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'Have I Ever Killed Anyone? It's Never Been Proved'
Sunday, 20 October 2002
(00:39 BDST)
By Raymond Whitaker
The Independent

Mr Bashir was detained in 1978 and sentenced to three years in prison in 1982 for subversive activities -- demanding the imposition of Islamic sharia law in Indonesia. He and Mr Sunkar went into exile in Malaysia in 1985 and were joined by Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, who fought in Afghanistan and is identified as a leading member of both al-Qa'ida and Jemaah Islamiyah.

Abu Bakar Bashir is a recognizable type in the world of Islamist extremism -- the frail, fiery cleric whose rhetoric inspires young zealots to bloody acts of martyrdom, yet who denies any connection with terrorism. Mr. Bashir, indeed, is suing Time magazine for accusing him of just that.

Like the wheelchair-bound, whispering Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the radical Palestinian group Hamas, who is close in age to his 64-year-old Indonesian counterpart, Mr. Bashir lives simply and looks unimpressive -- he has buck teeth, a wispy beard and large tinted spectacles -- but is regarded with awe by his followers. He admits he has met Osama bin Laden, but also denies he is a terrorist.

"I reject being called a terrorist," Mr. Bashir said on Friday, after a sermon in which he prayed for the safety of Mr. bin Laden and before he was admitted to hospital with respiratory problems. "Have I killed any civilian, anyone? That has never been proven -- because it never happened."
(More: Independent.co.uk News Source)
2002 © Independent Digital (UK) Ltd.

Dan