KAZAKHSTAN: REACTION TO CARTOON CONTROVERSY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ALMATY 000575

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN (JMUDGE),EUR/PPD (JBASEDOW),DRL/PHD
(CKUCHTA-HELBLING),INR/R/MR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KPAO, KDEM, KZ
SUBJ: KAZAKHSTAN: REACTION TO CARTOON CONTROVERSY


1. SUMMARY. Public reaction and comment by Kazakhstanis
(almost half of whom are Muslim) on the cartoon controversy
started February 9, after several days of primetime news
reports of international events. One local man known for
eccentric behavior led a small protest against "insulting
any nation." A teacher-student advocacy group sent a
letter to the Danish prime minister, asking the West not to
abuse freedom of speech and to adopt a code of ethics.
Opinion makers generally denounced the cartoons and urged
Western media to not publish images with the potential to
provoke violence. A Jewish community leader said the
violent reaction discredited Islam and he called for
tolerance on all sides. Kazakh language press interpreted
the controversy as a "clash of civilizations," while
Russian language media speculated on which side benefited,
and whether the controversy could provoke a strike on the
"axis of evil" countries. END SUMMARY.

2. Most public reaction in Kazakhstan to the controversy
began several days after primetime news broadcasts had been
reporting international reaction to the cartoons. The
first statement was issued February 6 by Omirbek Ongar,
press secretary of the Spiritual Directorate of
Kazakhstan's Muslims. He said, "We hold an extremely
negative view of the publishing of the Prophet Muhammad's
cartoons. . . We support our Muslim brothers from other
countries, who have also condemned this." On February 9
centrist national broadcaster Channel 31 carried two
reports on the evening news about how the "international
crisis of civilizations had reached Kazakhstan." Asylbek
Amantay, well known for his public protests, led about 30
supporters in a demonstration in Almaty. "As God is great,
so is his prophet. We oppose in general insulting any
nation. Ninety percent of the prophets are descended from
the Jews." (Last May when Amantay led a protest against
desecration of the Koran, his supporters carried placards
reading, "Yankees out of the Soviet Union.")

Civil Leaders Denounce Images, Appeal for Calm
-------------- -

3. The Channel 31 report also covered reaction from the
teacher-student advocacy group Bolashak, which sent a
letter to the Danish prime minister, asking the West not to
abuse freedom of speech and to develop an international
code of ethics. Chairman Farkhad Kasenov said that he
believes the West intends to start a "cold war" with the
East, and is discrediting Islam, which he said is a
peaceful religion. Although he said he thought reaction in
other countries was understandable, his group does not
advocate "pogroms." Akhmetzhan Kerimbekov, the imam for
the Southern Kazakhstan Mosque said, "Allah himself formed
Mohammed and He Himself protects Him. We need not worry or
undertake any kind of protest action. We must preserve
tranquility and rely on the will of Allah." Safar Abdullo,
a scholar of eastern studies, appealed for "dialogue,
mutual understanding and respect, otherwise, nothing good
can come from this."

Kazakh Publications: "Clash of Civilizations"
-------------- -

4. Some Kazakh language newspapers, most of whose readers
are Muslim, expressed the issue as a "conflict of
civilizations" deliberately provoked by the West.
Progressive Kazakh language Zhas Alash published the
opinion of a prominent local theologist Murtaza Bulutai
February 9: "The West knows perfectly well that depicting
images of the prophet Mohammed is strictly prohibited and
that the Muslim community will not tolerate taunts. . .
Mocking the prophet Mohammed cannot be justified by any
freedom of speech! This is a provocation! . . . There are
groups in the West that regard both Muslims and Muslim
countries with suspicion. How long has Turkey been trying
to join the EU? For 45 years! The EU keeps bouncing
Turkey back. . . because Turkey is a country of Muslims."
(Note: Almost half of the country's population of 15
million are Muslim.)

5. Pro-government Kazakh language Aikyn speculated in
their February 9 issue on the threat of "another fire in
the Persian Gulf." "The world is facing another challenge.

ALMATY 00000575 002 OF 003


The perverted pictures of the prophet Mohammed published by
western media started a conflict between the European and
Muslim worlds. Protest actions against the West that
started in Islamic countries can bring Muslims of European
countries into the streets. These protests may spread to
all the countries that published images of Mohammed. If
so, it will be difficult to control the situation."

