The headlines in much of our local media recently has been about Malaysian Dr Azahari Husin who is alleged to have been killed in Indonesia. This has opened a 'Pandora's box', that is putting secularism and Islamism at loggerheads with each other.

While most religions in the world accept the concept of separation of state and religion as well as acknowledging the national boundaries drawn up by the superpowers, Islam does not. Islam has its own political rules and regulations which are supposed to supercede all other man-made laws.

Why did Azahari chose to become what some call a 'jihadist' but others call a 'terrorist'? When the coalition of non-Muslim countries decided to bomb Iraq resulting in the deaths of more than 100,000 Iraqis, including women and children, Azahari felt nauseous and upset. That a whole nation of Muslims, these Iraqi people having already suffered 10 years of sanctions related starvation and poverty, must now endure a war which is so unbalanced that massacre is a better word for it.

Australia was one of the coalition members responsible for the rape (destruction of lives and homes) and pillage (oil theft) in Iraq. Thus the intention of the Indonesian-based militants was to punish Australia for its crimes in Iraq. So, they planned and executed the Bali bombings and bombings of the Australian embassy and hotels frequented by Australian terrorists.

Of course, one can point out that the victims of these bombings were Australian civilians and not their soldiers who are responsible for war crimes in Iraq. Thus, Azahari's intentions may have been pure but his methodology was not. Islam forbids 'collateral damage'. We Muslims cannot kill the children of our enemies just because our enemies kill our children.

However, give Azahari his due. At least he did sacrifice his life with the hope of liberating the Iraqi people. The rest of us apathetic Muslims go on with life pretending that the sufferings of Iraqi Muslims are none of our business.