Virginia probes Palestinian Muslim group for potential legal violations
Virginia's attorney general has opened an investigation into a Muslim organization that supports the Palestinian nationalist cause over concerns it violated Virginia’s charitable solicitation laws and may have supported terrorist organizations, an allegation the nonprofit says is "defamatory."
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is probing the AJP Educational Foundation, known as American Muslims for Palestine, amid concerns they may be involved in unauthorized fundraising activities and potential misuse of funds that could be in support of terrorist organizations.
"The Attorney General's Office has reason to believe that the organization may be soliciting contributions in the Commonwealth without first having registered with the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services," Miyares' office said in a statement.
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"In addition, the Attorney General will investigate allegations that the organization may have used funds raised for impermissible purposes under state law, including benefitting or providing support to terrorist organizations."
In response to the investigation, AMP stressed in a statement that the inquiry is "not only defamatory, but dangerous," suggesting it's an attempt to silence their advocacy for Palestinian human rights.
"If Attorney General Miyares has identified an issue with our license to fundraise in Virginia, that is a common and easily resolvable civil issue that many non-profits face and fix," the AMP statement reads. "By publicly making this dishonest public announcement, Mr. Miyares is clearly attempting to score political points with hateful extremists."
Headquartered in Falls Church, the AJP Educational Foundation is a nonprofit that serves as the primary fiscal sponsor of AMP. Its website describes it as "a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the movement for justice in Palestine by educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage and through grassroots mobilization and advocacy."
AMP's activities have included organizing pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the U.S., with the aim of advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza. The group is also a proponent of the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions movement against Israel.
The Anti-Defamation League has described AMP as a leader in providing anti-Zionist education and alleges that it "promotes extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans about 'the just cause of Palestine and the rights of self-determination.'"
Virginia law mandates organizations soliciting funds to clearly state their commitment against supporting terrorist entities or activities.
Miyares' office will look into allegations made in a federal lawsuit that claimed the organization is a regenerated version of the Islamic Association for Palestine, which was found liable for supporting Hamas terrorists. The lawsuit was brought by the parents of David Boim, who was killed during an attack in the West Bank in 1996.
Miyares' investigation comes weeks after Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack killed 1,400 people in southern Israel, including at least 30 Americans. The attack prompted retaliatory airstrikes from the Israel Defense Forces into Gaza and the recent launch of an IDF ground campaign in Gaza. Hamas-run health authorities claim that over 10,000 people have been killed since the retaliatory airstrikes began. But those numbers don't differentiate between civilians and combatants.
A report released by the Program on Extremism at George Washington University last month highlighted a persistent network supporting Hamas in the U.S., with historical ties dating back to the 1980s.
These networks have been involved in various supportive roles, including fundraising and education, despite Hamas' designation as a terrorist organization responsible for numerous attacks.
The GWU report noted that the network derived from the Palestine Committee in the U.S., a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood that was founded in 1988, a year after Hamas was created.
The committee launched other groups, like the Islamic Association for Palestine, the Holy Land Foundation and the United Association for Studies and Research.
An internal memo circulated in 1992 noted that the organization's goals were to "increase the financial and the moral support for Hamas," to "fight surrendering solutions," and to broadcast "the savagery of the Jews."
