VZCZCXRO1324
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHJA #0576 2371155
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251155Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9132
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9886
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 0051
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1012
RUEHTRO/USLO TRIPOLI 0021
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEAWJB/DOJ WASHDC
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUCXNMC/NATMARINTCEN WASHINGTON DC
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UNCLAS JAKARTA 010576 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
AIDAC 
SENSITIVE 
 
Dept for EAP/MTS and S/CT 
DOJ for CTS Thornton, AAG SWARTZ 
FBI for ETTIU/SSA Roth 
NSC for Holly Morrow 
 
From American Consulate Medan # 28, 2006 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KISL KJUS ASEC AS ID
SUBJECT: ABB Shunned in West Sumatra 
 
Ref: Jakarta 10563 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: In contrast with the relative success Abu 
Bakar Ba'asyir received in Java, he got a very cool 
reception during his recent visit to staunchly Muslim West 
Sumatra, where local religious leaders blocked him from 
speaking at the largest and most influential mosques and 
school officials prevented him from speaking at a local 
university. Ba'asyir did speak before a small group on the 
grounds of the parliament and preach at a relatively 
uninfluential mosque. As in Java, his subject was the 
imposition of syariah law. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Several Muslim groups including Front Pembela 
Syariat Islam Padang (FPIP), Hizbut Tahir, (HTI) and Dewan 
Dakwah (DDI) invited Abu Bakar Ba'asyir to Padang, West 
Sumatra, for two high-profile events: leading the Friday, 
July 28 prayers at an influential Mosque and giving a public 
address in the town center. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to leaders from Muhammadiyah and the 
Prosperous Justice Party in Padang, Ba'asyir hoped to lead 
Friday prayers and speak at Taqwa Mosque, one of the city's 
largest and most influential. Taqwa's(Muhammadiyah)ulemas, 
however, rejected this plan at the last minute with a 
transparently weak excuse: the mosque's regular imam was 
already scheduled to preach. Ba'asyir's schedulers then 
proposed that he lead the prayers at the large Ganting 
mosque (unaffiliated), but Ganting's leaders rejected him as 
well. In the end, Ba'asyir was relegated to preaching at the 
smaller, relatively unimportant, Al-Ustah mosque. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Plans for Ba'asyir's public address met similar 
obstacles. Organizers intended for Ba'asyir to speak at Imam 
Bonjol field near the center of town. Local authorities, 
however, rejected this plan. When organizers tried to 
relocate the event to Eka Sakti University they found 
themselves blocked by the University rector. Ultimately, 
Ba'asyir was able to speak to a group of approximately 100 
people outside the parliament building. 
 
¶5. (SBU) At the parliament building Ba'asyir spoke about the 
imposition of Syariah internationally. According to an Ulema 
from Muhammadiyah, the message fell flat because the 
predominant Minang people already blend Syariah into their 
daily life and culture. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) A member of parliament from the Prosperous Justice 
Party (PKS) who attended the speech said the audience's 
response was flat and that far fewer people attended than 
the organizers expected. He also said that people did not 
respond to the message because the "Minang people of West 
Sumatra tend to be objective" and, clearly attacking 
Ba'asyir's message, said that the "Minang only support 
correct ideas and teaching."  A local journalist described 
the cool reception Ba'asyir received by saying it was as if 
the people had "lost their tradition of treating guests with 
respect". 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: Of Sumatra's many ethnic groups, two stand 
out for the important role Islam plays in their culture and 
identity: the Acehnese of North Sumatra and the Minang of 
West Sumatra. In the case of the Minang, it appears that the 
groups' strong cultural association with Islam may help 
inoculate it from more radical ideology.  It also shows 
that, in West Sumatra at least, leaders of mainstream Muslim 
groups, particularly Muhammidiyah, are willing to actively 
shun extremists like Ba'asyir.  End comment. 
Pascoe