HANOI MUSLIM COMMUNITY RETICENT ON RECENT EVENTS

UNCLAS HANOI 002658 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL/RF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PINS KPAO PTER VM HUMANR CTERR RELFREE SUBJECT: HANOI MUSLIM COMMUNITY RETICENT ON RECENT EVENTS REF: STATE 175484 UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 02658 121200Z ¶1. (U) HANOI'S TINY VIETNAMESE MUSLIM COMMUNITY (NO MORE THAN A COUPLE OF DOZEN PEOPLE) HAS NOT NOTICEABLY REACTED TO THE SEPTEMBER 11 TERRORIST ACTS IN THE US AND SUBSEQUENT INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE UNDER OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, ACCORDING TO THE RESIDENT MANAGER OF HANOI'S SOLE MOSQUE. THE OFFICIAL NOTED THAT SERVICES AT THE MOSQUE AND DISCUSSION BEFORE AND DURING THE SERVICE STEER AWAY FROM POLITICAL SUBJECTS AND THUS HAVE NOT ADDRESSED TERRORISM OR INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES TO IT. HE ADDED THAT MUSLIMS HERE HAD NONETHELESS THOUGHT ABOUT OFFERING CONDOLENCES TO THE VICTIMS OF THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACK BUT WERE UNSURE TO WHOM THEY SHOULD ADDRESS THEIR SYMPATHIES. ¶2. (U) POL/C AND POLOFF VISITED THE MOSQUE ON OCTOBER 12 SHORTLY AFTER THE USUAL FRIDAY PRAYERS, WHICH ABOUT 100 PEOPLE USUALLY ATTEND, THE OFFICIAL SAID. MOST ARE FOREIGN MUSLIMS WHO ARE IN HANOI AS DIPLOMATS OR BUSINESS PEOPLE, AND INCLUDE IRANIANS AND IRAQIS. FOUR OR FIVE AFGHANS ALSO ATTEND; THEY ARE IN HANOI TEACHING MUSLIM CHILDREN SUBJECTS SUCH AS ARABIC AT A SPECIAL SCHOOL AT THE LIBYAN EMBASSY. (NOTE: WHEN POL/C MET WITH MPS OFFICIALS HANDLING FOREIGN EMBASSIES ON OCTOBER 1, THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY AFGHANS IN COUNTRY. END NOTE) THE OFFICIAL SAID THAT NONE OF THE MUSLIMS HE KNEW IN ANY WAY SUPPORTS OSAMA BIN LADEN OR HIS FOLLOWERS. POL/C LEFT A COPY OF THE EMBASSY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION'S MOST RECENT "RESPONSE TO TERRORISM" FOR THE MOSQUE'S REFERENCE. ¶3. (U) THE STATE-RUN RELIGIOUS PUBLISHING HOUSE ISSUED THE FIRST-EVER KORAN IN VIETNAMESE IN 2000 AND DISTRIBUTED COPIES FREE OF CHARGE TO ALL VIETNAMESE MUSLIM FAMILIES, THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 02658 121200Z OFFICIAL SAID. THERE IS SOME TALK ABOUT A SECOND EDITION, ALTHOUGH HE WAS NOT CLEAR WHY. COPIES ARE NOT/NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. PREVIOUSLY, HE SAID, VIETNAMESE MUSLIMS WERE DEPENDENT ON USING A FEW COPIES OF THE KORAN IN ARABIC, OR ON ENGLISH OR FRENCH EDITIONS BROUGHT IN BY FOREIGN MUSLIMS. HE NOTED SOME OCCASIONAL INTEREST IN ISLAM BY VIETNAMESE FROM NON-MUSLIM FAMILIES; THEY CAN STUDY AT LEAST THE RUDIMENTS OF ISLAM AT THE MOSQUE AND SOME HAVE BECOME MUSLIM, HE CLAIMED. NONE OF THE CURRENT VIETNAMESE MUSLIMS IN HANOI HAD EVER UNDERTAKEN THE HADJ TO MECCA, HE NOTED REGRETFULLY, ALTHOUGH ABOUT ONE HUNDRED GO EACH YEAR FROM THE MORE POPULOUS CHAM MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM. (NOTE: PREVIOUS REPORTING SUGGESTED 35 TO 40 VIETNAMESE MUSLIMS MAKE THE HADJ EACH YEAR. END NOTE.) WHEN ASKED, HE CITED COST, RATHER THAN LACK OF GVN PERMISSION, AS THE MAIN BARRIER TO THE HADJ. ¶4. (U) COMMENT: ALL OF VIETNAM'S OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED RELIGIOUS ENTITIES TEND TO KEEP THEIR SERVICES AS PURELY RELIGIOUS AS POSSIBLE AND TO AVOID POLITICAL OR REMOTELY CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECTS. IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE IF ANY OPEN DISCUSSION OF RECENT EVENTS WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY. PORTER UNCLASSIFIED