WAMY OFFICIAL UPSET ABOUT FUNDING AND CRITICAL OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000459 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (PARA MARKINGS) SIPDIS RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR AMBASSADOR JOHN HANFORD, NEA/ARP AND INR/B; PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2031 TAGS: KISL PGOV PINR PREL SA SOCI SUBJECT: WAMY OFFICIAL UPSET ABOUT FUNDING AND CRITICAL OF US REF: 05 JEDDAH 003846 Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 1.(C) SUMMARY: On June 18, PolOff held a frank discussion with World Assembly for Muslim Youth Assistant Secretary General Dr. Abdulwahab Noor ((WALI)) during which he repeated many of the same complaints and criticisms of the US that he has told Consulate General officers in the past. Wali bitterly outlined WAMY's funding limitations, which he said the Saudi government imposed against NGOs only because of "pressure from Washington". He then continued by making strident remarks against the broader US foreign policy in the Middle East. PolOff was able to coax out some information about WAMY programs and noted that Wali showed a more balanced side when speaking about educational opportunities and noted that WAMY is working closely with the Ministry of Education. He stressed the importance of involving young people directly in planning activities that will serve as educational opportunities to shape Saudi youth into "viable persons in society." END SUMMARY ¶2. (SBU) On June 18, PolOff met with Dr. Abdulwahab Noor ((WALI)),the Assistant Secretary General for the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY),in an effort to discuss WAMY's current goals and the social efforts they are advancing within Saudi Arabia. WAMY, an international NGO that operates throughout the Muslim world, is well known to US officials. Wali has met repeatedly with US Consulate General officers over the years and started off this session by lamenting that although he had met with "so many Americans," his efforts have not improved WAMY's status. He then complained that WAMY's relations have worsened with respect to the United States, who he said has unfairly targeted Saudi-based NGOs in the fight against terrorism. WAMY BACKGROUND AND ACTIVITIES ¶3. (U) Founded more than 35 years ago, WAMY is an NGO that provides education, emergency relief, health care services, social services and sustainable development projects to impoverished Muslims. The organization is headquartered in ;Saudi Arabia but operates in more than 40 nations, with particularly large programs in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Somalia, as well as in the Kingdom. Education of both youth and adults makes up the largest segment of WAMY-run programs. For example, in Saudi Arabia, WAMY operates after school programs that aim to keep youth (generally ages 13-17) from roaming the streets by using local school buildings in the late afternoon and evening to hold recreational activities in "community center" type settings. WAMY also operates educational programs for women in impoverished areas and has had particular success in teaching women how to make traditional handicrafts in Yemen, according to Wali. ¶4. (SBU) During the discussion of WAMY's educational programs, Wali demonstrated a progressive and open approach to working with youth. He stressed that one of his goals is to make Saudi youth "viable persons in society." He added that they should be consulted in advance about the types and content of activities that will be offered or else the programs will fail. Wali said that each year WAMY plans their programming with direct input from the Saudi youth who will be participating. The organization hosts one-day sessions for boys and for girls (with approximately 100 attendees at each) during which they discuss current trends in society and ask the youth to say what they would like to have offered. Drawing on his own scientific background, Wali said that he views his approach as a sort of "scientific method" for planning programs. He added that this is important because his goal is to "empower youth" and he thinks that giving them a say in the planning stage raises the long-term success of WAMY's programs. CONTINUED CONCERNS ABOUT FUNDING LEVELS ¶5. (SBU) According to Wali, WAMY funding comes exclusively from private donors within Saudi Arabia. He said that over the years, Muslims paying their "zakat" (charitable giving that is required as one of the "five pillars" of Islam and calls for all persons to spend a fixed portion of their income on the poor) have traditionally been the primary financial source for WAMY. Wali angrily asserted that WAMY is now experiencing financial hardship because the Saudi government has cut off those direct donations from private citizens, a move that Wali claimed was unfair and done only because he thought that Washington had ordered the Saudis to crack down on funding to even established social organizations such as his. 6.(SBU) When PolOff queried about alternative funding sources, Wali refused to elaborate on whether other nations or international groups have been able to make up any of the alleged lost funding from Saudi citizens. Instead, he kept returning to the lack of private donations, noting that since the government has forbidden donations to established, or as he put it "transparent" organizations, that money is still flowing but now it is moving as cash being given "under the table" to less reputable and harder to track groups. ¶7. (SBU) Wali estimated that the reduction in funding had forced WAMY to cut their activities in Saudi Arabia and abroad by 20 percent over the last four years. He then reiterated his claim that WAMY's funding crisis began after the 9/11 attacks when he said the Saudi government unexpectedly cut off NGO funding because Washington was "extending pressure." Insisting that WAMY has proven its transparency, he said that each year the organization submits a detailed report of its programs and financial record keeping to the Saudi government. When asked if the reports are available to others, Wali told PolOff that no one in the international community has ever requested a copy but that he would be willing to consider such a request. MIXED INTERACTIONS WITH THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT ¶8. (C) Although Wali was reticent about commenting on his relations with the Saudi government, he gave examples of both positive and negative relations between WAMY and several ministries. On the good side, he said that the Ministry of Education is very much involved with WAMY's student programs and has approved their activities. He even went so far as to say that "the Ministry of Education needs us," when asked about the level of influence WAMY holds with the educational system. However, Wali was less open about his relations with other ministries, such as Islamic Affairs, Finance, and SAMA. When PolOff queried about WAMY's relations with those groups, especially with respect to the financial constraints imposed on zakat donations, Wali became very tight-lipped and would only say that the Saudi government's limitation on funding for NGOs was the fault of the United States. He added that the restrictions are given to him from above and that he cannot do anything to stop them. CRITICAL OF US IMAGE ¶9. (SBU) As the conversation was winding down, Wali took it upon himself to raise what he described as a lack of "justice" on the part of the United States. He expressed strong criticism for the US presence in Iraq and voiced a bitter view of the ongoing problems in Israel-Palestine. He then launched into a 20 minute diatribe on how poor a job the US has done with managing its image in the Arab world, noting that the US image continues to worsen everyday and insisting to PolOff that "you have to do something about this!" When asked what, if anything, could be done to improve the US image, Wali replied, "create a just Palestine policy." ¶10. (C) COMMENT: When discussing WAMY's organization and his method for organizing youth programs, PolOff perceived Wali's willingness to listen to young people as an example of his ability to consider different perspectives in order to improve long-term results. Nevertheless, on political topics, Wali could not hide his deep dislike for the United States and was more interested in using the session as a way to sound off about his personal views than as an opportunity to seek out ways to work together. He also appeared to have a personal stake in expressing his dislike, and at one point diverted the conversation for several minutes solely to complain about how he felt his brother had been unfairly detained at the airport during a recent visit to Boston. BIO NOTE ¶11. (U) Dr. Abdulwahab Noor Wali, who appears to be in his late 50s, received a medical degree from King Abdul Aziz University in 1977. He then earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Sheffield University in the United Kingdom in 1982. He then returned to Jeddah and taught at King Abdul Aziz University until 1990. He began participating in Islamic charity work in 1982 and joined WAMY's African camps program. In 1990, he became the WAMY official in charge of programs in India and Kashmir. He speaks excellent English. Wali said that his brother is chief of the medical department at Makkah University. Gfoeller