KUWAITI SHIITE POLITICAL BLOCS BUOYED BY WAVE OF

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001834

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2015
TAGS: PREL PINR KISL KU SOLI
SUBJECT: KUWAITI SHIITE POLITICAL BLOCS BUOYED BY WAVE OF
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

REF: A. KUWAIT 1406

B. KUWAIT 0036

C. 04 KUWAIT 3546

D. 04 KUWAIT 1346

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: The often mistrusted Shi'a population has
slowly increased the intensity of its calls for reform since
the liberation of Iraq, winning some concessions from the
GOK, but losing ground in the face of active Salafi
opposition. Although most Kuwaiti Shiites claim to identify
themselves first and foremost as Kuwaitis, institutionalized
discrimination and a rise in Sunni extremism have combined to
ensure that sectarian interests are rarely absent in Shi'a
political and economic calculations. Despite holding just
five of fifty seats in the National Assembly, Shiite
political blocs have remained active in Kuwaiti political
life, and have organized themselves into formidable forces
for the advancement of Shia rights. End Summary.


2. (C) Spurred largely by the liberation of Iraq and the
resulting empowerment of Iraq's Shi'a majority, Kuwaiti Shi'a
have been increasingly active in their calls for an expansion
of Shiite rights, and their efforts have yielded significant
successes. Over the past two years, the GOK has approved a
larger than usual number of Shiite mosque applications,
allowed for a public reenactment of the battle of Karbala
during Ashoura in 2004, established a Waqf based upon Shiite
Maliki jurisprudence, (Note: Waqfs are religious endowments
governed by Islamic rules. End Note.) and allowed Shiite
clerics more airtime on state television during Ramadan and
other religious holidays.


3. (S) The changes have been sought and won by an
increasingly active and expanding Shi'a political community,
which includes five members of Kuwait's 50 member National
Assembly, two of whom replaced hardline Shiite predecessors
during the 2003 election cycle. Although formal parties are
not provided for under Kuwait's 1962 constitution, there are
at least four Shiite political groupings active in Kuwaiti
political life:

National Islamic Alliance (NIA): Considered extremists
within the broader Shi'a community, the members of the
National Islamic Alliance are known to be supporters of the
Iranian regime and believers in the principle of 'welayat e
faqih.' (Note: Welayat e faqih, also sometimes spelled
velayat e faquih, is rule by a religious leader known as the
faqih. The principle forms the basic underpinning of the
system of government in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where
the faqih -- currently Ayatollah Sayid Ali Khamenei -- is
also known as the Supreme Leader. End Note.) According to a
knowledgeable Shiite political analyst, NIA is made up of
"hardliners" who "always express the Iranian point of view."
Historically, NIA has been one of the most active of Kuwait's
Shiite political blocs. After Kuwait's liberation from Iraq,
the NIA sought the role of mouthpiece of Kuwaiti Shi'a and
was even successful in enlisting moderates such as current MP
Yousef Al-Zalzalah, who does not share NIA's extreme views
and left shortly thereafter in 1992. Prominent members of
NIA include ousted MPs Dr. Abdul Mohsen Jamal, Adnan
Abdulsamid and Dr. Nasser Sarkoh, and former Municipal
Council member Ahmed Lari. Although still active, NIA's
credibility was greatly damaged during the 2003 election
cycle, when moderates Saleh Ashour and Dr. Yousef Zalzah,
both Shi'a, swept their candidates out of office.

Shiite Clerics Congregation: Founded by outspoken Shiite
Cleric Sayed Mohammed Bakr Al-Mohri in 2000, this grouping
has worked consistently and vocally for the expansion of
Shi'a political rights, mostly through Al-Mohri's editorials
and television appearances. The bloc does not appear to have
a clear platform other than the advancement of sectarian
interests, and according to some Kuwaiti political observers
may have links to Iran. They have no representation in the
National Assembly.

Islamic National Consensus Movement (INCM): Founded in 2001
and supported by a broad range of moderate Kuwaiti Shiites,
INCM believes in pluralism and diversity. Led by its U.S
educated Secretary General, Dr. Nizar J. Mulla-Joma, the INCM
held its annual conference on April 25, where speakers
preached "the rejection of extremism" and called for
sectarian unity. Although one observer claims the group at
one time "shyfully" adopted the principle of 'welayat e
faqih,' post is unable to confirm this.

