Muslims wary of charitable giving

DETROIT, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. investigations of Muslim charities have made some South Asian-Americans in the Detroit area wary of contributing for flood relief.

Heavy monsoon rains have caused massive flooding in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Hundreds of people have been killed and millions driven out of their homes.

"People are concerned about doing fundraising and relief work amid some of these statements that, for example, contributing to orphans is used as a euphemism for supporting terrorists," Dawud Walid, director of the Council on American Islamic Relations-Michigan, told the Detroit Free Press.

Federal investigators have raided at least three local non-profit organizations in the past year, although giving to all three remains legal. Ali Hyder, a physicist and member of the Bangladeshi American Public Affairs Committee, said he knows of people questioned because they were sending money to their families.

"We are aware that we need to be more careful," Hyder said.