Abu Bakar Bashir
Encyclopedia
Abu Bakar Bashir
Abu Bakar Bashir (also Abubakar Ba'asyir, Abdus Somad, and Ustad Abu ("Teacher Abu"), born 17 August 1938, is an Indonesia
n Muslim
cleric and leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council
(MMI).
He runs the Al-Mukmin
boarding school in Ngruki, Central Java
which he co-founded with Abdullah Sungkar
in 1972. He was in exile in Malaysia for 17 years during the secular New Order administration of the President of Indonesia
Suharto resulting from various activities, including urging the implementation of Sharia
law.
Intelligence agencies and the United Nations
claim he is the spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiyah
(also known as JI) and has links with Al-Qaeda
. Hasyim Muzadi, speaking about Bashir's trial, said he does not believe Jemaah Islamiyah exists.
, East Java
on 17 August 1938, to a family of Hadhrami
Arab
and Javanese descent. He was a student of Gontor Islamic boarding school in Ponorogo
, graduating in 1959, before entering Al-Irsyad University, in Solo
, Central Java
and graduating in 1963. After time as an activist for the Islamic Student Association in Solo, he was elected secretary of Al-Irsyad Youth Organization, and then president of Indonesian Islamic Youth Movement (GPII) (1961), and Indonesian Student Da'wah Organization (LDMI).
In 1972, Bashir founded Al-Mukmin
boarding school with friends Abdullah Sungkar, Yoyo Roswadi, Abdul Qohar H. Daeng Matase and Abdllah Baraja. Al-Mukmin is located in Ngruki, near Solo, Central Java. Initially, Al-Mukmin's activities were limited to religious discussion after dhuhr
(mid-day prayer). Following increasing interest, the founders expanded Al-Mukmin into Madrasah
(Islamic school) and then to Pesantren
(Islamic boarding school).
During President of Indonesia
Suharto's New Order, Bashir and Sungkar were arrested for a number of reasons, firstly for actively supporting Sharia
, the non-recognition of the Indonesian national ideology Pancasila
which in part promotes religious pluralism. Secondly, the refusal of their school to salute the Indonesian flag
which signified Bashir's continual refusal to recognise the authority of a secular Indonesian state. Bashir appealed but was subsequently imprisoned without trial from 1978 to 1982. Soon after his release, Bashir was convicted on similar charges; he was also linked to the bomb attack on the Buddhist
monument Borobudur
in 1985 but fled to Malaysia. During his years in exile Bashir undertook religious teachings in both Malaysia and Singapore
. The United States government alleged that during this period he became involved with Jamaah Islamiyah, an alleged militant Islamist group. Bashir remained in exile until Indonesian President Suharto's fall in 1998. Bashir returned to Indonesia in 1999 and became a cleric, renewing his call for Sharia law.
(CIA) and Israel
were behind terror attacks in Indonesia including the 2002 Bali bombings Even after open confessions from the bombers, Bashir claimed in August 2006 that the Bali bombs were "replaced" by a "micro-nuclear
" weapon by the CIA. Bashir has expressed sympathy for Osama bin Laden
and Saddam Hussein
, but that he didn't "agree with all of their actions," in particular "total war." He further stated "...If this occurs in an Islamic country, the fitnah [discord] will be felt by Muslims. But to attack them in their country [America] is fine." He has claimed the 9/11 attacks were a false flag
attack by America and Israel as a pretext to attack Muslims in Afghanistan
and Iraq
.
In a speech following the Bali attacks Bashir stated, "I support Osama bin Laden's struggle because his is the true struggle to uphold Islam." the Indonesian islamic cleric is portrayed strongly in Western media as an extreme thinker who inspires deadly actions, however to Bashir the true terrorists are America and Israel.
He has stated his belief that Indonesia must adhere to Sharia law and has renewed his calls for an Islamic state in Indonesia.
Controversy surrounding Abul Bakar Bashir heightened in early 2008 after a sermon given by the cleric in late 2007. Bashir allegedly refers to tourists in Bali as 'worms, snakes and maggots' with specific reference to the immorality of Australian infidels. Bashir states
The cleric has also previously warned of severe retribution if the Bali bombers, who killed 202 people in 2002, be executed by firing squad. On 24 March 2008 the bombers, who were on death row, lost almost any hope of escaping the death penalty as their lawyer, Fahmi Bachmid, withdrew from their last appeal. The Bali bombers were executed by firing squad at 12:15am on the 9th November, 2008.
