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| Southeast Asia |
| Verdict due on terror ’leader’ |
| 2003-09-02 |
| A Jakarta court is set to deliver a verdict in the trial of Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group. Bashir is accused of trying to overthrow the government through terrorism, and experts have said Tuesday’s ruling is being viewed as a big test for Indonesia’s commitment to fighting Muslim militancy. What do you think... will they pass or will they fail? The 64-year old radical cleric allegedly headed the terror network blamed for a string of bombings in Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as plots against Western targets elsewhere in the region. Among those attacks was a series of church blasts throughout Indonesia on Christmas Eve 2000 that killed 19 people. I heard those Indonesian Christians are a blasphemous bunch... mustn’t tolerate them. Bashir, who was arrested days after last year’s Bali nightclub blasts which killed more than 200 people, has not been charged in connection with the Bali attacks however. He maintains his innocence and has denied any knowledge of JI — blaming his fate on Singapore, Australia and the CIA. You sure it wasn’t Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos?* But witnesses appearing at trials relating to the Bali bombings have claimed either links to, or inspiration from, Bashir and JI. What’s more, prosecutors say Bashir was behind an aborted plot to kill Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri when she was vice president ... Prosecutors say those attacks were designed to destabilize the country of 210 million people, mostly Muslims. Authorities have said the JI wants to overthrow Indonesia’s secular republican government and set up a pan-Asian Islamic state. With all the wonders that entails... During the regime of strongman president Suharto, Bashir was jailed for agitating for an Islamic state. He escaped and spent years as a fugitive in Malaysia, returning in 1999 to help establish a network of Islamic schools, becoming well respected among fundamentalist Muslims ... Perhaps as a reflection of the sensitivities involved, state prosecutors have asked the court to sentence Bashir to only 15 years in jail, instead of demanding the maximum life sentence ... Mustn’t hurt his feelings. * brownie points for anyone who knows who I’m refering to (no Googling!) |
| Posted by:Rafael |
| #11 The monolith of 2012, what a coincidence! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-9-2 2:44:11 PM |
| #10 You mean, they'd get a bigger stone to circle 'round than the one they have now?? They'd think it was a blessing from Allah. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-9-2 2:06:15 PM |
| #9 Just a little conjecture, but consider: there's an asteroid heading toward the earth. It fractures from natural causes (gravitational stress, whatever), and only a medium-size piece, say a kilometer in diameter, hits the planet, dead-center on Mecca. Do you think the Muslims would get a clue? |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-9-2 1:38:15 PM |
| #8 "send in Tisiphone, Megara, and Alecto" Bah, never send Furies to do the work of a god. Send in Shiva, Lord of Destruction! |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-9-2 12:04:38 PM |
| #7 * - oh, get on wit' yo bad self... And send in Tisiphone, Megara, and Alecto |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-9-2 11:18:09 AM |
| #6 in the long run i think Indon, which holds trials, is a better bet for changing the muslim world then Malaysia, which does not. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-9-2 10:41:54 AM |
| #5 Bah! Hose Beat me to it! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-9-2 9:15:01 AM |
| #4 Who are the three fates - the ancient Greek version of the lucky eight ball. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-2 7:39:50 AM |
| #3 PM - Well the subversion / 4 yrs is at least a small consolation. CNBC must've been a little careless as they announced that Bashir had been acquitted - and that was that. Of course, the appeal may work or he may get a shortened sentence. Sigh. Thx for the clarification - I was so pissed I switched over to Eye Candy (Fashion TV), turned off the sound, and started playing MP3's - James Brown is on right now, in fact - and not even surfing around, just refreshing RB between tunes. As for Mahathir - I have zero confidence in the good Dr Moonbat. I wonder about who, exactly, has been jailed - and why, exactly. I see nothing about him worthy of trust and can't help but think that the ones in jail are just not his jihadis. 8-) One thing is damned certain, the US should keep Hamball in Gitmo. We could let the Indo and Malay 'investigators' can come to visit him - if they swim from Miami. It's a shame the Thais had to release his wife to Mahathir's bunch. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-9-2 7:39:50 AM |
| #2 viewed as a big test for Indonesia’s commitment to fighting Muslim militancy. A definite fail,he was found innocent of Treason, but guilty of 'subversion' and sentenced for 4 years, he intends to appeal. Also, Malaysia might be led by an anti-semite and a rascist, but he has no tolerance for radical Jihadis. There are nearly a hundred Islamists in prison in Malaysia, some of them for nearly 2 years, and none of them have even gone to court thanks to Malaysia's Internal Security Act. And during the last elections, the state run tv in Malaysia showed footage of the Taliban executing women in a soccer field, with the not so subtle message that the Islamist opposition party are a bunch of medievel fanatics. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-9-2 7:21:26 AM |
| #1 Innocent according to CNBC report. Don't let the Indo's or Malays get anywhere near any of the guys captured. If the jerk is higher up than a foot soldier he'll either escape - or go scot-free. Fucking Indos. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-9-2 6:58:13 AM |