ABB Preaches in North Sumatra

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 013136 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS AIDAC Dept for EAP/MTS and S/CT DOJ for CTS Thornton, AAG SWARTZ FBI for ETTIU/SSA Roth NSC for Holly Morrow From American Consulate Medan # 30, 2006 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KISL KJUS ASEC KPAO AS, ID SUBJECT: ABB Preaches in North Sumatra Ref: Jakarta 010576 JAKARTA 00013136 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Radical Muslim Cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir spoke in North Sumatra October 29 - 31 at a series of engagements on the implementation of Syariah law. Misleading posters advertising the visit masked Ba'asyir's identity and implied sponsorship of mainstream Muslim organizations. Though he encouraged his listeners to push for the implementation of Syariah law at the local level, he was consistently guarded in his public comments. Officials from Muhammadiyah and several prominent mainstream Muslim scholars privately regretted the visit and, at a seminar organized as part of the visit but which Ba'asyir ultimately did not attend, two speakers including a senior official from the Prosperous Justice Party and a well known Muslim scholar, spoke against the implementation of Syariah. End Summary. Deceptive Advertising ===================== ¶2. (SBU) Abu Bakar Ba'asyir was in North Sumatra October 29 - 31 to speak and conduct seminars on "Awakening the Strength of the Community of Believers under the Umbrella of Syariah." Posters advertising the event appeared deliberately misleading and designed to appeal to a mainstream Muslim audience. Ba'asyir, for example, was identified only as "Ustadz Abu" on the ads and a humble-looking picture of the cleric was the only indication of his real identity. In addition, the poster implied that the visit was sponsored in part by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and said that tickets could be purchased at the PKS office. PKS officials for North Sumatra adamantly deny both these points. The poster also indicated that the Malaysian Consul General might speak at the event. In reality, the Malaysian Consul General was unaware of the visit and, once alerted by the U.S. Consulate, demanded the sponsors take down all advertisements referencing his office. The full poster can be viewed on OSIS (unclassified) at http://transition.intelink.gov/state/sumatra/ 2006 /10/look_whos_coming_to_medan.html. Schedule ======== ¶3. (SBU) During his visit October 29 - 31, Ba'asyir preached at three mosques, one each in Belawan, Medan, and Deli Serdang. He also lunched with the head of Front Pembela Islam (FPI) in Belawan and met with a local businessman known to sponsor several pesantran in Langkat. According to reliable sources, turnout at the events was much lower than expected, and the audiences were overwhelmingly female. Despite his prominent billing on the advertisements for the visit, Ba'asyir did not attend the seminar on "Contemporary Dakwah and Syariah" on October 31 but took a very early flight to Yogyakarta instead. Message: Implement Syariah JAKARTA 00013136 002.2 OF 003 ========================== ¶4. (U) Ba'asyir presented similar messages at each of the three mosques and largely refrained from using inflammatory language. In each case he told his audience that the state has the responsibility of promoting and guarding Islamic principles and that Syariah Islam should be immediately added to the national constitution. Unless the constitution is amended to fully incorporate Syariah Islam, Islamic principles will continue to erode under the influence of an increasingly secular government. ¶5. (U) While implementing Syariah has many advantages, Ba'asyir told his audiences, the real benefit is that it guarantees the country will be peaceful and safe and that crimes such as corruption and robbery will disappear. Non- Muslims have no reason to fear Syariah, he said, because Islam forbids its followers from interfering with non-Muslims or forcing them to convert. Living proof that diverse religions can live harmoniously under a Syariah government, he said, are all the non-Muslims who fully enjoy their rights and feel completely safe while living in Islamic countries throughout the world. ¶6. (U) Addressing what he described as the accusations of Islam's enemies, Ba'asyir said that the struggle for Islam must be won through "dakwah," not the sword; the force of arms may only be used to protect and defend Islam from its enemies. In apparent reference to his conviction and imprisonment on charges relating to terrorism, he warned Muslims to not allow themselves to be persuaded by "rumors spread by the Americans." Reaction ======== ¶7. (SBU) In private, mainstream Muslim officials and scholars were united in their distaste for Ba'asyir and displeased that he would come to North Sumatra to preach. Several of these figures told us that they regretted Ba'asyir's decision to come to North Sumatra and described Ba'asyir's brand of Islam as more in tune with Java than Sumatra. During the seminar -- which Ba'asyir ultimately did not attend -- speakers publicly dismissed the idea that Syariah should be implemented by the government. ¶8. (SBU) Muhammadiyah: Top officials from Muhammadiyah, one of North Sumatra's largest and most influential Muslim groups, were caught by surprise at the visit and told us bluntly that by ignoring the importance of tolerance in Islam, Ba'asyir and his supporters risked "ruining" the name of Islam among non-Muslims and diverted attention away from issues which were more important to Indonesia's Muslim community. They also worried that the visit could upset the peaceful coexistence among North Sumatra's various religious groups. ¶9. (SBU) Last July, Muhammadiyah leadership in West Sumatra blocked Ba'asyir from speaking at JAKARTA 00013136 003.2 OF 003 several key mosques in Padang (Reftel). At the time, Muhammadiyah leaders in North Sumatra privately told the Consulate that they agreed with that course of action. When confronted with a similar situation here, however, they were unwilling to do more than "discuss the matter" with committees overseeing Mosques where Ba'asyir was scheduled to preach and to monitor all of Ba'asyir's public events. More aggressive actions were unnecessary, they said, because Muslims in North Sumatra are well trained enough to "know correct doctrine when they hear it." ¶10. (SBU) Muslim Scholars: Several influential Muslim scholars affiliated with the state Islamic University privately condemned the visit and said that many students at the university opposed the visit as well. Some student groups, said one scholar, wanted to organize a demonstration against Ba'asyir and all that was needed was a "tiny breath of air" from him or one of his colleagues to set off the demonstration. He did not wish to do so, however, because of the potential that it might set off a round of demonstrations and counter demonstrations, all the while giving Ba'asyir and his supporters the attention they crave. A better strategy, said the scholars, would be to distribute pamphlets on the meaning of Jihad and application of Syariah and to bring back Imam Bashar Arafat for a conference on Islam, Dakwah, and Syariah. (Note: Arafat is an Imam from the United States who came to North Sumatra as part of a program supported by the Public Affairs Section.) Had Ba'asyir attended the workshop, one well known Muslim scholar was prepared to confront him directly. The scholar spoke against formal implementation of Syariah. ¶11. (SBU) Prosperous Justice Party: One provincial PKS leader spoke at the seminar on Syariah. In his presentation he emphasized that PKS does not support the establishment of an Islamic state. Distancing himself from Ba'asyir, the official emphasized that ABB did not attend the seminar and that no PKS official saw or met with Ba'asyir in any capacity. Other Senior PKS officials confirmed that the party played no role in organizing or sponsoring the event. Pascoe