IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi)
Encyclopedia
IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation (Turkish: İHH İnsani Yardım Vakfı; full Turkish name: İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı, in English: The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) or İHH is an Islam
ic Turkish
NGO active in more than 100 countries.
Established in 1992 and officially registered in Istanbul
in 1995, İHH provides humanitarian relief in areas of war
, earthquake
, hunger
, and conflict. The İHH holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council
since 2004. Current president of the İHH is Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
.
The İHH was owner and operator of three flotilla ships involved in an aid convoy intended to breach the blockade of Gaza in 2010. These ships included the MV Mavi Marmara
, a passenger vessel that served as the flagship
of the convoy. Nine passengers, many of them members or volunteers for the İHH, aboard the Mavi Marmara were killed in a clash with Israeli forces that raided
the vessel as it was on its way to Gaza.
group that was formed to provide aid to Bosnian
Muslims in the mid-1990s. It has been involved in aid missions in Pakistan
, Ethiopia
, Lebanon
, Indonesia
, Iraq
, Palestine
, Sudan
, Ghana, Mongolia, China, Brazil, Argentina and other places. It is banned in Israel because of its alleged support of Hamas
.
The organization is active in Turkey
, the Middle East, Europe
, South America
, Central Asia
, South Asia
, and the Caucasus
. İHH has held Special Consultative status as an NGO (non-governmental organization) in the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004. İHH is the organizer of Africa Cataract Project
which aims to fight against blindness in Africa.
and water well
s in Africa and runs the Africa Cataract Project
, begun in 2007, in ten African countries. İHH has made it possible for thousands of people who are suffering from cataracts but who do not have the economic means to be treated to see again. İHH built 1174 water wells in Africa.
İHH sent two cargo planes to Haiti with 33 tons of humanitarian aid supplies after the 2010 Haiti earthquake
.
In December 2007, Today's Zaman
wrote that "various civil society organizations such as Kimse Yok Mu? (Is Anybody There?), Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse), the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) and Can Suyu assisted thousands of charitable donors in reaching out to poverty-stricken residents of the Kurdish-dominated eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey."
World Bulletin wrote in August 2009 that hundreds of water wells were dug and fountains were built in an aid effort under the leadership of Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) across African countries. Several Turkish nongovernmental organizations, such as Kimse Yok Mu? (Is anybody there?), the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) and Deniz Feneri (lighthouse), also provided aid to storm survivors in Bangladesh.
İHH previously sent packages containing flour, legumes, oil and sugar to 350 families residing in Zewaya Dugda, one of the poorest regions in the Ethiopia.
The UN announced that around 6 million children in Ethiopia faced risk of acute under-nutrition and urged countries to send aid.
After the earthquake in Indonesia, Doctors Worldwide and The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) sent volunteers and aid to Indonesia.
İHH opened mosques, dug waterwells, distributed Qur'an
s, organized iftar
s, aiding orphans and refugees in Darfur
.
In Gaza
, the İHH is renovating the port, funding a Turkish-Palestinian school and plans to build a hospital and apartments for Gazans made homeless during the Gaza War.
, IHH sent a cargo ship carrying nine containers, 141 tons of humanitarian aid including medication, food packages, infant formula, milk powder, hygiene kits and clothing. The ship set sail from Turkey and dropped anchor in Malta.
and İHH announced a joint venture to send ten vessels to the Gaza strip in the spring of 2010, a flotilla to be further joined by organizations from Greece, Ireland and Sweden.
On May 30, 2010, a flotilla of six ships carrying 663 activists from 37 nations rendezvoused near Cyprus and set sail for Gaza. The stated intention of the Gaza flotilla, like for earlier flotillas organized by the Free Gaza Movement, was to break through Israel
's blockade of the Gaza strip and to deliver humanitarian supplies. The İHH spent more than $2 million on the ships. İHH activists were set apart from other activists involved in the mission by a willingness to fight Israeli forces.
On May 31, 2010, after the IHH refused that the IDF will check the ship's cargo in Ashdod port, Israeli forces intercepted the fleet in the international waters. On the MV Mavi Marmara, one of the ships owned and operated by the İHH, clashes broke out. In the clashes, nine activists were killed (Eight Turkish
nationals and a Turkish-American), and dozens of activists and seven Israeli commandos were wounded. On three other ships, activists showed passive resistance, which was suppressed by Israeli forces without deaths or injuries, and two others were taken without incident. The activists were subsequently arrested and detained in Israel before being deported. Widespread international condemnation
of the raid followed, Israel-Turkey relations were strained, Israel subsequently eased its blockade of the Gaza strip, and Egypt
lifted its blockade, opening its Rafah Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip.
On June 18, 2010, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs released video footage of a rally on board the Mavi Marmara the day before the raid in which the İHH President Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
declared to dozens of activists: "And we say: 'If you [Israel] send the commandos, we will throw you down from here to the sea and you will be humiliated in front of the whole world'", as participating passengers chant "millions of martyrs
marching to Gaza!"
İHH abstained from the 2011 flotilla, citing outstanding damage to the Mavi Marmara.
