November 16, 2001	Friday	Shaba'an 29, 1422

RIYADH, Nov 15: A Saudi-based Muslim charity said on Thursday it planned to sue several Western newspapers for publishing reports linking the organisation with terrorism.

Adnan Khalil Basha, head of the Jeddah-based International Islamic Relief Organisation (IIRO), said he was consulting lawyers on legal action against newspapers which had not published an IIRO reply to allegations they had made.

“Our credibility is in doubt. Some newspapers have made allegations that we have some links with terrorism — we have to do something about it. We have to clear our name,” he said.

“I think if they have some information they should see our reply before they publish anything. If they refuse then I think they have some hostile stand against us,” he added.

Basha declined to name the newspapers, but said they included publications in the United States, the Netherlands and India.

Saudi Arabia’s English-language daily Arab News said on Thursday the newspapers included the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been alarmed by a spate of scathing Western media reports — mainly in the United States — alleging that they are not fully cooperating with what Washington calls a global war on terrorism following the September 11 attacks on US cities.

Some Islamic banks and charities have been named on US Treasury lists of groups and people suspected of links to Osama bin Laden.

Washington has asked countries around the world to freeze any of their assets that they find.

The IIRO is not on those lists, but some Western newspaper reports have linked the IIRO to Osama bin Laden’s activities in Tanzania and the Philippines and its office in Albania was raided by local authorities who removed documents and equipment.

Al Barakaat, a financial institution based in the United Arab Emirates, has said it will take legal action against US authorities for including it on the lists while a Jeddah-based businessman, Yassin al-Qadi, has filed a similar case against the UK Treasury in Britain’s High Court.

The IIRO is launching a new charity drive in more than 50 countries to raise money during Ramazan.

Last year it spent 121.23 million riyals ($32.3 million) on health care, relief assistance and social projects in 51 states.—Reuters