EAST JAVA ISLAMIC SCHOOL LAUNCHES RADIO STATION WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000012 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS AND NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER SOCI ECPS YM ID SUBJECT: EAST JAVA ISLAMIC SCHOOL LAUNCHES RADIO STATION WITH YEMEN-BASED PROGRAMMING SURABAYA 00000012 001.2 OF 002 This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: An East Java pesantren (religious boarding school) launched a local radio station designed to support Islamic teaching and values drawing on programming relayed directly from Al-Ahqhof University in Yemen. The Rector and Indonesian alumni of Al-Ahqhof University attended the station's January 26 launch. The Rector told the press that the station would help "provide information of Islamic development so that the Muslim Community will not be confused by global issues raised by Western countries." Published programming schedules offer discussions of books common to the study of Islam, however we are not yet able to comment on the tenor or tone of the broadcasts. We will continue to monitor. ConGen staff have visited the Mambaus Sholihin Pesantren, located an hour outside Surabaya, on a number of occasions. End Summary. Yemen Connection -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Pondok Pesantren Mambaus Sholihin, an Islamic boarding school in Gresik, just north of Surabaya, has operated a local radio station for the past year. On January 26, the radio station launched a new Islamic format, designed to support Islamic teaching and values. The Kiai (religious leader) of the pesantren explained that, in addition to broadcasting Islamic/Arabic songs rather than Indonesia songs, the new "Madu Yemen Mambaus Sholihin" station would relay directly programming for Al-Ahqhof University in Yemen. Although the station's range is currently limited, the pesantren is building a new radio tower to expand coverage throughout East Java. ¶3. (SBU) The pesantren took advantage of a 12-day visit to Indonesia of Prof. Dr. Al Habib Al Allamah Ustad Abdullah Muhammad Baharun Yemeni, the rector of Al-Ahqhof University to officially launch the new station. The rector was accompanied by 100 Indonesian alumni from Al Ahqhof. Approximately 30 alumni of the Mambaus Sholihin pesantren are currently studying at Al-Ahqhof. The rector told the media that the radio station would become a channel for information between Yemen and Gresik because Gresik has great potential for Muslim intellectual development along with its industrial development. "Muslims can provide information on Islamic development so that the Muslim community will not be confused by global issues raised by Western countries," he said. Programming -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Although the station's range does not yet include Surabaya, the station's website (www.radiomadufm.com) includes links designed to allow listeners outside the broadcast area to hear the programming. The site's schedule advertizes Yemeni-based programming focused primarily on discussions of books common to the study of Islam. For example, one program discusses "Riyadushalihin," a book that contains "Hadis Shohih" about the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. Another discusses "Ta'lim Mutaa'lim" ("An Instruction for Students") which includes mandatory instructions for Muslims to study. Other radio programming is entitled: the "History of the Prophet Muhammad," the "Biography of Ulamas," "Nahwu" (the grammar of the Koran),and "Sunnah Bid'ah" (Sunnah = Islamic teachings based on the Prophet's words and deeds; Bid'ah = Islamic teachings not based on the Prophet's words and deeds.) We don't yet have an indication of the tone or tenor of the broadcasts, but will continue to followup. Pesantren Background -------------- ¶5. (SBU) ConGen staff have visited the Mambaus Sholihin Pesantren on a number of occasions, most recently for a discussion about the Indonesian education system with members of the Peace Corps. Throughout our engagement, the pesantren community has always expressed openness to the discussion of differing ideas and experiences. The pesantrean's owner and religious leader, Kiai Masbuhin Faqih, is a member of Nadhatul Ulama (NU),the largest moderate Muslim organization in Indonesia, although the pesantren itself is not affiliated directly with NU. Until two years ago, the pesantren received most of its funding from the Middle East. In recent years, the pesantren has begun accepting donations from Indonesian sources. According to a teacher at Mambaus Sholihin, Kiai Masbuhin Faqih SURABAYA 00000012 002.2 OF 002 is the sole owner of the radio station. MCCLELLAND