Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DUSHANBE2186
2006-12-07 06:35:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Dushanbe
Cable title:
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS IMAM RETURNS FROM U.S. TO PREACH
VZCZCXRO8622 RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHDBU #2186 3410635 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 070635Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9200 INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1878 RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1906 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1932 RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1894 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1923 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1859 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1387 RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0710
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 002186
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM KIRF KPAO EAID TI
SUBJECT: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS IMAM RETURNS FROM U.S. TO PREACH
DEMOCRACY
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 002186
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM KIRF KPAO EAID TI
SUBJECT: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS IMAM RETURNS FROM U.S. TO PREACH
DEMOCRACY
1. (U) Badriddin Karimov, a local Tajik imam who participated
in the USAID-sponsored Community Connections Program, "Religion
in a Secular Society," returned to Tajikistan inspired by the
pluralism and tolerance he observed in the United States. On
the 20-day program to the United States, Karimov met with
congressmen, religious leaders of various faiths and community
members. Participants learned how religion and the state
interact and examined mechanisms that serve to protect religious
rights in the United States. Upon returning to Tajikistan,
Karimov began preaching sermons at his local mosque on the role
of democracy in Islam. He spoke to PolOff November 30 about his
plans to reach out to imams in rural areas and to spread the
word about pluralism and tolerance in the U.S. and how democracy
and Islam can go hand-in-hand.
2. (SBU) Karimov is the imam-khatib of a local mosque on the
outskirts of Dushanbe. Still young, he became an imam when a
friend invited him to preach at the mosque. The mosque's
previous imam had been fired due to alleged corruption and
schemes to lure money away from worshippers. Karimov told
PolOff that he was shocked by the number of Tajiks who have been
misinformed by poorly-educated religious men who claim to be
imams.
3. (SBU) Many imams in Tajikistan receive little formal
training and Karimov is not the first person to claim that
Tajiks have been taught false ideology. The government also
uses this as a pretext to test imams on their knowledge of
Islam. Even the chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of
Tajikistan has noted that religious leaders and the people of
Tajikistan are not well-informed on the teachings of the Koran.
4. (U) Because of the absence of high quality formal religious
education institutions in Tajikistan, a number of Tajiks travel
to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or other countries to seek religious
education. Karimov remarked that many Tajiks do not take these
scholars who return from abroad seriously. The returnees often
preach a version of Islam unfamiliar to Tajiks who are Muslims
in a secular nation that was under an atheist Soviet thumb for
the better part of a century. Sometimes the returnees even try
to teach Shia Islam, although most Tajiks consider themselves
Sunnis.
5. (SBU) After his Community Connections exchange, Karimov
believes the government is observing his activities carefully.
He produces a radio show on Islam in Tajikistan that used to
broadcast domestically until the government ordered the station
to stop. ((This happened before he left on the program.)) The
show is now only permitted to air on international stations,
which reach Persian language audiences in Afghanistan. This has
not deterred Karimov from pursuing plans to spread his message
to others. He plans on traveling and delivering sermons in
rural mosques throughout Tajikistan.
6. (U) COMMENT: Karimov and his mission present yet another
good example of how exchanges provide public diplomacy pay-offs
far greater than the cost of a trip. Post regularly engages
Tajik and Muslim leaders on issues like Islam, pluralism and
democracy but having an exchange alumni come back sufficiently
inspired to create his own speaking tour means our programs are
working. Through this single Community Connections Program, the
U.S. government has given voice to a potentially important
advocate of the virtues of religious tolerance and pluralism in
a secular society who is able to reach a wide audience of
Tajiks. END COMMENT.
JACOBSON
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM KIRF KPAO EAID TI
SUBJECT: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS IMAM RETURNS FROM U.S. TO PREACH
DEMOCRACY
1. (U) Badriddin Karimov, a local Tajik imam who participated
in the USAID-sponsored Community Connections Program, "Religion
in a Secular Society," returned to Tajikistan inspired by the
pluralism and tolerance he observed in the United States. On
the 20-day program to the United States, Karimov met with
congressmen, religious leaders of various faiths and community
members. Participants learned how religion and the state
interact and examined mechanisms that serve to protect religious
rights in the United States. Upon returning to Tajikistan,
Karimov began preaching sermons at his local mosque on the role
of democracy in Islam. He spoke to PolOff November 30 about his
plans to reach out to imams in rural areas and to spread the
word about pluralism and tolerance in the U.S. and how democracy
and Islam can go hand-in-hand.
2. (SBU) Karimov is the imam-khatib of a local mosque on the
outskirts of Dushanbe. Still young, he became an imam when a
friend invited him to preach at the mosque. The mosque's
previous imam had been fired due to alleged corruption and
schemes to lure money away from worshippers. Karimov told
PolOff that he was shocked by the number of Tajiks who have been
misinformed by poorly-educated religious men who claim to be
imams.
3. (SBU) Many imams in Tajikistan receive little formal
training and Karimov is not the first person to claim that
Tajiks have been taught false ideology. The government also
uses this as a pretext to test imams on their knowledge of
Islam. Even the chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of
Tajikistan has noted that religious leaders and the people of
Tajikistan are not well-informed on the teachings of the Koran.
4. (U) Because of the absence of high quality formal religious
education institutions in Tajikistan, a number of Tajiks travel
to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or other countries to seek religious
education. Karimov remarked that many Tajiks do not take these
scholars who return from abroad seriously. The returnees often
preach a version of Islam unfamiliar to Tajiks who are Muslims
in a secular nation that was under an atheist Soviet thumb for
the better part of a century. Sometimes the returnees even try
to teach Shia Islam, although most Tajiks consider themselves
Sunnis.
5. (SBU) After his Community Connections exchange, Karimov
believes the government is observing his activities carefully.
He produces a radio show on Islam in Tajikistan that used to
broadcast domestically until the government ordered the station
to stop. ((This happened before he left on the program.)) The
show is now only permitted to air on international stations,
which reach Persian language audiences in Afghanistan. This has
not deterred Karimov from pursuing plans to spread his message
to others. He plans on traveling and delivering sermons in
rural mosques throughout Tajikistan.
6. (U) COMMENT: Karimov and his mission present yet another
good example of how exchanges provide public diplomacy pay-offs
far greater than the cost of a trip. Post regularly engages
Tajik and Muslim leaders on issues like Islam, pluralism and
democracy but having an exchange alumni come back sufficiently
inspired to create his own speaking tour means our programs are
working. Through this single Community Connections Program, the
U.S. government has given voice to a potentially important
advocate of the virtues of religious tolerance and pluralism in
a secular society who is able to reach a wide audience of
Tajiks. END COMMENT.
JACOBSON