. Megawati's administration captured Al-Faruq and transferred him to American custody, and he was subsequently held in Bagram
prison in Afghanistan
.
Similarly, US State Department translator, Fred Burks revealed during Bashir's trial in Indonesia that the USA government had asked President Megawati secretly to hand-over Bashir in a meeting at Megawati's home in September 2002. Present at that meeting was US ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce
, National Security Council official Karen Brooks, and an unnamed CIA official.
Megawati refused to transfer Bashir saying, "I can't render somebody like him. People will find out".
On 14 April 2003, he was formally charged by the Indonesian government with treason
, immigration violations, and providing false documents and statements to the Indonesian police. The charges are mainly related to the 2000 Christmas Eve bombings
against Christian
churches, which killed 18 people. In the Indonesian court, he was found not guilty of treason because the state failed to prove its case, but was found guilty on the immigration violations. In a local TV news interview, Metro TV, when asked, 'Are you truly a terrorist?'; He simply answered, 'No, I've never killed anyone.' He was sentenced to three years in prison, but the sentence was subsequently reduced to 20 months due to his good behavior in the prison.
On 15 October 2004, he was arrested by the Indonesian authorities and charged with involvement in the bomb attack
on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta
on 5 August 2003, which killed 14 people. Secondary charges in the same indictment charge him of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing
, the first time he has faced charges in relation to that attack which killed 202 people. On March 3, 2005, Bashir was found guilty of conspiracy over the 2002 attacks, but was found not guilty of the charges surrounding the 2003 bombing. He was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment.
After returning to the boarding school for which he is the spiritual leader, he pledged a renewed campaign to impose Islamic sharia
law on Indonesia. He also called Australia
n Prime Minister
, John Howard
, to convert to Islam in order to save him from hell
and receive God
's forgiveness. Howard said that Australians would be "extremely disappointed, even distressed" at the news of the release. In August 2006, Bashir claimed that the 2002 Bali bombs were replaced by the American CIA with a "micro-nuclear" weapon. He also claimed the original bombs were only intended to injure people, not kill them - despite the bombers' own admissions and public testimony. In answer to one reporter's question as to what the West and the United States can do to make the world safer, Bashir replied, "They have to stop fighting Islam. That's impossible because it is sunnatullah [destiny, a law of nature], as Allah has said in the Koran. If they want to have peace, they have to accept to be governed by Islam."
On December 21, 2006, Bashir's conviction was overturned by Indonesia's Supreme Court. He publicly criticised the United Nations
because he remained on the body's list of international terrorists, saying "I am terrorist number 35 on the list."
In October 2008, Bashir announced he intends to start a new Islamic group in Indonesia, "Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid" ("partisans of the oneness of God"), at the time the Indonesian government was preparing to execute the three Bali bombers. Bashir repeated his claim that a nuclear device was released by the CIA, saying the attack was conspiracy between "America, Australia and the Jews"
In February 2011, Bashir denied the charges of terrorism against him.
Abu Bakar Bashir (also Abubakar Ba'asyir, Abdus Somad, and Ustad Abu ("Teacher Abu"), born 17 August 1938, is an Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
cleric and leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council
Indonesian Mujahedeen Council
The Majelis Mujahideen Indonesia , or Indonesian Mujahedeen Council, is an umbrella organisation of Indonesian Islamist groups. During the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, MMI established a command post at the Iskandar Muda Air Force base in Banda Aceh city to "help evacuate dead bodies, distribute...
(MMI).
He runs the Al-Mukmin
Al-Mukmin Islamic school
The Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school also known as Pesantren Al-Mukmin and Pondok Ngruki, is a pesantren located in Ngruki, a suburb in the city of Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. It was founded 1972 by the alleged 'spiritual head' of Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Bashir, and by Abdullah Sungkar...
boarding school in Ngruki, Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
which he co-founded with Abdullah Sungkar
Abdullah Sungkar
Abdullah Sungkar founded and led Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamic terrorist and separatist organization. He was of Hadhrami Arab descent.-References:...
in 1972. He was in exile in Malaysia for 17 years during the secular New Order administration of the President of Indonesia
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia is the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia.The first president was Sukarno and the current president is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.- Sukarno era :...
Suharto resulting from various activities, including urging the implementation of Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
law.
