Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03KUWAIT4503
2003-10-01 10:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

(U) ISLAMISTS PROTEST SUPERSTAR CONCERT

Tags:  KISL SOCI PGOV PINR KU 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004503 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, INR/NESA, INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2013
TAGS: KISL SOCI PGOV PINR KU
SUBJECT: (U) ISLAMISTS PROTEST SUPERSTAR CONCERT

REF: AMMAN 5339

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reason 1.5 (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004503

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, INR/NESA, INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2013
TAGS: KISL SOCI PGOV PINR KU
SUBJECT: (U) ISLAMISTS PROTEST SUPERSTAR CONCERT

REF: AMMAN 5339

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reason 1.5 (d)


1. (C) Summary: A small gathering of Islamists, members of
the National Assembly among them, protested the Sept. 18-19
"Superstar" pop music concert held in Kuwait as "unIslamic."
The protest highlights a major division in Kuwaiti society,
and could backfire given the popularity of such entertainment
among Kuwaitis. Islamists have their sights on the liberal
Information Minister, Mohammed Abulhasan. End Summary.


2. (U) On the evening of September 18, fifty Islamists, led
by former Secretary-General of the Salafi movement, Hamed
Al-Ali, gathered at Kuwait's Mishref Fair Grounds to
demonstrate their opposition to the Arab "Superstar" concert
being held there. According to local daily The Arab Times,
the protestors "tried in vain to convince people not to
attend the concert, as hundreds of people rushed into the
hall.8 The show was completely sold out that night and the
next, despite ticket prices of KD 15, 20 and 25 (a range of
roughly $50-83 per ticket).


3. (U) The concert featured 12 male and female Arab singers
who had competed in a popular Lebanese television show
entitled, &Superstar8 for the title of the 'best Arab
singer in the world' (reftel). Islamists opposed it as a
display of westernized decadence. They reached for the moral
high ground by portraying the concerts as an affront to the
memories of Kuwaiti POW,s in Iraq, whose deaths had only
recently been confirmed.


4. (U) Members of the parliamentary Islamist Bloc, led by MP
Dr. Faisal Al-Mussallam Al-Otaibi, have since requested a
meeting with PM Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah to air their
grievances against Minister of Information Mohammed
Abulhassan, for having allowed the concert to proceed.
Abulhassan was already under attack from Islamists in the
National Assembly for refusing to ban books they deem
unacceptable from an upcoming bookfair, and for briefly
having Kuwaiti TV show pictures of Kuwaiti mosques at prayer
times, instead of pictures of the Holy Mosque in Mecca and
Prophet's Mosque in Medina.


5. (C) Despite the objections of Islamists, it appears Kuwait
may see more such concerts and cultural events. An official
of Kuwait's government-sponsored Touristic Enterprises Co.
told Embassy PAO that PM Shaykh Sabah feels the GOK has
enough support from the Kuwaiti public to ignore Islamist
protests and has authorized Abulhasan to do so.


6. (C) Comment: Islamist MP,s have been casting about for
opportunities to challenge the new government, and in
Abulhasan they have found a tempting target. Abulhasan is a
member of the Shia minority, an ardent liberal and someone
they can definitely tar with the &American8 brush (Until
this year, he was for many years Kuwait,s PermRep at the
U.N.). By railing against "Superstar," the Islamists may
have picked the wrong cause: Kuwaitis followed the Lebanese
show avidly, and some local dailies described the turnout for
the two shows as "unprecedented." Boredom is a huge problem
in this rich little desert emirate, and "Superstar" at least
had the merit of featuring Arab performers and a winner more
traditional than some of the other contestants.
JONES