COMBATING EXTREMISM - MISSION INDIA RESPONSE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 13 NEW DELHI 007725

SIPDIS

STATE FOR R, P, S/CT, AND SA, PLEASE PASS TO USAID

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2015
TAGS: PREL KDEM KPAO EAID PHUM KMPI PGOV IN
SUBJECT: COMBATING EXTREMISM - MISSION INDIA RESPONSE

REF: A. STATE 159129

B. NEW DELHI 7469

C. NEW DELHI 7400

D. NEW DELHI 7082

E. NEW DELHI 6311

F. NEW DELHI 5165

G. NEW DELHI 4760

H. NEW DELHI 4449

I. 04 NEW DELHI 4668

J. 03 NEW DELHI 6872

Classified By: DCM Robert Blake for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: India enjoys a democratic, multi-religious,
multi-cultural, heterogeneous, multi-ethnic society where all
major world religions are practiced freely. Isolated
elements of religious extremism of many varieties
have, however, occurred in India -- notably among Hindus,
Muslims, and Sikhs -- although extremists as a whole are by
far outnumbered by "secular" moderates. In the Indian
context, "secularism" is synonymous with tolerance for all
faiths, and does not imply life devoid of religion, although
religious freedom -- including atheism -- is absolutely
protected and guaranteed by the Constitution and a long
history of court precedent. At a time when many nations
appear to be losing ground to extremist movements, India's
trendlines are pointing in the right direction, bolstered by
strong indigenous traditions of communal co-habitation,
non-violent political protest, a free press, and a
realization by politicians that religious hatred is not a
vote getter among the increasingly savvy, globalized, and
prosperous Indian electorate. Nevertheless, the risk always
remains of isolated outbreaks of sectarian violence,
especially in response to the terrorism that has plagued
India for decades, or when provoked by regional politicians
for their narrow political purposes.


2. (C) Mission India provides numerous exchange,
educational, and outreach programs to counter extremism,
primarily through the Front Office, PA, POL,
and USAID. Front Office, PA, and POL officers provide
critical personal and media interaction to perpetuate the USG
message of moderation and tolerance. Our outreach ranges
from one-on-one engagement with elites to press interviews to
mass-audience interaction to overcome misperceptions and
stereotypes. We also monitor and report trends in religious
extremism. This cable includes a catalogue of Mission India
programs since mid-2004 that are geared to combat religious
extremism. End Summary

Assessment of Hindu Chauvinism in India
--------------


3. (S) Hindu chauvinist groups in India include the
Rashtriya Shyamsevak Sangh (RSS),Bajrang Dal, and Vishwa
Hindu Parishad. Many of their members participate in
politics through membership in the center-right Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP). These groups propound a belief that
India needs to return to its Hindu roots as a reaction to
successive historical waves of non-Hindu invasions. Their
ideology is summed up as "Hindutva," and has been abused by a
few extremist Hindus to justify acts of violence against
non-Hindus, although these groups officially reject the use
of violence to achieve their social and cultural aim of
ensuring equal treatment for Hindus. The worst recent
episode of Hindu violence against minority religions occurred
in 2002, due to the failure of Gujarat's BJP-run government
to protect Muslims from rioting Hindus following an incident
in which Hindus died in a train fire which some alleged had
been set by Muslims. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Muslims
died as a result of the Gujarat government's failure to
protect them. As an example of US opposition to extremism ,
on 21 March 2005, the Ambassador delivered a statement to
Indian TV media defending the 18 March decision to revoke the
entry visa of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who had
overseen state officials' failure to protect Muslims. The
statement was prepared by the Embassy's Information Officer
in conjunction with the Political Section, the DCM and the
Ambassador. To prepare for drafting our official statement,
the Political Counselor and IO spoke extensively with media
outlets including numerous "live" phone-ins with Indian
television stations. The Mission received numerous letters,
editorials, and verbal messages supporting this decision,
even though the GOI officially sought its retraction.

