SECTARIAN TENSION IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OVER BOOK

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004377 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KIRF SA BA IR KU SUBJECT: SECTARIAN TENSION IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OVER BOOK DISTRIBUTED BY SHIA MINISTER -- CORRECTED COPY Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution. ¶1. (U) Abdul Hadi Al-Salih, the Minister for National Assembly Affairs and one of two Shi'a ministers in the Kuwaiti government, sparked a rare public Sunni-Shi'a row when he distributed to MPs over Ramadan a book of prayers, called Al-Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyya (available in English at http://www.shia.org/Sahifa/index.htm). The prayers were written by Zain Al-Abdeen, a figure revered by Shi'as because he was the prophet Mohammad's great-grandson through the line of Ali and Mohammad's daughter Fatima. Salafi-leaning MP Abdullah Akkash publicly objected because the book's introduction (not written by Zain Al-Abdeen) slights the early Islamic Omayyad dynasty (Note: The Omayyads took over the mantle of leadership of Islam after the death of Ali. The disagreement over succession to Mohammad and especially to Ali led to the Shi'a-Sunni split, with the Shi'a supporting the descendants of the prophet and the Sunnis supporting the Omayyads. End Note.) A conservative Sunni Islamic political association, the Nation Invariables Grouping, called for Al-Salih to apologize and resign, threatening to hold Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Mohammad Al-Sabah responsible if Al-Salih remained as minister. A number of MPs have sought to defuse the strident rhetoric by proposing that the National Assembly form a committee to "fight sectarianism, ensure moderation, and safeguard national unity." The committee would look back to Islamic sources and precedents to find answers to modern problems. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: The ostensible purpose of the new committee would be non-sectarian, and prominent Shi'a cleric Mohammad Al-Mohri endorsed the proposal. However, any attempt to join Sunnis and Shi'as together to look back at history would almost inevitably stir up the enmity that can be glossed over in dealing with everyday problems. The incident highlights how easily tension between Sunni and Shi'a can be provoked, despite Kuwait's positive record on Sunni-Shi'a relations. Among Sunnis in Kuwait, distrust towards the Shi'a persists, most notably within the military and, as in this case, the most ideologically extreme Sunni Islamists. Regional tensions have raised these questions anew for some Kuwaiti Sunnis. For now, Sunni-Shi'a squabbles cause relatively little public outcry and few direct consequences. If regional tensions increase or if Salafi Islamists significantly increase their influence, however, such incidents will be less easily contained. End Comment. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LeBaron