"An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind", said Mahatma Gandhi, explaining his Satyagraha philosophy. India, eventually, managed to gave British Empire a good ol’ kick in the arse and declared its independence. Lately, I’ve been thinking hard about the capital punishment. Upon reading “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, I oppose capital punishment in general. Who are we, other than a mere human-being, to decide when a man must die.Yet, there were three men whose misdeed was beyond humanity. Whose crime was not merely taking one’s live but also destroyed a community, disintegrated its faith and smeared a religion with blood. They did not repent, did not seek atonement and thoroughly appeared guiltless. Out loud, they proudly screamed a God’s name they thought they had defend in their own imaginary Holy War. When it was decided by law that they would be executed, they were sure they would become a martyr. One’s said, that he will be greeted by a beautiful angel when his time comes.
Indeed, they were executed. Deep in the valley, those three men were shot to death. The operation was held in the utmost secret. Their bodies were bathed and wrapped with white cloth, by their chosen member of family. Upon the body’s arrival in their own village, I thought to myself, who would be grieving for these mass murderer? Apparently, plenty. Apparently, the mass murderer, to their own community, were martyrs. Saint Amrozy, Saint Imam Samudra and Saint Muklas.
How they expressed their fear of death was widely circulated by press. Saint Amrozy hardly could walk, unable to scream his God’s name like he usually did before. Saint Imam Samudra and Saint Muklas tried their best to resisted the fear and loudly screamed their God’s name in the same breath with abusive swear words for the officers. Afterall they did, they were human in the end.
Politically, Indonesia did the right thing. The execution was internationally expected. Later after it was done, the same international public was torn into those who support the capital punishment and those against it. Indonesia did what it supposed to do in the name of justice. It was a brave decision and an ironic one. Ironic, because now Indonesia is back to being listed as a “travel-warning” destination by the very same countries that politically insisted for the justice to be done.
There was a movie about terrorism I once watched not long ago. In the ending, the head of a terrorist group was captured and eventually killed when he resisted. The audience thought it was the end. It did not. He was killed in front of his young son. A young son who someday will ask for revenge. An eye for an eye, and our world is now blind.
