JORDAN'S ISLAMIC CENTRIST PARTY PUSHES AHEAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 006803 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2014 TAGS: PGOV PINR ASEC KISL KWMN JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S ISLAMIC CENTRIST PARTY PUSHES AHEAD DESPITE LEADERSHIP FRAY REF: A. AMMAN 6213 ¶B. AMMAN 6160 Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) A small party that has splintered from the Islamic Action Front -- and strives to be a moderating Islamic counterweight -- has suffered internal, personality driven rivalries. Nonetheless, the Islamic Centrist Party is expected to weather a recent leadership crisis and continue to advocate democracy, civic activism, and a greater political role for women. End Summary. -------------- DUST-UP OVER LEADERSHIP LEADS TO RESIGNATIONS -------------- ¶2. (C) Leadership differences within the moderate but relatively uninfluential Jordanian Islamic Centrist Party (ICP) led to the resignation of the secretary general and around 58 members last month. According to founding member and women's activist Nawal Fa'ouri, when time came for the ICP Secretary General Atef al-Btoush to pass the reins to a new leader, as the bylaws of the party dictated, Btoush resisted, and encouraged the resignation of several dozen others. Btoush has led the party since its founding in 2001. Eventually Btoush resigned under the pretense of helping found yet another party. She believes the fray will have little impact on the party's activities. Indeed, at least seven members rescinded their resignations, according to press reports on August 8. The new secretary general also announced that the party is studying the possibility of joining several other likeminded parties in a "centrist" bloc. -------------- -------------- ISLAMIC CENTRIST PARTY ADVOCATES FREEDOMS, CIVIC ACTIVISM -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Fa'ouri told PolOff that the ICP remains committed to the platform it established in 2001, which advocates democracy, pluralism, and increased personal freedoms. It also supports the government's economic and social reform program, opposes violence and sectarianism, and seeks to convey a moderate face of Islam. Through cooperative relations with the government and programs that reach a wide cross-section of Jordanians, the party is committed to increasing dialogue among all sectors of society, working towards equality for all citizens, increasing women's political role, and civic activism. The ICP is open to all Jordanians regardless of religion or ethnic origin, and does not bill itself as an opposition party. Many members of the party are dissident members from the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front. Fa'ouri herself is a former IAF member. ¶4. (C) Fa'ouri stressed the importance of civic activism, noting her personal frustration in listening to Jordanian citizens (including activists) during meetings with GOJ leaders, including King Abdullah, as they are always asking for the government to do things for them. She believes they should be taking initiative and doing more for themselves. Emphasizing that education reform must be a priority, she notes that civic activism is not part of the culture, and needs to be taught from a young age. Fa'ouri noted that she spends a lot of time with her young granddaughter talking about human rights, respecting others, and taking care of one's community. -------------- - VOICES OF MODERATE ISLAM NEED TO BE ENCOURAGED -------------- - ¶5. (C) Fa'ouri believes that the voices of moderate Islam, such as those represented by her party, need to be encouraged. The spiraling violence in Iraq and Palestine, coupled with economic hardships and limited opportunities to a wide cross-section of the population, increases the appeal of the radicals' message. This is particularly true in Jordan, where she says there is a growing disconnect between the government and the people, as well as widening gap between the very rich and the poor. Fa'ouri said she recently shared her opinion on this matter with the King, and was pleasantly surprised to see it included in his recent letter directing the government to do a better job of promoting tolerance and "true Islam" (ref A). ¶6. (C) She emphasized the importance of dialogue and reaching out to all segments of society, especially those with divergent views. She encouraged the U.S. Embassy to do the same, even to engage the IAF. When told that many IAF members refused to meet U.S. officials, she rolled her eyes, saying this attitude is part of the problem in Jordan. She said it is crucial to hear all viewpoints, and share your own to increase understanding of the issue, pointing to her facilitating role in helping organize public discussions on the khuloe law (ref B). She said because she is a practicing Muslim (and veiled),she has credibility with the religious people on this matter, and the town meetings helped bring critics around. Someone like Asma Khader, a Christian, cannot speak credibly on this issue, for example, despite her well-established reputation as a women's and human rights activist. -------------- --- POLITICAL REFORMS VITAL TO COUNTERING RADICALISM -------------- --- ¶7. (C) Fa'ouri emphasized that political development and engaging the population in the decision-making process are also vitally important to countering radicalism. She says there is much broken with the current system, pointing to her own experience in running for parliament in 2003. She charges her opponent with bribing (poor) people to win their votes. She forgives those who took the money because they were desperate, but she says they feel sorry now for electing her opponent. They say that when constituents seek the MP's help now (for jobs, for example),he dismisses them outright. She said she would consider running in the 2007 election, depending on how the political environment evolves. She is encouraged by the rhetoric from the GOJ on political development, and she believes the King is serious. What it takes though, she adds, is implementation, not words. Fa'ouri points to reform of the election law as crucial, in addition to strengthening political parties. She supports streamlining the parties based on their ideology (rightist, leftist, centrist). This approach would enable emergence of factions on the basis of issues, instead of tribal or familial allegiances. Fa'ouri acknowledged however, that it is important that each party maintains its independence. -------------- FEMALE MPS A DISAPPOINTMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Sounding a common refrain among women's activists (many of whom, like Fa'ouri, ran and lost in the 2003 election),Fa'ouri expressed her disappointment with the performance of the six women MPs thus far, particularly with their advocacy (or lack thereof) on women's issues. She said none of them had previous experience that would help them advocate effectively, including active membership in a women's organization, for example. She said this is a problem throughout Parliament; many of the men also are new to the political scene and are heavily influenced by their parties and/or and tribes. Fa'ouri laments that several of the women still refuse to become involved, despite outreach from women's groups and offers of assistance and resources. She noted that IAF female MP Hayat Massimi, although one of the more articulate female MPs, blindly advocates the IAF's position to the disadvantage of activists' efforts to push legislation that would empower women. Fa'ouri said she debated the khuloe law once on a television program with Massimi, but that she would not budge from the IAF's position that giving the woman a right to divorce would destroy the family. Massimi could not adequately respond when Fa'ouri emphasized that the Qur'an does not deny women this right, and attempted to change the subject. (Note: Following the example of many of her IAF colleagues, Massimi has refused requests from PolOffs to meet.) -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) The ICP has relatively little influence politically; none of its members currently holds seats in Parliament and it seldom weighs in on controversial issues. Its funding and mechanisms for outreach are limited, and rumors that the intelligence apparatus orchestrated its creation to serve as a counterweight to the IAF remains a stumbling block. However, its message of tolerance and civic activism is one that the GOJ would do well to encourage. Bio Note: Originally from Salt, Fa'ouri says she became active in her community at age 14 when she joined a neighborhood organization affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. She subsequently became a member of the IAF, but left to become a founding member of the Islamic Centrist Party, which she believed better represented her views on democracy, political participation, and working cooperatively with the government to advance society. Fa'ouri was a candidate for the Lower House of Parliament in 2003 representing Madaba (her husband's home town) but lost. She remains active in women's groups, including the General Federation of Jordanian Women, studied in the UK, and currently is working on a doctoral dissertation in Amman. Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. HALE