Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06JEDDAH459
2006-07-08 14:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Jeddah
Cable title:  

WAMY OFFICIAL UPSET ABOUT FUNDING AND CRITICAL OF

Tags:  KISL PGOV PINR PREL SA SOCI 
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INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1448
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1526
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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).
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