SHI'A CIVIL SOCIETY, LOOKING TO THE STARS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 001706

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DHAHRAN SENDS
PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2016
TAGS: PGOV KMPI KPAO KIRF SA
SUBJECT: SHI'A CIVIL SOCIETY, LOOKING TO THE STARS


Classified By: Consul General John Kincannon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).


1. (C) Summary: A meeting with the Qatif Astronomy Society on
March 13th 2006 provided a snapshot of how civil society can
operate in the Shi'a areas of Saudi Arabia. The Qatif
Astronomy Society was begun locally with 12 founding members
in February 2003, and has no license or official
authorization. With assets of over 60,000 SR ($16,000),the
Society runs classes for children and adults, participates in
national and international conferences, and has by-laws and a
mission statement. The Society was built with the support of
Shi'a community organizations, internet tools, and assistance
from interested expatriates. End summary.

--------------
A LOCAL ORGANIZATION WITH A BROAD REACH
--------------


2. (SBU) In Awjam, a suburb of the Shi'a oasis of Qatif, PAO
met with members of the Qatif Astronomy Society on March
13th, 2006. The Society began organically, when Anwar Saleh
Al-Mohammad, a science teacher with a master's in
astrophysics from King Fahd University for Petroleum and
Minerals, began giving classes on astronomy for the local
communQy. An interested group of students then formed Qe
Astronomy Amateur Society and raised the money to buy a $7000
telescope. Twelve founding members launched the Qatif
Astronomy Society in February 2003, and the Society has 75
active due-paying members, and over 300 associate members of
different ages and professions. The elected president of the
Society, Anwar Saleh Al-Mohammad, emphasized the solid
foundation of the Society. "We are small, but strong" he
said. "In Saudi Arabia everything has to be big," he
continued, "but you in the West respect good things that are
small."


3. (C) The Qatif Astronomy Society has no formal
registration. "We were able to begin without government
support because we were encouraged by the academic and
international community," said Mohammed Al Radhwan, the vice
president of the group. "But we are in a weak position.
Anyone can close us at any time. So we try to be very
transparent." As a result, they are very careful not to
attract attention of the religious police or other
authorities. Women, for instance, are usually not invited to
participate in the activities for fear of attracting the
wrath of the religious police.

-------------- --------------
THE SHI'A COMMUNITY IS ORGANIZED FOR CIVIL SOCIETY
-------------- --------------


4. (C) While there is little government support or
recognition, the Qatif Astronomy Club has benefited greatly
from the non-governmental institutions and support found in
the Shi's area of Qatif. They first opened their Society in
the offices of the local Computer Club in Awjam, which also
donated computers. Starting out, the group held astronomy
classes in local schools and in husseiniyas. They then built
an additional floor to the Awjam Sports Club, which is where
they will remain until they raise funding for their own
building. The founding members have all donated substantial
amounts of money, expertise, and time to the organization.


5. (C) The Society has also made excellent use of the
internet. Part of their mission is to increase access of
Arabic-speaking audiences to information about astronomy, and
they translate information and write articles for their
website. They launched an Arabic on-line forum to discuss
upcoming astrological events. People can sign up for
presentations for school children, register for week-long
classes, and learn about upcoming events on the website.
Participants in these activities come from throughout Saudi
Arabia. The internet also helps them plug into international
support, and they have participated in six international
conferences so far. An expatriate American interested in
astronomy assisted them in setting up their group and with
the technical aspects of using telescopes.

6 (C) Comment: When discussing the "big versus small"
initiatives, Anwar Saleh Al-Mohammad seemed to refer to the
Saudi preference for national organizations to address
issues, such as the National Dialogue, the National Human
Rights Society, and other centralized activities based in
Riyadh. The Qatif Astronomy Society is unusual in that it
attracts a national audience due to the quality of its
information and activities, but is very much a local

RIYADH 00001706 002 OF 002


organization rooted in the Shi'a community. End comment.
(APPROVED: KINCANNON)
OBERWETTER