The Jakarta Post, 2/1/2005 3:14:47 PM
Ba'asyir says extremists were wrong to attack Indonesia
JAKARTA (AFP): Firebrand Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir told his terrorism trial
Tuesday that religious extremists were wrong to stage attacks in Indonesia because
the world's largest Muslim-populated country was not at war with anyone.
Ba'asyir said if Muslims wanted to wage jihad or holy war against the United States,
they should go to countries like Afghanistan.
The 66-year-old hardline preacher is on trial for inciting followers to stage the Bali
bombings and a deadly attack on the Jakarta JW Marriott hotel. He could face the
death penalty if convicted.
"I don't agree with the Marriott bombers. Maybe their intention was to defend Islam but
their method was wrong," Ba'asyir told the court.
"If they want to fight America they should go to Afghanistan. Jihad by taking up arms
should only be carried out in conflict areas," he said.
Ba'asyir again denied he was the chief of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), an extremist group
said to have links to al-Qaeda and blamed for the Bali and Marriott bombings as well
as a string of other attacks in Indonesia in recent years.
Ba'asyir accused the U.S. of waging an ideological war against Islam by spreading
twisted interpretations of the religion.
"That is why I'm against America and I call on the government to sever diplomatic
relations with America. The move will be much more powerful than bombings," he
said.
Ba'asyir has maintained that his incarceration was demanded by the United States
because he was critical of Washington's policies in the Islamic world. (***)
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