In September 2011, Istanbul Deputy Public Prosecutor Ates Shasan Sozen told the Turkish daily Today's Zaman
that the IHH identified and submitted a list of 174 IDF
soldiers to the Prosecutor's Office.
and al-Qaida. These allegations have been widely reported in the media. Richard Spencer, writing in Britain's Daily Telegraph, characterized İHH as "a radical Islamist group masquerading as a humanitarian agency", and Carnegie Endowment analyst Henri Barkey states that it is "an Islamist organisation" that "has been deeply involved with Hamas". In 2008, Israel became the first country to ban the organization, and on June 16, 2010, Israel added İHH to its terror watch list.
, the İHH is not designated as a terrorist group by the US State Department. However, it is part of the Saudi-based, Hamas-created umbrella group of Muslim charities called Union of Good
that the US Treasury has designated as a terrorist organization. A US State Department spokesman confirmed that although the government is aware of İHH’s possible radical connections, the group is not subject to counterterrorism restrictions.
The US assistant secretary of state for public affairs, P. J. Crowley, said, "We know that İHH representatives have met with senior Hamas officials in Turkey, Syria, and Gaza over the past three years. That is obviously of great concern to us. That said, the İHH, which stands for the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, has not been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States." When asked whether the US believes İHH has connections to al-Qaida, Crowley replied, "We cannot validate that." The director of the State Department press office, Mark Toner, when asked whether İHH should be listed as a terror group, said, "I believe we are looking at the İHH, but it's a long process to designate something a foreign terrorist organization and ... there's nothing to announce on that."
, a French
counterterrorism ex-magistrate and current European Union
counterterrorism official who is a renowned and respected figure in France, was asked in the 1990s to investigate the IHH, after French intelligence discovered a plot involving distribution of forged passports to Islamist militants seeking to carry out attacks in France and other European countries. In 1996, Bruguière came to the conclusion that the IHH "is a terror organization and not a charity group... My investigation revealed a broad and global terror network that reached Bosnia and Afghanistan
, whose center was at the Turkish IHH quarters. We had recordings of telephone conversations and documents from people who explicitly testified that this is a terror group. Turkish authorities raided the group's headquarters for good reason and discovered weapons, explosive materials and forged documents."
Regarding the group's activities in the 2010s, Bruguière has said: "I don't have updated information, but it is hard to believe they changed. In my opinion, they are continuing on the same track we uncovered a decade and a half ago."
In the 2001 trial of Ahmed Ressam
in Los Angeles
, the would-be Millennium bomber, Bruguière gave testimony that the İHH had played an "important role" in the operation of the Montreal cell to which Ressam belonged, and mentioned "a rather close relation" between the Montreal cell and the Turkish group. The judge, John Coughenour, ruled Bruguière's testimony inadmissible; in his words, much of the witness's testimony would "necessarily be based upon hearsay". Bruguière, who investigated the group in the 1990s, said in June 2010 that he found links to terrorism networks, including al-Qaida. In a 2010 interview with the Associated Press
, Bruguière said: "The İHH is an NGO, but it was also a type of cover-up . . . in order to obtain forged documents and to obtain different forms of infiltration for Mujahideen in combat. And also to go and gather [recruit] these Mujahideens." Bruguière said he did not know whether İHH was still in the terror business, but he added that "they were basically helping al Qaeda when [Osama] bin Laden started to want to target US soil."
The US has said it "cannot validate" a connection between al-Qaida and IHH. İHH has rejected all allegations of having any contact with al-Qaida. According to analysts in Turkey it is unlikely that authorities would permit an organization linked to al-Qaida to operate in Istanbul.
published by the Danish Institute for International Studies
(DIIS), terrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann
quotes what he describes as "a French intelligence report" written by Bruguière, while citing as source the closing argument
for the prosecution in a French
criminal court case, alleging that Turkey had known of the İHH links to terrorism for at least ten years, and that Turkish authorities began their own domestic criminal investigation of İHH as early as December 1997, when sources revealed that leaders of İHH were purchasing automatic weapons from regional Islamic militant groups. According to the source cited by Kohlmann, İHH's bureau in Istanbul was thoroughly searched, and its local officers were arrested; security forces uncovered "an array of disturbing items, including firearms, explosives, bomb-making instructions and a “jihad flag”"; and, after analyzing seized İHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that "detained members of İHH were going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya". İHH said in 2010 the raid was politically motivated at a time when Turkish security officials were cracking down on Islamist groups. Ali Adakoğlu, a board member of İHH, said there had been a raid on the house of a member in 1997, the year of a Turkish military crackdown on Islamist groups, but denied that weapons had been found. Asked about the incident, Bülent Yıldırım, the head of İHH, told reporters, "Turkey had a different political context in the 1990s, and a different political power ruled, which played a game with us. I was acquitted by a court anyway."
Although the Turkish government did not officially support the İHH Gaza flotilla, it backed the mission.