Assessment of Islamic Fundamentalism in India
--------------


4. (C) Indian Muslim fundamentalist groups include members
of India's Sunni Deobandi sect, which is philosophically
linked with Wahabhis such as the Taliban and Usama bin Ladin,
and some unaffiliated maulvis (clerics) who have expressed
support for Al-Qa'ida and other brands of Islamic terrorism.
We do not have access to the more extreme Wahabhi clerics and
supporters of Al-Qa'ida, or to members of the banned Students
Islamic Movement of India (SIMI),which has committed acts of
terrorism in the past. The number of extreme Wahabhi clerics
is believed to be small, but growing and closely watched by
the GOI (see Para 8). (NOTE: The last alleged SIMI terrorist
acts were committed in early 2003. End Note.)


5. (C) Our GOI and Indian NGO interlocutors take pride that
India possesses the world's largest minority Muslim community
while enjoying a near zero rate of indigenous Islamic
terrorism. Almost none of India's approximately 130 million
Muslims -- a population on par with that of its neighbors
Pakistan and Bangladesh -- have been identified as Al-Qa'ida
members or affiliates. A small number, however, have
provided shelter, intelligence, and/or facilitated
cross-border terrorist groups; one recent example was the
July 5 attack on the Hindu temple at Ayodhya (Ref F). A
larger number hold and publicly espouse extremist views,
often to gain political mileage, but stop far short of
perpetuating violence to achieve political change.


6. (C) There are any number of theories on how India evolved
to have such a large Muslim minority with such a low
incidence of extremism. Salman Rushdie, for example, noted
that India's secular Constitution affords Muslims legal
protection from, and political equality with, the country's
large Hindu majority. Furthermore, India's democratic system
allows for Muslim participation at all levels (including, at
present, President APJ Kalam),and in parts of the country
the "Muslim vote bank" is actively courted as a swing
electorate. Many Indian Muslims also undoubtedly remember
past communal violence, such as in Gujarat in 2002 and during
Partition, and steer away from extremism for pragmatic
reasons. Moreover, a free and healthy press and a viable,
albeit creaky, court system have given ordinary Muslims
recourse to broader public opinion whenever intolerant
elements or leaders have attempted to sway Muslims toward
extremism. Cases in point include the broad outcry after
clerics issued fatwas condemning Muslim female tennis star
Sania Mirza for playing in normal tennis togs (Ref B) and
when religious scholars tried to impose the wearing of the
burqa on Muslim women campaigning for elected office.

7. (C) Islamic extremism is by far a minority view even in
Jammu & Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state.
Political moderates -- including "moderate separatists" --
are ascendant in J&K, and the tide has clearly been moving
against political violence for at least a year. Moderate
separatists have moved from wanting independence or
association with Pakistan, to seeking limited autonomy, "soft
borders", and progress on human rights (Ref D). The
Political Section has made repeated visits to Kashmir to
encourage movement toward moderation in Kashmiri politics.


8. (S) A new area of concern, especially in West Bengal
(another state with a proportionately larger Muslim
population),is that illegal Bangladeshi migrants are
bringing with them to India a radicalized form of Islam that
is out of touch with India's primarily moderate religious
practices (Ref C). Our contacts there tell us there are a
surprising number of Wahabhi-influenced madrassas and mosques
in the border areas that appear to have foreign funding.


9. (C) Consulate Mumbai contacts report that there have been
increased efforts by both local and foreign groups that are
deeply conservative or fundamentalist to strengthen their
presence in Mumbai's mosques, schools and social
organizations. Most of our contacts tell us that these
groups have not made much headway on account of the
community's moderate instincts and leanings.

Assessment of Sikh Radicalism in India
--------------


10. (C) Although the Pakistan-supported Sikh separatist
movement produced some of India's worst political violence,
Sikh radicalism in India is largely a spent force and Punjabi
Sikhs are now more interested in economic success and social
development than they are in separatism (Ref E). The spurt
in purported Sikh violence last spring (Ref H) appears to
have been a last gasp by a group which ultimately had to hire
non-Sikhs to conduct operations for cash, because it could
not command sufficient support from within the Sikh
community. Police forensics rolled up the conspirators and
several caches of arms and explosives. Sikhs remain for the
most part a law-abiding, service-oriented community. Sikhs
serve in the Armed Forces and Police in numbers far out of
proportion to their numbers in the overall community. Army
Chief General JJ Singh and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are
both observant Sikhs. Sikhs remain a respected and admired
minority community for their devotion and their charity.

