Three schoolgirls have had their heads cut off after they were attacked on their way to a Christian school in Indonesia.

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JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian police beefed up security patrols on Sunday in the Poso area, plagued by sectarian violence for years, after mysterious assailants in black beheaded three teenage Christian girls.

Six machete-wielding men attacked the 16 to 19-year-old students as they were walking to their school on Saturday on Indonesia's eastern island of Sulawesi, police said.

Police official Made Rai said about 1,000 police, including reinforcements from other parts of the country, were securing the remote regency of Poso, with more than 300 additional officers expected to arrive on Sunday.

"We are still investigating. So far no witness has been questioned and no suspect arrested," Rai told Reuters by telephone from Poso, about 1,500 km (900 miles) northeast of capital Jakarta. One student survived and had described the attack.

Muslim-Christian clashes in the Poso area killed 2,000 people from 1998 through 2001, when a peace deal was agreed.

While the worst violence abated after the deal, there have been sporadic outbreaks since. Bombings in May in the Christian town of Tentena killed 22 people.

The three headless bodies of the girls, dressed in brown uniforms, were left at the site of the attack. Their heads were found at separate locations two hours later by residents.

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More here.

Now whilst there is no proof, well none released at this stage anyway, that muslims were responsible for this outrage does anyone feel that they are not the "mysterious assailants"? Perhaps I`m guessing wrong?

Spelling edit....I can`t believe it took me this long to notice it.

Unfortunately, it is quite likely they will claim to have acted in the name of Islam. We should remember though, that such appalling acts are condemned by the vast majority of Muslims, who are just as disgusted as we are.
Most of the bombings and murders, presently committed in Iraq, are carried out against Muslims, and most of the victims of the evil Taliban regime in Afghanistan were also Muslims. Despite their claim to be acting in the name of Islam, Al Queda and their supporters are as much the enemy of Muslims as they are the enemy of Christians, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists. If they can create divisions and hatred between moderate Muslims and other religious communities, they will have achieved at least one of their aims.

I'm kinda getting sick of hearing the "not all muslims are like it, it's a really peaceful religion". Yeah, right.

I know too many muslims who I like quite well to believe that it is the religion.

Having listened to many Muslims call the radio every time something like this happens, I got the impression very few would do anything like it, but many 'understand why', and also sympathise. The sect counts for a lot, Wahabis and Shiites are behind far more terrorism than Sunnis, so they tell us. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a British Muslim academic always condemns terrorism with statments that basically scan 'I condemn totally what they did, but...'. We also have plenty of politicians who sympathise with the 'reasons' behind terrorism (like there could be any...) such as Jenny Tonge, Ken Livingstone, George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn. If Israel didn't exist, and we weren't in Iraq or the Americans weren't in Saudi Arabia etc etc etc., that's why they bombed not Australia who were also involved in Iraq, but Bali, twice (once before and once after). As if they were a major military anti Muslim state...

Another highly obnoxious 'quaint local custom' which is carried out in Britain is 'Honour killings', where Muslim parents or families kill a daughter who brings shame on the family. A nice deal. Remove the dishonour by sacrificing a child. I'm not sure how this fits in to the Sharia law yet, but I've only come across this custom in Muslims so far. If you google 'Muslim honour killing' you'll get a long list, this is a typical one for example.

The recent statement by Iran about wiping out Israel is only the beginning, and what most other Arab states want in private. The global Muslim Caliphate, based on Sharia law, is intended to take over as many countries as possible and justified as being a major part and aim of the law itself. This was reported on Talk Sport last night by an American expert who has analysed all the parts of the holy books and law to show how it's either explicit or implicit (by ambiguity) that infidels must be killed and Sharia law must be followed. He listed every clause that promoted that and there was little way round seeing that was what the rules required of their followers.
As Lothruin says, Muslims have a choice not to accept those aspects and say they are misinterpreted, and are therefore outside the scope of my comments. Human common sense and decency will usually override any nonsense, however high the source. But for those people of any religion without either the sense or decency to question any rules will follow them as taught blindly and with a total dedication and enthusiasm as they are above every other aim in their lives. They are the ones ultimately who will die themselves in the cause and kill many more as a result. It's no different from the Nazis but they aren't all in one place and wearing the same uniform to deal with as directly. I understand why they said it'll take many years to rein in, and I wonder if they can really stop it at all as it's literally spread across the world.

Hmm, well, I've also heard plenty of Christians say "Well, I think what he did was a sin, but I understand why he bombed that abortion clinic." But this is not a discussion I'm really willing to get into the middle of again on these boards. The anti-muslim sentiment is overwhelming here, and I can completely sympathize with the reasoning, I just don't hold the same views, nor will I, because of the people I know and the things they think. It is important to note that my friends are not Arab Muslims, and not only do they condemn the actions of Arab Muslim terrorists, but they do not qualify those statements with any "but I understand" kinds of justifications like many Muslims (and as I mentioned, members of other religions as well). However, my feelings on the matter will only serve to elicit scorn or worse from many people here, their feelings being so different and so strong. It's just not a fun time for me.

