Religion of Perpetual Violence

While all the big minds of the West were in a state over some guy burning a Koran the usual suspects were looking for more excuses to continue doing what they have been doing for years; persecuting Christians.

Extremist arrested over Indonesia church attack

JAKARTA: Indonesian police detained an Islamic extremist leader on Wednesday over an armed assault on Christian elders which shocked moderates and raised fears for pluralism in the world's most populous Muslim country.

Police said well-known Islamic radical Murhali Barda could face up to 12 years in prison for inciting violence and assault, after a group of men stabbed a Christian elder and bashed a priest on Sunday.

The elder was hospitalised with abdominal injuries and the priest, Luspida Simandjuntak, received minor head wounds when she was beaten with a piece of wood as she tried to help her friend.

The attack came as Simandjuntak was about to hold a service in Bekasi outside Jakarta, where a Protestant church group has faced months of violence and hostility from Muslim vigilantes.


Barda is the Bekasi area chief of a violent vigilante group called the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which is known for its cosy relations with government officials and its armed attacks on moderates and minorities.

"The FPI's chief is accused of inciting people to do violence against others," Jakarta police spokesman Boy Rafli told AFP, adding that Barda had also been charged under the criminal code related to premeditated assault.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday ordered police to arrest and prosecute the attackers.

The leader of the most populous Muslim-majority nation strongly condemned a US pastor's plans to burn the Koran last week but has been criticised at home for failing to protect minority rights in his own country.

Eighty percent of Indonesia's 240 million people are Muslims.

So 48 MILLION PEOPLE have to put up with this bullshit because they AREN'T Muslim?

This has been going on through out the world for years with out a single word of comdenation from world leaders. Instead we get speach after speach about the religion of peace. If it is a Religion of Peace please it isn't showing many examples. When the minority they demand special treatment, when they are the majority they stiffle anyone else from doing anything counter to Islamic prececpts.

Aussies Not Amused

Australia should do more than complain.

Diplomatic fury over bombers

AUSTRALIA will complain to Indonesia after the nation's counter-terrorism chief hosted a party attended by one of the Bali bombers.

The anti-terror chief, Brigadier-General Surya Dharma, said the party was in line with a new "gentle" approach to fighting terrorism, which aims to build a web of informants and former militants to help persuade hard-liners to reject terrorism.

The news was greeted with fury and disgust by Australian bombing victims, with one labelling Indonesia a "laughing stock".

Prime Minister John Howard yesterday said he would ensure a formal complaint was lodged with Indonesia.

"I will certainly see that there is an objection communicated," Mr Howard said.

When asked for his reaction, Mr Howard said he was "absolutely disgusted".

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said the news was a "terrible blow" for victims.

Although the function was held last month, it was only made public on Wednesday.

"It's inappropriate and grossly insensitive and I think for those who are grieving today, it's doubly insensitive," Mr Rudd said.

In Sydney, Coogee Dolphins president Patrick Byrne, who lost six teammates in the bombings, said he continued to be disappointed "at the ongoing injustice" and hypocrisy in Indonesia.

He said Australia had donated a million dollars to tsunami relief "and then to see them purchase a billion dollars in military munitions from Russia during APEC, the continual reductions in sentencing and the constant threat of terrorism - hypocrisy running riot".

Gold Coast man Glenn Forster, who was injured in the blasts, said the Indonesian legal system had made the country look "ridiculous".

Bali Bombers Party?

Nothing speaks more clearly about how screwed up Indonesia is than this. Westerners take note.

Bali bomber's party outrages victims

BALI bombing survivors are outraged that the man who planned the attacks five years ago was temporarily released from prison to party with Indonesia's anti-terror chief.

Indonesia's Brig-Gen Surya Dharma hosted an unguarded party for 20 hard-liners and former terrorists at his house last month.

Among them was Mubarok who is serving a life sentence for his involvement in the planning and carrying out of the 2002 Bali bombings.

Brig-Gen Dharma put on a feast of kebabs for those who had displayed a commitment to help authorities and shown "regret" for their actions.

The feast was timed to break the fast Muslims impose upon themselves during the holy month of Ramadan.

The party is in line with the Indonesian Government's new "soft" approach of building up a web of paid informants and former militants working to persuade hard-liners to change sides and reject terrorism.

"We approach the terrorists with a pure heart," Brig-Gen Dharma said.

"We are all Muslims. We make them our brothers, not our enemy."

But Melbourne survivor Shelley Campbell, 30, who lost friends Belinda Allen and Amber O'Donnell in the Sari club blast said it was "insane". "I find it offensive," Ms Campbell said.

