GRAND MUFTI SEEKS INCREASED MEDIA ATTENTION ON

UNCLAS CAIRO 005529 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NSC FOR RICK WATERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KISL PHUM EG SUBJECT: GRAND MUFTI SEEKS INCREASED MEDIA ATTENTION ON ISLAMIC CONFERENCES CONDEMNING TERROR ¶1. (SBU) In a September 4 meeting with Grand Mufti of the Republic Ali Goma'a, Charge registered USG concern regarding the Mufti's August 7 Al Ahram op-ed titled "The Crime of the Qana Massacre." The article centered on criticizing Israeli "crimes" in Lebanon, but also cited the notorious alleged practice of Jews using human blood to make Passover matzah. The Mufti did not respond directly to Charge's concern about the blood libel reference, instead stressing that the primary point of his article was to protest Israel's use of excessive force, and the killing of innocent civilians. Charge urged him to avoid spreading false myths that demonized the Israelis and the Jewish faith. ¶2. (SBU) Charge thanked Goma'a for his public comments disallowing a recent fatwa from self-proclaimed imam Dr. Safwat Hegazy, in which Hegazy stated that in light of Israeli aggression against Lebanon, it is obligatory to kill Jews who come to Egypt or any other Islamic country. As reported widely by the Egyptian press, Goma'a refused Hegazy's fatwa, and stated that if a Jew or any other foreigner receives an entry visa to a Muslim country, he has been given an official "safety contract," meaning he must not be attacked, even if his country is at war with the Muslim country. Goma'a noted his appreciation of Charge's remarks on this point, stressing that Hegazy is not a "true imam," and that his inflammatory statements were completely illegitimate. ¶3. (SBU) Following a lengthy critique of U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Mufti underscored his interest in "increasing cooperation and further developing relations" between his office ("Dar al Iftah") and the U.S. Embassy. He noted in particular that international conferences held by Islamic scholars condemning terrorism have "not received any attention in the Western media." Charge offered USG assistance, and the Mufti promised to alert the Embassy in advance of future conferences in order to achieve greater media coverage of his anti-terror message. JONES