CONGEN SURABAYA CLEBRATES RAMADAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000044 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/PD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO ECON ID SUBJECT: CONGEN SURABAYA CLEBRATES RAMADAN REF: STATE 112013 SURABAYA 00000044 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: U.S. Consulate General Surabaya planned and hosted five separate Iftar activities during the month of September. Two were hosted by the Consul General at her residence, and another one was hosted by the CG in Manado, in the province of North Sulawesi. Another two events involved underprivileged children in the Surabaya area, including one with children displaced by the Sidoarjo mudflow. The activities involved all sections of the Consulate and generated extensive positive media coverage, including articles in some media with which we previously had no contact. End Summary. ADULT IFTARS -------------- ¶2. The Consul General hosted two Iftars at her residence, one focusing on Political and Economic contacts, the other on Public Affairs contacts. CG McClelland offered welcoming remarks in Indonesian, highlighting the spiritual aspects of the fast and emphasizing her desire to have the consulate staff integrated with the local community. After the fast was broken, attendees prayed in a specially prepared area, led by local Islamic organization heads. The East Java chairmen of both Nahdhatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah attended the first Iftar. ¶3. Press coverage of these events included a lengthy article, with several color pictures, in a Chinese-language Surabaya daily with which the consulate had previously not had contact. Based on reactions from members of the Chinese Muslim Association in attendance, the article noted that the event demonstrated the respect which Americans have for religious tolerance. The article also commented that the U.S. Consulate helped foster unity and understanding among groups of Indonesians that do not often interact. ¶4. While visiting the majority Christian province of North Sulawesi, the CG hosted the local chairman of the North Sulawesi Ulama Council and the Chairman of North Sulawesi Muhammadiyah and their families to break their fast. CHILDREN'S IFTARS -------------- ¶5. The first of two Iftars with needy children was held at Alang-Alang, a shelter for Surabaya street children. The CG, American and Indonesian members of the consulate staff, and their families were treated to musical performances by the children. The Consulate staff and some of their children got quick lessons on how to play the angklung, a traditional Indonesian percussion instrument made of bamboo, and joined the other kids for one number. CG McClelland gave short remarks and then answered questions from the children. At a child's request, the Americans sang the Star Spangled Banner, and toured the shelter's facilities. The Consulate donated 15 books to the library, and then all the children, numbering about 200, received dinner and gifts of prayer mats and beads. ¶6. The Alang-Alang event was held in the street in front of the shelter and many members of the community gathered to watch the proceedings. Media coverage was extensive, with color pictures in appearing in all the local major dailies, and highlights from the event broadcast on local television. The Jakarta Post, the leading English language daily in Indonesia, also featured the Surabaya Iftar event with a picture of the CG playing an angklung with the children. Victims of the Mud Flow -------------- ¶7. The highlight of Consulate Surabaya's Iftar events was a visit to the Porong Market refugee facility, housing families left homeless by the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster. Prior to breaking the fast, CG McClelland and members of the Consulate staff toured the market area, seeing how rows of windowless market stalls without doors had been converted into family residences. After a short video presentation of Muslim Life in America, the CG delivered Iftar remarks and signaled the breaking of the fast with dinner and gifts for over 300 elementary school-aged children. There was a real sense of excitement and anticipation as the kids lined up with previously distributed tickets to receive their meals and wrapped presents. ¶8. Everything related to the mudflow generates intense press interest, and this event was no exception. Television, radio, and print coverage was extensive, and despite local authorities' concerns prior to the event about potential negative coverage or demonstrations, the stories focused on the interaction of consulate staff and the children at Porong, and were universally SURABAYA 00000044 002.2 OF 002 positive. Separately, referring to press coverage of the children's Iftars, Mohammed Nur, a former Governor of East Java and elder statesmen of East Java politics, praised the Consulate's efforts to reach out to disadvantaged members of the community. MCCLELLAND