CONGRESSIONAL FELLOW REVIEWS TREATMENT OF MINORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001596 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL, DRL/AWH, DRL/IRF NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV KIRF KISL ID SUBJECT: CONGRESSIONAL FELLOW REVIEWS TREATMENT OF MINORITY SECT REF: JAKARTA 1385 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During a recent visit to Indonesia, Tina Ramirez--a foreign policy advisor to Representative Trent Franks--met with a wide range of Indonesian government officials and other organizations to discuss discrimination against the Islamic Ahamadiyah sect. Among other items, Ramirez reviewed the GOI's June 2008 decree constraining Ahmadiyah activities. With all interlocutors, Ramirez underscored the need for Indonesia to respect religious freedom. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Tina Ramirez, a foreign policy advisor to Representative Trent Franks (R-Arizona),visited Indonesia August 4-15. She was accompanied by Kie Eng Go, coordinator for the Jubilee Campaign, a U.S. based non-profit Evangelical Christian group which funded the trip. During her visit, she met with a wide range of Indonesian government officials and other organizations to discuss discrimination against the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect. ¶3. (C) Ramirez met on August 6 with members of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI),a semi-governmental (and conservative) group of Islamic religious leaders who issue edicts and advise the GOI on issues regarding Islam. Muhyiddin Junaidi, Chair of the MUI foreign relations committee, told Ramirez that the MUI issued a religious decree as far back as 1980 calling for the Indonesian government to ban the Ahmadiyah sect. Junaidi asserted that the June 2008 decree was "decades behind in addressing Ahmadiyah deviance in Indonesia." ¶4. (C) MUI members continuously claimed that the Ahmadiyah matter did not concern human rights, but was a religious issue "within Islam." Aminudin Yakub, MUI board member, said if the Ahmadiyah group declared itself a different religion there would be no need to ban them. That said, they were teaching a "deviant" form of Islam and this was wrong. Ramirez reiterated the need for the Indonesian government to uphold its obligations to protect religious freedom. ¶5. (C) Ramirez also met with officials of the Coordinating Body of Supervision of People's Beliefs (Pakem),an office under the Attorney General's authority. (Note: Pakem began monitoring the Ahmadiyah sect in January 2008 and issued a recommendation that the GOI to ban the sect in April.) Pakem Chief Wisnu Subroto downplayed the implications of the June 2008 decree, claiming the action was solely a matter of public safety (the idea being that Muslims were so incensed by the existence of Ahmadiyah that they might attack the group and others). He noted that some individuals have been arrested for violence against Ahmadiyah members. (Note: Septel reviews the August 21 start of a trial of an Islamic extremist who is charged with inciting an attack on peaceful demonstrators defending the right of Ahmadi to practice their religion.) ¶6. (C) In a meeting with Tri Sukma Djandam, a foreign affairs advisor to President Yudhoyono, Ramirez raised concerns about religious freedom in Indonesia. Djandam explained some of the factors behind the GOI's decision to move forward with the June 2008 decree, allowing that the President had to react to Islamic elements that were calling for action. Djandam, a Christian, said the President did not support an outright ban on the group and would not allow members of the group to be marginalized or to become victims of violence. HUME