Mission Outreach
--------------


11. (SBU) Senior Mission officers, POL, ECON, PA staff, and
senior FSNs in all four India posts meet regularly with a
wide spectrum of religious leaders and groups to offer
support to moderate thinkers and to help dispel negative,
media-driven rumors that attempt to paint the US as an
intolerant or even anti-Muslim society. (NOTE: Critics and
scare-mongerers sometimes try to portray the US as
anti-Hindu, but this strain is largely contained to
allegations of US-supported missionaries trying to convert
Hindus to Christianity. End Note.)

12. (SBU) The Internal Political Reporting Unit in the
Political Section in New Delhi is an active participant in
the mission's Muslim outreach program and works regularly
with USAID and PA in Muslim-oriented programs. We identify
moderate Muslim clerics for participation in International
Visitor programs, visit madrassas regularly, and provide
textbooks and instructional material. Posts sponsor Iftar
celebrations during Ramzan (Ramadan) that bring together
Muslims with a wide variety of orientations and non-Muslims,
who may not otherwise interact on their own -- in each of the
past several years the DCM and several CGs among other
Mission officers have hosted Iftars.


13. (SBU) In addition, we provide Muslim clerics, political
leaders and scholars, including Muslim extremists, with
cutting edge research on the growth of a moderate Islamic
reform movement. When we engage extremist Muslims in
dialogue on a wide variety of issues, we have in some cases
won their trust and, as a result, they have approached us for
more information or requests on Muslim outreach activities.
We have worked with the Front Office to draft speeches on
Islamic themes and to refute allegations that the USG is
anti-Muslim. When certain Muslim leaders have made
statements that appear sympathetic to terrorism, we have
called on them and asked them to clarify or withdraw such
statements.


14. (SBU) In instances when Hindu extremist groups have
published material or made speeches alleging ties between the
USG and Christian missionaries or alleging that the USG has a
covert program to convert Hindus to Christianity, we have met
with their top leadership to refute the allegations and ask
that they be withdrawn; POL and PA have also worked together
on press releases and editorials refuting these allegations.
In our meetings with Hindu extremists we condemn hate speech
and violence against minorities. We also refute their
attempts to paint Islam as a terrorist religion and our
anti-terrorism efforts as anti-Muslim. We categorically
reject their attempts to paint the USG as a member of a
Hindu/Jewish/Christian alliance against Islam.

Promoting Economic Reform to Combat Extremism
--------------


15. (SBU) In November 2003, the Mission submitted a
Medium-term Economic and Commercial Strategy for promoting
economic liberalization, developing closer trade and
investment ties with the US, and catalyzing regional
integration, a five-year strategy which was approved by
Washington and which boosted our successful engagement with
India on terrorism (Ref J). We have made excellent progress
in implementing the strategy over the ensuing two years.
USAID economic growth and social development programs have
been a key element of our success because of the link between
economics and extremism. There is a growing recognition that
successful economic reform and sustained growth and job
creation are necessary conditions to maintain stable
democratic development and regional stability in the medium
term.

Mission Publications Reach Wide, Multi-Lingual Audiences
-------------- --------------

16. (SBU) The Mission has successfully used numerous
publications in English, Hindi, Urdu, and regional languages,
to inform and shape public perception of USG anti-terrorism
policy and activities. This approach allows us to repeatedly
combat anti-US perceptions among large and geographically
diverse populations. We support the continued and expanded
funding of these projects, such as:

-- A grant to the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
(CSSS) in Mumbai allowed them to translate 134,000 copies of
the Secular Perspective publications into four regional
languages for general distribution.

-- "People, Progress, Partnership: The Transformation of
US-India Relations" was a one-time (2004),Mission-wide
publication targeting 50,000 elite individuals and
institutions, including key Muslim contacts, and was assessed
to be highly effective.