Peace and Justice Grouping: The Peace and Justice Grouping,
founded in 2003, is based on the nonviolent teachings of Imam
Shirazi, stressing pluralism, respect for democracy and
consitutional government. Led by Secretary General Abdul
Hussein Al-Sultan, Peace and Justice claim to have no outside
political links and throughly reject 'welayat e faqih.'


4. (C) In addition to established political blocs, Kuwait's
six living former Shiite Ministers have informally banded
together to advise younger Shi'a on how to best engage in the
political process. Former Minister of Oil Abdulmuttaleb
Al-Kazemi told Poloff April 19 that the time for his group's
actions had come "because there is now light at the end of
the tunnel" for Shi'a, region-wide. Citing the liberation of
Iraq as "90 percent" of the motivation for the timing of his
re-engagement in the political process, and thanking the U.S.
for its role in supporting political reform in the region, Al
Kazemi said he became "fed up" with the lack of Shi'a
political advances over the past two decades and decided to
act. Al Kazemi said the Shia population was still suffering
under an unofficial but well-established policy of
discrimination developed in the early eighties, when the
loyalty of all Shi'a was questioned due to fears that Iran
would export its Islamic Revolution.


5. (C) Largely restricted from positions deemed critical to
national security, such as in Kuwait State Security and the
National Guard, and discriminated against religiously and
politically, Kuwait's Shi'a have generally operated in the
economic realm without restriction. A number of large Shiite
families -- Dashti, Behbehani, Marafie, Bhukamseen, Al-Wazzan
and others -- have leveraged their positions as members of
the Kuwaiti urban elite to amass huge fortunes. (Note: Those
families that lived inside the old city walls prior to the
discovery of oil are considered to be of the urban elite by
many Kuwaitis. They often refer to themselves as 'real
Kuwaitis,' in an effort to emphasize their distinction from
the desert-dwelling bedouins, many of whose families arrived
in Kuwait much later. End Note.) Although they have a heavy
presence in some economic sectors (hotels being one of the
most prominent examples),there is no prominent Shiite news
daily. However, post assesses that local dailies do cover
Shiite issues fairly and acurately.


6. (C) Although Shiite groups have made great strides in
recent years and in the long term will probably continue to
do so, the GOK's struggle against extremist elements has
pitted the rights of Shi'a against vocal opposition from
conservative Sunni elements, the most extreme of which
consider the entire Shi'a sect infidels. In its effort to
appease Salafi elements, the GOK allowed the January 2005
grilling by Islamist MPs and subsequent resignation of Shiite
Information Minister Mohammed Abulhassan (ref. b),leaving
Shiites without representation in the cabinet for the first
time since 1975. In addition, the GOK curbed some of the
freedoms it had granted in 2004, denying the Shiite Clerics
Congregation's request to again stage a public reenactment of
the Battle of Karbala in 2005.


7. (C) The April, 2005 call for the resignation of Health
Minister Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Jarallah, spearheaded by Shiite
MPs and an Awazim tribal MP -- both groups which currently
lack representation in the cabinet -- was seen by some as an
attempt by the Shia to force open a vacancy which could then
be filled by one of their members (ref. b). The GOK has not
yet named a new Minister, although Shiite MP Dr. Yousef
Al-Zalzalah, who is known to have refused two cabinet
positions previously offered him, is widely spoken of as a
possible candidate.


8. (C) Comment: Despite the current standoff between the GOK
and Islamist elements, and infrequent attempts by PM Shaykh
Sabah to curry favor with Sunni conservatives by dragging his
feet on Shiite requests, Kuwait's Shi'a are likely to make
significant gains, as long as there is cause for optimism in
Iraq and a continued focus on regional reform. At a recent
Shiite political gathering, Poloff was approached by a former
minister, who thanked the U.S. for the withdrawal of Syrian
forces from Lebanon. "None of this would have happened
without the United States," he said.


8. (U) Baghdad Minimize Considered.

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