in the last few years, which makes it especially shameful of CAIR-National to masquerade as zakat-eligible.
CAIR cannot hide behind bogus determinations by scholars. The primary purpose of zakat is to circulate wealth, with the greatest in need having the greatest claim on that wealth.
In soliciting zakat, as CAIR-National has done throughout this month of Ramadan with sometimes twice-daily pings on my phone, CAIR wants us to believe that all of its expenditures are zakat-eligible, including costly, ill-conceived lawsuits which tried to suppress the civil rights of its own employees and a former employee turned whistleblower.
The Old Guard of CAIR-National knows exactly what wealthy donors want to hear, and much of it is stuff which it would behoove the Old Guard to actually accept and internalize. Living CAIR-National’s professed ideals would greatly enhance its reputation and workplace morale.
At present, however, the leadership of CAIR-National remains mired in corruption and dishonesty, as though it could neutralize the truth of its practices indefinitely. It doesn’t deserve a penny of any Muslim’s zakat.
If this rant has not persuaded you, I hope these very informed and thoughtful essays by Ahmed Shaikh will:
CAIR-National is misleading Muslims on Zakat (substack.com)
Guide to “Zakat-Eligible” Shenanigans – by Ahmed Shaikh (substack.com)
Reform CAIR 