TFUS01: BOTSWANA MUSLIM ATTITUDES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 003435

E.O. 12958: DECL: (X1)
TAGS: PINR PTER BC
SUBJECT: TFUS01: BOTSWANA MUSLIM ATTITUDES

REF: (A)STATE 177569, (B)STATE 175484, (C)GABORONE 3315

(U) CLASSIFIED BY POL/ECON OFFICER AARON TARVER, REASON
1.5(B) AND (D).


1. (C) POST HAS ACTIVELY SOUGHT OUT MEMBERS OF THE
MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN BOTSWANA TO GAUGE ATTITUDES TOWARDS
U.S. ACTIONS IN COMBATING TERRORISM FOLLOWING THE
SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS AND FOLLOWING COMMENCEMENT OF
MILITARY ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN (REFS B, C). MUSLIM
COMMUNITY LEADERS HAVE DELAYED MEETING WITH US, AND HAVE
EXPRESSED UNEASE AT THE PROSPECT, AS THE MEETING WILL
LIKELY INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES OF OPINION.
NEVERTHELESS, POST HAS SECURED A MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF
THE BOTSWANA MUSLIM ASSOCIATION FOR OCTOBER 24, AND WILL
REPORT ON THAT MEETING SEPTEL.

POST'S RESPONSES TO REFTEL A ARE AS FOLLOWS:

INDICATORS
--------------


2. (C) THE MEDIA. AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THERE ARE NO
MEDIA OUTLETS WITH A RADICAL ISLAMIC EDITORIAL POLICY.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE RECENTLY LEARNED OF THE EXISTENCE OF
THE MUSLIM'S CRESCENT NEWSPAPER, PURPORTEDLY EDITED BY A
MR. ZAFAR BANGASH. THE PUBLICATION IS NOT AVAILABLE IN
GENERAL CIRCULATION, AND WE HAVE NOT SEEN IT ANYWHERE IN
GABORONE OR FRANCISTOWN. ACCORDING TO A REPORT IN THE
WEEKLY PAPER THE BOTSWANA GUARDIAN, MR. BANGASH RECENTLY
DELIVERED A LECTURE AT THE GABORONE MAIN MOSQUE URGING
ALL BOTSWANA'S MUSLIMS "TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH
AFGHANISTAN." (COMMENT: WE WILL PRESS FURTHER TO FIND
OUT MORE ABOUT THE MUSLIM'S CRESCENT. AS THE BOTSWANA
GUARDIAN IS ONE OF THE MORE SENSATIONALISTIC PAPERS IN
BOTSWANA, WE ARE UNSURE HOW MUCH WEIGHT TO ATTRIBUTE TO
THIS REPORT. END COMMENT.)


3. (C) ISLAMIC PREACHING/TEACHING. TO THE BEST OF OUR
KNOWLEDGE, NO PREACHERS, MOSQUES, OR EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS HAVE EMERGED AS CENTERS OF RADICALISM.
THERE ARE NO RADICAL MUSLIM BROADCASTS ON LOCAL RADIO
AND TV. BOTSWANA TELEVISION (BTV) IS GOVERNMENT-OWNED,
AS ARE THE RADIO STATIONS THAT REACH THE LARGEST
PROPORTION OF LISTENERS IN BOTSWANA, RADIO BOTSWANA AND
RB2. TWO INDEPENDENT RADIO STATIONS EXIST, GABZ-FM AND
YARONA-FM, AND ARE MORE POPULAR THAN STATE-OWNED RADIO,
BUT THESE HAVE ONLY A LIMITED BROADCASTING RANGE.
NEITHER STATION BROADCASTS ISLAMIC RADICALISM OVER THE
AIRWAVES, ALTHOUGH LOCAL CALL-IN TALK SHOWS GIVE
ANONYMOUS CALLERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO VENT ANTI-AMERICAN
SENTIMENT AT TIMES.


4. (C) POLITICAL PARTIES. THERE IS NO POLITICAL PARTY
IDENTIFIED WITH ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN BOTSWANA. THE
LEADING OPPOSITION PARTY, THE BOTSWANA NATIONAL FRONT
(BNF),ISSUED A STATEMENT THAT ASKS ALL BATSWANA TO
"CONDEMN TERRORISM AND ALL ITS MANIFESTATIONS AND FORMS
EVEN IF IT IS PERPETUATED BY SUPERPOWERS, MIDDLE-SIZED
COUNTRIES, SMALL COUNTRIES, ORGANIZATIONS OR
INDIVIDUALS." THE BNF IS A PARTY OF SOCIO-DEMOCRATIC
LEANINGS, BEGAN BY DR. KENNETH KOMA, WHO OBTAINED HIS
PH.D. IN THE SOVIET UNION IN THE 1960S. THE BNF'S
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER IS MR. MOHAMMED KHAN.