"I just don't understand how they can be let out to have a party with food and laughs when half the world will be mourning today for the 202 people who died. But that's OK to let these guys party. Are they insane?"

Ms Campbell said the outing was a disgrace and a feeble excuse for reformation.

"So they think if they treat the Bali bombers nicely they're going to turn into nice people do they?" she said.

"It's highly unlikely that those people are going to turn into nice people and work for the greater good.

"I find it ridiculous.

"They let them out without being guarded . . . you may as well let them go then. It's appalling."

Former AFL hardman Mick Martyn, who was injured in the Bali bombings, said discovering former terrorists were at a party was a slap in the face for survivors and victims' families.

"It's sending an example that it's fine to go and kill people," he said.

The dual Kangaroos premiership player said he was unhappy with the way Indonesia handled its criminals, but accepted things worked differently over there.

"The way the judicial system works over there and the way they're all being pardoned from the death sentence is typical of the Indonesian Government," he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian authorities say their fresh approach is working, yielding intelligence from reformed militants and helping them convert others headed down the path towards extremism.

Ali Imron -- another former militant serving life for the Bali bombings who says he's turned his back on terrorism -- believes he is doing the right thing.

Bali Bombers Get Visit

I am still waiting for them to get set free at the last minute.

Bali bombers await last visit from their families

FAMILIES of the three death-row Bali bombers are awaiting approval to make a final visit to the southern Java jail where the men await death by firing squad.

However, despite repeated taunts from the trio of Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, that they are ready to die as "martyrs", the men's legal team is engaged in a lobbying campaign to delay the executions as long as possible.

In a move that will be viewed with extreme cynicism by family and friends of the 202 people who died in the Legian bombings five years ago this week, Islamic Defence Team head lawyer Achmad Michdan admits he is determined to draw the process out as far as he can.

"We will lodge another appeal and ask that a proper examination of it be conducted," said a defiant Mr Michdan, irritated that the retroactive application of anti-terrorism legislation used to convict his clients was upheld in the Supreme Court last month.

But even if he wins the right for a second appeal - an extremely unlikely outcome - under Indonesian law, the trio still cannot be executed until they waive their right to presidential clemency.

"There must be a request for clemency - and if there is not, there must be a written statement that they really don't want clemency. We don't have that yet," Attorney-General Hendarman Supandji said.

Interviewed by a local journalist in recent days, the trio declared they were looking forward to meeting their executioners - a crack firing squad of special brigade police, one with a live bullet in his rifle and the others loaded with blanks, all aimed at the guilty men's hearts.

"This is the most wonderful moment for us because soon we will become martyrs," Mukhlas said.

The men will be allowed to join communal prayers this week with other inmates in their high-security jail on the island of Nusakambangan, off the southern Java coast, to mark Islam's holiest day of Idul Fitri.

The day is most likely to fall on Saturday, although there remains a strong chance it could be on Friday - the anniversary of the mass murders - with Indonesians awaiting a formal announcement on timing from the Government tomorrow night.

Idul Fitri is usually an opportunity for Muslims to ask forgiveness of others for any wrongs they might have committed, though for the families of the three men, there is likely to be little hand-wringing over crimes committed.

In fact, this week, the older brother of Amrozi, east Java Islamic school teacher Mohammad Khozin, was soliciting money from journalists for interviews regarding the impending executions.

The legal team had asked that 30 family members be allowed into the jail to visit the three, an official from Indonesia's justice ministry confirmed yesterday.

Idul Fitri will also mark the granting of remissions to several accomplices in the Bali bomb plot, in a cruel coincidence of timing for those observing the anniversary of the atrocity.

Indonesia's justice system does not set minimum non-parole periods at sentencing, but rather requires the awarding of twice-yearly term remissions to prisoners. All prisoners serving terms lighter than life, and who have exhausted all other legal processes, are automatically considered for the remissions.

Indonesia Crack Down

What a happy place.

Islamic sect crackdown criticized

Activists in West Sumatra have protested against a raid on the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah Islamic sect by police acting on the orders of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

The sect has found itself under attack in several parts of the country, including West Sumatra and West Java, since the council declared it blasphemous on Thursday and demanded the government ban it.

The Pusaka Inter-Community Study Center, a non-governmental organization promoting pluralism in West Sumatra, has called for the public to respect individual's rights to perform their religions and beliefs according to human rights.

"Labeling a group's teachings as blasphemous and then attacking them is against the Constitution.

