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