EXTREMIST GROUP PLANS HUGE RALLY IN JAKARTA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002187 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP, ASEC E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2017 TAGS: PGOV KDEM KISL PINR KCSY PTER ID SUBJECT: EXTREMIST GROUP PLANS HUGE RALLY IN JAKARTA REF: JAKARTA 00247 JAKARTA 00002187 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: POL/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Hizbut Tahrir, an extremist group, is planning a huge rally in Jakarta on August 12. Many Islamic leaders have been invited to speak as have two GOI ministers. The police have reportedly told Abu Bakar Bashir, the JI co-founder, that he cannot speak at the event. Mission has issued a Warden Message advising AmCits to avoid the area of the rally. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) RALLY FOR THE CALIPHATE: The Indonesian branch of Hizbut Tahrir (HTI),a hard-line transnational Islamist movement, plans to hold a rally in Jakarta on August 12. (Note: Hizbut Tahrir has well-known branches in Jordan and the UK. The group asserts that it does not support violence in Indonesia.) The rally is subtitled "It is time for the Caliphate to Lead the World." HTI has branded the rally as a forum to solve Indonesia's problems, including poverty, hunger, illegal logging, etc., according to a full-page advertisement which ran on August 6 in the Muslim-oriented Republika newspaper. ¶3. (SBU) A BIG CROWD: HTI hopes 100,000 people will attend the event, which will be held at Senayan Stadium in downtown Jakarta. HTI has claimed that thousands of people from around the world will attend. In January 2007, a senior HTI leader told us the group distributes 900,000 copies of its weekly bulletin, which suggests that the group would probably be able to drum up thousands of domestic supporters. (Reftel) Past HTI events, including protests outside the Mission, have never involved more than 10,000 HTI members, however. ¶4. (SBU) SPEAKERS: A variety of high-profile Indonesian religious figures are listed in HTI advertisements as having agreed to speak at the half-day event, although it is questionable whether these persons will actually attend. The figures include: Din Syamsuddin, the head of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest mass-Muslim organization with an estimated 35 million followers; former Speaker of the National Legislature (MPR) Amien Rais; and prominent televangelist Abdullah Gymnmastiar, known as Aa Gym. (Note: A full list of speakers is contained in para 9.) ¶5. (SBU) Two GOI ministers are also listed as speakers: Minister of Youth and Sports Adyaksa Dault and Minister of Forestry MS Kaban. Both men are associated with Islamist parties. ¶6. (C) BASHIR NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK: Abu Bakar Bashir, the co-founder of the terrorist group Jemmah Islamiya, has reportedly been told by the police that he cannot speak at the event, as originally planned. He can attend, however. GOI contacts have told us that they are closely monitoring the event. ¶7. (C) MISSION RESPONSE: Mission will be monitoring the event closely and issued on August 9 a Warden Message advising AmCits to avoid the area of the rally. Pol FSN will attend the rally as an observer and report on the speeches. ¶8. (C) HTI'S BIG CHANCE: Up to now, HTI has been mainly a campus fringe group with a small following in Indonesia. The group is clearly hoping to raise its profile by sponsoring the rally. If the rally goes well, HTI could gain new credibility and visibility among Indonesia's extremist groups. ¶9. FULL LIST OF SPEAKERS: A full list of scheduled speakers follows: --Dr. Imran Waheed (Hizbut Tahrir Europe) --Ismail Al Wahwah (Hizbut Tahrir Australia) --Issam Ameera (Hizbut Tahrir Palestine) JAKARTA 00002187 002.2 OF 002 --Dr. Salim Fredericks (Hizbut Tahrir England) --Usman Abu Khalil (Hizbut Tahrir Sudan) --Dr. Hassan Ko Nakata (listed as a "Muslim Intellectual" from Japan) --Hafidz Abdurrahman (Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia) --Abdullah Gymnastiar (independent televangelist) --Dr. Amien Rais (former head of Muhammadiyah) --Minister Adyaksa Dault (represents the Prosperous Justice Party in cabinet, but is also close to retired General Wiranto.) --Dr. Din Syamsuddin (Muhammadiyah) --Zainuddin MZ (popular preacher and former head of the small Reformation Star Party) --Habib Rizieq Shihab (Islamic Defenders Front) --Amrullah Ahmad (Islamic Clerics Council) --Minister MS Ka'ban (Crescent Moon Party) HUME