COMBATING EXTREMISM IN OMAN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 07 MUSCAT 001475 SIPDIS DEPT FOR R, P, NEA, NEA/PI, NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2015 TAGS: KDEM KPAO KMPI PREL EAID PHUM PGOV ASEC MU SUBJECT: COMBATING EXTREMISM IN OMAN REF: A. SECSTATE 159129 ¶B. SECSTATE 152818 Classified By: Ambassador Richard A. Baltimore III. Reason: 1.4 (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (S) The Embassy's outreach and public diplomacy efforts, filtering down into every social strata and region of the Sultanate, have promoted a consistently positive image of U.S. society and culture that have complemented the Omani government's own effective actions to counter or prevent extremist tendencies. As a result of this, and by virtue of the Sultanate's unique cultural and historical legacy of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, extremism is rare in Oman. The Omani government's careful monitoring of religious and political discourse, and its control over the media, greatly facilitate our ability to provide a positive alternative to the negative images of the U.S. so common in other Arab and regional media. The USG has some excellent programs in play that effectively discourage extremism in the long run and some of them should be significantly expanded. This message contains six recommendations how we could better apply our resources to combat extremism. End summary. -------------- Extremism -------------- ¶2. (S) Extremism is a rarity in Oman. A key factor is Oman's embrace of disparate cultures and races through centuries of proud maritime commerce and the countless trade outposts established by intrepid Omani mariners throughout South Asia and the rich East African coast. Immigration from these areas and neighboring states brought Sunni, Shia, Hindu and other minority populations into Oman, contributing to an innate Omani tolerance for ethnic and religious diversity that prevails to this day. Sultan Qaboos and his government have further amplified this trend in their policies, public pronouncements, and actions. Oman remains the only state in history to have a majority population that adheres to the Ibadhi branch of Islam, known in the Muslim world for its unshakable allegiance to principles of tolerance and compassion. Born in the earliest decades of Islam, when ideological clashes frequently led to death or repression, the early Ibadhi followers fled to distant Oman to practice their faith in peace. In the rare instances when extremism has reared its head in Oman, either among individuals or cells, the local security services detected them and thwarted any hostile actions. There have been no major terrorist attacks either within Oman or involving Omanis. -------------- Embassy Efforts -------------- ¶3. (S) The Embassy employs a wide and effective array of engagement strategies that, combined with Omani government efforts, have achieved an impressive record in preventing and combating extremism. -------------- IVLP: The Golden Formula -------------- ¶4. (U) The single most effective tool in the USG,s arsenal of programs to foster more human ties is the International Visitor Leadership Program. Sustained feedback over the years has been nearly universally positive. The IVLP is probably the most efficient vehicle to counteract the many distortions in circulation about American society and to build "human ties" with the American people. We should not underestimate the power of showing foreigners who we are and how our society really works. For example, a Ministry of Commerce and Industry official visited Texas and met with some Americans involved in a "halfway house" for battered women. The Omani woman was so impressed with what she saw that she is now planning to open a similar facility here in the Sultanate. Another young lady was so moved by the involvement of women in the American political process that after she returned to Muscat she declared her candidacy for the Omani parliament and launched a highly enthusiastic campaign. In FY-05, Oman was allotted 15 IVLP slots, up from 11 in FY-04. The 15 participants constituted about a quarter of all official exchange program participants. Demand here for participation in IVLP programs has always exceeded supply. Recommendation: Seek funding to double the number of IVLP slots for all NEA countries. -------------- Battle of the Bulge -------------- ¶5. (U) By definition, the IVLP program is aimed at those whom we believe are poised to assume some sort of leadership role in the future. As in the rest of NEA, Oman has a demographic bulge, with the majority of its population under the age of ¶25. An exceedingly small percentage of this bulge enters the higher educational system. Most of them either try to join the workforce after high school or opt for vocational training. When it comes to the image of the United States, few in this group have an opportunity to personally know an American. Their parents probably were not educated abroad, and embassy activities are most likely perceived as aimed at the wealthier "haves" of Omani society. Yet, they are just as exposed to and remain vulnerable to the false sirens of radical extremism and distortions about the U.S., especially from regional media sources such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia. In a discussion about this situation with the former head of ECA, the Ambassador proposed taking a "man in the street" who would not fit the IVLP criterion and see what would happen if he visited the U.S. ECA agreed to fund the experiment on a trial basis if we could identify a typical, small-town Omani citizen who would be willing to be our guest in the U.S. We selected a middle manager of a small textile plant who believed he "knew" what the U.S. was about but was willing to take the trip and test his views. The experiment was a success. His attitude began to