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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001652 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL, DRL/AWH, DRL/IRF 
NSC FOR E. PHU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL KIRF ID
SUBJECT: U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE OIC VISITS INDONESIA 
 
JAKARTA 00001652  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Sada Cumber, U.S. Special Envoy to the 
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), recently visited 
Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world by 
population.  During the visit, he discussed proposals for 
greater cooperation between the USG and the OIC.  He outlined 
a proposed U.S.-OIC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 
focusing on education, economic development, good governance 
and women's empowerment. 
 
¶2.  (C) SUMMARY (Con'd)):  Underscoring strong support for 
religious freedom, Cumber said it was time for the "silent 
majority" in Muslim countries to speak up in favor of 
tolerance and moderation, saying "there is no clash of 
civilizations, rather a clash of ignorance, whereby the West 
must better understand Islam and Islam needs to respect other 
religions."  He said it was time for the Muslim world to work 
from within to better itself as opposed to blaming the West. 
He promised that the USG would continue to support 
inter-faith dialogue and outreach to Muslims around the 
world.  END SUMMARY. 
 
VISIT BY S/E CUMBER 
 
¶3.  (C) Special Envoy to the OIC Sada Cumber visited 
Indonesia from August 18-20 and met with GoI officials, 
Islamic organizations, and university and secondary school 
students.  He outlined his role as Special Envoy to the OIC 
and sought support for the USG's proposed MOU with the OIC, 
which focuses on education, economic development, good 
governance and women's empowerment.  Specifically, he said it 
was very important for Muslims internationally to place 
greater emphasis on higher education, the strengthening of 
civil society, good governance, transparency, accountability 
and access to justice. 
 
MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
¶4.  (U) Cumber met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan 
Wirayuda on August 20.  He explained his role in the newly 
appointed position of S/E to the OIC and called on Indonesia 
to support the independence of Kosovo and international 
religious tolerance efforts.  Cumber said President Bush was 
disturbed by the negative image of Muslims around the world 
and had created the Special Envoy position in hopes of 
bridging a gap between the West and the Muslim world.  Cumber 
told Wirayuda he was working with the Department of Homeland 
Security to ensure better treatment of Muslim visitors to the 
U.S. and to streamline security processes deemed as "unfair" 
treatment of Muslims in the visa process. 
¶5.  (C) Wirayuda supported and welcomed the U.S.' role in the 
OIC.  He said Cumber's efforts to ensure better treatment of 
Muslims at U.S. airports would help Muslims to feel less 
discriminated against by the U.S.  He said he was worried 
about the growing trend to view Islam as violent and 
intolerant and that the small extreme minorities did not 
represent Muslims as a whole.  He said the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict had been used by radicals to 
justify violence and said a more balanced U.S. policy towards 
the Middle East would help both at the grassroots and 
leadership levels.  Wirayuda said Indonesia was very active 
in promoting both regional interfaith and intrafaith 
dialogue. 
 
¶6. (C) In a separate meeting, Indonesian Special Envoy to the 
Middle East Alwi Shihab said that although Islam in the 
Middle East was moving more to the right, there had been some 
movement on the status of women.  "Education is the answer to 
extremism--and Indonesia is under the influence of forces 
from outside Indonesia, particularly from Iran and Saudi 
Arabia," he said.  Shihab welcomed greater assistance from 
the U.S. with education and said Indonesia needed this 
assistance in order to prevent it from becoming another 
"Pakistan." 
 
JAKARTA 00001652  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
MEETING WITH MINISTER OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS 
 
¶7.  (C) Minister of Religious Affairs Maftuh Basyuni said 
Indonesia had a strong history of religious harmony and 
freedom of religion was protected under the Constitution.  He 
said the current religious conflicts in Indonesia were 
primarily economic and political conflicts.  Basyuni said the 
Ministry of Religion tried to build consensus by bringing 
religious groups together for dialogue and consensus.  He 
said the GoI knows it has no legal right to interfere in the 
rights of individuals, but has the responsibility to keep 
harmony within society.  Basyuni was very critical of U.S. 
policy towards the Middle East. 
 
CALLING FOR DIALOGUE 
 
¶8.  (C) In a meeting with the Indonesian Council of Ulema 
(MUI), a semi-official body of Muslim scholars, Cumber said 
it was time for the Muslim silent majority in the world to 
speak up in favor of tolerance and moderation.  "The Middle 
East has become too much the focus of Islam," he said.  He 
encouraged Indonesia to support a tolerant and 
consensus-seeking Islam.  Cumber said it was time for the 
Muslim world to unite and stop intra-faith fighting. 
 
¶9.  (C) Cumber added that it was not the role of the U.S. or 
the West to fix problems within the Muslim world; that was 
the role of Muslims, of course.  He just wanted to extend his 
hand as a partner. 
 
MEETINGS WITH KEY MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS 
 
¶10.  (C) S/E Cumber met with the leaders of Indonesia's two 
largest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and 
Muhammadiyah, with a combined membership of approximately 80 
million Muslims (they are the largest such organizations in 
the Muslim world).  His discussions centered on the need for 
intrafaith dialogue and tolerance within the international 
Islamic community. 
 
¶11.  (C) NU Chair Ahmad Hasyim Muzadi welcomed Cumber's 
involvement in the OIC and said the NU was already working to 
promote intrafaith dialogue, and had sponsored several 
regional forums to promote peace and religious tolerance. 
Cumber told Muzadi that he had asked U.S. Secretary of State 
Condoleeza Rice to hold an Iftar--evening meal to break the 
fast during the holy month of Ramadan--for the OIC leadership 
gathered in New York for UNGA in order to underscore USG 
respect for Islam.  Muzadi said Indonesia was a "victim of 
extremism," caused by the conflict between the West and Islam 
in the Middle East.  He claimed that such extremism did not 
arise from internal sources. 
 
¶12.  (C) Muhammadiyah Chair Din Syamsuddin said the U.S. 
should stop making reference to "Judeo-Christian" values and 
begin using the term "Judeo-Christian-Islamic" values.  He 
said there was not enough focus on Indonesia within the 
Muslim world and noted that 93 percent of Muslims 
internationally do not condone violence or terrorism. 
Syamsuddin said the U.S. should not see the Muslim world as a 
threat or enemy, but rather as a partner.  He criticized the 
U.S. "war on terror" because he asserted that it served to 
stereotype Islam, which in fact is a peaceful religion that 
does not condone violence.  Syamsuddin agreed that it was 
important to bring differing religions and cultures together 
through dialogue and cooperation and called for greater 
educational exchanges between Indonesia and the U.S. 
 
OUTREACH TO STUDENTS 
 
¶13.  (U) Approximately 50 students and faculty--the vast 
majority women--attended a speech by Cumber at the Syarif 
Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta.  He spoke 
about Muslims in the U.S. and encouraged the students to 
 
JAKARTA 00001652  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
stand up for moderation and not to be the silent majority. 
When asked about the compatibility of Islam with democracy, 
Cumber said that as tolerance and consensus were inherent to 
Islam, by definition Islamic values were compatible with 
democratic values. 
 
¶14.  (U) S/E Cumber also visited an Islamic boarding school 
(pesantren) where he met with 500 middle and high school 
students--equal numbers of male and female.  He spoke about 
the need for greater education to promote tolerance and the 
importance of equality and empowerment for women.  The 
students showed great interest in opportunities to study in 
the U.S. 
 
¶15.  (U) S/E Cumber approved this message. 
 
HUME