I have never believed in that any religion will motivate killings. I always believed that it is the wrong interpretation done to claim superiority over others. It was merely the matter of controlling. But news like this make me wonder if some of us so brainless that do things blindly following the misreadings. Not pointing to any religion in particular but is it not high time to punish severly the person who claims they did it for religion. Thsi way they really bring shame to all of us.

There should be only one religion....Humanity and that is all

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20726085- 2703,00.html

Beheaded girls were Ramadan 'trophies'

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta correspondent

THREE Christian high school girls were beheaded as a Ramadan "trophy" by Indonesian militants who conceived the idea after a visit to Philippines jihadists, a court heard yesterday.

The girls' severed heads were dumped in plastic bags in their village in Indonesia's strife-torn Central Sulawesi province, along with a handwritten note threatening more such attacks.

The note read: "Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head."

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.

Lilik returned to say he had found an "excellent" target - a group of schoolgirls who travelled to and from class by foot in the Central Sulawesi village of Gebong Rejo. The village is in the district of Poso, where hundreds of people have died in sectarian violence in recent years.

Many observers worry that Central Sulawesi has become the latest battleground in a deadly jihad.

Three Christian men were executed there last month for their role in a massacre of Muslims in 2000 and there have been a series of deadly attacks in the province in recent months.

Prosecutors yesterday detailed how Hasanuddin, Lilik and co-accused Irwanto Irano planned the schoolgirl beheadings with six other men. They prepared six machetes and black plastic bags for carrying off the severed heads and spent several days surveying the area where the students regularly passed by.

The operation was called off on one occasion, when a woman spotted the attackers hiding by the roadside, waiting for their victims. On the night before the attack, Lilik told Hasanuddin: "I hope you are ready to receive your Lebaran gift."

The attack was launched the following morning, but only four of the six targeted girls appeared.

Lilik, directing the attack from a nearby hill, told his accomplices to act quickly so that the remaining two girls could still be killed should they appear behind their friends.

The attackers cleanly beheaded three of the students but a fourth, Noviana Malewa, escaped after a struggle and ran away screaming. Her attackers gave chase but were unable to catch her.

The bodies, dressed in school uniform, were left by the roadside near the execution site, but the heads were carried in a backpack to Hasanuddin.The trial of his two co-accomplices was adjourned until Wednesday, when Hasanuddin will also reappear.

 

Suspect apologizes for beheading girls



A suspected Islamic militant told judges Wednesday he took part in the beheadings of three Christian girls on an Indonesian island wracked by religious violence to avenge the deaths of Muslims, but apologized to their families.



"We are not cold-blooded killers," (THEN WHO IS COLD-BLOODED???????)  Hasanuddin, 34, who uses one name, told the Central Jakarta District Court. "We just wanted revenge."



Prosecutors allege that he and two other defendants ordered the Oct. 29, 2005, murders of the girls as they walked to school on Sulawesi, the scene of religious clashes that left at least 1,000 people dead from 1998 to 2002.


Edited by Swar_Raj - 16 November 2006 at 7:02am

Yes, 100% agree with you. There should be only one religion....Humanity and that is all.

Why so much hatred? Why can't we look beyond religion? Don't know when these brainwashed fanatics will realize that they are being used as puppets by their leaders in order to satisfy their egos and to retain their positions to rule the whole bunch of ignorant people by isolating them from the rest of the world.

What's religion? from where I stand it is guidelines written by some Humans how to behave ideally, what are the morals of a society etc. This pretty much holds for all religions

Over the centuries, Humans have been interpretting the written word differently, if the powerful people during the time are against a particular concept, they sought amendements

So as abhorable as it sounds this is one interpretation of the religion, as is Sati and child sacrifice

Killing in any form is despicable. No religion prescribes the killing or revenge. There is one section of upholders of Islam which always claim that Islam preaches humanity and justice and not killing in the name of vengeance. We call them moderates. The other half claim that the religion prescribes vengeance and we call them extremist. It is tjust personal interpretation by specific individuals and they get categorized accordingly. In my mind the life has been been by God and only he had the right to snuff it out. We, human beings, have no right to snuff life out, whether it is by means of murder, Sati, abortion or any other way. I don't believe Religion (anuy for that matter) teaches that. Think about it... when somebody says.. I am religious.. in one sense that person is saying that I am sensitive, faithful, kind, caring etc. How can such a person prescribe just the opposite. And if that is the meaning of being religious then the religion also means a thinking that prescribes all the above..

Nice seeing you here Sareg.
Yes it is verymuch human interpretation. Mand has alwyas been power hungry. Although i do believe that there is some power who made the life possible. No matter how much scientific research we do, there is always unsolved answers.
If I take Hindu Shastra, THe maker of Earth Brahma ji is 51yrs old and his life span is 100 yrs. The earth supposingly being His creation will survive till his life time, Unless kulyug brings Pralay by such deeds.
Now it seems that Kalyug, the yug where religion is most neglected (Compare to treta, Dwapur and satyug), the war is due to religion?????People are killing in the name of religion and for religion, but donot follow religion in their motives or they wo. If religion is God's preaching then how can a creator ask to destroy his own creation??

Does religion really tells you to kill

I really don't know. Logically speaking, everyone is challenging every other's interpretation of religion, be it any religion. Everyone is claiming only their understanding is correct since that's what they have been practicing. And I am amazed at their confidence and sometimes arrogance. Religion may have said something on some sacred text in some distinct time by someone very respected…who knows. No really, it's a never ending pissing contest going to and forth. As Sareg says, religion once written as sacred texts, scriptures, has been practiced over the hundreds of years by so many people in so many different ways leading to various sects and sub religions.

Rather than challenging someone's interpretation of religion on certain issue, I would object to that part of religion itself (accepting everyone's interpretation) and totally disapprove that part of religion. Socially we have to evolve, reform, regenerate the teachings of religion with time to maintain harmony.

Well said. And sooner we realize this and stop killing other humans in name of religion the better. I think people who kill in the name of religion are actually finding excuse and trying to hide their guilt and shamefull act in the name of religion.

Edited by sowmyaa - 16 November 2006 at 11:25am