War Profiteers… and Protecting Charitable Work
No two people disagree that wars are driven
by economic dominance and the seizure of
nations’ resources. There are no wars without weapons, no wars without food,
and no wars without preparations, stockpiles, equipment, transportation, camps,
shelters, clinics, media, supplies, and other things referred to as “logistical
services.” These in themselves have become a field of study in military
academies.
Merchants of War
And behind every service stands a merchant:
the arms dealer—whether public or secret, permitted or illicit—the food
traders, the contractors, the transport dealers, those trading in tents,
blankets, clothing, medicine, and all sorts of equipment and devices, among
other specializations.
Thus, wars and merchants are
inseparable—two entities that cannot be divided. Forget about the humanitarian
side of the matter, and whether it is acceptable or not. A war profiteer can
quietly make a billion dollars, donate a million to charity, and spend another
million on media coverage of his “generosity.”
The same applies to environmental
disasters—earthquakes, floods, fires, famines—whether genuine or fabricated.
These bring out the disaster profiteers, who are the very same war profiteers.
In all such cases, the ordinary human being
is the victim.
Meanwhile, humanitarian institutions around the world strive to preserve “humanity,” a
meaning that perishes with every bullet. These humanitarians risk their own
lives to save others, without regard for religion, ethnicity, or gender—for a
human is simply a human.
Fraud and Exploitation
Some war and disaster profiteers exploit the situation
by disregarding international standards for the goods they sell. For example,
they may sell expired food, donating half of it to create the illusion of
offering it at half price. Under the pressure of urgent need, lack of time, and
absence of oversight, these expired supplies end up being delivered to the
victims—the victims of war, and of profiteers!
Medical Deception and Organ
Trafficking
Among the strange practices of war
profiteers is medical fraud. Some humanitarian organizations sign agreements
with local hospitals to treat the wounded and sick for fixed amounts, but no
oversight ensures the accuracy or fairness of the treatment or costs.
Worse still, imagine a doctor telling an
injured person that the allocated amount is insufficient to treat his leg,
which requires long-term, costly care with little hope of recovery. The “best”
option, the doctor says, is amputation. The victim gives in, his leg is
amputated—but the tragedy does not end there. The amputated limb is sold to
organ traffickers! Then artificial limb traders profit by selling the man a
prosthetic leg.
Such are the war and disaster
profiteers—merciless, ruthless, and devoid of humanity.
And so that humanitarian organizations do
not stand in their way, some are eliminated from time to time, under
accusations of being gangs or terrorists. Highwaymen, too, thrive alongside
these profiteers.
The Need for Accountability
To protect victims from the criminals of
war and their profiteers, and to ensure accuracy in implementing charitable projects, there must be
performance measurement institutions to evaluate and monitor outcomes through
field specialists. These should be accredited by the United Nations, the Red
Crescent, and the Red Cross—or at the very least by the embassies of donor
countries.
One such institution that has taken the
lead in this work is “Scope for Auditing, Evaluation, and Development,” which
has established performance and direct monitoring standards under the “2B2”
system, signing contracts with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief
Center and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization.
Call for Action
It would be commendable if the Ministry of
Social Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and charitable associations
studied this idea. Just as they were keen on evaluating administration through
quality systems, they should be equally keen on evaluating implementation, to
protect charitable work from war profiteers.
I ask Allah to protect you, men and women
of charitable work, from all harm, and to bless your health, well-being,
wealth, and families.
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Source: Al-Anba
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