CHRISTMAS IN INDONESIA -- AMID TIGHT SECURITY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003468

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINS KISL ID
SUBJECT: CHRISTMAS IN INDONESIA -- AMID TIGHT SECURITY,
INTERFAITH TOLERANCE

REF: A. JAKARTA 003464

B. JAKARTA 003442

JAKARTA 00003468 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: At the direct order of the President,
Indonesian police made an impressive show of force to bolster
security at churches across Indonesia during the Christmas
season. No incidents of violence were reported. In public
events in this Muslim majority but diverse country,
politicians and Muslim leaders reinforced messages of peace,
tolerance, and interfaith harmony. END SUMMARY.

POLICE OUT IN FORCE


2. (C) Christmas in Indonesia went quietly. In what has
become a Christmas tradition in Indonesia (since bombings
targeted churches in 2000),the Indonesian National Police
(INP) dramatically increased December deployments, staging
more than 141,000 personnel around the country to protect
churches, and other possible targets of terrorist attacks and
violence. In Jakarta alone, the INP deployed thousands of
officers with only one bomb hoax reported on Christmas Eve.
The INP paid special attention to potential conflict areas,
particularly Central Sulawesi province, where some 5,000
officers were stationed to guard approximately 350 churches.
In the event, no incidents of extremist violence were
reported.

CHRISTIANS PLEASED


3. (SBU) Leaders of Christian churches and associations
reported good cooperation among churches, the INP, and
volunteers from Muslim organizations who provided additional
security assistance. (Note: Approximately 10-12 percent of
Indonesians are Christian.) The Secretary General of the
Indonesian Conference of Bishops reported that each Catholic
church had a security committee which coordinated with police
and other volunteers. Nahdlatul Ulama's paramilitary wing,
Banser, also continued its practice of sending members to
provide additional security for churches and says it sent
5,000 members to churches around the country.


4. (C) One Catholic Church official told us that he was
"very impressed with efforts to protect religious observance;
we are very thankful that President Yudhoyono was personally
involved." (Note: President Yudhoyono made clear that he
was directing the effort to ensure a secure Christmas,
meeting with senior security officials and publicizing his
wish for a peaceful holiday timeframe.)

THE ACCENT IS ON TOLERANCE


5. (SBU) National and local political leaders were eager to
help foster a spirit of tolerance and harmony. National
Legislature (DPR) Speaker Agung Laksono's wife, a Christian,
and son hosted a Christmas dinner on December 26 (the Speaker
is a Muslim). Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, a Muslim, made
public visits to several prominent Jakarta churches,
reinforcing the message of tolerance and encouraging a
community-wide approach to security. President Yudhoyono and
the Department of Religion are hosting a "National Christmas
Celebration" the evening of December 27 at the Jakarta
Convention Center.


6. (SBU) Indonesian Muslim leaders offered signs of
friendship by reaching out to the country's Christian
population. Masdar Farid Mas'udi, a member of Nahdlatul
Ulama's executive board and longtime defender of pluralism,
delivered the most pronounced message of friendship to
Indonesian Christians by wishing them a "Merry Christmas," a
gesture that the hard-line Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) has
declared forbidden for observant Muslims. Muhammadiyah
leader Din Syamsuddin did not go quite as far, but did issue
a statement emphasizing that religious differences should not
lead to conflict.


7. (U) On an international note, Nasaruddin Umar, a high

JAKARTA 00003468 002.2 OF 002


level executive in Nahdlatul Ulama, joined 130 Muslim
scholars from across the Islamic world in issuing a Christmas
message of peace and friendship as part of "A Common Word," a
group of Muslim intellectuals that initially organized in
2006 to participate in interfaith dialogues with Pope
Benedict XVI.

STILL SOME PROBLEMS


8. (C) Signs of interfaith harmony at Christmas show the
strong sense of community that usually prevails among
Indonesia's officially recognized religions--Islam,
Christianity, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Such signs of
harmony among religions run counter to the discord that at
times can strike the Muslim community over differences in
theological opinion, such as the recent attacks on minority,
allegedly heretical Muslim sects (reftels). Nevertheless,
based on this Christmas season, the sometimes troubled
Indonesian Christian and Muslim relationship appears poised
to start 2008 on relatively sound footing.

HUME