CONTINUED ANGER OVER POPE'S COMMENTS; ISLAMISTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 003787

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KISL VT KU ISLAMISTS
SUBJECT: CONTINUED ANGER OVER POPE'S COMMENTS; ISLAMISTS
USE CONTROVERSY FOR POLITICAL GAIN

REF: KUWAIT 3717

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Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.4 (d)


1. (C/NF) Summary: The furor over the Pope's comments has
continued unabated in Kuwait, fanned by some conservative
Islamists' depiction of the comments as further evidence of a
Judeo-Christian conspiracy against Islam. The subject has
dominated editorials over the past week with almost all
authors condemning the Pope's remarks and dismissing his
"apology" as insufficient. Aside from the comments of the
Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (reftel),there has
been no official statement by the Government condemning the
Pope's comments, though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did
summon the Vatican Nuncio this week to "clarify" the Pope's
remarks. There have been isolated calls to stop the building
of churches in Kuwait, but no one has advocated violence or
retaliation against Christians. An American Imam in Kuwait
on a U.S. Speaker program expressed empathy with Muslim
feelings, but called on fellow Muslims to accept the Pope's
apology and use this as a spur for increased interfaith
dialogue. Prominent Kuwaitis held rallies, some of which
were attended by MPs, in which they denounced the Pope in
extremely harsh language. End Summary.

Pope's Comments Connected to "Crusade"
--------------


2. (C/NF) In a September 20 article in Al-Rai Al-Aam (local
Arabic daily),Ali Al-Fadhel linked President Bush's 2001
reference to the War on Terrorism as a "crusade," his recent
statement that "thiQation is at war with Islamic fascists,"
the controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed published in
Denmark, and the Pope's comments. This connection was made
by a number of other columnists, including liberals like
Ahmed Deyain, the former Secretary General ofQ Kuwait
Democratic Forum. In a September 17 article in Al-Rai
Al-Aam, Deyain argued that certain "gangs of
neo-conservatives in the West are striving to depict Muslims
including nonreligious ones as strategic foes of Western
civilization and eventually project Islam as the foe of the
West." "Are the European nations supported by (the Pope)
currently involved in waging a crusader war on Islam?"
columnist Ahmed Al-Kous asked in a September 17 article in
Al-Watan (local Arabic daily). He concluded that the Pope's
"accusations...reflect a deep-rooted grudge among extremist
Christians against Islam and Muslims attributable to the
spread of Islam in many countries." Another columnist,
Waleed Al-Ghanem, claimed "this slander has been issued
intentionally" to "undermine" the image of Islam and the
Prophet Mohammed, in a September 20 article in Al-Qabas
(local Arabic daily).


3. (C/NF) Many columnists also dismissed the Pope's
"apology" as falling short of what is needed. "The 'sadness'
shown by the Pope is just an attempt to reformulate what had
already been said by the Pope and in no way constitutes a
denial or repentance," columnist and professor Dr. Ayed
Al-Manna argued in a September 19 article in Al-Watan.
Despite their criticisms, most Kuwaitis have urged a
non-violent response to the Pope's statements and stressed
the need for greater dialogue between the Christian and
Muslim worlds. Dr. Al-Mana, for example, called for a
"deep-rooted Muslim-Christian dialogue on the issues and most
important difference between the two religions."

Controversy Also Sparks Degree of Soul-Searching
-------------- ---


4. (C/NF) Not all Kuwaitis were quick to condemn the Pope.
In a September 20 article in the Kuwait Times (local English
daily),Dr. Sami Alrabaa, a staunch liberal, argued that the
Pope's comments were taken out of context and asked why Islam
could be so easily misrepresented. Responding to an article
by Ali Fahd Al-Ajmi, who alleged that the West was fighting a
"crusade" against the Muslim world, Alrabaa said the only
reason the world would have to "hate" Muslims is "because
most terrorists are Muslims, terrorizing the world." He
continued: "They hate us because we are killing innocent
people in the name of Islam. They hate us because we are
intolerant and undemocratic. They hate us because we protest
like savage animals; burning embassies and churches. They
surely do not hate us just because we are Muslims. As
ordinary Muslims, we do not pose any threat to anybody and
hence nobody hates us."


