More indication of where sentiments lie in official Indonesia. From AP, with thanks to Shiva and Jeffrey Imm:
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A militant cleric and 17 others convicted in the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali have received sentence reductions of several months to mark Indonesia's independence day, wardens said Wednesday.Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual head of the Al Qaeda-linked terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, was originally given a 30-month prison sentence for his role in the bombings, which killed many Australian tourists.
On Wednesday he was given a 41/2-month sentence reduction, said Dedi Sutardi, the chief warden at Cipinang Prison in Jakarta, which means he could be released from prison in May 2007.
Seventeen other Bali bombers, who were originally sentenced up to 16 years, received three-month reductions, said Bromo Setiono, chief warden at the Kerobokan jail in Bali's capital Denpasar.
It is an Indonesian tradition to cut jail terms on holidays for some of the country's 105,000 inmates who exhibit good behavior, with only those sentenced to death or life in prison excluded.
"This is the right of all inmates all over Indonesia, including those involved in the Bali bombings," said Setiono.
Many people in Australia consider the Bali bombings as tantamount to an attack on their own country, and the decision to cut the sentences — especially Bashir's — was expected to draw loud protests.
30 months for 200+ deaths? That works out to about 1 day per death! It must be considered quite a bargain to terrorists.
I dont know many people who are surprised about this - but it will be a sharp wakeup call for those Australians who really believed that an amicable relationship with Indonesia was possible.
I wondered how they would find a way to let these murderers sleeze out of their sentences - and here it is. The only reason the actual attackers are still due to die, is the fact that it would have been too blatant if they had been included in the get-out-of-jail-free festival.
Lets hope for Indonesia's own sake that they never get hit by another tsunami - I feel that Australians would be considerably less generous this time.
Isnt it time to stop the pretence - lets stop giving them aid, lets stop giving them anything at all. Let Allah look after them.
This for some of the bombers this a second reduction.
remember this from JW
November 14, 2004
19 Bali bombers get sentence reductions on Eid Al Fitr holiday
Happy Eid! It's too bad that the people they killed can't receive similar favors. From AFP, with thanks to Twostellas:
JAKARTA - Nineteen men convicted for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings received reductions in their sentences on the Eid Al Fitr holiday, a prison official was quoted as saying on Sunday.
The reductions did not apply to the three key bombers who received death sentences and one serving a life term, said Tulus Widjajanto, head of a prison on the resort island of Bali.
Widjajanto was quoted by the official Antara news agency as saying that the 19 other Bali bombers at his prison received sentence reductions ranging from 15 to 45 days.
The Eid holiday is a traditional time for inmates with records of good behavior to get their sentences shortened. Numerous other prisoners in Bali and other parts of the country also received remissions.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/003918.php
So with this NEW reduction,some will walk today,those remaining,will most probably get a further reduction with this years upcoming Eid Al Fitr holiday
SO
Although the majority of Indonesians follow the Islamic religion, they are really not yet ready for the implementation of Islamic sharia law.The Islamic religion in Indonesia is only skin deep, a thin layer on the beliefs of the Islamic people of Indonesia.
In other words, the Islamic people of Indonesian even though they are the majority are not yet ready to implement Islamic laws. They are still at the stage of Islamic dakwah (teaching), not yet of Islamic ijabah (approval). To make an analogy with Islam in the time of the Prophet Muhammad, the Islamic community in Indonesia is still in the Mecca period of Islam, not yet in the Madinah period.
From the time the first revelation came down until the flight to Madinah, for 13 years in Mecca, what the Prophet did was teach, expand the faith of the community, teach them to submit and only worship the one God. The laws of Islam had not yet been laid down. That is the reason, for example, still permitted them to drink alcoholic drinks. He only forbade them to be drunk while they were praying. ( Koran 4:42).
Most of the verses that came down to him in Mecca, used the words, Ya ayyuhannas… (Woe to you all of mankind). Filled with calls to faith, threats and rewards together with stories of the former communities which contained teaching and advice on how to live a decent and polite lifestyle.
Only after the flight to Madinah, the Prophet laid down the laws. Alcohol was forbidden, especially drunkenness. Also regulations were laid down which later became known as the Madinah Charter, which ordered the life of the nation and the state. Under the umbrella of the Madinah Charter, the non-Muslim community - the Jews and the Christians - were given the freedom to practice their own religions.
For the Islamic people they also had to live under sharia law. Their life was ordered by Islamic laws. Therefore the verses that came down in Madinah were more specific,, most of them using the words Ya ayyuhalladzina amanu… (Woe to the believers…) followed by prohibitions and commands with their sanctions.
The question arises, "when will the Islamic community of Indonesia attain to the stage of Islam ijabah, Madinah Islam, which submits to the religious regulations"? As long as sharia has not yet been implemented as regulations which enforce obedience, militant groups will continue to arise to struggle and fight for it.
In the case of Indonesia,the militant groups,do have very strong support from people with in the goverment.As can be seem by the way the goverment does not take action against these
groups.
Thanks, shiva. I thought that I had heard of sentence reductions last year as well. So for next year's Independence Day we can likely expect another reduction, and so on. Isn't that special. This is Indonesia giving us the finger. The inspiration for the murderers will be free to inspire more murderers of Australians, Indonesians, Americans, etc., if he's not already busy at it already.
Diana, I've found that many Aussies have been turned off by Indonesia and will be a lot less charitable to it, if another disaster strikes. I have no intention of ever setting foot on their soil.