JEDDAH, 29 December 2002 — Six Muslim charitable societies have formed an umbrella group which will defend the charities in the event lawsuits are filed against them in US courts by the relatives of the 9/11 victims. Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Abdullah ibn Abdul Mohsen Al-Turki chaired a meeting of the charitable organizations in Jeddah last week and decided to fight the suits. The organizations have been accused of funding terrorism. The meeting decided to appoint Saudi legal firm Dr. Basem Abdullah Alim to represent them and allocated $1 million to cover initial expenses. The Saudi attorney is expected to meet with American and European lawyers in this regard this week. – Badar Al-Motawa