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| Southeast Asia |
| Bashir Says U.S. Is an Enemy of Muslims |
| 2004-04-24 |
| Well... Of some of them, anyway... The alleged spiritual leader of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror network has accused Washington of pressuring Indonesia to keep him in prison to stop his campaign to establish Islamic law in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Abu Bakar Bashir, in a jailhouse interview with The Associated Press this week, insisted he had nothing to do with terrorism or a string of devastating bombings in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, he denounced the United States as an enemy of Muslims, said attacks on U.S. interests were justified and lauded Osama bin Laden as a "member of Allah's army." "America screams ... and then the police say they will arrest me," Bashir said. "America clearly started a war against Islam. We are right to defend ourselves." Indonesian prosecutors have previously tried to convict Bashir on terror and treason charges. But after a series of appeals, have only managed to keep the slender, white-bearded preacher behind bars for a few months on minor immigration violations. He is due for release next week, but it is unlikely he will go free. Indonesian police are facing intense pressure from the United States and Australia, and announced last week they had found new evidence against Bashir, meaning he'll likely stay in jail and will face a retrial. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 Let's see, where did we put Bashir's name on the list? I know it wasn't #1. Was it somewhere before Araflat's, or afterwards? Guess we'll just have to hope the guys with that particular mission can remember. Happy day, Bashir. Every one you wake up to is precious - it may be your last. Enjoy! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-04-24 11:49:38 PM |
| #4 America didn't start the war with Islam . . . but we sure as hell are going to end it. |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2004-04-24 11:33:53 PM |
#3 Bashir Says U.S. Is an Enemy of MuslimsAnd his point....? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-04-24 6:29:06 PM |
| #2 America is fighting terrorism; terrorists are our enemies. This guy says America is the enemy of all Muslims, therefore he believes that all Muslims are terrorists. Who are we do disagree with a repected imam? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-04-24 1:19:28 PM |
| #1 "America screams ... and then the police say they will arrest me," Bashir said. "America clearly started a war against Islam. We are right to defend ourselves." If only it were. But as long as they keep on trying to kill us, it may yet turn into one. Whether this is a good or bad development is up to the individual. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-04-24 12:47:20 PM |