GOA VIEWS ON THE PROPOSED DEPT OF VICE AND VIRTUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003597

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, SA/PB, S/CT,
EUR/RPM
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM AF
SUBJECT: GOA VIEWS ON THE PROPOSED DEPT OF VICE AND VIRTUE

REF: STATE 132443

Classified By: AMBASSADOR RONALD NEUMANN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Minister for Religious Affairs
and the Hajj, in whose ministry the proposed
Department for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of
Virtue would be located, is a strong supporter for the
reinstatement of the Department. Minister Shirani met
with Ambassador Neumann on August 8 to discuss the new
department and other changes in the ministry. The
Ambassador impressed upon the Minister the extreme
sensitivity aroused by this department in the West and
even among many Afghans. He also noted that as soon
as public pressure gets too strong it will be
difficult to find a reasonable solution. Shirani
stressed that the department will be recreated for the
sole purpose of advocacy and specifically to help
combat corruption. Per reftel, Embassy will continue
to raise this issue with GOA in an effort to defeat or
ameliorate it. END SUMMARY.

Religious Affairs Minister
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2. (SBU) The Department currently exists under the
Supreme Court but it is unclear what, if any, role it
currently plays. The Department does have a budget,
employees, and structure though efforts to find out
more have so far come up empty. The minister said the
purpose of its reinstatement or movement will be to
combat corruption.


3. (SBU) The Ambassador argued that regardless of the
good intentions involved with the re-creation of the
department, it will be hard to keep control over such
an office. People in the office may have extreme
views and may try to extend their mandate. This
extension will be hard to stop once started. The
problem in the West is there will be a strong
reaction. Once public pressure begins from the West
it will produce harsh reactions in Afghanistan. Under
these circumstances, it will be more difficult to
resolve these concerns diplomatically and for
responsible people to make the right decisions.


4. (SBU) Shirani said that Afghanistan is a very
traditional and religious country and the GoA is
trying to use this department to speak to the country
through the Ulema Council. He added that as
Afghanistan is an Islamic country it should be led by
Islam and not politics. As a result the Ulemas need
government support and encouragement in order to help
guide the people.


5. (SBU) Lastly Minister Shirani asked for support
from the US to assist in publishing religious
materials and for other assistance to the ministry.
The Ambassador explained the restrictions on US aid to
religious groups and said he would look into the
matter.

Palace Views
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6. (C) DCM and PolCouns discussed the Vice and Virtue
issue on August 10 with President Karzai's Special
Secretary Shaida Mohammad Abdali and Independent Media

SIPDIS
Commission Chairman Professor Maroofi. Both officials

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felt that concerns of the West were overblown and did
not take into account the GOA's need to rebut Taliban
propaganda which painted Karzai as "soft" on Islamic
values and totally corrupted by the West. Both
asserted that the department would enjoy widespread
public support. Shaida and Maroofi expected that its
creation would be strongly supported by the Wolesi
Jirga (WJ) but that the WJ would oppose any attempt to
give the department the kind of enforcement powers
that it had during under the Taliban. They stressed
that the office would have no/no enforcement powers
and would be located in the Ministry of Religious
Affairs and the Hajj, so its officials would be under
direct control of the executive branch. These two
liberal-minded officials were under no doubt that the
Department would be created, but also said they did
not see it as anything to be concerned about in the
context of a democratic Muslim society.

COMMENT
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7. (C) It seems that there is some room to negotiate
with the GoA over the department's creation especially
with regards to its mandate. However, despite
domestic opposition, especially from women's groups
and women MP's, it is almost certain that the
department will be created in some form especially
after the Meshrano Jerga voted in support of it. Our
most realistic strategy is two fold; first, delay this
as long as possible in hopes of defeating or
ameliorating this measure. Second, we want to press
for specific definition of what the new office will do
and define out of its purview all enforcement
functions (most of which already exist as criminal or
civil statutes with appropriate ministries). As the
name of the committee comes from the injunction in the
Koran to promote virtue and resist vice we are not
optimistic that many Afghans would stand up in public
to support a name change. Post will quietly continue
to put pressure on the GoA to address the concerns of
the international and human rights communities. Overt
opposition to the creation of this department will
almost certainly leak resulting in a more polarized
environment within which the USG and like-minded
internationals and Afghans would be less effective in
carrying forward efforts to reconcile Islamic law with
the universal declaration of human rights and other
modern legal instruments to which Afghanistan has also
committed itself in its constitution.
NEUMANN