(ITIC)—an Israel
-based think tank with close ties to the country’s defense ministry—acknowledged the İHH’s philanthropic activities, but it also says the group is an overt supporter of Hamas. The day after IHH's Mavi Marmara arrived from Istanbul in Antalya, waiting for the majority of the passengers to embark, ITIC issued a bulletin in which it stated that it has "reliable information indicating that in the past İHH had links with global jihad and Islamic terrorist elements in the Middle East", citing and quoting from Kohlmann's DIIS Working Paper in support (see above). In a follow-up to this bulletin, dated May 31 (the same day the raid took place, but apparently written before), ITIC presented details of the allegations against İHH, basing them on the DIIS Working Paper by Kohlmann. This follow-up bulletin presented a facsimile reproduction of a fragment of what is stated to be a 1996 CIA report relating İHH to international terrorism, one of the sources cited by Kohlmann.
In July 2008, it was announced that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
had signed an order declaring İHH and 35 other funds banned associations in Israel, alleging that they are members of an organization run by Hamas known as the Union of Good
and part of Hamas' fundraising network, and support and assist it. In the declaration by the Israeli Defense Minister containing the list of funds and foundations declared illegal, the (Turkey-based) İHH and the (Germany-based) Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation (spelled as "Internationale Humanitere Hilfs Organisation") are listed as if they are one single organization.
Israel outlawed the Union of Good in February 2002, and the United States Treasury designated it as "providing support to a terrorist organization" (namely Hamas) in November 2008; however, in the press release İHH was not listed as a financier, nor was it mentioned otherwise.
In response to criticisms, Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
, the head of İHH said on 25 May 2010 that "There will also be an embargo towards Israel in 10 years if it continues like this. If and when that day comes, we promise, we will try the same method to break that embargo".
In response to the Israeli accusations, İHH declared, “as if the terrorist attack Israel carried towards civilians and unarmed human rights activists and humanitarian aid workers is not enough, now it is slandering these people. This is cheap black propaganda
, based on lies and defamation.” Serkan Nergis, a spokesman for İHH, told Reuters: "We don't have anything against Israel. Our only aim was to carry aid to the people of Gaza. But for Israel, regardless of your religion or your nationality, if you help the people of Gaza you will be declared a terrorist." İHH activists further claim they are strictly involved in humanitarian efforts, and must deal with Hamas because it rules Gaza. İHH Gaza representative Mehmet Kaya, who is seen as an unofficial Turkish ambassador, said that support for the Gazan people gets through "when it goes through the Hamas government". The website of the İHH shows its founder warmly embracing Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, in Syria.
The Free Gaza Movement
, a partner in organizing the aid flotilla, released a statement saying that they are "proud and honored to work and be associated with the İHH and its honorable track record of humanitarian missions worldwide".
, "The Islamic fundamentalist nature of İHH has been documented by numerous declarations praising martyrdom and Israel’s destruction". According to the parliamentary initiative, İHH is tied to Hamas
and to the Union of Good
, an organization designated by the US Treasury has as a financial supporter of terrorism.
The Coordinating Council of German Nongovernmental Organizations against Anti-Semitism also called on the German
government to place İHH on the EU list of terrorist organizations, because “like Hamas the İHH is an anti-Semitic organization that promotes terrorism.
As of May 2011 there is a legislative effort taking place in the Dutch
parliament to place the IHH on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations. The effort has been compared to the 2009 resolution by the Dutch Parliament urging the EU to designate Iran’s revolutionary guard corps as a terrorist entity. In April 2011, the Dutch parliament ratified a motion condemning the IHH Gaza flotilla as an action aimed against a friendly nation. The motion also stated there are sufficient legal avenues to provide the Gaza population with humanitarian aid and that a second flotilla could be construed as aiding terrorist organizations.
In June 2010 a bipartisan group of 87 US senators (out of 100) sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to investigate the IHH and consider putting it on the list of foreign terrorist organizations: "The IHH is a member of a group of Muslim charities, the Union of Good
, which was designated by the US Treasury Department as a terrorist organization. The Union of Good was created by, and strongly supports Hamas
, which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department. We recommend that your administration consider whether the IHH should be put on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, after an examination by the intelligence community, the State Department, and the Treasury Department."
Following the call, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that the government was indeed examining whether the IHH will be considered a terrorist group: "I believe we are looking at the IHH, but it's a long process to designate something a foreign terrorist organization and... there's nothing to announce on that." The US Treasury Department was also said to be actively investigating the organization in an attempt to list it as a terror group, despite some resistance from within the Obama administration.
("International Humanitarian Aid Organization – registered association
"), with branches in Belgium
, Denmark
, The Netherlands, and Austria
. The organization uses the initialism "IHH e.V.", bearing a close resemblance to the initialism "İHH" often used for the Turkish foundation.
On 11 July 2010, Thomas de Maizière
, the German Federal Minister of the Interior
, announced that Germany has banned the Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation charity for financially supporting Hamas
.
İHH responded promptly by stating that they are not in any way affiliated with that organization which uses the same initials. İHH had sued the German organization in 2008 for trademark infringement
, but lost the case. İHH had also published announcements on their website and ads in newspapers to deny any direct or indirect ties with some eight European charities that use the same initials and/or logos similar to theirs. The German IHH has also issued a press release clarifying that this similarity, in spite of the different full names, often leads to the two organizations being confused with each other.