change after he discovered some jeans made in his factory in Oman for sale on the shelves of a Gap Store in Washington. Now that he has returned, he is eager to share his changed worldview with his countrymen and his enthusiasm has not waned. For example, he recently flew over 600 miles from the south of Oman just to attend a reception at the EMR for all participants in USG-funded programs. Without losing the excellent focus that the IVLP program has, initiating a program for people like this blue-collar worker could broaden the target pool and reach an audience that merits attention. Recommendation: Include a non-traditional participant component in the existing IVLP. ¶6. (SBU) The Embassy uses various other exchange and educational programs to expose Omanis to America's tolerant and democratic traditions. -------------- English Training -------------- ¶7. (U) We have used the ACCESS Microscholarships program to provide English language training in FY05 for 120 economically disadvantaged Omani youth throughout the Sultanate. In FY06, the number of participants will grow to ¶320. This program will have long-term impact, particularly as English-language skills are key to future employment opportunities. Oman is hungry for English language instruction. With more funding, we could double the size of this key outreach program again. The fact that it reaches underprivileged children multiplies its positive impact on Omani society and the positive impression of the U.S. it leaves with people throughout the Sultanate. By working with the Ministry of Education to identify the neediest students, we have also sown goodwill with teachers around the country, who have considerable influence over their students. Upon learning details of the program, the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs personally committed himself to overcoming any obstacles the Embassy might encounter with implementation. Recommendation: Provide additional funding for another significant broadening (no less than 50%) of the ACCESS Microshcolarships program. ¶8. (U) Another hugely successful training program was directed at Omani judges. We sponsored an English Language Fellow at the Ministry of Justice to conduct a course in Legal English for 17 Omani justices. The Ministry was so impressed with the training that it has contributed $13,000 of its own funds to support a second English Language Fellow in FY06. This is a long-term project that will help expose often conservative, Islamic Shariah-trained justices to broader precepts of international law. -------------- Cornering the Market -------------- ¶9. (U) We have established NEA,s first &American Corner8 plus four more throughout the Sultanate. The Corners are stocked with publications and audio-visual material dealing with U.S. culture, history and literature. The potential positive, long-term impact of these Corners is tremendous. During the course of a one-year anniversary at ONE of the earlier Corners in a private university, an official stood by beaming as a group of young Omani women explained how only the USG-donated computers had the capability of handling a software program that they were developing. ¶10. (U) We also use the Corners to host visiting U.S. speakers and for digital videoconferences with experts in the U.S. ONE visiting speaker at the Corners this year was an American Fulbright scholar who spoke to youth about Muslim life in America, dispelling noxious assumptions of America as hostile and antipathetic toward Muslims. Other speaker programs included the State Department's Deputy Spokesman, plus programs on foreign direct investment, the Iraqi elections, and Black History Month. ¶11. (U) With increased funding, we could extend the Corners into the vocational training colleges, a large and untapped audience that to date has English-language materials solely from the United Kingdom. The Omani authorities have already asked us to assist in providing American publications, texts and reference material into their vocational system; if we had the adequate resources, we estimate that we could easily open two new American Corners per year. Recommendations: (a) Study the prospect of securing less-expensive American Corners for vocational students and (b) Investigate the prospect of corporate funding of additional Corners. -------------- Exchange Visits -------------- ¶12. (SBU) We have had considerable success in our initial experiences with MEPI-related exchange visits. For instance, a small grant offered under the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) sent five young Omani student council leaders from a Muscat college to U.S. universities in three states to share student leadership as well as cultural experiences. The Dean of the Muscat college is so delighted with the results that he is organizing a press conference to publicize the tremendous benefit that the exposure to the U.S. has brought to his campus. The program's impact is medium/short-term. ¶13. (U) In 2004, we sent over 40 Omanis to the U.S. on various exchange programs, such as the MEPI-funded Business Internships for Young Middle Eastern Women, and the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, which sends Omani high school students to an American high school for ONE year. ONE of these Omani YES participants returned so enthralled with the program that he insisted on participating in the pre-departure orientation for a subsequent batch of Omani students. Another student who spent a year in Virginia set up "orientation sessions" for interested Americans in his town in which he outlined the traditions, history and culture of Oman. He held his sessions in the basement of a local church. The mother of yet another student reported that her daughter struggled academically at first and had trouble relating to the local community, but eventually got her bearings and "became a much more responsible young