"The police and the Indonesian Ulema Council should refrain (from doing so) and solve the matter wisely," Pusaka director Sudarto told The Jakarta Post.

Members of several large organizations, including the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, visited last week the shop-house in Padang where the sect, led by 44-year-old Dedi Priadi, operates.

They ordered the worshipers to stop their activities before raiding and sealing the building.

Police detained 11 Al-Qiyadah members, including Dedi, in order to prevent "clashes". The sect members were eventually releases, although Dedi has been ordered to report to the police every day and the building has been secured with a police line.

In Bogor regency, West Java, police sealed off two villas belonging to Al-Qiyadah's founder Ahmad Moshaddeq or Haji Salam on Friday to prevent any attacks on the property.

Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council Ma'ruf Amin said people needed to be wary of Ahmad Moshaddeq's teachings because he said he was the next prophet after Muhammad.

Ma'ruf said that the sect did not regard daily prayers, fasting or the pilgrimage to Mecca as compulsory.

The MUI has said that any followers of the sect would be considered apostates.

Sudarto, who is also a member of the West Sumatra chapter of the National Commission on Human Rights, said the government should stay neutral.

He said sealing off the sect's building and requiring its leader in West Sumatra to report to the police over a personal issue was against human rights.

"The state has again used the Criminal Code against the sect for tarnishing a mainstream religion.

"The Criminal Code should not be placed above the Constitution, which guarantees people the freedom to perform their own religions and beliefs ... ," he said.

He said the accusations against the sect should be solved through dialog.

In West Sumatra, Dedi Priadi claimed to have 4,000 followers, mostly students.

In his teachings, he says praying once a day at night, instead of five times, is enough, but denies the sect is blasphemous.

Gusrizal Gazahar of the West Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council said they have monitored the sect for some time and had even sent two people inside the organization.

"The sect is misleading and not Islam. But it claims to be Islam so we ask the government to ban it and call the people involved to get back on the right track," Gusrizal said.

The West Sumatra Provincial Prosecutor's Office released a decision banning Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah on Friday.

Islamic Super Heroes?

Islamic superheroes invade Indonesia

An apparent explosion has levelled high-rise buildings in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, triggering a security alert. It's the work of an Islamic superhero, a giant, confused teenager who sneezed.

Jabbar the Powerful, the alter-ego of teenager Nawaf Al-Bilali, is the first of 99 superhero characters in an Islamic culture-based comic book series called "The 99" just launched in Indonesia.

The comic seeks to act as a metaphor for what's happening in the Islamic world, its creator, Kuwaiti-born Naif Al-Mutawa, told AFP during a recent visit to Jakarta to launch the colourful, action-packed comic.

"Islam or the Koran can be used for good or for bad," Al-Mutawa said, adding that when either are misused, people blame the Koran, "when in fact they should be blaming the person interpreting the Koran".

Each of the superheroes personifies one of the 99 attributes of God in Islam, with their individual powers derived from mystical gemstones originating from 13th-century Baghdad, and infused with lost ancient knowledge.

Jabbar, for instance, has extraordinary strength that gives him "near-invulnerability and durability". Indonesia's own character, Fatah the Opener, can create a portal dimension used to travel anywhere on Earth.

The main struggle in the story happens between two characters representing the classic good-evil dichotomy, with each competing for the allegiance of "The 99". Even the superheroes themselves are sometimes deceived into crossing to the side of evil, Al-Mutawa explained.

But while the comic is based on Islamic archetypes and culture, there's nothing overtly Islamic in them, he said.

"They are as religious as Spiderman," Al-Mutawa quipped. "There's no mention of prayers or prophets, none of that."

The characters, who work in threes, do not carry weapons and are evenly split between males and females.

In a bid to represent Islam's spread around the world, characters frequently hail from two nations, which also helps to "make sense of the Islamic diaspora".

"For example, Bari is from Sudan but grew up in France, Hadya is from Pakistan but grew up in the UK," he said.

Al-Mutawa worked as a clinical psychologist for more than a decade before he started his own media company. He had treated former prisoners of war in Kuwait and worked with survivors of political torture in New York.

"The Iraqis that I treated were tortured by Saddam or his people. These are people who grew up with Saddam as their hero and yet they were tortured by (his people)," he said.

"What kind of message are we sending our children? Is this what heroes do?"

This disillusionment drove him to write several successful children's books and then to create and co-write "The 99," with former Marvel and DC comic artists helping out, hoping to fill a gap in the global market.

The comic, co-written with Fabian Nicieza, who has worked on hit Marvel titles such as X-Men, is now published across the Middle East in Arabic.

