ISLAMISTS OFFER CRITIQUE OF U.S. POLICY, ADVICE ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003384

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR
ZEYA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO KISL PTER KU ISLAMISTS
SUBJECT: ISLAMISTS OFFER CRITIQUE OF U.S. POLICY, ADVICE ON
PROMOTING MODERATION

Ref: State 121757


1. SUMMARY AND COMMENT: On July 26, CDA hosted a gathering
of Kuwaiti Islamists from the media, academic, religious
and political fields for the purpose of engaging Kuwait's
religious leaders and opinion makers in a formal dialogue
about U.S. policy and world events. The guests, some of
whom expressed their surprise at being invited to such an
event and praise for the quality of the invitees, politely
but firmly offered critiques of U.S. policies and
approaches in the region, particularly regarding Iraq and
Guantanamo Bay. They also took advantage of the informal
meeting to share ideas about how best to reclaim Islam from
extremists. While the discussion largely highlighted
differences, participants agreed on the value of continuing
to engage in dialogue between U.S. officials and Islamists.
The Kuwaiti participants appeared genuine in their desire
to continue contacts. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT.

"This is Humiliating and Only Creates Enemies"
-------------- -


2. Many of the attendees, while polite, expressed highly
unfavorable opinions of the United States and U.S.
policies. Bassam Al-Shatti, a professor at Kuwait
University's College of Sharia (Islamic Law) and the
editor-in-chief of Al-Furqan, a Salafi weekly magazine,
described American society as "racist" and engaged CDA in a
lengthy critique of U.S. policy. He found particular fault
with U.S. treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and the
U.S.'s policies towards Israel. Al-Shatti cited U.S. visa
policies as evidence of bias against Muslims and argued
that humiliating procedures were leading many Muslims to
conclude that the U.S. did not want to engage Muslims.


3. Salem Al-Nashi, the spokesman for the Traditional Salafi
religious current, admonished Emboffs about the Department
of State Human Rights Report. He complained that the report
criticizes Kuwait for policies such as inheritance law,
which the Department finds discriminatory but which,
according to him, are determined by Islamic law and
therefore not negotiable. He also questioned the report's
focus on violence against women. While he conceded that
domestic violence was an isolated problem in Kuwait, and
everywhere, he argued that the U.S. would be better served
focusing on more pressing international problems.


4. In contrast to Al-Nashi, Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghanem, a
Salafi professor of international relations at Kuwait
University, said that the U.S. should expand its focus on
human rights, but that it must tread carefully in its
promotion of democracy. Al-Ghanem agreed with the premise
that as political opportunity increased, the lure of
extremism was likely to decrease, but cautioned, "Don't
push democracy too quickly."


5. U.S. conduct in Iraq was a particular sore point for Dr.
Ibrahim Al-Hadban, a moderate Islamist professor of
political science at Kuwait University. Al-Hadban said that
raids and arrests across Iraq by U.S. troops served only to
alienate and anger the Iraqis, especially when innocent
people are the victims of such treatment. "This is
humiliating and only creates enemies," Al-Hadban said.

The Challenges of Promoting Moderation
--------------


6. On the issue of encouraging moderate Muslims to combat
extremism, no consensus emerged on how best to do this, and
this, in conjunction with the widely divergent definitions
among the attendees of "moderation," highlights the
difficulties of such a proposition. Al-Hadban, who agreed
that moderate Islamists must speak out, offered the example
of well-known Kuwaiti moderate Islamist Dr. Tarek Al-
Suwaidan. Al-Suwaidan, who recently sat on a panel of Arab
commentators speaking on the issue of women's rights and
Islam broadcast on the BBC, is named as a co-conspirator in
a 9-11 lawsuit. Al-Hadban argued that the average citizen
views moderate positions and policies as ineffective when
their supporters, like Al-Suwaidan, are accused of backing
extremist views. He urged that the U.S. and other Western
countries not condemn as terrorists those viewed as voices
of reason among Arabs.


7. That suggestion then requires the definition of
"moderate" and "extreme" - a difficulty inadvertently
highlighted by Shi'a scholar Abdul Hussain Al-Sultan. Al-
Sultan agreed that Kuwaiti moderates must speak loudly in
condemning violence and encouraging moderation. But asked
by IO to identify such moderates, he offered Dr. Mohammed
Al-Tabtabaei and Dr. Mohammed Al-Awadhi. Al-Tabtabaei, the
dean of the College of Sharia, has written newspaper
columns outlining when and how it is appropriate to beat
one's wife, and Al-Awadhi was involved in 2004 in the
creation of a political group, Hizb Al-Tahreer (Liberation
Party),whose stated goal was the creation of a universal
Islamic caliphate.


8. Even if moderate voices can be found, Dr. Humoud Al-
Hattab said that such intervention is too late. A former
Muslim Brotherhood member and 24-year employee of the
Ministry of Education, during which he held the post of
general supervisor for Islamic Education, Al-Hattab said
that a revamped curriculum, which taught young people
moderation and tolerance, combined with active parents
promoting the same message, could prevent extremism.

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