UAE USING OUTREACH TO THE FAITHFUL TO COMBAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 003299

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ARPI, AND NEA/PD
ALSO FOR ECA A/S DINA POWELL AND IIP-COORDINATOR ALEX
FELDMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2015
TAGS: PREL KISL KPAO PTER TC
SUBJECT: UAE USING OUTREACH TO THE FAITHFUL TO COMBAT
EXTREMISM

REF: A. ABU DHABI 3161

B. STATE 121757

Classified By: AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary: The UAEG is capitalizing on the nation's
reputation as a moderate, tolerant Muslim country to try to
persuade its citizens and large expatriate community that
extremist-inspired violence has no place in Islam. Through a
series of carefully crafted Friday sermons, the Ministry of
Justice and Islamic Affairs is assertively condemning
terrorist violence and warning those responsible for terror
attacks that their actions will have dire consequences.
"These explosions and killings are against Islamic
teachings," a draft of the Friday, July 29 sermon reads. The
Friday, July 22 sermon warned, "If someone among Muslims is
found deviating from these Islamic values and apostolic
teachings, his deviation is personal." The UAEG is
reportedly contemplating issuing a "fatwa" (legal opinion)
stating that anyone involved in a terrorist attack would be
"excommunicated" from the Islamic faith, an Embassy contact
has told us. The government requires all 1,500 mosques that
deliver Friday sermons to record them. The government
justifies the use of recordings, which are used as evidence
of an imam's adherence to the approved sermon "guidelines,"
as a means of preventing extremist preaching. End Summary.



2. (C) On July 27, Ambassador met with President Khalifa's
Adviser on Religious and Legal Affairs, Al Sayyed Ali bin Al
Sayyed Abdul Rahman Al Hashem. The tolerance that the UAE
and its leadership are known for "is the true face of Islam,"
Al Hashem said. Ambassador expressed the USG's strong
appreciation for the recent Friday sermons condemning
terrorism and counseling moderation. Al Hashem said the
current Friday sermons represent the UAEG's determination to
provide strong moral leadership. The preacher has a "civil
and religious link" that empowers him to give guidance to
believers, he emphasized. Al Hashem lamented the fact that
other Gulf countries were not adequately training their
preachers. He said he wished some of the religious scholars
in those countries would remain silent. He cited Qatar's
Sheikh Al Qardawi as an example of preachers who have become
politicized. He also said that there was a major difference
between teaching Islam and what "evil people" communicate.
He made a point of not including Wahhabism within mainstream
Islam. (Note: Al Hashem's father is Saudi and his mother is
Bahraini. Though he was born and raised in Bahrain, he now
has UAE citizenship. End note) Al Hashem attended the
International Islamic Conference in Amman in early July, and
has represented the UAE at a dozen seminars and conferences
on Islam and tolerance within the past year. "On the Arabian
Peninsula, we are born into tolerance," he said.


3. (C) Al Hashem raised Colorado Congressman Tancredo's
remark about attacking Muslim holy sites, saying that even
uninformed Muslim preachers would not say such things.
Ambassador replied that Congressman Tancredo's statement did
not represent USG policy or the American people. Al Hashem
noted the important role the U.S. plays in communicating with
the Islamic world, and praised Secretary Rice for her
positive statements on the roadmap and the Gaza disengagement
plan during her recent visit to the region. "The key to
peace in the Mideast region is in U.S. hands. The U.S.
should keep these channels open," he said. Ambassador
praised the UAE for its humanitarian assistance to the
Palestinians, and cited the planned Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed
city in Gaza. Al Hashem said the UAEG would welcome our
feedback on future Friday sermons. "Communication is the
foundation of Islam," he said.

A Tradition of Preaching About Moderation, Tolerance
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Pol Chief met separately with Ahmed Al Kindi, Acting
Under Secretary for Islamic Affairs at the Ministry of
Justice and Islamic Affairs on July 25. The concepts of
moderation and tolerance were "planted" by the late President
Sheikh Zayed and his sons, Al Kindi said. The UAEG's sermons
have always tackled the important questions of the day.
Extremist ideology and terrorism happen to be the "hot
topics" and are therefore highlighted in the sermons, Al
Kindi said. "We are part of this world, and we are faced
with security challenges. We should support peace and
stability in the world" by issuing relevant sermons, he said.
An Embassy contact told us that there is "behind-the-scenes
discussion" about the UAEG issuing a "fatwa" tantamount to
excommunication. "Anyone involved in a terrorist act would
be excommunicated from the Islamic faith," a term referred to
in Arabic as "Al Harm." Our contact said that the UAE is
"fully aware" and "can handle" reaction from militants abroad
to such a government-sanctioned fatwa. The UAE regards the
"internal problem" as the more serious threat, and it is
therefore wanting to direct its message about "what Islam is
and isn't" at the young people in the UAE.