However, according to German authorities, İHH Turkey and IHH Germany share the same roots, originally being one organization that split in 1997. The Turkish İHH denies this, stating that the German IHH is not "in any way related" to it, and that the German IHH was founded by "a completely different group of people" having no association with the Turkish İHH.
Dutch
Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal
announced on 29 April 2011 that he had "placed the [IHH Netherlands] on the Dutch list of terrorist organizations and froze its assets, because IHH Netherlands regularly transferred funds to IHH Germany. This organization is banned in Germany because it has raised funds for Hamas. Hamas has been on the EU list of terrorist organizations since 2003." The decision was supported by the Hague-based Center for Information and Documentation on Israel.
The IHH Netherlands (Internationale Humanitaire Hulporganisatie) is the Dutch branch of the outlawed Turkish-German humanitarian aid association called Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V.
, a name that is also abbreviated as "IHH". According to the Turkish IHH – the subject of this article – it has no relationship with these organizations operating in Europe.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
NGO active in more than 100 countries.
Established in 1992 and officially registered in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 1995, İHH provides humanitarian relief in areas of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, hunger
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
, and conflict. The İHH holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
since 2004. Current president of the İHH is Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım is the current president of Turkish NGO, İHH which provided humanitarian relief in Chechnya, Libya , Pakistan, China, Kashmir, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Somalia, Mauritania, Chile, the Philippines, Aceh, Myanmar, Greece, Crimea and Haiti...
.
The İHH was owner and operator of three flotilla ships involved in an aid convoy intended to breach the blockade of Gaza in 2010. These ships included the MV Mavi Marmara
MV Mavi Marmara
MV is a Comoros-flagged passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line Sarayburnu, Istanbul-Marmara Island-Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co...
, a passenger vessel that served as the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the convoy. Nine passengers, many of them members or volunteers for the İHH, aboard the Mavi Marmara were killed in a clash with Israeli forces that raided
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
the vessel as it was on its way to Gaza.
Background
The Istanbul-based Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) is an Islamic charityCharity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
group that was formed to provide aid to Bosnian
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
Muslims in the mid-1990s. It has been involved in aid missions in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Ghana, Mongolia, China, Brazil, Argentina and other places. It is banned in Israel because of its alleged support of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
.
The organization is active in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the Middle East, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. İHH has held Special Consultative status as an NGO (non-governmental organization) in the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004. İHH is the organizer of Africa Cataract Project
Africa Cataract Project
The Africa Cataract Project is a mission of Turkish NGO IHH in Africa to prevent blindness. The project aims at performing 100.000 free cataract surgery operations in ten African countries: Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, Niger, Togo, Benin, Gana, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Volunteer Turkish...
which aims to fight against blindness in Africa.
Humanitarian activities
The İHH provides social aid, Muslim cultural aid, educational aid, sanitary aid, emergency aid programs in 120 countries. It provides health careHealth care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
and water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
s in Africa and runs the Africa Cataract Project
Africa Cataract Project
The Africa Cataract Project is a mission of Turkish NGO IHH in Africa to prevent blindness. The project aims at performing 100.000 free cataract surgery operations in ten African countries: Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, Niger, Togo, Benin, Gana, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Volunteer Turkish...
, begun in 2007, in ten African countries. İHH has made it possible for thousands of people who are suffering from cataracts but who do not have the economic means to be treated to see again. İHH built 1174 water wells in Africa.
İHH sent two cargo planes to Haiti with 33 tons of humanitarian aid supplies after the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
.
In December 2007, Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman is one of two English-language dailies based in Turkey. Established on January 16, 2007, the newspaper's main competitor is the older Hürriyet Daily News....
wrote that "various civil society organizations such as Kimse Yok Mu? (Is Anybody There?), Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse), the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) and Can Suyu assisted thousands of charitable donors in reaching out to poverty-stricken residents of the Kurdish-dominated eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey."
World Bulletin wrote in August 2009 that hundreds of water wells were dug and fountains were built in an aid effort under the leadership of Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) across African countries. Several Turkish nongovernmental organizations, such as Kimse Yok Mu? (Is anybody there?), the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) and Deniz Feneri (lighthouse), also provided aid to storm survivors in Bangladesh.
İHH previously sent packages containing flour, legumes, oil and sugar to 350 families residing in Zewaya Dugda, one of the poorest regions in the Ethiopia.
The UN announced that around 6 million children in Ethiopia faced risk of acute under-nutrition and urged countries to send aid.
After the earthquake in Indonesia, Doctors Worldwide and The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) sent volunteers and aid to Indonesia.
İHH opened mosques, dug waterwells, distributed Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
s, organized iftar
Iftar
Iftar , refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after Maghrib time...
s, aiding orphans and refugees in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
.
In Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
, the İHH is renovating the port, funding a Turkish-Palestinian school and plans to build a hospital and apartments for Gazans made homeless during the Gaza War.
