« Book Review: The Blank Slate |
| Yemen: Muslim Cleric Shot By Firing Squad »
November 27, 2005
Indonesia: Bali Islamist Killers On Prime-Time TV
The Times of India reports on a bizarre television spectacle aired across Indonesia on Saturday evening (26 November). Three militant Islamists, who were found guilty of complicity in the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, were given a slot on television to air their beliefs.
The television station, Metro TV, aired a documentary called "Between Black and White", which featured the convicted terrorists Imran Samudra, Ali Gufron and Ali Imron, all members of Jemaah Islamiyah, gave their views. The credits on the programme explained that the government had given permission for the men to be filmed.
Imron is the only one to be receiving a life sentence, for he expressed remorse at his trial. The other two have received death sentences. Imron's words were uncontroversial. "What I did in Bali was wrong. Don't follow in my footsteps. Believe me I know, because I have experienced it..."
The views of Ali Ghufron were uncompromising. He said he was "truly proud to be a terrorist." Echoing statements made at the time of his 2003 trial, he said "Jihad is the best way to receive blessing in Islam."
Imran Samudra, (pictured at the time of his trial) was the most senior of the three in the JI hierarchy. He has written a book glorifying his terrorist activities, and showed on air that his time in prison awaiting execution had not softened his outlook.
"If we are hit, then we hit back," he said. "In any struggle, there are victims." He blamed the West for creating the situation where his actions were to be seen as a "balanced response" to the supposed atrocities committed against Muslims by the West.
The views of the three were not allowed to go unchallenged. Each man was given a few minutes to express opinions, followed by a longer period in which the statements were rebutted and condemned by Islamic scholars, who universally proclaimed that terrorism had no place in Islam.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 27, 2005 1:59 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)