Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07DAMASCUS162
2007-02-20 14:10:00
SECRET
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:  

SUNNI RELIGIOUS LEADER INSISTS SARG TRYING TO

Tags:  PGOV KISL PREL SOCI SY IR 
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VZCZCXYZ0012
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDMA #0162 0511410
ZNY SSSSS ZZH ZUI RUEWMCE7546 0511359
O 201410Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
ZEN/RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSQN USUN NEW YORK
S E C R E T DAMASCUS 000162 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR WALLER; LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2015
TAGS: PGOV KISL PREL SOCI SY IR
SUBJECT: SUNNI RELIGIOUS LEADER INSISTS SARG TRYING TO
STIFLE CRITICISM OF IRAN, "SHIA-IZATION"

REF: DAMASCUS 0128

CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES MICHAEL CORBIN, PER 1.4 B,D.

S E C R E T DAMASCUS 000162

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR WALLER; LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2015
TAGS: PGOV KISL PREL SOCI SY IR
SUBJECT: SUNNI RELIGIOUS LEADER INSISTS SARG TRYING TO
STIFLE CRITICISM OF IRAN, "SHIA-IZATION"

REF: DAMASCUS 0128

CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES MICHAEL CORBIN, PER 1.4 B,D.


1. (C) SUMMARY: IN A MID-FEBRUARY CONVERSATION WITH A/DCM,
DAYS BEFORE BASHAR AL-ASAD'S MOST RECENT TRIP TO TEHRAN,
PROMINENT SUNNI SHEIKH SALAH KUFTARO CRITICIZED THE ASAD
REGIME FOR TRYING TO SUPPRESS SUNNI CRITICISM OF IRANIAN-LED
"SHIA-IZATION" ACTIVITIES IN SYRIA. WHILE PROVIDING FEW
SPECIFICS REGARDING THE ALLEGED ACTIVITIES, KUFTARO SPOKE AT
LENGTH ABOUT EVIDENCE OF THE SUNNI BACKLASH AND REGIME
EFFORTS TO SILENCE IT. REGARDING UPCOMING PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTIONS, KUFTARO SAID THAT HE HAS AGREED TO SUPPORT THE
DAMASCUS LIST OF INDEPENDENTS BEING PUT TOGETHER BY
BUSINESSMAN (AND CORRUPT REGIME CRONY) MOHAMMED HAMSHO. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) AT A FEBRUARY 13 CONVERSATION WITH A/DCM, SUNNI
RELIGIOUS LEADER SALAH KUFTARO CRITICIZED THE BASHAR AL-ASAD
REGIME FOR TRYING TO STIFLE SUNNI CRITICISM OF WHAT HE
DESCRIBED AS IRANIAN-FINANCED PROSELYTIZING EFFORTS IN SYRIA.
KUFTARO LAUNCHED INTO THE SUBJECT BY NOTING THAT TWO
VISITORS, FAWAZ ISREB AND ISSA SHEBIB, WHO WERE LEAVING AS
A/DCM ARRIVED, HAD BEEN "SENT BY BASHAR" TO SUGGEST THAT
KUFTARO AVOID MAKING ANY CRITICAL STATEMENTS ON THIS TOPIC.
ISREB, DESCRIBED BY KUFTARO AS A CLOSE FRIEND OF BASHAR,
REPORTEDLY OBSERVED THAT SUCH CRITICISMS WOULD NOT BE IN THE
BEST INTERESTS OF THE ABU NOOR INSTITUTE, THE SPRAWLING
ISLAMIC COMPLEX THAT KUFTAROS FATHER, THE FORMER GRAND MUFTI
OF SYRIA, HAD ESTABLISHED, AND WHICH SON SALAH NOW RUNS.


3. (C) TO FURTHER ILLUSTRATE THE DYNAMIC, KUFTARO RECOUNTED
THAT SUNNI SHEIKH WAHABI ZUHEILI, ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT
ISLAMIC SCHOLARS IN DAMASCUS, HAD RECENTLY DELIVERED A FRIDAY
SERMON AT A KEY DOWNTOWN MOSQUE, WHERE HE RAILED AGAINST THE
PHENOMENON OF SHIAS IN SYRIA TRYING TO CONVERT SUNNIS.
ACCORDING TO KUFTARO, ZUEHEILI INSISTED TO THE PACKED MOSQUE
THAT THE IRANIANS WERE FINANCING THE EFFORT AND ADDED
DEFIANTLY THAT "SUNNIS WON'T ALLOW IT." THE FOLLOWING WEEK,
ZUHEILI WAS SUMMONED SEPARATELY TO SYRIAN MILITARY