woman" while successfully completing her ONE year of American high school education. ¶14. (U) In 2005, we expect the total number of Omani exchange participants to grow to 50. The impact of this program is long-term, given the transformative impact that spending a year in a U.S. high school or interning at a corporation like Disney has on young Omanis. Moreover, we keep in contact with alumni of these programs through representational events. We also hosted a group of ten U.S. military chaplains in August 2005 as they attended lectures and seminars with Muslim intellectuals and discussed interfaith tolerance issues at the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. -------------- Rule of Law -------------- ¶15. (C) In response to an initiative launched by Senator Hutchinson of Texas, and in conjunction with Dallas-based Southern Methodist University, Oman was the first country to send a large high-level delegation to Washington, New York, and Dallas to participate in a "Rule of Law Forum" as well as the first country to repeat the experience the following year. In FY04 and FY05, the Ambassador accompanied high-ranking delegations of Omani officials and private-sector leaders that included several conservative officials from the judicial and legislative branches of Omani government who had been schooled in Islamic jurisprudence. One such participant was the president of the lower house of parliament. A conservative Sunni Muslim who never let down his guard in previous meetings with any U.S. official, the Sultan himself had to convince the parliament leader to participate in the SMU program. Other Omani participants cautioned us that the president was too old to change his surly attitude toward the U.S. Our gamble paid off. Subsequent to his return, he routinely greets the Ambassador with a warm embrace and speaks glowingly of his travel in the U.S. Omani colleagues of his have told us that they are amazed how much he has changed since returning from the U.S. It was indeed a telling moment when this same fellow who could rarely be moved off his Palestine diatribes accepted an invitation from the Ambassador earlier this year to dine aboard a visiting U.S. Navy warship. ¶16. (SBU) Other members of the delegation, including the president of the Supreme Court and the dean of Oman's law school, were so taken by what the U.S. has to offer in terms of commercial legal training that they are eager for us to provide more training under the Middle East Partnership Initiative. Another participant was appointed as a new Minster shortly after her return. The impact of these two "Rule of Law Forum" visits will be long-term, though the program itself is of limited duration. -------------- Religious Themes -------------- ¶17. (SBU) Virtually all of the Embassy's outreach and engagement activities include Muslim participants, who form the vast majority of the local population. We have nevertheless gone out of our way to form close ties to the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and other institutions to spread positive information about tolerance and religious diversity, particularly as it exists in the U.S. On the heels of a recent visit to the U.S. that was hosted by an interdenominational organization, the Minister invited the Ambassador for a private dinner at the Minister,s home. In the course of the evening, the Minister signaled his willingness to work with the embassy to promote religious tolerance in Oman. ¶18. (U) We engage in special public diplomacy efforts during the holy month of Ramadan, and the Ambassador routinely includes statistics and images of Muslim life in America in his annual addresses to the Omani Command and Staff College and to the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Institute. -------------- Study USA -------------- ¶19. (SBU) Another means of dispelling the falsehoods incumbent in extremist ideology is to encourage Omanis to experience America first hand by studying in the U.S. The Embassy invests great effort to get Omani families to send their young students to U.S. colleges and universities. To further this goal, the Embassy provides full-time educational advising services free of charge, and we employ a number of Omani graduates of U.S. universities among our Embassy staff to help promote the advantages of a U.S. education. In September alone we assisted the visits of two large U.S. university fairs, exposing Omani students to over 40 American higher education institutions. We are also facilitating philanthropic initiatives by some visiting U.S. businessmen to reserve spots for Omani students at ONE of America's leading schools of business and in a private preparatory school. This is a long-term program. -------------- More MEPI -------------- ¶20. (SBU) Our numerous programs under the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI),spanning educational, political, economic, and legal fields, combat extremism by helping to generate a modern, prosperous Omani economy and educational system, and promoting democratization. For a number of years now, the Embassy has provided MEPI Small Grants, typically in the amount of $25,000, to Omani civil society organizations. ONE program in 2004 promoted the economic empowerment of Bedouin women, another helped promote the rights of the disabled community, and a third went to a civil society organization spreading awareness about road safety. Small grants this year are going to civil society organizations that support environmental and consumer protection rights. A vibrant, engaged, civic-minded Omani society is ONE that will be less susceptible to the spread of extremist influences. The small grants program is long-term. ¶21. (SBU) Another active MEPI program involves our close work with the Ministry of Education to help reform schooling in the Sultanate. Omani and U.S. experts have undertaken reciprocal visits to help