"'The 99' is selling as well in Kuwait and the Emirates as Spiderman is. I know because I sell Spiderman," he said.

The comic will debut in the United States in October, followed by Malaysia next year, while Al-Mutawa is in talks with publishers in Turkey and France.

Yudha Kartohadiprodjo, general manager of "The 99's" Indonesian license holder Femina Group, said he believed the comics would find a receptive audience in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

"In the market today there are no contemporary comics based on Islamic values," he said. "The creator understands Islamic history, and that's important for this Islamic-based story."

Indonesian Muslims can be sensitive when it comes to religious-based stories, with any criticism from Islamic groups potentially risking a nationwide boycott.

A poem recently published in a newspaper in West Java, for instance, sparked outrage from a local religious group for its "un-Islamic" depiction of angels, forcing the writer and the newspaper to print a public apology.

Kartohadiprodjo said he was confident in Al-Mutawa's Islamic credentials.

The 68-page, full-colour first issue of "The 99" had a print run of 25,000 copies and is selling at bookstores for 18,000 rupiah (two dollars). A few national newspapers are considering printing extracts, Kartohadiprodjo said.

And of course, merchandising is to follow soon, with the Islamic superheroes preparing to infiltrate homes via notebooks, T-shirts and mobile phone paraphernalia.

Good luck with that. Isn't it against some silly Islamic law to depict the human form? I can't keep track. I can only guess that they'll be battling against their arch-rival "Dr. Jew" or "Infidel Man" or some such nonsense.

Personally I'll take our 300 over their 99.

Bali Bombers Get Even Shorter Sentences

Again I'm shocked they aren't already free. Didn't they just have their sentences reduced for Independence Day? The only "short sentence" they truly deserve to receive is "Meet these Australians"


Bali bombers handed shorter sentences

The 10 men convicted of involvement in the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings will have their sentences reduced at the end of Ramadan.

The news comes only a day after the second anniversary of the bombings in which 20 people were killed, including four Australians.

Four of the men convicted in connection with those attacks learnt that they are likely to have their sentences cut by 30 days when Indonesia celebrates the end of Ramadan.

The sentence reduction recommendation came from the Governor of Bali's Kerobokan prison, where Australian drug smugglers Schapelle Corby and the 'Bali nine' are being held.

It was also recommended that six men convicted of robberies to raise money for the 2002 Bali bombings and for sheltering those involved have their sentences reduced by six weeks.

Is there a reason why the death toll from the 2002 bombing is omitted in this report?

Indonesia Earthquake

Another earthquake.

Strong earthquake shakes Indonesia

A powerful undersea earthquake rattled western Indonesia today, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The 6.4-magnitude quake was centered 80 miles southwest of Padang, a town on Sumatra island still recovering from a series of strong tremors that killed nearly two dozen people earlier this month, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

It struck nearly 21 miles beneath the ocean floor at 10:43 p.m., the USGS said.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

A massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, killed more than 131,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province and left a half-million homeless.

East Timor Blames Indonesia

As well he should blame them.

E.Timor ex-militia chief blames Indonesia for 1999 mayhem

Indonesia was responsible for the bloodshed surrounding East Timor's independence vote in 1999, a former pro-Jakarta militia chief told a commission set up to investigate the violence at a hearing on Wednesday. Pro-Indonesian militiamen went on a violent rampage before and after the U.N.-sponsored vote that ended 24 years of Jakarta rule in the former Portuguese colony.

The Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF), which was set up by Indonesia and East Timor to promote reconciliation between the two neighbours, is holding a final round of hearings this week in East Timor to try to establish the truth about the bloodshed.

Jhony Marques, who was sentenced to 33 years in prison by an East Timor court, said that Indonesia's president at the time, B.J. Habibie, and his chief security minister General Feisal Tanjung should be held responsible for the violence.

"All policies were made by the central government and the military chief in Jakarta," Marques, who led the Alfa militia group, told the commission.

"So the authorities, especially the Indonesian president and Menkopolkam (chief security minister), must be responsible for the murder in East Timor," he said. "It is not fair if we face justice but the key persons that I mentioned are free."

Marques said he ordered his men to attack a convoy of nuns and a priest in Lospalos district in 1999 and admitted that he was on drugs at the time.

Eight people were killed and 300 women were sexually assaulted in separate attacks by his men and other militiamen, he said.

On Tuesday, a former district chief told the commission that before the vote he had been asked by two retired Indonesian generals who were cabinet ministers in 1999 to set up a militia to defend integration.

