Those Lazy, Hazy, Miserly Days of Ramadan Summer

The Washington Post reports that Islamic charities are having a harder time getting the faithful to cough up the coin during this year's Ramadan (the month-long holiday being the best time to catch 'em in a giving mood, apparently):

...Anwar Khan, vice president for Islamic Relief USA, one of the country's largest Muslim aid organizations, said his team is doing double the amount of solicitations to try and make the same amount of money.

"No one wants to talk while they're fasting, and they are tired by the end of the day," said Khan, whose group raises 40 percent of their annual revenue during Ramadan. He said the percentage is more like double that for most smaller Muslim organizations that don't have the staff - like Islamic Relief does - to fundraise all year long.

Many people are on vacation, out of the country - these are other drawbacks to fundraising season coming in late summer. Based on the lunar calendar, Ramadan moves about 11 or so days earlier each year.

Despite the recession and having to work twice as hard for the same results, Khan said donations to Islamic Relief are actually up since 2008.

Last year, he said, they raised $35 million cash and over $100 million in in-kind donations. Since 1993 donations have gone up each year.

Two causes for the jump in the past year from $25 million to $35 million, he said, are Gaza and Haiti.


Most of the aid group's money goes overseas, but he said about $1.5 million is spent to help the needy in the United States...

Remarkable--all those shekels for Gaza and still the people suffer. You don't think the funds could be falling into the wrong hands (if you know what I mean) instead of going to help feed the "starving," do you?

Update: Maybe old Anwar can hit up these blokes for some money.