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

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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