WE have noticed that several letters appearing in the press, particularly the Kaieteur News, attacking the leadership of the CIOG.

While we respect the right of every individual to express their opinion, we also urge that editors and publishers clarify from parties involved before publishing distorted items.

Since the first publication of those mischievous letters, we sought through the same publisher to respond with the truth, but were denied, since our side was never carried.

However, we shall be grateful to use your letters’ columns to address this very important matter.

“O you who believe, if a fasiq (evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done.” (49:6)
“O you who believe, avoid suspicion as much (as possible), for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and spy not on each other, nor speak ill of each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would abhor it – But fear God: for God of Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.” Holy Quran: Ch: 49 V12:

“Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger and backbiter.” Holy Quran: Ch: 104:1:

The Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG) wishes to respond to a letter carried in your newspaper of October 22nd 2012 under the caption, “The Muslim community has no intention of allowing these matters to be swept under the carpet”

The writer claims to represent the Muslim community, but fails to put his name to a letter he feels is so important to the interest he represents.

While we are reluctant to reply to letters from ghost and anonymous writers, we wish to use the opportunity to set the record straight for those who insist on propagating untruths, half-truth, and indulge in scare mongering of the Muslim community.

CIOG always prides itself on its openness, transparency and accountability to all stakeholders and Muslims worldwide. The Executive Members of the CEC are fully appraised at all times of the workings and decisions of the CIOG, and undertakes the execution of any decision made.
To this end, the CIOG has retained the services of independent auditors and a firm that carries out our forensic audit.

Any recommendations or changes to our system are approved by the Executives before being implemented.

As to “massive fraud” at CIOG, there was no massive fraud. An employee was found to have acted in a fraudulent manner in certain transactions. A CEC member and a leading chartered accountant were mandated to investigate the matter. They submitted to the CEC a written report of the employee’s actions, and reported a sum of under $1.3M misappropriated.

CIOG has recouped the said sum and suffered no loss, and the said employee has been dismissed.

We are unaware of any assets and property of the community that went missing, as indicated by the writer. The suggestion by the writer that other members of CIOG are involved and benefit from fraudulent actions is unfounded, mischievous, and solely intended to create disunity and plant the seed of suspicion on honest, hard working and God-fearing individuals.

In the past few weeks, CIOG was visited by several international donors, who examined our system of accounting, conducted their own assessments, and concluded with magnanimous compliments of the operations of the CIOG, our accountability to donors, and moreover the efficiency and dedication in carrying out the mandate of the Muslim community.
We wish to emphasize that all decisions by CIOG are always sanctioned and consented to by the Executives. Anyone claiming not to have been privy to certain decisions is therefore not a member of the Executive.

Had the letter writer been an Executive of the CEC, he would have been cognizant of the decisions taken to terminate the employment of certain employees.

The writer indicated that CIOG has terminated the services of certain employees. This is correct. Demands were made that the situation be corrected, but certain employees were reluctant to adhere to new rules, and chose not to be team players, as is required in our organization.

Accordingly, like any other employer, CIOG has the right to employ and dismiss staff in the interest of the furtherance of the organization.

As previously mentioned, CIOG has taken the unprecedented step to answer an anonymous writer who is pretending to be the mouthpiece of the Muslim community. However, this has given us the opportunity to address the misconceptions and untruths that are being peddled to the public, our donors and the Muslim Community.

It has become clear that those involved in this action are promoting their own agenda, and satisfying their own enlarged egos.

For the information of the public, up to this year, and many years before, an Imam who has great accounting knowledge had a lot to do with the accounts of the CIOG.

The management and every executive member of CIOG wish to reiterate our commitment that CIOG will continue, gain strength, and work to ensure that the services we provide — the assistance and help offered to the poor and downtrodden — and the Islamic principles we embrace will be sustained and preserved.

It is a difficult and tedious task to build an Organization such as CIOG, but for some, it is easy to subscribe to tearing it down and jeopardizing those we serve.

CIOG and its executives have never, and will not, subscribe to “sweep anything under the carpet”; and we trust those suggesting and involving themselves in such destructive actions and rumours are cognizant of the fact that Almighty Allah has full knowledge of all things, and His retribution is swift.