Between 2013 and 2016, Germany's Federal Foreign Office (AA) provided Islamic Relief Germany (IRD) with nearly €8.5 million in taxpayer funds,despite earlier warnings about the charity's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, according to reports from Die Welt. A classified audit, released only after a lengthy lawsuit by attorney Seyran Ates and the Institute for Secular Law, revealed that the Foreign Office ignored a binding directive from 2009 not to work with the organization and failed to vet it properly. The case has reignited debate about European governments' oversight of humanitarian funding and the balance between charitable aid and counter-extremism.

The €8.5 million that bypassed a 2009 ban

According to Die Welt, the first report from Germany's Federal Audit Office found that the Foreign Office was unable to explain on what basis it had decided that Islamic Relief Germany was a reputable charity worthy of millions in grants. The report also stated that the Foreign Office ignored a clear and binding directive from 2009 to not work with the organization. A second report found that financial support for the IRD was done blindly, without verifying the legality and economic efficiency of previous funding, the source reports.

Why Israel classified the parent group as a terrorist entity in 2014

Islamic Relief Worldwide, IRD's parent organization, was classified as a terror group by Israel in 2014 for allegedly funneling money to Hamas, a charge the charity denies. A 2009 report from Germany's Baden-Wuerttemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution accused the group of ties to the radical Muslim Brotherhood, which seeks to impose Sharia globally. A later 2019 government report found significant personnel connections between IRD and the Muslim Brotherhood or organizations close to it, after which the Foreign Office ceased funding, the source states.

The five-year classified audit and the lawsuit that pried it open

The Federal Audit Office reports were withheld from the public for over five years, with the government arguing that release could lead to polemics and risk public discourse not conducive to the welfare of the federal government, as reported by Die Welt.. However, attorney Seyran Ates and the Institute for Secular Law filed a lawsuit that ultimately forced disclosure. The classified nature of the audits raises serious questions about transparency in government funding decisions.

Broader European fears: France's 280-strong Islamist network

A 2023 French intelligence report found that the Muslim Brotherhood has designed a matrix of political Islamism adapted to the West,with the goal of subversion and implementation of a theocracy. the report identified about 280 Islamic associations in France with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, including charities. It also found that Germany and Austria were hotbeds of Muslim Brotherhood activity, given they were historically the first lands of establishment in Europe. The German government has since taken steps to crack down on Islamist infiltration and foreign funding of religious communities, the source notes.

The unanswered question:Who else is getting unvetted funds?

The source does not clarify whether other charities received similar unvetted funding from the German government. Islamic Relief Germany, through its law firm Hoecker, denies any contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood or Hamas, and maintains it is institutionally independent of its parent organization. But the pattern of ignored warnings and secret audits suggests systemic gaps in vetting that may extend beyond this single case, leaving open the question of how many other organizations are receiving taxpayer money without proper scrutiny.