RELIGIOUS FREEDOM -- ARRESTS MADE IN ATTACK ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000888

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL, DRL/AWH, DRL/IRF
NSC FOR E. PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2018
TAGS: PGOV KIRF PINS ID
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM -- ARRESTS MADE IN ATTACK ON
MUSLIM SECT

REF: A. JAKARTA 846

B. JAKARTA 823 AND PREVIOUS

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Police have detained 12 suspects in
connection with the April 27 arson attack on a mosque owned
by the Ahmadiyah sect. The GOI continues to review whether
to ban the sect, which was recently declared "deviant."
Indonesian civil society has criticized the attacks on the
sect, demanding that authorities protect its members and
property. Mission continues to urge that the GOI support
religious freedom. END SUMMARY.

12 DETAINED


2. (U) Under mounting pressure to do something, police
questioned 50 persons allegedly involved in the Al Furqon
mosque attack, arresting 12 of them. No charges have yet
been filed. In the April 27 attack, a large crowd burned
down the minority Muslim sect's second-largest mosque and
adjoining school in Sukabumi, West Java (ref A). The sect
continues to receive vigilante threats, including minor
attacks by hardline groups against its mosques in three West
Java towns over the last several days. Sect members
reportedly voluntarily dismantled their mosque in Ciaruteun,
Bogor regency, West Java, amid threats and minor physical
attacks.

GOI CONTINUES TO MULL OVER A BAN


3. (C) The sect awaits word on whether another shoe will
drop. The government at senior levels continues to review a
government body's recommendation to ban the sect, after
branding it deviant (ref B). Recent reports indicate that
the GOI would issue a formal decree on the matter on May 5.
The decision, however, was postponed and it is not clear when
the GOI might take a decision.


4. (C) There seems to be some confusion in the GOI on the
matter. Attorney General Hendarman Supanji reportedly said
the draft letter to ban the group was complete and only
awaiting a final review to verify constitutionality of the
decision. However, Minister of Religion M. Maftuh Basyuni
claimed the GOI had received no outside pressure for a quick
decision and was therefore still weighing the GOI's formal
response. Vice President Jusuf Kalla reportedly said the GOI
could not "just drop the proposal." He also was quoted as
stating, "The decision will have many religious, social, and
political ramifications. We should consider them very
carefully...and need to consider the legality of each
option."


5. (C) Separately, a Chair of the Indonesian Ulema Council
(MUI),H. Amidhan, told DepPol/C he heard the GOI would not
ban the Ahmadiyah sect, but rather "propose a plan to guide
it back to the correct path." (Note: MUI is a
semi-governmental body that enforces Sunni orthodox Islam in
Indonesia.) Amidhan worries hardliners will reject this
plan. He added that Ahmadiyah began with just 13 branches
and had now mushroomed to over 200 branches and that its
"heretical philosophy" could not be ignored. (Note:
Ahmadiyah has grown, but the number of members is not clear.)


STANDING UP FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM


6. (U) Some Indonesians are standing up for the Ahmadiyahs.
On April 29, a coalition of civil society groups, including
the Wahid Institute (founded by former President Abdurrahman
Wahid),the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, and the Commission
for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras),held a
joint press conference demanding that the President not sign
a decree outlawing the sect, asserting that any such move
would be a violation of the Indonesian Constitution. They
also said the decision would result in greater violence
against the Ahmadiyah community. Some student groups have

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also condemned attempts to pressure the Ahmadiyah.

GOI LIKELY TO EQUIVOCATE


7. (C) The GOI is under pressure from Islamic groups to ban
the group. At the same time, civil society and many other
Indonesians are coming out against any such action. Given
this situation, the government will probably choose to
continue to sit on any formal ruling on banning the group.
The news regarding the arrests is positive, indicating
perhaps that the government plans to actively work on
protecting the Ahmadiyah (something it so far has not
effectively done). Mission continues to urge that the GOI
support religious freedom.

HUME