Africa Cataract Project
The project aims at performing 100.000 free cataract surgery operations in ten African countries: Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, Niger, Togo, Benin, Gana, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Volunteer Turkish surgeons and nurses take part in the project and travel to African countries for surgery. One of the objectives of the program is to offer free eye care for needy people. The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency and Turkey's and Sudan's Ministries of Health are supporting the project. All surgeries are broadcast live on the project website and the IHH website.Aid to Pakistan
The ship Gazze set sail for Pakistan to deliver humanitarian aid to the people affected by floods in the country. The ship carried 3,000 tons of humanitarian supplies including, medicine, food, generators, clothes and tents.Libyan civil war 2011
In response to the humanitarian situation during 2011 Libyan civil war2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, IHH sent a cargo ship carrying nine containers, 141 tons of humanitarian aid including medication, food packages, infant formula, milk powder, hygiene kits and clothing. The ship set sail from Turkey and dropped anchor in Malta.
Gaza flotilla
In January 2010, the Free Gaza MovementFree Gaza Movement
The Free Gaza Movement is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to challenge the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by sailing humanitarian aid ships to Gaza...
and İHH announced a joint venture to send ten vessels to the Gaza strip in the spring of 2010, a flotilla to be further joined by organizations from Greece, Ireland and Sweden.
On May 30, 2010, a flotilla of six ships carrying 663 activists from 37 nations rendezvoused near Cyprus and set sail for Gaza. The stated intention of the Gaza flotilla, like for earlier flotillas organized by the Free Gaza Movement, was to break through Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's blockade of the Gaza strip and to deliver humanitarian supplies. The İHH spent more than $2 million on the ships. İHH activists were set apart from other activists involved in the mission by a willingness to fight Israeli forces.
On May 31, 2010, after the IHH refused that the IDF will check the ship's cargo in Ashdod port, Israeli forces intercepted the fleet in the international waters. On the MV Mavi Marmara, one of the ships owned and operated by the İHH, clashes broke out. In the clashes, nine activists were killed (Eight Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
nationals and a Turkish-American), and dozens of activists and seven Israeli commandos were wounded. On three other ships, activists showed passive resistance, which was suppressed by Israeli forces without deaths or injuries, and two others were taken without incident. The activists were subsequently arrested and detained in Israel before being deported. Widespread international condemnation
Reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid
Reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010 ranged from fierce condemnation to strong support for Israel.Israel expressed regret over loss of life in the Gaza flotilla raid, yet stated that the operation was a "clear case of self defense." The incident also drew attention to the blockade of...
of the raid followed, Israel-Turkey relations were strained, Israel subsequently eased its blockade of the Gaza strip, and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
lifted its blockade, opening its Rafah Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip.
On June 18, 2010, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs released video footage of a rally on board the Mavi Marmara the day before the raid in which the İHH President Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım is the current president of Turkish NGO, İHH which provided humanitarian relief in Chechnya, Libya , Pakistan, China, Kashmir, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Somalia, Mauritania, Chile, the Philippines, Aceh, Myanmar, Greece, Crimea and Haiti...
declared to dozens of activists: "And we say: 'If you [Israel] send the commandos, we will throw you down from here to the sea and you will be humiliated in front of the whole world'", as participating passengers chant "millions of martyrs
Shahid
Shahid is an Arabic word meaning "witness". It is a religious term in Islam, meaning both "witness" and "martyr." While a martyr may die as a consequence of fighting, a shahid is a "witness" because he gives his life out of passion for truth. The shahid exchanges himself for the divine and thereby...
marching to Gaza!"
İHH abstained from the 2011 flotilla, citing outstanding damage to the Mavi Marmara.
In September 2011, Istanbul Deputy Public Prosecutor Ates Shasan Sozen told the Turkish daily Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman is one of two English-language dailies based in Turkey. Established on January 16, 2007, the newspaper's main competitor is the older Hürriyet Daily News....
that the IHH identified and submitted a list of 174 IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
soldiers to the Prosecutor's Office.
Allegations of involvement with terrorism
While the group has been described as a "humanitarian" group and as a "charity", the group has also been questioned for alleged affiliations with organizations such as HamasHamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and al-Qaida. These allegations have been widely reported in the media. Richard Spencer, writing in Britain's Daily Telegraph, characterized İHH as "a radical Islamist group masquerading as a humanitarian agency", and Carnegie Endowment analyst Henri Barkey states that it is "an Islamist organisation" that "has been deeply involved with Hamas". In 2008, Israel became the first country to ban the organization, and on June 16, 2010, Israel added İHH to its terror watch list.
Congressional Research Service
According to report of the United States Congressional Research ServiceCongressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service , known as "Congress's think tank", is the public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works exclusively and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a...
, the İHH is not designated as a terrorist group by the US State Department. However, it is part of the Saudi-based, Hamas-created umbrella group of Muslim charities called Union of Good
Union of Good
The Union of Good , also known as the Charity Coalition, is an umbrella organization consisting of over 50 Islamic charities and funds which funnel money to organizations belonging to Hamas, which currently rules the territory of the Gaza Strip...
that the US Treasury has designated as a terrorist organization. A US State Department spokesman confirmed that although the government is aware of İHH’s possible radical connections, the group is not subject to counterterrorism restrictions.
