Under the watch of Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), Minnesota handed over more than $2 million to an Islamic organization raising funds for a charity connected to an al Qaeda-affiliated group, according to records reviewed by the Washington Examiner.

The Islamic Association of North America (IANA), which has received state grants from 2019 through 2024, is currently fundraising for Rahma Worldwide—a Michigan-based charity reportedly sending “humanitarian aid” to Gaza in the wake of Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel last year. A deleted Facebook post from October 2023 by Rahma Worldwide’s President, Shadi Zaza, confirmed the charity was collaborating on an aid effort with Kuwait’s Islamic Heritage Revival Society, a U.S.-sanctioned terrorist group for its support of al Qaeda.

This revelation comes as Governor Walz faces mounting criticism following Washington Examiner reports exposing his ties to controversial Muslim cleric Asad Zaman. Walz has consistently hosted Zaman, who has shown open support for neo-Nazis and defended the October 7th attacks on Israel. At a 2018 event hosted by the Zaman-led Muslim American Society of Minnesota, Walz even referred to Zaman as a “master teacher.”

Shotgun Pistol - No FFL Required, Shipped Directly To Your Home

Despite the clear connections, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign insists Walz has no personal relationship with Zaman. However, Harris and Walz officials have dodged requests for comments on the matter.

Terrorism analyst Sam Westrop from the Middle East Forum criticized the administration’s actions, stating, “Embracing and funding an imam that sympathizes with neo-Nazis was apparently only the start.”

Formed in 2001—the same year the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation was designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department—the IANA describes itself as a “nationwide umbrella organization with over 35 centers,” including more than a dozen in Minnesota. IANA claims to represent Muslim communities nationally and speak on behalf of its member organizations, including mosques that pay membership dues.

The Minnesota Health Department awarded over $238,600 to IANA in 2024 alone. In 2023, the agency granted them $191,900, following a million-dollar award in 2022 and over $612,200 from 2019 to 2021. These funds were supposedly for public health initiatives, including community vaccinations and outreach to the Somali community.

Yusuf Abdi Abdulle, IANA’s director, publicly stated on October 7th that “Palestine has the right to defend itself,” prompting Zaman to respond with an image of a Palestinian flag. On the same day, the Walz-backed IANA echoed a statement from its partner group accusing Israel of “unprovoked” attacks in Gaza, despite Hamas’s brutal killing of 1,200 Israelis.

IANA is also part of a coalition supporting convicted murderer Imam Jamil al Amin, according to a letter. The organization shares office space in Minneapolis with the Humanitarian African Relief Organization (HARO), previously led by Abdulle. In 2012, a HARO volunteer was sentenced to eight years in prison for aiding al Shabaab, an al Qaeda affiliate.

Rahma Worldwide, which benefits from IANA’s fundraising, has boasted of its involvement in a pro-Palestinian aid campaign alongside Kuwait’s Islamic Heritage Revival Society—a group sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2008 for supporting al Qaeda. According to a Washington Post report, this group is also involved in Hamas fundraising operations.

Last year, Rahma Worldwide hosted an event with Syrian cleric Mohamad Rateb al Nabulsi, known for his extremist views, including advocating for the killing of gay people on Hamas’s official network, al Aqsa TV. In 2021, Rahma Worldwide shared a Facebook post showing Zaza signing an agreement with Hamas-run health ministry officials in Gaza.

Abdulle and Zaza appeared together as speakers at a December fundraiser benefiting Rahma Worldwide, and Abdulle later promoted another Gaza fundraising event in Minneapolis featuring Zaza on January 1st.

Meanwhile, IANA’s former director, Sheikh Hassan Dhooye, congratulated Walz in an X post on August 6th, which included a photo of them together. Dhooye also congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Hamas ally, for his reelection. Dhooye was part of a delegation that met with Erdogan in 2020 and has been linked to terrorism financing and recruitment activities in the Somali community.

Congratulations to Tim Walz on becoming Vice President—wishing to see the great impact you'll make in this role! pic.twitter.com/iIUTMnkQsa

— Sheikh Hassan Dhooye (@dhooye) August 6, 2024

Dhooye, who goes by Hassan Mohamed Jama, remains active within the Walz administration-backed group. He attended a meeting with Abdulle and other Somali leaders in April and spoke at IANA’s annual convention last September. In May, he even led a prayer on behalf of IANA before the Minnesota legislature.

Terrorism analyst Westrop pointed out that Walz’s administration “seems determined to choose the worst possible partners at every turn,” highlighting the $2.1 million in grants awarded to IANA. He called it a “reprehensible use of Minnesota taxpayers’ money” and a “complete betrayal” of moderate Muslim and Somali activists fighting extremism in their communities.

The Minnesota Health Department and IANA have not responded to requests for comment.