The

Turkish-German Turks in Germany, also referred to as German Turks and Turkish Germans ( or ''Deutschtürken''; , also known as ''Gurbetçiler'' or ''Almancılar''), are ethnic Turkish people living in Germany. These terms are also used to refer to German-born ...

association Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e.V. (IHH e.V.) ("International Humanitarian Aid Organization – registered association") or IHH Germany, was a registered association based in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

with branches in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. In July 2010,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

outlawed the Internationale Humanitaere Hilfsorganisation (IHH), saying it has used donations to support projects in Gaza that are related to

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

, which is considered by the European Union to be a terrorist organization,Germany bans group accused of Hamas links, Ynet 07.12.10
/ref> while presenting their activities to donors as humanitarian help. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said, "

Donations A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...

to so-called social welfare groups belonging to Hamas, such as the millions given by IHH, actually support the terror organization Hamas as a whole."Germany outlaws IHH over claimed Hamas links, Haaretz 12.07.10
/ref> IHH e.V. was believed by the German Authorities to have collected money in mosques and to have sent $8.3 million to organizations related to Hamas.Germany IHH e.V. ban shameful, illegal, says group leader. Today's Zaman, Jul 14, 201

/ref> The main figures in IHH Germany are also active in the Islamic group Millî Görüş, which has been under observation by German authorities.Germany bans group accused of financing Hamas; donations collected by Milli Gorus, By Verena Schmitt-Roschmann (CP

/ref> According to the website of IHH Germany (now inaccessible), the association was founded in 1998, with the name ''Initiative Humanitäre Hilfe'' (Initiative Humanitarian Aid). Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu criticized Germany for banning IHH Germany while remaining silent on the Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK in Germany, which has been designated as a terrorist organization according to German court rulings. The Dutch government froze the bank assets of the Dutch branch (''Internationale Humanitaire Hulporganisatie'') in April 2011, stating that research by the Dutch intelligence service had shown it had transferred millions of euros to IHH Germany.

Relationship with IHH Turkey

According to German authorities, IHH Germany and IHH Turkey share the same roots, originally being one organization founded in 1992 in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

, Germany, that split in 1997; the Turkish IHH has said in response that it is not "in any way related" to IHH Germany, and stated that the German IHH was founded by "a completely different group of people" having no association with the Turkish IHH.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Internationale Humanitare Hilfsorganisation e.V. Charities based in Germany Islamic organisations based in Germany Hamas Turkish diaspora in Germany Organizations established in 1998 Non-profit organisations based in Hesse

Relationship with IHH Turkey

See also

References