Two weeks ago, a Muslim died in a traffic accident. Around the time of his funeral, a rumor spread via text message that he was tortured to death by Christians, sparking a wave of violence and incitement to further attacks against Christians. Whatever the group and the motive, an official hands-off approach (at best) to Muslim persecution of non-Muslims in Indonesia has enabled and encouraged more of the same.
These are the consequences. More on this story. "Solo Suicide Blast May Be Linked to Ambon Violence: Police," by Farouk Arnaz for the Jakarta Globe, September 25:
The suicide bombing that killed at least one person and injured 20 at a church in Solo on Sunday may be linked to the recent sectarian violence that broke out in Ambon on Sept. 11, a police source said.
“Early analysis of the motive of the bomber links him to Ambon and the culprit will not be far from radical groups. It’s revenge. The motive of course can only be confirmed when the network is revealed,” a member of the anti-terror squad Densus 88 told the Jakarta Globe under condition of anonymity.
The recent clash in Ambon was sparked by rumors that spiraled out of control after a motorcycle taxi driver suffered a fatal traffic accident.
The driver died from his injuries on his way to the hospital, but a viral SMS fueled false reports that the driver had been tortured and killed by Christians. That prompted a violent clash between two groups that left at least seven dead and prompted law enforcement to question anyone trying to enter the city.
A provocative text message also began circulating in East Java urging Muslims to go to Ambon to wage jihad.
Ali Fauzi, a self-confessed jihadist in Ambon and the younger brother of convicted Bali bombers Amrozi, Ali Imron and Ali Ghufron, agreed that the bombing in Solo was prompted by the Ambon violence.
“I feel that it is so,” he said....
More on the bombing, and the bomber: "Suicide bombing at Indonesian church injures 22," by Slamet Riyadi for the Associated Press, September 25:
SOLO, Indonesia (AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up inside an Indonesian church as hundreds of worshippers were filing out after the Sunday service, injuring at least 22 people, police said.
The bomber's mangled body lay at the entrance of the Tenth Bethel Gospel Church. Around him, screaming people were splattered in blood.
Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said the low-intensity device appeared to be attached to the man's stomach.
"We are now waiting for DNA test results to confirm his identity," Pradopo said. "We hope to reveal it soon."
A woman working at an Internet cafe near the church in the Central Java town of Solo said the man had visited her shop an hour before the explosion and browsed websites about al-Qaida and a local Islamist group.
He left a bag behind containing a copy of the Quran, a mask and a cellphone charger, Rina Ristriningsih told The Associated Press. She said all of the items had been confiscated by police. [...]
It appeared that the bomber entered the church through a side door, mingled with worshippers, and then, when the service was over, headed out with them.
He detonated his device near the entrance, killing himself and wounding at least 22 people, said Pradopo, the police chief.
"Everyone was screaming," Fani, a witness, told Metro TV. Like many Indonesians she goes by only one name.
"I saw fiery sparks and, near the entrance, a man dead on the ground, his entrails spilling out. People around him were splattered with blood."
Members of the congregation said they did not recognize the bomber.
"He walked about 4 meters (yards) behind me," Abraham, who attended the service, told El Shinta radio. "I believe he was disguised as a churchgoer."
"War is deceit," Muhammad said.
Critics say President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who relies heavily on Islamic parties in parliament, has remained largely silent as minorities have been attacked by hard-liners or seen their houses of worship torched or closed.
However, he was quick to speak out after Sunday's attack.
"Whoever is behind such violence has to be arrested," he said, adding that neither religious nor ethnic differences can justify such actions. "Crime is crime, terrorism is terrorism."
Jihad is jihad. But he can't say that, of course.
The suicide bombing ... may be linked to the recent sectarian violence .....
May be! But, for sure, it's linked to Al Qur'an.
What exactly is a motorcycle taxi driver? How would a musloid male driver transport a woman in a dress - or are they only allowed to transport other males? Weird.
OT
Multiple blasts cause devastation in Iraqi holy city
Four successive blasts hit the Iraq's holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens more as they lined up outside a local government building.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/8787749/Multiple-blasts-cause-devastation-in-Iraqi-holy-city.html
It’s always about “rumors” and “conspiracy theory”. You cannot understand the Muslim world unless you understand the lies that the imams use to control the flock and encourage the violence. They also use false claims of Muslims victim hood to scare their followers in order to silence critics of Islam and this tactic must be understood and exposed.
