Marika Sboros: A very dark side to Sooliman’s Gift of the Givers - Biznews

Gift of the Givers (GOTG) and its founder, Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, face scrutiny over alleged links to Iran’s strategy of proxy warfare against Israel. Critics question GOTG’s finances and Sooliman’s controversial statements at anti-Israel rallies, where he openly supports lawfare against Israel. Despite GOTG’s global humanitarian acclaim, accusations of enabling militant agendas have sparked international debate, challenging its reputation and South Africa’s alignment with Iran’s geopolitical aims.

Marika Sboros

Is a much-beloved, global, South African charity another cog in the wheel of Iran’s “slow-boil” international strategy to destroy Israel through its use of proxies?

Has South Africa played a consciously key role in that strategy by supporting the charity and the “lawfare” ambitions of Hamas, the Iran-backed proxy perpetrator of the deadly terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023?

These questions are being asked of Gift of the Givers (GOTG) charity and founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman. Questions are also being asked about paper trails. Who funds GOGT? Where do the millions of dollars he raises internationally annually go? Why doesn’t he publish audited annual financial statements?

Sooliman, a medical doctor, is unrepentant. He denies any wrongdoing and calls upon critics to provide “irrefutable proof” of terror funding or to shut up.

Anti-Israel rallies
He doesn’t help with controversial public statements at anti-Israel rallies in Cape Town marking the first-year anniversary of the October 7 attack.

Sooliman memorably declared that he follows Koranic law only, “not international law or any human law” and that “Allah himself” has instructed him. He admitted to breaking the (human) law “all the time” – and that he knows “how to move cash”. Despite his rejection of international law, he lobbied support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Still, Sooliman is revered as the recipient of awards and honorary doctorates for “leadership in global philanthropy and disaster relief operations”. Even his critics acknowledge GOGT’s humanitarian work.

According to its website, GOGT has provided “over R6 billion in aid across 47 countries” in its 32-year history. Its primary focus includes “disaster response, hunger alleviation, water provision, healthcare, education and human development”, with delivery of life-saving goods and support.

Two faces
The problem is Sooliman’s two different faces.

Foremost is his humanitarian, philanthropist face. Helping him on that laudable path is the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) that invited Sooliman in February to give its prestigious annual memorial lecture in Johannesburg on 14 November, 2024.

That choice elicited visceral global reactions. Some say it conflicts with the HSF’s stated promotion of social justice and the rule of law underpinning it. They say it betrays the late Suzman’s legacy as one of SA’s most prominent human-rights, anti-apartheid activists.

Sooliman went public at a rally in Cape Town on 5 October, sounding at times more jihadi than humanitarian. He was on stage in front of pictures of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, with protesters carrying posters glorifying October 7 and declaring, “We are all Hamas”.  

He repeated antisemitic tropes about Israel and “Zionists” (anti-Israel lobbyists’ code for Jews) who “run the world with fear … and control the world with money”. 

The HSF soon faced clarion calls globally to retract its invitation to Sooliman. It did some soul-searching in response but not much.

Disingenuous
Its brief, disingenuous public statement on 27 October, 2024, signed by executive director, Naseema Fakir, and chairperson, Kalim Rajab, reiterated its commitment to freedom of speech and said it would host its annual memorial lecture “as planned”.

That decision is problematic since objections to Sooliman are not primarily a freedom of speech issue. It also ignores elephants in the room.

One is the litany of GOTG’s activities in Gaza over more than a decade framed as “humanitarian assistance”. Direct proof is lacking but there’s circumstantial evidence of overlap, by default or design, between GOTG’s humanitarian efforts and political agendas supporting violence against Israel and Jews globally. 

Iran’s “slow-boil” strategy to destroy Israel through proxy groups is another elephant and also not new. Since the 1979 revolution, Iranian leaders have openly expressed desire to eliminate Israel, labelling it a “cancerous tumour“.

Iran’s strategy involves proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis to avoid direct confrontation while still exerting significant influence in regional conflicts, say military analysts. It strategically positions proxies to launch daily rocket and other attacks against Israel, thereby creating persistent states of tension and violence without placing Iranian forces directly in harm’s way.

