Ba'asyir sermon in prison canceled<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Convicted Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, leader of Surakarta-
\nbased Ngruki Islamic boarding school, Central Java, celebrated
\nhis first Idul Fitri at the Salemba Penitentiary, Central
\nJakarta, on Tuesday by presiding over Idul Fitri prayers.<\/p>\n
His scheduled sermon was canceled and he was replaced by Alwi
\nRofi'i of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, although Ba'asyir's
\nsermon had already been printed on booklets distributed to the
\ncongregation.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir told reporters that his poor state of health had
\nforced him to cancel the sermon.<\/p>\n
"But please ask the warden for an explanation of that (the
\ncancellation)," he said.<\/p>\n
The cleric celebrated Idul Fitri with his wife, Aisyiah
\nBaraja, plus his children and grandchildren, who had arrived in
\nJakarta earlier on Monday to visit him.<\/p>\n
Salemba Penitentiary warden Hafilludin, however, denied rumors
\nthat the sermon had been canceled due to the intervention of an
\nembassy in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"There has not been any intervention at all. What has happened
\nis merely a reallocation of tasks. Ba'asyir was assigned to
\npreside over the prayers while Alwi was to give the sermon," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Hafilludin was quick to add that Ba'asyir was suffering from a
\nsore throat so he could not deliver his sermon.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir's scheduled sermon was titled Hidup Mulia atau Mati
\nSyahid: Jihad Melawan Zionis Yahudi (Noble Living or Holy Death:
\nA struggle to fight against Jewish Zionism). In the sermon, as
\nprinted in the booklets, he called on his followers to stand
\nagainst the enemies of Allah, like the U.S. administration and
\nits allies, which had "undermined Islam and our country."<\/p>\n
He also urged the public to boycott all U.S. products and
\ncalled for a diplomatic standoff with the U.S. and its allies.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir was sentenced to four years' imprisonment by the
\nCentral Jakarta District Court on Sep. 2, as the court found him
\nguilty of document counterfeiting, immigration violations and
\nbeing involved in an act of treason with the aim of assassinating
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors had sought a maximum sentence of 15 years in
\nprison for Ba'asyir, who had also been charged with being the
\nleader of regional terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah (JI). This
\ngroup has been blamed for the Bali bombings on Oct. 12, 2002,
\nwhich killed 202 people and injured some 350 others; the JW
\nMarriott Hotel attack on Aug. 5, 2003, and the 2000 Christmas Eve
\nchurch bombings.<\/p>\n
However, the panel of judges found there was not enough
\nevidence to prove the charges.<\/p>\n
When asked by the media about his acquaintance with terrorist
\nsuspects Dr. Azahari and Noordin M. Top, who are still at large,
\nBa'asyir claimed that he did not know either suspect personally.<\/p>\n
"I have never met Dr. Azahari ... I met Noordin, with whom I
\nwas acquainted as a teacher at the Lukmanul Hakim Islamic
\nboarding school every time I visited my grandson, Muad, who is
\nstudying there. But, I don't know him well," he said.<\/p>\n
The police wish to arrest Azahari and Noordin for their
\nalleged involvement in a string of terrorist attacks in the
\ncountry. They managed to escape recently a police dragnet in
\nBandung.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/baasyir-sermon-in-prison-canceled-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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