On October 30, 2005, three

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

girls: Theresia Morangke (15), Alfita Poliwo (17), and Yarni Sambue (17), were beheaded by Muslim

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

s in

Poso Poso ( Old Spelling: ''Posso'') is the administrative capital of Poso Regency, Indonesia. It is the main port and transportation hub for the central-southern coast of Central Sulawesi. Its urban area consists of three districts, Poso Kota, North ...

on the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n island of Sulawesi, an area plagued by

sectarian Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...

violence since 2001. The attackers planned the beheadings after visiting the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. In 2006, three men were arrested and in 2007 convicted of the crime, one being

sentenced Sentenced was a Finnish gothic metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years. The band formed in 1989 in the town of Muhos and broke up in 2005. History Early years (1988–1991) Sentenced started in 1988 as Deformity and c ...

to 20 years in prison and the others to 14 years.

Background

Central Sulawesi experienced a lot of Muslim-Christian violence in the late 20th and early 21st century. The most serious violence, the Poso riots, occurred between 1998 and into 2000. Over 1,000 people were killed in riots, and tens of thousands were expelled from their homes. After a period of relative calm, hostilities were reignited by rumors that a Muslim girl had been

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

d by a Christian man. Thousands of Muslims and Christians were killed during the following year, and more than 60,000 families are reported to have fled their homes in the process. The Malino peace accord was signed in 2001 and produced a dramatic decline in violence, but in the following years, tension and systematic attacks persisted. In 2003, 13 Christians were killed in the Poso District by unknown masked gunmen. In May 2005, a bombing in the nearby town of Tentena, killed 22 people and injured more than 30. Days after the killings, two 17-year-old schoolgirls were shot in the same area. Christian community leaders have repeatedly criticized the authorities for allegedly not doing enough to find the perpetrators of attacks on Christians in Sulawesi.

The attack

The three teenagers were walking to a private

Christian school A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures. In some count ...

Central Sulawesi Central Sulawesi (Indonesian: ''Sulawesi Tengah'') is a province of Indonesia located at the centre of the island of Sulawesi. The administrative capital and largest city is located in Palu. The 2010 census recorded a population of 2,635,009 fo ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

with their friend named Noviana Malewa, 15, when they were attacked by a group of six masked men armed with

machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca uses a machete to carve wood. ...

s. The attackers left one of the girls' heads outside a church. A note was left with the severed heads, which were dumped in plastic bags in the girls' village, which stated: "''Wanted: 100 more heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head.''" Malewa, the youngest, survived the attack with serious wounds to her neck. The surviving girl was able to describe the attackers to the police. Five suspects, including a former

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, Screening (tactical), ...

officer, were arrested and later released for lack of evidence, although three were subsequently re-arrested. The trial of three men, Irwanto Irano, Lilik Purwanto and Hasanuddin began in November 2006. In February 2007,

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

s recommended 20-year jail sentences for all three

defendant In court proceedings, a defendant is a person or object who is the party either accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case. Terminology varies from one juris ...

s. The prosecutors said they were not seeking the death penalty because the defendants had shown remorse and been forgiven by the victims' families. The sentences were passed on March 21, 2007. Hasanuddin was given 20 years for planning the attack, while two accomplices were given 14 years. Hasanuddin had told the court he helped plan the attack, but he denied allegations he masterminded it. On going to jail, Hasanuddin said "It's not a problem (if I am being sentenced to prison) because this is a part of our struggle." Hasanuddin was the leader of the regional Islamic

group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) for the Poso district.

References

External links

BBC News: Three Indonesian girls beheaded

Voice of America: 3 Christian Indonesian Schoolgirls Beheaded in Area of Religious Tension

Indonesia Matters: Poso Beheadings Trial

BBC News: Alert after Indonesia beheadings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indonesian Beheadings Of Christian Girls, 2005 2005 beheadings of Christian girls 2000s trials 21st century in Sulawesi Crime in Sulawesi Islam in Central Sulawesi 2005 beheadings of Christian girls Islamic terrorist incidents in 2005 Islamism-related beheadings Jemaah Islamiyah Murder trials October 2005 crimes October 2005 events in Asia 2005 beheadings of Christian girls Beheadings of Christian girls 2005 beheadings of Christian girls 2005 beheadings of Christian girls Sexism in Asia