BANNING OF SAUDI SALAFI BOOKS AT BROTHERHOOD BOOK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000775 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2027 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL SA KU ISLAMISTS SUBJECT: BANNING OF SAUDI SALAFI BOOKS AT BROTHERHOOD BOOK FAIR STOKES INTRA-ISLAMIST TENSIONS Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C/NF) Summary and Comment: Salafi MPs and their supporters have stepped up their threats to subject Dr. Abdullah Al-Ma'touq, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to a parliamentary grilling. The proximate cause was the banning of several books by former Saudi Grand Muftis Abdulaziz Bin Baz and Muhammad Ibn 'Uthaymin from an annual Islamic book exhibition. However, Kuwait's Salafis have long wanted to oust Al-Ma'touq from the Ministry of Awqaf since they see him as reducing their influence in the ministry through his hiring practices. The various Salafi groups showed rare cohesion in turning the issue into the major news story in Kuwait. However, they failed to convince many of their other Islamist colleagues, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, to join their cause. The episode shows the divisions between the Islamist groups in Kuwait, who barely managed to keep their parliamentary bloc together after an ego clash between the Muslim Brotherhood and tribalist MPs earlier this year. It also demonstrates the Salafis' greater appetite for ideological confrontation than the ICM/Muslim Brotherhood MPs, who have a better understanding of the compromises necessary to be effective political players. End Summary and Comment. Books By Saudi Salafi Ideologues Banned -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) Over the past several weeks, Kuwait's Salafis launched scathing attacks on Dr. Abdullah Al-Ma'touq, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. The proximate cause of the attacks was the banning of several books containing the writings of former Saudi Grand Muftis Abdulaziz Bin Baz (d. 1999) and Muhammad Ibn 'Uthaymin (d. 2001). (Note: Both are popular among Kuwaiti Salafis but enjoy respect throughout Kuwait society for providing religious legitimacy for U.S. and other non-Muslim forces to stage in Saudi Arabia in order to oust Iraq from Kuwait. End Note.) The books were banned from an annual Islamic book exhibition organized by the Social Reform Society (the social wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait) from April 21 - May 4. An Awqaf source told PolOff that the reason for the bannings was that the books contained fatwas declaring Muslims to be infidels for minor offenses such as neglecting prayer out of laziness (i.e. as opposed to the more severe offense of neglecting prayer because of a lack of faith). The vast majority of the writings of the two sheikhs have not been banned and were selling briskly at the book exhibition; one vendor told PolOffs that a book they co-authored was his second best seller this year. ¶3. (C/NF) As the controversy heated up, the ministries ran for cover. The Information Minister publicly criticized the Awqaf Ministry for committing a serious error in banning the books. Meanwhile, the Awqaf Ministry asserted that it only makes recommendations on books that should be banned, but that the Information Ministry makes the final decision. Awqaf held a press conference on May 8 to say that it recommended that the Information Ministry lift the ban on the books in question. Even after extensive media coverage over several weeks, there is still confusion among the public about which books were banned, who was responsible, and whether the books are still banned. The Government itself has not clarified the contradictory positions of the Information and Awqaf Ministries. Salafis Use Controversy to Attack Awqaf Minister -------------- --- ¶4. (C/NF) The three MPs associated with Kuwaiti Salafi groups led the attack on Al-Ma'touq. Dr. Ali Al-'Omair and Dr. Waleed Tabtaba'i, both associated with the more hardline and political Scientific Salafi Movement (Al-Haraka Al-Salafiyya) joined forces with Ahmad Baqer, who is associated with the more socially-oriented Traditional Salafi Grouping (Al-Tajammu' Al-Salafi) in daily press statements aimed at forcing Al-Ma'touq to resign. The various factions of Kuwait's Salafis movement banded together for seminars and rallies criticizing the minister. Participants in the rallies are a who's who of the Kuwaiti Salafi community, including: the three aforementioned MPs; Khalid Sultan, the U.S.