The Bali bomber has called on other Muslims to “continue the struggle” (which is jihad in Arabic):
“The Bali bombing mastermind sentenced to death for his crimes urged fellow terrorists in Turkey, Iraq and elsewhere to ‘continue the struggle’, a report here said Tuesday.” This from AFP, with thanks to nicolei.)
“Imam Samudra, convicted of masterminding last year’s attacks on the resort island, made the comments to reporters after he met other Bali bombers for prayers and expressions of forgiveness in the Bali prison to mark the start of the Eid-al-Fitr holy day at the end of the Ramadan fasting month, Detikcom online news service reported.
“‘To all my comrades in Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and Kashmir: Continue the struggle,’ he said.
“In September, a court in Bali declared him the ‘intellectual actor’ behind the October 2002 attacks on two Bali nightclubs, which killed 202 mostly Western vacationers. He was sentenced to death.
“On Tuesday, he reiterated his wish to die a ‘martyr’s death’, Detikcom reported.
“‘I will not apologise except to Muslims, and we will not ask for clemency except from God,’ he said.
“Detikcom reported that tensions rose during the greeting ceremony when Samudra and Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, who authorised the attacks, suddenly shouted ‘God is great’. . . .
“Mukhlas has also been sentenced to death for his role in the attacks, which police have blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional extremist network which the authorities say has links to al-Qaeda.
“The bombers said they were seeking to avenge injustices against Muslims worldwide.”
Maybe. But Jemaah Islamiyah is also on record as saying that they’re fighting to create a Sharia-ruled Islamic megastate in Southeast Asia, comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and the southern Philippines island of Mindanao.