North American Islamic Trust (NAIT)
TypePrivate; not-for-profit; tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
FoundedPlainfield, Indiana, US (1973 (1973))
FounderMuslim Students Association
Headquarters
Oak Brook, IL
,
US
Area served
US
ParentIslamic Society of North America
SubsidiariesAllied Asset Advisors; American Trust Publications; Islamic Book Service
Websitenait.net

The North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) is based in Plainfield, Indiana, owns Islamic properties and promotes waqf (Islamic endowments) in North America. Many Muslim institutions founded by immigrants who arrived in the US during the 1960s have roots in the Muslim Students Association where they were college activists.[1][2] In the 1970s and thereafter, NAIT helped provide college students with a place to provide worship services. NAIT does not provide any financial or other monetary support to the Muslim Student Association. NAIT serves as the trustee of about 200 Islamic centers, mosques and schools. The properties of those mosques are estimated to be worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars.[3]

On October 20, 2010, Judges Garza, Benavides, and Crone of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the U.S. Department of Justice violated the Fifth Amendment rights of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), and by implication the rights of more than 300 similarly-named Muslim organizations and individuals, such as CAIR, when it included them on the publicly-filed unindicted co-conspirator list in 2007. The court also ruled that inclusion on the list was the result of "simply an untested allegation of the Government made in anticipation of a possible evidentiary dispute that never came to pass." The listing is simply part of tactical pre-trial maneuvering and not an indicator of guilt. In 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder indicated that Department of Justice officials determined after "looking at the facts and the law, a prosecution would not be appropriate." This conclusion was reached after two reviews conducted under both the Bush and Obama administrations.

Background

NAIT was established in 1973 in Indiana by the Muslim Students Association (MSA) of the United States and Canada, by some of the same Muslim Brotherhood members who started the MSA.[4][5] ISNA's President, Dr. Ingrid Mattson, is a former member of the NAIT board of directors.[6] A sister organization under the same name registered a few years later in the Canadian province of Ontario.[7]

Financial services

Financing mosques and Islamic schools

NAIT offers waqf protection to properties of mosques, safeguards these community assets, and ensures their conformity to Islamic purposes. According to a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in 2000 NAIT funded an estimated 27% of the 1,209 mosques in the US.[8] NAIT held title to over 320 properties as of June 2003. Title to about one in four mosques in the US are held by NAIT.[9] NAIT does not monitor, manage, or supervise any mosque, community center, school, or place of worship.

NAIT facilitates the establishment of mosques (such as the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, the grounds of which were purchased on June 19, 1983, by NAIT)[10] and Islamic schools by extending limited interest-free loans to needy communities from its investment venture called the Islamic Centers Cooperative Fund (ICCF). About 8% of this fund goes annually to support local communities acquiring and improving mosques. The remainder is placed in real estate and other investments.

Controversy

In 2007, federal prosecutors brought charges against Holy Land Foundation for allegedly funding terrorist activities of Hamas and other Islamic terrorist organizations. NAIT was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case,[11] along with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and ISNA. The Al Ahram Weekly said "Muslims are witnessing a smear campaign", and said "these groups represent the viewpoints and interests of the mainstream American Muslim community."[12] In 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis found that the Justice Department violated the Fifth Amendment rights of the NAIT and CAIR in 2007 by including them on the co-conspirator list.[13]

References

  1. ↑ The Muslims of America, Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, Oxford University Press US, 1993, ISBN 978-0-19-508559-4, accessed December 12, 2009
  2. ↑ Islam and the Blackamerican: looking toward the third resurrection Archived 2018-12-07 at the Wayback Machine, p. 71, Sherman A. Jackson, Oxford University Press US, 2005, ISBN 9780195180817, accessed December 12, 2009
  3. ↑ "Islamic group once tied to terror trial received thousands in farm subsidies, without growing crops". FoxNews.com. Fox News. 1 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Muslims in America: A Short History, p. 121, Edward E. Curtis, Oxford University Press US, 2009, ISBN 978-0-19-536756-0, accessed December 12, 2009
  5. ↑ Mintz, John, and Farah, Douglas, "In Search Of Friends Among The Foes; U.S. Hopes to Work With Diverse Group", Washington Post, September 11, 2004, accessed December 12, 2009
  6. ↑ "North American Islamic Trust: About Us". Archived from the original on 2011-11-03. Retrieved 2007-10-21.
  7. ↑ Religion and politics: Islam and Muslim civilisation, pp. 100–101, Jan-Erik Lane, Hamadi Redissi, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2004, ISBN 978-0-7546-4167-4, accessed December 12, 2009
  8. ↑ Funding evil: how terrorism is financed – and how to stop it, Rachel Ehrenfeld, Bonus Books, Inc., 2005, ISBN 978-1-56625-231-7, accessed December 12, 2009
  9. ↑ "Struggle for the Soul of Islam: Hard-liners won battle for Bridgeview mosque"
  10. ↑ Infiltration: how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington Archived 2014-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, p. 338, Paul E. Sperry, Thomas Nelson Inc, 2005, ISBN 978-1-59555-003-3, accessed December 12, 2009
  11. ↑ They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It, Brigitte Gabriel, Macmillan, 2008, ISBN 978-0-312-38363-3, accessed December 12, 2009
  12. ↑ Ghazali, Abdus Sattar Archived 2009-08-10 at the Wayback Machine, "Muslim Americans today", Al Ahram Weekly, September 20–26, 2007, accessed December 12, 2009
  13. ↑ Gerstein, Josh. "Judge: Feds violated U.S. Islamic group's rights". Politico. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
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