INTELLIGENCE, POLITICAL SECURITY, AND (TWICE) TO THE GENERAL
INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE, SAID KUFTARO. SENIOR OFFICERS SUCH
AS SMI'S FOUAD NASSIF KHAIRBEK AND GID'S DAMASCUS BRANCH
CHIEF HASSAN DIAB WERE COURTEOUS BUT INSISTENT, NOTED
KUFTARO, WARNING SHEIKH ZUHEILI THAT "THESE ARE GRAVE
ALLEGATIONS. WE WOULD LIKE TO SUBSTANTIATE THEM. DO YOU
HAVE ANY EVIDENCE? YOU SHOULD NOT MAKE SUCH ALLEGATIONS IN
THE FUTURE WITHOUT EVIDENCE."


4. (C) KUFTARO SAID THAT IN GENERAL HE AVOIDED MAKING SUCH
ALLEGATIONS PUBLICLY, BUT EXPRESSED IRRITATION THAT THE
REGIME IS MORE FOCUSED ON STIFLING THE SUNNI CRITICISM,
ESPECIALLY ANY THAT MIGHT EMBARRASS OR ANGER IRAN, THAN ON
INVESTIGATING THE PHENOMENON OR PUTTING A STOP TO ANY ABUSES
OR ACTIVITIES THAT COULD STIR UP SECTARIAN FRICTIONS. IN
KUFTARO'S VIEW, ASAD "IS NOT WILLING TO HEAR ANY CRITICISM OF
IRAN." KUFTARO ALSO COMPLAINED THAT WHILE THE SARG
SYSTEMATICALLY BLOCKED HIS EFFORTS (AND THOSE OF OTHER
SUNNIS) TO INCREASE ISLAMIC OUTREACH, IT WAS ALLOWING
UNIMPEDED SHIA ACTIVITY. KUFTARO NOTED THAT THE SARG HAD
ALLOWED EIGHT IRAQI SHIA RELIGIOUS OFFICES TO OPEN IN THE
SUBURBS OF SAIDA ZEINAB, AN IRAQI SHIITE STRONGHOLD ON THE
OUTSKIRTS OF DAMASCUS (WHILE PREVENTING KUFTARO AND OTHER
SUNNIS FROM MOUNTING SUCH EFFORTS).


5. (C) KUFTARO FURTHER REPORTED THAT THE SARG HAD ALLOWED
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS -- WHICH HE
SUSPECTED WERE SHIITE IN THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATION -- TO OPEN
IN THE TOWNS OF IDLIB AND AR-RAQQAH. KUFTARO INTIMATED THAT
THE SCHOOLS WERE FINANCED WITH IRANIAN MONEY AND NOTED THAT
HE WAS QUIETLY INVESTIGATING TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION. HE
NOTED THAT IN IDLIB HALF OF THE STUDENTS HAD DROPPED OUT OF
THE SCHOOL IN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS BECAUSE OF
DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SHIITE FLAVOR OF THE TEACHING.
ACCORDING TO KUFTARO, THE PRIMARY CHANNEL FOR MUCH THE
IRANIAN-RELATED SHIA ACTIVITY IS THE CULTURAL SECTION OF THE
IRANIAN EMBASSY. (NOTE: AN ALAWITE CONTACT ECHOED THIS
ASSESSMENT IN A SEPARATE CONVERSATION WITH POLOFF, NOTING
THAT THE IRANIAN EMBASSYS CULTURAL SECTION SOMETIMES USED
FARSI LANGUAGE TRAINING PROGRAMS, OFFERED AT NO COST, IN
PROVINCIAL TOWNS LIKE LATTAKIA, TO EMPHASIZE SHIA BELIEFS.)



