Terrorists Are Also Humans: Bali Bombers And Brute Of Cowardly Execution

November 11, 2008

For the sentenced to death trio Bali I bombers, Amrozi, Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra, being called terrorists by the local and international mass media or by anybody else for that matter did not make them angry or offended. They are confident that what they have done is Jihad, that they even believed Allah SWT would award them the title 'Mujahid'.

In fact they do not feel burdened at all by what the government has gone through in convicting them with the death sentence. Gunned with the rifles, rockets or even missiles, beheaded, electrocuted or any other methods, to them they are all the same. All aimed at dying as Shaheed. How do we rank Amrozi, Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra? Mujahid or Terrorist? What’s certain is that, they are also humans. As humans they are amongst those who have full obedience towards their religion, who have seriousness in fathoming the teaching of their religion and who have possessed penchant towards the Islamic ummah.

If there are people who judge them as having distortion in understanding and practicing Jihad, that’s their business with Allah. For those who agreed with their ‘ijtihad’, then Amrozi, Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra are Mujahids. On the other hand, for those who did not agree, the three of them are called Terrorist.

Amrozi and Friends are Afghan Alumni

Two of the trio prosecuted Bali Bombers I are Afghan graduates. Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas is an Afghan graduate from the second batch (joined at the end of 1987), the same batch as Abu Rushdan and Mustapha alias Pranata Yudha. Whereas Imam Samudra was from the ninth batch (joined in 1991), the same batch as Ali Imran (brother of Ali Ghufran alias Mukhlas, who were also involved in the Bali Bombing I case, but was not given a death sentence)

The first group from Indonesia who took part in the Afghan jihad came about at around the end of 1984 to early 1985, in amongst the first groups was Sa’ad alias Ahmad Roihan, who was also involved in the Bali Bombing I case, in fact in a number of other bombing incidents before that. Abu Dujana closed off the group of Indonesians who were militarily trained in Afghanistan to take part in the Jihad. Abu Dujana, like Ahmad Roihan was also arrested by the governmental apparatus.

Sidney Jones, the Director of the International Crisis Group (ICG) Jakarta Bureau, in one of the opportunities had said that if only people like Imam Samudra had known that the Afghan ‘project’ was a CIA plan, they would have certainly never wanted to go to Afghanistan to train militarily and conduct in Jihad. Is that so?

No! Even if they knew that the CIA was behind the Afghan ‘project’, their jihad spirit and determination to liberate the Afghan Muslims from the Soviet communist regime invasion, would have beaten that reality (the CIA plan).

As a superpower, the US should have been capable of sending a number of its forces to drive out the Communist Soviet from Afghanistan. However, at that time the US had not yet recovered from the trauma caused by the significant defeat they suffered during the Vietnam war which had taken place from 1961 to 30th April 1975. The US lost more than 58,000 of its troops and wasted more than 15 million US dollars.

The elected US president then, Kennedy, sent 400 troops to Vietnam in 1961. The following year, Kennedy increased its forces in Vietnam to 11,000 troops. In 1968, the US sent 500,000 of its troops to Vietnam, this number was not including the various forces sent by Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, The Philippines and Thailand which numbered 90,000 troops.

The Afghan war itself happened in the early 1980’s to early 1990’s. The US did not want to sacrifice its troops just like what had happened in Vietnam. Therefore, the choice fell on the Muslim youths from the various corners of the world who were well known for their jihad spirit, including those from Indonesia. Sheikh Osama bin laden became a very important figure, besides other figures, in recruiting and facilitating the Islamic youths who wanted to conduct jihad in Afghanistan.

Arousing The Resting Tiger

Since 1990 until 1995, the Afghan jihad graduates of the Indonesian origin gradually came back to their homeland. Some of them continued their Jihad in Moro (Philippines), reviving the Hudaibiyah camp until the end of 1990’s.

Before conducting Jihad in Afghanistan, they equipped themselves with a variety of skills in the Training Camps, such as the use of weaponry, courses on different types of chemicals and constructing explosive materials (bombs), courses on the use of battle tanks, combat trainings in different conditions of battle fields. However, upon returning home, these skills were not used to do acts of terrorism, because they did not aspire to become terrorists at all, much less in their own country.

Do Not Forget Poso

However, since the tragedy of the 25th December 1998, when the Islamic ummah were in the midst performing the ibadah of shaum in Ramadhan, and the Christians were still in the atmosphere of Christmas, which was supposed to be peaceful and full of love.

