Why People Dislike Islam -- The Latest Example

Since there are plenty of people who actually believe that the term Islamophobia has real meaning, as opposed to being a contrived term used in an attempt to smear critics of Islam, it is always worth pointing out reasons why many dislike Islam and have a negative opinion of Muslims. Those reasons revolve around the actions of Muslims. The latest in a never ending series of examples comes from Indonesia.

Irdayanti Mukhtar, 34, received nine lashes by Sharia Police for having a relationship with another man, even though she is said to be in the process of divorcing her husband. ... Mukhtar had been sentenced to the punishment the previous day by a Sharia court where prosecutors said that she was guilty of being in 'close proximity' to another man.

Yeah, that sounds like a reasonable punishment that fits the "crime." Not only did she receive this beating which caused her to collapse, but it was done in public, apparently to further humiliate her.

The jeering crowd recorded the brutal beating on their mobile phones and camcorders and shouted for more beatings in the strict Muslim city.

Incidents like this one, not bigotry or "Islamophobia" are why so many have negative views of Islam and Muslims. It's not just about terrorism. It is true that only a tiny fraction of Muslims engage in terrorist activity. But the bad aspects of Islam are hardly limited to terrorism. From Saudia Arabia to Indonesia to Pakistan to Afghanistan to Somalia to Iran and in many other Muslim majority countries, you can find similar barbaric acts carried out in the name of Islam, sometimes as in this case by actual agents of the Islamic religion. And Muslim bystanders cheer them on.

Why Is He Still Alive?

According to the Australian, Hambali, Al Qaeda's "chief of operations" in Southeast Asia, can't be prosecuted for the Bali bombings because of "lack of evidence." There's near "universal consensus" that he was involved, but apparently direct proof is lacking. Since he's a known leader of Al Qaeda, and tied to other terrorist attacks, he is "almost certain to remain in custody." Isn't that reassuring?

Hambali was captured by the U.S. way back in 2003, and has been at Guantanamo ever since. According to the article, he is

implicated in a string of attacks across Indonesia, including the 2003 attack on Jakarta's Marriott Hotel that claimed 12 lives and a series of Christmas Eve church bombings that killed 19.

This situation is a prime example of foolish legalism, and the stupidity of pretending that non-state terrorists should be prosecuted as if they were a normal criminals. This individual is a leader of an organization at war with the U.S., one which deliberately targeted our civilian population, has signed no treaties, obeys no laws, and deserves no consideration or rights whatsoever. 

We have held Hambali for six years, and are currently wasting time and resources trying to prove him guilty of crimes, as if his status as an Al Qaeda leader were somehow in doubt. He should have been summarily executed long ago, after we extracted every bit of useful intelligence that he had.