6. (C) MUFTI ALSO TRYING TO HUSH THE SUNNIS: KUFTARO


OBSERVED THAT THE CURRENT GRAND MUFTI, SHEIKH AHMED HASSOUN,
ADOPTING THE REGIME'S VIEW, HAD RECENTLY ASKED A GATHERING OF
SUNNI CLERICS TO PROVIDE HIM WITH EVIDENCE OF EVEN ONE CASE
OF SUNNI-TO-SHIITE CONVERSION. KUFTARO SAID HE HAD RESPONDED
BY NOTING THAT THE REAL EVIDENCE OF THE PHENOMENON WAS NOT
SPECIFIC CASES, BUT THE EXTENT OF SUNNI BACKLASH. HE SAID HE
TOLD THE MUFTI THAT IN RAQQAH, THE HEAD OF THE AWQAAF THERE
HAD TOLD HIM RECENTLY THAT THERE WERE SUNNIS CHANGING THEIR
ORIENTATION FROM MODERATE SUFISM TO FUNDAMENTALIST WAHABISM,
AND WHO ARE NOW THREATENING TO BOMB THE HUGE,
IRANIAN-FINANCED SHRINE AND RELIGIOUS COMPLEX THAT HAS BEEN
BUILT THERE FOR SHIITE PILGRIMS (REFTEL). KUFTARO ALSO
REPORTED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF THIS NEW COMPLEX WAS A SUNNI
WHO HAD CONVERTED TO SHIISM. (COMMENT: OTHER CONTACTS HAVE
ALSO REPORTED THIS SUNNI BACKLASH WHICH SEEMS TO BE STOKING
TO SOME DEGREE A WAHABI FUNDAMENTALIST TREND IN SYRIA,
ALTHOUGH THE EXTENT OF THE PHENOMENON IS NOT CLEAR.)


7. (C) UPCOMING ELECTIONS: REGARDING THE UPCOMING PEOPLE'S
ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS, KUFTARO SAID THAT HE HAS AGREED TO
SUPPORT THE LIST OF INDEPENDENTS FOR DAMASCUS BEING PUT
TOGETHER BY BUSINESSMAN (AND CORRUPT REGIME CRONY) MOHAMMED
HAMSHO. THE ENDORSEMENT CAME AFTER HAMSHO AGREED TO EXCLUDE
THE LIBERAL ISLAMIC CLERIC AND CURRENT MP MOHAMMED HABASH, A
LONG-TIME KUFTARO RIVAL (AND HIS IN-LAW). HABASH HAS BEEN
REPLACED ON THE LIST BY SHEIKH ABDULSALAM RAJEH, A KUFTARO
FAVORITE. ACCORDING TO KUFTARO, HABASH WAS ADVISED BY SMI
CHIEF ASIF SHAWKAT TO JOIN THE LIST OF COMPETING BUSINESSMAN
HASHEM AKKAD, A SHAWKAT PROTEGE. HABASH MAY HAVE HURT
HIMSELF POLITICALLY WITH HIS RECENT PUBLIC STATEMENT THAT THE
SARG WAS CONSIDERING, AFTER THE ELECTIONS, AMENDING ARTICLE 8
OF THE CONSTITUTION, WHICH MANDATES RULING PARTY STATUS FOR
THE BA'ATH, SAID KUFTARO. PRESIDENT ASAD AT A RECENT BA'ATH
CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING, SAID SUCH A CHANGE WAS NOT BEING
CONSIDERED, UNDERCUTTING HABASH, NOTED KUFTARO HAPPILY.


8. (C) COMMENT: THE "SHIA-IZATION" PHENOMENON IN SYRIA
CONTINUES TO ROIL, REGARDLESS OF THE LACK OF SPECIFICS ABOUT
INDIVIDUAL CASES OF PROSELYTIZING AND CONVERSION. WHILE SUCH
CASES MAY BE THE SECTARIAN EQUIVALENT OF AN URBAN LEGEND,
SUNNI RESENTMENT OF IRANIAN CULTURAL ACTIVITY IN SYRIA IS
REAL, AS KUFTARO'S REMARKS CLEARLY UNDERLINE. HIS ACCUSATION
THAT THE REGIME IS UNMOVED BY THE SUNNI IRRITATION, AND IS
ONLY FOCUSED ON SILENCING THE CRITICISMS OF IRAN, SEEMS A BIT
OVERSTATED. WHILE THE REGIME IS USING THE SECURITY SERVICES
TO TRY TO SUPPRESS SUCH CRITICISMS, THERE IS EVIDENCE, WHICH
WE HAVE REPORTED ELSEWHERE, THAT SOME IN THE REGIME ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE REPORTED SUNNI BACKLASH AND THE IRANIAN
CULTURAL OUTREACH ACTIVITIES THAT SEEM TO BE PROVOKING IT.




CORBIN