Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MANAMA264
2006-02-22 12:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

ASHURA PROCEEDS SMOOTHLY; CONTROVERSY ERUPTS IN

Tags:  PGOV KISL PHUM KIRF BA POL 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

221208Z Feb 06
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000264 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV KISL PHUM KIRF BA POL
SUBJECT: ASHURA PROCEEDS SMOOTHLY; CONTROVERSY ERUPTS IN
AFTERMATH OF HOLIDAY

REF: MANAMA 0184

Classified by DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000264

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV KISL PHUM KIRF BA POL
SUBJECT: ASHURA PROCEEDS SMOOTHLY; CONTROVERSY ERUPTS IN
AFTERMATH OF HOLIDAY

REF: MANAMA 0184

Classified by DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (SBU) An estimated 150,000 people participated in Ashura
events in downtown Manama on February 8, the climax of the
ten-day period during which Shia commemorate the martyrdom of
Imam Hussein in Kerbala in 680 AD. By all accounts,
activities went very quietly and smoothly with no reports of
violence or confrontations. In a development unique to this
year, marchers taking part in the processions walked over a
collection of Danish flags painted and nailed into the
street, in addition to American and Israeli flags. There was
no Bahraini uniformed security presence in the area of the
events, but volunteers wearing numbered badges and carrying
radios provided assistance and information to those in need.
Activists spoke out against the conviction of a group of 12
Shia youth for their involvement in a clash at the airport on
December 25, and others gathered signatures for a petition
demanding the drafting of a new constitution by an elected
assembly. The biggest controversy occurred over a week after
Ashura ended, when the media publicized the billboard of a
Shia religious group containing a quote with apparently
sectarian implications. Although the billboard was
supposedly referring to events in the Ashura story, it was
roundly condemned by opinion leaders for harming national
unity. End Summary.

--------------
Ashura Passes Peacefully
--------------


2. (SBU) Some 150,000 people participated in Ashura
processions in the old town of Manama on February 8, the
final night of the ten-day Shia commemoration of the
martyrdom of Imam Hussein. By all accounts, including those
of EmbOffs who attended the processions, the event went very
smoothly with no reports of violence or confrontations. The
event was marked by large groups of (mostly young) men,
sometimes numbering in the thousands, marching in unison on a
several-kilometer circuit while rhythmically beating their
chests with their fists or striking their backs with strands

of chain-link attached to wooden handles. The groups were
organized by the many Shia religious/social halls in the
area, called matams. The marchers were accompanied by
readers describing the Ashura story as well as empty coffins
and riderless horses symbolizing the death of Hussein. The
most disturbing sight was a group of about 20 young men in
military style headbands, t-shirts, and camouflage pants
jogging slowly in unison chanting "Death to America, Death to
Israel, Death to Denmark."


3. (SBU) In a twist unique to the 2006 event, marchers in
the processions walked over 10-20 boards that were nailed
into the street and painted as the Danish flag. This was in
addition to a collection of boards painted in the colors of
the American and Israeli flags. EmbOffs observed no
participants carrying posters or flags of foreign leaders
such as Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei or Hizballah SecGen
Nasrallah, as the GOB claimed had occurred during Ashura
festivities in 2005. EmbOffs saw a permanent billboard with
a painting of prominent Bahraini Shia cleric Shaikh Issa
Qassem positioned next to that Nasrallah, and a few matams
placed televisions on the street broadcasting speeches and
sermons, including those of Nasrallah. Flyers were taped to
walls with photos of Ayatollah Sistani and quotes that were
entirely religious (vice political) in nature.

--------------
Something for Everyone During Ashura
--------------


4. (SBU) In addition to the processions, organizers
established many other diversions for attendees. Each matam
manned booths offering free food and drink for anyone who
asked, an art association exhibited the work of many local
and foreign artists, all covering the themes of Ashura, and
the Naim and Muharraq health centers organized blood drives.
For the benefit of foreigners, a group offered lectures in
English on the subject of Ashura and its meaning, and a
troupe put on a play re-enacting the battle of Kerbala the
evening of February 8. There were many displays similar to
Christmas nativity scenes scattered throughout the area
depicting aspects of the story, some bordering on gruesome in
their attention to detail. As in previous years, a 25-piece
marching band sporting black satin pants and sashes led a
large group of mourners.

5. (SBU) In an interview with the press, Husseini
Processions Committee President Hussein Al Alawi said that
the number of those participating in Ashura festivities was
higher this year than in previous years because of the
schools and universities being on spring holiday and the
"thousands of Kuwaitis and Saudis" who came to take part in
the activities. Al Alawi praised the participants for being
well-behaved, noting that police and other security services
were present to ensure the area was safe, secure and
protected. Community police (unarmed officers from the local
communities) were also present to help control the area.
EmbOffs noticed no/no uniformed security presence in the area
with the exception of traffic police controlling the flow of
vehicles on the perimeter of the old town area. Volunteers
associated with the matams, wearing large numbered badges and
carrying radios, were deployed inside the processions zone
and actively engaged with those present to provide
information and assist those in need. A contact told EmbOff
that Ashura was a period of tremendous freedom and liberation
for Bahrain's Shia: "For ten days each year, we control the
area. The government does it the other 355 days."