-- "Muslim Life in America" was a one-time, Mission-wide
publication targeted at a general audience. This publication
has been widely distributed to show how Muslims are an
integral part of America's plural society.


17. (SBU) In addition, the Mission has supported the
translation and placement of relevant articles from American
Press in Hindi and Urdu. For example, on August 11, PA New
Delhi's Press Office translated into Hindi the Washington
File byliner "Iraq's Compact With America" by US Ambassador
to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad. It was used in its entirety in
Delhi's leading tabloid "Veer Arjun". On May 13, another
Washington File article, "Rice Condemns Alleged Disrespect
of Quran at Guantanamo Base," was translated and widely
distributed to the Indian media. Five Hindi and five Urdu
publications used it. Each article has a short shelf-life,
but the effects are long-term when viewed as a regular and
ongoing PA program.


18. (SBU) An Urdu edition of PA,s SPAN magazine has been in
existence since March 2003 and targets Indian Muslims --
13,000 copies are printed bi-monthly. It is considered a
highly effective project and continues to win plaudits and
gain subscribers. Magazine content covers themes showing
tolerance, pluralism, and multi-culturalism in the US.
Reprinted SPAN articles in the Urdu media have had a
multiplier effect.


19. (SBU) PA's highly effective book reprint program has, in
the past year, allowed us to distribute titles including: "A
New Religious America -- How a 'Christian Country' Has Now
Become the World,s Most Religiously Diverse Nation" by
Harvard Professor Diana Eck (who visited India as a US
Speaker in 2002); "On Toleration" by Princeton,s Michael
Walzer; and "Diversity in America" by Yale Law Professor and
Fulbright India alumnus Peter H. Schuck. Copies of these and
other books have been presented to key Embassy contacts.


20. (SBU) PA in 2005 also participated in the
widely-attended Delhi Book Fair (20,000 visitors) and the
Urdu Book Fair (targeting Jamia Millia Islamia, India's most
prestigious Muslim university, in New Delhi). Both these
events promoted the PA products listed above, and we consider
them highly effective outreach venues.

IVL and Other Exchange Programs Cement Strong Messages
-------------- --------------


21. (SBU) We have used many of our IVL programs to reinforce
and solidify messages of tolerance and moderation by giving
Indian elites and up-and-comers an up-close view of US values
and living. Multi-week engagements make lasting impressions
on participants; we view these as highly effective long-term
programs, and they almost always have long-term impact on
participants and a multiplier effect among participants'
audiences (students, newspaper readers, etc.). These
programs should be continued, and, where feasible, expanded.
Some of the IVL programs we have supported in the past year
include (participation figures are for 2004-05 program cycle):

-- Indo-Pak Sub Regional IVL Programs (on a variety of themes)
Participation: 4 on 3 programs; Indian and Pakistani
participants visit the US together.

-- Religious Education in the US IVL Program for Madrassa
Leaders
Participation: 3 in two programs in 2005. Total all-Mission
Indian Muslims participants in this program since 2003: 67.

-- Freedom of the Press IVL Program
Participation: 5 Kashmiri Journalists (4 Muslims, 1 Hindu)

-- Multi-Culturalism in US Society IVL Program
Participation: 1 (Muslim)

-- IVL Program on Religious Diversity In America
Participation: 1

-- Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution IVL Program
Participation: 1 (Muslim)

-- Combating Terrorist Financial Networks and Money
Laundering IVL Program
Participation: 2


22. (SBU) We also over the past year have promoted other
successful exchange programs -- which should also be
continued or expanded where possible, including:

-- Summer Institute Program On Religious Pluralism
Participation: 1

-- Summer Institute Student Leaders Program: Joint
Indo-Pak-Bangladesh Program
Participation: 4 (all Muslims)

-- Fulbright Summer Institute Program on American Politics
and Political Thought
Participation: 1 (Muslim)

-- Fulbright Summer Institute Program on US Political Economy
and Global Economic System
Participation: 1 (Muslim)

-- Fulbright Visiting Specialist Program
Participation: 1 (Muslim)
-- PLUS: Department of State's Partnerships in Learning
Undergraduate Studies program (administered by USEFI, the
Indian Fulbright Commission) for young representatives of
India's Muslim and other disadvantaged communities
Participation: 2 (Muslims)

-- Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship Program
(for countries with significant Muslim populations)
Participation: 4

-- South Asia Teacher Training Project (6-week program at
George Washington University for secondary school English
language teachers from India and Pakistan)
Participation: 13

-- YES Program (10 months)
Participation: 35, including Muslims, all from non-elite
schools.

