Jemaah Islamiya

This organization has been offered by some as an alternative to al Qaeda as the perpetrator of the Bali Attacks.

"We are sure al Qaeda is here," Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil said after a cabinet meeting in Jakarta. "The Bali bomb blast is related to al Qaeda with the cooperation of local terrorists."

He offered no evidence, and other officials, including some in the Indonesian Defense Ministry, criticized Djalil for pinning the explosion on bin Laden's network so soon. Some foreign diplomats have suggested the Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah may have been involved.

Well, let's turn to our handy dandy copy of Inside al Qaeda, by Rohan Gunaratna, considered the best guidebook to the organization within the public sphere. There are many index entries, but try one on for size:

Jamaat Islamiya was founded by Abdullah Sungkar and after his death in Indonesia Bashiyar, his closest friend, took over. Both Sungkar and Bashiyar had been Islamists for several decades and JI was formed by Sungkar after meeting Osama in Afghanistan.

al Qaeda is an Arabic word that means "the Group." This book has a dozen cites from testimony from former members on trial for their lives all over the world who all say that Jemaah Islamiya is part of the group, a member of al Qaeda. Those in the know all know this. When diplomats say that JI was the cause of the explosions, that means that al Qaeda is the culprit.

Anyone can lie. The best liars convey their lies with the truth. Diplomats are some of the best liars out there.