SALAFIS ANNOUNCE POLITICAL PARTY; EMBASSY PRESENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000405 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2015 TAGS: KISL PREL KU ISLAMISTS SUBJECT: SALAFIS ANNOUNCE POLITICAL PARTY; EMBASSY PRESENCE PROVOKES FIRESTORM FROM LIBERALS Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The presence of Embassy personnel at a press conference held by prominent Salafis to announce the establishment of the Hizb Al-Ummah (People's Party or Nation's Party) on January 29 provoked a firestorm of complaints from liberal Kuwaitis, and a complaint from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Many Embassy contacts unhappy with photos published in local news dailies showing an Embassy political officer shaking hands with party officials called the Embassy on January 30 to express their disappointment. The announcement of the party (a first for Kuwait) comes at a time of increasing tension between Islamist and progressive factions of Kuwaiti society. End Summary. Press Conference Announces Islamic Nation's Party -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Prominent Salafists, including the very recently former Secretary General of the Salafi Movement, (aka Scientific Salafis),Hakem Al-Mutairi, held a press conference on January 29 announcing the establishment of the Hizb Al-Ummah (People's Party or Nation's Party). The new party leadership, in letters sent to Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and Speaker of the National Assembly Jassem Al-Khorafi, implored the GOK to amend legislation to allow for the establishment of official political parties. (Note: Political parties are neither prohibited nor allowed by the Constitution, but the government refuses to recognize them; in practice, political "groupings" or "movements" have served as de facto parties in Kuwait since the establishment of the National Assembly in 1962. End Note.) ¶3. (C) Copies of the party platform obtained at the press conference call for, among other things, the adoption of Sharia law as the sole source of legislation in Kuwait (Note: Currently, the Constitution specifies Sharia as "a main source of legislation." The adoption of Sharia as the sole source has been a long-standing goal of Kuwaiti Islamists. End Note.). The platform also called for the right to political pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power, Islam as religion and state, open dialogue between political factions and the right to "reject all forms of foreign occupation," a thinly veiled criticism of the U.S. presence in Kuwait. Just A Handshake and a Photo -------------- ¶4. (C) An Embassy political offficer and the political assistant attended the widely publicized press conference as observers only but were publicly recognized by the speakers at the end of the presentation, drawing focused media attention when they stopped to shake hands with the event's hosts. The resulting January 30 photos in local dailies and short spots on Al-Jazeera prompted liberal contacts, including former Ambassador to the U.S., Shaykh Saud Nasser Al-Sabah, to contact the Embassy on January 30 to voice their displeasure at the perception that the Embassy was endorsing an Islamist political party. ¶5. (C) MFA Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah called the Ambassador to "convey our worry and concern" about the presence of an Embassy officer at the event of the "unlicensed" organization. He asked for clarification that he could share with the Foreign Minister. Ambassador faxed Jarallah the text of press guidance that was used with Kuwaiti dailies on Jan. 30. Text: "The Embassy has received inquiries about the attendance of an Embassy officer at an event on January 29 sponsored by a group calling itself the Hizb Al-Ummah. Embassy officers meet with a wide spectrum of groups and individuals in Kuwait in order to gain an understanding of current developments. Attendance at the particular event should not be misinterpreted as an endorsement of the group or its objectives. LEBARON