These are difficult times for Islamic organizations: unaware assume the worst about groups.

At a time when so many charitable organizations have rallied to help the victims of the September 11 attacks, many others are in something of a holding pattern, unable to provide aid to the victims they are chartered to help -- the Afghan people.

Charged with providing humanitarian

aid in underdeveloped countries with significant Muslim populations, these nonprofits, such as Islamic Relief Worldwide, the Global Relief Fund, Holy Land Foundation and Benevolence International Foundation in Worth, Ill., to name a few of the largest, face a multitude of operational challenges in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks.

Among those challenges are closed borders and military action preventing them from even entering Afghanistan; a misdirected backlash that has cost nonprofits money and forced them to scramble to counter broad allegations; and a subsequent attempt to keep a low profile that will likely hamper their ability to raise funds.

Islamic Relief Worldwide, based in London but with offices in Los Angeles, was forced to pull out of Afghanistan and indefinitely postpone a "food for work" program that would have provided education and food for 50,000 people, according to international development coordinator Anwar Khan. The program taught Afghans how to rebuild the karezes, or ancient irrigation systems, that are not functioning properly after years of war and general deteroration. The organization already distributed food for 7,000 people who were willing to work to rebuild the karezes, and an agreement with the United Nations was set to increase that number by another 50,000, beginning in September. "We're not going to feed those kids now," Khan said. They will instead focus on the Afghan refugees in Pakistan, where they have a new office. "We'll do whatever we can there. But, if we could do more in Afghanistan we could prevent some of them from becoming refugees."

Global Relief Foundation of Bridgeview, Ill., which operates in 20 countries and has worked in Afghanistan for seven years, has also been sidelined during the crisis, and stands at the ready to help deliver food as soon as Afghan borders open up. Global Relief has the dubious distinction of being licensed by the Taliban to deliver aid throughout the country. "It's not something charities apply for; it's something the Taliban just announces," said Global Relief's spokesperson Asim Ghafoor. "Frankly, we're not all that psyched about being sanctioned by the Taliban, although it does mean that we may have greater access to the most remote regions than some other organizations will have."

Smaller organizations, like the fledgling Afghanistan Network Foundation based in Toronto, have altered course somewhat. The Afghanistan Network put aside its goal of building schools and training teachers and will likely contribute the $15,000 it's raised to a larger organization, such as the Red Cross or CARE, better prepared to operate during a crisis.

Besides, the Afghanistan Network, which began as a Web site designed to disseminate news and other educational material relating to the country and its people, has had some other concerns to tackle immediately. Its site was hacked into on September 12, and was down for five days. Founder and president Walid Sharif estimated that the vandalism cost roughly $1,000. The money to get the site up and operational again came from his own pocket; although the site's absence cost the foundation in sales from its Web book store, and limited the amount of donations it could take.

Holy Land Foundation's Web site is a testament to the miscommunication Islamic organizations have faced since the attacks. The first page of the site consists of a string of retractions news organizations have been forced to make after incorrectly maligning the foundation. Good Morning America on ABC network television and The Wall Street Journal are among the listed offenders. "There's been an incredible rush to judgement from the media," complained Dalal Mohamed, the foundation's emergency relief director. Holy Land was forced to send out a letter to reassure donors that it is not linked in any way to Osama bin Laden or involved with any nefarious political groups. "We wanted to let our donors know that we're still here, and still strong," Ms. Mohamed said. "We had to figure out what to do as Americans."

The Richardson, Texas-based Holy Land Foundation -- the largest Muslim charity in the United States -- didn't even have operations in Afghanistan until late October, initiated after a multitude of telephone inquiries and 22 unsolicited checks. The foundation will likely work with the United Nations in a food distribution program, and has set aside $100,000 (25 percent) of its emergency relief fund for use in food delivery to the Afghan people. In addition, the foundation also matched the $10,000 it received from donors and contributed a total of $20,000 to the Red Cross's fund for victims of the World Trade Center attacks.

In spite of seemingly robust donor support, Holy Land, like every other Islamic charity The NonProfit Times contacted, expects to see a shortfall in overall donations this year. Many other organizations have kept a low profile, fearing reprisals from outside their community, a strategy bound to have a significant effect on donations.

Nearly all of the charities have received a variety of threatening letters, telephone calls and the like. But keeping a low profile this time of year can prove exceedingly costly, since Muslim charities generate the bulk of their donations in the fall, just before or during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins in mid-November this year.

"It's hard for any Muslim organization to raise money now," said Islamic Relief's Khan. "We're all going to take a hit."

Charities that rely on fundraising dinners, rather than direct mail campaigns, Khan said, are particularly vulnerable, since those events can't be held during Ramadan. "Organizations are canceling events that could bring in $200,000 to $300,000," he added. "People are worried about advertising an Islamic event."

Islamic Relief, however, hasn't cancelled any of its events,. Khan said, although it may hold slightly fewer than the 20 it had planned. The organization had already held 12 events before September, and raised more than $200,000.

Even direct mail campaigns, which will continue through Ramadan, have been affected. Global Relief, for instance, delayed its most recent mailing three weeks. "We were trying to get the message just right," Mr. Ghafoor said. The organization will send out 50,000 more letters than the typical 250,000, but still expects the campaign will return less than hoped as a result of the current situation. "It's a noticeable, dramatic bit," he said. "There's a stigma to contributing to Islamic organizations. The news has had a real chilling effect."

Beverly Goodman is a freelance writer who has worked for Money and Red Herring magazines.