SAUDI REFORMER DISCUSSES THE CREDIBILITY OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 003978 SIPDIS SIPDIS DHAHRAN SENDS PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM KIRF SA SUBJECT: SAUDI REFORMER DISCUSSES THE CREDIBILITY OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS REF: RIYADH 1197 Classified By: Consul General John Kincannon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (C) Summary: Long-time reformer Ahmed Al Mulla discussed the current state of Saudi reform with the Consul General on March 28th 2006. Linking the loss of credibility of Saudi sheikhs with their cooperation with the government, he noted a new sheikh whose message is clear-- the Middle East suffers from a lack of freedom of expression, tolerance, and self-criticism. Recently appointed by the Ministry of Culture and Information to the rejuvenated Literary Society in the Eastern Province, Al Mulla has been elected as the group's spokesperson. He is also active in several of the weekly and monthly discussion meetings that have become a common tool of reformers in the Eastern Province. End Summary. -------------- - A RELIGIOUS LEADER CALLS FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH -------------- - ¶2. (C) Al Mulla said that many religious figures have lost their credibility. The al-Sahwa sheiks, for instance, "have changed their positions so many times and have been co-opted by the government, and so they don't command the respect they used to," he said. Al Mulla feels similarly about liberal sheikhs, such as Abdullah al-Obeikan, saying "he (Obeikan) used to be a truly independent thinker, but then it became clear that the government was using him as a mouthpiece, so people don't trust him any more either." (Note: Al Mulla is ardently secular although he comes from a religious family. His former father in-law, Faisal al-Suhail decribes him as "kind of a communist." End Note.) ¶3. (C) Al Mulla thinks that the most interesting Saudi sheikh today is Sheikh Ibrahim al-Bleihi, a Qassimi who was educated at Imam Mohammad bin Saud, who wears a short thobe, a long beard, and has impeccable religious credentials. Al-Bleihi addressed a Shia forum in Qatif about two months ago that Al Mulla attended. Al-Bleihi's message is that the reason the Muslim world has problems is not because of a Zionist-Crusader conspiracy, but because there is no freedom of speech, no freedom of press, no tradition of critical thinking, and an education system that focuses on rote learning. Al-Bleihi went on to say that the only way the Muslim world is going to get out of its rut is to learn from the West about accountability, freedom of expression, and the power of the free debate of ideas. "He drives the al-Sahwa sheikhs crazy because he's right and yet there's no way they can attack him as a kaffir, an atheist, a secularist, a liberal, etc. He's a product of their system and he has no weak spots they can attack." -------------- WOMEN AND THE EP CHAMBER OF COMMERCE -------------- ¶4. (C) Al Mulla volunteered as the campaign manager for the women's Al Watany slate of candidates in the February 2006 EP Chamber of Commerce and Industry elections. (reftel) He noted to the CG that he was not surprised that no women were elected, but was disappointed that the Ministry chose not to appoint any women to the EPCCI board. He claimed EP Governor Mohammad bin Fahd and EPCCI Secretary General Abdul Rahman al-Rashed intervened to block the appointment of any women. (Note: Although not represented on the EPCCI board of Directors, the EP women in the Chamber played a role in removing the former Secretary General of the EPCCI and have been very critical of al-Rashed's leadership. End Note.) ¶5. (C) Bionote and Comment: Ahmed Al Mulla is a Sunni cultural activist and the elected spokesperson of the EP Literary Society. Born in 1960, he graduated with a BA in Sociology from King Saud University in Riyadh in 1982. He has written for many Saudi newspapers and published three books of poetry. Although a Sunni, he has strong ties to Shi'a activist/leader Jafar al-Shayeb and is working with him on human rights issues. He is also close to pardoned Sunni activist Ali al-Dumaini. He is a good example of the growing tendency of Shia, women's rights, and human rights activists in the EP to increasingly cooperate and support each other rather than simply focusing on "their issue." (APPROVED: KINCANNON) GFOELLER