Indonesian Ulama Council: Bali Bombers not Martyrs.

Last week Sunday, the individuals convicted of the first Bali bombing were executed.  Some Indonesians even say, they were finally executed.  For some there has been a sense that this has been a long time coming.   There are two things that really impress me about this.  It is a topic of almost constant conversation.  There was considerable concern about some backlash, but that has not been felt.   On the other hand, Muslims that I speak with are almost of a single mind, what Amrozi C, Imam Samudra, and Mukhlas did was wrong.  Yes, there are some who make the theologically correct statement that it is not their place to pass judgment.  Only The Most Just has the right to judge them.  But as one friend expressed it to me, as a general rule, we know that if an action hurts other people, God judges it as wrong.  I shared with him a research finding that in the minds of some convicted terrorists, that when a victim dies in a terror attack even if they are not Muslim they become shahid, a martyr.  My friend, a college teacher in Islamic studies and a doctoral student of mine, thought this was just plain mistaken.

 

There is a general sense among most Muslims here that Amrozi and friends are simply criminals.  And apparently the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI; Majelis Ulama Indonesia)n central office has issued a fatwa (legal finding) that these three are not Shahid (martyrs) because Indonesia is not under attack and is not a battle front.  Therefore, the form of jihad they chose was inappropriate for the time and place.  Further, for most Muslim, the injunctions against attacking non-combatants and sources of livelihood make the attacks even more wrong.

 

Sometimes, I hear Americans asking for strong statements from Muslim leaders that condemn terrorism.  Here is exactly such a condemnation, and while there are some counter opinions, this condemnation is supported by most Indonesian Muslims.  So my question is, “Has this been an important news story?”  This is not merely a rhetorical question.  I really don’t know.  It doesn’t show up in Google News searches, but the only non-Indonesian news outlet that seems to have mentioned it is the Straits Times in Singapore.   If we are going to call for strong condemnations of terrorism, we should at  least pay attention when they are made.