Sermons That Reflect Current Events
--------------


5. (C) Al Kindi produced a draft text for the Friday, July
29, sermon entitled "Islam Forbids the Killing of the Soul"
to underscore that the UAEG has been consistent in issuing
messages about tolerance and moderation. A national
committee headed by Justice Minister Al Dhaheri has been
working long hours drafting these sermons and updating them
as developments in the world warrant. (Note: A key member of
the committee is Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs U/S/
Mohammed Juma Al Dermaki. We have been told another member
is Iraqi cleric and Dubai TV talk show host Ahmed Al Qubaisi.
End note) The initial July 29 sermon focused on the July 23
Sharm Al Sheikh attacks until the committee received news of
the July 24 truck bomb in Baghdad. The draft sermon refers
to the killings in Sharm Al Sheikh four times, saying the
attack victimized innocent men, women and children. "We
should all condemn these disgraceful sinful acts, and condemn
the killing of innocent people and the ruin of civilization.
... The killing of one soul is as unjust and aggressive as
the killing of many people. ... What will the perpetrators of
these crimes say to God on the Day of Judgment about how they
have disgraced Islam's reputation by associating it with
every extremism and terrorism." The sermon calls for all
members of the society to gather their efforts to eliminate
deviations from Islam, and fight those against God and his
prophet. The sermon ends by confirming the role of scholars,
who are described as having wisdom and knowledge of the
facts, in revealing the reality of what is happening to the
people so that they can distinguish right from wrong. On the
Sharm Al Sheikh bombings, the sermon says, "These explosions
and killings are against Islamic teachings." A second,
shorter, sermon intended to follow the first one on July 29
will talk about the daily killings in Iraq. "After all of
what we have seen every day from death, injuries, and
destruction, are there any people who are sympathetic with
this rotten evil group which destroys land and breaks
families and relatives apart?"

Crafting the Message and Monitoring its Delivery
-------------- ---


6. (C) In drafting the sermons, the committee is targeting
those persons who identify with, or are sympathetic to,
"false ideologists," and not the ideologists themselves, Al
Kindi said. The UAEG already knows those who have "lost
their way" and are trying to manipulate others. The Ministry
has also asked each mosque to record its Friday sermons. Al
Kindi said the Ministry does this for archival purposes so
that it can resolve any dispute that might arise over the
sermon's contents after it is delivered. (Comment: We
believe these recordings also give the Ministry a means of
monitoring the imams and those who read the sermons. End
comment.) The UAEG has required these recordings since
Operation Enduring Freedom began in 2001.

"Unified Sermons" ) Control of the Message
--------------


7. (C) The sermons are not intended to be political messages,
but rather messages about morals and values, Al Kindi said.
While he acknowledged that terrorism is a political subject,
he said that terrorism is symptomatic of a breakdown of
morals and values, and it is therefore appropriate for
sermons to address it in this fashion. Al Kindi said all of
the UAE's imams receive training from scholars the UAEG
periodically brings in to talk about moderation and
tolerance. "We choose the right scholars to clean their
minds." Asked about the nationalities of imams in the
country's approximately 4,000 mosques, Al Kindi said only
that "some" were UAE nationals, and that the others were from
Egypt and other countries. He said the nationality of an
imam does not matter as much as the fact that they are
delivering a government-approved "unified" message. He
defended the use of "unified sermons," saying that, "without
control, people will say what they want. Remember, some
people are very, very sick." He credited Justice Minister Al
Dhaheri for introducing and enforcing this practice. Before
Al Dhaheri was appointed, some imams occasionally criticized
other countries' heads of state, prompting angry reactions
from those countries' ambassadors to Sheikh Zayed.
07/22 Sermon: "Islam is an Oasis of Tolerance and Security"
-------------- --------------


8. (U) As is the case every week, on Friday, July 22,
preachers in the UAE's 1,500 Sunni and Shi'a mosques where
Friday prayers are held were directed by the Ministry of
Justice and Islamic Affairs to use a government-approved
sermon as a guideline. Important sermons such as the ones
delivered July 15 and 22 are broadcast on Abu Dhabi TV. Al
Kindi said these messages are not simply for the mosques;
they are for people in the homes as well. The sermon focused
on the values and morals of Islam, and highlighted the
importance the Islamic faith )- and the UAE Government --
places on tolerance and security. "There is nothing in the
culture of Islam or its teachings that encourages wanton
violence. If someone among Muslims is found deviating from
these Islamic values and apostolic teachings, his deviation
is personal. ... Look at what violence has brought us at this
point in time. A Muslim became a stranger, shunned by people
wherever he goes. How much we need to go back to this
Islamic humanitarian rational path in which there is
improvement for our affairs and the good for all humanity,
and it is the salvation from this scourge which extended its
evil east, west, north, and south. ... All this signifies the
nature of this religion which many Muslims have deviated
from, in addition to those who hurt Islam by their behavior
on the pretext of defending it, those who hurt by their deeds
the beauty of Islam and its mercy with which our apostle was
sent to preach justice and good. We need to return to the
Book of our God and to the traditions of our apostle to exit
the darkness of these tumults. ... The values of religious
tolerance brought by Islam are unprecedented in any other
belief. ... We must maintain the values of our Islam shining
and strong, and call on people to enter into the broad mercy
of Allah and his upright religion."
SISON