The US assistant secretary of state for public affairs, P. J. Crowley, said, "We know that İHH representatives have met with senior Hamas officials in Turkey, Syria, and Gaza over the past three years. That is obviously of great concern to us. That said, the İHH, which stands for the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, has not been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States." When asked whether the US believes İHH has connections to al-Qaida, Crowley replied, "We cannot validate that." The director of the State Department press office, Mark Toner, when asked whether İHH should be listed as a terror group, said, "I believe we are looking at the İHH, but it's a long process to designate something a foreign terrorist organization and ... there's nothing to announce on that."
Jean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis BruguièreJean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis Bruguière was the leading French investigating magistrate in charge of counter-terrorism affairs. He was appointed in 2004 vice-president of the Paris Court of Serious Claims . He has garnered controversy for various acts, including the indictment of Rwandan president Paul Kagame for the...
, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
counterterrorism ex-magistrate and current European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
counterterrorism official who is a renowned and respected figure in France, was asked in the 1990s to investigate the IHH, after French intelligence discovered a plot involving distribution of forged passports to Islamist militants seeking to carry out attacks in France and other European countries. In 1996, Bruguière came to the conclusion that the IHH "is a terror organization and not a charity group... My investigation revealed a broad and global terror network that reached Bosnia and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, whose center was at the Turkish IHH quarters. We had recordings of telephone conversations and documents from people who explicitly testified that this is a terror group. Turkish authorities raided the group's headquarters for good reason and discovered weapons, explosive materials and forged documents."
Regarding the group's activities in the 2010s, Bruguière has said: "I don't have updated information, but it is hard to believe they changed. In my opinion, they are continuing on the same track we uncovered a decade and a half ago."
In the 2001 trial of Ahmed Ressam
Ahmed Ressam
Ahmed Ressam is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived in Montreal, Canada.He was convicted of attempting to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999, as part of the foiled 2000 millennium attack plots...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the would-be Millennium bomber, Bruguière gave testimony that the İHH had played an "important role" in the operation of the Montreal cell to which Ressam belonged, and mentioned "a rather close relation" between the Montreal cell and the Turkish group. The judge, John Coughenour, ruled Bruguière's testimony inadmissible; in his words, much of the witness's testimony would "necessarily be based upon hearsay". Bruguière, who investigated the group in the 1990s, said in June 2010 that he found links to terrorism networks, including al-Qaida. In a 2010 interview with the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Bruguière said: "The İHH is an NGO, but it was also a type of cover-up . . . in order to obtain forged documents and to obtain different forms of infiltration for Mujahideen in combat. And also to go and gather [recruit] these Mujahideens." Bruguière said he did not know whether İHH was still in the terror business, but he added that "they were basically helping al Qaeda when [Osama] bin Laden started to want to target US soil."
The US has said it "cannot validate" a connection between al-Qaida and IHH. İHH has rejected all allegations of having any contact with al-Qaida. According to analysts in Turkey it is unlikely that authorities would permit an organization linked to al-Qaida to operate in Istanbul.
Evan Kohlmann
In a 2006 Working paperWorking paper
A working paper or work paper or workpaper may refer to:*A preliminary scientific or technical paper. Often, authors will release working papers to share ideas about a topic or to elicit feedback before submitting to a peer reviewed conference or academic journal.* Sometimes the term working paper...
published by the Danish Institute for International Studies
Danish Institute for International Studies
The Danish Institute for International Studies is an independent research institution engaged in research in international affairs.DIIS and the Danish Institute for Human Rights together constitute the Danish Centre for International Studies and Human Rights , which was established by Act of...
(DIIS), terrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann
Evan Kohlmann
Evan F. Kohlmann is an American terrorism consultant who has worked for the FBI and other governmental organizations.He is a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog, a senior investigator with The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation, and a terrorism analyst for NBC News.-Early life and...
quotes what he describes as "a French intelligence report" written by Bruguière, while citing as source the closing argument
Closing argument
A closing argument, summation, or summing up is the concluding statement of each party's counsel reiterating the important arguments for the trier of fact, often the jury, in a court case. A closing argument occurs after the presentation of evidence...
for the prosecution in a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
criminal court case, alleging that Turkey had known of the İHH links to terrorism for at least ten years, and that Turkish authorities began their own domestic criminal investigation of İHH as early as December 1997, when sources revealed that leaders of İHH were purchasing automatic weapons from regional Islamic militant groups. According to the source cited by Kohlmann, İHH's bureau in Istanbul was thoroughly searched, and its local officers were arrested; security forces uncovered "an array of disturbing items, including firearms, explosives, bomb-making instructions and a “jihad flag”"; and, after analyzing seized İHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that "detained members of İHH were going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya". İHH said in 2010 the raid was politically motivated at a time when Turkish security officials were cracking down on Islamist groups. Ali Adakoğlu, a board member of İHH, said there had been a raid on the house of a member in 1997, the year of a Turkish military crackdown on Islamist groups, but denied that weapons had been found. Asked about the incident, Bülent Yıldırım, the head of İHH, told reporters, "Turkey had a different political context in the 1990s, and a different political power ruled, which played a game with us. I was acquitted by a court anyway."
Although the Turkish government did not officially support the İHH Gaza flotilla, it backed the mission.
