HIDAYATULLAH WILL RUN REJOINDER TO ATTACK ON THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 012296 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2011 TAGS: PTER PREL ASEC CASC KISL ID SUBJECT: HIDAYATULLAH WILL RUN REJOINDER TO ATTACK ON THE ASIA FOUNDATION REF: A. JAKARTA 11472 ¶B. 05 JAKARTA 12721 ¶C. 05 JAKARTA 11875 Classified By: Political Officer Catherine E. Sweet, Reason 1.4(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. In an October 2 meeting, a Muhammadiyah Youth official told Poloff that the hard-line Islamist group Hidayatullah will publish a Muhammadiyah response to Hidayatullah's written attack on The Asia Foundation (TAF). Hidayatullah's concession came after more than two weeks of intensive pressure from Muhammadiyah at all levels. Although Hidayatullah has apologized to Muhammadiyah privately, they will not issue a formal apology to TAF. During their discussions, Muhammadiyah representatives sought to educate Hidayatullah about what cooperation with international donors meant, stressing that all international donors -- including Muslim countries -- have an agenda in deciding which groups to fund. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In an October 2 meeting, Muhammadiyah Youth (Pemuda Muhammadiyah) Secretary General Gunawan Hidayat told Poloff that the hard-line Islamist group Hidayatullah has agreed to publish a Muhammadiyah response to Hidayatullah's written attack on The Asia Foundation (TAF). The original article, which appeared in the September issue of Hidayatullah's magazine, accused TAF of providing financial support to organizations and individuals who defame Islam (ref A). It also claimed that Indonesia's two largest Muslim mass organizations, Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah were "in the pocket of" TAF. We're Sorry (But Won't Say So Publicly) -------------- ¶3. (C) According to Gunawan, Hidayatullah's concession came after more than two weeks of intensive pressure from Muhammadiyah at all levels, including Muhammadiyah Youth, Muhammadiyah cadres, and Chairman Din Syamsuddin (who reportedly "threatened" his Hidayatullah counterpart; Gunawan did not reveal the nature of the threat). Although Hidayatullah has apologized to Muhammadiyah privately, they will not issue a formal apology to TAF (Note. TAF Country Director Douglas Ramage confirmed this separately. End Note). However, Hidayatullah's editorial staff will run a "letter of clarification" from Muhammadiyah Youth in its upcoming edition. International Aid: Muslim Donors Have Agendas, Too -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) During their discussions with Hidayatullah members and with the magazine's editorial staff, Muhammadiyah representatives sought to educate Hidayatullah about what cooperation with international donors meant and, more important, what it did not. Gunawan said that he explained that, contrary to Hidayatullah's allegation that TAF was ginning up ideas to "change the face of Islam" as part of the war on terrorism, in reality TAF simply financed project proposals that they received from local Muslim organizations. While allowing that TAF might have an agenda in deciding which groups to fund, Gunawan stressed to Hidayatullah staff that this was absolutely normal. Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Libya, he added, are also advancing their own agendas when providing financial support to Islamist organizations. Gunawan encouraged Hidayatullah members to talk with other Muslim groups in Indonesia who have worked with TAF to learn more about their experiences. Hidayatullah: Reacting out of Ignorance -------------- ¶5. (C) Gunawan believes that Hidayatullah wrote its original piece for two reasons. First, as TAF suggested, the group is riven by an internal power struggle between progressives and conservatives. The latter, who were responsible for writing and publishing the attack, were reacting to the news that Hidayatullah's progressive wing had sought funding from TAF to modernize the organization. Second, Gunawan said, many Hidayatullah members are convinced TAF is part of a larger movement that seeks to destroy prospects for Islamic law, or shari'a, in Indonesia. This assumption came from TAF's association with the Liberal Islam Network (Jarangan Islam Liberal, or JIL) in Indonesia, a group that has taken an aggressive approach to combating Islamic extremism. In the process, however, JIL alienated many Indonesians -- both foes and supporters (refs B and C). (Note. TAF's Deputy Director told us that TAF decided to stop funding JIL in January. Because of the vitriol directed at JIL, TAF was concerned for JAKARTA 00012296 002 OF 002 their own security. Even more, TAF felt that their organization's work with other groups was being undermined because "all people saw was JIL." End Note). HEFFERN