-- SIFE Program
Participation: 16

-- Youth American Summer Institute
Participation: 1 participant

-- Madrassa Programs
Participation: 4-10

-- P4L (Partnerships for Learning) Program
Participation: 3

-- Seeds of Peace
Participation: Twelve 13-to-15-year old participants each
year for the last 5 years. Indian and Pakistani students
spent 3 weeks in Maine and follow-up sessions every two weeks
till they enroll for their undergraduate programs. Also,
there have been 3 cross-border home-stays so far. The
participants and their parents describe the experience as
"life-changing" and said that it forever altered the way they
perceive people from the other country

-- South Asia Student Leader Conference in Kathmandu
Participation: 2

-- ASI Alumni Conference in Dhaka
Participation: 6

-- Islamic Life In The US/University of Louisville
Participation: 7. Last year's Indian alumnus, Dr. Zafar
Mahmood, is Officer on Special Duty with the Prime Minister's
Committee looking into the social, economic and educational
status of the Muslim community in India.

-- Indian Journalists Sent to Afghanistan
Participation: 10 Indian journalists. Resulting coverage was
positive and helped Indian audiences understand Afghanistan's
progress towards democracy.

Education- and Madrassa-Specific Programs
--------------


23. (SBU) The Mission promotes several programs that target
educational institutions, including Indian madrassas. These
programs reach educators -- many of whom are themselves
politically influential -- as well as students, who are
otherwise exposed to numerous ideologies, including extremist
messages, and are bombarded with conflicting images and
impressions of the US. We address their questions -- largely
focused on Iraq, Iran, and the status of Muslims in America
-- and reiterate America,s commitment to religious freedom.
Madrassas and Islamic universities continue to welcome FSOs
and other American speakers, which indicates to us that the
interaction is working.


24. (SBU) Chennai's ACCESS Microscholarship Program funds
two years of English language training for 60 Muslim students
at the Anjuman-e-Himayath-e-Islam School (all destitute
and/or orphaned). After eight months, the students' language
ability and overall academic confidence have risen markedly.
In mid-September, a State Department ACCESS consultant said
it was the most successful ACCESS program she had seen.
Consulate Chennai has hosted these students at Post library,
film screenings, and a local art gallery. This school is
held up as a model for the ACCESS program. The New Delhi
ACCESS Microscholarship Program targets 100 high school
students at the Jamia Millia Islamia. During the mid-point
certificate ceremony, the Charg also announced the expansion
of the program in the coming months and the donation of 65
books and audiocassettes on English Language Teaching.


25. (SBU) USAID's Madrassa Quality Education Improvement
Program reaches approximately 1,000 students in 18 madrassas
in Andhara Pradesh state. (NOTE: The program started with
three madrassas. End Note) A Hyderabad-based secular NGO
implements this program to introduce secular education in
these Madrassas consistent with state school curricula. A
new contract is being negotiated to provide life skills,
academic, career, and English language training to Muslim
adolescent school drop-outs. Recent visits show high
attendance, good participation, and rising enrollment rates,
especially for girls.


26. (SBU) The DCM during his July 2004 visit to the Jamiah
Salafiah Madrassa, one of the most important madrassas in
Varanasi, address hundreds of students and faculty on the
topic of America's multi-religious and multi-cutural
population. He also donated an English as a Second Language
book collection to the madrassa, the first of a series of
book donations to be made to Indian madrassas, and was
interviewed on a popular Urdu television channel with a
primarily Muslim viewership of approximately one million
people (Ref I). The DCM and Poloff visited the Darul-Uloom
Seminary in Deoband in September 2004 to engage the
seminarians on issues of concern and donate a US book
collection to their library. (NOTE: The seminary is one of
India's premier Islamic institutions and the center of
Deobandi Islam. End Note.) The visit was covered by two
television networks and eight print journalists, and
concluded with a press conference.


