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An update on this story from the Washington Times:
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian Christians, deeply troubled by the executions of three Christians last week, say they are watching closely to see whether the government will be equally firm in dealing with three Muslims facing the ultimate sanction for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings.
[...]
The three executed men had participated in a May 2000 attack on a Muslim school that left 191 persons dead, propelling a slumbering conflict between Christians and Muslims on the lush spice island of Sulawesi into open war.
But Christians, who make up about 8 percent of the population, say the courts have been less aggressive in prosecuting Muslims for similar attacks, noting that only a handful have been convicted and none has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison.
"Another question is why these three farmers were sentenced to death and were executed, while the real culprits responsible are still alive," said Regina Astuti, a lawyer with the Legal Aid and Human Rights Association.
"Mr. Tibo named 16 former military and police officers he considered responsible for killing Muslims. These people were never called to the witness stand."
Christian pressure groups now are focusing their attention on three Muslims -- Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Mukhlas Samudra and Imam Samudra -- who have been sentenced to death for the Oct. 12, 2002, bombings in Bali, which killed 202 persons.
The last deadline for their execution passed without comment, and a new date is unlikely to be set while a defense request for a new trial is pending.
"The first question is trying to find an answer about the death penalty in Indonesia in general terms, and more broadly, about justice in this country," said Dewi Sularca, a consultant with a European nongovernmental organization.
Dozens of men were arrested and tried for the Bali bombings, most receiving sentences of up to 30 years. But some received amnesties on the national holiday six weeks ago, causing anger in Australia, home to 88 of the victims.
Canberra was also upset because the pardons and reduced sentences did not extend to Australians and other foreigners in Indonesia's prisons. Four young Australian drug dealers have been sentenced to face a firing squad.
Azyumardi Azra, rector of the Islamic University of Jakarta, argues that the Sulawesi and Bali cases should not be linked.
"In the case of the Christians executed in Sulawesi, religious sentiments were very strong," he said. "That was not and is not the case in the Bali trials. There are no Islamic groups defending the authors of the Bali slaughter."
Azra's comments bring to mind Abu Bakar Bashir, who called the attacks "Allah's will," and was allowed to walk free after serving a ridiculously short sentence for his role in the conspiracy.
In a television interview, Vice President Jusuf Kalla also said last week's executions had no religious dimension. "They were the result of our judicial system," he said. "This is the way we work in Indonesia."
Yes. That's the problem.
Posted by Marisol at September 28, 2006 7:40 AM
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It would be quite the deal if these Muslims are executed but one had better not hold their breath. Everyone knows non-Muslims are regarded about as highly as flies while Muslims think their own kind are the most precious beings in the world.
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at September 28, 2006 7:57 AM
This does not suprise me one bit as a Christian. Indonesia is governed by a double standard, one for Muslims, one for non-Muslims.
Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at September 28, 2006 8:33 AM
Bohemond, the world will not learn so easily.
In the multicultural field logically all players should abide by the same rules. But it does not work like that in practice.
For some mysterious reason Muslims always get away with what others wouldn't.
at September 28, 2006 9:27 AM
There is evidence that the Christians executed last week here were tortured by police before the executions. An formal charges against the Indonesian government are going to be made to the International Court in the Hague as we know the Indonesian judicial system is corrupt and nothing will get done here.
We Christians want justice and this proof of torture, while not surprising to us, just confirms that we are nothing but dogs to the Muslim government of Indonesia.
Read more about it at my site at Persecuted Infidels in Indonesia at http://pii-voiceofthepersecuted.blogspot.com
Stan the Infidel in Indonesia
Posted by: InfidelinIndonesia at September 28, 2006 11:29 AM
Indonesia is controlled by the Middle East through the heavily-Islamicized Indonesian Armed Forces who control all aspects of Indonesian society and government including the 'corrupt' judicial system--while the pancasila constitution exists mostly on paper. Terrorism in Indonesia as in all Islamic states which comprise the 'ummah' is legally unassailable and a tool of the Islamic state. The Christians are already scheduled for extermination in Indonesia. At the same time, Islamic mass murderers are coddled like 6-month old babies. Will the terrorists who attacked Bali, Poso, and Ambon get off? You bet they will!!!
