The alcohol and pary theme of the area is sure to be played up in Muslim areas as will the Hindu populace angle. However, note that some of the dead are tourist children as youn as 5.
As long as Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir is speaking, alive and free in Indonesia, Southeast Asia will spiral down into terror -- all of the area, not just Muslim countries.
It is easy to see a senario where a military government takes over in Indonesia and -- while mouthing platitudes -- supports the Mullah and al Quada. Bashir has already accused America of the Bombings and he will be supported by the populace in the country although they and he both know who is responsible and are celebrating these deaths.
From IslamOnline....
The largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) with over 30 million registered members across the country, severely condemned the act and urged the regime to be firm in tackling terrorism.
However, the NU deputy chief, Masdouqi Bidlawi, expressed his grieve concern at the blasts and "the negative consequences it may have on Indonesian Muslims", adding that "it is a very scary and worrying incident".
Muhammadyya Group, as well as other Islamic organizations, also blasted the explosions and urged cautiousness in accusing "any party", and asked the mass media "to stop tarnishing the image of Islam and Muslims".
For his part, president of the Islamic Defense Front (FPI), al-Habib Muhammad Rizq Shihab, strongly criticized the blasts that killed many civilians, pointing a finger of accusation to "the only party to make gains out of that innocent blood".
“I believe those responsible for the bombing are Americans, the CIA for example. They had to prove that Indonesia was a “terror bed” and this is what is now being proven according to them,” Shihab said, adding that Indonesia was not a terror hotbed.
He insisted that if the Bali bombings were an act of terrorism, then it would not be the action of any Indonesians.
“However this is not true. Indonesia is not a country where terrorists are active and free,” he added.
"I believe this is a repetition of the scenario of 9/11/2002 explosions (in New York and Washington), through which the U.S. toppled the Taliban regime (in Afghanistan), destroyed the Muslim country and drove Afghans out of their homes. “Thank Allah, our Islamic Group has no branch in Bali, otherwise, we could have been accused of planning these blasts," he explained.
Within the same context, Indonesian political analyst Podiatna, said that Bali blasts were designed to appear as an excuse or introduction to other events. "A foreign party, namely the U.S., carried out the blasts and the next step is to implicate any local group, and the rest is known".
Sukarnoputri is deeply concerned by the blast
Echoing the same meaning, analysts say the blast has the thumb print of the United States, with Dr Nadjamuddin Muhammad Rasul, an expert in local politics and a respected scholar adding that the U.S. had all reasons to plan such a blast.
Rasul said in a comment to Tempo newspaper on Sunday evening that the blast strengthens the United States’ “anti-terrorist” drive in South East Asia and it offers the George Bush administration a strong “weapon” to force the lukewarm Indonesia to rally behind it in the war against terror.
He added that the bombing gives the tag “terrorist” to the Muslim population in Indonesia since the country represented one of the very few nations that refused to jump in the “war against terror” band wagon.
Rest of garbage here.....
http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2002-10/13/article22.shtml
I was unaware until today that because of its extensive tourist industry, Bali is practically the only money maker for Indonesia. This attack will not only have extensive economic ramifications for Bali itself, but for the entire country.
The terrorists have knocked the entire economic backbone out from under the nation which will leave it weakened and at risk for complete takeover even after the physical damage is repaired.
Islam has been at war with everyone sane for several years and it is time for the rest of the world to unite and put that perverse cult flat out of business. Start in the middle and work out, or the outside and work in, but leave no person who adheres to that terrorist sect alive. Wipe it out before it does any more devilish business. If President Bush would stop pretending that the problem is other than Islam, the beginning of wisdom would exist. If you can't bring yourself to call a thing by its right name, it is hard to solve the problem. Define it and your halfway home in solving the problem.