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information CenterIntelligence and Terrorism Information Center
Not to be confused with the California-based "Terrorism Information Center".The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center is an Israeli-based non-governmental organization with close ties to the Israel Defense Forces....
(ITIC)—an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
-based think tank with close ties to the country’s defense ministry—acknowledged the İHH’s philanthropic activities, but it also says the group is an overt supporter of Hamas. The day after IHH's Mavi Marmara arrived from Istanbul in Antalya, waiting for the majority of the passengers to embark, ITIC issued a bulletin in which it stated that it has "reliable information indicating that in the past İHH had links with global jihad and Islamic terrorist elements in the Middle East", citing and quoting from Kohlmann's DIIS Working Paper in support (see above). In a follow-up to this bulletin, dated May 31 (the same day the raid took place, but apparently written before), ITIC presented details of the allegations against İHH, basing them on the DIIS Working Paper by Kohlmann. This follow-up bulletin presented a facsimile reproduction of a fragment of what is stated to be a 1996 CIA report relating İHH to international terrorism, one of the sources cited by Kohlmann.
Statements on Israel and Israelis
In an interview which aired on Kudüs Internet TV on June 17, 2010, Demet Tezcan, coordinator of the women's branch of İHH, stated that Israelis "are paranoid cowards, who definitely have a sick mentality ... Today, their danger is restricted to the Palestinian people alone, but tomorrow, all the countries and regions in their vicinity might become the target of this sick community’s paranoia, whether or not they have a reason... they are cowards, but what is most obvious is how sick they are. We must stop them because of their sickness. They are like a killing machine."In July 2008, it was announced that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
had signed an order declaring İHH and 35 other funds banned associations in Israel, alleging that they are members of an organization run by Hamas known as the Union of Good
Union of Good
The Union of Good , also known as the Charity Coalition, is an umbrella organization consisting of over 50 Islamic charities and funds which funnel money to organizations belonging to Hamas, which currently rules the territory of the Gaza Strip...
and part of Hamas' fundraising network, and support and assist it. In the declaration by the Israeli Defense Minister containing the list of funds and foundations declared illegal, the (Turkey-based) İHH and the (Germany-based) Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation (spelled as "Internationale Humanitere Hilfs Organisation") are listed as if they are one single organization.
Israel outlawed the Union of Good in February 2002, and the United States Treasury designated it as "providing support to a terrorist organization" (namely Hamas) in November 2008; however, in the press release İHH was not listed as a financier, nor was it mentioned otherwise.
In response to criticisms, Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım is the current president of Turkish NGO, İHH which provided humanitarian relief in Chechnya, Libya , Pakistan, China, Kashmir, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Somalia, Mauritania, Chile, the Philippines, Aceh, Myanmar, Greece, Crimea and Haiti...
, the head of İHH said on 25 May 2010 that "There will also be an embargo towards Israel in 10 years if it continues like this. If and when that day comes, we promise, we will try the same method to break that embargo".
In response to the Israeli accusations, İHH declared, “as if the terrorist attack Israel carried towards civilians and unarmed human rights activists and humanitarian aid workers is not enough, now it is slandering these people. This is cheap black propaganda
Black propaganda
Black propaganda is false information and material that purports to be from a source on one side of a conflict, but is actually from the opposing side. It is typically used to vilify, embarrass or misrepresent the enemy...
, based on lies and defamation.” Serkan Nergis, a spokesman for İHH, told Reuters: "We don't have anything against Israel. Our only aim was to carry aid to the people of Gaza. But for Israel, regardless of your religion or your nationality, if you help the people of Gaza you will be declared a terrorist." İHH activists further claim they are strictly involved in humanitarian efforts, and must deal with Hamas because it rules Gaza. İHH Gaza representative Mehmet Kaya, who is seen as an unofficial Turkish ambassador, said that support for the Gazan people gets through "when it goes through the Hamas government". The website of the İHH shows its founder warmly embracing Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, in Syria.
The Free Gaza Movement
Free Gaza Movement
The Free Gaza Movement is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to challenge the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by sailing humanitarian aid ships to Gaza...
, a partner in organizing the aid flotilla, released a statement saying that they are "proud and honored to work and be associated with the İHH and its honorable track record of humanitarian missions worldwide".
Calls to add İHH to other lists of terrorist entities
A group of Italian lawmakers spearheaded by the People of Freedom party are calling for the Turkish İHH to be added to the European Union’s list of terrorist entities. According to party member Fiamma NirensteinFiamma Nirenstein
Fiamma Nirenstein is an Italian politician, journalist and author. She is a member of Silvio Berlusconi's conservative coalition government and is Vice-president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Italian Chamber of Deputies...
, "The Islamic fundamentalist nature of İHH has been documented by numerous declarations praising martyrdom and Israel’s destruction". According to the parliamentary initiative, İHH is tied to Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and to the Union of Good
Union of Good
The Union of Good , also known as the Charity Coalition, is an umbrella organization consisting of over 50 Islamic charities and funds which funnel money to organizations belonging to Hamas, which currently rules the territory of the Gaza Strip...
, an organization designated by the US Treasury has as a financial supporter of terrorism.