Jewish Community Leader Calls for Stability and Tolerance
-------------- --------------

6. Pro-government Ekspress K carried an opinion piece
emphasizing points in common between Judaism and Islam and
calling for religious tolerance. The paper is reputedly
owned by wealthy entrepreneur Aleksandr Mashkevich,
president of the Eurasian Jewish Congress, and a close
friend of President Nazarbayev. "What is taking place in
some Islamic countries has nothing to do with true
religion. Some heart-broken Muslims have already forgotten
that as soon as sacrilegious caricatures of the Prophet
Muhammad appeared, prominent Jewish figures were among the
first who condemned it. For example, the president of the
largest Jewish organization, the Eurasian Jewish Congress,
Aleksandr Mashkevich said words heard by every Muslim on
the planet, 'Today, our duty is to put aside our
disagreements, to help our Muslim brothers to restore their
desecrated dignity and justice.'" The author writes that
the contest sponsored by an Iranian newspaper for
caricatures of the Holocaust is a blow against Islam itself
and the global Muslim community. "This blasphemy will only
strengthen the positions of their enemies, who call Islam
an aggressive religion. All the aforementioned once again
emphasizes the importance of stability in our multi-
national, multi-confessional country. We should be mindful
that no fanatics can influence life in our country. Let's
be tolerant of any true religion and tolerant of any
manifestation of intolerance!"

Both Sides to Blame for Conflict, but Who Benefits?
-------------- --------------

7. Pro-government Russian language weekly Novoye
Pokoleniye February 10 referred to "the game of freedom of
speech" in Europe, which provoked Islamic leaders into
forgetting their history and the traditional wisdom of
their faith. "Danish journalists (and together with them
those who reprinted the caricatures in Spain, France,
Germany, and Italy) could not be unaware that the game of
freedom of speech in reality plumbs the depths of
misfortune. . . However, the sharp reaction of Islamic
governments to caricatures is no less striking than the so-
called theological illiteracy of the Europeans. . . Is it
possible that leaders of Islamic countries forgot their
history, lost their traditional wisdom accumulated through
the centuries and allowed themselves to give in to such an
essentially cheap provocation? Why exactly now were true
believers offended by images published last September in an
unknown newspaper? Now when the nuclear report of Iran
could be sent to the UN Security Council. Now when the
U.S. president unambiguously speaks about possible war with
Iran. Now when the radical organization Hamas has come to
power in Palestine and on the eve of parliamentary
elections in Israel. The fragile world in the Middle East
again hangs by a thread. Someone benefits from this."

West Will Use Conflict to Justify Military Strikes on East
-------------- --------------

8. The question of who benefits was answered in this piece
in pro-government Russian language weekly Delovaya Nedelya
February 10. "No matter how paradoxical it sounds, the
current situation is beneficial not only to 'rogue states,'
but also to the West. Reports from Syria, Lebanon, and
Iran are strong arguments in favor of a next strike on 'the
axis of evil.' A military operation in the East will be
perceived by average Westerners as something inevitable . .
. to protect democratic freedoms in general, and freedom of
speech in particular. Meanwhile, some Asian leaders . . .
came forward with conciliatory statements. . . Such
statements raise optimism, because as long as they are
being said, pessimisstic forecasts will probably remain
only forecasts."

ALMATY 00000575 003 OF 003



Cartoonists Poorly Brought Up; We all Lack Tolerance
-------------- --------------

9. In an article for pro-government daily Ekspress K
February 10, a political cartoonist for the progressive
weekly Vremya criticized not only those who took freedom of
speech too far, but also those who took images too much to
heart. "I consider this caricature to be beyond the pale.
One can joke about any topic in the kitchen, but it is not
right to do it publicly. . . Truth be told, the reaction
was extremely wild on this thing. We all lack tolerance.
These heedless caricaturists and those who immediately grab
daggers especially lack it. It is difficult to say how a
caricaturist should know where to stop. It all depends on
upbringing. Some say you can laugh about this, others say
you cannot. . . Absolute freedom of speech is evil."
Ekspress K's deputy editor in a separate piece agreed.
"Regarding the firewall between 'can' and 'cannot' . . . I
would say this: it all depends upon how his parents
brought him up. A caricaturist should have unwritten
rules. The most important is to do as you would have done
unto you."

Ordway