"We were invited by Minister of Information Yunus Yosfiah and he told us that Indonesia would give funds and weapons to those who supported integration," Tomas Gonsalves said.

He also alleged that then-transmigration minister, Abdullah Hendropriyono, who later became the chief of the national intelligence agency, offered money from his ministry to fund the creation of a militia group.

The United Nations estimates about 1,000 East Timorese were killed when pro-Indonesia militias went on a rampage before and after the territory voted to break away from Jakarta rule.

Indonesian officials have told the commission that only about 100 people were killed. The militias, backed by members of the Indonesian army, also destroyed most of East Timor's infrastructure.

Critics say the commission is toothless because it lacks the power to punish those found responsible for abuses.

Predominantly Catholic East Timor became fully independent in May 2002 after 2 years of U.N. administration that followed 24 years of Indonesian occupation.

East Timor Protest

One of the beefs the Bali Bombers had against the Austrailians they killed was the Austrialian intervention during murderous rampage in East Timor back in 1999. The religious aspects of those killings have been completely ignored.

Protesters demand justice as East Timor probe closes

Protesters called yesterday for the disbanding of an Indonesia-East Timor commission looking into violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 independence vote, demanding justice for what happened.

The Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF), which was set up in 2005 by Indonesia and East Timor to promote reconciliation between the two neighbors, is holding a final round of hearings this week in East Timor.

But critics say that the commission, which is meant to uncover details of the violence and human rights abuses that occurred as East Timorese prepared to vote, is toothless because it lacks the power to punish those found responsible for abuses.

"We want justice," chanted about 70 members of student and rights groups as about 100 security personnel stood on standby.

"There is no tolerance for anyone intending to eradicate justice," read one banner, while another said: "Justice should go through the courts, not through compromise."

"The CTF only defends the criminals and stands in the way of justice," said Xisto da Costa, one of the protesters. "They don't hear the victims' voices."

The UN has strongly criticized the CTF and refused to send any of its officials to testify at several rounds of hearings, saying those guilty of rights violations should face justice.

"This hearing session is quite special, not only because it is the first time it is being held in Dili ... but also because this will be the last public hearing held by the commission," said Benjamin Mangkudilaga, the Indonesian co-chairman of the commission.

On Monday, the commission heard the testimony of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who led the nation's fight against Indonesian rule and who spent seven years in jail in Jakarta.

Yesterday a former district chief told the commission that before the vote he had been asked by the Indonesian military to set up a militia to defend integration.

"We were trained by General Prabowo in Aileu and we had weapons," Tomas Gonsalves said, referring to the former head of the Indonesian military's special forces, Prabowo Subianto.

Gonsalves alleged that then-governor Abilio Soares, who died earlier this year, asked militia members to kill independence supporters and church leaders.

In the 1999 vote the East Timorese voted in favor of breaking away from Indonesia, leading to serious violence blamed on militias backed by the Indonesian military.

Bali Bombers Update

This is a switch.

Indonesia rejects remaining two Bali bombers' appeals

Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected final appeals from all three Islamic militants on death row for the 2002 Bali bombings, meaning they face execution by firing squad.

A request by one of the bombers, Amrozi, for a case review - the final legal avenue for appeal under Indonesian law - was rejected earlier this month. Now his two accomplices have also had their requests rejected, Supreme Court spokesman Nurhadi told the online Detikcom news agency.

"Their appeals have all been rejected," he said, referring as well to Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron.

The court spokesman could not immediately be reached to confirm the rejections.

The horrific 2002 Bali bombings killed 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers, and dragged the south-east Asian region into the so-called global "war on terror".

The attacks were blamed on the regional extremist network Jemaah Islamiyah, which was then linked to Al Qaeda.

The three bombers had been appealing on the grounds of a constitutional court ruling that anti-terrorism laws used to convict them introduced after the bombings could not be applied retroactively.

None of the trio has expressed remorse over the attacks.

A lawyer for the men said earlier this month that they were ready to die after signing a last statement reportedly vowing their deaths would lead to "hell for infidels."

"If we are executed, then the jets and drops of our blood will, God willing, become a ray of light for Muslims and become hell for infidels and hypocrites," reported the Koran Tempo, which obtained the statement.

Besides the three death sentences, Indonesian courts have issued two life sentences and more than 30 other long jail terms for people involved in the Bali attacks or for helping hide the key players when they went on the run.

Moderate Indonesia

The dark ages advance in Indonesia.

