SPEAKING WITH MUSLIM LEADERS ABOUT TERRORIST ACTS:

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005760 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KISL KPAO PREL PTER JO SUBJECT: SPEAKING WITH MUSLIM LEADERS ABOUT TERRORIST ACTS: JORDAN REF: A. STATE 131453 ¶B. STATE 121757 ¶C. AMMAN 5456 ¶D. AMMAN 5387 ¶1. (SBU) Post continues to deliver ref B points as part of its regular engagement with the Government of Jordan and Jordanian religious leaders, underscoring the importance of countering extremism, terrorism, and incitement to violence and intolerance. One of our strongest allies on the counterterrorism front, Jordan has taken a leading role in the region by publicly denouncing terrorism in Iraq, Israel, and worldwide, and in devising cooperative strategies to combat it. ¶2. (U) Immediately after the July 7 London bombings, King Abdullah strongly condemned the attacks in remarks that were widely covered by the local media. "Islam condemns the killing of innocents and rejects all forms of violence and terrorism," he said in a statement issued by the Royal Court. The King also expressed Jordan's "solidarity with the British people and denounces the criminal acts that killed dozens and wounded others. Everyone must close ranks and unite efforts to fight all forms of terrorism, the forces that support it and those who stand behind it," he added. King Abdullah later reiterated these points during interviews with BBC and CNN on July 8 and 9. He told CNN: "It's so painful" that terrorist crimes, including the London bombings, are allegedly committed in the name of Islam. Noting that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism, he said he was relieved that Muslim communities in the UK and the US had also strongly condemned the attacks that targeted innocent civilians. The King's comments were featured prominently in all local papers on July 10. ¶3. (U) In response to ref A, Charge spoke with King Abdullah immediately upon his return from Africa on July 17 to urge him and the GOJ to continue to speak out publicly against terrorism. The King noted the July 6 communique of the Amman Islamic conference (see para 6),and said Jordan would continue to speak out. When asked about the possibility of further statements by the signatories of the communique, the King noted that the conference established no permanent secretariat to coordinate further joint actions, but he SIPDIS believed the GOJ could persuade some of them to do so. Charge is following up with Prince Ghazi, who is managing the conference process. �00A;¶4. (U) Jordan regularly and strongly condemns acts of violence and terrorism in Iraq and in Israel. In part due to the proximity of Jordan to the events unfolding to its east and west, reports of suicide attacks and car bombings receive prominent coverage in the Jordanian press. Likewise, these attacks are always followed by condemnation from the King and other leaders in Jordan. For example, after the killing of Egypt's ambassador to Baghdad, the Jordanian government strongly condemned the murder as a "heinous crime." DPM Marwan Muasher told a press conference on July 6 that despite the attack, Jordan was "determined" to name an ambassador to Iraq as soon as possible. In a statement carried by Petra, Jordan's state news agency, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned the Netanya bombing as a terrorist act that will only breed more violence. (On July 17, DPM Muasher agreed to Charge's request for additional statements supportive of Abu Mazen's efforts to crack down on extremists, and to note that attacks on Israelis are also attacks on the interests of the Palestinian people.) ¶5. (SBU) The three-day Islamic conference in Amman (ref C) was attended by over 170 religious scholars and clerics, including representatives from nearly all of the Arab states. In his opening address to the conference, King Abdullah called on the attendees to unify the global Muslim community against threats to its integrity. Among these threats, the King specifically cited acts of violence, killing, and terrorism in the name of Islam, as violations of the spirit of true Islam. Jordan's Foreign Minister, Farouq Qasrawi, in a meeting with the Charge (ref D) further explored the opportunity for more U.S.-Jordanian cooperation on promoting moderate Islam through increased programming at organizations like the Brookings Institute, which could host conferences and workshops in this vein. Charge and other emboffs have also met with other ministerial level and royal family contacts, all of which echoed Qasrawi's statements on the importance of the conference and the need to vigilantly press forward with a message of moderation. The King views his September trip to the U.S. as a major opportunity to move forward with this message. ¶6. (SBU) The conference concluded with a joint statement (ref B) by the participants to heal the fractures between the different schools of Islam, and to set rules on the issuance of religious edicts in an effort to reduce the incidents of hard-line fatwas being issued by illegitimate "leaders," such as Zarqawi or Bin Laden. It also endorsed the "Amman Message," first issued by King Abdullah through Jordan's chief religious authority Grand Mufti Shaykh Izzeddine Tamimi to promote Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance. See ref B for the full text of the statement. Jordan's Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Salam Abadi, the coordinator and official spokesperson of the conference told press after the event that Jordan will exert all possible efforts towards implementing the recommendations adopted by the conference through seminars to be held in Islamic countries and abroad. ¶7. (SBU) Post continues to meet regularly with local religious leaders to promote a moderate message and increase understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims, in Jordan and internationally. For example, post sponsored an International Visitors Program last year in which Shaykh Tamimi and other Muslim leaders traveled to the U.S. under the auspices of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center (JICRC),to meet with American leaders of the three monotheistic faiths. Post is currently engaging in a dialogue regarding future proposals of JICRC to organize more of these exchanges. A group of Shari'a Court judges is scheduled to travel to the US on a similar exchange program in September. The Public Affairs Office and Political Section maintain solid and ongoing relationships with a number of local civil society and political leaders committed to interfaith dialogue and tolerance. Charge is also seeing the Awqaf Minister soon to explore ideas. Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through the Department of State's SIPRNET home page. HALE