VZCZCXRO1267
PP RUEHBC RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDT RUEHGI RUEHHM RUEHJS
RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHJA #0076 0141149
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141149Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7637
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4636
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1867
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1404
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2232
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000076 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/PD, R 
NSC FOR E.PHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO KISL ID
SUBJECT: PROMOTING RELIGIOUS TOLERATION AT A KEY ISLAMIC 
SCHOOL 
 
REF: 07 JAKARTA 3468 
 
¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive But Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Poloff underscored the importance of 
religious freedom and highlighted the positive role played by 
Muslims in the United States during a talk at a major Islamic 
school in West Jakarta.  Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah faculty and 
students provided an excellent demonstration of a modern 
Muslim education that stresses tolerance and rejects violent 
extremism. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Poloff spoke January 9 at the main campus of 
Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah, an Islamic school affiliated with 
the mass-Muslim organization Nadhutul Ulama (NU).  The school 
has five other branches in Indonesia, including West Java, 
Banten and Lampung, and enrolls over 4000 students. 
Approximately 600 students study at the main campus, located 
in West Jakarta. 
 
¶4. (SBU) RELIGIOUS FREEDOM--GETTING THE WORD OUT:  In two 
separate sessions, including one held in the Pesantren's 
mosque--to accommodate the large crowd--poloff addressed 
approximately 300 elementary, secondary and university 
students and underscored the following points: 
 
-- The United States is proud of our history of religious 
liberty and believes that freedom of religious belief is a 
key element of democracy.  Muslims are a growing presence in 
the United States where they enjoy the same freedoms and 
opportunities as every other American. 
 
-- There is no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, a 
fact demonstrated by Indonesia's own robust democracy and the 
participation of American Muslims in the United States' own 
democratic process. 
 
-- The government and people of the United States do not 
regard terrorism as an Islamic phenomenon.  USG 
counterterrorism policies target individuals who use violence 
against civilians to achieve political ends, not Muslims as a 
group. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In lively question and answer sessions, students 
posed a number of excellent queries.  Several students asked 
about instability and extremism in other parts of the Muslim 
world.  Poloff encouraged them to promote peaceful interfaith 
dialogue throughout the Muslim world.  As a pluralistic, 
Muslim-majority democracy, Indonesia should stand as a model 
to other Muslim countries.  Students were also especially 
keen to hear about opportunities for future study in the 
United States. 
 
¶6. (SBU) A MODERN MUSLIM EDUCATION: Dr. Noer Muhammad 
Iskandar, the head of Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah and spiritual 
advisor to former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, 
outlined the school's vision of a modern Muslim education. 
He told poloff that the school aims to produce well-rounded 
graduates who can compete in the global economy.  To that 
end, the curriculum combines traditional Islamic studies with 
a rigorous course of "Western" subjects such as math, science 
and social studies.  The school also emphasizes English 
language skills, a fact amply demonstrated by the English 
abilities of the students who met poloff. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Dr. Iskandar also explained that Pesantren 
Asshiddiqiyah sought to produce students who respected the 
rights of all faiths to live in a religiously pluralistic 
society.  His efforts are clearly paying off as students from 
Pesantren Asshiddiqiyah helped provide security at Christian 
churches during the Christmas season (reftel). 
HUME