IRAQ STRIFE SPARKS DENUNCIATION, REFLECTION

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000292 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/I AND NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER KISL PINS PGOV IZ MU SUBJECT: IRAQ STRIFE SPARKS DENUNCIATION, REFLECTION REF: A. STATE 31188 ¶B. STATE 28802 ¶C. MUSCAT 268 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Foreign Minister Bin Alawi joined his GCC colleagues on February 24 in denouncing terrorism in Iraq in the wake of the Al-Askaria shrine bombing, while Oman's leading Arabic dailies also condemned the apparent effort to stoke civil war. Perhaps provoked by an "inappropriate" local Internet poll, the Grand Mufti spoke out February 26 calling for Muslim unity in Iraq, while denouncing sectarianism and intolerance as un-Islamic. End summary. -------------- FM, Press Speak Out -------------- ¶2. (U) Further to our response to ref A and B, requests to encourage statements denouncing the February 22 Al-Askaria shrine bombing, FM Yusuf bin Alawi joined his GCC colleagues following the February 24 meeting with Secretary Rice in condemning terrorism in Iraq. The lead editorials in government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" and privately owned Arabic daily "al-Watan" that same day also denounced the shrine bombing in Samarra as an attempt to unleash a civil war in Iraq. -------------- Grand Mufti Weighs In -------------- ¶3. (U) Oman's top religious leader, Grand Mufti Shaykh Ahmed al-Khalili, spoke to the local press on February 26 further denouncing sectarian violence in Iraq. As carried in most local Arabic and English dailies, he stated, "I am very concerned with what is happening in Iraq as it may lead to civil war and that will surely bring destruction and ruin. We call upon all Iraqis, both Shias and Sunni, to come together... to set aside differences and stand hand-in-hand. I further call upon all Muslims to unite their ranks, as our religion teaches us tolerance and fraternity and warns us against sectarianism. Those who bombed the holy shrines in Iraq are enemies of Islam because no real Muslim dare commit such an act." The Grand Mufti advocated a meeting of senior Iraqi Sunni and Shia clerics to find a means of containing the violence. -------------- Inappropriate Poll Pulled -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Samarra shrine attack inspired an informal poll on the local Internet message board "al-Sablah" as to whether sectarian violence was possible within Oman. In two days, the poll topic had over 800 hits and 50 responses before the website's supervisors closed the topic with the explanation, "in light of these sensitive times, it is inappropriate to raise these unnecessary questions." At its closing, 52 percent of poll respondents thought sectarian violence in Oman not likely, while 40 percent took the opposite view. BALTIMORE