SOLO, Indonesia — Freed Indonesian Muslim scholar Abu Bakar Bashir called on Muslims around the world to use peaceful means in their struggle to defend their faith, saying violence was only playing into the hands of the enemies of Islam.
"Every time there's a bomb attack in this country, America cheers. They are more afraid of our peaceful struggle," said Bashir on Wednesday, June 15, following his release after serving a nearly 26-month term for alleged links to the 2002 Bali bombings, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The 68-year old Muslim scholar said those who carried out the Bali attacks were "misguided" and should revise their violent methods.
"Fighting using bombs or weapons in a peaceful zone is forbidden," he said amid a throng of supporters who greeted him at the Muslim boarding school he founded in Central Java's Solo.
"So I hope they will review their methods. Hopefully there will not be any more violence in the future. All this time they have chosen the wrong way," Bashir averred.
He was to spend Thursday, June 15, resting and overseeing teaching at the Al-Mukmin school, his supporters said. No media were permitted inside the school.
Immediately after he was released from prison on Wednesday, Bashir urged Muslims to close ranks and cement their unity.
"Let us strengthen Islamic brotherhood. We strengthen our unity for one aim -- that is Islamic Shari`ah."
Bashir was arrested a week after the 2002 Bali bombings, which left over 200 people dead, mostly Austrian tourists, and was put on trial the following year.
The Muslim scholar denies any link to the bombings or being the leader of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI), which is blamed for a series of attacks in Asia.
Monitored
The World Food Program cancelled a contract to deliver earthquake aid with an organization chaired by Bashir.
Spokesman for the Indonesian national deputy police, Anton Bahrul Alam, said Bashir's sermons at his boarding school would be monitored.
"It can be done by anyone, it can be done by the public there, it can be done by neighborhood chiefs," he told reporters.
"If his sermons are aligned with God's path, then go ahead," Alam said, adding that police would not be sent to the school.
Bashir's release has drawn stringent criticism from both Australia and the United States.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that Washington did not think he should have received such a "light sentence" of 30 months.
Bashir was originally sentenced to 30-month imprisonment but his sentence was cut in August 2005 as part of regular remissions handed out to prisoners.
The UN's food agency said Thursday it had cancelled a contract to deliver earthquake aid with an organization as it was chaired by Bashir.
The World Food Program said it had not realized that the Indonesian Mujahedin Council was headed by the Muslim scholar.
A government report said Thursday that tens of thousands of Indonesians are likely to be left impoverished by the quake that rocked central Java last month and more than 100,000 may lose their jobs.
The State Planning and Development Agency said that quake damage was estimated at some 3.1 billion dollars, making it one of Asia's most costly disasters in recent times.
The most recently released figures show that 157,000 homes were totally destroyed, 184,000 seriously damaged and 259,000 moderately damaged in the disaster.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake 27 killed more than 5,800 people.
http://islamonline.net/English/News/2006-06/15/04.shtml