-educated leader of the Traditional Salafi Grouping; firebrand Islamist tribal MP Khalid Al-Adwa; MP Hussein Mezyed, a tribal Islamist who received Salafi backing in the 2006 elections; former Salafi MP Fahd Al-Khanna; Muhammad Hayif Al-Mutairi, the Secretary General of a vocal Salafi group called the Nation's Invariables; and Scientific Salafi Secretary General Turki Al-Dhafeeri. SIPDIS KUWAIT 00000775 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C/NF) Salafis have long made their disapproval of Al-Ma'touq clear. They lobbied to block his reappointment when the new cabinet was formed in March and many political observers had expected the Prime Minister to exclude Al-Ma'touq rather than provoke the ire of the Salafis. Among the accusations hurled at Al-Ma'touq is the charge that he is a Sufi. The movement, anathema to most Salafis, emphasizes spirituality over strict adherence to legal rules. For instance, Nation's Invariables leader Muhammad Hayif told attendees at a rally on May 13 that the Al-Ma'touq era has led to some imams leading prayers to Muhammad rather than Allah. However, the Sufi accusation is more likely a Salafi shorthand for someone who is not sufficiently committed to their particular strict interpretation of Islam. One Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islamist contact told PolOff that the Salafis see Al-Ma'touq's emphasis on the ministry's moderation project, with its declared focus on tolerance and combating extremism, as a not-so-thinly veiled attack on them. ¶6. (C/NF) Behind the charged rhetoric, many observers believe the Salafis' main objection to Al-Ma'touq is his hiring and firing decisions, which the Salafis believe have lessened their influence in the Awqaf Ministry since Al-Ma'touq became minister in July 2003. The Awqaf Ministry is responsible for hiring imams and assigning them to mosques. The ministry also suspends imams if their speeches violate the "mosque compact," a document which binds imams and restricts their right to talk about politics during their sermons. The Salafis have publicly accused the ministry of suspending 30-35 imams during Al-Ma'touq's tenure, most of whom have Salafi leanings. To Grill or not to Grill? -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) The Salafi MPs loudly threatened Al-Ma'touq with an imminent parliamentary grilling if he did not resign. These threats came, however, less than two months after the Government resigned en masse over conflicts with the parliament and increasing rumors of a parliamentary dissolution if the "two authorities" could not cooperate better. Most parliamentarians agreed that the confrontational relations were unproductive and that the new government should be given some time to govern. The Government also reportedly worked out a backroom deal with the ICM to appoint an ICM member as a minister in exchange for the ICM's cooperation in easing Government-parliament relations. The ICM -- without whom the Salafis could not hope to sway the Islamist bloc in parliament to support the grilling -- therefore opposed further confrontations with the Government. ¶8. (C/NF) While some Salafis no doubt opposed the book banning on principle, others saw it as a political opportunity. Politically ambitious Salafi MP Ahmad Baqer told a local newspaper that he thought the ICM and liberals could not oppose the grilling because both Islam and the freedom of speech were at issue, while the populist Popular Action Bloc would always support grilling to embarrass ministers. Baqer also argued that Al-Ma'touq would not have any parliamentary support since he is an independent Islamist with no connections to any organized political group. ¶9. (C/NF) Baqer and the Salafis likely miscalculated. To date, no Muslim Brotherhood member -- whether from the political wing (the Islamic Constitutional Movement) or from the social wing (the Social Reform Society) -- has joined in criticizing the book banning. As one Brotherhood contact put it: "Why should we fight for their (i.e. the Salafis) issue?" The Salafis toned down their rhetoric following a meeting with the Prime Minister May 12. In the end, they found only tepid support from one or two isolated tribal Islamist MPs to join their crusade against Al-Ma'touq. On May 14, Salafi MP Tabtaba'i announced that both the Popular Action Bloc and the Islamic Bloc had requested that the grilling be postponed until the next legislative session begins in the fall. He insisted that he and Al-'Omair would pursue it at that time, but this is a clear defeat for the Salafis. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LeBaron