The Coordinating Council of German Nongovernmental Organizations against Anti-Semitism also called on the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
government to place İHH on the EU list of terrorist organizations, because “like Hamas the İHH is an anti-Semitic organization that promotes terrorism.
As of May 2011 there is a legislative effort taking place in the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
parliament to place the IHH on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations. The effort has been compared to the 2009 resolution by the Dutch Parliament urging the EU to designate Iran’s revolutionary guard corps as a terrorist entity. In April 2011, the Dutch parliament ratified a motion condemning the IHH Gaza flotilla as an action aimed against a friendly nation. The motion also stated there are sufficient legal avenues to provide the Gaza population with humanitarian aid and that a second flotilla could be construed as aiding terrorist organizations.
In June 2010 a bipartisan group of 87 US senators (out of 100) sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to investigate the IHH and consider putting it on the list of foreign terrorist organizations: "The IHH is a member of a group of Muslim charities, the Union of Good
Union of Good
The Union of Good , also known as the Charity Coalition, is an umbrella organization consisting of over 50 Islamic charities and funds which funnel money to organizations belonging to Hamas, which currently rules the territory of the Gaza Strip...
, which was designated by the US Treasury Department as a terrorist organization. The Union of Good was created by, and strongly supports Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department. We recommend that your administration consider whether the IHH should be put on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, after an examination by the intelligence community, the State Department, and the Treasury Department."
Following the call, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that the government was indeed examining whether the IHH will be considered a terrorist group: "I believe we are looking at the IHH, but it's a long process to designate something a foreign terrorist organization and... there's nothing to announce on that." The US Treasury Department was also said to be actively investigating the organization in an attempt to list it as a terror group, despite some resistance from within the Obama administration.
German "IHH e.V" and Dutch "IHH"
There is a Turkish-German humanitarian aid association called Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V.Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V.
The Turkish-German association Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V. or IHH Germany, is an international aid association based in Frankfurt with branches in Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Austria.In July 2010, Germany has outlawed the Internationale Humanitaere Hilfsorganisation...
("International Humanitarian Aid Organization – registered association
Eingetragener Verein
Eingetragener Verein is a legal status for a registered voluntary association in Germany and Austria. While any group may be called a Verein, registration as eingetragener Verein holds many legal benefits because a registered association may legally function as a corporate body rather than just...
"), with branches in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, The Netherlands, and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The organization uses the initialism "IHH e.V.", bearing a close resemblance to the initialism "İHH" often used for the Turkish foundation.
On 11 July 2010, Thomas de Maizière
Thomas de Maizière
Karl Ernst Thomas de Maizière is a German politician , currently serving as the Minister of Defence in the Second Cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel....
, the German Federal Minister of the Interior
Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of the Interior is a ministry of the German federal government. Its main office is in Berlin, with a secondary seat in Bonn. The current minister of the interior is Dr...
, announced that Germany has banned the Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation charity for financially supporting Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
.
İHH responded promptly by stating that they are not in any way affiliated with that organization which uses the same initials. İHH had sued the German organization in 2008 for trademark infringement
Trademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attaching to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees...
, but lost the case. İHH had also published announcements on their website and ads in newspapers to deny any direct or indirect ties with some eight European charities that use the same initials and/or logos similar to theirs. The German IHH has also issued a press release clarifying that this similarity, in spite of the different full names, often leads to the two organizations being confused with each other.
However, according to German authorities, İHH Turkey and IHH Germany share the same roots, originally being one organization that split in 1997. The Turkish İHH denies this, stating that the German IHH is not "in any way related" to it, and that the German IHH was founded by "a completely different group of people" having no association with the Turkish İHH.
Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal
Uri Rosenthal
Uriël "Uri" Rosenthal is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Minister of Foreign Affairs since October 14, 2010 in the Cabinet Rutte. He served as a Member of the Senate from June 8, 1999 until October 14, 2010. And the Parliamentary leader in the Senate...
announced on 29 April 2011 that he had "placed the [IHH Netherlands] on the Dutch list of terrorist organizations and froze its assets, because IHH Netherlands regularly transferred funds to IHH Germany. This organization is banned in Germany because it has raised funds for Hamas. Hamas has been on the EU list of terrorist organizations since 2003." The decision was supported by the Hague-based Center for Information and Documentation on Israel.
The IHH Netherlands (Internationale Humanitaire Hulporganisatie) is the Dutch branch of the outlawed Turkish-German humanitarian aid association called Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V.
Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V.
The Turkish-German association Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V. or IHH Germany, is an international aid association based in Frankfurt with branches in Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Austria.In July 2010, Germany has outlawed the Internationale Humanitaere Hilfsorganisation...
, a name that is also abbreviated as "IHH". According to the Turkish IHH – the subject of this article – it has no relationship with these organizations operating in Europe.
Board of trustees
Trustees include:- Fehmi Bülent YıldırımFehmi Bülent YıldırımFehmi Bülent Yıldırım is the current president of Turkish NGO, İHH which provided humanitarian relief in Chechnya, Libya , Pakistan, China, Kashmir, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Somalia, Mauritania, Chile, the Philippines, Aceh, Myanmar, Greece, Crimea and Haiti...
- President - Hüseyin Oruç - Deputy President
- Mahmut Savaş - Charter member