Suddenly the peace was ripped apart by the Christian youths who in their drunkenness entered a Masjid and then stabbed a Muslim youth, Ridwan.

This was the first case of Poso, which started up the other cases of Poso.

Around three weeks later, on 19th January 1999 the case of Ambon also broke out, which was sparked off by the bullying of two Muslim youths committed by the Christian youths.

The conflict continued and spread extensively and bloodily. Until the climax occurred on the 24th December 1999 until 7th January 2000, which was named as the case of Tobelo-Galela, with the majority number of deaths were from amongst the Muslims. Sources had counted the number of victims as 3000 deaths, and 2800 of those were from the Muslims.

Later on, it was discovered that in the tragedy of this Tobelo-Galela massacres, there was an involvement of the Sinode GMIH (Messiah Bible Church Council of Halmahera), who coordinated the resettlement of the Christian community into Tobelo, numbering around 30,000 people. The resettlement was done in stages since mid November until early December 1999. In fact, on Friday, the 24th December 1999 using the pretext of 'church’s security', they transported hundreds of Christian populations from Desa (Village) Leloto, Desa Paso and Desa Tobe to Tobelo. They came in trucks filled with attributes of war such as red colored head bands, spears, machetes, axes and arrows.

In May 2000, the case of Poso broke out again for the third time. Hundreds of Muslims students from the Walisongo pesantren (madrasa) was slaughtered by Fabianus Tibo and gangs. Later on, it was discovered that there was an involvement from the Sinode GKST (Christian Church Council of Central Sulawesi) which was based in Tentena. Also a number of notable figures (16 people), as later revealed by Tibo, were executed to death.

Those events were like arousing a resting tiger. Then, the first act of “terror” by the Afghan graduates erupted for the first time, namely the Bombing of the Embassy of the Philippines. The bombing occurred on the 01st August 2000. The reason, the bombers suspected that the Philippines were illegally taking parts in supplying weapons to Ambon (Moluccus Island) which at that time was in conflicts, and it had certainly provided an advantage to one party, ie. the red camp (Christians).

Then, on the Christmas eve of the 24th December 2000, a series of bombings in a number of churches occurred in different towns of Indonesia, such as at the front of the Cathedral Church (Central Jakarta), Church of Santo Yosef, and bus station of catholic school of Marsudi Rini at Matraman Raya Road (East Jakarta), Koinonia Church (in Jatinegara, East Jakarta), as well as Kanisius school and church at Menteng Raya Road (Central Jakarta). Bombings were also launched near the churches in Medan, North Sumatera, Mojokerto East Java, Mataram NTB and Pekanbaru and Batam Riau, as well as Bekasi. The message was loud and clear, it was as a stern warning to the Christian community especially their notable churchmen, where a number of their churches’ leaders had become the intellectual actors (masterminds) in the slaughtering of the Muslims in Ambon (Moluccus) and Poso.

February 2001, another expulsion and slaughtering of the Muslims community from Madura broke out in Sampit, which was unleashed by the Christian Dayak and animists. The tragedy of the mass beheadings of the Madurese people by the Dayak tribe was demonstratively done in broad daylights and in front of the local and international TV’s who wanted to make the reports.

Two months later, April 2001, the fourth case of Poso broke out again.

Though unrelated to the cases of Sampit, Ambon and Poso, what’s clear was that on the 11th September 2001, the tragedy of WTC 911 struck in the country of Bush. The accusation and labeling of Islam as ‘terrorism’ started to be formally proclaimed by Bush. Bush’s worry for the acts of terrorism which was made synonymous to Islam was, akin to ‘a gun shooting its own master’. The ‘war on terror’ was declared, because the US (CIA) knew fully well the quality of the Afghan graduate Mujahids. Like a master who knows fully well the quality of his students.

A year later, on 12th October 2002, only then the Bali Bombing I case erupted, killing 202 people and 350 others were both lightly and heavily wounded. Over all, the total number of victims from the cases of Ambon, Poso and Sampit, especially on the side of the Muslims, was tens or even hundreds time more compared to the number of victims from the Bali Bombings I and II.

Less than a year since the Bali Bombing I case, another bomb exploded in the front lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel, on the 5th of August 2003 at around 12.40 hours, causing 10 people dead, and 152 others wounded. A year later, the Kuningan Bombing occurred (9th September 2004), in front of the Australian Embassy at HR Rasuna Said Road, Jakarta. The next year, the Bali Bombing II occurred (01st Oktober 2005). Around a month later, Dr. Azhari who all these while had become the ‘ghost terrorist’ was eventually shot to death in Batu, Malang, on the 09th November 2005.

