Terrorists, anti-Semites use ‘tax-exempt organizations as fronts,’ claims House hearing witness
The hearing was titled 'Fueling Chaos: The Flow of Tax-Exempt Dollars to Antisemitism' and took place on July 23.
'Terrorist organizations have used tax-exempt organizations as fronts for their activities for decades in the U.S., as cover for their illicit financing and to further their propaganda and influence campaigns,' Lara Burns testified.
At a recent House of Representatives hearing, witnesses told the House Ways and Means Committee that a lack of transparency in tax-exempt organizations’ funding impedes efforts to halt anti-Semitism.
The hearing was titled “Fueling Chaos: The Flow of Tax-Exempt Dollars to Antisemitism” and took place on July 23.
One of the witnesses to testify at the hearing was Lara Burns, the Head of Terrorism Research at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
“Terrorist organizations have used tax-exempt organizations as fronts for their activities for decades in the U.S., as cover for their illicit financing and to further their propaganda and influence campaigns,” Burns said during her testimony.
In her prepared written testimony, Burns specifically referenced the advocacy of the director of American Muslims for Palestine.
“Osama Abuirshaid … current Executive Director of AMP, spoke at campus protests and claimed Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and that actions against US-based protests were a ‘war on us here in America,’” Burns detailed.
“In another speech on a college campus, Abuirshaid called for the end of Imperialism and Zionism and vehemently stated, ‘We will take back these colleges, as we will take back America, as we will take back Palestine,’” Burns continued.
Oren Segal, the Vice President of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism also testified during the hearing.
“Since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, which included the slaughter of 1200 people and the abduction of more than 200 others, anti-Semitism has surged,” Segal stated during his testimony. “This spike has deepened the pain of an already vulnerable Jewish community and ADL is monitoring those responsible.”
Segal specifically called out Students for Justice in Palestine for having “celebrated” the “massacre of Israelis as a historic win for Palestinian resistance.”
[RELATED: Most students at top universities see anti-Semitism as an issue on campus: POLL]
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), the chairman of the committee, also directly linked the tax-exempt status of pro-Palestinian organizations to anti-Semitism on college campuses.
“[I]t has become clear that the explosion of anti-Semitic activity on college campuses has been supported and encouraged by bad actors who in many cases have used tax-exempt organizations for those purposes,” Smith said during the hearing.
“There are well-orchestrated efforts by anti-American and anti-Jewish organizations within the United States that provide financial and logistical support to those who harass and threaten Jewish students,” Smith concluded.
Campus Reform has contacted George Washington University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