5. (C) NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS. THERE ARE NO
KNOWN NGOS, CHARITABLE OR OTHERWISE, WITH KNOWN TIES TO
ISLAMIC RADICALISM. WE KNOW OF ONE ORGANIZATION, THE
BOTSWANA MUSLIM ASSOCIATION (BMA),WHICH FOCUSES ON
ISSUES OF INTEREST TO MUSLIMS. THE BMA EXECUTIVE BOARD
CONSISTS OF ABDUL SATAR DADA, PRESIDENT (DADA IS
TREASURER FOR THE RULING BOTSWANA DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND
THE ONLY NON-BLACK AFRICAN IN BOTSWANA'S PARLIAMENT);
ISMAIL IBRAHIM, VICE-PRESIDENT; ABDUL MALEK MELAMU,
SECRETARY GENERAL; MOHAMMED IQBAL CHAND, ASSISTANT
SECRETARY; RIAZ PEERBHAI, TREASURER; AND SALIM KALA,
ASSISTANT TREASURER. (SOURCE: MIDWEEK SUN, 19 SEPT.
2001).


6. (C) THE BMA YOUTH WING, THE MUSLIM YOUTH MOVEMENT
(P.O. BOX 1903, GABORONE, BOTSWANA, TEL: +267 71-707-
870, A MOBILE PHONE NUMBER) ISSUED A PRESS RELEASE
ENTITLED "USA: HYPOCRITES!" RECITING SEVERAL "FACTS"
PURPORTING TO EXPLAIN WHY THE U.S.-LED CAMPAIGN AGAINST
TERRORISM IS A "FANTASY," INCLUDING THE STATEMENT THAT
"IT IS ALSO A RECOGNIZED FACT IN THE ARAB WORLD THAT
THOSE BOMBINGS (OF THE U.S. EMBASSIES IN NAIROBI AND DAR
ES SALAAM) WERE PLANNED BY THE ISRAELIS."


7. (C) FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND PRIVATE COMPANIES.
WE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS HAVING
TIES TO RADICAL ISLAM. THE FOUR MAJOR BANKS IN
BOTSWANA, BARCLAYS AND STANDARD CHARTERED, STANBIC AND
FINANCIAL BANK OF BOTSWANA, ARE BASED OUT OF THE UK AND
SOUTH AFRICA, RESPECTIVELY. WE WILL BE MEETING WITH
EACH OF THOSE BANKS SHORTLY TO GAUGE PROGRESS IN
IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSCR 1373. WE HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS
(ORIGINALLY FROM THE RAPPORT, AN AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE
NEWSPAPER IN SOUTH AFRICA, REPRINTED IN THE CAPE TOWN
NEWS) THAT ONE OF TWO BUSINESSMEN INVOLVED IN THE
WATERVAL ISLAMIC INSTITUTE IN MIDRAND, GAUTENG, HAS TIES
TO THE BANKING INDUSTRY OF BOTSWANA. RSO AND THE
BOTSWANA SPECIAL BRANCH OF THEIR POLICE SERVICE ARE
FOLLOWING UP ON THIS ALLEGATION, BUT HAVE TURNED UP NO
NEW INFORMATION.


8. (C) SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDY ABROAD. WE HAVE NO
INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE LOCAL MUSLIM STUDENTS ARE SENT
ABROAD FOR STUDY. WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME BATSWANA MAY
HAVE RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDY IN LIBYA, WHICH HAS
AN EMBASSY HERE, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF SCHOLARSHIPS
FOR STUDY EMANATE FROM THE GOB, WHICH SENDS THE LARGE
MAJORITY OF ITS SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS TO THE UK AND THE
U.S. A SMALL MINORITY WERE SENT TO STUDY AT AN
ENGINEERING COLLEGE IN MALAYSIA, BUT A NUMBER OF THOSE
STUDENTS WERE EXPELLED AFTER THEY STAGED A WALKOUT
COMPLAINING THAT THEIR COLLEGE WAS IN FACT A SHOPPING
MALL IN MALAYSIA.


9. (C) FOREIGN ITINERANTS. WE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF
FOREIGN ITINERANTS WITH KNOWN OR RUMORED TIES TO RADICAL
ISLAM LIVING IN OR REGULARLY TRANSITING THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY'S BORDERS, HOWEVER, ARE QUITE POROUS, AND
BOTSWANA'S GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO
KNOW IF ITINERANTS ARE TRANSITING THE COUNTRY.


10. (C) CONTACT INFORMATION AND RUMORS. RSO CONTACTS
NOTED WITH SURPRISE REPORTS THAT THE BMA WAS UNABLE TO
REACH A CONSENSUS ON ISSUING A STATEMENT OF CONDOLENCE
AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 11 TERRORIST ATTACK. ACCORDING TO
SOURCE, DADA BASICALLY "BOUGHT HIS WAY IN" TO THE BMA,
AND CONTROLLED THE ORGANIZATION. SOURCE THEORIZED THAT
EITHER DADA TRULY DID NOT WANT A CONDOLENCE STATEMENT
ISSUED (CONTRARY TO HIS STATEMENT TO AMBASSADOR AND
DCM),OR THAT THE YOUTH WING BOTSWANA MUSLIM MOVEMENT IS
EXERTING MORE AUTHORITY WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION THAN
MAINSTREAM BMA MEMBERS ANTICIPATED.

LANGE