27. (SBU) English language training helps students and
drop-outs develop job-related skills, which can redirect
otherwise marginalized individuals into the mainstream. The
Senior English Language Fellow for North India (Lucknow) has
been selected and awaits her visa to begin her program here.
In July, the Regional English Language Officer joined Post,
giving South Asia its first RELO.

28. (SBU) Other Mission-wide madrassa outreach programs
include seminars, lectures and exchanges on aspects of
madrassa education -- including introducing modern curricula
-- and on Islam and religious education in the US.


29. (SBU) Book donations garner goodwill and help us shape
political messages and impressions. Among frequent book
donations to universities and schools, with special emphasis
on Muslim institutions, the Mission in 2005 donated books
worth $30,000 to Jammu University's central library and to
the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies in Jammu.
Separately, Consulate Mumbai distributed educational books to
eight Madrassas and Urdu academies in 2004-5, including ESL
books.

Promoting Tolerance Through Lectures, DVCs, Conferences
-------------- --------------


30. (SBU) Speaker programs at universities and other venues,
including Muslim universities, have covered MPP themes
including counter-terrorism, bilateral relations, American
art and literature, environmental issues, political
processes, women,s equity, human rights, the role of the
media, and HIV/AIDS. Speakers at undergraduate schools have
talked on art and literature, tolerance and multi-culturalism
in the US. Although individual speakers only visit India for
a few weeks at a time, taken as a whole, they represent a
long-term investment in educating important segments of the
Indian population on how America's multi-cultural,
multi-religious society functions. Prominent lectures, DVCs,
conferences, and other direct, two-way interactions include:

-- USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios's October 2004 Lucknow
Visit included a roundtable meeting with Muslim leaders and
academics.

-- The DCM talked to Urdu editors on Muslim issues regarding
detainees at Guantanamo Bay in New Delhi and with Muslim
leaders in Mumbai.

-- PAO Mumbai conducted lectures on Muslim life in America.

-- PA Mumbai held book discussions at University of Pune "On
Toleration" (a title under the PA Book Reprint Program, see
above).

-- A DVC discussion on US policy in Iran and IAEA concerns
over proliferation, featured US Ambassador to the UN in
Vienna Greg Schulte and eight Indian security analysts.

-- Dr. Christine Fair, a researcher at the US Institute of
Peace, conducted a two-week program on aspects of terrorism
and extremism.

-- Davison College Professor Brenda Flanagan talked with
faculty and students at Jamila Millia Islamia on
"Multi-Culturalism in American Literature."

-- Arizona State University Professor Robin Haarr talked with
students and faculty at universities in Chandigarh and
Kurukshetra and to police officers, activists and grassroots
workers on the topic of "Gender Justice and Violence Against
Women."

-- Boston University Professor Hillel Levine spoke with
Madrassa leaders in Varanasi and at Jamia Millia Islamia on
non-violent conflict resolution.

-- Culture Connect Ambassador Daniel Libeskind presented a
program to Jamia Millia Islamia students and faculty on
9/11-related issues, achieving success in America as an
immigrant, and his conceptualization of a new building for
the WTC site.

-- Senior Indian journalist M.J. Akbar participated in our
book reading and panel discussion on Pamela Constable,s book
"Fragments of Grace: My Search for Humanity from Kashmir to
Kabul."

-- We held conferences on "Civil Society, Multi-Cultural
Democracies, and the Media" at Islamic institutions in
Lucknow and Jaipur.

-- Mary Washington College Professor Stephen Farnsworth gave
a lecture on American Muslims in US Presidential Elections to
Jamia Millia Islamia and the Institute of Objective Studies,
a Muslim think-tank.

-- Consulate Mumbai held well-recieved DVC programs on Cyber
Terrorism and plans to do so in the future.

