Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05MANAMA328
2005-03-07 14:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

CRITIQUE OF SISTANI CREATES DEBATE ON FREEDOM OF

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PREL KPAO BA 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000328 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KPAO BA
SUBJECT: CRITIQUE OF SISTANI CREATES DEBATE ON FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION


Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

-------
Summary
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000328

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KPAO BA
SUBJECT: CRITIQUE OF SISTANI CREATES DEBATE ON FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION


Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Columnist Sameera Rajab's February 16 article on the
Iraqi elections that criticized Ayatollah Sistani created an
intense debate on freedom of expression. The controversy
continues to make headlines almost daily. Rajab, a columnist
for Akhbar Al Khaleej, wrote that Sistani was an American
general who was wrong to support the electoral process.
Fellow journalists, members of parliament, clerics, charity
organizations, and others spoke out against Rajab and said
that people should not publicly criticize or insult religious
leaders. The outcry led to a counter-reaction, with many
denouncing what they viewed as calls for restrictions on
freedom of expression. This episode demonstrates that many
Bahrainis value freedom of expression, but they are coming to
grips with whether freedom of expression permits others to
denigrate religious leaders held in high esteem. End
Summary.

-------------- --------------
Rajab: "General Sistani" Legitimizes U.S. Actions
-------------- --------------


2. (SBU) Akhbar Al Khaleej, a Bahraini daily, published an
opinion piece on the Iraqi elections written by columnist
Sameera Rajab February 16. In the column, Rajab gives a
detailed analysis of the situation in Iraq, and includes a
short section in the end about Sistani's role in legitimizing
the January 30 elections. She argues that without the
support of "General Sistani," the American leadership
("representatives of the Great Satan") would be dealing with
a different scenario in Iraq now.


3. (SBU) Sameera Rajab is a regular columnist with Akhbar Al
Khaleej and a known Baathist sympathizer. Her articles often
focus on the United States and are marked by fiery criticisms
of USG officials and policies. She comes from a prominent
Bahraini Shi'a family, but is married to a member of the Al
Khalifa ruling family.

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Religious Leaders Should Not Be Insulted
--------------


4. (SBU) Rajab's article generated a hot debate on freedom

of speech and respect for religious leaders. Numerous
columnists, mostly in the independent newspaper Al Wasat,
spoke out against Rajab. Al Wasat's Reem Khalifa wrote that
any columnist who used the word "general" to describe a
religious figure showed a lack of respect and did not belong
to the liberal school of thought. Also in Al Wasat,
columnist Sayed Dhiya Al Mousawi claimed that Rajab's
commentary planted the seeds of sectarianism in the region.
He demanded that the GOB and elected leaders take a stand
against those who insult religious leaders. Al Mousawi added
that Rajab and her fellow Baathists were still in shock from
the fall of Saddam, and he advised them to move on and play a
productive role in Iraq's transformation. No Bahraini
columnists, other than Rajab's editor, wrote in favor of her
or her rights as a journalist.


5. (SBU) Several of the most prominent clerics have focused
on the Rajab controversy in their Friday prayers. Shi'a
Sheikh Isa Qassem warned that those who insult religious
leaders are attempting to destroy the religion itself. Sunni
Sheikh Juma Tawfeeq criticized the GOB for keeping quiet on
the Rajab article and said freedom of speech does not include
the right to slander religious figures and Shari'a judges.
(Note: In September 2003, Akhbar Al Khaleej published
accusations of corruption in the Shari'a courts. End Note.)
Shi'a Sheikh Abdulla Al Ghuraifi demanded that the Ministry
of Information do something to stop the slander of religious
officials "before the anger of the public erupts and causes
something in this country that we would not like to see."


6. (SBU) More than twenty charities, mosques, and community
centers joined together to fund several advertisements in Al
Wasat against Rajab. A prominent businessman who owns a
number of American franchises in Bahrain also paid for a
large advertisement criticizing Rajab.

--------------
Freedom of Expression Must Be Protected
--------------


7. (SBU) Al Tajamo' Al Qowmi, the local Baathist party and a
member of the alliance that boycotted the 2002 parliamentary
elections, issued a statement in support of Rajab. The
statement said that "intellectual terrorism" was destroying
freedom of expression in Bahrain, and that Rajab was "an
honest writer who has refused to accept the American
occupation in Iraq." The Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
also issued a statement to express its solidarity with Rajab,
underscoring the importance of protecting freedom of
expression. The Bahrain Journalists Association appealed for
calm and a constructive dialogue on the Rajab article, which
it feared was dividing the press and religious institutions.

--------------
Reactions from Parliament
--------------


8. (C) In a luncheon with visiting NEA/ARPI Director Alan
Misenheimer February 21, three Shura Council members and two
MPs discussed the Rajab controversy. All of them agreed that
Rajab's comments were offensive and that Akhbar Al Khaleej
should not have printed them. Shura Council member Faisal
Fouladh (who helped establish the Bahrain Human Rights Watch
Society) stated that despite the ignorance of her views, her
freedom to express those views must be protected.


9. (C) MP Jassim Al A'Ali, a member of the Economic bloc,
told PolOff that Rajab did not have the right to say what she
did. He praised the civilized way that people reacted to the
article, and said that if she had said the same thing in some
other countries she could have been killed. He could not
imagine how the GOB would have reacted if she had made such
strong statements against the Prime Minister or another
member of the royal family.

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Akhbar Al Khaleej Responds
--------------


10. (SBU) Akhbar Al Khaleej editor Anwar Abdulrahman wrote a
front page article February 23 regretting that the Rajab
piece had angered religious scholars. He said that anyone
who engaged in political activities was subject to critique,
and that Rajab was justified in analyzing Sistani's role in
Iraq. He reiterated that his newspaper would never instigate
sectarianism, and that it had always called for one religion
and one people without discrimination. Abdulrahman noted
that 80 percent of Akhbar Al Khaleej's staff is Shi'a. He
confirmed that he and Rajab support Sistani and appreciate
his role in Iraq. He added, "All the writer did was analyze
the political situation. The goal was not to defame the
reputation of Sistani or insult him."

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


11. (C) Rajab's article touched on a number of enormously
sensitive issues in Bahrain - religion, the sectarian divide,
U.S. policy in Iraq, and freedom of expression. She is a
controversial and divisive person and no doubt knew that the
article would cause a flare up in tensions. Her writing for
some time has been supportive of Saddam and the insurgency
and has denigrated the Shi'a role in Iraq, and Bahrain's
Shi'a were looking for an opportunity to discredit her.
Although she is now portraying herself as a champion of
freedom of expression, the reaction to her crude attacks on
Sistani demonstrates that Bahrainis are not in agreement
whether this freedom should include insulting criticisms of
religious leaders held in high esteem.


12. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
MONROE