One unspoken element is the likelihood that he's too popular to be charged. And what does that tell you? This man has spoken openly about violent jihad, and defended the Bali bombings. From AP, with thanks to many:
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian police dropped plans Wednesday to charge a radical cleric in the 2002 Bali bombings, but said the man Washington accuses of being a terror mastermind in Southeast Asia will remain in jail.The 65-year-old Abu Bakar Bashir will be charged with other crimes, including heading the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group and a deadly suicide attack last year on Jakarta's J.W. Marriott Hotel, chief detective Suyitno Landung said. Jemaah Islamiyah was blamed for both attacks.
The announcement followed last week's landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court, which barred the retroactive use of an anti-terror law rushed through parliament after the Bali bombings. The explosions killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists....
Earlier this year, U.S. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge said in Jakarta that Bashir had "intense and deep involvement in the planning and execution of terrorist activities." Australia's foreign minister called Bashir a "loathsome creature" and said he should remain behind bars.
His case is sensitive in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. Authorities want to be aggressive in the U.S.-led anti-terror war while not being seen as subject to Washington's influence.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation
How many died in the Earthquake the other day?7.3 Thats is a big one?
They follow YELLOW men arafat and ubl?
As the mulsum keep killing all the non-mulsums how many earthquakes have their been and how many mulsums have died look at Iran and other places?
Part of the American Tribe
God Bless the USA and her Fighting Forces and All who Fight with her give them Wisdom ,Strength and Courage to stay the course to Victory Amen
God Bless the countrys who have Heros!!!! Pitty the countrys who need them?
Catherine,
Looks like Allah ain't so fond of his slaves judging by that quakes magnitude. EVIL CARTOONESQUE CACKLE
...Anyway....
Back to the Bali scenario, if the Indonesian authorities can't decide what to do with Bashir why don't they send him over here to the UK, one of my old school friends lost his sister in that explosion, and I'm sure he'd be able to come up with some suitable punishments. Scum like this doesn't deserve to be given any civil liberties whatsoever, lock him in a 5ft square box with only deads rats carcasses to eat and stick in assorted sharps and blades each day, just deep enough to penetrate his skin and hurt but not deep enough to kill him, pull it out a week later before inserting another at a different angle. When he's lost so much blood he can only survive another 4hours at a push, pull him out give him 2 hours of severe beatings, whippings, followed by Chinese paper-cut torture, then douse him in petrol and burn the cunt alive.
A loathsome creature alright.Don't you just hate his smirk from those shark teeth! Talk about overbite,that creep would win an audition for Dracula.Of course, Bashir is guilty as hell. In usual Muslim whine and Taqqiya 'I didn't do anything!' Nah, only incited thousands of Jihardists to do the dirty work. In my opinion, every Muslim Cleric should be targeted as that's
where greatest evil is ; these slobs enjoy great
power and privileges[note Bashir has a new young wife to attend to his needs]. An Israeli style execution is needed here to put the wind up
the rest of these self styled sheiks of Sedition.
the rest of these self styled sheiks of Sedition.
Posted by: Morgane at July 29, 2004 02:17 PM
Right on!!
I have never understood why they think kicking them out of the country solves the problem?
Part of the American Tribe
God Bless the USA and her Fighting Forces and All who Fight with her give them Wisdom,Strength and Courage to stay the course to Victory Amen
Indonesia relies heavily on Western and Japanese investors who buy not only the timber and other raw materials, but take advantage of cheap Indonesian labor. But they need not do so any longer, because workers are more skilled, the ability to turn things around faster, and wages competitive, in China. Even if, for now, the West and the rest of the Infidel world must continue to buy oil and gas from countires whose populations largely believe in the tenets of Islam, and hence do not wish Infidels well, that does not mean we must continue to set up factories for textiles, shoes, and electronics in Indonesia or Bangladesh or Malaysia. No doubt Infidel investors would prefer to visit countries where, for example, some one who was connected to the Bali bombings will be promptly charged and punished. Who, after all, wants to visit, or have one's employees visit, or have to endure, the danger of such a country?
And if it is known that boycotts by consumers will ensue, directed at those companies that, despite the world-wide Jihad, continue to have components for their electronic gadgetry and computers assembled in Malaysia rather than Singapore or Taiwan or China or Thailand, or have their textiles woven in Bangladesh or Indonesia rather than the Philippines or India or China, some countries at least may begin to cooperate -- not of any real sympathy, not out of a change in Islamic teachings (don't expect that), but because they are losing too much, and have too much more to lose. The idea that constant efforts must be made to bribe others, or to ensure that they will be permanently prosperous because some, afraid to face the facts about the tenets of Islam, like to suggest that it is "poverty" that is the problem -- actually, the poorest majority-Muslim country, Mali, is by far the least hostile to Christians within its borders and to Infidels outside, and the richest Muslim country, Saudi Arabia, and the Muslim country that receives the most aid from Infidels, Egypt, are those most full of inculcated hostility to non-Muslims within their countires, and most virulently anti-American and anti-Israel in their policies directed outward.
Some of us, in the same spirit with which we would have boycotted goods from Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia, will have no difficulty refusing to buy goods from manufacturers who insist on giving more money to countries that promote an ideology that threatens all Infidels, and in the case discussed above, refuse even to prosecute someone involved in the mass murder of Infidels,and smirkingly proud of it. No trips to Indonesia, no wooden gewgaws from Indonesia, no Nike or other products assembeled in Indonesia --not until there has been a change of heart, and that means an end to persecution of Christians in the Moluccas and elsewhere, and prosecution and punishment of Abu Bakar Bashir. That should be everyone's determination.
Hugh
I appreciate your comments, but you must remember that there's a great danger in such of action.
Since Soeharto step down from power in 1998, the Islam fundametalist movement has revived. Their primary goal is to changed Indonesia into an Islamic country. Their strategy is to influence the grass root people of Indonesia to accept the concept of Islamic Sharia. They have infiltrated many "Moderate Moslem" organizations. Even in the government they have representatives. The "Moderate Muslims" knows their strategies, they try to counter balance it.
In Indonesia there's a cold war between 2 fractions, moderate vs fundamentalist. Islam largest organization in Indonesia Nahdatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah consider to be moderate. But they also supported & recommended implementing Sharia Law on Province of Aceh. So the line between Modererate and Fundamentalist is very thin. It depend on where the wind blows.
If the West really boycott Indonesia like what you've recommended. I'm afraid it will only benefit the extremist. They will have the opportunity to influenced the silent majority of moderate muslims in Indonesia to cut ties with the "infidels".
Since the extremist main goal is to create the 7th century Arabian life style, those boycott really have little impact on them. We'll become another Taliban Afganistan and producing many potential suicide bombers/jihadist. If you think by invading Indonesia will solve this problem, think again! We have hundred thousand of Islands and vast area of tropical rainforest, Vietnam will look just like a walk in the park.
Indonesian government are playing a very dangerous game here. They don't want to be see as "White House Dog". It will give hardliners upper hand to influence the mass. By droping charges but still holding Abu Bakar Basyir in prison, the Indonesian government try to play it safe.
To fight the Jihadist we must act wisely, by boycotting Indonesian economy will only cause negative effect. The Christian, Hindu, Budha & Animist minority in Indonesia will be the first victim of such action.