FREEDOM AGENDA: MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SPOKESMAN SAYS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004313

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM KISL KWMN KU ISLAMISTS
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SPOKESMAN SAYS
ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO WORKING WITHIN POLITICAL SYSTEM

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


1. (C) The Political Relations Head for the Islamic
Consensus Movement (ICM),the political arm of the Muslim
Brotherhood in Kuwait, told Poloff in a recent meeting that
his organization is committed to working within Kuwait's
political system as outlined by the Constitution. Mohammed
Al-Dallal discounted political opponents' skepticism about
the organization's commitment to democratic government,
pointing to the ICM's long history of political participation
in Kuwait and noting the organization has never resorted to
violence to achieve its objectives. Al-Dallal emphasized
that the ICM eschews violence and condemns terrorist attacks
against civilians, though he noted that attacks against
Israeli soldiers are permissible. With several thousand
members, the ICM is one of the largest political associations
in Kuwait and is currently preparing itself to become a
political party, Al-Dallal said.


2. (C) Al-Dallal agreed with rumors that the Government paid
seven million KD (24 million USD) to garner enough support to
pass legislation granting women the right to vote. When
pressed, he admitted that he knew a National Assembly member
who received a 500,000 KD (1.7 million USD) bank transfer
from a government official to vote for the reform; he did not
specify who received or gave the money.


3. (C) Al-Dallal explained that the ICM opposed women's
suffrage legislation for social, not religious, reasons.
Asked what the ICM's position was now that women's political
rights had been granted, Al-Dallal said the ICM would
actively court women's votes and is even considering
nominating one or more female candidates in the 2007
parliamentary elections. The women's issue was hotly debated
within the party, Al-Dallal said, noting that the ICM's
position against the reform only passed by two votes among
the 70 ICM members with voting privileges; both Al-Dallal and
ICM Secretary General Bader Al-Nashi supported women's
suffrage. Al-Dallal claimed the ICM would not/not try to
reverse women's political rights if the organization gained
political power.


4. (C) Bio note: Mohammed Al-Dallal, who appears to be in
his late-thirties, is a partner at Al Khebra Legal
Consultants and Lawyers. He graduated from the Faculty of
Law at Kuwait University in 1989, and received a master's in
banking law from the University of Buckingham, England in

1997. Al-Dallal is a member of various organizations,
including: the Kuwait Bar Association, the International Bar
Association, and the British Arbitration Authority. Prior to
joining Al Khebra, he served as Deputy Attorney General in
the Department of Legal Advice and Legislation, which advises
the Council of Ministers on legal matters. At Kuwait
University, Al-Dallal was actively involved in the Coalition
Group, a student party affiliated with the ICM, and was twice
elected as head of the university's influential Student
Union. He speaks excellent English.

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