The dominant theme in Friday sermons is the victim hood of those poor innocent Muslims, with the imam making up all sorts of conspiracies.
Told you so. Comin' soon to a Babtist church near you.
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2007/12/churches.html
From our experience as Copt in Egypt we can tell you that this crime probably done by your government itself using some fanatics they know.As in Alexandria Church bombings our gov said it was a suicide attack and they never tell who he is.It was a bomb that put outside the church not a suicide bomber.Then our president come out to condemn it and blaming some terrorist groups exactly like what Susilo Bambang does.
And finally our gov close the investigations without reaching anything.I hope I am wrong and your gov stand by your side but take care.
You are such a clear fraud. The US govt. can't TIE IT'S SHOES without having to go through a ridiculous procedure. You should blame the Mujahideen like Gamaa' al-Islamiyyah and Ikhwna al Muslimoun. Not the US govt.
Gamal -
Could you please explain yourself a little better?
If afraid we might be misunderstanding you.
Are you suggesting that The USA commissioned the bombing in Indonesia?
if = I'm
I read gamal - who has posted here before - as speaking directly to the [Indonesian] authors of the article and/ or to the Indonesian Christian victims of the attack.
He is arguing that the *Indonesian* government is probably complicit in the attack, as the Egyptian government is complicit in attacks on Copts.
Which seems to me to be quite a reasonable supposition.
Australia as well had a church attacked by Lebanese and other muslim thugs who acted on a rumour that their mosque 'might' be attacked. They burnt the church I believe. Cornolla riots was it..? And I seriously wonder how audacious the muslims in Australia are! Though one reads pages and pages about the 'how and what' of Islam, there are moments of departure when the brain just finds itself in a state of removed amazement, disbelief of reality.. One has to be truely an utter shameless, completely retarded being to behave so destructively with people of other faiths or with a nation that adopts you from the ghettos of middle east! Maybe this is the reason why many people around the world find it difficult to believe that a certain 'peaceful religion' could be dedicated 24/7 in churning new ideas of destruction. It takes lots of evil energy to be so negative and for this reason Islam will definitely go down in history as the most inhumane psycho cult cooked by a mental creep(fury of hell be upon him through eternity)!
As I recall, it was not burnt, but it was shot at.
I agree with Gamal. The Indonesien government (and NOT the USA government) is complicit, just as the Egyptian government is in the attacks on Copts.
This one is for you Gamal (it's in arabic)
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/12/perfect-man-arabic.html
i agree with Gamal and salah..
The Indonesian government does not do much against vandalism and destruction of the church. Especially lately, permission to establish the church is very difficult. Is the state going into the sharia?
I have translated this article in Bahasa Indonesia:
http://islamsejarah.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/bom-bunuh-diri-di-gereja-solo-terkait-dengan-kejadian-ambon/
isalm vs. christianity , the religion of eternal death vs. the religion of eternal life
Jacob Good wrote, replying to Gamal:
You are such a clear fraud. The US govt. can't TIE IT'S SHOES without having to go through a ridiculous procedure. You should blame the Mujahideen like Gamaa' al-Islamiyyah and Ikhwna al Muslimoun. Not the US govt.
.........................
Jacob, Gamal is addressing Indonesian Christians here—*not* the US or any other Western government.
He means that the Indonesian government, if not actually involved, is at least complicit in violence against minority Christians.
I believe he is right—and, as an oppressed Egyptian Copt, his lessons are hard won, indeed.
Muslim democracy in action. In May 1998, the "democracy revolutionaries" celebrated their victory with pogroms of the Buddhist and Christian Chinese citizens, and mass crowd rapes of ethnic Chinese women. Through it all, the obscene Madeline Albright and the obscene Al Gore kept publicly praising the "reformasi pro-democracy students", that is the thugs and mass-rapists. At the very same time, both human abominations were on the forefront of pushing for war on Serbia on the side of the rabidly racist, sadistic, genocidal Kosovar Albanian KLA terrorists. On the side of mass-kidnappers, rapists, torturers, mutilators, organ-harvesters, murderers. For the same evil reason: to win good graces of the Muslims world over.
The unspeakable evil the US, England and other Western democracies did unto the Serb people. The evil.
Ruslan Tokhchukov, EnragedSince1999.