Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06JEDDAH514
2006-08-02 08:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Jeddah
Cable title:
MOSQUE SERMONS FOR SAUDI ARABIA JULY 28: EASTERN
how-toVZCZCXRO7964 PP RUEHDE DE RUEHJI #0514/01 2140837 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 020837Z AUG 06 FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9392 INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1482 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1561 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 6715 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000514
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP;
PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016
TAGS: KISL PREL SA SCUL
SUBJECT: MOSQUE SERMONS FOR SAUDI ARABIA JULY 28: EASTERN
PROVINCE IMAM STRESSES MUSLIM UNITY AND WARNS AGAINST
CRITICISM OF ISLAM; MECCA SERMON PLEADS FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR
DURING SACRED MONTHS.
Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller, for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
FROM THE EASTERN PROVINCE: SERMON STRESSES UNITY OF MUSLIMS
AND SUBTLY CRITICIZES REFORMERS
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000514
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP;
PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016
TAGS: KISL PREL SA SCUL
SUBJECT: MOSQUE SERMONS FOR SAUDI ARABIA JULY 28: EASTERN
PROVINCE IMAM STRESSES MUSLIM UNITY AND WARNS AGAINST
CRITICISM OF ISLAM; MECCA SERMON PLEADS FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR
DURING SACRED MONTHS.
Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller, for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
FROM THE EASTERN PROVINCE: SERMON STRESSES UNITY OF MUSLIMS
AND SUBTLY CRITICIZES REFORMERS
1. (C) At the Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal Mosque in al-Khobar on
July 28, Imam Shaikh Mohammed al-Qahtani offered a sermon
that left our source confused and uncertain as to the imam's
intent. The imam, who is notorious for attacking followers
of all but the Hanbali school of Islamic thought as
counterfeit Muslims if not outright heretics, began his
sermon by declaring that there is One Islam under One Book
and One God. His speech seemed to dismiss the differences
between the different schools of Islamic thought and even to
embrace Shi'ites, proclaiming that "the Quran is what unites
Muslims."
2. (C) COMMENT: Al-Qahtani is normally virulently hostile
to Shi'ites and one cannot reject the possibility that
al-Qahtani is deliberately tempering his well-known
anti-Shi'a sentiments in response to the Saudi public's
growing sympathy and support for Lebanese Shi'ites suffering
under Israeli assault. END COMMENT.
3. (C) The imam then warned his congregation against "people
who wear the mask of goodness and who appear and behave as
angels, but in reality are nothing but devils in disguise.
These people make huge efforts to project positive public
images, they appear on TV, write in newspapers, and speak in
public, and often have huge follow(ings) of people who have
been deceived." The imam then proclaimed that "each human
being will have to account for every word or deed in this
world, and that the situation is even worse for those who
engage in lying and deception on a grand scale."
Significantly, he specifically called on those who attack
religious scholars to repent and ask for God's forgiveness
"before it is too late."
4. (C) COMMENT: The source found this sermon very
confusing, in comparison to many of al-Qahtani's sermons in
which the target of his wrath is all too clear. The source
speculated that al-Qahtani was referring to Hasan Nasrallah
or Qainan al-Ghamdi and others who criticize the Mutawas.
Finally the source concluded that the imam was referring to
all of these misguided doubters. In the event, the source
felt "he was trying to say something without really saying it
because he kept going in circles and was quite vague." In
reading the report and comments, one may surmise that at a
more general level, Al-Qahtani was broadcasting a veiled
warning to reformers or those who would question the
positions or pronouncements of "religious scholars," such as
himself, implying that they would have to answer to a
wrathful God for their misbehavior. END COMMENT.
5. (C) The source noted that al-Qahtani usually takes a
vacation during the entire month of August and speculated
that he would absent himself from the Mosque beginning next
week.
FROM MECCA: MUSLIMS SHOULD STRIVE FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR DURING
SACRED MONTHS
6. (U) At the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Imam Shaykh Usamah
Abdallah Khayyat devoted his sermon to a call for Muslims to
properly observe the four sacred months of the Muslim
calendar, of which the current month, Rajab, is one. During
these months, fighting is forbidden and Muslims should
refrain from committing crimes or sins. During a sacred
month, the imam quoted from the Quran: "wrong not yourselves
therein, and fight the pagans all together as they fight you
all together. But know that God is with those who restrain
themselves." "Pagans," the imam related, "restrained
themselves during sacred months. Is it not better for the
Muslim, who accepts Allah as God, Islam as religion and
Mohammed, ... to restrain himself from sins?" He added
"Lucky is the one who attains the highest degree of God's
pleasure by ... pursuing good conduct in this sacred month
and in all the months of the year."
