SPEAKING WITH MUSLIM LEADERS ABOUT TERRORIST ACS:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001012 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2015 TAGS: PREL PTER KISL KPAO BA SUBJECT: SPEAKING WITH MUSLIM LEADERS ABOUT TERRORIST ACS: BAHRAIN REF: A. STATE 121757 B. MANAMA 949 Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe. Reason: 1.4 (B)(D) ¶1. (C) The Embassy, in response to Ref A instruction, has focused its initial efforts to encourage denunciation and delegitimization of terrorist violence on engagement with Bahrain's senior leadership, including the King, Minister of Information/Min State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar, and Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs Shaikh Fareed Al-Muftah. Tragically, this engagement has coincided with the July 5 shooting of Bahrain's senior diplomat in Baghdad and the July 7 terrorist bombings in London. Both incidents generated strong statements against terrorism by Bahrain's leaders and citizens. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador raised the issue with King Hamad on July 5, just hours after Bahrain's Charge d'Affaires in Iraq Hassan Al-Ansari was wounded in an attack in Baghdad. When the Ambassador urged the King to look for ways to denounce terrorism publicly, the King responded positively, turning to Royal Court minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed and saying that, in their statements on the Baghdad attack, they should stress that it was contrary to what Islam was about. The King stated that he would look for other opportunities to stress that Islam is against terrorism and is a religion of tolerance, moderation, and brotherhood. (Note: In an initial statement issued to the press that night, the King was quoted as telling Al-Ansari that "such terrorist acts did not belong to Islam." End note.) ¶3. (C) The Ambassador delivered Ref A points to Minister of Information/Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Abdul Ghaffar on July 9, noting that the July 7 London bombings underscored all the more the importance of strong statements denouncing terrorism. Abdul Ghaffar responded that he was very upset by what had happened in London, and wanted to develop television and radio programming to promote the message that Islam is a religion of tolerance and peace, and not terrorism. This message has been hijacked by the terrorists, he stated, and television can play a better role in reaching out to young people with a positive message about Islam. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador met July 13 with Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs Shaikh Fareed Al-Muftah to discuss ways in which Muslim religious leaders in Bahrain could play a role 
in promoting moderation and denouncing terrorism. Shaikh Fareed stated he was very supportive of our effort, noting that he had recently attended a meeting of Islamic clerics and scholars in Amman in which King Abdullah had spoken strongly against terrorism as something against the spirit and principles of Islam. He said the conference had issued 20 fatwas, including one that condemned violence. ¶5. (C) For Bahrain, Shaikh Fareed stated that, in the short term, he planned, subject to approval by the Minister of Islamic Affairs, to prepare language for Friday sermons to be issued to imams and preachers that would condemn terrorism and violence. This language would not be based simply on personal abhorrence of terrorism, he said, but would draw from citations from the Koran. He acknowledged that some preachers would ignore the guidance, but expected more moderate ones to draw from it. For the longer term, and to try to influence some of the more extreme preachers, he planned to hold a series of workshops in the fall to discuss the issue of moderation and Islam and train preachers on how to give effective speeches that do not encourage violence. For these workshops, he welcomed the participation of an American Muslim scholar. (Note: Embassy will explore possibility of bringing a speaker for this purpose. End note.) ¶6. (U) One of the strongest recent statements on terrorism by a religious figure came from leading Shia Cleric Issa Qassim in his June 24 Friday sermon, in which he stated: "We must be wise and reasonable with foreign antagonistic rhetoric against Islam. We must be vigilant and alert but we must be as far as possible from fatwas of terrorism and incitement in the local and international community. Our school is a school of peace, security, stability, and dialogue. Our slogan remains 'the dialogue of civilizations' instead of 'the clash of civilizations.'" ¶7. (U) Government leaders and Shia clerics issued strong condemnations of terrorism in their responses to the July 7 London bombings. In condolence letters to British leaders, the King, Crown Prince and Prime Minister condemned the July 7 terrorist attack and called it a criminal act that contradicted religious and humanitarian principles. The King stated that global efforts will help eradicate terrorism and that democratic principles, freedoms, peace and security will prevail. Abdul Ghaffar told the press that such attacks " contravene all religious and divine laws and are against moral and human values." In his July 8 Friday sermon, Shaikh Issa Qassim condemned the London attacks and said that Islam requires the condemnation of any and all terrorist activities regardless of the perpetrator. Shia cleric and opposition Al-Wifaq President Shaikh Ali Salman denounced terrorist activities against innocent people in London, Iraq, and elsewhere. MONROE