Okay. The three terrorist convicts have been finally executed. The fire squad, after long wait, finally shot them dead on early Sunday.

I'm glad this is finally over. Before the three convicted 2002 Bali bombers were executed, the Attorney General's Office had continually delayed the execution, perhaps in fear of bombing threats from their fellow radicals, with the National Police earlier announcing that terrorist groups were eyeing to attack government offices, especially those involved in the execution plan.

But, while the bomb threats were never really implemented (thank God!), the delays, which were followed by excessive TV coverage, have resulted in unexpectedly growing sympathy for the convicted bombers.

Well, how it wouldn't, with TV stations intensively airing footages of the convicts' daily lives in prison in their last days; of their three-year old son, wifes, old mother and family who were not allowed to see them for the last time; of their supporters' grief... This is a horrid!

Even my friend, who is obviously a secularist, finally sympathizes them after seeing the "touchy" footages over and over.

She wondered why the three bombers should ever be executed, and why the government did not just let them stay for the rest of their life in the prison.

Me, I'm indeed outraged with these three mad men said to be members of underground movement Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been linked to Osama bin Laden. Seeing the way they spoke on TV, how they, without any clear reasoning, continually said that non-muslims should be killed. How they literally opened their eyes widely and rose their punches while shouting "Allahu Akbar!" (God is the Great) over and over...I just can't stand it!

Not just that three men have recklessly tainted the image of Islam, which never by all means provides ground for their radical ideology; but they have also indirectly victimized individuals like me, whose "conservative" Muslim attire (which is not so common in Indonesia) were often soon, irresponsibly associated with their stupid radicality.

The recent insult I had to bear was when a stupid middle-aged man -- likely a food vendor -- intentionally asked me a few days before the execution (I was just having dinner with a friend near office), "So, are you mourning"?" while smiling cynically.

Knowing not what he was trying to say, I innocently asked back, "Huh? Why shall I?" and wondered was it there was something bad happening with one of my colleagues.

He replied, "Amrozi and the gank (the three convicted bombers) will be executed," and then laughed.

Gosh, I was so mad at the man; the stupid man I wished to punch once right at that very moment.

But, you know, I couldn't do it. What I did was merely giving him a bitter smile, meant as replacement for cynical words "yeah, right, very funny", and fled. I meant to show him that his ill, stupid remarks could not affect me, though actually it indeed outraged me.

Two of my friends, who are barely Islamists, were also outraged with that ill-address, and said that I should have shown a dignity by asking him what the hell he meant with that and telling him firmly that I didn't like the remarks.

But, that is not the first ill remarks addressed to me, simply because of the way I dress. And I don't think I can or shall yell at everyone insulting me that way, though it indeed hurts.

But, I think my friends are right. I should show my dignity in front of such people. I shouldn't look weak. I should protest such ill stereotyping whenever I get a chance to.

Anyway, back to the execution of the three terrorist convicts, I am indeed glad it's been finally done. They have slaughtered 202 people (mostly Australians), so I believe they deserved the death sentence.

And outsiders need to know that although the number of their sympathizers is surprisingly quite significant, it is still less than 0.0000...percent of the Muslim population in this predominantly Muslim country of 230 million people.

I hope no terrorist attacks will ever hit us again. To me, and many other Muslims here, it is quite weird how Indonesia suddenly becomes a "terrorist hub" (as Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew accused us of, which soon sparked protests) post the Sept. 11 attack.

It was always peaceful here before, even though the Palestine-Israel conflicts had been taking place since tens of years ago.

The only big cases of human rights abuses were only those allegedly committed by former president Soeharto, and that affected only so few of people here.