PROMOTING RELIGIOUS TOLERATION AT A KEY ISLAMIC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000076 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/PD, R NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO KISL ID SUBJECT: PROMOTING RELIGIOUS TOLERATION AT A KEY ISLAMIC SCHOOL REF: 07 JAKARTA 3468 ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive But Unclassified -- Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Poloff underscored the importance of religious freedom and highlighted the positive role played by Muslims in the United States during a talk at a major Islamic school in West Jakarta. Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah faculty and students provided an excellent demonstration of a modern Muslim education that stresses tolerance and rejects violent extremism. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) Poloff spoke January 9 at the main campus of Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah, an Islamic school affiliated with the mass-Muslim organization Nadhutul Ulama (NU). The school has five other branches in Indonesia, including West Java, Banten and Lampung, and enrolls over 4000 students. Approximately 600 students study at the main campus, located in West Jakarta. ¶4. (SBU) RELIGIOUS FREEDOM--GETTING THE WORD OUT: In two separate sessions, including one held in the Pesantren's mosque--to accommodate the large crowd--poloff addressed approximately 300 elementary, secondary and university students and underscored the following points: -- The United States is proud of our history of religious liberty and believes that freedom of religious belief is a key element of democracy. Muslims are a growing presence in the United States where they enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities as every other American. -- There is no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, a fact demonstrated by Indonesia's own robust democracy and the participation of American Muslims in the United States' own democratic process. -- The government and people of the United States do not regard terrorism as an Islamic phenomenon. USG counterterrorism policies target individuals who use violence against civilians to achieve political ends, not Muslims as a group. ¶5. (SBU) In lively question and answer sessions, students posed a number of excellent queries. Several students asked about instability and extremism in other parts of the Muslim world. Poloff encouraged them to promote peaceful interfaith dialogue throughout the Muslim world. As a pluralistic, Muslim-majority democracy, Indonesia should stand as a model to other Muslim countries. Students were also especially keen to hear about opportunities for future study in the United States. ¶6. (SBU) A MODERN MUSLIM EDUCATION: Dr. Noer Muhammad Iskandar, the head of Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah and spiritual advisor to former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, outlined the school's vision of a modern Muslim education. He told poloff that the school aims to produce well-rounded graduates who can compete in the global economy. To that end, the curriculum combines traditional Islamic studies with a rigorous course of "Western" subjects such as math, science and social studies. The school also emphasizes English language skills, a fact amply demonstrated by the English abilities of the students who met poloff. ¶7. (SBU) Dr. Iskandar also explained that Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah sought to produce students who respected the rights of all faiths to live in a religiously pluralistic society. His efforts are clearly paying off as students from Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah helped provide security at Christian churches during the Christmas season (reftel). HUME