CONFERENCE WRAPUP: ISLAMISTS AND POLITICAL REFORM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 005841

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KISL PREL KU
SUBJECT: CONFERENCE WRAPUP: ISLAMISTS AND POLITICAL REFORM


1. Summary. Gulf Islamists, notable academics and reporters
gathered in Kuwait from December 6-8 to discuss the role of
Islamists in regional political reform. During the two-day
conference, entitled The Role of Islamic Groups in the
Political Reform Process in the Middle East and sponsored by
the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace, the panel
members and the audience exchanged a broad range of views on
Islamism, Democracy, Jihad and the future of Iraq. End
Summary.

On Democracy in the Middle East
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2. The panelists almost unanimously concurred that the spread
of democracy, if defined as an increase in participation by
Islamists in the political discourse of the Middle East,
would be a positive development. However, many criticized
the US for perceived hypocrisy on the issue of democracy and
democratization. Bahraini MP Adel Al-Muawedah said the US
seeks to impose its vision of democracy on the Arab world,
while supporting corrupt, repressive regimes in the region.
He said this has led to a lack of USG credibility on the
issue of democracy among Islamist groups.


3. Deputy Secretary General of Jordan,s Islamic Front Party,
Dr. Raheel Al-Gharaibah, said that democracy was about
respecting others, beliefs. He criticized "outside forces"
for intervening in Arab affairs and provoking nationalistic
responses. He said that Islamist groups were trying to
represent the real aspirations of the people, and argued that
government persecution of Islamist groups would only provoke
radicalism. An unidentified Salafi audience member stood up
and railed against democracry as an unislamic institution.
He said that only God had the authority to govern over
people. (Note: This appeared to be an isolated view, not an
undercurrent of the whole conference. End Note.)


4. Many of the panelists expressed their concern over the
lack of female participation in Middle Eastern politics.
Editor of Iraq,s Islam and Democracy magazine, Mohammed
Abdul Jabar, noted that women represent half of Arab
societies but are largely excluded from political life. He
said that reform could not be complete without political
participation by women, and added that many Islamist
movements fail to recognize this. Kuwaiti Islamist and
political commentator, Dr. Ismael Al-Shatti, concurred. He
said there were no verses in the Qur'an that denied women
their political rights.

On Islamism in Iraq
--------------

6. The panelists were in disagreement over the role of
Islamist movements in Iraq, with some arguing that an
Islamist government in the newly free Iraq was both
inevitable and positive, while others questioned Islamist
commitment to the rotation of power. The Carnegie
Foundation,s Marina Ottaway argued that the USG had
overestimated the secular nature of Iraq, and is threatened
by the reappearance of strong Shiite religious leaders. She
said the USG now finds itself in the awkward position of
opposing early elections in Iraq, while Shiite clerics such
as Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani are actively promoting them.


7. The editor of Kuwaiti Arabic daily, Al-Watan, Mohammed
Al-Jassem called radical Shiite parties in Iraq, &Iran,s
Trojan Horses,8 and warned that continued acceptance of
their presence by the USG would lead to increased Iranian
influence in Iraq. Al-Jassem said the USG should focus on
&freedom, not democracy.8 Al-Jassem finished by expressing
his doubt that Islamists (whether Shiite or Sunni) really
believe in the rotation of power and protection of minority
rights.


8. Bahraini MP Adel Al-Muawedah asked why the US and others
feared that Islamists would monopolize power. Noting that
&there is a not a free regime in the entire Arab world,8 he
said that those who promoted democracy would have to &suffer
the consequences8 of democracy.

Jihad
--------------

9. The topic of Jihad ideology was discussed by three
speakers during the fourth panel. Definitions of jihad were
as varied as was sanction for the means by which to carry it
out. While all three speakers agreed that it is a duty for
all Muslims and believed that it should be employed to change
an unsatisfactory situation and to protect Islam, they
disagreed on the specific means. The first speaker
characterized jihad as a type of great reform (Islah),
whereby rejecting un-Islamic things should not be confined to
combat but could be seen as more of a reform process. The
second panelist stated that a nation has the right to revolt
if the state has no Islamic terms of reference. He validated
the use of violence---the circumstances of which he did not
clearly define---while also advocating some Islamic-based
political reform. The third condemned the growth of radical
militant jihadi groups claiming that a lack of consistent
condemnation of these groups by non-violent Islamic
organizations equates to a validation of the violent actions.
He called for an acceptance of pluralism and democracy and
an end to violent acts in the name of Islam.


10. The tone of those weighing in during the question and
answer period was generally focused on peaceful ways of
carrying out jihad while not directly equating it with only
political reform. The political reforms discussed included
both those moving towards and away from Sharia-based elements
of government change.

On the Future of Political Reform in the Middle East
-------------- --------------

11. The last substantive panel focused on the future of
political reform in the Middle East, and featured Kuwaiti
Islamist Dr. Wael Al-Hassawi and advisor to the Saudi
Ambassador in London Jamal Ahmad Khashogji. Dr. Hassawi
called on Muslims to reject violence and develop within an
Islamic framework. He said Islam was compatible with
democracy, but noted that individual needs must often be
subjugated for the good of the umma. Hassawi denied the
often-voiced opinion that Islamists only believe in democracy
for as long as it takes for them to gain power through it.
He said there has never been an example like this in the
Muslim world, although non-Muslim organizations have used
this tactic in the West in many instances.


12. Jamal Khashogji focused his remarks on the future of
reform in Saudi Arabia. He admitted that Saudi Arabia has
problems with violent groups it had previously doubted the
existence of. He called on moderate "Neo-Islamists" to speak
up to combat these groups. Khashogji went on to detail five
key areas of reform for Saudi Arabia: the conduct of
municipal elections; the expression of more tolerance and
abandoning extremism; reforming the educational system;
opening wider prospects for women; and opening up to the
world.


13. Comment: While the conference produced little of
substance, it was a rare opportunity to gather Islamists and
their critics from across the Middle East and hear a wide
range of views on key issues facing the region.
MORAN