Under the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota awarded millions of dollars to the Islamic Society of America, which later raised funds for Islamic charities that worked with groups linked to al-Qaida.
The Minnesota Department of Health has committed more than $2 million in public health-related grant funding to the Islamic Society of North America between 2020 and 2026, coinciding with Walz's term as governor, according to state spending records. Reported According to the Washington Examiner, the Islamic Society of North America announced in response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, held This was a fundraiser for the Islamic charity Rama Worldwide. Cooperated U.S. government organizations that participated in the Gaza support program with the Kuwaiti Islamic Heritage Restoration Association Authorized Al Qaeda funding and U.S. intelligence Believed To participate in fundraising activities for Hamas.
The Governor is responsible for appointing the Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner. According to To MinnPost. (Related: Tim Waltz has repeatedly hosted and given grants to Muslim clerics with a history of supporting Hamas.)
“Determined to pick the worst possible partners at every turn, Governor Walz has now been found to have given $2.1 million in grants to a terrorist organization and appears to have close ties to its officials,” Sam Westrop, a terrorism analyst at the Middle East Forum, told the Examiner. “This is not only a reprehensible use of Minnesota taxpayer money, but also a complete betrayal of the moderate Muslim and Somali activists who fight extremism in their communities every day.”
Walz, a leading contender for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, has been criticized for his ties to Muslim cleric Assad Zaman, who has posted pro-Hitler videos on social media, defended the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and posted links to Hamas press releases on his Facebook page. “There is no personal relationship between the governor and Mr. Zaman. Governor Walz strongly condemns Hamas terrorism,” a spokesman for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign said. said CNN.
But Waltz called Zaman a “master teacher” at a 2018 event, the Examiner reported. Reported.
“I'm a teacher, and I know a good teacher when I see one,” Waltz said of Zaman, according to the Examiner. “One of the things I was blessed to have during our time together was to see and try to understand things in life through the eyes of a good teacher.”
The Walz administration also awarded a grant of more than $100,000 to the Muslim American Association of Minnesota, which Zaman represents.
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appear onstage together during a campaign event. (Photo by Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
The Islamic Society of North America describes itself as “representing the Muslim community at the national level and speaking on behalf of its member organizations on all issues pertaining to Muslims.” According to To that website.
At least some of the grant money sent to the group by the Walz administration was used to help boost COVID-19 vaccination rates. Per Press release: The Islamic Society of North America was participating in a statewide “COVID-19 Community Coordinator” program aimed at engaging minority stakeholders and “assisting Minnesotans who need COVID-19 information specific to their communities, including in their own languages.”
The group's director, Yusuf Abdi Abdul, said: said Following the October 7 terrorist attacks in which Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people, raped women and kidnapped children, the Palestinian government said on Facebook that “Palestine has the right to defend itself.”
The Islamic Society of North America, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Harris campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
As an independent, nonpartisan news service, all content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
