September 26, 2005: Islamic charities are increasingly seen as the main source of support for Islamic terrorism. Not all Islamic charities do this, but these organizations always seem to be in the background, and connected to the culprits, as well as the money and other support. There's some irony to this, as Christian missionaries have long been the source of radical ideas in Third World countries. The Christian missionaries brought in medical care, education, and new ideas. Those last two items often led to problems with the local leadership. Moreover, the missionaries were generally incorruptible, in sharp contrast to the local authorities.

The Islamic charities are a somewhat different story. Their new ideas are a call for the return to ancient practices. Things like democracy and education for women are denounced as "un-Islamic." But the Moslem missionaries do perform good works, particularly when it comes to medical care and addressing economic and housing conditions. But there is a cost. The Moslem religious schools teach intolerance and praise the use of terror against non-Moslems (or even Moslems who disagree with the flavor of Islam favored by the missionaries.)

Until quite recently, police could not get too pushy looking into the activities of these Islamic charities. Doing God's work and all that. But since so many terrorist acts have been traced back to these charities, there is no longer any immunity from investigation, and prosecution. But the pro-terrorist charities are still difficult to shut down, and the terrorists will continue to use them. This is because many of the charities, and Islamic terrorism, both spring from the same conservative, and radical, Islamic thought.