Edible Arrangements CEO Supports Hamas-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
A viral email circling the Web alleges that the founders of Edible Arrangements use “tens of thousands of dollars” to finance the terrorist organization Hamas and other radical Muslim groups around the world.
The Truth:
There is no evidence that Edible Arrangements or its owners have supported Hamas or other terrorist organizations, according to a statement from the Anti-Defamation League.
The Anti-Defamation League, which has worked to prevent defamation of Jewish people for more than 100 years, said, “In fact, there is absolutely no truth to these unfounded assertions. While the Farid Foundation has provided funding to various organizations in the U.S. and abroad, there is no evidence to suggest that any of those funds have been used to support terrorism.”
The Tariq Farid Foundation and the Farid Foundation were established by Edible Arrangements CEO Tariq Farid with the stated purposes of fighting hunger, improving health care, providing job training and improving the lives of women and children around the world, according the non-profit group’s website.
Tariq Farid denied the eRumor’s allegations directly in a blog post in which he said, “One of the unfortunate side effects of our digital age is that unfounded and hateful allegations can easily be spread to the public, even years after they have been dismissed as untrue. I have experienced this first hand due to the recent reappearance of old rumors by extremist bloggers regarding charitable contributions made through our non-profit organizations to worthwhile causes…”
Fariq acknowledged that his foundation made a contribution to ICNA Relief USA, a New York-based subset of the Islamic Circle of North America, in 2011 to build housing for battered women.
The Fariq Foundation also supported the Inner City Muslim Action Network in Chicago in 2012. Fariq said the funds supported a festival that encouraged healthy youth eating habits.
“Even though both of these organizations and projects are supported by many well-known businesses and organizations, and both have been honored by the White House, for some reason our contributions have been singled out, and their purpose twisted by those would use them to spread their hate,” Fariq said.
Farid also provided a link to the causes that the foundations support.