WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Tim Walz Administration Awarded $2 Million to Charity Linked to Al-Qaeda in Minnesota

BREAKING: Under Gov. Tim Walz, the State of Minnesota awarded $2 million to an Islamic group fundraising for a charity that—just recently—worked with a terrorist organization sanctioned by the United States for funding al Qaeda, @dcexaminer has confirmedhttps://t.co/3zgJu0EhSA

— Gabe Kaminsky (@gekaminsky) August 16, 2024

 

Walz administration awarded $2 million to Muslim group fundraising for al Qaeda-linked charity. 

Under Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), the state of Minnesota awarded over $2 million to an Islamic group that fundraises for a charity linked to an al Qaeda affiliate, according to funding records reviewed by the Washington Examiner. 

The Islamic Association of North America, the recipient of the state grants from 2019 to 2024, is fundraising after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year for Rahma Worldwide, a Michigan-based charity that says it is shipping humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to flyers. In a since-deleted Facebook post in October 2023, Rahma Worldwide President Shadi Zaza revealed his charity was collaborating on an aid initiative with the Islamic Heritage Revival Society of Kuwait, a terrorist group sanctioned by the U.S. government for funding al Qaeda. 

News of the Walz administration’s grants to the IANA comes as the Democratic vice presidential candidate faces backlash after a series of Washington Examiner reports revealed his ties to Muslim cleric Asad Zaman. As Minnesota’s governor, Walz has repeatedly hosted Zaman, who shared a pro-Adolf Hitler movie on social media and defended the Oct. 7 attack. Moreover, according to unearthed footage, Walz referred to Zaman as a “master teacher” at a 2018 event held by the Zaman-led Muslim American Society of Minnesota, which partners with the IANA.