Radical Muslims: Delayed execution of three Catholics is Vatican's "fault"
But many Christian and Muslim leaders, trade unions and NGOs are asking that their death penalty be revoked. Extremists believe the government "should not listen to others" from abroad.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) Rallies and appeals for a reprieve for the three Catholics on death row continue unabated. But groups of Muslim extremists are urging President Susilo "not to be influenced by the Vatican".
The execution by firing squad of Fabianus Tibo, Domingus "Domi" da Silva and Marinus Riwu should take place tomorrow. It had been scheduled for 12 August at 00.15am (local time) but 20 minutes before, the police chief intervened to postpone the execution to three days after festivities for the anniversary of independence on 17 August.
Meanwhile, Christian and Muslim groups, MPs, NGOs, and youth associations have continued to protest against the sentence handed down to the three Catholics. From Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, a petition signed by several inter-faith organisations was delivered today to the presidential palace to call on the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), to overturn the sentence. In the four-page appeal, the signatories Christians and Muslims said the entire trial against Tibo and his companions had been unjust and had bypassed vitally significant truths. "This gives a bad image for the country's law enforcement: the trial has been set up for the wrong people," said Titus Matias Tibo, speaker of Ende's parliament.
The appeal stressed that calls for a repeal of Tibo's death penalty were based solely on principles of respect for human rights, not on elements of "ethnicity or religion, but for the sake of fairness and truth".
The clarification came after radical Muslims accused SBY of stopping the execution because of the Vatican's strong intervention. On 11 August, a few hours before the execution, a message from the pope to the Indonesian president was made public: the pope asked for "a gesture of clemency" for the three men for "humanitarian reasons".
Sheikh Abu Baakar Bashir, held to the inspiration behind the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah and convicted of supporting those guilty of attacks in Bali and Jakarta, said the Vatican intervention was "unjust". The Islam Defender Front (Front Pembela Islam, FPI) joined the chorus. Ahmad Sobri, FPI leader, said the Attorney General and police should not "listen to what others say". He continued: "The execution of Tibo should not be cancelled for any reason whatsoever. The people of Central Sulawesi know well enough who Tibo really is. He is a provocateur, a murderer, a maniac and a dangerous killer. Muslims know perfectly well what he did to our Muslim brothers." He added: "It is the Vatican's fault if SBY changed his mind."
In reality, many moderate Muslim associations say the trial against Tibo should be reviewed: among them is the largest such organisation, the Nadlatul Ulama, linked to the ex-president Abdurrahman Wahid. Yesterday, the head of Indonesia's trade unions, Ridwan Saidi, condemned the planned execution of the three Catholics. Saidi, one of the country's most high profile Muslim figures, said "If the execution of Tibo is carried out, then the government of SBY will be responsible if someone reveals the truth and the real perpetrators in the future."
The three Catholics were convicted of masterminding Christian-Muslim violence that broke out in Poso, Central Sulawesi province, in 2001. But the commonly held view is that their sentence is shielding those who were truly responsible for the violence, including the Indonesian army.
The Central Sulawesi Churches of Synod (Gereja Kristen Sulawesi Tengah
GKST) issued a document saying Tibo's death would only serve to "eliminate a key witness" who had the capacity to unveil the mystery behind Poso's violence.
The past days have seen several rallies in Poso province, in Tentena, Pamona Utara, Pendolo, and Pamona Selatan. In Tentena alone, 5,000 people gathered to call for the three Catholics condemned to death.
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