An outspoken Al-Barakah Charity Trust Executive Director, Ibrahim Milanzi on Sunday took his time to hit back at his counterparts who are accusing Muslim NGOs in Malawi for siphoning donors’ money and not doing enough to assist Muslim community, describing the allegations as “unfounded and malicious.”
Delivering his speech at the 2010 National Holy Quran Competition prize presentation ceremony that was belatedly held at Mpingwe Sports Club in Limbe, Blantyre, on 09 January 2010, Mr. Milanzi lambasted those who question Muslim organizations contribution to society when “Muslim NGOs have done tremendous improvements in the lives of poor Muslims in the country only that donors do not want their identities and donations to be revealed.”
Mr. Milanzi who almost turned the occasion into a theatre with his emotional hard-hitting speech, justified his outbursts by saying that critics have made enough noise through the media and that was his only available forum to respond because, he said, some of the critics were present at the ceremony.
“They are using Radio Islam to castigate Muslim NGOs yet they say IZF (Islamic Zakaat Fund) has done nothing. Who operates Radio Islam? Isn’t it the same IZF?” Mr. Milanzi wondered.
Some Muslims have been questioning Muslim organizations for not being transparent enough with their operations and fear that donor money could be ending up in the pockets of a few greedy individuals. They further accuse the organizations for not getting their priorities right as their areas of concentration are not in tandem with the social problems faced by Muslims in Malawi today.
However, Mr. Milanzi who is Malawi’s former ambassador to Libya, admitted that much of the mis-information is arising due to poor public relations on the part of the Muslim organizations making the masses fail to appreciate the achievements of the organizations.
In a separate interview with Malawi Muslim Official Website, Mr. Milanzi described the allegations leveled against Muslim organizations as “unfounded and malicious.”
“The fact that donors are still pouring in more money into the Muslim NGOs is a clear sign that the organizations are accountable in their operations and are fulfilling the donors’ dreams.” Milanzi explained.
During the National Ijtima meeting held in Mangochi last year, Malawi’s Transport Minister, Sidick Mia accused some Muslim organizations of using donor funds to enrich themselves instead of supporting Muslims in the country.
