The news came from a pesantren—an Islamic boarding school, in Malang, East Java—and spread rapidly through the country's political corridors, setting them ablaze. The rumor: President Megawati Sukarnoputri had met with general chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, Hasyim Muzadi, who—along with 170 ulama, Muslim teachers and leaders—had warmly welcomed the president's entourage, which had included a number of ministers and several hig