Other Programs
--------------


31. (SBU) USAID, through American NGO IFES, has since May
2005 conducted the Muslim Women's Initiative. The program,
part of the Mission's gender and law program, will extend at
least to September 2007 (and possibly beyond) in selected
districts of Karnataka state, including Bangalore. The
program goal is to increase Muslim women's awareness and
assertion of their rights under Islam and Indian law; the
first phase targets 7,500 primary beneficiaries and 22,500
indirect beneficiaries. The program also enlists Indian NGOs
to provide legal aid and counseling services. Muslim
Personal Law Boards in nearby districts are asking the NGOs
to provide similar services in their areas. This initiative
will branch out into Rajasthan state in November, and is
expected to grow to other states if Mission expands its
overall gender and law program after FY2007. IFES will help
Muslim women's groups coordinate advocacy to reform harmful
interpretations of religious law (including aspects of
divorce law) starting this autumn. Empowering women by
educating them on their legal rights will create a bulwark
against their potential abuse from authority figures,
including their husbands.


32. (SBU) USAID, through a USAID contractor, is conducting a
Cross-Cutting Agra Program (CAP, August 2005 - March 2007).
Agra's 1.2 million people and significant Muslim population
are growing at twice the national average. This program
targets young people from poor and marginalized communities
who are at risk to be both victims and perpetrators of
violence. CAP's goal is to empower Agra youth into taking an
active role in city development, slum upgrading, reviving
lesser-known monuments, and employing youth (especially
girls) in local tourism and other economic sectors.


33. (SBU) USAID is also conducting a major assessment of
workforce development needs for the most vulnerable segments
of society, especially adolescent school drop-outs, and
within that Muslim youth will be a particular focus.


34. (SBU) PA,s small grant to an Indian think-tank, the
Institute of Social Sciences (ISS),fostered a cross-border
exchange between Indians and Pakistanis and prompted
meaningful discussions on local governance and democracy.
The institute's report entitled "Indian Local Government
Delegation in Pakistan - Ambassadors of Peace" details the
March 2005 visit to Pakistan of 33 local government
representatives from 18 Indian states (Ref G). Both the
15-day visit and the published report were funded in large
part by PA in cooperation with ISS and a partner NGO in
Pakistan.


35. (SBU) CAO held a ground-breaking visit to Jammu in June
2005, effectively opening Jammu's door to future programming
and making the task of East Carolina University
representatives easier for their September visit to
University of Jammu to promote a web-based virtual classroom
project funded by ECA.


36. (SBU) Culture Connect envoys and former Georgetown
University basketball players Omari Faulkner and Courtland
Freeman gave workshops in schools and participated in the
sports week of Jamia Hamdard, one of Delhi,s largest Muslim
universities, in October 2004.


37. (SBU) SPAN Magazine (see above) ushered traditional
Hindi and Urdu poetry gatherings into the digital age with
the American Center,s first ever Mushaira (Urdu) and Kavi
Sammelan (Hindi) held via digital video conference in June
2005 before a live audience. The DVC, which featured Indian
poets in New Delhi and American poets in Washington,
highlighted the cultural diversity that is enjoyed by both
the United States and India.


38. (SBU) IO regularly organizes video and film screenings
at the American Center. Recent videos have included "Thomas

L. Friedman Reporting: Searching for the Roots of 9/11" and
"Covering Catastrophe," which were shown to several groups in
2004 and 2005.


39. (SBU) Honoring the fourth anniversary of the 9/11
attacks, PA in September 2005 hosted a 9/11 paper show and
book display in the American Center, New Delhi. The paper
show was also shown at the New Delhi "World Anti-Terrorism
Day" event, where the Embassy's speaker outlined how the US
assists and supports other countries in combating terrorism
and extremism.


40. (SBU) Pol/Econ Chennai holds an annual roundtable where
Hindu, Muslim, and Christian religious leaders meet to
discuss issues of mutual interest.


