Can charity and education programs inadvertently become tools for mobilization?
Humanitarian aid and educational initiatives are designed to uplift communities, yet they can sometimes be exploited and undermine societal resilience. Reports have highlighted instances where staff within organizations like UNRWA were found to have affiliations with Hamas, raising concerns about the potential misuse of such programs.
Shadows of Tehran the Book illustrates how, in a non-free society, resources and information can be strategically leveraged to influence behavior. This underscores the importance of vigilance in ensuring that well-intentioned programs do not inadvertently serve as tools for radicalization.
When Aid Becomes a Channel: Global Examples of Exploitation
These global examples highlight risks that can erode societal resilience if oversight and accountability are insufficient.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has faced allegations regarding staff affiliations with Hamas. A report by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General in April 2025 found evidence connecting three current or former UNRWA employees to the October 7 terror attacks and affiliating 14 other current or former UNRWA employees with Hamas.
Qur’an-burning events exploited assembly rules; counter-violence followed, and police were injured in several cities. Free expression remained protected, but public safety lines triggered targeted policing and later prosecutions.
Authorities banned Hamas activities nationwide and outlawed the group Samidoun after celebrations and incitement tied to terror—an example of drawing a bright line between lawful protest and support for proscribed violence.
An Israeli Defense Ministry report in April 2025 identified several UNRWA employees as Hamas operatives. The report included individuals such as Ibrahim Atiya Mohammad Abu Ghafra, a teacher, and Ali Isa Hamuda Matar, a platoon commander, both allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks.
Following allegations of Hamas affiliations among UNRWA staff, several countries, including the United States and Germany, suspended funding to the agency. A Reuters report from March 2024 noted that UNRWA had reported that some of its employees in Gaza, recently released from Israeli detention, claimed they were coerced by Israeli authorities into falsely stating UNRWA had links to Hamas and that their staff participated in the October 7 attacks on Israel.
Who Audits Where Mercy Ends and Mobilization Begins? Implications for Societal Resilience
Determining boundaries is critical for societal resilience. Oversight mechanisms often lag behind the innovative methods employed by organized groups to subtly spread ideology.
Societal resilience depends on accountability and rigorous auditing to ensure that assistance empowers rather than mobilizes.
Shadows of Tehran the Book highlights that individuals with dual identity, deep cultural understanding, firsthand experience growing up among extremist environments, and special operations or veteran expertise—like Nick Berg—are uniquely positioned to anticipate how programs might be co-opted and to identify who could be using them for unintended purposes.
How do societies maintain resilience while promoting humanitarian initiatives?
Maintaining resilience requires a delicate balance. Societies must ensure that aid and education programs achieve their goals without inadvertently strengthening destabilizing forces.
Lessons from veterans, civic activists, and reformers—both in the U.S. and as observed in Berg’s experiences—highlight the importance of integrating awareness, strategic planning, and critical oversight.
Structured monitoring, transparent reporting, and clear objectives are key components in preventing exploitation while preserving the humanitarian value of programs.
What lessons does Shadows of Tehran the Book offer about exploitation of programs?
Nick Berg’s experience during Iran’s revolutionary period offers unique insight. As a young rebel, he navigated an environment where people could be mobilized through resources, information, and carefully crafted narratives.
In Shadows of Tehran the Book (read the first chapters here), Berg emphasizes the human capacity for both resilience and manipulation.
Programs that appear benevolent can be co-opted to encourage extreme action, making early detection and strategic intervention crucial. Understanding human psychology, incentives, and societal dynamics is key to ensuring that aid and education serve their intended purpose.
How can individuals act responsibly?
Even if institutions implement oversight, individuals also play a critical role. Awareness of how messaging can be subtly amplified, critical evaluation of educational or charitable content, and principled engagement help prevent unintentional complicity in mobilization.
Inspired by veterans and reformers like Berg, citizens can cultivate moral courage, carefully navigating between promoting aid and inadvertently enabling exploitation.
Shadows of Tehran the Book provides firsthand insight into the discipline and strategy required to confront such challenges effectively.
Why is this discussion vital for modern societies?
Humanitarian programs are a cornerstone of global goodwill, yet they exist in a complex information ecosystem.
The risk of exploitation underscores the need for societal resilience: the ability to absorb, analyze, and respond to threats without sacrificing core values.
Just as Berg had to anticipate manipulation and act strategically in Iran, modern societies must implement oversight, cultivate awareness, and encourage critical thinking.
The tension between mercy and mobilization is not theoretical; it is a practical challenge with real-world consequences for national security, cultural cohesion, and the integrity of aid programs.
