WAHID INSTITUTE, WIESENTHAL CENTER CO-HOST

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001646 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL KISL ID SUBJECT: WAHID INSTITUTE, WIESENTHAL CENTER CO-HOST RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE CONFERENCE IN INDONESIA ¶1. (U) On June 12, the Wahid Institute, an Indonesian non-governmental organization (NGO) founded by former president Abdurrahman Wahid (aka Gus Dur),co-sponsored a one-day conference in Bali on "Tolerance between Religions: A Blessing for All Creation" with the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance and North Carolina-based NGO LibForAll. The conference, which focused on ways to reduce inter-religious tensions around the world, included participation by Wahid, Israeli Rabbi Daniel Landes from Jerusalem's Pardes Institute, Indian Hindu guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Jewish-American scholar Alfred Balitzer, Japanese philosopher Yoichi Kawada, and Holocaust survivor Sol Teichman. A press release from the Wiesenthal Center noted that although Rabbi Landes was allowed to attend, the Indonesian government refused a visa for former Israeli Chief Rabbi Israel Lau. Lau, who co-authored a June 12 Wall Street Journal editorial with Gus Dur, holds an Israeli diplomatic passport; Indonesia does not officially recognize Israel. ¶2. (U) Other notable Indonesian attendees included former Muhammadiyah Chairman Syafi'i Maarif, Jakarta-based Catholic leader Franz Magnis-Suseno, Nahdlatul Ulama Kyai Yusuf Khudlori, and Muhammadiyah Islamic scholar Abdul Munir Mulkhan. Indonesian popular musicians Dhani and Once, from the band Dewa, and several victims of the Bali I and II bombings were also among the approximately 100 invited participants. (Note: Wahid, Dhani, Magnis-Suseno, Mulkhan are all members of U.S. NGO LibForAll's Boards of Directors and Advisors. End Note). During the conference, former Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pituswan gave a presentation on "The Road Ahead for People of Faith in an Era of Extremism," and while Gus Dur spoke on "Religious Faith: Source of Conflict or a Blessing for All Creation?," with Maarif moderating. Although the seminar was closed to the public, Farah Niba of the Wahid Institute told ConGen Surabaya that discussions focused on global religious tolerance and inter-faith cooperation. ¶3. (U) Islamic scholar Abdul Munir Mulkhan told us that the approximately 200-member audience also included schoolchildren from Indonesian religious boarding schools (pesantren) and public schools. He pointed to Gus Dur as the power behind bringing together such a divergent group to hear the message asking members of all religions to work together and respect one another to give a blessing for all creation. ¶4. (U) Mulkhan added that the Holocaust was not a primary topic of the conference, but said that when the question was asked, Gus Dur spoke out against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,s statements denying the Holocaust. The media reported a slightly different account, saying that the conference was organized in part to balance Ahmadinejad's ongoing Holocaust-denial campaign, and quoting Gus Dur as quipping that "although I'm a good friend of Ahmadinejad, I have to say that he is wrong. I have visited Auschwitz's Museum of Holocaust and I saw many shoes of dead people. Because of this, I believe the Holocaust happened." ¶5. (U) Robin McDowell of the Associated Press, who attended the entire conference told us that she saw the most significant aspect of the conference as being the fact that a packed audience of mostly Indonesian Muslims listened attentively to Jews talking about the Holocaust. The conference started off focusing on that issue but turned into a more general discussion of how to foster religious tolerance, McDowell said. She said Syafi'i Maarif spoke mostly about how Muslims can promote tolerance. Publicity for the conference was discreet, security tight, and few journalists attended, she said. HEFFERN