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Southeast Asia
Methods, not aims, of Bali bombers wrong -Bashir
2008-01-15
Three militants who could be executed for the 2002 Bali bombings within weeks acted in good faith to defend Islam, but were wrong to indiscriminately target civilians, evil controversial Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said.

The three -- Imam Samudra, Mukhlas and Amrozi, who was dubbed "the smiling bomber" because of his constant grin at his trial -- have run out of legal avenues for appeal but could still seek presidential clemency, an option they have already ruled out. They were sentenced to death for their role in two nightclub blasts on Bali's Kuta strip on Oct 12, 2002, in which 202 people died, most of them foreign tourists. "Their intention is good; to defend fellow Muslims who have been terrorised by America and its allies. They didn't seek popularity, they didn't seek worldly possessions, they didn't seek any position. All they looked for was Allah's favour," Bashir told Reuters in an interview at his house in the central Java city of Solo on Monday evening.
Allan favors those who kill innocents.
Bashir, accused by some foreign governments of once heading the regional militant network Jemaah Islamiah (JI), said the militants had not discussed with him any bombing plans and he could have dissuaded them had they done so. "I'm fighting America too, but by means of preaching. I don't agree with using bombs in a peaceful zone," said Bashir, dressed in white Muslim garb.
"Besides, it's dangerous to your health," he noted. "You could get killed by Americans or Australians or even those evil Zionists. And then where would you be? Worm food, I tell you. No, I'll stick to preaching and inciting the young rubes to go boom themselves. Much safer."
The attacks, and a number of other deadly bombings in recent years, were blamed on JI, of which Bashir was alleged to have been a co-founder. Bashir, 69, was jailed for 30 months for conspiracy over the Bali bombings but was later cleared. He said the three Bali convicts had realized their mistakes and had fasted every day for two straight months to redeem their sins.
That's that.
But he also said during his meeting with the men in their island prison in December that it was evident that they had found peace and joy.
Not as much as we will when they're executed.
He did not rule out more attacks in Indonesia, but said more militants had realised that violence would only hurt their cause. "There are probably people who still believe in such a method but they will be more careful," he said, referring to militants being more careful in choosing their targets to avoid Indonesians being killed.

Bashir said al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden would have opposed bombings in Indonesia because it was not a conflict zone. "I'm sure if Osama bin Laden had been consulted he would not have agreed with (the idea of) carrying out bombings in Indonesia," he said. The cleric has in the past praised bin Laden as a "true Muslim fighter".

Since his release from prison in June 2006, Bashir has travelled around the country to preach about the importance of sharia, or Islamic law. Although there has not been an official order to restrict him, he said police sometimes asked people to cancel their invitation to him to speak at rallies. Bashir's Al-Mukmin Islamic madrassa boarding school, located in the same complex as his house, has been accused of being a breeding ground for Islamic militants. But Bashir said the accusation came from enemies who did not wish to see Muslims educated in a truly Islamic way. As he spoke, some of his students played volleyball and soccer outside a three-storey school building.

About 85 percent of Indonesia's more than 220 million population follow Islam. Although some most Indonesian Muslims are moderate, a large vocal militant minority emerged after the fall of autocratic President Suharto in 1998
Posted by:tipper

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