Intelligence agencies and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
claim he is the spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
(also known as JI) and has links with Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. Hasyim Muzadi, speaking about Bashir's trial, said he does not believe Jemaah Islamiyah exists.
Biography
Bashir was born in JombangJombang
Jombang may refer to the following places in Indonesia:*Jombang Regency, a regency of East Java**Jombang, Jombang, a subdistrict of Jombang, East Java*Jombang, Jember, a subdistrict of Jember, East Java*Jombang, Cilegon, a subdistrict of Cilegon, Banten...
, East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
on 17 August 1938, to a family of Hadhrami
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut, Hadhramout, Hadramawt or Ḥaḍramūt is the formerly independent Qu'aiti state and sultanate encompassing a historical region of the south Arabian Peninsula along the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, extending eastwards from Yemen to the borders of the Dhofar region of Oman...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
and Javanese descent. He was a student of Gontor Islamic boarding school in Ponorogo
Ponorogo
Ponorogo is a regency of East Java, Indonesia. It is known as the location of the origin of Indonesian traditional show, the Reog Ponorogo.Ponorogo is located in East Java...
, graduating in 1959, before entering Al-Irsyad University, in Solo
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
, Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
and graduating in 1963. After time as an activist for the Islamic Student Association in Solo, he was elected secretary of Al-Irsyad Youth Organization, and then president of Indonesian Islamic Youth Movement (GPII) (1961), and Indonesian Student Da'wah Organization (LDMI).
In 1972, Bashir founded Al-Mukmin
Al-Mukmin Islamic school
The Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school also known as Pesantren Al-Mukmin and Pondok Ngruki, is a pesantren located in Ngruki, a suburb in the city of Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. It was founded 1972 by the alleged 'spiritual head' of Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Bashir, and by Abdullah Sungkar...
boarding school with friends Abdullah Sungkar, Yoyo Roswadi, Abdul Qohar H. Daeng Matase and Abdllah Baraja. Al-Mukmin is located in Ngruki, near Solo, Central Java. Initially, Al-Mukmin's activities were limited to religious discussion after dhuhr
Dhuhr
The dhuhr prayer is the prayer after midday Performed daily by practicing Muslims, it is the second of the five daily prayers...
(mid-day prayer). Following increasing interest, the founders expanded Al-Mukmin into Madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
(Islamic school) and then to Pesantren
Pesantren
Pesantren or Pondok Pesantren are Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. According to one popular tradition, the pesantren education system originated from traditional Javanese pondokan; dormitories; ashram for Hindu or viharas for Buddhists to learn religious philosophies, martial arts and...
(Islamic boarding school).
During President of Indonesia
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia is the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia.The first president was Sukarno and the current president is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.- Sukarno era :...
Suharto's New Order, Bashir and Sungkar were arrested for a number of reasons, firstly for actively supporting Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, the non-recognition of the Indonesian national ideology Pancasila
Pancasila Indonesia
Pancasila is the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state. Pancasila consists of two Sanskrit words, "pañca" meaning five, and "sīla" meaning principles...
which in part promotes religious pluralism. Secondly, the refusal of their school to salute the Indonesian flag
Flag of Indonesia
The national flag of Indonesia, which is known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih or Bendera Merah-Putih or simply Merah-Putih in Indonesian, is based on the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire in East Java...
which signified Bashir's continual refusal to recognise the authority of a secular Indonesian state. Bashir appealed but was subsequently imprisoned without trial from 1978 to 1982. Soon after his release, Bashir was convicted on similar charges; he was also linked to the bomb attack on the Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monument Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...
in 1985 but fled to Malaysia. During his years in exile Bashir undertook religious teachings in both Malaysia and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The United States government alleged that during this period he became involved with Jamaah Islamiyah, an alleged militant Islamist group. Bashir remained in exile until Indonesian President Suharto's fall in 1998. Bashir returned to Indonesia in 1999 and became a cleric, renewing his call for Sharia law.
Views and controversies
Abul Bakar Bashir has been described as the ideological godfather of Jamaah Islamiyah, even though there is not official evidence of his connection with the Islamic group. He claims to believe that Jemaah Islamiyah doesn't exist and that the Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA) and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
were behind terror attacks in Indonesia including the 2002 Bali bombings Even after open confessions from the bombers, Bashir claimed in August 2006 that the Bali bombs were "replaced" by a "micro-nuclear
Suitcase bomb
A suitcase nuke is a tactical nuclear weapon which uses, or is portable enough that it could use, a suitcase as its delivery method. Synonyms include suitcase bomb, backpack nuke, mini-nuke, pocket nuke and snuke....