This is the way the legal system really works in Indonesia: JIHAD.
Posted by: pythagoras at September 28, 2006 2:07 PM
STAN I WILL PRAY FOR YOU.
Deliver us from Islam.
Pythagoras
Posted by: pythagoras at September 28, 2006 2:10 PM
pythagoras
Will the terrorists who attacked Bali, Poso, and Ambon get off? You bet they will!!!
Well things are being to look that way
"The European Union, along with many other like-minded countries, opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances," the Finnish ambassador, Markko Niinioga, representing the presidency of the EU, said in a letter that was delivered Wednesday to the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "The EU finds this punishment cruel and inhuman."
Yudhoyono is considered a leading contender for the Nobel Peace Prize, because of his work in bringing about an end to the separatist war in the westernmost province of Aceh, and European diplomats said that the executions could hurt his chances, given the strong anti-death penalty sentiments among European governments.
at September 28, 2006 3:24 PM
There is a link between the Christian persecution in Indonesia and the persecution of the East Timorese.
The majority in East Timor are Catholic. The country was invaded in the 1970s. At the time of the invasion 5 Australian journalists and cameramen were murdered by the Indonesian army. No members of the Indonesian army were ever prosecuted over the deaths of these men. The East Timorese spent 25 years under the thumb of Indonesia. They were intimidated, and routinely murdered. The world at large remained silent over what was happening in East Timor. The Australian Whitlam Government allowed the invasion to happen. Malcolm Fraser did nothing to help the East Timorese. Paul Keating went to bed with the Indonesians. Then John Howard came to power and through negotiations with the UN the East Timorese were eventually allowed to vote upon their own independence.
Not surprisingly, in 1999 when these events took place, there was further intimidation of the people who made up their minds about wanting independence. Prior to the vote the people were intimidated and many were murdered. On the day of the vote, even more were murdered. Then came the overwhelming result and we saw a shocking level of bloodshed. In one region three Catholic priests, and the whole of their congregation were murdered. My own parish was sponsoring the parish where this wholesale slaughter took place (more than 100 people sheltering inside the church were gunned down, after the thugs had invaded the church and gunned down the three priests). Eventually, the Australians soldiers were sent to East Timor to restore order. This gave the East Timorese the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
The Christians in Indonesia deserve the right to live in peace. However the Islamic extremists do not want to allow them the opportunity to live in peace. Muslims do not belong on Bali. That island belongs to the Hindu, who happened to be the majority of the victims who died in the first Bali bombing.
That murderous piece of scum who was allowed to walk free after what can only be described as a pathetic jail sentence deserves to be tortured for his role in the Bali bombings. This is the same man who has uttered other threats against Australians and like his cowardly companions, he has demanded that John Howard convert to Islam or face the consequences.
I continue to take comfort in what the real Scripture says about the fate of the wicked. I take comfort in the fact that those who lie in wait for the righteous will themselves end up perishing (hint hint about where that might be). These wicked individuals will not be allowed to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Posted by: Maggie4Life at September 28, 2006 6:39 PM
It comes as no surprise that Christians in Muslim countries are persecuted, especially Catholics. Even in the U.S.A. Catholics are one of the last groups it is OK to abuse, ridicule, and make the butt of cruel jokes. However, we still have the right, here in America, to live. In much of the rest of the world, such is not the case. When, oh, when, will Americans wake up and realize that Muslims have the same fate in mind for all of us, Catholic or not as in East Timor?
This war began in 7th century, and has continued ever since. It is downplayed, ignored, and foolishly appeased. If the Crusaders had not stopped them in France and Spain, we would all be under the hideous dictatorship of Islam today. Their aims are still the same, why are we so stupid?
at September 28, 2006 7:09 PM
How's that again?
No land ever conquered by the soldiers of Allah must ever fall back into the hands of the infidels, No Muslim must be punished for killing an infidel, Infidels who kill a Muzlim must be severely punished, Jihad against infidels is permanent and relentless until there is no 'more corruption in the land...'
Some Koran-buff like Archi or APF might be able to attach the proper Koran-sura's to the above....