--------------
Convictions, Petition Charge Atmosphere
--------------


6. (SBU) Per reftel, 12 Shia youth were found guilty
February 7 of taking part in an illegal gathering during a
clash at Bahrain International Airport on December 25 and
received sentences of two years in jail. (Another group of
seven was convicted of the same offense one week later and
was sentenced to one year in prison.) The harshness of the
sentence angered many in the Shia community, and it was a
steady topic of conversation in the downtown area during the
final two days of Ashura. EmbOff observed a crowd of some 500
people listening to a speaker denouncing the government for
the conviction. Despite the tension, there was no violence
or clashes.


7. (SBU) The Haq ("Right") Movement, a hardline splinter
group from leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq, issued a
press release February 6 announcing a petition to be
presented to the UN calling for a new "democratic"
constitution drafted by a council of elected representatives.
Petition supporters set up tables and booths in several
sections of the downtown area and, outside the largest matam,
showed a video about Shia poverty in Bahrain. Organizers
announced their goal of getting 100,000 signatures, almost
25% of all Bahraini citizens, on the petition during Ashura.
To date, there has been no announcement about the number of
signatures, but knowledgeable sources say the group likely
reached its goal.

--------------
Flags, Billboards Provoke Controversy
--------------


8. (SBU) Minister of Interior LTG Shaikh Rashid bin Hamad Al
Khalifa met with Processions Committee President Al Alawi,
Shura Council member Fouad Al Haji, and Council of
Representatives (COR) deputy Issa Hassan bin Rajab February 4
to review security for the occasion. Shaikh Rashid stressed
the religious importance of the events and pledged his
cooperation and support. The meeting occurred at the same
time that community leaders in Hamad Town (a mixed Sunni-Shia
area) and Diraz, Shia village, were accusing police of
pulling down the black flags that blanket Shia areas to mark
Ashura. Northern Municipal Council members called these
illegal acts and demanded an explanation from Northern
Governor Ahmed bin Saloom and the Northern Security
Directorate.


9. (SBU) The greatest controversy flared more than a week
after Ashura ended. New Arabic daily Al Watan, which is
reported to have ties to the country's Sunni Salafi
community, published an article February 18 attacking a quote
on a billboard sponsored by the Shia Islamic Enlightenment
Society. The quote from Shaikh Issa Qassem says, in
elliptical fashion, that Bahrain is divided into two camps,
that of Hussein and that of Yazid (whose army killed Hussein
and his followers in Kerbala). While a generous
interpretation of the quote is that Qassem was referring to
the differences between good, pious, observant Muslims and
lapsed Muslims, most understand the reference to be to Shias
(Hussein's camp) and Sunnis (Yazid's camp).

--------------
Opinion Leaders Condemn Sectarianism
--------------

10. (SBU) Senior officials, members of parliament, and
columnists quickly dove into the controversy. At its regular
Sunday morning meeting, the Cabinet February 19 condemned
posters and slogans that threaten national unity, saying this
is a misuse of democracy and freedom. The Cabinet urged
companies and associations to adhere strictly to laws and
regulations. PM Shaikh Khalifa highlighted the importance of
using the atmosphere of openness and freedom of expression in
a positive way to unite Bahrainis and criticized "offensive"
banners. COR Speaker Khalifa Al Dhahrani, speaking at the
Prime Minister's February 19 majles, condemned the slogan and
said the billboard was a "balloon launched to test the limit"
of acceptable speech. Minister of Social Development Fatima
Al Balooshi threatened to take measures against the Islamic
Enlightenment Society for posting a banner that "does not
match the objectives of the society." Salafi Deputy Jassim
Al Saeedi called for removing all banners that cause division
in Bahraini society.


11. (SBU) Al Watan columnist Sawsan Al Shaer accused the
Islamic Enlightenment Society and some Shia religious
scholars of politicizing religion with the purpose of harming
national unity. Several other writers echoed her comments.
Editor-in-Chief of Al Wasat newspaper Mansour Al Jamry
asserted that slogans that send mixed messages should not be
posted so as to avoid instigating any conflict. He
continued, "It is true that other religious societies also
posted religious-political banners previously that scared the
other side, but one mistake does not justify making another.
We call for a stop to the accusations because we are all
Bahrainis."

--------------
Comment
--------------


12. (C) Given the backdrop of intermittent clashes between
Shia youth and police since late November 2005, Ashura was
marked by a distinct lack of tension or violence. A Shia MP
assured EmbOff that there would be no violence at the event,
saying Shia want to show the government and all Bahrainis
that they can police themselves when given the opportunity.
Now that Ashura is over and Bahrain's security services
control the streets once again, those seeking to provoke
confrontations no longer feel the peer pressure to behave
like they did during the holiday. While the scene has been
mostly quiet since the end of Ashura, a charged atmosphere
could return as supporters of the 19 jailed youth take to the
streets and the timing of the municipal and legislative
elections draws closer.

MONROE