The headline of this story in The Australian (thanks to Eric) is “Bashir condemns Bali bombings.” It is dispiriting to note that some people are so willing, indeed so anxious, to be fooled, that they will take this condemnation at face value — despite the fact that Bashir is in jail for the 2002 Bali bombings, which he has praised as jihad victories.
HARDLINE Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who is imprisoned for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, today condemned the weekend blasts on the resort island.
“I really disapprove of bombings in non-conflict areas for whatever reason, including in Bali, because it can be almost certain that innocent and unknowing victims would fall,” Bashir said.
In the written comments released by his lawyer after he visited the cleric in jail, Bashir said he was particularly saddened if such attacks claimed the lives of “people whose religion is Islam”.
He advised the injured victims and the families of those who died in Saturday’s triple suicide attacks, “to accept this fate from Allah”.
He also advised the Indonesian Government to “approach closer to Allah” by practising God’s law as best as it can.
“These saddening incidents, in essence, are warnings, scolding from Allah to us all who are not respecting his sharia (Islamic religious laws),” he said.