Catholic students forced to wear the Islamic veil

The increasing numbers of local laws inspired by Sharia (perda syariat) , are threatening the religious freedom of non Muslims, forced to wear Islamic clothes. Political and religious leaders have long highlighted the problem, but so far, no concrete steps have been taken to resolve the issue.

The latest episode reported by a Catholic family in Padang north Sumatra is worrying: Stefanus Prayog Ismu Rahardi has 3 children, 2 of whom attend state school; recently the teachers asked them to wear the Islamic veil or in Indonesian; jilbab. “It’s the first time that it has happened – says the father – and my daughters are scared, I tried to make them see the veil as a simple accessory, but they clearly understand that the problem goes well beyond aesthetics, they feel they are now in an environment that is hostile to their religion”.

The case is not an isolated one in the majority Muslim state. Since 2002 over 19 states have implemented the so-called perda syariat, norms which should however only apply to Muslim citizens. A Catholics student at a public school SMU Negeri II - Pesisir Selatan district – tells that this institute introduced the veil in 2005 and she herself has been forced to wear it. “Teachers pressured me into conforming – she says – now people see me on the streets and think that I have converted to Islam”.

Boniface Bakti Siregar, from Padang-based Catholic Affairs in the Ministry for Religious Affairs says that such perda has caused serious psychological impact to non-Muslim students. “They have no choice to stay at this state-run schools, since there are no both catholic and protestant schools in those districts which are located very far from the provincial capital of Padang”.

Following the move to regional autonomy, 22 regencies and municipalities in Indonesia have adopted laws inspired by Sharia: some have criminalized behaviour forbidden by Islamic law, such as adultery, prostitution, gambling, alcoholism and they restrict women’s freedom. Over 55 members of parliament sought to highlight the non-constitutional aspects of this problem last year, but the Minister for the Interior placed all responsibilities at the door of regional governors. In the country the strong intellectual influence of Muslim religious leaders are concentrated on trying to contains fanaticism and Islamic extremism.

Tsunami Warning

Tsunami warning issued for India, Indonesia, Australia, Sri Lanka

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Indonesia, Australia, India and Sri Lanka on Thursday after another powerful earthquake rocked the south of Sumatra island.

"There is a possibility of a destructive regional tsunami in the Indian Ocean," the agency said in a statement, adding that the Indian Ocean coasts of Sumatra and Java and Australia's Cocos Islands could be affected within an hour.

It said all coasts of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands and all coasts of Sri Lanka could be affected between one to three hours.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, which came about 14 hours after another powerful tremor in the same area, measured 7.5. It had earlier put its strength at 7.9.

Jakarta Nuke Plant "Sinful"

Sinful? Stupid perhaps, considering the location and the lack of safety standards in the country. However I'm not sure why Iran, which is also prone to earth quakes, can have nuclear power plants and Indonesia isn't... but Allah seems to have many such double standards.

Indonesia nuclear plans ‘sinful’: Muslim clerics

An influential group of Muslim clerics from Indonesia’s largest Islamic movement has declared the government’s nuclear plans for earthquake-prone Java as sinful under Islam, a cleric said on Monday.

Some 150 clerics from Central Java, where the government plans to build its first nuclear power plant, met over the weekend, said Nuruddin Amin.

“The meeting concluded that a nuclear power plant would create danger for the local population outweighing the benefits it would bring, and therefore the meeting agreed to declare it as ‘haram’,” Amin told AFP.

The Islamic term refers to something unacceptable, forbidden or sinful.

He said that the district level decision would now be recommended to the regional chapter and then national headquarters of their clerical group.

“We hope that eventually a recommendation could be passed on to the government,” Amin added.

The government, pressed to boost energy supplies to the world’s fourth most populous nation, plans to build its first plant on the foothills of Mount Muria, a dormant volcano.

Jakarta shelved plans to develop atomic energy in 1997 in the face of mounting public opposition, the discovery of a large gas field and a shortage of funds.

But the idea resurfaced in 2005 amid increasing power shortages and a government drive to develop and diversify energy resources.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has backed Indonesia’s plans to build nuclear plants despite strident opposition from environmentalists. Thousands of residents have also already held several protests.

The government is expecting to put the 4,000 megawatt project out to tender next year with construction slated to begin in 2010 and the plant to open by 2016, the Jakarta Post reported Monday.

Bashir The Rat Speaks

Why is the man not in prison?

Indonesians live in sin: Bashir

INDONESIAN Muslims are living in sin as long as they fail to implement Islamic law across the world's fourth largest nation, hardline cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said today.

"As long as we live in a secular state, Indonesian Muslims continue living in sin," the Muslim leader told some 200 participants attending a seminar on Islam and democracy.