41. (SBU) An Urdu-language panel discussion on "Urdu in the
American Media," held in New Delhi in March 2005, featured
CAO as moderator for three US "target of opportunity"
speakers who were in India to attend an earlier conference:
Ms. Naiyara Jahan (fiction writer and head of "Urdu Markaz"
newspaper in Los Angeles); Mr. Khalil-ur-Rahman (editor for
"Daily Urdu Times" in New York); and Dr. Wakil Ansari (New
York-based physician and columnist for "Daily Urdu Times").


42. (SBU) Poloff in New Delhi met frequently over the past
year with a group of high school students who were creating
an Internet site -- www.effortsunited.com -- on the causes
and consequences of global violence. The site won the State
Department's "Doorways to Diplomacy" contest in June 2005.
After the winner was announced, the DCM held a media event
with the students, to encourage and publicize their efforts.

Outreach to Other Minority Groups
--------------


43. (SBU) CAO inaugurated the first International Summer
School for Jain Studies, a new summer school for American
college students on the Jain religion, in June 2005. ACAO
served as the Chief Guest at the valedictory of the school on
July 31, 2005. PA,s presence at these events underlined US
support for freedom of religion, expression, tolerance and
scholarly endeavor.


44. (SBU) On September 11, 2005, CPAO visited New Delhi,s
historic and revered Bangla Sahib Gurdwara (Sikh place of
worship) to address a special Sikh prayer service in memory
of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the September 11,
2001 terrorist attacks in the US. Addressing a gathering of
over 1,000 Sikh devotees, he thanked the Sikh community for
its prayers, moral support and contributions. This
interaction and outreach took on special significance in the
context of the misinformed and unfortunate backlash against
Sikhs after 9/11 in some American cities.

Indian NGOs: Partners and Resources
--------------


45. (SBU) We interact regularly with a cross-section of
NGOs, both religious and secular, that encourage inter-faith
dialogue, secularism, and actively counter religious
extremism of all kinds, as well as providing material comfort
to victims of hate crimes. We ensure these NGO leaders
participate in the IV program; USAID and PA ensure that they
have access to USG funding. We express our support by
visibly attending their public events. We make sure that
their information on the activities of extremists is included
in the Human Rights Report and the Religious Freedom Report.


46. (C) State and local governments in western India have a
complicated relationship with NGOs working on human rights
issues and on religious tolerance. NGOs often criticize
state bodies for not doing enough to deal with extremism. In
Gujarat in particular, NGOs have pointed out just how
widespread the state was involved in the fueling of the 2002
riots and how it has failed to bring those responsible to
justice. We tend to support such NGO views on Gujarat. NGOs
also report that the Gujarat state government is actively
working against them, using a variety of legal means such as
tax laws as well as political harassment. The state
government's activities in Gujarat have not contributed to a
healing of communal wounds that were incurred in 2002, and in
fact may be making extremist views more popular among
frustrated and scared Muslims in Gujarat, if many of our
contacts are to be believed. Still, in our view the vast
majority of Gujarat Muslims are as tolerant and moderate as
most Muslims elsewhere in India.


47. (SBU) We interact with many NGOs that focus on combating
extremism. Among those we meet with on a regular basis are
the following:

-- South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre: a network of
individuals that investigates, documents, and disseminates
information on human rights protections and violations
(www.hrdc.net/sahrdc)

-- Asian Centre for Human Rights: promotes human rights
throughout Asia (www.achrweb.org)

-- Centre for Social Research: leading women's rights
organization (www.csrindia.org)

-- Druk National Congress: promotes human rights in Bhutan
(www.bhutandnc.com)

-- Institute for Conflict Management Studies: leading
think-tank on the causes and ideologies of terrorism and
extremism (www.satp.org)

-- Center for Study of Society and Secularism: promotes
secularism and inter-faith dialogue (www.csss-isla.com)

-- Citizens for Justice and Peace: uses the Indian legal
system to enforce India's laws on secular tolerance and
anti-communalism (www.sabrang.com)

-- Society for the Promotion of Rational Thinking: promotes
communal harmony in a state that was rocked by communal
violence in 2002 and where reconciliation and justice have
still not been achieved (www.mysprat.org)


48. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website:
(http//www.state.sgov/p/sa/newdelhi)
Mulford