Jihad group “disbands”
Will Christians in Indonesia get some relief from their persecution by Jihad fanatics? Maybe so. One group has decided to skip town:
JAKARTA — Laskar Jihad, Indonesia’s most violent Muslim extremist group which is blamed for the slaughter of thousands of Christians in a sectarian conflict in the Maluku islands, has disbanded, the group’s legal adviser announced on Tuesday.
The claim, which could not immediately be confirmed, appeared to be the first sign that Indonesia was getting serious about cracking down on Muslim extremism in the wake of Saturday’s bombing in Bali.
Efforts to contact Jafaar Umar Thalib, the group leader in Ambon — the capital of Maluku province about 2,600 km east of Jakarta — were unsuccessful. He is currently on trial for inciting violence in Maluku.
Mr Achmad Michdan, the group’s legal adviser, said that the move was not connected to Saturday’s blast.
He said: ‘It has nothing to do with the bombs. There was no pressure on us from military.
‘It is an internal matter. The clerics in Indonesia and in the Middle East have disagreed with Jafaar Umar Thalib’s teachings and have asked him to disband the group,’ he said.
Thanks, guys.