Search warrants executed on the HLF offices in 2001 revealed a large amount of evidence.  One of the documents seized was labeled "HLF Fatwa" and served as a religious decree, backed by infamous Muslim Brotherhood leader Yousef Al Qaradawi, authorizing the payment of Zakat (charity) to entities in the West like the HLF.  The Fatwa noted "Jihad with arms to fight the enemies" was the most important aspect of the work, but that giving money to organizations in the West who worked toward the overall goal, was likewise important. It authorized people to pay their Zakat (charity) to certain "Islamic societies in the west because they aspire to erase Kufr (non-believer) regimes and replace them with an Islamic State.