Missouri charity once aided children of Islamic `martyrs'

Missouri jihad. But of course, it wasn't really about suicide bombing. From Knight Ridder, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (KRT) - A religious charity based in Columbia, Mo., once supported the children of Islamic "martyrs" in Afghanistan, according to declassified documents released Tuesday.

A spokesman for the charity, the Islamic American Relief Agency-USA, cautioned, however, that "martyr" can have a much more benign interpretation than "suicide bomber."

"It's an all-encompassing concept," lawyer Shereef Akeel said. "It could mean struggling and dying while you're being faithful to your religion, such as someone who drowned while being a believer."

Then he should give evidence that they supported the families of drowning victims. The classification of suicide bombers as "martyrs" has become so ubiquitous in the Islamic world that Akeel's argument will only fool the credulous -- who, unfortunately, are not in short supply in this area.

In October, the charity, also known as IARA-USA, was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as a supporter of international terrorists, including Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. The documents released Tuesday were filed by government lawyers in Washington as part of a lawsuit in which IARA-USA is seeking to have its assets unfrozen.