JEDDAH, 24 May 2003 — Somali Consul General Muhammad Elmi Omer on Thursday expressed concern over the closure of the Riyadh-based Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation’s office in Somalia. The charity, which the United States suspects of having links to terrorist groups, said in statement that it had decided to shut three of its offices abroad. The Islamic agency closed its doors in Somalia on Saturday after the Saudi government ordered its international staff to leave the country, Nur Alasow a Somali employee of the agency told the IRIN news agency.
“I am deeply shocked by the news of the closure of Al-Haramain’s office in Somalia,” Omer told Arab News. “The Foundation has continued to be the only lifeline for the Somali people despite the lack of a functioning government. In a country with no effective government, no formal education system and health care, aid agencies are essential for ordinary people’s social and economic well-being. The absence of these charities directly affects the very survival of many Somalis,” he added.
Al-Haramain began its Somali activities in wake of the civil war in 1992. The organization ran a total of eight orphanages — five of them in capital Mogadishu — housing about 3,500 children throughout the country. The other orphanages were in Merka in southern Somalia, and Burao and Hargaisa in the northern region of breakaway Somaliland. It also financed over 100 schools and distributed thousands of tons of foodstuffs annually.
“Since the collapse of Somali government, Arab and Islamic aid agencies have focused on providing humanitarian assistance to the needy people in the country,” Omer said. “The Al-Haramain foundation has been one of the largest aid groups in Somalia.”
He added that the aid agencies had invested in a series of important welfare projects including the renovation of schools and the payment of salaries for health personnel and schoolteachers. The consul general said the Western allegations that Islamic charities funded local Al-Qaeda cells in Somalia were based on misconceptions about the realities in the country. “The Western countries should study the realities in Somalia. Any misconception can only exacerbate the poor conditions in the country.”
The consul general urged the international community to support the present peace talks in Kenya. “What Somalis need is to restore law and order and pacify their country. I urge all concerned parties to revise the decision to close the foundation,” he added.
Al-Haramain raises almost $30 million a year in donations for charity work across the world. The foundation’s General Manager Sheikh Aqeel Al-Aqeel denied there was pressure from the US to close the offices. “The current situation necessitated a review of the organization’s geographical spread. There has been no pressure from the American authorities to close the offices in those places. There were some indirect reasons behind the closure,” Al-Aqeel was quoted as saying in a statement.
Somali expatriates in the Kingdom expressed their concern at the decision to shut Al-Haramain office. Abdullahi Yakob, an executive of a Jeddah-based company, said: “Al-Haramain has contributed significantly to Somalia’s social services. My seven children in Mogadishu are enrolled in a primary school run by the charity. Before closing it down, the authorities should think what alternative sources there will be.”
Huriya Ibrahim, a mother of four children, said: “I am worried about the life of the children at orphanages. After the charity has left, who will take care of these children?”
Alasow earlier said that most of the orphans the agency cared for had lost one or both parents in the civil war. “We have no idea what we are going to do now,” he said. “We have enough supplies to last till the end of the month. After that it is up to Allah.”
