INDONESIAN ISLAMIC SECT AL-QIYADAH FACING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003042

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, DRL, DRL/IRF
INR FOR CHARLIE ZENZIE
NSC FOR EPHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2017
TAGS: PGOV KISL PHUM ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIAN ISLAMIC SECT AL-QIYADAH FACING
PERSECUTION

REF: JAKARTA 2878

Classified By: DepPol/C Daniel E. Turnbull, reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The leader of Al-Qiyadah--a small Islamic
sect labeled "deviant" by the Indonesian Ulema Council
(MUI)--turned himself in to Jakarta police earlier this week.
Police have largely managed to prevent vigilante attacks on
sect members, despite intense pressure from local MUI
branches and radical Islamic groups. Some local governments
are preparing to ban the sect and may bring charges of
blasphemy against its leaders, while others claim to have
moderated adherents' beliefs. The campaign, which has
parallels with the treatment of the banned Ahmadiyah sect,
has the potential to tarnish Indonesia,s record on
protecting religious freedom. END SUMMARY.

UNDER PRESSURE, "PROPHET" SURRENDERS


2. (C) On October 29, Achmad Moshadeqq, the leader of
Al-Qiyadah, surrendered to Jakarta police along with six of
his followers. Moshadeqq is a Jakarta native and former
trainer for the Indonesian Badminton Federation who in July
declared himself a prophet after spending 40 days and nights
meditating at Mount Bunder near Bogor, West Java. An
Al-Qiyadah leader told us that Moshadeqq has decided to
surrender in order to save his community from attack. Dozens
of other Al-Qiyadah followers have reportedly entered
"protective custody" across the country.


3. (C) Pressure against Al-Qiyadah mounted after MUI, an
important national group of Muslim religious leaders, issued
a fatwa (religious edict) accusing the sect of heresy in
early October and urged the government to ban the sect's
teachings (reftel). The sect is considered deviant because
it does not require daily prayers, fasting or the hajj
pilgrimage but still claims to be within the Islamic
tradition. The edict has prompted numerous demonstrations
against the group and at least one attack on property owned
by Moshadeqq in Bogor. The sect is estimated to have a few
thousand followers in Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi and is
particularly popular among students. Radical groups opposing
the sect, such as the Muslim Defenders Team and the Islamic
Defenders Front (FPI),allege the group,s strength exceeds
40,000.


4. (C) In what smacks of a witch hunt, MUI members in
Palembang, South Sumatra province, have suggested that two
university students who reportedly have been failing to pray
five times per day might be sect members. In Lampung
province on the southern tip of Sumatra, two elementary
school teachers--a husband and wife--accused of proselytizing
for the sect have been suspended. In Bandung and Surabaya,
Al-Qiyadah and other sects which MUI is investigating,
including the Al Qur,an Suci, have been accused of
kidnapping university students.


5. (C) Anxiety with the sect is widespread: moderate Muslim
organizations have also expressed concern over its practices.
In some areas, however, local communities claim to have
reached accommodation with Al-Qiyadah. Press contacts in
West Sumatra indicate the local MUI branch is advocating
against the detention of Al-Qiyadah members who have agreed
to return to "the true path."

BALANCING ACT


6. (C) Police have taken action both to prevent attacks on
the sect and to appease hard-line groups which have
threatened to suppress the sect themselves if police are not
up to the task. Dozens of arrests have already been made
across the country but no charges have been brought. On
October 30, National Police Chief General Sutanto reportedly
instructed provincial police chiefs to contact and question
Al-Qiyadah leaders and specified that followers not be
investigated. Jakarta police subsequently announced that
followers who had turned themselves into police would be
released but would be required to report to police twice a
week.

JAKARTA 00003042 002 OF 002




7. (C) Some local governments are reportedly preparing to ban
the sect. On October 31, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo
announced that he agreed with a recommendation from the
Jakarta Prosecutor,s Office to ban Al-Qiyadah but was still
coordinating the matter with the local police and military
commands. A contact within the Attorney General,s Office,
Thomson Siagian, said that other local governments were
likely to follow Jakarta,s lead but cautioned that
prosecuting sect leaders on charges of blasphemy--which
carries a maximum 5 year sentence--would only be possible if
the sect's activity continued after a ban was in place.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION REQUIRED


8. (C) Former President Gus Dur has argued against banning
the sect on the grounds that freedom of thought and
expression are guaranteed by law. He has suggested the
problem should instead be tackled by a supervisory board for
minority faiths that consists of the Police and the
Ministries of Religion, Justice and Interior (PAKEM). Gus
Dur rejected the notion that MUI or other Islamic groups be
allowed to take the matter into their own hands. In the
past, however, the government has avoided public
confrontation with extremist groups and may prefer to let
local governments deal with disturbances. Without decisive
action by the central government, however, Al-Qiyadah members
are likely to face continued persecution.

HUME