Was Cyclone Sidr as Bad as Hurricane Mitch?

To piggyback on the video message, here are some links to donations that will reach the devastated areas immeadiately:

Islamic relief: (They are good, and I personally recommend them)
https://www.irw.org/donate_now/

Bangladesh Red Crescent:
http://donate.ifrc.org/

The Hunger Project Bangladesh (I've worked for them in the past)
http://www.thp.org/cyclone/

I would be cautious about donating to Islamic Relief, a suspected terrorist front group. I would recommend AmeriCares, which has an outstanding track record as one of the best disaster relief organizations in the world.

Dear neuro conservative,
Islamic Relief is a mainstream aid organization with an excellent reputation, as noted by the fact that CNN recommended donating to them, not to mention Afreen here on this blog.

By critiquing Islamic Relief, and offering a supporting link to another blog which further links to a zionist website with a "page not found" message, you are perpetuating ignorant American views of anything Islamic. Please stop this and stick to what you know, not what you fear.

Seth, in your critique of Neuro-conservative's post, you imply that if a website is Zionist, it must be anti-Islamic and "ignorant."

I belong to the Association of Reform Zionists of America, and I see no contradiction between being pro-Israel and being wary of knee-jerk anti-Islamic views.

I am also not so naive as to take the word of a blog (no matter what its bias) without checking its claims. If Islamic Relief indeed supports Hamas, then Neuro's warning and suggestion of AmeriCares is appreciated.

Note that Neuro did not say we shouldn't send relief to an Islamic nation in desperate need. He just was saying that he was wary of one charity in particular.

It's always good practice to be alert to corruption or political motivation in any organization we donate to, don't you think?

Addendum to previous post.

A direct contribution to the Bangladesh Red Crescent, as Afreen suggests, seems sensible, because it is a Red Cross affiliate and it is right there. Neuro, do you agree with that?

Seth would be my incredible big brother. He knows what he's talking about having spent a good deal of time in Bangladesh, as well as being an educator working to improve the world through social justice. Afreen is an extraordinary young woman and long-time friend from Bangladesh. Because they both recommend these charities, I wholeheartedly endorse them as well.

Thank you Seth and Afreen for the referrals.

I recommend caution and research before donating to any charity. It is of course possible for a charitable organization to do good work on the ground and have questionable links to unsavory activities. In research I have done in prior emergencies (e.g., the tsunami and the Pakistani earthquake), I have uncovered only positive information about Americares, and I have added them to my list of regular contributions. I cannot say the same about IRW.

Fred -- I am not a big fan of the IRC, so I tend to avoid their affiliates. I don't doubt that the Bangladesh Red Crescent is knowledgeable about the area and its needs, but I don't know anything specific about their relative effectiveness. Effectiveness is a very important criterion for me in my charitable giving.

Seth -- I certainly will not "stop" posting links to websites that link to "zionist" websites, or even to "zionist" websites themselves! Your post has some unpleasant overtones, to put it mildly.

For your edification, here are some additional details on the IRW organizer with alleged ties to HAMAS.

Its a good point that the neuro-conservative makes about using caution and research for charity. One excellent way, which I use and recommend is to track how much relief or any other org spends on their program/relief effort versus on admin cost. You can use CharityNavigator to check that. I am pleased to report that both Islamic Relief and The Hunger Project tops in spending majority of their funds in direct programs. I am not so sure about Americares and I did not see their presence, especially at the grassroots nearly as much as other orgs in 'Desh. BTW, in case you are curious, BRAC has the strongest grassroots presence in the sense that you can find their centers in the most remote parts of the country)

Again, I only recommend based on what I know from working in 'Desh and also, I do not know of any Jewish organization active there for me to recommend.

Finally, let me remind us all that you don't have to use any charity at all to help; if humanity is the priority, the bottom line, and you have skills to offer (and I believe we all have something to offer as human beings), get involved personally - take direct action!

Thanks!

Thanks, Afreen, for your thoughtful posting and your suggestion of CharityNavigator.

I would add one thing. Any single statistic like that ratio can be misleading. The way Hamas gained power in the Palestinian territories (though currently restricted to Gaza for all practical purposes) was by doing badly needed community work while the Fatah government was mired in corruption.

If IRW contributes to Hamas' educational or health programs, it shows up as money spent on charity. That doesn't mean that Hamas is not a terrorist organization with the goal of wiping Israel from the map. Terrorists can do acts of lovingkindness up to the moment they throw that grenade, crash that explosives-laden car, or set off that suicide belt in a crowd.

You, Seth, and Sheril seem to be ignoring that fact of political life.

IRW may do good work, but since they also enhance Hamas' political strength, I think we need to be wary of them. There are plenty of alternative charities, many of them Muslim, without ties to terrorist organizations.

Even though I am Jewish, I wouldn't necessarily look for a Jewish organization to make donations like this. I'm sure there are some, but they are probably not as effective as the charities closer to the need.