RAMADAN 2002: AMMAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007234

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/PPD (MCGUINNESS, CBOURGEOIS),R, NEA/ARN,
NEA/P (ACASPER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PREL KISL JO
SUBJECT: RAMADAN 2002: AMMAN


1. SUMMARY: EMBASSY AMMAN UNDERTOOK A NUMBER OF SPECIAL
ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF RAMADAN AIMED AT
REINFORCING A MESSAGE OF RESPECT FOR ISLAM. SOMEWHAT TO OUR
SURPRISE IN THESE TENSE TIMES, OUR JORDANIAN CONTACTS
PARTICIPATED IN GREAT NUMBERS AT OUR EMBASSY RAMADAN EVENTS,
INCLUDING TWO IFTARS, A CULTURAL EVENING OF POETRY AND
MUSIC, AND OUTREACH EFFORTS HIGHLIGHTING RAMADAN AND EID
ACTIVITIES OF SENIOR USG POLICYMAKERS. THE SUCCESS OF THESE
EFFORTS APPEARS TO CONFIRM THE VIEW THAT WHILE MANY OF OUR
CONTACTS, LIKE MOST JORDANIANS, ARE ANGERED BY SPECIFIC US
POLICIES IN THE REGION, THEY REMAIN OPEN TO ENGAGEMENT ON A
PERSONAL BASIS. END SUMMARY.


2. PA AMMAN PLANNED A NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIONAL EVENTS
DURING THE ISLAMIC MONTH OF RAMADAN WITH MIXED EXPECTATIONS.
WHILE THESE ACTIVITIES IN YEARS PAST HAD PROVEN SUCCESSFUL
IN JORDAN, THEY HAD GENERALLY INSPIRED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
BACKGROUND NOISE - AN OCCASIONAL NEGATIVE EDITORIAL, FOR
EXAMPLE. WOULD OUR CONTACTS BOYCOTT OR POLITELY DECLINE OUR
INVITATIONS THIS YEAR, GIVEN THE STRONG HOSTILITY EXPRESSED
IN THE MEDIA AND BY MANY OF OUR CONTACTS TO U.S. POLICY IN
THE REGION? THE FIRST TEST CAME NOVEMBER 20, WHEN PA
ARRANGED AN IFTAR HOSTED BY AMBASSADOR GNEHM FOR CONTACTS IN
THE MEDIA SECTOR. 2002 MARKED THE THIRD YEAR FOR THIS EVENT
FOR PA AMMAN. WE BOOKED THE SAME RESTAURANT AS LAST YEAR,
AND INVITED 160 JOURNALISTS, PUBLISHERS AND OTHER MEDIA
CONTACTS. APART FROM A VERY FEW INVITEES WHO WERE OUT OF
TOWN, A FULL HOUSE TURNED OUT FOR THE EVENT. WE FOLLOWED
THIS EVENT A WEEK LATER WITH A SECOND IFTAR HOSTED BY THE
AMBASSADOR FOR RETURNED JORDANIAN PARTICIPANTS IN US
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS. AGAIN, APART FROM A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF
REGRETS, THE EVENT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED. THE GUEST LIST
FOR THE SECOND IFTAR INCLUDED A GROUP OF RECENTLY-RETURNED
ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW FACULTY, INDICATING A WILLINGNESS TO
ENGAGE AMONG EVEN OUR MOST CHALLENGING AUDIENCES. BOTH
IFTARS WERE MARKED BY A COLLEGIAL ATMOSPHERE, AND AT BOTH,
AMBASSADOR GNEHM OFFERED WELL-RECEIVED WELCOMING REMARKS IN
ARABIC. POST DISTRIBUTED AT THESE EVENTS MORE THAN 200
COPIES OF THE "MUSLIM LIFE IN AMERICA" BOOKLETS, AS WELL AS
COPIES IN ARABIC OF THE PRESIDENT'S RAMADAN GREETING TO
MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD.