Bravo Lothruin and ladymacb for your control. I wanted to post earlier but knew it would come out badly and probably get the whole thread shut down.

I think what it comes down to is that it's possible to use religion, race, gender etc as an excuse for any kind of behaviour: acts of terrorism, acts of anti-terrorism, condemnation of entire populations based on the actions of a few, "moral" or "justified" killing. Ultimately any societal group based on like-thinking, like-living, like-geography is an arbitrary distraction from the basic human condition; we're all in this together folks.

Many Muslim terrorists, suicide bombers, and those who sympathise with them do come from moderate countries with 'nice' governments and good economies - as the London suicide bombers proved. In fact, they're often prosperous, well educated, and have been brought up in western countries.
There are also extreme and vociferous individuals who pour out vitriolic hatred against 'the West', whilst enjoying all the benefits of Western society, including even political asylum. If these odious people were to be returned to the Muslim countries from whence they originated, they would probably be arrested.
Operating under the joint banners of 'human rights' and 'freedom of speech' they bring hatred and division into our societies, while we seem almost powerless to stop them. They encourage foolish young people to become suicide bombers, but stay well clear of doing anything dangerous themselves.

To give another sad example of people in nice, reasonably well-governed, developed nations supporting terrorism:

A shockingly large number of Irish Americans, particularly in New York and Boston, gave money to the IRA all through the Troubles in Northern Ireland, through the 80s and 90s. This group bombed innocent civilians in Ireland and in England even when it was pretty clear that it would not achieve their political ends. Police officers and firefighters were among those who took up collections. These were not toasts in bar or idle "I can understand" statements; this was actual, material support of a terrorist group.

The type of antiabortionist who supported the clinic bombers would have justified their support by saying that they only supported the murder of murderers; in their minds, anyone who went into or worked at an abortion clinic was a murderer. I am absolutely 100% opposed to this view, but in their minds they were basically fighting "soldiers" of the other side who had made a choice.

The people who supported the bombings of commuter lines didn't even have that threadbare excuse, but they did it.

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Bravo Lothruin and ladymacb for your control. I wanted to post earlier but knew it would come out badly and probably get the whole thread shut down.

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I apologize. Actually you all did well.

An Australian Muslim leader said recently compared Islam to a dog. He said "A dog has fleas, but it doesn't mean he likes it, it's just a fact. Islam is the same, we have these people who say they do things in the name of Islam, but it doesn't mean we like it"

I did paraphrase there, but it's a good analogy.

There are so many comments here I could say something about but the one that stands out in my mind as a current event is the one from Aramis. Aramis please don`t think I`m aiming at you in particular.

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If these odious people were to be returned to the Muslim countries from whence they originated, they would probably be arrested.

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.......Or made President of a muslim country, say Iran.

It is a tricky situation. I can certainly understand how roos et al feel. I feel the same way myself at times. It does seem that bad things done by people who associate themselves with Islam are more atrocious than others, whether they be assault, rape or terrorism.

I just can't help thinking about atrocities committed by people who associate themselves or by their appearance are associated with other religions. One thing that I think you can say, is that far more atrocities down the ages are/were said to be committed in the name of one god or other, than for any other reason.

Warning: The following was written based simply on facts, nothing emotional just facts. If you feel you might reply in an emotional manner I would suggest you don`t bother reading my post.

A number of people have made the comment that islam isn`t the cause of the deaths of the three schoolgirls that this thread is about and in a free society [and generous website] we all have the "luxury" of writing whatever we feel, unlike in muslim sectarian societies.

I have tried to think of the reasons that could be acceptable to a sane person that make the beheading of three young people a thing that could promote peace and happiness in the world, not surprisingly I can find none.

Some of the writings in the koran that these madmen have no doubt read or have had read to them gives me some insight into how their minds have been trained to work and some of the reasons that they have been insane enough to think they are following the words of some "prophet" when committing evil actions.

"Most of the Koran seems to consist of negative criticism and warnings of damnation for people for various reasons - mainly for not believing the Koran. This is likely to incite negative feelings towards people who don't believe it. After reading several chapters, it becomes understandable that some Muslims should be extremely antagonistic towards and concerned about foreigners with other beliefs who behave in ways forbidden by the Koran - drinking, gambling and being promiscuous - staying in Muslim countries, because of fears that they will corrupt Muslims and so deprive them of a reward in the afterlife and cause them to be sent to a gruesome hell. Furthermore, the Koran could be so frightening and depressing to some followers of Islam that they may think it's far easier to die for the cause of Allah and go straight to paradise as the Koran promises they will (see references below) than to spend the whole of their lives worrying that they may not be doing enough good or obeying Islam strictly enough to get there. There is even a warning in the Koran that anyone who raised their voice in the presence of the "prophet" would be in danger of having all their good deeds nullified by Allah! This would mean that their good deeds would not help them get to paradise on Judgment Day, so they would be sent to hell."

