GREENING THE RED MOSQUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 003201 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2017 TAGS: PGOV PTER PINS PK SUBJECT: GREENING THE RED MOSQUE REF: ISLAMABAD 3028 Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The government plans to re-open the Red Mosque on July 27 under a newly repainted green dome. The work of bulldozers and painters is so far proving more straightforward than finding partners for President Musharraf's July 12 call to help bring Pakistan's madrassas into the mainstream. End Summary. ¶2. (U) On July 23, a government demolition team appeared at Islamabad's now-infamous Red Mosque complex to begin tearing down the adjacent Jamia Hafsa madrassa (religious school), much of which was damaged and rendered unsafe during the government's recent military operation (reftel). Among the first areas demolished were the residential quarters of the mosque's leader (Maulana Abdul Aziz, currently in police custody) and his brother (Abdul Rahid Ghazi, who was killed during the operation). ¶3. (U) The government is also renovating the Red Mosque itself, and government officials hope the mosque can be re-opened in time for this week's Friday prayers. There have been reports that part of the renovation will include repainting the mosque's distinctive red dome to a more traditional green. ¶4. (U) In a nationwide address on July 12, President Musharraf called on moderate forces and Wafaqul Madaris, the largest Deobandi seminary accreditation board, to support the government's efforts to deal with terrorism and religious extremism. ¶5. (U) On July 23, Prime Minister Aziz chaired a meeting of senior government officials who agreed in principle to establish a new network of government-sponsored madrassas that would provide religious and vocational education as well as free room and board for poor students. The new network of schools -- to be known as "Dar ul Ilm" (abode of knowledge) -- would be developed in consultation with leading religious scholars, according to press reports. ¶6. (U) Wafaqul Madaris, publicly rejected the government's invitation for talks about the creation of a new madrassa network. Wafaqul Madaris Secretary General Maulana Hafiz Jalandhry told reporters that the group's central executive committee plans to meet on August 6 to discuss challenging the government's operation against the Red Mosque in the Supreme Court. ¶7. (C) Comment: Less than one percent of Pakistan's full-time students attend madrassas. Most (approximately 70 percent) attend poorly-funded, poorly managed public schools and the rest (approximately 30 percent) attend private schools. Madrassas still weigh large on the Pakistani public and international mind, however, and Musharraf has tried several times unsuccessfully to bring them under closer government control. In June, the government ended a program to mainstream Pakistan's madrassas by providing funding in exchange for reforms. After five years of trying to convince madrassas to expel foreign students, add secular subjects to their curriculae, and make their financing mechanisms transparent, only 400-500 of an estimated 13,000 madrassas accepted government funding. Even with the close cooperation of religious leaders, the creation of a network of new, state-sponsored religious schools would be controversial and exceedingly difficult to implement. End Comment. PATTERSON