" weapon by the CIA. Bashir has expressed sympathy for Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
and Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, but that he didn't "agree with all of their actions," in particular "total war." He further stated "...If this occurs in an Islamic country, the fitnah [discord] will be felt by Muslims. But to attack them in their country [America] is fine." He has claimed the 9/11 attacks were a false flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
attack by America and Israel as a pretext to attack Muslims in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
In a speech following the Bali attacks Bashir stated, "I support Osama bin Laden's struggle because his is the true struggle to uphold Islam." the Indonesian islamic cleric is portrayed strongly in Western media as an extreme thinker who inspires deadly actions, however to Bashir the true terrorists are America and Israel.
He has stated his belief that Indonesia must adhere to Sharia law and has renewed his calls for an Islamic state in Indonesia.
"There is no nobler life than to die as a martyr for jihad. None. The highest deed in Islam is Jihad. If we commit to Jihad, we can neglect other deeds, even fasting and prayer".*
Controversy surrounding Abul Bakar Bashir heightened in early 2008 after a sermon given by the cleric in late 2007. Bashir allegedly refers to tourists in Bali as 'worms, snakes and maggots' with specific reference to the immorality of Australian infidels. Bashir states
. As described by Natasha Robinson, Bashir has returned to his hardline rhetoric. His early release from prison has been described as the catalyst to his revitalised, hardline approach towards non-Muslims. Bashir's view on non-Muslims is highlighted in this statement made in East Java in 2006, 'God willing, there are none here, if there were infidels here, just beat them up. Do not tolerate them.'. Bashir's specific mention of Australian tourists has created uproar among Government officials and the Australian media regarding the cleric's intolerant comments. Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith views Bashir's comments in late 2007 as being full of the intolerance that has marked many of Bashir's previous speeches.
the young must be first at the front line, don't hide at the back. You must be at the front, dies as martyrs and all your sins will be forgiven. This is how to achieve forgiveness...'
The cleric has also previously warned of severe retribution if the Bali bombers, who killed 202 people in 2002, be executed by firing squad. On 24 March 2008 the bombers, who were on death row, lost almost any hope of escaping the death penalty as their lawyer, Fahmi Bachmid, withdrew from their last appeal. The Bali bombers were executed by firing squad at 12:15am on the 9th November, 2008.
Arrest and trial
In June 2002, the USA government asked Indonesia to turn over Omar Al-FaruqOmar al-Faruq
Omar al-Faruq was a Kuwaiti of Iraqi descent, and a senior al-Qaeda member. He was a liaison between al-Qaeda and Islamic terrorists in the Far East, particularly Jemaah Islamiyah. He was captured in Bogor, Indonesia in 2002 by an Indonesian security agent who handed him over to the United States...
. Megawati's administration captured Al-Faruq and transferred him to American custody, and he was subsequently held in Bagram
Bagram
Bagram , founded as Alexandria on the Caucasus and known in medieval times as Kapisa, is a small town and seat in Bagram District in Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Kabul. It is the site of an ancient city located at the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir...
prison in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Similarly, US State Department translator, Fred Burks revealed during Bashir's trial in Indonesia that the USA government had asked President Megawati secretly to hand-over Bashir in a meeting at Megawati's home in September 2002. Present at that meeting was US ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce
Ralph L. Boyce
Ralph Leo "Skip" Boyce is a United States diplomat and career foreign service officer with the State Department.Boyce was born February 1, 1952, in Washington, D.C. He obtained a B.A. from George Washington University in 1974 and an M.P.A. from Princeton University in 1976...
, National Security Council official Karen Brooks, and an unnamed CIA official.
Megawati refused to transfer Bashir saying, "I can't render somebody like him. People will find out".
On 14 April 2003, he was formally charged by the Indonesian government with treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
, immigration violations, and providing false documents and statements to the Indonesian police. The charges are mainly related to the 2000 Christmas Eve bombings
Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia terror attacks
On Christmas Eve, 2000, a series of explosions took place in Indonesia, which were part of a high-scale terrorist attack by Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah...
against Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
churches, which killed 18 people. In the Indonesian court, he was found not guilty of treason because the state failed to prove its case, but was found guilty on the immigration violations. In a local TV news interview, Metro TV, when asked, 'Are you truly a terrorist?'; He simply answered, 'No, I've never killed anyone.' He was sentenced to three years in prison, but the sentence was subsequently reduced to 20 months due to his good behavior in the prison.
