'There should be soul-searching on the part of various people for indirectly helping to portray the men as martyrs or holy warriors who deserve public sympathy.'

Islamic studies scholar Azyumardi Azra of the State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah

'It's the government's fault for delaying the execution for months that allowed the media to play up the issue.'

Analyst Syafi'i Anwar of the Jakarta-based International Centre for Islam and Pluralism