The Muslim Council of Britain received news from the Charity Commission this morning stating that the funds of the British charity, Interpal, have now been unfrozen. The Charity Commission had originally frozen Interpal's funds on 26th August 2003 after US President Bush asked European governments to outlaw several charities that were known to be helping the suffering Palestinian people. In their letter to the MCB, the Charity Commission said that they had asked the US authorities to provide evidence of any alleged wrongdoing by Interpal, but none had been forthcoming.

"This case clearly shows that instead of taking action on the basis of mere allegations, it would have been better if the Charity Commission had first tried to obtain the necessary evidence before acting in a precipitate manner. Needless to say, both the Interpal charity and its many beneficiaries in Palestine have unnecessarily suffered because of this action," said Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

The MCB also believes that there is a need for greater coordination between charities and the Charity Commission so as to avoid any similar misunderstandings in future.

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