5. (C/NF) Khalil Ali Haider, a Shi'a intellectual and
columnist for Al-Watan, told Poloff September 19 that

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conservative Islamists were using the controversy over the
Pope's comments for their own political gain. He feared the
ramification would be the loss of freedoms of speech in
western countries. "Given this backlash, people will be
afraid to say anything even mildly critical of the Muslim
world," he said. Ultimately, this will undermine dialogue
and understanding between the Muslim world and the West.
Haider expressed disappointment that the Pope had not
distinguished between "Islam" and "political Islam." "You
can say anything you want against the latter," he said, "but
the former is sacred." Craig Walker, an American Muslim
hired by the Ministry of Awqaf as a consultant on a project
aimed at improving the image of Islam in the West, told
Poloff he believed the controversy would have a positive
outcome by inspiring greater dialogue between Christians and
Muslims.

Visiting American Imam Responds
--------------


6. (SBU) Sohaib Sultan, an American Imam visiting Kuwait on
a U.S. Speaker program, told Poloff the first question he was
usually asked in Kuwait, by a wide range of Kuwaitis, was
what he thought of the Pope's comments. Kuwaitis have told
Sultan they are particularly disappointed because they saw
the previous Pope as a person dedicated to interfaith
dialogue. Sultan has responded that religious leaders should
choose their words carefully and that Muslims regret the
Pope's choice of words. However, he has also told Kuwaitis
that Muslims should accept the Pope's apology and take
advantage of this opportunity to improve the dialogue between
Muslims and Christians.

Islamists See an Opportunity for Political Gain
-------------- --


7. (C/NF) A number of conservative Islamists seem to be
using the controversy for political gain by situating the
Pope's comments in the context of a Judeo-Christian
conspiracy against Islam. One of the most strongly worded
responses came from former Salafi Member of Parliament (MP)
Dr. Fahad Al-Khanna who wrote in a September 17 article in
Al-Watan, "It looks like (the Pope) has decided to throw his
weight behind a hectic campaign which has been waged by
ruling extremist rightist parties and parliaments in the
West, including the U.S., Germany, and Austria against Islam.
The campaign in question was actually motivated by political
factors aimed at instigating the people against Islam in the
name of fighting terrorism. We conclude the Jews and the
rightist Christians are in agreement about their specific
objectives while dealing with Muslim countries:
re-imperialize these countries and eventually divide
them...erect barriers of hatred and fear between the West and
the Muslim world to prevent the spread of Islam in the
West...spread Christianity in the world...(and) fight Islam
and expel Muslims from many nations....In light of the above,
we expect the arrival of a new crusader whose armies and
banners the Muslim nation must confront by all means."
Despite their rhetoric, Kuwaiti Islamists have stressed that
opposition to the Pope's comments should only be expressed
through peaceful means; none have publicly encouraged Muslims
to retaliate against Christians in any way.


8. (C/NF) Islamist groups have organized several rallies
over the past few days to condemn the Pope's comments.
According to local media reports, one rally organized by the
Salafi Movement was attended by "dozens of Islamists,"
including several MPs. Acting National Assembly Speaker
Mohammed Al-Bousairi, a member of the Islamic Constitutional
Movement (ICM),said the Pope's "apology" was "not
sufficient" and demanded that he make "an official apology."
Islamist MP Dr. Waleed Al-Tabtabaei echoed previous calls by
Islamist MPs (reftel) for the Government to stop issuing
licenses to new churches in Kuwait and called for the
expulsion of the Vatican Nuncio. Another speaker at the
rally, academic Raed Al-Salih, insisted that Islam is a
religion of "peace, mercy, and wisdom" and emphasized that
"there is no compulsion in relQion." He said, "We must
protest against any attempt to tarnish the image of Islam by
anyone, but it should not be carried out through extreme
actions. We must remember the teachings of the Prophet who
said that all religions must be respected."

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