Government Money For Your Masjid
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), founded in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, has a wide range of nonprofit organization grant programs. One of these programs is presently going through an application cycle; the deadline is May 14, 2021.
Many Muslim organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Organizations, have historically distinguished this program from the widely discredited "Countering Violent Extremism" (CVE) programs. One of the primary reasons for this is that the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) did not seem to single out or target the Muslim community. Indeed, much of the funding from this grant program went to Jewish and Christian organizations. The primary purpose was to “enhance security” for community organizations, and think about things like surveillance cameras, consultants for live shooter drills, and concrete barriers. The DHS outlines its priorities in a manual published here:
Last year, CAIR advised that they were issuing a "cautionary guidance" because DHS made to the program. CAIR has not addressed the issue this year (at least not yet), and the advent of a new administration that is perceived as being friendly to Muslims may cause additional interest in this program. Making the situation even more confusing for Muslim nonprofit leaders, the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) signed a letter asking for Congress to dramatically increase funding for this program, endorsing it as somehow enhancing religious liberty.
I appreciate that COVID has financially hurt nonprofits, and that the funds could be helpful. However, Muslim nonprofits should stay far away from the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and remain cautious of any program associated with the Department of Homeland Security or any other security-focused grant. Without question, nonprofit organizations, including masajid, have real security needs. However, the compromises Muslim leaders will need to secure these funds are too significant and are likely to hurt the Muslim community's most vulnerable members.
DHS's Goals in the Program
While it is undoubtedly true that the federal government would like to prevent attacks against religious institutions, the goal is to do more than merely give organizations money to buy equipment to do this.
In the grant manual, which you can read here, the Department of Homeland Security emphasizes: "DHS is focused on the criticality of information sharing and collaboration." It continues, "DHS will be focused on forging partnerships to strengthen information sharing and collaboration and looking for recipients to remove barriers to communication and cooperation with DHS and other federal agencies."
What we see with CVE is a widespread effort to deputize Muslim leaders and institutions in the work of counterterrorism. Fortunately, CVE is mostly dead as an idea within the Muslim community in the United States. The notion of recruiting Muslim leaders into being the eyes and ears of law enforcement and intelligence agencies continues to live.
Last year, CAIR's cautionary guidance (which remains relevant today) stated the following:
In short, this grant program could be used to enlist civil society organizations in activity that should remain in the purview of law enforcement. In doing so it draws upon language and operations reminiscent of problematic issues such as: predictive policing practices, countering violent extremism frameworks, and anti-sanctuary policies.
The Goals of Muslim Organizations
If you run a Muslim organization, particularly a place of worship, your goals are hopefully to serve the community. You want to work in a matter that is pleasing to Allah. Your goal should not be to function as an adjunct to the national security state, participate in predictive policing through data analysis, or anything else that causes real harm to individuals who attend the masjid or use your services.
Muslim organizations should look for more than mere money. They should look for funding sources that align with our principles. And in the case of DHS funding like the NSGP , there is simply no alignment at all. As we know from the Quran:
O believers! Avoid many suspicions, for indeed, some suspicions are sinful. And do not spy, nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of their dead brother? You would despise that! And fear Allah. Surely Allah is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.
While raising money from individual donors who share your goals and values may be more work than applying for a federal government grant, Muslim nonprofits must stay away from the DHS Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
Before you go
I have a new article in the Islamic Horizons Print version on Muslims and the 2020 elections and how unscrupulous groups took advantage of us. You can see a link here (my article on page 30).