Yle traces cash and foreign funding at two Finnish Islamic foundations

Two Islamic foundations in Finland have received substantial funding from abroad, much of it from Saudi Arabia, and their finances have drawn scrutiny from banks and authorities, Yle reported.

Aladin Maher, who chairs the Finland Islamic Centre Foundation and the Nordic Foundation, told Yle he estimates he has raised two to three million euros for them over several decades. Some donations came to Finland in cash, while others arrived by bank transfer. The money has been used, among other things, to buy religious literature and premises for religious activities.

Customs declarations reviewed by Yle show that Maher carried at least hundreds of thousands of euros in cash across EU borders over several years. The declarations described the money as donations to the foundations but did not specify its concrete source.

Finland’s Customs says that describing cash as a donation is sufficient information about its origin. The agency’s senior customs inspector, Heli Lampela, said carrying cash is legal and the law does not limit the amount that can be transported. Maher said he did not name donors because Customs had not asked him to.

The foundations’ bank closed their accounts, and other banks refused to open accounts for them. At times, their transactions were handled through a lawyer’s client account. The Licensing and Supervisory Authority said the lawyer had failed to meet obligations to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and considered the foundations’ transactions suspicious.

Finland’s Security Police prevented a key financier from entering the country after assessing that the person could pose a risk to national security. Yle reported that neither Maher nor the foundations are suspected of crimes.

The foundations and their activities

The Finland Islamic Centre Foundation was established in 1993 and has owned or owns premises and properties in Helsinki, Kuopio and Jyväskylä, as well as Islamic burial areas and a summer residence. The Nordic Foundation was established in 2006 and owns premises in Helsinki and Oulu.

Some of the foundations’ premises are used as prayer rooms. Others are rented to organisations, businesses and private individuals. Their stated activities include providing information and teaching about Islam, maintaining Muslim cemeteries, and helping immigrants and refugees.

Maher says the foundations also carry out charitable work. Authorities did not comment on individual cases. The National Bureau of Investigation’s Financial Intelligence Unit said in general that it considers complex and difficult-to-follow funding arrangements problematic.

Yle said it reported on the foundations because they have an important role in their community and have been funded largely by money from abroad whose precise origins are difficult to establish.