| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Southeast Asia | |
| Indonesian Muslims outlaw suicide bombings | |
| 2003-12-17 | |
| Well, that's a good thing. We'll never see any more of them now... Indonesia's leading Islamic authority has passed a religious decree against suicide bombing. The Council of Indonesian Muslim Scholars has also made a series of distinctions excluding acts of terrorism from any definition of jihad. The Indonesian council of Ulemas, or religious teachers, ruled that suicide bombing was forbidden, falling outside any Koranic interpretation of martyrdom for a good cause. At the council meeting in Jakarta, significant time was spent discussing terrorist attacks, before a further decree was issued forbidding any destructive attacks that were randomly targeted and caused fear and terror. The Marriott Hotel bombing earlier this year and last year's Bali attacks were discussed during the debate. Suicide bombers are thought to have been involved in both of those attacks.
| |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #9 Sounds like it was written in Saudi Arabia for typical ass covering. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2003-12-17 12:10:47 PM |
| #8 "...is acceptable in a war zone...in a peace zone like Indonesia is forbidden," IIRC, anywhere under the rule Islam is considered "house of peace," while anywhere non-Islamic is considered the "house of war." So, suicide bombings are completely acceptable EXCEPT in an Islamic country. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2003-12-17 12:04:50 PM |
| #7 Here's the full quote: A senior Indonesian Muslim cleric said on Wednesday suicide bombings could be justified in a war zone but they were forbidden under Islamic law in Indonesia, which is at peace. A commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) ruled on Tuesday that recent suicide bombings by militants in the world's most populous Muslim country were not allowed. "A real struggle in which everything can be given including life for a greater cause is acceptable in a war zone," Ma'ruf Amin, the commission's chairman, told Reuters. The MUI is an umbrella group uniting Indonesia's many Islamic strains. "However, suicide bombing in a peace zone like Indonesia is forbidden," said the respected cleric from the 40-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organisation in Indonesia. Asked about claims of some of the Bali bombers in court that what they were doing was jihad, or holy struggle, Ma'ruf said: "That's what they say. However, clerics have an opposing view. The entire Indonesia is not a war zone, so it's forbidden." Asked about the suicide bombings carried out by Palestinian militants in Israel, Amin said: "It can be allowed if what they are doing is clearly part of a struggle for the freedom of their nation." In other words "Don't boom in my backyard, I might get jugged for it". |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-12-17 11:27:41 AM |
| #6 "Indonesia's leading Islamic authority has passed a religious decree against suicide bombing." From now on, youse jihadis need to make an honest effort to get yer a$$es out of the blast radius! I mean you, Mahmoud! |
| Posted by: BH 2003-12-17 11:02:25 AM |
| #5 dammit--megatuna--now all we get to do is timed carbombings and ieds |
| Posted by: son of tolui 2003-12-17 3:18:55 AM |
| #4 AREN'T, I saw it and still pressed the button. Got my food pellet, too! |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2003-12-17 12:33:27 AM |
| #3 I see the out - "randomly targeted." These bombings are random. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2003-12-17 12:32:36 AM |
| #2 here's the loophole "Indonesia's highest Islamic authority has issued an edict declaring terrorism and suicide bombings illegal under Muslim law - but saying jihad, or holy war, is a religious obligation if the faith is under attack." from AP report |
| Posted by: mhw 2003-12-17 12:21:12 AM |
| #1 it is sad that it took them this long it is sadder that no other 'high' councils have done so and that this counsel hasn't said that suicide bombers go to hell also, not knowing what the exact wording is in the council of Ulemas, they may have left a loophole that some suicide bombings are ok (say, if the victims are jews or some such thing). |
| Posted by: mhw 2003-12-17 12:09:07 AM |