Rumsfeld: Those who fund families of suicide bombers are part of the terrorist problem

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld strongly condemned those who fund the families of suicide bombers. Those sharing his view say the funds give terrorists peace of mind knowing that after they commit a suicide attack, their family members will be supported financially.

“Terrorists have declared war on civilization, and states like Iran, Iraq and Syria are inspiring and financing a culture of political murder and suicide bombing,” Rumsfeld said.

The Bush Administration is attacking terrorist funding on both the foreign and the domestic fronts.

The Justice and Treasury departments are cracking down on US-based groups believed to finance Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and take care of suicide bombers’ families. Politically connected Islamic groups in Washington have condemned the Bush administration raids and have tried to undermine vital anti-terrorism legal tools the president is using to round up terror suspects.

“Not only are we attacking the enemies arrayed against us, but we’re going after the sources of their funding,” said Rumsfeld. Funding terrorism is “being a friend to terrorists, and by implication an adversary of the United States,” he said.

People who fund the families of suicide bombers, Rumsfeld noted, “are in fact contributing to the problem of terrorism.” He added that people “in this country” are part of the problem.