Bashir heads the Indonesian Council of Mujahedin, an umbrella organisation advocating the implementation of Islamic or sharia law across Indonesia.

The Government permitted Aceh province to begin implementing Islamic law, and that was to pacify demands for independence. Some districts have also passed strict Islamic bylaws.

Bashir said that sharia was a non-negotiable matter and "we cannot act in a soft way in order to implement Islamic law".

"The Muslim community has an obligation to struggle to make a drastic change in support of Islamic law implementation," he said, without specifying how they should do this.

As long as the country did not adopt sharia, Muslims had to follow it in their personal lives, as well as in their groups, he added.

Bashir, 68, was released from jail in June last year after serving more than two years for his role in a "sinister conspiracy" that led to the Bali bombings of October 2002. The attacks left 202 people dead.

The Supreme Court in December overturned his conviction, to outrage from the families of the bombing victims.

More than 90 per cent of Indonesia's 232 million people are Muslims, but most follow a more moderate version of Islam.

Violent Protest In Indonesia

Violent protest leaves 13 injured, forces closure of airport in east Indonesia: Officials

Police used tear gas and water cannon to repel thousands of protesters, some throwing rocks and glass shards, at an airport in eastern Indonesia, officials said.

At least 13 people, including two security officers, were injured when riot police moved in to end the violent protest at Sultan Khairun Babullah Airport in Ternate, the capital of North Maluku province, said provincial police chief Brig. Gen. Mustofa, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.

The protesters, angry about the exclusion of a candidate from a governorship election, had traveled to the airport to try and stop electoral officials from leaving.

Some protesters blocked roads with garbage, oil drums and glass in an attempt to stop them reaching the airport, while others destroyed offices and houses in Ternate forcing schools and business to shut down.

The airport was subsequently closed, the airport chief said.

"For safety reasons, we have decided to close the airport," said Ras Burhani. "It will be reopened after the situation returns to normal."

Indonesia Volcano Erupts

Lava, hot ash spews from the mouth of volcano in eastern Indonesia

A volcano in eastern Indonesia spewed hot lava and clouds of ash high into the air early Monday, a vulcanologist said, hours after hundreds of villagers living on its rumbling slopes were evacuated.

There were no reports of injuries or damage, said Yudi Satipang, a vulcanologist who has been monitoring Mount Karangetang on Siau island since it was placed on high alert over the weekend.

"It sounds like huge thunderclaps," he said of the booming gas blasts from the crater, adding that villages, farms and trees on the 1,700-meter (5,577-foot) -tall mountain were covered in thick gray ash.

Karangetang is one of Indonesia's most active mountains, and it has been rumbling for days.

Nearly 600 residents living within the danger zone have fled to safety, and many were seeking shelter in government buildings, schools and mosques.

What could cause this?

a) Angry god
b) Secret US weapon
c) Gaia is angry at us
d) Shifts in the Earths plates

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Siau, a popular diving island, is part of the Sulawesi island chain. It lies some 2,325 kilometers (1,444 miles) northeast of the country's capital, Jakarta.

Bali Bombers Get Reduced Sentence

You mean they haven't let them go yet? And what exactly is the correlation between "Indepence Day" and blowing up a bunch of tourists?

Bali bombers' prison sentences reduced for Indonesia's independence day

Ten Islamic militants jailed for suicide bombings on Bali that killed more than 220 people — many of them foreign tourists — had several months shaved off their sentences Friday to mark Indonesia's Independence Day.

It is a local tradition to cut jail terms on holidays, but the decision was likely to anger countries that lost citizens in the 2002 and 2005 attacks on the resort island's crowded nightclubs and restaurants.

The father of one of the victims lambasted the "blatant disregard" for those who died.
Those who benefited from Friday's remissions were serving between eight and 18 years on a variety of charges, including helping to plan the bombings, sheltering the main suspects and setting up a Web site explaining how to kill foreigners.

Six men involved in the Oct. 12, 2002, terror strikes that claimed 202 lives — 88 of them Australians — had their sentences cut by five months for good behavior, said Ilham Djaya, chief warden at Bali's main prison.

Four others convicted in the 2005 attacks that left 20 people dead received two-month reductions.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks blamed on the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah since the Sept. 11, 2001,
strikes in the United States.

But it has not suffered a suicide bombing in nearly two years, thanks largely to the arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of suspects, prompting the country's president to claim victory Thursday in the so-called war on terror.

