Imam Samudra gets surprise visit from estranged father<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
There were no tears in his eyes, but everybody could see the 63-
\nyear-old man was deeply touched by his brief meeting on Friday
\nwith his son, Imam Samudra, the alleged mastermind of the Bali
\nbombing that killed over 190 people.<\/p>\n
\"I am so happy to see him. The people can consider him as a
\nvery cruel guy or whatever they like, but he is my son. Good or
\nbad he is still and will be my son forever, and I love him,\"
\nAchmad Sihabuddin Nakai said after meeting with Samudra at the
\nBali Police headquarters in Denpasar.<\/p>\n
Sihabuddin, hailing from the Banten town of Serang, has been
\nseparated from his son for the past 15 years.<\/p>\n
At the time, his family had fallen apart when Sihabuddin took
\na second wife. His first wife, Embay Badriah who is Samudra's
\nmother, rejected the union and demanded a divorce.<\/p>\n
Sihabuddin then divorced her. Since then he was denied a face-
\nto-face talks with Samudra, a quiet young boy who became deeply
\nimmersed in Islamic teachings.<\/p>\n
Worst still, the relationships between the son and the father
\nturned sour after the divorce.<\/p>\n
\"He (Samudra) never contacted me. A child is a gift from
\nAllah. But the parents failed to give him proper guidance and
\neducation,\" Sihabuddin regretted.<\/p>\n
It was remorse that gave the father the strength to seek a way
\nto meet his son when he heard that Samudra was arrested on Nov.
\n21 for allegedly masterminding the Oct. 12 blasts in Bali.<\/p>\n
He then flew on Dec. 19 to the resort island, where he moved
\nfrom one cheap hotel to another to stay, while negotiating his
\nway through the police bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
\"A high-ranking officer once gave me permission to visit
\nSamudra. But the permission was later canceled at the last moment
\nby deputy Bali Police chief Brig. Gen Herman Hidayat. He called
\nme, gave me Rp 200,000 and asked me to return to Serang,\"
\nSihabuddin recalled.<\/p>\n
He refused to go home. Accompanied by Samudra's lawyers, A.W.
\nAdnan and Lutfhie Hakim, he went to the Bali Police headquarters
\nfor one last attempt.<\/p>\n
In the pocket of his faded brown Batik shirt was a two-page
\nletter, written with blue ink on cheap paper, addressed to
\nSamudra.<\/p>\n
In the letter, which began with an Arabic phrase praising
\nAllah and contained fatherly expressions of grief and care, he
\ncalled Samudra a loving son.<\/p>\n
\"If they (the police) did not allow me to see my son, it must
\nhave been the will of Allah. And I would have asked them to give
\nthis letter to my son,\" Sihabuddin said.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the police later changed their mind and let him
\nmeet Samudra on Friday at the Provost detainment building inside
\nthe Bali Police headquarters.<\/p>\n
Bars of steel standing between them failed to deny the longing
\nfather a joy and fulfillment he had been yearning for the past 15
\nyears.<\/p>\n
\"I shook his hand. He looked fine. I then told him three
\nthings I consider the most important in this life,\" Sihabuddin
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
First, that desperation is what angers Allah most. Second,
\nlife is a test, and third, Sunnah Rasul (the words and deeds of
\nProphet Muhammad) as a guide for Muslims.<\/p>\n
Samudra responded to the advice by stating Insya Allah (If
\nit's Allah's will).<\/p>\n
Even though it was a brief meeting that lasted less than five
\nminutes, Sihabuddin was content.<\/p>\n
\"I apologize for all mistakes and wrongdoings that I have made
\nto him, my other children, his mother and Allah. I ask for
\nforgiveness for not caring him and educating him properly,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"He (Samudra) told me that he has already forgiven me. It was
\ntruly a relief for me,\" the father added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/imam-samudra-gets-surprise-visit-from-estranged-father-1447893297",
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