Of course, most analysts are still sure that the problem in Israel is ultimately a local conflict, which can settled by various territorial concessions by Israel. But this assessment leaves utterly mysterious why an Indonesian group would recruit fighters for a struggle half a world away. "Islamic hardliners open registration for 'jihadis' for Lebanon," from AFP, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
JAKARTA - A hardline Indonesian Islamic group planned on Tuesday to open a register for volunteers to fight against Israel in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, its leaders said as police vowed to stop them leaving.The Indonesian Mujahedin Council (MMI), led by radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir who has served a jail sentence over his role in the 2002 Bali bombing, already had 500 members willing to go, it said.
“We are opening registration in Jakarta today (Tuesday),” deputy MMI chairman Irfan Suryahadi Awwas told AFP.
“Each of our 50 chapters have readied at least 10 volunteering members,” Hari Samir Fallah, a worker at the MMI’s Jakarta chapter where the registration is to be held, added.
But national police deputy spokesman Anton Bahrul Alam said any would-be fighters from Indonesia would not be going anywhere.
“We can and will prevent them from leaving,” he told AFP.
“Their departure for the Middle East would be a violation of our state consitution, which says that Indonesia should pro-actively contribute to world peace.
“The volunteers’ departure to fight is certainly not contributing to peace and therefore is a violation of the constitution.”
Good. I hope he stands firm.
Thanks for spotting this article and drawing it to the world's attention.
Last year, after succumbing to seven years of my Balinese wife begging, I paid to build a house in Bali for her. Jist as we over-stretched hey presto, on October 1st Islamic loonies kill 27 in Bali.
We'd built the house to rent out immediately to pay back what we borrowed but, thanks to the bombings, tourist numbers are rock bottom. We couldn't rent the house out in time, had to put it up for sale and today (yes today) we moved out.
We've both been under immense stress (even suicidal on many occasions, especially last night) but we're getting through it. Thousands of people have gone bankrupt in Bali because of the bombings. Including me.
Many times, especially since Baasyir's release, I've thought about taking a flight to central Java, hijacking a petrol tanker and ramming it into the Ngruki School in Solo to wipe out these Indonesian Mujahedin thugs, but my Balinese friends tell me I'd never get near. It's too well defended.
It's just a shame the Indonesian Government haven't rounded up these bastards. There are some tourists in Bali but I just don't think they realise how precarious the situation is.
If the Lebanon war wasn't enough, on August 22nd the 2002 Bali bombers are due to be executed. If the Indonesian Mujahedin fighters can't leave Indonesia isn't it possible they might take out their anger on western targets in Bali?
Now, there is that August 22 date again. hmmmmm
BUT , I can see a future headline:
Plane (or ship) carrying future Islamic terrorist supporters mysteriously disappears, Inquirey pending.
They are weeding out the stupid ones, the smart ones give the orders.
nmarks
Sorry to hear about your situation. I too felt that they should not stop the Jihadis from leaving for Lebanon. There, the IDF can send them to Allah to meet his virgins, while Infidels in Java, Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi, Kalimantan can breathe easy.
I like the idea of all the world's jihadis converging in one place, be it Iraq, Afghanistan, or (less so) Lebanon. Only, don't engage them in hand to hand combat - drop some MOAB's on them and wipe them out.
Say it isn't so...Islam is a faith of peace and forbids violence because the loss of one life in war is like all humanity died.
BTW, i got some really cheap real-estate time-sharing units in Southern Lebanon , owners left and a little TLC will spruce them up proper.
There was a cockroach problem by the IDF sprayed the area and only a few uniks left that can't breed with the female roaches.
Infidel Pride: thanks for your kind words. It's appreciated.
exsgtbrown: When I wrote the comments about August 22nd I didn't know about the significance of the date in Islam.
Check the article headed Bernard Lewis: August 22 "might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world"
Seems I may have been right without really knowing why. Perhaps the date was deliberately choosen to enhance the martyrdom of Amrozi and Ali Imron.
This morning here in Bali, I've just had a chat with some muslim ladies who run a local cafe. They are very sad at all this tension and trouble they really don't like it these jihadists.
They also feel confused. It seems that one Imam after another makes conflicting and contradictary pronouncements and ordinary muslims are left unsure what they should believe.
While Mulims here carry out some soul searching, for those from a Christian background, how many can actually say they know what gnosticism is? How many have read the gospels that the Bishop of Lyon excluded from the New Testament in the fourth century AD?
According to numerous theological documentaries on Discovery and National Geographic channels recently, there were many more Gospels than those in the New Testament today. Instead of just four there may have been as many as 35. The works were condensed to make the Bible easier to understand.
Also, if the recently rediscovered Gospel of Judas is a factually correct account of events, it shows how questionable the Bible may be as a true representation of events two thousand years ago. Christ himself of course never read the Bible to approve it.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/
According to the TV show, by the 3rd century AD, gnostic Christianity practically died out. It was nearly forgotten by history as a result of the Holy Roman Empire's intolerance towards competing interpretations of the religion.
Ngostic Christians believed that one should live as Christ preached, rather than making a public display of it. They also made a point of each individual developing wisdom for him or herself, rather than accepting the potentially jaundiced wisdom of others.
(Hence the deriavtion of the word Agnostic).
This sounds to me a lot like the fundamental teachings of Buddhism, which of course, has no God at all. In Buddhism, one increasingly reaches enlightenment as one increasingly understands the Truth.
As Morpheus said to Neo "I can only show you the path, you must be the one to take it".
I'd love to see a computer simulation of a world where, during his lifetime, Christ actually gets to indulge in philosophical debate with Buddhists visiting from the Orient (perhaps three of them, calling themselves 'wise men'). I wonder how different things would be now, two thousand years later?
Who knows, given the way Christ's life has been presented to the world through the Bible, he may actually have enjoyed such debate, only for the truth to be hidden from us for the political benefit of men long since dead.
Ah well, the road not taken . . . . .
Sawadeekap. Terima Kasih. Thank you.