FEW REPORTS OF PRESSURE AGAINST MINORITY SECT

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001459 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL, DRL/AWH, DRL/IRF NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF ID SUBJECT: FEW REPORTS OF PRESSURE AGAINST MINORITY SECT SINCE GOI DECREE REF: JAKARTA 1276 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (U) This message was coordinated with Consulate General Surabaya and Consulate Medan. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: Mission's survey of conditions for Ahmadiyah sect members indicates few reports of persecution or pressure since the recent GOI decree constraining the activities of the group. The decree itself remains controversial, with critics seeing it as impinging on religious freedom. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) FEW REPORTS OF PROBLEMS: Ahmadiyah sect members have continued to practice freely in most areas of the country since the GOI issued a decree constraining sect activities on June 9 (see reftels). (Note: Ahmadiyah, a minority Islamic sect, has approximately 500,000 followers in Indonesia. Hard-line Islamic groups condemned Ahmadiyah for not conforming to Sunni orthodoxy. On June 9, in large part as a result of pressure from these groups, the government issued a decree prohibiting Ahmadiyah from proselytizing. End Note.) On July 29, national Ahmadiyah spokesperson Supardi (one name only) told poloff that the Ahmadi community as a whole is relatively calm and does not feel pressured. He mentioned, however, that seven Ahmadi mosques remain closed in West Java, several of them in the village of Manis Lor (reftel). (Note: Manis Lor was the site of vigilante attacks against Ahmadi mosques in December 2007.) ¶4. (C) SUMATRA QUIET: Ahmadis in Sumatra are relatively unfettered as well, according to contacts in Padang in western Sumatra who tell us they keep track of Ahmadis throughout Sumatra. On July 28, Ahmadiyah leadership in Padang told Consulate Medan that none of the Ahmadi--who live in nine of Sumatra's ten provinces--are facing credible threats or have experienced any violent attacks in recent years. Mission is checking with each of the branches to confirm this and monitor any reports of pressure or discrimination. ¶5. (C) SITUATION IN EASTERN INDONESIA: Contacts in Lombok in eastern Indonesia told Consulate Surabaya that there have been no recent incidents of violence or discrimination against the Ahmadi community there. Contacts told us the joint ministerial decree has not affected the approximately 130 Ahmadis who have lived in an internally displaced persons camp in Mataram since 2005. The Ahmadi community in Lombok is waiting for the new governor's inauguration on September 1 to see how he will approach the community. ¶6. (C) CALM FOR NOW: After the acute tensions of earlier this year, the situation as it pertains to Ahmadis seems to have improved to the extent that the attacks have ended for now and there are few reports of problems. Mission will continue to monitor the situation of Ahmadiyah communities across Indonesia. Certainly, the GOI has made clear that it will not tolerate attacks. Nonetheless, the GOI's decree remains controversial, with critics seeing it--correctly--as impinging on religious freedom. HUME