(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/25/22) — Today, 33 Afghan-American and American Muslim organizations sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their strong disapproval of his administration’s recent executive order splitting $7 billion USD in frozen Afghan Central Bank funds.
Letter cosigners called on President Biden “to rescind this decision against the people of Afghanistan’s national assets before the banking sector in Afghanistan and the Afghani currency is destroyed – leading to a decade of mass starvation, mass migration, and regional insecurity.”
READ THE LETTER: Joint Request for U.S. Government to Return the Afghan People’s National Reserves
Afghan and Muslim groups believe that the funds should be returned to the Afghan Central Bank, that it “does not belong to the Taliban or pay for government services” as “it is intended to safeguard the Afghan financial system.”
Currently, 24.4 million people are suffering from starvation, while one million children under the age of five are at risk of dying from malnourishment and famine. The United Nations projects that Afghanistan will approach a “near universal” poverty rate of 97% in the next few months.
While no Afghans were involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the executive order would split the $7 billion in funds between the families impacted by the tragic September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and aid for the people of Afghanistan. Advocates believe this money rightfully belongs to the people of Afghanistan and splitting these funds would be “detrimental and extremely harmful to that country’s future stability.”
In a statement, #EndAfghanStarvation Campaign Founder M. Naser Shahalemi said:
“We have a moral responsibility to find cohesive solutions to ending the crisis in Afghanistan. Our lawmakers took an oath to be just and fair in our processes when human life comes into question. We are responsible to make things right in Afghanistan so Afghanistan can become a progressive country in the future, and this cannot happen in its current state of chaos. Afghanistan deserves the opportunity to be economically self-sufficient.”
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“Afghanistan is facing a man-made economic and humanitarian crisis that can be quickly addressed by the U.S. returning the people of Afghanistan’s $7 billion in national reserves back to the Afghan Central Bank. The United States government has a moral obligation to not split or divert these funds. Our government must ensure that the people of Afghanistan do not fall into mass starvation or other depravations following our troops rapid withdrawal after 20-years of military operations.”
Letter co-signers include:
#EndAfghanStarvation Campaign
Afghan Academy
Afghan Relief
Afghanistan-Pakistan Women’s Economic Empowerment
Afghans of North America
Alsalam Islamic Center
American Committees on Foreign Relations
American Muslim Bar Association
American Muslim Voice Foundation
American Muslims for Palestine
Arizona Muslim Alliance
ASEF — Afghan Sustainable Economic Foundation
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
DigiCounsel
Free Uyghur Now
ICNA Council for Social Justice
Islamophobia Studies Center
Jetpac Resource Center
Kabul Underground
Mountain View Palo Alto Musalla
Muslim Alliance in North America
Muslim American Society (MAS)
Muslim Forum of the Pacific Northwest
Nordix Computer Corporation
Save Afghans from Hunger
Secure Justice
South Bay Islamic Association
Support Life Foundation
SympaTee
The Legacy Institute
The Mujadidi Foundation
Young Muslims
Zara Initiative
End Afghan Starvation Campaign is apolitical neutral humanitarian campaign of concerned Afghan diaspora living abroad in the United States, Europe, and across the globe. We are focused on alleviating the crisis in Afghanistan.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: #EndAfghanStarvation Campaign Executive Director Naser Shahalemi, 202-867-6110, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]