Brit paper’s terrorist obituary
The UK's Independent presents: An obituary for a terrorist 'demolition man'
What do ballet dancer Fernando Bujones, science fiction author Michael Coney, royal photographer Earl of Lichfield and arch terrorist Azahari Bin Husin have in common?
All four apparently belong on the same obituaries page, according to British newspaper The Independent at least.
Husin's obituary, published Monday on the newspaper's website, paints an almost genteel picture of the terrorist, who was 50 at the time of his death.
"Contemporaries remember his fondness for women, sport, and fast cars," the obituary reads.
Husin was born in Malaysia, where he received a degree in statistics, but instead of dealing with numbers, the promising scientist chose to deal with explosives, and turned into the number one wanted terror suspect in southeast Asia.
Obituary of a terrorist: The UK's Independent
Together with his colleagues, Husin headed the Jama's Islamiya terror group, al-Qaeda's Asian branch. Husin was viewed as the group's "brains" and the driving force behind a number of attacks in Bali and Jakarta, in which 245 people were murdered.
He was killed in a shootout with Indonesian security personnel, who encircled his home, where he was staying with other terror network leaders. After an hour of fire exchanges, Husin realized that his fate was sealed and blew himself up.
Soldiers who entered the house found large quantities of explosives, and a document which detailed plans to blow up Christian schools and churches in Jakarta, in an attack planned for Christmas.
The Independent's obituary page will apparently have to explain its odd selection of placing an obituary for Husin to the families of the 26 British tourists who were killed in the Bali attacks.
Pretty picture
According to the obituary, "After submitting his doctoral thesis, he (Husin) left Britain for employment in Jakarta as a property-market analyst, but found he preferred life in academia. He married a co-lecturer at the University Teknologi Malaysia at Skudai, Johor, where he eventually was appointed Associate Professor of Valuation and known for his lively classes."
The newspaper also reports that Husin "turned to religion" after his wife had trouble conceiving a child, and "following visits to a Muslim faith healer, she became pregnant and bore two children in quick succession."
"After she was diagnosed with throat cancer, Azahari became extremely pious. He embraced jihad," said the Independent.
The obituary concludes with a quote by Husin: "'I have a greater cause in life. It is to serve God.'"
