Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Bali Bombers' Brother, Bomb Widow Become Friends, Seek Peace

Associated Press

   TENGGULUN, INDONESIA - The young Balinese widow stared across the
   courthouse at the man who had murdered her husband and 201 others, and
   longed to see him suffer.

   Ever since that horrible night, when she realized amid the blackened
   body parts and smoldering debris that the father of her two little boys
   was dead, Ni Luh Erniati's rage at the men behind the bombing had
   remained locked deep inside. But now, it came roaring out.

   She tried to scramble over a table blocking her path to hit Amrozi
   Nurhasyim, whose unrepentant grin throughout the trial over Indonesia's
   worst terrorist attack had earned him the nickname "The Smiling
   Assassin." And then she felt hands pulling her back, halting her bid
   for vengeance.

   What would happen a decade later between her and Amrozi's brother --
   the man who had taught Amrozi how to make bombs -- was unthinkable in
   that moment. Unthinkable that they would come face to face in a
   delicate attempt at reconciliation. Unthinkable that they would try to
   find the humanity in each other.

   But inside that courthouse, and for years to come, Erniati wanted
   everyone associated with the 2002 bombings on the Indonesian island of
   Bali to be executed by firing squad. And she wanted to be the one to
   pull the trigger.

   Her words to a reporter in 2012 were blunt: "I hate them," she said.

   "I always will."

   ------

   The practice of reconciling former terrorists and victims is rare and,
   to some, abhorrent. Yet it is gaining attention in Indonesia, the
   world's largest Muslim-majority nation. While Islam in Indonesia is
   largely moderate, the country has battled Islamic militants since the
   Bali attacks. Last year, two families carried out suicide bombings at
   churches, and in October, a militant stabbed Indonesia's top security
   minister.

   The attacks have left Indonesia hunting for ways to prevent terrorism
   -- and to heal from it.

.