JEDDAH 00000514 002 OF 002
FROM MEDINA: BROADCAST OF SERMON SUFFERED FROM TECHNICAL
PROBLEMS
7. (U) The sermon from the Prophet's Mosque in Medina could
not be heard due to poor audio quality.
Gfoeller
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP;
PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016
TAGS: KISL PREL SA SCUL
SUBJECT: MOSQUE SERMONS FOR SAUDI ARABIA JULY 28: EASTERN
PROVINCE IMAM STRESSES MUSLIM UNITY AND WARNS AGAINST
CRITICISM OF ISLAM; MECCA SERMON PLEADS FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR
DURING SACRED MONTHS.
Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller, for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
FROM THE EASTERN PROVINCE: SERMON STRESSES UNITY OF MUSLIMS
AND SUBTLY CRITICIZES REFORMERS
1. (C) At the Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal Mosque in al-Khobar on
July 28, Imam Shaikh Mohammed al-Qahtani offered a sermon
that left our source confused and uncertain as to the imam's
intent. The imam, who is notorious for attacking followers
of all but the Hanbali school of Islamic thought as
counterfeit Muslims if not outright heretics, began his
sermon by declaring that there is One Islam under One Book
and One God. His speech seemed to dismiss the differences
between the different schools of Islamic thought and even to
embrace Shi'ites, proclaiming that "the Quran is what unites
Muslims."
2. (C) COMMENT: Al-Qahtani is normally virulently hostile
to Shi'ites and one cannot reject the possibility that
al-Qahtani is deliberately tempering his well-known
anti-Shi'a sentiments in response to the Saudi public's
growing sympathy and support for Lebanese Shi'ites suffering
under Israeli assault. END COMMENT.
3. (C) The imam then warned his congregation against "people
who wear the mask of goodness and who appear and behave as
angels, but in reality are nothing but devils in disguise.
These people make huge efforts to project positive public
images, they appear on TV, write in newspapers, and speak in
public, and often have huge follow(ings) of people who have
been deceived." The imam then proclaimed that "each human
being will have to account for every word or deed in this
world, and that the situation is even worse for those who
engage in lying and deception on a grand scale."
Significantly, he specifically called on those who attack
religious scholars to repent and ask for God's forgiveness
"before it is too late."
4. (C) COMMENT: The source found this sermon very
confusing, in comparison to many of al-Qahtani's sermons in
which the target of his wrath is all too clear. The source
speculated that al-Qahtani was referring to Hasan Nasrallah
or Qainan al-Ghamdi and others who criticize the Mutawas.
Finally the source concluded that the imam was referring to
all of these misguided doubters. In the event, the source
felt "he was trying to say something without really saying it
because he kept going in circles and was quite vague." In
reading the report and comments, one may surmise that at a
more general level, Al-Qahtani was broadcasting a veiled
warning to reformers or those who would question the
positions or pronouncements of "religious scholars," such as
himself, implying that they would have to answer to a
wrathful God for their misbehavior. END COMMENT.
5. (C) The source noted that al-Qahtani usually takes a
vacation during the entire month of August and speculated
that he would absent himself from the Mosque beginning next
week.
FROM MECCA: MUSLIMS SHOULD STRIVE FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR DURING
SACRED MONTHS
6. (U) At the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Imam Shaykh Usamah
Abdallah Khayyat devoted his sermon to a call for Muslims to
properly observe the four sacred months of the Muslim
calendar, of which the current month, Rajab, is one. During
these months, fighting is forbidden and Muslims should
refrain from committing crimes or sins. During a sacred
month, the imam quoted from the Quran: "wrong not yourselves
therein, and fight the pagans all together as they fight you
all together. But know that God is with those who restrain
themselves." "Pagans," the imam related, "restrained
themselves during sacred months. Is it not better for the
Muslim, who accepts Allah as God, Islam as religion and
Mohammed, ... to restrain himself from sins?" He added
"Lucky is the one who attains the highest degree of God's
pleasure by ... pursuing good conduct in this sacred month
and in all the months of the year."
JEDDAH 00000514 002 OF 002
FROM MEDINA: BROADCAST OF SERMON SUFFERED FROM TECHNICAL
PROBLEMS
7. (U) The sermon from the Prophet's Mosque in Medina could
not be heard due to poor audio quality.
Gfoeller