Paradise Lost

Steven Raymer, a photojournalist and professor at the journalism school, recalled a beer he had in an Irish bar in Bali, Indonesia. \nLast week the same bar was destroyed in the terrorist bombing that killed nearly 200 people.\nAn entire city block in the district of Bali's Kuta Beach was destroyed by two consecutive blasts last Saturday. President Bush has condemned the terrorist attack and has offered help to the Indonesian government. Indonesian Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil and other senior officials have linked the bombings to al Qaeda.\nRaymer, who has travelled through 85 different countries, is very familiar with Islamic radicals.\n"They mugged me and smashed one of my cameras, but I did get their picture," Raymer said. "I had a lot of tough times in Indonesia."\nHowever, he described Bali as populated with gentle natives, a young person's playground and a welcoming environment. Bali, to Southeast Asia, is like the Caribbean to the United States, he explained.\n"I feel really sad," Raymer said. "It's another blow to an already strapped economy."\nHenny Hartono, a senior from Tulungagung in Indonesia, said the bombing took her by surprise.\n"We thought Bali was the safest place because a lot of tourists went there," Hartono said. \nRaymond Harsono, a sophomore from Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia, agrees with Hartono.\n"Bali has always been a place most foreigners go to for holiday purposes," Harsono said. "On the surface, historically I would think Bali was bombed because of economic and political dispute."\nRaymer said he believes the people of Bali are now being tarred and feathered with an image of extremism. \nHighly exposed to Islamic culture, Raymer said there is a problem with the religion's ability to adapt to the modern world.\nIndonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and it is the fourth most populous country.\n"Because of the western media, we see Islam as monolithic and violent," Raymer said. "I don't buy that extremism only appeals to low class 'have-nots.' The Sept. 11 hijackers were all members of the middle class."\nThe Bali bombing site is thought to be a prime target for foreigners. Raymer said the nightclubs, dominated by Australian tourists, were targets because Australia was one of the first countries to announce its support for the war on terrorism. \nRaymer described Indonesia's national security as terrible. \n"Indonesia, until last week, denied any Islamic terrorist groups resided in their country," he said. "Now they are acknowledging the fact they have such groups and that is the first step"