EAST JAVA: SURABAYA'S RAMADAN OUTREACH MAKES A POSITIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000081 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/PD, EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO PREL SOCI KISL ID SUBJECT: EAST JAVA: SURABAYA'S RAMADAN OUTREACH MAKES A POSITIVE IMPRESSION FROM PESANTRENS TO THE BLOGOSPHERE REF: Jakarta 1465 SURABAYA 00000081 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Summary: The staff of ConGen Surabaya extended their hands to 1500 Indonesians during the first three weeks of Ramadan. Surabaya hosted seven Iftaar events (known locally as Buka Puasas) throughout East Java and gave eight presentation on "Muslims in America" at local schools. The Iftaar guest lists included senior political officials, academics and religious leaders, high school students and USG program participants, orphans and disadvantaged youth, and Surabaya's blogger community. Community leaders publicly praised the Consulate's efforts as demonstrating America's humanity and an understanding of Islam. The President's Ramadan Kareem video was shown to more than 750 people through the Iftaars and presentations at local schools. The video inspired an op-ed by Syaifullah Yusuf, Vice Governor of East Java, who described his positive impression of the Consulate's Iftaar and the President's message. End Summary. REACHING OUT TO ALL LEVELS ¶2. (U) ConGen Surabaya hosted seven Buka Puasa events during the first three weeks of Ramadan, breaking the fast with more than 1,000 East Javans. The first event included prominent government officials, religious leaders, academics, and opinion leaders. Vice-Governor of East Java, Syaifullah Yusuf, led the prayers and spoke on behalf of the guests about the meaning of celebrating Ramadan in the CGR. (Note: Also known as Gus Ipul, the Vice-Governor is the nephew of former Indonesian President Gus Dur and the former national chairman of the youth wing of Nadhlatul Ulama (NU),the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia.) After the Iftaar, Gus Ipul placed an op-ed in the Jawa Pos, the largest media group in Indonesia, about the Consulate's Iftaar and the positive impression the President's Ramadan Kareem message had on him. ¶3. (U) Three Iftaars were community-service oriented. Members of staff and their families visited Pesantren Roudlotul Jannah in Sidoarjo, a religious school which raises abandoned children from throughout Indonesia, especially Bali. In cooperation with STKIP Bangkalan, an English teaching college, the Consulate hosted an Iftaar for 200 orphans on the nearby island of Madura. The Consulate hosted another Buka Puasa at a Surabaya school for the blind. Over 450 children received care packages from the Consulate and broke fast with the Consulate staff. The positive press was overwhelming, with religious leaders praising the Consulate's efforts as clear demonstrations of America's humanity and an understanding of Islam. Images of Consulate families playing with the children, singing with the children, and giving out prayer mats saturated regional media outlets. ¶4. (U) Two Iftaars were directed towards youth and young adults. The Consul General hosted YES alumni, IVLP alumni, and university student leaders for the Consulate's first-youth oriented Iftaar. The Consulate also hosted an "E-Buka Puasa" for Eastern Indonesia's blogger community. Many regional blogs featured posts about the Consulate's Buka Puasa, from photos of the food to profiles of various Consulate staff. Overall, guests said they were honored and impressed to be invited to the Consul General's home and included in Consulate Ramadan events. The final Iftaar, hosted by the RSO at the CGR, honored the police and security officials who help secure the Consulate every day. A LASTING IMPACT ¶5. (U) The Consulate community reached out directly to 1500 people in three weeks, not only through the seven Iftaars, but also through an additional eight outreach events at local high schools where Consulate Officers gave presentations about "Muslims in America" and fielded the full range of questions. Media coverage, in turn, reached hundreds of thousands of people throughout Eastern Indonesia. Local newspapers ran multiple stories about each event; radio stations broadcast the Consulate's Ramadan greetings, and local TV stations ran positive reports on the Consulate's outreach events on evening news programs. ¶6. (U) Jawa Pos daily (circulation 340,000) ran an article headlined "Peace Message from President Obama" following a presentation about Muslims in the U.S. at a Sidoarjo high school. Duta Masyarakat, a daily affiliated with Indonesia's largest Muslim organization NU, ran an article headlined "Building Harmony, Understanding Islam" about the Iftaar at the CGR with local opinion leaders. The article highlighted the PO's statements that tolerance in religious life is a principle embraced by the U.S. Moch Hafiz, head of STKIP Bangkalan, told reporters the Buka Puasa in Madura showed "that Americans to do SURABAYA 00000081 002.2 OF 002 not consider Muslims to be the enemy". The Consulate's Iftaars and Ramadan outreach strategy successfully conveyed our message of peace, tolerance, and understanding. MCCLELLAND