MINISTER OF HAJJ AND ENDOWMENT FRIENDLY TO

UNCLAS KABUL 001685 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR HARRIMAN OSD FOR SHIVERS CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL PHUM AF SUBJECT: MINISTER OF HAJJ AND ENDOWMENT FRIENDLY TO COALITION PRESENCE REF: KABUL 1478 ¶1. On May 19, Ambassador paid a courtesy visit to Minister of Hajj and Endowment (sometimes referred to as Minister of Hajj and Islamic Affairs) Nehmatullah Shahrani. Minister Shahrani, who dictates and distributes themes for Friday sermons to those mosques and religious leaders officially registered with the Ministry (a minority of all Afghan mosques),is a moderate. A former student of comparative law at George Washington University, he indicated friendliness toward the foreign military presence, support for counternarcotics efforts, and an anti- Taliban sentiment. ¶2. Ambassador and Minister Shahrani discussed the recent incident in Jalalabad in which a young Afghan woman seriously injured during a coalition operation against the Taliban was transported without a male relative or local elder by Coalition forces for medical treatment at Bagram (Ref). Local elders were infuriated by this action and deemed it contrary both to Islam and to Afghan customs. Given that the woman's life was in danger, Minister Shahrani said her transport was not inconsistent with the principles of Islam. He said only local tradition and interpretation created the tension and public outcry. He told the Ambassador that he is doing all he can to calm and educate people regarding the issue. In addition, Ambassador and Minister Shahrani discussed the Islamic themes that might have resonance in the counternarcotics campaign in Afghanistan. WOOD