Free Republic

Militan cleric Abu Bakar Bashir gestures during a press conference at his residence in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia, Thursday, June 15, 2006. The Freed cleric on Thursday described the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings as "God's will" and encouraged non-Muslim survivors of the attacks to convert to Islam. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)","DITA ALANGKARA", "AP"); June 15, 2006, 10:08AMCleric Calls on Bush to Convert to Islam By IRWAN FIRDAUS Associated Press Writer © 2006 The Associated Press SOLO, Indonesia — A reputed leader of an al-Qaida-linked terror group blamed for deadly bombings across Indonesia on Thursday accused President Bush and Australia's prime...

Tired of Aceh, Afghanistan, Algeria, Chechnya, and Kashmir as places to do a spot of “Jihad”? Feeling that Iraq may be a shrinking market for terrorism while Pakistan is proving more difficult to destabilise than commonly thought? If the answer is yes, why not consider a new destination for Jihad: southern Thailand where a little publicised war has raged between Muslim Malay insurgents and Bangkok’s army since 2002? These are some of the questions now circulating in international Jihadists circles in both cyberspace and the network of mosques controlled by radicals from London to Sydney and passing by Amman and...

TOKYO (Reuters) - A member of an Islamist extremist group banned in Pakistan entered Japan two years ago to try to establish a foothold in the country, a Japanese newspaper said on Friday. Japanese police had warned this month that Islamist extremists may tempt Muslim communities in Japan to turn radical and attack Japan, whose government has been a staunch backer of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Asia-Pac gets new centre to fight terror The main message from leaders at a Bali anti-terror meeting: the region is at the front line and cooperation must go up By Robert Go THE STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU BALI - South-east Asia remains a front line in the war against terror, and more attacks by militant groups are 'inevitable'. This grim message was delivered by Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer at the start of an Asia-Pacific counter-terrorism conference here yesterday. Indonesia and Australia, co-hosts of the meeting, also announced plans for a new Centre for Law-enforcement Cooperation in Jakarta, one aimed...

A terrorist attack in Asia is "inevitable", politicians at an anti-terror conference have been told. Al Qaeda members are operational in the Asia-Pacific area and using "legitimate fronts to pursue barbaric ends", Australia's foreign minister said. The anti-terrorism conference is being held on the Indonesian island of Bali, where more than 200 people died in a bomb attack in October 2002. "Terrorist groups are co-operating across the region, transiting borders using one country to train in, another to raise funds in and another for safe haven," Alexander Downer said. "They are working together to maximise the impact of their activities."...