In 1991, UC Santa Barbara anthropology professor Donald Brown published his Human Universals, which proved to be a sound refutation of those prevailing and influential—and erroneous—canons of leftist social science, the blank slate and the noble savage. In his work, Professor Brown posited "The Universal People" and provided an exhaustive list of behavioral universals shared by people of all cultures—an impressive and hopeful collection of data which shows that we have more in common than we may realize. This list was republished in Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker's 2002 The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, in an updated edition, with additional list items bringing the number of documented universals to more than three hundred.

Included in Professor Brown's catalog of human commonalities are empathy, concept of fairness (equity), generosity admired, moral sentiments, and disapproval of stinginess. As human social groups have evolved into greater civilizations with complex culture and increasing prosperity, such attributes have fused into what we now call charity. There are few advanced societies which do not have some sort of formal institutions to address the needs of the disadvantaged, and we often see this spirit of compassion and selflessness enshrined in our religion. This is a grand, ennobling quality of the human race.

Sadly, the social convention of charity is one which can be abused. In America, arguably the most generous nation on the planet, it is not uncommon to learn of unscrupulous people looking to benefit from the charitable nature of others. As another example, in a South Boston bar, one may have seen Seamus the bartender's cap being passed around for "the cause" back home. And in the aftermath of 9/11, we've seen a slew of Islamic charities shut down over their connections to terror. Charges have been brought, and offenders have been, rightly, prosecuted vigorously.

Of these three examples, the third is far and away the most prevalent and recurrent. Over and over we see the closure of these Islamic "charity" organizations and the indictment of their officials, many operating on American soil, under American tax exemption laws, raking in American dollars—to kill Americans and friends of America. Is this because of a hysterical post-9/11 atmosphere of islamophobia—a Zionist/neocon Crusade? No, Mulder, it's just Islam.

Charity in Islam, called zakat, is one of the religion's five pillars, along with faith, prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca for those who are able. Many Islamic scholars and clerics have called jihad the sixth pillar of Islam, and jihad warfare the pinnacle of Islam. Interestingly, zakat and jihad have a very close relationship in the Islamic faith, and both are important, obligatory points of doctrine for the faithful.

The jihad warrior (mujahid) falls into one of the eight categories of worthy zakat recipients. The highly respected Reliance of the Traveller (´Umdat al-Salik) Shafi'i Sunni manual of Islamic jurisprudence defines this category as follows:

Zakat
THOSE FIGHTING FOR ALLAH

h8.17 The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip and the time they spend there, even if prolonged. Though nothing has been mentioned here of the expense involved in supporting such people's families during this period, it seems clear that they should also be given it).

(emphasis mine)

Sorry, leftocratic multicultists, but this isn't the peaceful, inner struggle™ kind of jihad. It's the pick up a Kalashnikov and/or form-fitting plastic explosives apparel and hit the infidel hard for Allah kind. And the last section on the family of the mujahideen out on the jihad front indicatess why Saudis and many other Arab/Islamic peoples are so eager to send large checks to the bereaved, whose loved ones have immolated themselves in the commission of infidel mass murder.

We must remember that Islam has never been reformed. As it was many centuries ago in the barbaric social climate of the Arabian Peninsula which created it, so it is today in Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Dagestan, or Dallas, Texas and Ann Arbor, Michigan. In mainstream Islam, the Quran is the eternal and immutable word of God, and the strong ahadith (written accounts of the sunna, or precedents of Muhammad and his companions) are unimpeachable in Islamic law, which applies to all Muslims. Raising funds that will knowingly be used to fund violent armed jihad against the infidel is an act of devotion.

And so, we find American Muslims being arrested and charged with supporting the Islamic terror of global jihad. Some of them are among the best and brightest in sphere of Islamic advocacy. Take Rabih Haddad for instance, cofounder of the now defunct Global Relief Foundation and Michigan fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Mr. Haddad was shown the door (to Lebanon) because of the dubious pathways and destinations of the zakat collected by his organization.

Ghassan Elashi also comes to mind. He was the chairman of Hamas front group, the Holy Land Foundation, which was the largest American Islamic "relief" organization before it was brought down by the Feds. He was also one of the founding members of CAIR itself. Mr. Elashi, along with four of his brothers, has been convicted on numerous terror charges, and is currently awaiting sentencing, after which he will likely be enjoying a lifelong stay at dar al-Hoosegow. Daniel Pipes has a thorough ongoing weblog entry on these—and other—aggrieved peaceful religionists.

Such stories are the unavoidable outcome of a literalistic, retrograde politicoreligious ideology crashing into the modern age, having never been reformed. We will continue to find such stories in the news. Whether it is through surreptitious "charity" outfits exploiting Western generosity and fairness, or openly by way of the televised anti-Israel intifada fundraisers put on by "our best friends in the Arab world," the Saudis, Muslims will continue to pony up the zakat for the various categories of the needy, including number seven.

Relevant Quran and Ahadith Source Material:

Quran

• Give generously for he cause of God and do not with your own hands cast yourselves into destruction. Be charitable; God loves the charitable. 2:195
• The believers who stay at home - apart from those that suffer from a grave disability - are not the equals of those who fight for the cause of God with their goods and their persons. 4:95
• Those that have embraced the Faith, and left their homes, and fought for God's cause with their wealth and with their persons, are held in higher regard by God. It is they who shall triumph. 9:20
• Have faith in God and His apostle, and fight for God's cause with your wealth and with your persons.

Sahih Bukhari

• Narrated Zaid bin Khalid: Allah's Apostle said, " He who prepares a Ghazi [Muslim soldier, holy warrior —ed.] going in Allah's Cause is given a reward equal to that of a Ghazi; and he who looks after properly the dependents of a Ghazi going in Allah's Cause is (given a reward equal to that of) Ghazi." 4.52.96

Sunan Abu Dawud

• Narrated Abu Umamah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He who does not join the warlike expedition (jihad), or equip, or look well after a warrior's family when he is away, will be afflicted by Allah with a severe calamity before the Day of Resurrection. 2497
• Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Use your property, your persons, and your tongues in striving against the polytheists. 2498
• Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The warrior gets his reward, and the one who equips him gets his own reward and that of the warrior. 2520

At-Tirmidhi

• Khuraym Bin Fatik narrated that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “If anyone makes a contribution towards Allah’s path, seven hundred times as much will be recorded to his credit.” Tirmidhi 3826, 1343 and Nasa'i

Sahih Muslim

• It has been narrated on the authority of Zaid b. Kbalid al-Juhani that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Anybody who equips a warrior (going to fight) in the way of Allah (is like one who actually) fights. And anybody who looks well after his family in his absence (is also like one who actually) fights. 4668

Copyright ©2005 Patrick D. O'Brien: may not be copied, published, or otherwise used (except for quotes) without express permission of author. Originally posted at Clarity & Resolve.