finalize our "Partnership Schools" initiative that will modernize curriculum in Omani middle schools. Another MEPI project, working through the NGO Children's Resources International, has been successful in transforming childhood education at primary schools around the Sultanate. MEPI is likewise deeply engaged in legal reform in Oman. A training program offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Law Development Program, combined with our "Rule of Law" forum (above),helped spark Oman's decision to transform the country's lone College of Shariah and Law. Seeking to reduce the overtly Islamic nature of its curriculum, the school is now simply the College of Law, and has been brought under the nation's leading public university. The College is seeking USG help in creating an entirely new commercial law curriculum, both for new students as well as for remedial training of judges and lawyers. This is a long-term program. -------------- Cultural Preservation -------------- ¶22. (SBU) The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation has been a very successful program in reaching Omanis with the message that America respects and seeks to preserve their cultural heritage. In the context of combating extremism, this is particularly important insofar as we can play a constructive -- and public -- role in helping preserve Oman's Islamic heritage. The positive effects of this program are long term. Although we have gotten excellent mileage out of this program, we have also found the nomination and selection process exceedingly burdensome and protracted. Furthermore, because of the name of the program, there is a local assumption that the embassy has the final say in what awards are granted. Recommendation: Within reasonable guidelines and full accountability, restructure the program to give Chiefs of Mission the authority to select grantees instead of a committee in Washington. Consideration might also be given to limit the program to countries that have scant access to traditional sources of archeological and cultural preservation funding. -------------- Information Outreach -------------- ¶23. (SBU) To help counteract misleading regional media, on a daily basis the Embassy distributes the Washington File press clips to dozens of Omani media outlets and key government contacts. We also launched our new Embassy website earlier this year, which offers the latest news from Washington, highlights the Embassy's work in the community, and advertises educational and business opportunities. We could reach an even larger audience were the Department to provide more of this material in Arabic translation. This is a long-term program. Recommendation: Provide more Arabic translations of items for general dissemination. -------------- Security Cooperation -------------- ¶24. (S) While USG assistance to Omani military and security agencies is not always tied directly to combating extremism, it does substantially improve Omani government capacities and capabilities to deter and defeat extremist violence. We have been successful in recruiting Omani journalists to spend a day at sea on U.S. naval vessels on patrol in the Northern Arabian Gulf. Those visits have generated numerous articles explaining the efforts of the Coalition to help keep Oman's maritime boundaries safe and secure. Our military assistance programs focus substantial resources on aiding Omani border security to help halt the entry of potentially extremist foreign elements by either land or sea. Assistance includes fast boats for maritime interdiction, tactical communications, national-level command-and-control architecture, and night-vision and thermal imaging gear. Through DOD's IMET and FMS programs, over 250 Omani military members annually attend U.S. military institutions of learning, during which time they and their families are exposed to U.S. military ethics of tolerance and diversity. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Anti-Terrorism Assistance program likewise builds confidence and capability among Oman's law enforcement agencies. Specific programs have targeted investigative techniques and crisis management. Security services confident in their capabilities will be more effective in all aspects of their work, including combating extremism. These programs are long-term. -------------- Monitoring the Media, Religion -------------- ¶25. (C) Extremism in a society is often reflected in its mass media. As part of our constant monitoring efforts, the Front Office holds a press review every morning, which includes reporting sections and military agencies. The sessions include discussion of hot topics on Oman's leading Internet message boards. Visiting officials (such as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Cathy Novelli and CA A/S Maura Harty) have conducted some very effective on-line question and answer sessions via these same Internet message boards, effectively dispelling myths about trade and visa policies, for instance, and reassuring a cross-section of Omani society that the U.S. genuinely cares about their concerns and attitudes. A number of Omanis contrasted the ready access to American officials to their very limited access to the local authorities. Friday mosque sermons prepared by the government are published openly and scanned for sensitive topics. Embassy officers are also in regular contact with Omanis representing all three locally prevalent sects of Islam, as well as the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. -------------- VIEWING AMERICA IN THE OMANI PRESS -------------- 26.