Western Resistance

« Pakistan: Islamists Attack Army - Taliban Claim Responsibility | | UK: Muslim Lawyer Wins Right To Wear Veil In Court »

November 9, 2006

Indonesia: Schoolgirls Decapitated As Act Of "Muslim Charity"

The trial of three Islamists began yesterday in Jakarta. The three men stand accused of murdering three Christian schoolgirls in Poso, Central Sulawesi province, on October 29 2005. Ida Yarni Sambue (15), Theresia Morangke (15), and Alfita Poliwo (19) - were decapitated, and their companion, Noviana Malewa, was hacked in the face with a machete, but survived.

The news of the trial opening is covered by AKI, Reuters, Antara News, he Australian, AFP via Yahoo, DPA via Bangkok Post, Gulf News and Jakarta Post.

The killings of the three schoolgirls, whose heads were placed in plastic bags and left near a church in their village, signaled a resurgence of sectarian conflict in the province of Central Sulawesi. Between the end of 1998 and 2002, the region had been subject to an intense conflict in which Muslims attacked Christians, and vice versa, in which 1,000 people died. The conflict in Sulawesi was part of a larger conflict, the Moluccan War, led by militant Islamist groups such as Laskar Jihad. This "war" killed 9,000 people over the same period.

On May 5 this year, five Muslims were arrested on Sulawesi. These included two of hose who are now standing trial - Apriyantono (aka Irwanto Irano, aka Irwan) and Lilik Purwanto (aka Arman, aka Haris). Shortly after these arrests, seven individuals confessed to police that they been involved in the attack upon the Christian schoolgirls.

The trial of these men, and the alleged ringleader, is taking place in Jakarta as it is felt that a trial in Poso would only inflame sectarian unrest. Already Poso is in a state of tension after three Christians were recently executed for their alleged involvement with the conflict on Poso. Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu were shot by firing squad at Palu airport on September 20. This event triggered rioting in which two Muslims were killed, even though in the weeks leading up to their execution, Christians had been subjected to attacks, with two civilians killed by bombs.

On October 16 a protestant priest, Reverend Irianto Kongkoli, was killed in Palu, capital of Central Sulawesi province. He had actively campaigned for the three executed Christians to have their lives spared.

The leader of the three men currently on trial in Jakarta is 34-year old Hasanuddin, (aka Hasan, aka Slamet Raharjo), a trader from Java, who is accused of having "planned and/or mobilised others to conduct crimes of terrorism by intentionally using violence."

At the opening of the trial, the state prosecutor Payaman claimed that Hasanuddin (pictured) had carried out the planning of the attack upon the four schoolgirls with six other individuals. Two of these were Irwanto Irano and Lilik Purwanto, while the four others are still fugitives. Hasanuddin, Irwanto Irano and Lilik Purwanto are being tried separately.

Payaman said that Hasanuddin had said of the killing of the girls that "the aim of this activity is to seek justice for our brothers and sisters who have been sadistically and inhumanly slaughtered."

The prosecutor said: "The defendant planned or provoked others to commit violent acts aimed to incite terror."

Hasanuddin had undergone training at a Muslim militant camp in the southern Philippines. This is probably the Hudaybiyah camp, which was run by the Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah, in conjunction with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Hasanuddin did not speak when the trial started, other than to say that he would deliver a defense against the charges.

The Central Jakarta District Court was told that when the schoolgirls' severed heads were placed in their village, a note accompanied them. This read: "Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head."

When Hasanuddin came back from his time spent in the camp at Mindanao in the southern Philippines, he had heard tales that MILF often staged bombings to coincide with Eid-ul-Fitr, the festival which follows on from Ramadan. In southeast Asia, Eid ul-Fitr is called "Lebaran". On October 29, 2005, Lebaran did not officially start until five days later.

Hasanuddin had spoken to a Muslim cleric in Poso about the possibility of mounting a Lebaran terror attack in Indonesia, but had been unsure if such an action was appropriate. The court was told that Hasanuddin later decided that such an action could count as an action of "Muslim charity". He gathered his accomplices from a local pesantaren, or Islamic school. He charged one of these, Lilik Purnomo, to scout for "the head of a Christian". Payaman told the court that Hasan had said: "We had better find Kongkoli (Christians) as an Idul Fitri gift."

Hasanuddin had supposedly told Lilik: "It would be a great Lebaran trophy if we got a Christian. Go search for the best place for us to find one." Lilik's reconnaissance had identified a group of Christian schoolgirls, who would regularly walk to their school at the village of Gebong Rejo in Poso district.

Indictments claim that Lilik had passed onto Irwanto Irano four potential targets, and the Gebong Rejo target was chosen. Lilik then assigned Irwanto to "lead an ambush team" of four men to carry out the murders. The plan to attack the schoolgirls was formulated by Hasanuddin and his accomplices in Gebang Rejo library in 2005, prosecutor Payaman said.

Hasanuddin had acknowledged that the murder of women and children was "actually prohibited by sharia (law) but it was allowed to avenge what they (the Christians) have done to us."

The attackers prepared for the killings by taking six machetes and plastic bags, and watched the area where the schoolgirls walked regularly. On one occasion, a planned attack on the girls was called off, after a woman spotted the men hiding by the roadside. The attack took place the following day, Saturday, October 29. The attackers had planned to behead six girls, but only four walked past on the morning of the attack.

Three of the girls were beheaded "cleanly", but Noviana Malewa struggled and escaped screaming. The assailants chased her but were unable to catch her. The heads were taken to Hasanuddin in a backpack.

Defense lawyer Achmad Michdan asked the judges to delay the trial as prosecutors had not given copies of the indictment to them three days before the start of the trial, the legal requirement. He said: "We even didn't know the trial had started today."

Presiding judge Binsar Siregar dismissed the request. He said the defendant (Hasanuddin) had received a copy of the indictment on November 3. The prosecution was unaware that Achmad was acting for Hasanuddin, the judge said.

Alfita Poliwo (left) and Theresia Morangke, two of the victims decapitated on October 29, 2005

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 9, 2006 10:30 AM

Comments

Posted by: pigtails not veils at November 10, 2006 12:46 AM

Post a comment