GOB PROMOTES MODERATION THROUGH ISLAMIC OUTREACH,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000468

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO SCUL KMPI KISL KIRF PHUM BA
SUBJECT: GOB PROMOTES MODERATION THROUGH ISLAMIC OUTREACH,
CIVIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) The Bahraini government is in the process of
launching two programs emphasizing moderation in public
discourse and interactions. Ministry of Islamic Affairs
Under Secretary Dr. Fareed Al Muftah told the Embassy that he
was reaching out to Bahrain's citizens to ensure they were
not infected by growing "aggression and violence" in the
teachings of some Islamic scholars. By organizing lectures,
seminars, and conferences, the Ministry can promote the
concepts of tolerance, acceptance and modernity. Al Muftah
said he would welcome USG assistance in support of his
program. Ministry of Education official Khalid Al Khaja told
us that he is working with Arab Civitas on a civic education
curriculum for Bahrain's primary and secondary public schools
that focuses on the constitution, separation of powers, women
and children's rights, role of civil society, and human
rights. Target date for implementation is January 2006. Al
Khaja emphasized that the curriculum could draw from outside
sources but must be a "very local project." He hinted that
the Ministry would be open to ideas on how the USG could
provide indirect funding for the program. These initiatives
reflect growing GOB concern that public discourse is
developing in an increasingly divisive way, and the
government, through its power in the mosques and schools, is
trying to exert leadership in determining the outcome of the
debate. End Summary.

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Fending Off Outside Ideas About Islam
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2. (SBU) Newly-appointed Ministry of Islamic Affairs Under
Secretary Dr. Fareed Al Muftah told PolEcon chief March 22

SIPDIS
that he was concerned about growing "aggression and violence"
in the religious discourse used by some Arab Muslims in the
region. He said that Bahrainis are "calm and peaceful"
people, but outside ideologies claiming to reflect the true
path of Islam could infect them. As a result, Al Muftah
decided to launch an awareness and education campaign to
demonstrate for Bahrainis that Islam's message is one of
moderation and peace. (Bio Note: Al Muftah received his
Ph.D. in Islamic studies from a university in Scotland and
professed a love of American television and films. End Note.)

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"Ijtihad" to Modernize Islam
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3. (SBU) Al Muftah said that the Ministry was organizing
lectures, seminars and conferences featuring Bahraini and
other Arab and Muslim scholars focusing on themes of
tolerance, acceptance, and modernity. The Islamic concept of
"ijtihad," or religious interpretation, requires that Muslims
adopt a forward-looking philosophy incorporating
international and technological developments into the
practice of their religion. In contrast with those who call
for a return to Islam's golden age from the time of the
Prophet Mohammed, Al Muftah believes that 90 percent of
today's Islam should be open for interpretation within the
framework of the Qur'an and the Sunna and Hadith, which
describe Mohammed's life and practices, and only 10 percent
based on a more rigid, literal reading of the holy books.


4. (SBU) As an example of his openness to modernity and
technology, he stated that his wife, a teacher in a Bahraini
public school, was a firm supporter of the U.S. GLOBE program
focusing on environmental education and use of technology.
He said she would travel to Lebanon shortly to participate in
a GLOBE conference. (Note: This story was illuminating for
several reasons. Traditional Muslim men often do not speak
directly about their wives, instead referring to their
"families." That his wife works outside the home and travels
without him is unusual for a devout senior religious scholar.
End Note.)

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Advocating Contact with Non-Muslim Religious Scholars
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5. (SBU) Al Muftah advocates contact with the outside,
non-Muslim world, and recalled a conference held in Bahrain a
few years earlier that included non-Arab Muslim, Christian,
and Jewish religious scholars. Although he has no specific
plans, he thought that holding a similar conference now could
be beneficial.


6. (SBU) Al Muftah welcomed any USG programming or support
for his mission to promote moderate religious discourse in
Bahrain. He suggested study tours for Bahraini clerics in
the U.S., USG-sponsored visits to Bahrain by speakers and
experts on religion and Islam in America, and interfaith
conferences, all of which would promote person-to-person
contact.

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Developing Civic Education Curriculum
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7. (SBU) On March 22, APAO met with Khalid Al Khaja,
Ministry of Education Senior Specialist in Social Studies and
a recent International Visitors Program participant, to
discuss the March 13 Cabinet approval of a Council of
Representatives (COR) proposal to teach human rights and
democracy at Bahrain's public schools. Al Khaja is
responsible for the implementation of civic education in
Bahraini primary and secondary public schools and is working
with Arab Civitas, a MEPI education pillar implementer, on
the curriculum. He noted that MoE is coordinating with Arab
Civitas on training teachers and developing materials in
support of the civic education program. The new curriculum
will focus on the constitution, separation of powers, women
and children's rights, role of civil society, and human
rights. Al Khaja acknowledged a previous Royal Decree, from
fall 2004, mandating that political studies be taught at the
university level, but admitted that the Ministry had not yet
begun to address this project.


8. (SBU) Al Khaja said that teaching civic education in
public schools is not new in Bahrain. From 1977-1991 civic
education was taught in public school classrooms. In the
early 1990s civic education was merged with social studies,
and was eventually dissolved from the public school
curriculum. He did not directly comment on the reason for
dissolving the program, but noted that this occurred during a
time of political strife in Bahrain. The current efforts to
bring civic education to the classroom are not viewed as
groundbreaking by some. Rather, they are seen as a return to
the pre-conflict status quo.

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Program to Reflect Bahraini Values
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9. (SBU) The civic education program will be developed in a
way that is "suitable for Bahrain." Al Khaja stressed that
Bahrain would not adopt civic education models from other
Arab nations. He admitted that GOB officials involved in
civic education could benefit from the various training
opportunities that exist in the region as well as from Arabic
literature created on the topic. However, civic education
will remain "a very local project." The Ministry is
reviewing books on civic education to ensure that they adhere
to Bahraini culture and customs. The fact that the books are
in Arabic is not enough. They must reflect a local flavor.
Al Khaja is hopeful that civic education will be implemented
in the classroom by January 2006. However, he warned that
the program is currently facing financial difficulties
because of the fear on the part of the Ministry to accept
foreign funding directly. Al Khaja hinted that the Minister
would be open to ideas on how to fund the program indirectly,
without money being exchanged with the Ministry.


10. (SBU) Turning to the COR proposal, Al Khaja said that
the Ministry's vision is to teach human rights and democracy
in primary schools in a broad context rather than as
individual subjects. For example, children's rights can be
taught in the context of family values and issues. Civic
responsibility can be taught in the context of community
service.

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Comment
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11. (C) The outreach program by the Ministry of Islamic
Affairs and the plan to teach civic education in public
schools reflect the government's desire to reinforce
Bahrain's traditional openness and moderation. Many
Bahrainis perceive that public discourse is developing in an
increasingly divisive way, and the government, through its
power in the mosques and schools, is trying to determine the
outcome of the debate. That said, there are some within the
Ministry of Education who believe that implementing the "new"
civic education curriculum could raise difficult questions
among young students about sectarianism and could conflict
with traditional family values. We believe there is an
opportunity for MEPI and other USG programs to support these
initiatives. We will develop our ideas and welcome
Washington's input on possible next steps.

MONROE