(U) Whereas Embassy activities in some Middle Eastern states can become lightning rods for public criticism, the Omani press has been replete with examples of our good works. The Ambassador is regularly featured in newspaper photographs attending charitable, community, and other cultural events. While the individual impact of the following press coverage may appear short-term, over time they have created an enormous pool of goodwill that helps defuse extremist tendencies and deflect unfair criticism of the U.S. ¶27. (U) In recent weeks, for instance, we have received enthusiastic credit in the press for bringing an "American Voices" jazz quartet to Oman for several free performances and workshops for students at two local schools. Newspaper pictures of the jazz musicians' improvisation with an Omani folk orchestra were the embodiment of our efforts to build bridges of understanding, diametrically opposite to extremist ideologies. ¶28. (SBU) We received extensive press coverage for the donation of 280 wheelchairs to Omani charities, arranged through the International Wheelchair Foundation. On another occasion, photos and interviews extolled the latest grants from the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation to aid a local NGO,s efforts to protect vulnerable archaeological sites. We also received warm public appreciation in September from the Al-Noor Association for the Blind during festivities marking the &International Day of the White Stick8 for our ongoing assistance to that organization. ¶29. (SBU) In the past year, we used two former Georgetown University basketball players to hold workshops and connect with Omani youth, male and female, in public schools and athletic clubs. Along with thrilling, virtuoso performances on the basketball court, they promoted universal themes of teamwork and scholarship, leading Oman's Minister of Sport to insist that our young athletes' expand their Oman program. ¶30. (SBU) We were pleased this year with the opportunity to bring Mary Wilson of The Supremes to Oman to work with music students, offer lectures on American culture, and screen an acclaimed documentary film. We provided U.S. titles and speakers for the annual Muscat Film Festival, showcasing the more thought-provoking side of the U.S. movie industry. Meetings with U.S. screenwriters, producers and directors have helped to inspire a member of the Omani Film Society to make the very first Omani feature film, which is currently in production. Each year we take advantage of seasonal festivals in Oman's largest two cities to offer American books and to create a "children's art tent" to reach out to the youngest generations. ¶31. (U) We received considerable press coverage of a "Black Inventors USA8 exhibit that made its international debut in an Omani provincial city before moving to Muscat. A number of our visitors readily admitted that they had no idea, especially from media accounts (including American sources) that minority communities have consistently contributed to America,s scientific accomplishments. -------------- Host Government Efforts -------------- ¶32. (S) The Omani government's policies and actions present a formidable bulwark against extremism, and have been very successful to date. In terms of religion, for example, all mosque sermons in Oman (regardless of sect) must follow a text drafted by the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs that rigidly adheres to themes of tolerance and moderate thought. Sermons in non-Muslim places of worship are also monitored. All imams, including the supreme Ibadhi religious leader (the Grand Mufti),are employees of the state, closely vetted and constantly supervised. The Ministry further promotes religious tolerance by hosting guest speakers from foreign institutions (including such notable American scholars as Bernard Lewis),and publishing a quarterly scholarly journal entitled "Tasamuh" ("Tolerance"). Visiting clergy must be sponsored by formally registered local religious organizations. Religious publications are subject to strict oversight. Civil society organizations are explicitly forbidden from engaging in religious activities. Islamic banking and financial instruments are proscribed in the Sultanate. ¶33. (S) The political realm is likewise constrained. No political parties or organizations are allowed. Civil society organizations are limited by law to activities in a small field of subjects, and face a lengthy registration process that includes security services' scrutiny of both membership and financial resources. While Oman's media includes state and privately owned press establishments, all are subject to censorship. Criticisms directed at internal matters, institutions or personalities rarely appear. ¶34. (S) Nevertheless, the Omani government seeks to apply safety valves for public discontent. Internet message boards, while monitored, contain frank expressions within certain permissible parameters. The parliament serves as a consultative mechanism between the government and the public, and the lower house is freely elected via universal adult suffrage. The government has invested heavily in HEALTH care, education and infrastructure. Women enjoy many freedoms and are treated equally under the law in many respects. The "Basic Statute of the State" -- Oman's de facto constitution -- enshrines basic civic rights and responsibilities. The Sultan typically undertakes an annual "meet the people" tour at which time citizens around the country can directly petition the head of state. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶35. (S) In combating extremism, there is no substitute for a history of tolerance and diversity, such as has long characterized the Omani scene. A government that leads by example in promoting women and minorities to high office and that uses judicious oversight of potential seedbeds of extremism can also be extremely effective. Active Embassy engagement with all segments of Omani society is an effective means of countering extremist, anti-U.S. ideologies. We must stress, however, that exchanges, cultural outreach, reform efforts, and building security and military ties all require time and money. There is no quick fix. BALTIMORE