Iran's Alavi Foundation is still open

By Rachel Ehrenfeld

On May 6, 2009, the president of the Alavi Foundation, Farshid Jahedi, was indicted at the Southern District of New York, "for allegedly destroying documents subpoenaed by a grand jury investigating the Alavi Foundation’s relationship with Bank Melli Iran and the ownership of a Manhattan office building." Yet,  this important indictment recived very little attention in the media.

The Alavi Foundation was established in 1973 by the Shah of Iran as the Pahlavi Foundation, "to pursue Iran's charitable interests in the United States." It was renamed the Mostazafan Foundation in 1981 by the Ayatollah Khomeini and renamed again in 1992 as the Alavi Foundation. 

As early as 1979, the foundation and its partner Bank Melli were recognized as procurement fronts for Iran's nuclear weapons program. Twenty years later, the U.S. government recognized Bank Melli as a vehicle controlled by the Iranian Government. The bank was finally designated a terrorist entity on Oct. 25,2007. What took so long? The Alavi Foundation's Web site states that its mission is promoting and supporting Shiite educational, religious and cultural programs: in essence, delivering the mullahs' message to America. The foundation also owns and funds several mosques and educational centers in New York, Maryland, Texas and California. 

 "Jahedi is charged in the indictment with two felony offenses. Count one charges Jahedi with destroying a document, with the intent to impair that document’s availability for use in an official proceeding, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Count two charges Jahedi with obstruction of justice, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison." 

Last January,  in two separate federal lawsuits in NYC, nine people "demand a total of $59.5 million from the Alavi Foundation, to satisfy judgments against Iran for a Sept. 4, 1997 Hamas suicide bombing in a Jerusalem mall." 

Despite all this, and the well documented anti- American, espionage and terror financing activities of the foundation,  it remains open. Why? 

Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, director of American Center for Democracy (ACD) and author of Funding Evil; How Terrorism is Financed - and How to Stop It. 

Comments

[Gaby Bar Giora]

Despite all this, and the well documented anti- American, espionage and terror financing activities of the foundation, it remains open. Why?
Don't you know why ?
This is the price we all pay for democracy, all over the world whereever we persue DEmocracy, freedom etc'

[PabloSchwartz]

A further manifestation of the Wahhabist victory on 9/11 is the takeover of the U.S. Justice Department by the House of Saud. While Saudi suicide bombers decimate Shia marketplaces in Iraq, federal agents ("just following orders") shut down the the main Shia foundation operating in the United States. This last act strengthens the House of Saud's hand as they continue their worldwide, multi-billion dollar takeover of Islam. A sad day indeed.

[Ben]

The U.S. government is to scared to make the necessary moves against this organization. They seized the skyscraper on 5th avenue but did nothing to the mosques or Islamic centers that were housed on property owned by the Alavi foundation. I am not calling for the government to shut down these institutions (there is no chance they would take such bold steps against religious institutions) but they should take a careful look at the Imam of Imam Ali mosque and the courses being taught at the connected Razi School. It is very possible the government of Iran has had a say in the sermons at the mosque and the cirriculum at the school.