On 15 October 2004, he was arrested by the Indonesian authorities and charged with involvement in the bomb attack
2003 Marriott Hotel bombing
The 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on 5 August 2003 in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel, killing twelve people and injuring 150. All those killed were Indonesian with the exception of one Dutch...
on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
on 5 August 2003, which killed 14 people. Secondary charges in the same indictment charge him of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing
2002 Bali bombing
The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack was claimed as the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia according to the current police general, killing 202 people,...
, the first time he has faced charges in relation to that attack which killed 202 people. On March 3, 2005, Bashir was found guilty of conspiracy over the 2002 attacks, but was found not guilty of the charges surrounding the 2003 bombing. He was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment.
Remission and release
On 17 August 2005, as part of the tradition of remissions for Indonesia's Independence Day, Bashir's jail term was cut by 4 months and 15 days. On 14 June 2006, to cheers from his supporters waiting outside, Abu Bakar Bashir was released, having served 25+ months in Jakarta's Cipinang prison, where he held court and coordinated the publication of a commemorative book with his release. About forty bodyguards in uniform black jackets linked arms to escort Bashir through chanting crowds.After returning to the boarding school for which he is the spiritual leader, he pledged a renewed campaign to impose Islamic sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
law on Indonesia. He also called Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
, to convert to Islam in order to save him from hell
Jahannam
Jahannam is the Arabic language equivalent to Hell. The term comes from the Greek Gehenna, itself derived from the Hebrew geographical name for the Valley of Hinnom.-Jahannam in the Qur'an:...
and receive God
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
's forgiveness. Howard said that Australians would be "extremely disappointed, even distressed" at the news of the release. In August 2006, Bashir claimed that the 2002 Bali bombs were replaced by the American CIA with a "micro-nuclear" weapon. He also claimed the original bombs were only intended to injure people, not kill them - despite the bombers' own admissions and public testimony. In answer to one reporter's question as to what the West and the United States can do to make the world safer, Bashir replied, "They have to stop fighting Islam. That's impossible because it is sunnatullah [destiny, a law of nature], as Allah has said in the Koran. If they want to have peace, they have to accept to be governed by Islam."
On December 21, 2006, Bashir's conviction was overturned by Indonesia's Supreme Court. He publicly criticised the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
because he remained on the body's list of international terrorists, saying "I am terrorist number 35 on the list."
In October 2008, Bashir announced he intends to start a new Islamic group in Indonesia, "Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid" ("partisans of the oneness of God"), at the time the Indonesian government was preparing to execute the three Bali bombers. Bashir repeated his claim that a nuclear device was released by the CIA, saying the attack was conspiracy between "America, Australia and the Jews"
2010 Arrest
On 13 December 2010, Indonesian police charged Bashir with involvement in plans of terror and military training in Aceh. The charge against him of inciting others to commit terrorism, carries the death penalty.In February 2011, Bashir denied the charges of terrorism against him.
Conviction
On 16 June 2011, Bashir was convicted of supporting a jihadi training camp following a four-month trial. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.External links
- "We should not fear being called radical", Interview by Farish A. NoorFarish A. NoorDr. Farish Ahmad Noor is a Malaysian political scientist and historian and is presently a Senior Fellow at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore...
for Al Jazeera InternationalAl Jazeera InternationalAl Jazeera English is an international 24-hour English-language news and current affairs TV channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is the sister channel of the Arabic-language Al Jazeera....
, August 21, 2006 - "Profile: Abu Bakar Ba'asyir", BBC
- "Bashir to face Bali charges", ABC
- "A chilling message for the infidels", The First Post
- "Bali bomb cleric freed from jail", BBC
- "Bashir's release a cause of great pain: Howard", The Age
- Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, A biography by tempointeraktif.com
- Robinson, Natasha."Bashir urges attacks on 'infidel' Australians", "The Australian",March 24, 2008. Accessed March 24, 2008.
- Teslik, Lee Hudson. http://cfr.org/publication/10219/, June 14, 2006. Accessed March 24, 2008.