CHRISTIAN MP COMPLAINS ABOUT USG RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005330

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2013
TAGS: PHUM PREL KIRF KISL XF JO
SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN MP COMPLAINS ABOUT USG RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
POLICY IN JORDAN, THE MIDDLE EAST

Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B)(D)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) A Christian member of the Jordanian Parliament
complained August 20 that USG religious freedom policy in the
Middle East hurts the indigenous Christian communities by
encouraging emigration and diluting the strength of
established churches by supporting foreign missionary groups.
He suggested that the U.S. reports on International
Religious Freedom (IRF) should focus on the status of the
minority indigenous Christian communities, rather than how
easily foreign missionaries can gain access to proselytize.
He said that Jordan's indigenous Christians are completely
free to worship and conduct church business, and that the
community's problems most often stem from the actions of
foreign missionaries. END SUMMARY.

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MIDDLE EASTERN CHRISTIANS UNDER SIEGE
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2. (C) In a lengthy conversation with PolCouns August 20,
Greek Orthodox Parliamentarian Dr. Odeh Qawwas argued that
the United States and Europe should be concerned with the
condition of indigenous Christian communities in the Middle
East. The already small indigenous Christian minorities in
Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon are dwindling. He
blamed European (and, to a lesser extent, American)
immigration policies for the phenomenon: "It is easier for a
Palestinian Christian from Jerusalem to emigrate than for a
Muslim. This is why local Christians make up only a small
and dwindling part of Jerusalem's population."

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U.S. IRF REPORT MISSES THE POINT
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3. (C) Qawwas then launched into a critique of the annual
State Department IRF reports, arguing that the IRF
"completely misses the point" in addressing the concerns of
Middle Eastern Christians. As a board member of the Middle
East Council of Churches, he said, he has read all of the IRF
reports on Middle Eastern countries. "You focus too much on
the problems of American and European missionaries, and on
how Islam prohibits proselytizing. Instead, he said, the
reports should give a more accurate picture of Christianity
in the Holy Land and address directly the health of Christian
institutions -- indigenous church membership, financial
problems, and persecution of Christians or restrictions on
the worship of indigenous Christians where it exists.


4. (C) In Jordan, for example, Qawwas said indigenous
Christians enjoy "complete freedom of religion and worship"
and get the support of the GOJ in most issues. He argued
that the most serious problems facing the Christian community
in Jordan come from the influx of "foreign missionaries" who
do not understand either the history of the local Christian
community or how to operate in Jordanian society. When
foreigners proselytize Muslims, he said, local Christian
institutions come under social pressure to prevent this
taboo. When missionaries convert local Catholics, Orthodox,
or Malkites, the Christian community itself is insulted. The
missionaries "don't even recognize us as Christians" and
thereby further divide an already small and divided
community. He specifically criticized the inclusion in the
IRF and human rights report of two cases -- the Jordan
Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS) and the Arab Orthodox
Church -- as instances in which outside religious figures
were trying to take advantage of Jordan's religious tolerance
and liberal approach to Christian institutions to support
their particular parochial interests -- and, intentionally or
unintentionally, sowing discord within Christian communities
outside Jordan. The U.S., he argued, should not support one
sect against another in this way.


5. (C) As a Jordanian Christian, he concluded, he is always
balancing two competing impulses -- the need to protect and
maintain the rights of the Christian community in
overwhelmingly Muslim Jordan, and the desire to explain to
the outside world the long-standing and deep respect between
Christians and Muslims in the country. The U.S. and Europe
could best help Christians in the Middle East by supporting
local church structures (particularly in Jerusalem) and
Christian charities designed to help Christians to remain in
their traditional communities in the region.

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COMMENT
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6. (C) Qawwas' harsh words for U.S. IRF policy stem from
his position in the lay leadership of the local Greek
Orthodox Church and the Middle East Council of Churches.
These criticisms come from an influential member of the Greek
Orthodox community, and represent the feelings of many
Christians with whom we have spoken.

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BIO NOTE
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7. (C) Dr. Odeh Qawwas is a Greek Orthodox Christian,
elected to the Christian seat of Amman's Third District
(affluent west Amman). He is of Palestinian origin: his
family is from the village of Beit Sahour in the West Bank.
He is a surgeon trained in Athens. He speaks native Arabic,
fluent Greek, and some English. He is an elected member of
the board of the Middle East Council of Churches. He is
married and has three daughters and one son. His eldest
daughter has a degree in civil engineering from the Jordanian
University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Irbid, and his
second daughter has a degree in genetic engineering from the
same institution. Qawwas chain smokes (and made several
references to enjoying sitting with friends in the evening
and smoking the argeileh (water pipe).
HALE