Posted by: sheik yer'mami at September 28, 2006 8:48 PM
THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO ACQUIT BASHIR (who I once had the misfortune of encountering years ago (I didn't know who it was at the time)...in Los Angeles of all places)SHOULD HAVE ALREADY ELIMINATED YUDHOYONO'S CHANCES FOR CONSIDERATION OF ANY INTERNATIONAL PEACE AWARD.
Posted by: pythagoras at September 28, 2006 10:36 PM
First of all, Pythagoras, thank you for praying for me. God bless you!
Will the Bali bombers get off. No. They will be executed. Then the Indonesian government in its own mind, will appear to be fair to everyone.
We are still waiting for our yearly bombing. It will probably come after Ramadan. We know it's coming, we just don't know where or when.
Laskar Jihad is still alive and well and thriving in Papua (Indonesian side). I've seen them in Sorong, Papua Barat. Some of my Indonesian evangelist friends say that they have heard they are training with the military (TNI) in the jungles. Why? To do the army's dirty work and kill Papuan seperatists? They were supposed to be disbanded. Training with the army doesn't surprise me, after all the army welcomed them to Ambon and Palu and joined with LJ to kill Christians in both Maluku and Sulawesi. LJ trained Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah operatives in Sulawesi training camps to be dispersed around asia nd the Middle East. Scumbag Omar al-Faruq who just got killed in Iraq was training them there as well.
The police routinely train the Mujahidin here. See http://pii-voiceofthepersecuted.blogspot.com/2006/09/just-what-we-dont-need.html
How are we supposed to feel safe when the police are training militants? And again I ask why? The police were asked to train the jihadis that wanted to go to Lebanon to fight against Israel.
If only North Sulawesi and Bali could seperate from Indonesia. Yep, Sulawesi and Maluku used to be beautiful and peaceful until the Muslims moved in in large numbers. Transmigration. Thanks for that one Soeharto!! And Soeharto still evades being tried as the most corrupt leader to ever live. And junior (Tommy)is about to get out soon early on good behaviour for masterminding the death of a judge that found him guilty of corruption.
I could go on but why bother. My friend just called me and said the Tibo family is going to file charges in the International Court against the Indonesian government. Don't be surprised if the family is killed by Muslim militants. And the TV just said there is rioting in Poso again. Gotta go watch it and report.
at September 29, 2006 10:14 AM
Stan:
Bashir is believed by most authorities to have been the mastermind of the Bali terror bombings. And he is now scot-free. It looks to me like the Bali attacks have already received the Indonesian government's official seal of good housekeeping!
By the way, I was wondering if you know if Bashir had anything to do with the the massacres of ethnic Chinese shopkeepers in the Surakarta rioting in 1998? At a site called HUAREN.ORG I saw photographs of young Chinese women who had worked in Surakarta shops and had been bound and torched to death. I know that Bashir has traditionally operated in the vicinity of Solo (Ngruki, I believe).
Personally, I think it WAS Bashir who was behind these horrible murders and I think Jakarta is hiding it.
Sulawesi and Maluku still are beautiful, and somehow a way to restore peace will be found. Remember the entire world is being threatened like this, not just these islands.
As for the International Court--Europe is way behind the curve in prosecuting perpetrating Islamic acts off terror. But you may as well try.
at September 29, 2006 1:57 PM
I agree and believe he was behind the attacks in Solo too. And the Istaqlal Mosque in Jakarta. He wanted it blamed on Christians. Ba'asyir is liked by some factions of the army for some reason or another and certain Islamic political parties. Same with Laskar Jihad's Thalib. Ex-vice-president Hamzah Haz went to visit him in jail. Haz has definite connections with militants. His loyalty to them got him in hot water just before elections and he had to bail on supporting the militants. Ba'asyir's boarding school should have been shut down. I wonder what will happen when Singapore and Indonesia finalize their extradition agreement? Singapore still wants to charge Ba'asyir on terrorism charges. Will he be the first to go? Probably not but we can hope.
Watch for possible mass rioting by Christians in Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara Timur. The army and more police are being brought back in. The Muslims are staying very quiet right now because an influx of Minahasans from my area are in the Poso area now to pay their respects to the executed. Muslims are afraid of the Minahasa people ( I think I've mentioned this before). I'm going to a demonstration tomorrow against the government. Should be interesting.
Posted by: InfidelinIndonesia at September 29, 2006 2:44 PM
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