Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DUBLIN1264
2005-10-14 11:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dublin
Cable title:  

IRISH/IRAQI SHI'A MUSLIMS WELCOME AMBASSADOR TO

Tags:  PREL PTER PINR KPAO 
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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 SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBLIN 001264 

SIPDIS

EUR/PPD (ACERVETTI)
EUR/UBI (NNOLAN)
NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2014
TAGS: PREL PTER PINR KPAO
SUBJECT: IRISH/IRAQI SHI'A MUSLIMS WELCOME AMBASSADOR TO
IFTAR

REF: A. DUBLIN 1216


B. DUBLIN 1161

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES C. KENNY, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B),(D)

Summary
--------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBLIN 001264

SIPDIS

EUR/PPD (ACERVETTI)
EUR/UBI (NNOLAN)
NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2014
TAGS: PREL PTER PINR KPAO
SUBJECT: IRISH/IRAQI SHI'A MUSLIMS WELCOME AMBASSADOR TO
IFTAR

REF: A. DUBLIN 1216


B. DUBLIN 1161

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES C. KENNY, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B),(D)

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Summary. On October 8, the Ambassador and two emboffs
received a warm welcome at an Iftar celebration at the local
Shi'a mosque in Dublin. Dr. Ali A. A. Al-Saleh, the Imam of
the predominantly Iraqi Mosque, spoke out publicly in strong
support of USG policy, stating that U.S. intervention in Iraq
is changing the political landscape of the region. He
criticized the governments of neighboring countries (except
Iran),stating that corrupt regimes feel threatened by an
increasingly democratic Iraq. He added that the world will
see the determination of the Iraqi people in the upcoming
constitutional referendum and the December 31 general
election. The Irish Times (Dublin's newspaper of record)
attended the event at the request of the mosque and reported
favorably on comments made by the Ambassador and the mosque
hosts. End Summary.

Warm welcome at the Mosque
--------------


2. (C) On October 8, the Ambassador, econoff, and poloff
visited the Ahlul Bait Islamic Center (a predominantly Iraqi
Shi'a mosque in Dublin) to participate in Iftar celebrations.
The Imam Dr. Ali A. A. Al-Saleh (Irish, Iraqi, Saudi
citizen) and prominent leaders of the Shi'a community invited
embassy staff to attend the event as a follow-on to the
previous week's meeting of Muslims at the embassy (ref A).
The Imam and approximately 150 members of the Mosque warmly
received the Ambassador. The Shi'a community present at the
service are mostly Irish citizens but hail from Iraq,
Lebanon, Iran and Gulf countries. Ethnic backgrounds
included Arab, Kurd, Azeri and Turkomen. During the service,
the Imam spoke out in strong support of USG actions in Iraq
and Afghanistan, publicly echoing most of the sentiments
expressed in ref A.

Building Democracies
--------------


3. (C) Al-Saleh told the Mosque audience, with press in
attendance, that before U.S. intervention in Iraq, Muslims
wondered if Islam was compatible with democracy. Now,

though, Iraqis are saying that one cannot have Islam without
democracy. The Irish Times reported the event in its October
10 edition and cited Al-Saleh's remarks on how U.S.
involvement in Iraq is positively changing the political
landscape of the Middle East. Khalid Ibrahim, an Iraqi Kurd
human rights activist, was also quoted by the Irish Times as
saying, "I believe that we are working together to build real
democracies."

Domino Effect
--------------


4. (C) In side-bar conversations with the Ambassador, several
members expressed strong concern regarding perceived Syrian,
Jordanian and Saudi complicity with the terrorists in Iraq.
Citing ties between Syrian and Iraqi Ba'athists, they
highlighted reports of jihadists' easy access into Iraq
through Syrian borders and alleged that Syrian border guards
could be bribed for as little as ten USD. Members of the
community expressed outrage that Muslims from countries as
far off as Indonesia and the Philippines allegedly travel to
Iraq to kill Shi'as. The group said that Muslim countries,
notably Saudi Arabia, want Iraq to fail, because success in
Iraq will create an impetus for change and will challenge the
rule of all regional non-democratic governments. Notably
absent from the conversation was criticism of Iran.