Australian Brian Deegan, who lost his 21-year-old son Josh in the 2002 nightclub attacks, said he could not understand the rationale behind cutting sentences of convicted terrorists.

"The original punishments ... could hardly be called dissuasive for persons who might be like-minded," he told The Associated Press by telephone. "And the constant review and early releases simply subtracts from what little dissuasion that there was."

The government says all prisoners in Indonesia have a constitutional right to sentence reductions, regardless of their crimes, except for those serving life in prison or on death row.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Matalatta said about 64,000 inmates received cuts on Friday, most by a few months, and of those about 6,600 were freed.

Among those who did not benefit was Australian Schapelle Corby, who was sentenced to 20 years in 2005 for smuggling 4.2 kilograms (9 pounds) of marijuana to Bali.

Djaya said the high-profile inmate lost her right to a two-month reduction after she was caught with a mobile phone in her cell, apparently smuggled in by a friend

You know what. I hope these guys get let go. And I hope the Australian S.A.S. is waiting to double tap them when walk out of the jail.

Doesn't Everybody Want To Rule The World?

Right, put these bunch of cave-men and their invisible friend in charge. That's a good idea.

Rally calls for Muslims to govern the world

Almost 80 000 members of a hardline Muslim group held a rally in Indonesia that heard calls for a caliphate - or Islamic rule - to govern the world.

The supporters of the Hizbut Tahrir group filled up most of an 80 000-seat sports stadium in the capital, Jakarta, waving flags as they listened to fiery speeches that said it was "time for the caliphate to reign".

The meeting had been held as part of "civic education" for Indonesian Muslims, said Muhammad Ismail Yusanto, a spokesperson for Hizbut Tahrir.

The organisation advocates Islamic rule and is banned in several Middle Eastern countries.

Supporters travelled to the stadium in convoys of buses from other parts of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. Local and foreign speakers were invited to give speeches.

When In Doubt Blame Democracy

Of course the rise of Militant Islam COULDN'T be the reason businesses and tourists have fled Indonesia in droves. Nope.

Islamist group blames democracy for Indonesia's woes

Despite a national consensus that a democratic system of government is the best solution for Indonesia, an Islamist group says democracy is one of the main reasons why the country is lagging behind others.

Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia spokesman Muhammad Ismail Yusanto said the situation had worsened since the economic crisis hit a number of Asian countries, including Indonesia, in the late 1990s.

"What has democracy brought us?" asked Ismail during a press conference at the International Caliphate Conference here Sunday.

"Democracy only brings us secular policies, like what's happening nowadays," he told reporters, while referring to secularism as being against sharia.

About 100,000 Muslims gathered Sunday at the Bung Karno sports stadium in Senayan,
Central Jakarta, for the conference. It was a much bigger crowd than attended the group's first conference, also in Jakarta, in 2000, which was only attended by 5,000 people.

Ismail said the establishment of an Islamic caliphate would help solve this country's problems and increase development.

Official statistics show that currently 39 million Indonesians live in poverty and 22 million people are unemployed.

Millions of children also suffer from malnutrition and are unable to continue at school, Ismail added.

According to Ismail, the establishment of the caliphate would mark the application of sharia in all aspects of life and the reunification of Muslim countries all over the world.

The concept of implementing sharia in Indonesia is not new. During the constitutional debates of 1945, a clause on sharia was briefly incorporated into the constitution, but was then quickly dropped from the draft.

The clause -- "dengan kewajiban menjalankan syariat Islam bagi pemeluk-pemeluknya" (with the obligation to live according to Islamic law for Muslims) -- was an add-on to the first principle of Pancasila, which declares belief in "the one supreme God".

Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin, however, said the idea of caliphate (Khilafah in Arabic) concept in Indonesia would have to conform to the state ideology Pancasila.

"Khilafah shouldn't undermine the inclusivism and pluralism of the nation," Din said.
He added that non-muslims did not have to be afraid of the discourse on Khilafah as it was part of the democratic process.

"Khilafah is a good Islamic teaching. We shouldn't reject it," he said.

Both Ismail and Din also stated that Hizbut Tahrir was strongly against violence. They urged the international community to be fair in its treatment of Hizbut Tahrir as a Muslim group.

"Hizbut Tahrir doesn't support any (form of) radicalism, especially not terrorism," Din stated.
Hizbut Tahrir was founded in Baitul Maqdis, Palestine, in 1953. It is banned in several Arab and Asian countries, but Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia has grown rapidly in recent years since its arrival here in the early 1980s.

Ismail claimed that Hizbut Tahrir has about two million members in Indonesia.