Those killed in the 2002 Bali bombings had been destined to die by God, radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said today. The families they have left behind should now convert to Islam, he said.Conversion would give the bereaved relatives "salvation and peace". "For the Bali bomb families, those who are non-Muslims, my suggestion is just convert to Islam so they can be saved and find some peace from Allah," he said at his home inside his Ngruki Islamic boarding school near the city of Solo in Central Java.
Bashir was released from a Jakarta jail yesterday after serving 25 months for his association with the 2002 Bali bomb blasts, that killed 202 people among them 88 Australians. But he denies any involvement in terrorism or allegations that he is the spiritual head of militant group Jemaah Islamiah.
He said the families of the dead should understand that they were killed by bombs, not bombers, and that it was "God's will".
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Today in Canberra, Mr Howard told Parliament he had written to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono insisting that authorities closely monitor Bashir and abide by obligations resulting from the United Nations declaring the cleric a terrorist. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also asked the UN's World Food Program not to channel food aid for Indonesian earthquake victims through an Islamic group co-founded by Bashir.
In reaction, Bashir said: "I hope Australia will not interfere with Indonesia's internal matters."
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In Jakarta, Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said authorities could not arrest Bashir for "his thinking and opinions", but said they would act if he broke the law.