HIS RAMADAN CHARITY WAS MURDER ON THEM

As reported in The Australian, the man who masterminded the decapitation of three innocent Christian schoolgirls in Poso, on the island Sulawesi, in the Indonesian archipelago, says he wanted to do something appropriate for the holy month of Ramadan.

Javanese trader Hasanuddin appeared in Jakarta Central Court yesterday charged with planning and directing the murders in October last year. He faces a death sentence if found guilty under anti-terrorism legislation.

Hasanuddin allegedly returned from a visit to members of Philippines Islamist group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with tales of how that organisation regularly staged bombings to coincide with Lebaran, the festival that ends the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He later spoke with a preacher in Poso, Central Sulawesi, about whether such a plan could work in Indonesia, but expressed doubt about whether it was appropriate. However, after further discussion with friends, he decided that beheading Christians could qualify as an act of Muslim charity.

Conscripting several accomplices at a local pesantren, or Islamic school, he directed one of them, Lilik Purnomo, to seek out "the head of a Christian", prosecutors alleged. "It would be a great Lebaran trophy if we got a Christian. Go search for the best place for us to find one," Hasanuddin allegedly ordered his companion.

Poso is a town that has been wracked by many years of intercommunal violence. Just this past September 22, three Catholic men (Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva, and Marianus Riwu) who had defended their community and who had been convicted of participating in retaliatory attacks on Muslims in the year 2000 were executed by firing squad. No Muslims were ever prosecuted for any of the violence that went on in the 1998-2000 period. A Protestant Pastor (the Reverend Irianto Kongkoli) who had spoken out on behalf of the three executed Catholics was himself murdered by Islamist extremists on October 17.

Reliapundit adds: When under lethal attack it is often benefical to one's chances at survival to fight back. Yet, so many in of our civilization have failed to fight back at all. Many choose not to fight back because they are in deep denial fueled by fear and a desire to believe that "humanity" has moved beyond the eras of religious wars. This cannot be true as long as our enemy believes THEY are fighting a 1400 year old religious war against us. A war which will end ONLY with their defeat. Or ours. For our descendents' sake, I hope we win. Soon.