Ulma Haryanto – For most of Abu Bakar Bashir's zealous supporters, his conviction on terrorism charges on Thursday were part of an ongoing conspiracy against the cleric.

Bernard Abdul Jabbar, from the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Board (DDII), said he believed the verdict had been engineered by those "who oppose the struggle of Islam."

"Even though we are not part of JAT [Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid, Bashir's radical Islamic organization], we support and defend him and his cause," Bernard said on Thursday.

Sonhadi, a JAT spokesman, agreed that the ruling was part of a "sinister agenda" to frame Bashir. "They're afraid to see how Muslims listen to whatever he says," he said.

He added that from the beginning of the case, the JAT had suspected the charges were an excuse to punish Bashir, regardless of his innocence. "His family does not believe he's guilty," he said. "They know what Bashir was like at home and in his daily life. It is possible that he was used."

Another JAT member called the trial a joke. "They haven't looked for the truth, they only want to serve the interests of the current political power," he said.

Outside the South Jakarta District Court, where hundreds of Bashir's supporters gathered, the sentiment was just as bitter.

"We are here to pray for the judges and prosecutors," said one supporter wearing an Osama bin Laden T-shirt. "If there is no repentance from them, may God give them bitter pain on earth and in the afterlife."

Perhaps, however, Bashir's biggest supporter was himself. "They want me to disappear. And they want a verdict so that I will no longer be with the community – if possible for me to be killed," he said. "The benefit to them? To kill Islam, to kill defenders of Islam."

[Additional reporting by AFP & Reuters.]