Constitution and U.S. Presidential Election
--------------


5. (C) Al-Saleh noted the timing of this event as key for two
reasons:

--In a week's time, he reminded the audience, Iraq is to
return to the polls to vote on the constitution and then in
December for the general election. Al-Saleh said that the
Iraqis, especially the Shi'as, would once again prove to the
world their desire for democracy. He said that since Grand
Ayatollah Al-Sistani approves of the constitution, the
clerics will support it. He added that, on this and other
issues such as women's rights, the key to success is
convincing the clerics to forego tradition for the sake of
progress.
--Al-Saleh said that this time last year, Iraqi Muslims spent
Ramadan praying for the re-election of President Bush,
commending him as the candidate with the will to support
Iraq's efforts towards democracy.

Real Sacrifice
--------------


6. (C) Al-Saleh and others made a point that they have lost
loved ones, but that the struggle for democracy in Iraq must
continue. Two days previously, two of Al-Saleh's
brothers-in-law were killed in a suicide attack in Hilla.
The group remarked that Iraqi Shi'as will continue to support
democracy and fight terrorism at all costs.


7. (U) Text of Irish Times October 10, 2005 article: US
needs to listen to world's Muslims, says envoy at Shia event.
By Deaglan de Breadun, Foreign Affairs Correspondent.

BEGIN TEXT

The United States needed to "listen and learn" from Muslims
around the world, US ambassador James C. Kenny told members
of Dublin's Shia Muslim community in a speech after a prayer
ceremony in the Milltown mosque at the weekend, Deaglan de
Breadun.

Several hundred Shia Muslims living in Ireland, along with
some Sunnis, greeted the ambassador and his aides on their
arrival. The ambassador attended prayers to mark the holy
month of Ramadan and stayed for a meal afterwards. He invited
his listeners, many of them of Iraqi origin, to attend a
reception at his residence in the Phoenix Park in the near
future.

In his speech, Mr Kenny said it was &a great opportunity to
listen and learn8. A group from the Shia Muslim community
had come to the US embassy in Ballsbridge for a meeting two
weeks ago, "to start and build a dialogue between your
community and ours".

"We think that's essential for our future, to go forward
together. The Americans have to sit down and listen and learn
and understand and at the same time you will hear our voices,
you can hear what we're talking about and what we hope we can
do for each other in the future. That's what we want to do."

Stressing that he had been "very, very impressed with the
honest dialogue that we have had at the embassy", he said he
would "love to be invited back in the near future". He
brought special greetings from President Bush for Ramadan.

The ambassador told The Irish Times earlier that the meeting
with the Shia Muslim group was "absolutely one of the best
days we've ever had in an American embassy and particularly
in Ireland".

"It is a day that we will remember and we're going to want to
do more of them. It energised the people that were on our
side of the table, it energised myself. I want to learn more
and listen and I think America needs to do more of that, of
listening and learning. And I want to bring that back to
America."

Iraqi-born Imam Ali Al-Saleh, head of the Shia Muslim
community in Ireland, said he had lost two brothers-in-law in
an attack by suicide bombers on a mosque at Hilla, south of
Baghdad, last week.

Dr Al-Saleh said the majority of people in Iraq and
Afghanistan looked on the Americans as "our friends because
they helped us in getting rid of the Taliban and getting rid
of Saddam". He added: "They are really sacrificing a lot now
to help us in resisting and stopping the terrorism which is
going on in the Middle East and especially in Iraq. What is
happening in Iraq now is a turning-point in our mentality."
Khalid Ibrahim, an Iraqi human rights activist living in
Dublin, said: "I believe we are working together to build
real democracies."
END TEXT


8. (C) Comment: We leave evaluation of our Iftar Hosts,
comments on Iraq to the experts. The press coverage in the
Irish Times was totally positive. When taken together with
an article two days later quoting visiting Egyptian FM Ahmed
Aboul Gheit to the effect that the U.S. should not pull out
of Iraq, the article gave Irish readers a different
perspective on Iraq than the one they usually get.
KENNY