SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: QURAN ALLEGATION FOLLOW-

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002119

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, PA, INR/R/MR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OIIP KMDR KISL XF KU
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: QURAN ALLEGATION FOLLOW-
UP - THE U.S. RESPECTS ISLAM & HOLY QURAN

REF: A. KUWAIT 02092

B. STATE 90992

C. STATE 88240



1. Summary: While there has been coverage on the Quran
allegations from Newsweek, Post has received little
feedback from local contacts which would indicate
widespread anger over the story (ref. A). Criticism from
the media has generally come from anti-American sources.
PAS issued a press release from the Ambassador on May 17,
2005, stressing that the Newsweek allegation is false and
that the U.S. respects Islam and the Holy Quran. End
summary.

"An insult to the Holy Book"
--------------


2. Al-Qabas, on May 15, 2005, p. 2, published an article
le
under the headline, "Condemnation for the Desecrating of
Al-Quran: It is the undermining of one and a half billion
Muslims." The paper wrote: "The International Charitable
Muslim Society strongly condemns, and expresses its deep
concern regarding the acts of desecrating the Holy Quran by
investigators in the Guantanamo detention camp. This is an
appalling behavior and represents an insult on the holy
book that more than one and a half billion Muslims believe
in." A group of Shiites clerics and scholars in Kuwait
also condemned the act and clarified, "We understand that
this act was committed by an ignorant individual who hates
Muslims and is full of hate for personal reasons; however,
his behavior should not go unpunished."


"An apology alone is not acceptable"
--------------


3. Al-Rai Al-Aam, on May 15, 2005, p. 20 republished a
press release by the Islamic Constitutional Movement-
Kuwait's version of the Muslim Brotherhood-on the alleged
desecration of the Holy Quran. The headline read, "Al-
Dustouriya-The Constitutional on the desecration of the
Holy Quran: An apology and severe punishment are required."
The press release by the Movement said, "The Islamic
Constitutional Movement denounces with great anger and
seriously condemns the desecration acts that have been
committed by US instruments at the Guantanamo detention
centre. An apology alone is not acceptable unless it was
accompanied by severe punishment for these acts as well as
for the inhumane treatment of Muslims in Guantanamo and
other places like Abu Ghraib." The paper also reported a
statement by the Shi'a Clerics in Kuwait, which condemned
the acts of desecrating the holy Quran as described above.

"It reminds us of the crimes of the Crusaders"
-------------- -


4. In the editorial/opinion Section of Al-Watan on May 18,
2005, conservative columnist Dr. Ajeel Al-Nashmi wrote that
"desecrating the Quran is nothing new." "It is not strange
to learn that they desecrate the Quran and insult one and a
half billion Muslims around the world. We recall the
atrocities against the Quran that were committed in Spain
when the Spanish entered Qurtoba. It also reminds us of
the crimes of the Crusaders in Jerusalem. In one day they
killed 70,000 Muslims and desecrated the Holy Book. The US
today is a copy of that dark history. We live in a world
that is governed by the law of the jungle. This is not
strange when we know that Jews run the politics and
influence the public opinion behind the scenes."


5. Anti-American Salafi-leaning columnist Muhammed Yusuf
Al-Mulaifi, who is not considered by PAS nor by our Kuwaiti
contacts to have a serious influence in Kuwait, in Al-
Seyassah published an article on May 18, 2005 on page 15 on
the Quran allegation. The headline was, "Unquestionable
Proof that Americans desecrated the Quran." Mr. Al-Mulaifi
wrote, "when Newsweek magazine learned that its report on
desecrating the Quran in Guantanamo caused severe damage to
the image of the US Administration, it quickly retracted
the report and had doubts about its authenticity under
pressure from the Pentagon. What if the Muslim world did
not react to this unacceptable insult as it did? Would the
magazine have retracted its story and corrected its alleged
mistake? And what about the reports from British Muslims
who were released from Guantanamo? The first thing they
said was that US soldiers insulted them and the Holy
Quran."


6. Al-Anba on May 18, 2003, on p. 3, quoted the Speaker of
the National Assembly, Jassem Al-Khorafi as saying, "if the
magazine retracted its story, we call upon the US
Administration to investigate this incident, which can be
regarded as a big crime against more than one billion
Muslims around the world. We also urge the US government
to punish anyone who is found guilty of committing this
crime." The same day's Al-Watan, on p. 50, also carried
the same quote.

Post's press response: U.S. Respects Islam and the Quran
-------------- --------------


7. Though Post received few comments on the allegation and
PAS received no press inquiries on the issue, PAS issued
two general press releases, in Arabic and in English. The
first press release on May 14, 2005, featured Secretary
Rice's statement of May 12, 2005 before the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations
and Related Programs.


8. On May 17, 2005, PAS issued a press release from the
Ambassador. The text of the statement follows:

Newsweek has retracted its report of May 9 alleging
disrespect of the Holy Quran at Guantanamo Bay. This story
is false. The Department of Defense has been looking into
allegations of desecration and has found nothing to
substantiate them. The U.S. government will investigate
all credible allegations of misconduct and will take
appropriate action should misconduct occur.

Detainees at Guantanamo receive (a) adequate shelter and
clothing, (b) three culturally-appropriate meals per day,
(c) an opportunity to worship (including copies of the
Quran and prayer beads),(d) the means to send and receive
mail, (e) reading materials, and (f) exceptional medical
care. Additionally, the call to prayer is played over camp
loudspeakers at the appropriate times every day and
detainee cells have stenciled arrows pointing the direction
to Mecca.

I would like to reiterate to Muslims in Kuwait and
throughout the world, disrespect for the Holy Quran is not
now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated
by the United States. We honor the sacred books of the
world's great religions. Disrespect for the Holy Quran is
abhorrent to us all. The U.S. deeply respects Islam and
the Holy Quran.


9. Most of the daily newspapers published the Ambassador's
statement in full or in part on May 18, 2005, which
happened to fall on the same day that the two anti-American
columnists published their articles (described above).
Selections from the papers follow:

-Al-Qabas (Arabic, circ. 65,000) published a passage from
the press release on the front page. The headline read,
"US Ambassador: the U.S. has not, and will not tolerate any
disrespect to the Holy Quran".

-Al-Rai Al-Aam (Arabic, circ. 70,000) printed the press
release on page 36 as part of their report on the visit of
Foreign Minister Shaykh Muhammad Al-Sabah to the U.S.

-The Arab Times published the full text of the press
release on the front page in large red bold font. The
headline read, "U.S. Respects Islam". More details on the
retraction of the Newsweek story, and the Pentagon's
reaction appeared on p. 8.

-The Kuwait Times (English, circ. 35,000) published the
full text of the press release on page 2. The headline
read, "U.S. Respects Islam, Quran: LeBaron".

Comment
--------------


10. Although today's columns were quite critical of the
U.S. regarding the Newsweek report, they were written by
generally anti-American columnists. The Quran issue has
received moderate attention but was overshadowed by the
National Assembly vote of May 16 which granted full
political rights to Kuwaiti women. End comment.

LEBARON