Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ABUDHABI3706
2006-09-19 14:03:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:
POPE'S REMARKS ON ISLAM CONTINUE TO GENERATE
how-toVZCZCXRO7535 PP RUEHDE DE RUEHAD #3706 2621403 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 191403Z SEP 06 FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7018 INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0821 RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003706
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2016
TAGS: PREL KMDR VT AE
SUBJECT: POPE'S REMARKS ON ISLAM CONTINUE TO GENERATE
FRUSTRATION
REF: A) ABU DHABI 3702 (media reaction)
B) ABU DHABI 3687 (Pope remarks)
C) ABU DHABI 3617 (9-11 commemoration)
Classified by Ambassador Michele Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003706
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2016
TAGS: PREL KMDR VT AE
SUBJECT: POPE'S REMARKS ON ISLAM CONTINUE TO GENERATE
FRUSTRATION
REF: A) ABU DHABI 3702 (media reaction)
B) ABU DHABI 3687 (Pope remarks)
C) ABU DHABI 3617 (9-11 commemoration)
Classified by Ambassador Michele Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (C) As Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam continue to
create a stir in the local press, PolChief attended the
evening majlis of Presidential Religious Advisor Ali
Al-Hashemi on September 18 and faced a barrage of questions
about the Pope's intent and western misunderstanding of
Islam. One attendee cited western "campaigns" to discredit
Islam. Al-Hashemi, whose remarks at the Embassy's September
11 commemoration (ref C) focused on tolerance and unity among
mankind, stressed that Islam was a peaceful faith with no ill
intent to non-Muslims. He gave an eloquent speech to about
25 gathered guests on the merits of understanding and
tolerance. He cited the good treatment of Muslim prisoners
in U.S. prisons prior to September 11, 2001, implying that
things had changed since events of that fateful day. The
troublesome comments of the Pope simply reinforced for
Al-Hashemi and his guests the serious lack of understanding
in the west for Islam. Guests called for an explanation more
than an apology, convinced that a proper reading of history
would verify Islam's peaceful nature and discredit those who
offered the quotes cited by the Pope in his September 12
speech.
2. (C) Joining the discussion later in the evening, local
cleric Ali Al Jufri asked pointedly whether the Pope feared
that Christianity might become a minority religion in Europe.
He surmised that the Pope was trying to stem the growth of
Islam. Others lamented the "weak voice" of Muslims in the
western political scene, stating that the number of Jews in
Britain, for example, was much smaller than the number of
Muslims but that the smaller minority had the larger
political voice. They made similar complaints about
political dynamics in the U.S. PolChief's attempts to move
the dialogue in a more productive direction seemed to fall on
deaf ears, as participants, in very cordial yet determined
terms, cited historical evidence of Islam's good intentions
and the west's lack of sensitivity. A statement was
circulated bearing the name of the "council of scholars,"
which condemned the Pope's selection of a "malicious"
historian to cite in his remarks in Germany, and went so far
as to suggest that references to Islam as being spread by the
sword constituted a "new terrorism" against Islam and Muslims.
3. (SBU) As the Pope's remarks continue to resonate
negatively in the local press and private discourse, the
English daily Al-Khaleej is echoing the call of cleric
Youssef Al-Qaradawi in Qatar for a "sit in" at Friday mosque
services to protest the Pope's remarks. (See ref A for media
reaction.)
4. (C) In a meeting on unrelated topics September 19, MFA
Director of Asian and African Affairs Ambassador Ahmed
Abdulla Al-Musally commented to PolChief that the Pope's
remarks needlessly gave ammunition to Al Qa'eda and other
extremist groups, helping them recruit impressionable young
Muslims to their cause. He lamented that "each time things
seem to be stabilizing, something happens to take us back to
square one."
