COMBATING EXTREMISM: EMBASSY EFFORTS IN AUSTRIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENNA 003314

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR R, P, AND EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PREL KDEM KPAO PHUM PGOV KMPI AU EIAD
SUBJECT: COMBATING EXTREMISM: EMBASSY EFFORTS IN AUSTRIA

REF: STATE 159129

This message is sensitive but unclassified.


1. (SBU) The Austrian political leadership is generally

satisfied that radicalized Muslims do not pose an

imminent threat to security in Austria. Austrian media

have shared that confidence and have rarely demanded more

be done to root out extremism. Austria counts around

340,000 Muslims among its population - approximately

4.2%. Islam enjoys official status in Austria. The

"islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Osterreich" (IGG) is

the recognized organization representing believers. At

the same time, the government insists that security

forces keep those few residents suspected of ties with

extremist groups under tight surveillance.


2. (SBU) Austria's flagship initiative to address the

alienation between Islamic and Western societies is a

high-level conference scheduled for November 14-16, 2005

in Vienna entitled, "Islam in a Pluralistic World." The

Ministry for Foreign Affairs has invited prominent Moslem

leaders for a dialog with Western counterparts and civil

society experts. Confirmed Muslim participants include:

- President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan

- Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of the

Organization of Islamic countries (OIC)

- UN Sec Gen Special Advisor Lakhdar Brahimi

- First Deputy Speaker Hussain Al-Sharistani of the Iraqi

National Assembly

- Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud Zakzouk of Egypt

- Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia for

Religious Affairs Abdul Hamid Othman

- Religious Affairs Minister Ahmed Taoufiq of Lebanon.


3. (SBU) The GoA has also invited former President

Khatami of Iran and many other leading figures. Austria

is especially interested in obtaining the participation

of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes. In

Embassy's view, this conference is probably our best

chance to collaborate with Austria on engaging the Muslim

world. The event will have added prominence because of

Austria's assumption of the rotating EU Presidency a few

weeks later, on January 1, 2006.


4. (SBU) According to the Documentation Center of the

Austrian Resistance Movement, traditional right-wing

groups with a pronounced anti-Semitic component are the

source of most extremist ideology here. There are also a

relative handful of individuals in Austria connected to

the so-called "new anti-Semitism" with a left-wing, anti-

globalization ideology who identify with the anti-Israel

cause of Palestinian extremists. Some of the several

Austrian-Arab friendship societies reportedly have

members with such sympathies. However, there have been,

for decades, very few violent incidents. Anti-Semitism

and other extremist ideologies tend to find expression

through verbal assaults, rather than physical attacks.


5. (SBU) According to an Interior Ministry report, a few

sympathizers of Muslim extremist groups can be found

among immigrants in Austria.

- Most prominent are sympathizers of the Muslim

Brotherhood (Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin),the Al-Gama'a al-

islamiya, and the "Global Revolution" group (Hizb ut-

tahrir al-islamiyya).

- There are also some supporters of the "Active Islamic

Youth" group (Aktiva Islamska Omladina).

- Among Turks in Austria, there are also some supporters

of Metin Kaplan. Among Iranians, there are a few

sympathizers of the Iranian People's Modjahedin

(Modjahedin-e-Khalq).

- Among Palestinians in Austria, there are also some

supporters of Hamas.

- Some representatives of the "Salafiyya Jihadiyya" can

be found, as well.

- The Interior Ministry estimates that, among the

increasing number of Chechen asylum applicants in

Austria, there are also some with ties to the terrorist

scene in their home country.


6. (SBU) The Interior Ministry is particularly concerned

that supporters of the Al-Gama'a al-islamiya in Austria

could, in the course of the next years, develop new

groupings with a terrorist orientation. It also sees

some tendencies toward radicalization of young Muslims

due to the activities of the Aktiva Islamska Omladina.

Finally, MoI is concerned that increasing support for

Salafiyya groupings could promote the development of a

fundamentalist Islamic parallel society with a growing

potential for terrorist activity.


7. (SBU) The Austrian government relies on the

islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft as its official

interlocutor with the Muslim communities. The IGG has

reciprocated by committing itself to a sustained dialog

with the Austrian state. This serves as a vehicle to

negotiate with official entities on issues of primary

importance to its membership, and to Muslim immigrants in

general, such as access to housing, jobs and education.

However, some second- and even third-generation

immigrants have clearly not integrated sufficiently to

take full advantage of the benefits of Austrian residence

and/or citizenship.


8. (SBU) The London Underground bombings came as a jolt

to Austrian society. In subsequent weeks, media have

have been full of speculation about the danger of Muslim

extremism in Austria. Reports have shone a bright light

on potentially extremist imams and questioned whether

Austrian integration policies over the past decades have

been effective in easing the conditions that provide

fertile ground for extreme ideologies. The government

has debated new laws governing citizenship as well as

expanded powers for the police and security services to

monitor potential radicals. Integration policies are in

a period of transition, as federal, state and local

officials debate standards and methods of compliance.


