The Klan vs. Islamc terrorists? What crap.
Laura,it's okay to ask where the moderate muslims are without drawing a moral equivalency to Klan lynchings that no longer exist.
And it was ALL done in the name of Christains.
Their inaction on this speaks louder than words.
Hell, I've been wondering that since 9/12/02. There have been a few Muslim leaders denounce WTC, but out of an estimated 1 billion Muslims worldwide it has been telling that so few have stepped forward. As for President Bush not saying more, what kind of leader would incite a country's citizens toward civil unrest? His response was the right one, although I believe Bush and his advisors KNOW what we're up against - Islamic barbarism.
No other answer to this question is correct.
They would want to say something soon. Time is running out.
oxymoron like ... "civilized" barbarians
Well...
One is working on modifying his temporary student visa, which expired.
The other is in the "empty quarter" of Saudi Arabia looking for his camel.
Next question?
I thought this was a good example of what's wanted, and what the American Muslim groups have not said.
It's now or never for Jakarta to take ruthless action against extremism
Sydney Morning Herald |October 24 2002
Indonesia's leaders were found wanting when terrorists played their deadly hand, writes Amien Rais.
To many foreigners and Indonesians, Bali had always been their favourite destination. But then came October 12. The Bali attack was an outrage directed both at those from Bali and abroad and generally at the Indonesian state.
Words cannot describe how grieved I was after visiting the site of the bombing, the wounded in the hospital and witnessing the number of bodies still waiting to be identified.
To those who lost their loved ones or were injured during this barbaric attack, I extend to you my deepest sympathies. My heart also goes out to the many volunteers I have seen working day and night, hand in hand with doctors and forensic experts, in managing a crisis centre for those who lost their friends and families. May God Almighty bless them for their efforts and hard work.
As I told the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, and the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, in Bali several days after the attack, Indonesia welcomes all international forensic and technical assistance to bring to justice those responsible.
We should not hesitate to bring to justice the perpetrators of this violent act - whom I regard as mass murderers - regardless of their religion, ideological background and any mass support they may enjoy in this country or elsewhere. But we must do this by adhering to democratic principle and practice and by respecting the universal values of tolerance and the rule of law.
It would be a fatal error to believe that our nascent Indonesian democracy must be sacrificed to restore order and good government. This would hand the extremists a powerful weapon and potent argument in the struggle for the allegiance of our people.
I am aware of concerns that, in the event of certain religious leaders being detained or arrested for their alleged involvement in the Bali bombing, there could be a violent backlash from Indonesian Muslims. As a former leader of Muhammadiyah, the nation's second-largest Muslim organisation, allow me to tell you this: although Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesian Muslims are indeed moderate and among the most religiously tolerant Muslims globally. The vast majority of my fellow Indonesian Muslims demand, as I do, that the government resolve this case as soon as possible.
Sadly, the Bali bombing showed that our leaders have been ineffective in their prime responsibility of protecting the lives of Indonesian citizens and those who visit our country.
Although I stand firm behind my President in her fight against terror, I rightfully quote a foreign influential magazine which stated that "it should not have taken a deadly inferno to demonstrate to President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government that stronger action must be taken against the extremists now operating nearly at will in Indonesia".
The Bali incident has made us fully realise that there is no safe haven from terrorism on Earth. Terrorism does not have any respect for religion, norms and values. Terrorists will seek to maximise casualties whenever and wherever they can. Suddenly many of us no longer feel safe even in carrying out our day-to-day lives. Therefore, I plead that the Indonesian Government step up efforts to combat every single terrorism cell that has penetrated our country in a swift and powerful manner.
Indonesia has become the battleground on which two different world views will now fight for supremacy. If peace, freedom, democracy and prosperity are to defeat the forces of extremism in Indonesia, then our friends will have to provide much more than sympathetic words and military equipment.
It is time for ruthless action against extremism and ruthless action against the root causes of corruption, economic oppression and inertia that have allowed extremism to gain a foothold in our country.
Indonesia has now come to a point of no return. Our government and all good Indonesians, who are the vast majority of our people, must act decisively to combat terror. It's now or never.
Amien Rais is the Speaker of the Indonesian parliament.
This is more than a pro forma statement of sympathy; it offers no excuses; it accepts Indonesia's responsibility to deal with this. The snipe at Megawati is probably politics, but it's also richly deserved. When he says that Indonesia will need more than words and equipment from its friends, I take that in context as an offer to cooperate in joint actions, not a shifting of responsibility. Also a third-worlder who lists corruption before economic oppression as a "root cause" is not without hope.
I have also heard that Indonesians are rather bucked up about democracy after years of dictators whose name began with "Su", and that they are not happy at the idea that it could all be ruined by a bunch of Islamofascists
Muhammadiyah, the Muslim organization he mentions, as well as the largest such organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, have both called for a crackdown:
Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said he believed that Abu Bakar Bashir, the cleric believed to be the leader of a group suspected in last week's Bali bombing, should have been arrested long ago.
"I believe that Bashir is a terrorist," Wahid said in a radio interview.
Wahid, who was replaced as head of state by Megawati Sukarnoputri last year, has been sharply critical of her administration's cautious approach toward radicals. (See the whole article here.)
I found this interesting first, because Wahid was willing to name names, which means he isn't sticking with Muslim solidarity; and second, his criticism of Megawati did not just begin after Bali. Since he is her predecessor in office, that may once again be politics, but that's what we want: these folk seem to have politics, which means they aren't all marching in step and blaming the outsider.