Turkey’s ‘Aid’ Organization Is a Front for Supporting Terrorism
Turkey’s premier aid organization, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms (IHH), with strong links to the government, actively supports terrorist causes and should be designated as a Foreign (FTO) Terrorist Organization by the United States.
For some “it’s a humanitarian organization,” while for others, it is has been referred to as a “one-stop shopping spot for terrorism.” In actuality, it is a confluence of both. Established in 1992, IHH has built a reputation that provides humanitarian relief to primarily Muslim countries. Since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to come in 2003, the organization has become intertwined with his governing Justice and Development Party (AKP). Many members of the IHH’s governing body are also AKP officials. This includes Ankara’s current ambassador to Washington, Murat Mercan, who in 2010, wanted to sail on an ‘humanitarian aid’ mission to Gaza, but was ultimately talked down by the Turkish foreign ministry. By itself, there is nothing wrong with this, as Erdogan has used IHH as a means to display Turkey’s growing soft power influence in the world. IHH has provided disaster relief in many parts of the world to include Haiti, Yemen and Darfur.
The picture becomes more sinister however, when one takes a closer look at IHH’s relationship with Jihadist entities. This is most visible in IHH’s relationship with Hamas, and significant as Ankara is keen on using IHH to deliver ‘humanitarian aid’ to Palestinians caught up in the present conflict. Israel is rightfully suspicious, and for good reasons. Jerusalem designated IHH as a terrorist entity in 2008, mainly owing to its membership of the ‘Union of Good’—a Muslim Brotherhood coalition of Muslim charities, known to raise funds for Hamas and sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury. Any potential aid going to Gaza with IHH labels is likely to be heavily inspected by Israeli authorities to ensure that no dual use goods fall into the hands of Hamas terrorists.
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