9. (SBU) Those integration policies aim increasing the

access of immigrants to state services, especially

education, and eliciting acceptance by immigrants of

"Austrian values." A variety of providers -- federal,

state and local offices, as well as a host of NGOs -

carry out the policies. Decision-making is primarily at

the state level, however, and levels of success in this

area vary by region. Much of the recent debate on state-

supported integration revolves around closing loopholes

that allow many immigrants to avoid programs like German

language courses and to assure that family members,

especially women, participate. Female participation

continues to be a problem. Resistance on the part some

of the more conservative immigrants raises the question

in some minds whether these immigrants really want to

integrate into Austrian society.


10. (SBU) The most experienced regional entity in

integration matters is undoubtedly the state of Vienna.

Vienna, like the other states, manages integration

programs through a municipal department that assists

immigrants in finding jobs and housing and gaining access

to government services. It provides assistance in

negotiating bureaucracies as well as counseling to help

resolve conflicts with Austrian neighbors. It also

distributes city money to NGOs working in the field of

integration. "Foreigner [or Integration] Advisory

Boards," composed of civil society representatives, also

exist in all municipalities with a high proportion of non-

Austrian citizens to help governments maintain dialog

with immigrant communities.


11. (SBU) The Muslim population in Austria is not as

well established as in Germany and is predominantly

working-class. Few models exist of economically

successful, integrated Muslim members of Austrian

society. It is difficult to reach this audience largely

uninvolved in political, cultural or business

organizations -- with the one exception of the IGG.


12. (SBU) The Embassy has cooperated with the official

Islamic community (IGG) in the past. However, subsequent

to the Iraq War, the IGG has made it clear on various

occasions that it is presently uninterested in

cooperating with the Embassy on public programming. In

an unfortunate coincidence, the Embassy's 2004 Iftar

reception fell on the day that U.S. troops began an

offensive against Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah, leading

to an extremely strained atmosphere.


13. (SBU) The de facto refusal of the IGG to continue

the interaction with the Embassy makes it difficult to

attract moderates who favor dialog -- who seem to be wary

of risking isolation in the community if they cooperate

in programming with the American Embassy. Post continues

to seek out those willing to cooperate on projects they

believe in despite contrary pressure from the IGG.


14. (SBU) Still, Post's efforts to make contacts outside

the state-sponsored representative group for Islam have

led to some openings. Presently, the Mission is planning

a number of events and outreach activities to underscore

our commitment to dialog with Austria's Muslims:

- Public Affairs (PA) is presently planning the visit to

Vienna and Graz of Dr. Mohamad Bashar Arafat, a previous

participant in a number of Department of State-supported

programs, to speak on Muslim experience in America and to

take part in programs on Muslim identity in the West. PA

is actively working with a range of partners for this

visit, including an Austrian Catholic NGO, Pro Oriente,

dedicated to interfaith dialog, the theological faculty

of the University of Vienna and an Egyptian organization

in Graz, and with individual Muslims who are receptive to

a USG-sponsored speaker. PA is also working to identify

imams who would be interested in hosting Dr. Arafat at

their mosques to offer Friday prayers or to lecture on

issues of interest to their membership.

- A PA program offering partial scholarships to Austrian

secondary school students to spend a year in the U.S.

has proven highly successful in past. This year, PA has

negotiated with the partner organization that organizes

these exchanges to target specifically students in the

Muslim immigrant community and to increase joint support

for these students in FY06. If successful in attracting

Muslim high school students, we will investigate ways to

increase funding for this program.

- In 2005, PA initiated a series of briefings by Embassy

officers for high school classes around Austria. PA

recently contacted schools in immigrant districts of

Vienna to offer presentations on diversity and tolerance.

- The Embassy again plans to host an Iftar meal, which

will serve to demonstrate American respect for religious

diversity, remind Austrian Muslims that we are still

committed to dialogue, and to advertise for upcoming

programming of particular interest to them.

- If Dr. Arafat's visit is successful, Post intends to

target other cities with relatively smaller, but vibrant

Muslim communities with similar programming.

- PA plans to sponsor a visit by a cultural group with

whom second-generation Muslims in Vienna might be able to

identify ion order to raise awareness among immigrant

youth that the Embassy is interested in them. We will

follow up with events on the model of an earlier PA-

supported integration program featuring youth

advocates/social workers from New York City.

- PA is exploring the feasibility of opening "mini

American Corners" in Vienna district libraries that serve

high percentages of Muslim residents. Material would

focus on themes of tolerance, equality, and integration

and could serve as a focal point for Embassy programs in

neighborhoods that have yet to see an Embassy officer.