5. (C) Comment: Reactions to the Danish cartoons earlier
this year resulted in peaceful boycotts, but no violence in
the UAE, where public demonstrations remain tightly
controlled. As the Vatican offers no products to "boycott,"
Public frustration over the Pope's comments will likely
continue to be characterized by personal angst and ongoing
press coverage of the debate. In the somewhat closed circle
of dialogue in which local groups operate, it is difficult to
see a Papal statement calming the furor short of what the
Muslim population might consider an outright apology and
convincing explanation of the remarks ("convincing" being
defined, of course, in terms not familiar to the Vatican).
End comment.
SISON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2016
TAGS: PREL KMDR VT AE
SUBJECT: POPE'S REMARKS ON ISLAM CONTINUE TO GENERATE
FRUSTRATION
REF: A) ABU DHABI 3702 (media reaction)
B) ABU DHABI 3687 (Pope remarks)
C) ABU DHABI 3617 (9-11 commemoration)
Classified by Ambassador Michele Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (C) As Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam continue to
create a stir in the local press, PolChief attended the
evening majlis of Presidential Religious Advisor Ali
Al-Hashemi on September 18 and faced a barrage of questions
about the Pope's intent and western misunderstanding of
Islam. One attendee cited western "campaigns" to discredit
Islam. Al-Hashemi, whose remarks at the Embassy's September
11 commemoration (ref C) focused on tolerance and unity among
mankind, stressed that Islam was a peaceful faith with no ill
intent to non-Muslims. He gave an eloquent speech to about
25 gathered guests on the merits of understanding and
tolerance. He cited the good treatment of Muslim prisoners
in U.S. prisons prior to September 11, 2001, implying that
things had changed since events of that fateful day. The
troublesome comments of the Pope simply reinforced for
Al-Hashemi and his guests the serious lack of understanding
in the west for Islam. Guests called for an explanation more
than an apology, convinced that a proper reading of history
would verify Islam's peaceful nature and discredit those who
offered the quotes cited by the Pope in his September 12
speech.
2. (C) Joining the discussion later in the evening, local
cleric Ali Al Jufri asked pointedly whether the Pope feared
that Christianity might become a minority religion in Europe.
He surmised that the Pope was trying to stem the growth of
Islam. Others lamented the "weak voice" of Muslims in the
western political scene, stating that the number of Jews in
Britain, for example, was much smaller than the number of
Muslims but that the smaller minority had the larger
political voice. They made similar complaints about
political dynamics in the U.S. PolChief's attempts to move
the dialogue in a more productive direction seemed to fall on
deaf ears, as participants, in very cordial yet determined
terms, cited historical evidence of Islam's good intentions
and the west's lack of sensitivity. A statement was
circulated bearing the name of the "council of scholars,"
which condemned the Pope's selection of a "malicious"
historian to cite in his remarks in Germany, and went so far
as to suggest that references to Islam as being spread by the
sword constituted a "new terrorism" against Islam and Muslims.
3. (SBU) As the Pope's remarks continue to resonate
negatively in the local press and private discourse, the
English daily Al-Khaleej is echoing the call of cleric
Youssef Al-Qaradawi in Qatar for a "sit in" at Friday mosque
services to protest the Pope's remarks. (See ref A for media
reaction.)
4. (C) In a meeting on unrelated topics September 19, MFA
Director of Asian and African Affairs Ambassador Ahmed
Abdulla Al-Musally commented to PolChief that the Pope's
remarks needlessly gave ammunition to Al Qa'eda and other
extremist groups, helping them recruit impressionable young
Muslims to their cause. He lamented that "each time things
seem to be stabilizing, something happens to take us back to
square one."
5. (C) Comment: Reactions to the Danish cartoons earlier
this year resulted in peaceful boycotts, but no violence in
the UAE, where public demonstrations remain tightly
controlled. As the Vatican offers no products to "boycott,"
Public frustration over the Pope's comments will likely
continue to be characterized by personal angst and ongoing
press coverage of the debate. In the somewhat closed circle
of dialogue in which local groups operate, it is difficult to
see a Papal statement calming the furor short of what the
Muslim population might consider an outright apology and
convincing explanation of the remarks ("convincing" being
defined, of course, in terms not familiar to the Vatican).
End comment.
SISON