3. SEPARATELY, CAO HOSTED A RAMADAN EVENING OF ARABIC MUSIC
AND POETRY FOR ROUGHLY 30 CULTURAL CONTACTS OF THE EMBASSY.
AGAIN, A FULL HOUSE OF YOUNG JORDANIAN WRITERS, ARTISTS AND
MUSICIANS MIXED CASUALLY AND ENJOYED AN EVENING THAT
INCLUDED LIVELY DISCUSSION ON CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS
AND RELATED SUBJECTS. SEVERAL INVITEES EXPRESSED PLEASANT
SURPRISE THAT A TRADITIONAL RAMADAN EVENING OF THIS KIND
COULD BE HELD AT THE HOUSE OF AN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT, AS
RAMADAN EVENTS AROUND AMMAN HAVE INCREASINGLY MOVED AWAY
FROM SUCH TRADITIONS IN FAVOR OF MORE COMMERCIAL PURSUITS
LIKE PAID ENTERTAINMENT AND LAVISH RESTAURANT-HOPPING. THE
ANNUAL FULBRIGHT IFTAR, PRIMARILY FOR AMERICAN SCHOLARS,
SIMILARLY DREW A GOOD TURNOUT OF JORDANIANS, INCLUDING THE
PRESIDENT OF A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY.


4. POST SOUGHT WIDE PLACEMENT IN LOCAL MEDIA FOR RAMADAN-
RELATED STATEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES OF SENIOR USG POLICY
MAKERS. ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES FEATURED PROMINENT COVERAGE
OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S RAMADAN GREETING TO MUSLIMS AROUND THE
WORLD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH. ALTHOUGH JORDAN'S
NEWSPAPERS DID NOT PUBLISH DECEMBER 6-7, TELEVISION NEWS
CARRIED THE PRESIDENT'S EID ACTIVITIES AT THE ISLAMIC CENTER
IN WASHINGTON. POST ALSO FEATURED ON THE EMBASSY WEBSITE
SECRETARY POWELL'S EID GREETINGS TO THE JORDANIAN PM AND FM,

SIPDIS
AS WELL AS NSA RICE'S IFTAR WITH FEMALE MUSLIM LAWYERS.


5. OTHER PA ACTIVITIES INCLUDED PREPARATION OF A "RAMADAN
SPEAKER'S KIT." THIS SET OF WASHINGTON FILE AND OTHER
MATERIALS PROVIDED INFORMATION REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE AND
MEANING OF RAMADAN, AS WELL AS GUIDANCE ON KEY AND
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES OF CURRENT INTEREST WHICH WE
DISTRIBUTED TO OFFICERS THROUGHOUT THE MISSION TO PREPARE
THEM FOR CONVERSATIONS DURING THEIR BUSY IFTAR SCHEDULES.
PA AMMAN ALSO SECURED COPYRIGHT FROM THE US POSTAL SERVICE
FOR THE IMAGE ON THE POSTAL SERVICE'S 2002 "EID GREETINGS
STAMP" WHICH WAS USED AS THE COVER FOR A GREETING CARD SENT
TO 600 EMBASSY CONTACTS.


6. COMMENT: WHILE MOST OF OUR CONTACTS REMAIN DEEPLY AND
VOCALLY SKEPTICAL OF U.S. POLICIES TOWARD THE ISRAELI-
PALESTINIAN CONFLICT AND IRAQ, THEY WERE ALSO PREPARED TO
SEPARATE THESE MISGIVINGS FROM THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSONAL
CONTACT WITH EMBASSY OFFICERS. IT MAY BE THAT THIS IS
SIMPLY A MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP THAT
MARKS RAMADAN IN JORDAN, BUT WE BELIEVE IT ALSO CONFIRMS THE
NOTION THAT WHILE U.S. POLICIES IN THE REGION MAY NOT BE
VIEWED FAVORABLY, MANY JORDANIANS CONTINUE TO VALUE THEIR
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH AMERICANS
WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE MISSION. IN ADDITION, MANY OF OUR
GUESTS MAY HAVE SEEN THE IFTARS AS A CHANCE TO SATISFY THEIR
CURIOSITY ABOUT WHAT THE EMBASSY IS UP TO, GIVEN THE RECENT
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AUTHORIZED DEPARTURE AND THE RUMORS OF
IMMINENT MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ. WHATEVER THE
MOTIVES, WE BELIEVE THAT THE JORDANIAN RESPONSE TO SUCH
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EVENTS UNDERLINES THE VALUE OF AN ACTIVE
OUTREACH PROGRAM IN SUSTAINING THE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP
DURING TENSE TIMES. BERRY