Objective and Fair

Post-the killing of Azahari, the bombing cases did actually stop to these days. However the potential for “terror” is awlays there. When referring to the arrest in Palembang (01st July 2008) and Kelapa Gading (21st Oktober 2008), which would have made the Pertamina Plumpang Depot (State oil Company) in North Jakarta as its target.

Though Azahari had been shot dead, and 300 plus from the “terrorist” network had been arrested, including their important figures such as Abu Dujana, and that observers had also predicted that the destructive potential of the "terrorist" movement, the Jama’ah Islamiyah is only 10% remaining, however the potential for “terror” is still there, in fact the new Police chief mentioned that terrorism now is everywhere. With the reason that, Noordin M Top who all these while was pronounced as doing recruitment, is still not captured. Meaning, though Amrozi and friends would be shot to death, the potential for terror is still high.

Then, how to eliminate the potential for such “terror”? All parties thereby, especially the government should be objectively and fairly looking at the root cause of the problem. This is the recipe. The root cause firstly, is the slaughtering of the Muslims by the Christian community, be it in Ambon (Moluccus) or Poso. It was not an ordinary horizontal conflict. This is a fact which was ignored, in fact it was forced to become a normal horizontal conflict, started by existence of conflicts between gangsters from both sides, however the reality is not simply like that!

Thursday, 25th January 2007, Ustadz Ahmad accompanied by a number of figures from the Islamic Ummah Forum, including Ustadz Abu Bakar Ba’asyir from the MMI (Indonesian Mujahideen Council) and Habib Rizieq from the FPI (Islamic Defenders Front), visited Komnas HAM (Basic Human Rights National Commision) to present the very sickening facts in the form of a Video Recording of the Poso incidents.

What actually happened was that, the non-Muslim (Catholic-Christian) community was the one who started all the conflicts, which were believed to contain the involvement of the churches as well as the notable figures of the Catholic-Christian society as the intellectual actors (masterminds). They initiated the attacks and killings, whereas the Muslim community was only retaliating, which simultaneously was also an act of self defense. Assistance from outside the point of conflict came because the Islamic ummah realized that the position of the governmental apparatus, whether local or central, was bias in handling the cases, they are not protecting the Muslim community at all.

The second root cause is the arrogance and disloyal attitude of the Catholic-Christian (and followed by the Hindu). This arrogance attitude could be found mainly in certain areas where the majority of the populations are non-Muslim. Expulsions and slaughtering of the Muslims (Muslim cleansing) occurred in some of these districts. Whereas in the areas where the majority of the populations are Muslims, there was never any expulsion of the Catholic-Christian and Hindu community, much less their slaughtering. Instead, threats and intimidation to break away from NKRI (United Republic Indonesian Nation ) could always be heard in these areas. This shows that the non-Muslim (except the Buddhist community) are consistently sowing the seed of discords and certainly treacherous to the NKRI.

The government and the security apparatus should have encouraged those Catholic-Christian figures with big hearts to acknowledge the confusion by a section of its community, ie. notable figures of the church who deliberately became the intellectual actors of the killings of the Muslims. Declaration of apologies should have been given openly, it might be that when the Afghan graduates read it, insha Allah, it could have cooled down their hearts.

Other than that, the governmental apparatus should also be fair in handling the case of Poso which had prolonged for quite a while. For example, in their operations for the restoration of security which targeted the instigators of the acts of terror and slaughtering by the Christians, the governmental apparatus used the code; Operation Peaceful Love. Whereas when the same thing was addressed to the Muslim community, the apparatus used the buzzword; Operation Raid which means - attack or eradicate, it reminded us of the mosquito eradicator poison (insect aerosol). This is obviously unfair and very provocative. At least it triggered indignation.

I am confident that the trio Bali bombers did not aspire to become terrorists. They are just ordinary human beings. However when hundreds (or thousands) of their brothers in faith were slaughtered by others of different faith, clearly and surely, they of course could not just watch in silence. If to the far away Afghanistan they were prepared to sacrifice their lives, what is only Ambon or Poso? Thus how bravery in Jihad was portrayed, I am sure that the Islamic ummah in Indonesia have many other Muslim youths who are braver and smarter than Azahari or Amrozi, if only placing a bomb or a series of bombs in places with no risk, it is nothing. But those of the Muslims with better potential still have ‘awareness and restraint’ in them and what is more important is that, does the government has any political view to solve the issue at hand or not?