Local Al-Qaeda Leader Mulls Run For Indonesian Presidency

Will 240 million Indonesians go the route of Sharia? This from AKI;

Jakarta, 30 May (AKI) - Abu Bakar Bashir, the radical Muslim cleric who is spiritual leader of the al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Jemaah Islamiyah, is considering running for president in the 2009 elections. Fauzan Al Anshori, the spokesperson for Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI), an organisation made up of groups fighting for Islamic law or Sharia in Indonesia, told Adnkronos International (AKI), that "Bashir is considering the possibility." "He said that he wants to see what the people say first," Al Anshori told AKI.

Bashir, who is in his late 60s, was released from prison in 2006 after serving less than 26 months in Jakarta's Cipinang penitentiary for conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people and thrust Indonesia onto the front lines of the war on terror. Bashir has consistently denied any connection to that or other attacks blamed on the Southeast Asian militant group, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) whose objective is the creation of an Islamic 'caliphate' in the region.

The MMI spokesperson said that Bashir first had the idea of running in the 2009 presidential election after the scandal involving illegal funds in the 2004 electoral campaign first emerged. The scandal, which was made public a few weeks ago, appears to involve all the candidates in the election, including Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"There is so much corruption everywhere and we need clean people to lead the country," said Al Anshori.

Al Anshori said that through the election, Bashir could transform Indonesia from a secular state into an Islamic one. "The law we have was inherited from the Dutch (Indonesia's former colonial power) and is not suited to Muslims," said the MMI spokesperson.

What a guy!! He would run on an anti-corruption platform and then…..look out.

Indonesians must understand that voting for such a candidate would ensure they never vote again. The sad irony is that Bashir would destroy the very same democratic system which affords him the opportunity to run for office.

Sharia here we come.

Crossposted to Jihad Watch