Iran’s broader strategy involves exploiting civilian Palestinian suffering for political gain. By focusing on civilian casualties in Gaza while ignoring the context of Hamas’s military strategies (such as using human shields), Iran, Sooliman and GOTG contribute to dangerously skewed global narratives vilifying Israel.

Idiosyncratic
Evidence is legion that Hamas tactically uses civilians as “human shields”, placing women, children and babies in harm’s way during conflicts. Hamas leaders have publicly called for “more blood of women and children” as martyrs to awaken the group’s “revolutionary spirit”.

The group has deliberately placed its military infrastructure and bases near civilian areas, in mosques, schools and hospitals, including those receiving GOGT’s “humanitarian” aid. Its members don’t always wear uniforms and deliberately hide among civilians.

That gives GOGT wriggle room to claim difficulty in distinguishing aid for civilians or terrorists.

It works tactically to keep casualties figures high and complicate Israeli military responses, say analysts. It carefully portrays Israel as the aggressor in international narratives and contributes to violence against Jews globally, with others in firing lines as collateral damage.

By turning a blind eye to what Hamas gets up to in Gaza, Sooliman and GOGTalign “humanitarian aid” to civilians with Iran’s “slow-boil” strategy to foster global sympathy for Palestinians against Israel. They risk being seen as complicit, wittingly or unwittingly, in manipulating public perception and legal frameworks against Israel through “lawfare”.

Lawfare is defined as the strategic use of legal systems and principles to achieve military or political objectives. In the context of Middle East conflict, lawfare often focuses on civilian casualties and human rights violations to frame an adversary as an aggressor, thereby gaining leverage in diplomatic and media narratives.

Own worst enemy
Sooliman is arguably his own worst enemy by fraternising publicly with leaders of Hamas and other groups proscribed as terrorist organisations in many countries. These include the Muslim Brotherhood and its Al-Quds Foundation offshoot that have known links with Hamas.

Sooliman started a South African branch of the foundation in 1991, before handing it over to start GOGTin 1992. The Al Quds Foundation’s reputation is sufficiently checkered to give potential and current GOTG donors pause for thought.

German authorities closed it down in 2002. The US banned it outright by executive order in 2003 as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity”, describing the foundation as “a critical part of Hamas’ transnational terrorist support infrastructure”. The UK, the EU, German, Australia, and the UAE have similarly banned the foundation. These actions were based on evidence that the Al-Aqsa Foundation was funnelling money collected for charitable purposes to Hamas.

Sooliman doesn’t help himself with deafening silence over the fate of 101 hostages lingering under conditions best described as hellish in captivity in Gaza more than a year since 7 October. Among the hostages are women, children, a baby, and the elderly; more than half are already presumed dead.

Yet he involved himself and GOGT in negotiations to secure the release of South African hostages during a terrorist attack in Yemen in 2013. A media report thereafter called GOGT a charity that “gives food and frees hostages”.

Where does South Africa fit in?
Where does South Africa fit in? Easily, like the proverbial velvet glove, with heavy investment in public support for Sooliman, including from the Department of International Relations and Co-Operation, and millions in funding to GOTGfrom key organisations and individuals.

South Africa is increasingly aligned with Iran’s strategic objectives, providing support for Hamas’s lawfare efforts internationally. It is increasingly a platform for pro-Hamas activism, as large rallies celebrating violence and calling for more against Israel and Jews show.

The growing entanglement with Iranian interests reflects a broader trend within SA’s political landscape. It makes the country and the world more dangerous places for Jews.

It leaves Sooliman with a reputation as a “Jihadist Islamist fist in a humanitarian glove”, as one critic put it.

Marika Sboros is a freelance journalist, editor and published author of non-fiction books, who divides her time between SA and the UK. She started her career as a hard-news reporter on the Rand Daily Mail. Sboros has written full-time on health, medicine and lifestyle for The Star and Business Day. She has a special interest in politics and religion

https://www.biznews.com/global-citizen/2024/11/24/marika-sboros-soolimans-gift-givers

This article was first published on the Daily Friend.