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Europe Trust
The Europe Trust is a Markfield, United Kingdom, based company and charity which was first registered as a charity with the U.K. Charity Commission as the European Trust under number 1054478 on 11 April 1996 and incorporated as a company named Europe Trust under number 04927787 at the Companies House on 9 October 2003. The European Trust was renamed and again registered as a charity bearing the name Europe Trust at the U.K. Charity Commission as a Registered UK Charity No: 1103290 under their new name on 20 April 2004.

Charitable Objectives are based on the Memorandum and Articles of Association Incorporated on 9 October 2003 and are described as:

1) The advancement of religion and in particular the Islamic Religion in Europe

2) The advancement of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare of deprived communities in Europe and elsewhere with the object of improving the conditions of the life of such communities

3) The promotion of any charitable purpose amongst Muslims in Europe and elsewhere and in particular the relief of poverty, the advancement of education and the relief and prevention of suffering caused by mental health, social and economic circumstances or by emotional, personal or family problems by the provision of a counselling service or other services as appropriate.

4) The establishment of religious, educational, social and recreational institutions by such means as are exclusively charitable provided that the objects shall be carried out and the powers conferred on the company shall be exercised in a manner beneficial to the public and recognized as charitable by the laws of England and Wales.

History
The Europe Trust was founded in the 1990s as the European Trust. On its own website the Europe Trust states that "it was established in 1994 and became a registered charity in January 1996". The Wall Street Joutnal writes that the European trust was created in 1996 to break the dependency of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE)on Gulf donors. The European Trust was founded to become de facto the fundraising arm of the FIOE.

According to the Wall Street Journal the then European Trust had directly subsidized projects of the FIOE, including three colleges and the local Islamic centers that constitute the FIOE. The article also quotes a version of a now defunct FIOE website which stated that the then European Trust "was established in order to support and promote our work by providing stable financial reserves."

In 2003 the European Trust as a charity was renamed to Europe Trust and listed as a company. In 2004 the Europe Trust was also listed with the U.K. Charity Commission as a charity.

Organisation
In its annual financial report for 2005 it was stated that the principal activity of the company "was that of to establish a portfolio of assets (awqaf) businesses and investments to generate resources to fund social and economic projects for communities in Europe."

On its own website it the Europe Trust states: “We are managed by a dynamic team accountable to the governance of an international Board of Trustees and have been successfully operating since 1994.” The Europe Trust has three staff members and multiple volunteers.

Dr Ahmed Kadhem al-Rawi serves currently as the chief executive of the Europe Trust. Before al-Rawi Abdel Karim Bensiali, "a professional charity manager". When Bensiali was the executive director of the Europe Trust he told the Wall Street Journal that he did not have full control over the Europe's Trust finances because then trustees Ahmed Kadhem al-Rawi and [|Ibrahim el-Zayat] "often take action without his knowledge."

List of Current Trustees
The current trustees of the Europe Trust are:

Mr Abdul Jabbar Koubaisy from Poland, born in 1965; Trustee since 10 November 2013

Dr Nabeel Siddiq Al Ramadhani from the United Kingdom, born in 1954; Trustee since 17 November 2012

Dr Ali Abushwaima from Italy, born in 1950; Trustee since 17 November 2012

Dr Fouad Alaoui Bouarraqui from France; born in 1961; Trustee since 8 May 2010

Mr Nurettin Gazi Misirli from Turkey; born in 1964; Trustee since 16 June 2006

Mr Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed from the United Kingdom; born in 1962; Trustee since 9 October 2003

Mr Riyadh al-Rawi, from the United Kingdom; born in 1970 is the current secretary

Dr Fouad Alaoui Bourraqui also known as Fouad Alaoui is serving as the chairman of the board of Trustees while former founding trustee Ahmed Kadhem al-Rawi serves as the executive director.

List of Former Trustees
A list of former Trustees is given on an online open data service providing corporate information for UK companies called Endole. According to Endole the former Trustees were:

Mr Khaled Ali Al-Mulla from Kuwait, born in 1968; Trustee from 14 April 2013 until 30 June 2015

Mr Rufat Sherifi, born in 1970; from Macedonia ; Trustee from 14 April 2013 until 9 November 2013

Dr Samir Alumran from Saudi Arabia, born in 1961; Trustee from 14 April 2013 until 30 June 2015

[|Dr Ayman Ahmed Aly], from Egypt ; born in 1966; Trustee from 14 April 2013 until 9 November 2013

Mr Saleh Bagalagel, from Saudi Arabia ; born in 1970; Trustee from 14 April 2013 until 30 June 2015

Mr Imad Al Naddaf Yalouk, from Spain, born in 1962; Trustee from 16 June 2006 until 6 September 2014

Mr Abdel Shaheed El-Ashhal, from the United Kingdom, born in 1949; Trustee from 14 January 2005 until 4 April 2011

Dr Nooh Edrees Al Kaddo, from the United Kingdom, born in 1953; Trustee from 14 January 2005 until 6 September 2014

Dr Ahmed Jaballah, from Tunisia, born in 1956; Trustee from 14 January 2005 until 11 April 2011

Mr Ibrahim El Zayat, from Germany, born in 1968; Trustee from 14 January 2005 until 6 September 2014

Abdullatif R A Al Hajeri, from Kuwait, born in 1959; Trustee from 14 January 2005 until 28 January 2008

Mr Ahmed Kadhem Al Rawi, from the United Kingdom, born in 1947; Trustee from 9 October 2003 until 3 January 2011

Connection with the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE)
The Europe Trust and its officials have claimed over the years that it is an independent organisation and that it is separate from the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe. There are serious doubts about these statements done by the Europe Trust leadership in major news outlets like the Wall Street Journal and The Times.

In 2005 Ahmed al-Rawi said in the Wall Street Journal that the Europe Trust, "is fully independent now" of the federation."

In a recent article in the London Times Ahmed al-Rawi said that the close links between FIOE and the Europe Trust was "a mistake."

The Times article said that "FIOE's website which previously declared the trust "was established in order to support and promote our work by providing stable fiancial resources."

In 2005 it came out that the Europe Trust has directly subsidized FIOE projects: "such as its three colleges and the local Islamic centers that constitute the federation. According to the trust's 2003 financial statements, the most recent available, most of its charitable giving went to students studying at the three Islamic teaching institutes.”

In the Financial Statements of the Europe Trust for 2005 and 2006 it is reported that: "The Europe Trust liaises very closely with the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE) and other charities and organisations with similar objects of community development in Europe." These financial statements were available on the site of the U.K. Charity Commission but are no longer available there.

In the Times an expert said that the "Europe Trust's links to FIOE were "extensive and undeniable." "Everything substantial that the trust funds is in some way tied to FIOE." Als according to the Times article "Dr al-Rawi has admitted that the FIOE has "a good close relationship" with the Brotherhood and is "interlinked with them with a common point of view."