VZCZCXRO4718
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1652 1650439
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140439Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5090
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHJA/ISLAMIC CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0817
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1542

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001652 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/IWI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO OEXC ID
SUBJECT: INT'L WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD RECIPIENT CALLS FOR 
MORE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS 
 
¶1.  (U) On June 6, CDA hosted a lunch for Dr. Siti Musdah 
Mulia, a recipient of the Secretary's 2007 International 
Women of Courage Award.  Mulia appreciated receiving this 
award and found her visit to Washington very valuable, 
especially her meeting with Secretary Rice. 
 
¶2.  (U) During the lunch, Mulia told us about many of the 
activities she has been undertaking in the three months since 
she returned to Indonesia.  Particularly noteworthy was a 
recent debate she had with Jemaah Islamiyah spiritual leader 
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir concerning the implementation of shari'a 
law in Indonesia, during which she forcefully spoke out 
against religious local laws and regulations that 
discriminate against women (post is attempting to acquire 
tape of the event).  She has also been consulting with local 
officials in 56 districts throughout Indonesia in an attempt 
to identify and revise such discriminatory local laws and 
regulations.  When asked about the possibility of an Islamist 
government coming to power in Indonesia, Mulia stated that 
the best way to prevent this from happening was for the 
current government to succeed in its reform agenda of the 
rule of law, anti-corruption and poverty reduction. 
 
¶3.  (U) Mulia and her husband, Professor Ahmad Thib Raya, the 
Vice Rector for Student Affairs at the State Islamic 
University-Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta, emphasized the 
need to increase the number of Indonesians participating in 
USG-sponsored exchange programs.  Their comments highlight 
the important role that exchanges play as a public diplomacy 
tool in Indonesia.  Both repeatedly stressed the need for the 
U.S. to continue to expand its exchange programs to combat 
the negative opinions and misperceptions about the U.S. that 
are so prevalent throughout the Muslim world, including 
Indonesia. 
 
¶4.  (U) In Mulia and Raya's estimation, sending more 
Indonesians on exchange programs to the U.S. would help 
dispel many of the myths and negative perceptions that 
Indonesians have about America and its people.  In addition, 
they thought the chance to see our democracy in action would 
be beneficial to the development of Indonesia's nascent 
democracy.  Emphasis should be placed on sending Muslim 
leaders and young people to the U.S., particularly academics, 
politicians and activists.  Finally, Mulia's remarks about 
the importance of good governance as a bulwark against the 
rise of an Islamist government underscore the importance of 
supporting Indonesia's current government as it continues its 
reform efforts. 
HEFFERN