The above is from this interesting site.

The men that did this particular savage action were following the written words of a man that would be convicted in todays world of murder [(Koran 8:12) "Remember Thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the believers, I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips of them."] rape [ Rayhana bint Amr, husband murdered and raped by mohamed],genocide,incest [well this is a fine point but he did take his adopted sons wife for himself] ,paedophelia [Aisha was 6 when he got the hots for her and 9 when he finally got her in the sack, NOT the norm at the time btw] and crimes against humanity[(Koran 22: 19-22) "These twain (the believers and the disbelievers) are two opponents who contend concerning their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling fluid will be poured down their heads. Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted; And for them are hooked rods of iron. Whenever, in their anguish, they would go forth from thence they are driven back therein and (it is said unto them): Taste the doom of burning."] etc.

When people are convicted of similar crimes their soliciters often argue mitigating factors such as child abuse, it`s sad to think that millions of people have been so abused since the "prophet" became a power and the koran refered to as a guide for life and afterlife.

The men that commited these acts are criminals, but can the civilized world call an established so-called "religious" document criminal if that document has caused the men to act in the manner they "chose" to?

What makes me sad when I read some of these posts is that the terrorists have accomplished one of their goals. By committing such horrendous acts, they stir up a wave of public reaction which causes many people to adopt the attitude of 'send them all back to where they came from'. As people react in disgust to all Muslims, those who are forced to experience the hurts of discrimination, band together for security. Given enough exposure to hatred, perhaps they too will embrace hatred and turn it against 'everyone else', thereby swelling the support of the terrorists and giving them validation for their acts.
One of my daughter's best friends is Muslim, and his family are the sweetest, most gentle people you could ever hope to meet.
How many of you out there have teenagers at home? If not, remember when you were a teenager.
Now, when you read in the paper, or hear on the news, about incidents of teenage and gang violence, do you automatically assume that all teenagers engage in this kind of behaviour, and announce that they should all be locked up? Do you lock your own kids up?
If we are going to condemn violence committed in the name of religion, let's start by taking a look at the Crusades and the Inquisistion...or how about the Salem witch burnings?
Is our history pure enough that we're able to cast the first stone?

Very well said skunkee. My husband brought up the same points about the Inquisition etc when I told him about this discussion.

It is a shame, as you said, that these acts bring up "send them all back to where they came from" sentiments. Ironically, however, it's debatably a good thing that these thoughts/feelings are brought out in the open. Sad as it is, the attitudes are there as an undercurrent anyway. At least if they are openly discussed there is some opportunity to argue (on both/all sides).

It is fine to discuss your feelings, just make sure that no one attacks another person for their views.

(Just as a matter of trivia, witches weren't burned in Salem. Accused witches were hanged. As far as I know they were never burned in the US.)

There are many other comments I feel compelled to make, but I won't. I will go so far as to say that the Koran is a book, much like other books of scripture, which contains horrible stories, much like other books of scripture, and tales of the firey punishment that awaits non-believers, much like other books of scripture, and yet I will not condemn the followers of any of these books if they behave in a peaceful way, and I will not condemn their faith even though I abhor the actions their Gods and other followers have supposedly taken.

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So just be careful when you're using lines from the Koran to justify that you think the religion is horrid and you don't know what is actually in the book.

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That`s certainly an interesting and unproven assuption to be directed at me, as a matter of fact I have spent hours and hours reading the koran trying to understand the flaws in it that cause people to commit terrible crimes [and totally beside the point but I have also read the bible from cover to cover].

I don`t believe for a minute that after hundreds of years there aren`t people that have translated the koran into English correctly or close enough, of course I`m not basing my belief on heresay [one person I met] but on logic- the first attempt to translate it was finished in 1143, 862 years of failing to translate one book?

And yes I know I am off topic, but hey so is every single post above this one, except mine which do mention the topic, three schoolgirls beheaded by six people of muslim faith.

A couple of posts have mentioned the danger of "send them all back" policies, but I can't find anyone has suggested this?
My own post on extradition of violent criminals and their supporters was directed against this specific group, most certainly not against Muslims in general. Millions of Muslims live peacefully and responsibly in Europe, and in particular in the UK and France, and condemn the terrorism and incitement to violence of the extreme minority.

I think it's worth bearing in mind that in Islam, as in Christianity and Judaism (and no doubt many other religions) there is internal disagreement as to how the scriptures (and the religion's broader traditions) should be interpreted. Moreover, I imagine very little of it has much to do with the quality of the translations. I find this site interesting and I admire Irshtad Manji's courage:

http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/


Edited to add:

On the subject of terrorism committed in the 'name of Islam' people may find this link (from the above site) of interest:

http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/news/latimes-2005-07-22.html