GOA COORDINATES PUBLIC STATEMENTS FROM RELIGIOUS

UNCLAS ALGIERS 001414

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PTER AG
SUBJECT: GOA COORDINATES PUBLIC STATEMENTS FROM RELIGIOUS
FIGURES IN FAVOR OF HIZBALLAH

REF: ALGIERS 1305

GOA ORCHESTRATES SUPPORT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS FOR HIZBALLAH
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1. (SBU) The Ministry of Religious Affairs over the past
couple of weeks has continued to provide imams with points on
the ongoing violence in Lebanon from which to draw for Friday
sermons (reftel). Imams have confirmed to post that July 28
sermons were required to contain a reference to "the
legitimate resistance in Lebanon and Palestine," i.e. support
for Hizballah. Imams have told us that the Ministry of
Religious Affairs has further directed them to devote their
August 4 sermons to Lebanese and Palestinian issues.
Although the imams, according to our sources, have yet to be
issued written guidelines for this Friday's sermons, a source
in the High Islamic Council said it was "highly probable"
that the guidelines would direct imams to repeat elements of
statements below by prominent Algerian religious figures in
support of "Hizballah's legitimate resistance."

SUPPORT FOR HIZBALLAH UN-ALGERIAN
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2. (U) In a statement issued August 1 that appeared the
following day in the Algerian press, Minister of Religious
Affairs Ghoulamallah strongly condemned fatwas issued in some
Arab Gulf states against supporting the "legitimate
resistance" in Lebanon. Ghoulamallah said these fatwas were
"a big mistake" and represented a "dangerous drift." He
added: "Those who issued fatwas against supporting
Hizballah's legitimate resistance are those who encouraged
the bloodletting of Algerians during the years of terrorism."


CALLS FOR MUSLIM UNITY
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3. (U) The President of the Algerian Association of Muslim
Scholars, Abdelrahmane Chibane, August 1 told the press,
"Those who issued fatwas against the legitimate resistance in
Lebanon would open sectarian disputes in these difficult
times...and serve the American-Zionist plan in the region
(by) betraying Islam and all Muslims." Chibane, who is
widely respected in Algeria, added that "supporting the
resistance (to Israel) in such moments is an obligation for
all Muslims." Cheikh Bouamrane, President of the High
Islamic Council, was quoted in the leading Arabic daily
newspaper El Khabar August 2 taking issue with the fatwa of
an unidentified Saudi imam as "unhealthy" because it was not
supportive of Hizballah. Bouamrane underscored that "Sunnis
and Shi'a in the Islamic world were only separated by
political power," an allusion to the need for Muslim unity on
supporting Hizballah against Israel.

COMMENT: GOA LEADING THE PARADE
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4. (SBU) While in many parts of the Islamic world Sunni
Muslims may be reluctant to support their Shi'a Hizballah
brethren under any circumstances, overwhelmingly Sunni
Algerian imams are downplaying the sectarian differences in
the mosques, with the full support and prodding of the GOA,
and calling on worshipers to "transcend their differences"
with the Shi'a when it comes to supporting Hizballah. The
imams, in their sermons, justify their support of Hizballah
because of its resistance to Israel, the "enemy of all
Muslims and Arabs." The unusual intensity of GOA involvement
in drafting talking points for Algerian imams on the subject
is another sign that the GOA is determined to stay out in
front of public opinion on the violence in Lebanon and not
cede the issue to the Islamists or the street.

DAUGHTON