Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KYIV1246
2007-05-25 06:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kyiv
Cable title:  

UKRAINE: MODERATE MUSLIM LEADER ACCUSES ARRAID

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PINR SOCI SCUL UP 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6414
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHKV #1246/01 1450626
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 250626Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY KYIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2445
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KYIV 001246 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR SOCI SCUL UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: MODERATE MUSLIM LEADER ACCUSES ARRAID
ORGANIZATION OF PROMOTING EXTREMISM

REF: 02 KIEV 4660

Classified By: Political Counselor Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KYIV 001246

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR SOCI SCUL UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: MODERATE MUSLIM LEADER ACCUSES ARRAID
ORGANIZATION OF PROMOTING EXTREMISM

REF: 02 KIEV 4660

Classified By: Political Counselor Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: Tensions are increasing within Ukraine's
small Muslim population, with the head of the Spiritual
Directorate of Muslims in Ukraine (SDMU) Sheikh Tamin
accusing the Muslim Association of Civic Organizations -
Arraid of promoting Islamic extremism. Tamim, who is known
for his moderate views and has spoken out publicly against
extremism, criticized the GoU for not doing enough to support
the SDMU and other moderate groups. In his view, this has
unintentionally weakened the standing of moderate groups in
Ukraine's Muslim community and strengthened better-funded
extremist groups like Arraid. A recent visit to Arraid's
center in KYIV confirmed that the organization is well-funded
and run by Muslims originally from the Middle East, and
presents a carefully cultivated appearance of moderation.
However, a local expert on Ukraine's Muslim community echoed
Tamin's concerns about Arraid extremism, alleging that it is
connected with the Muslim Brotherhood network and that it
aspires to be Ukraine's leading Muslim organization. He
added that several Muslim organizations, including Arraid,
are competing for influence in Ukraine's largest Muslim
community, the Crimean Tatars, but that thus far, extremists
are making little headway. End Summary

Ukraine's Muslim Communities
--------------


2. (SBU) Some Muslim leaders claim that there are two
million Muslims in Ukraine, but the government and
independent think tanks estimate their number to be about
500,000. The majority of Ukrainian Muslims live on the
Crimean peninsula and an estimated 50,000 live in KYIV,
mostly foreign-born. Ukraine's largest Muslim organization
is the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Crimea (SDMC) with
332 registered communities. Its members are primarily
Crimean Tatars, who were forcibly deported to Uzbekistan by
Stalin in 1944 and were permitted to return to Ukraine in


1989. The SDMC's leader, Mufti Emirali Ablayev, is
considered to hold moderate views on Islam. Ukraine's second
largest Muslim organization, the SDMU, is led by Sheikh
Akhmed Tamim and has 64 registered communities. It is based
in KYIV, it is a member of the inter-confessional All Ukraine
Council of Churches and Religious Organization, and is known
for its moderate views on Islam. A third organization, the
Independent Spiritual Center of Muslims of Ukraine, has 19
registered communities located mostly in Donetsk and Luhansk
Oblasts in the East.


3. (SBU) Newcomer Arraid, registered in 1997 as a
non-profit civic organization, has caused concern among the
leaders of established religious organizations, both Muslim
and Jewish. It currently has 14 regional branches and
appears to be growing. According to its website, Arraid
founder Muazz Ubayda was refused entry into Ukraine in 2000
and reportedly now lives Yemen. Arraid represents mostly
foreign-born Muslims; predominantly from Arab countries. It
is widely believed to receive its funding from Arab sources,
but Arraid members refused to confirm this when asked by an
EmbOff during a 2002 meeting (reftel).

Egyptian Embassy Pressure and Arraid Support for Extremism
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) SDMU leader Tamim is known as a moderate who has
spoken out frequently against extremism, most recently at the
ceremony marking the birth of the Prophet Mohammed in April,
which was well attended by GoU officials and the diplomatic
community. Tamim born in Lebanon in 1956, has been the
SDMU's leader since its founding in 1993. Chief Rabbi Bleich
of the Union of Jewish Organizations of Ukraine recently told
Emboff that he met frequently with Tamim and that he
supported his opposition to Arraid.


5. (C) Sheikh Tamim, told EmbOff on May 11 that he was
concerned by Arraid's proselytizing of extremist views and
challenged by its generous foreign funding. Tamim said that
recently Egypt's ambassador to Ukraine unofficially
encouraged him to cooperate with Muslim extremists in Ukraine
- presumably Arraid - and that the ambassador and his staff
stopped attending services at Tamim's mosque after he
refused. He added that they have been attending Arraid's
mosque, which Tamim felt helped added legitimacy to Arraid's
image.


6. (C) Tamim complained that well funded extremist groups
like Arraid are better able to obtain property, construct
mosques, and contribute to universities and student groups.

KYIV 00001246 002 OF 003


He added that since he refused to accept money from extremist
sources, the SDMU frequently makes little headway in efforts
to obtain land for mosques and mentioned a dispute with the
KYIV city authorities over utility rates, which resulted in
the temporary cut-off of heating. He said that the GoU's
lack of support with property restitution claims and
allocation of land for mosque construction weakened the
SDMU's standing in the Muslim community, which
unintentionally played into extremists' hands.


7. (C) Tamim provided Emboff a booklet distributed by Arraid
in Ukraine that included a passage encouraging material
support - including weapons - for Muslims in Palestine,
Lebanon, Afghanistan and other Muslim countries. The
booklet, "A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam"
by I.A. Ibrahim, was printed in Egypt in 1997 in English and
translated into Russian for distribution by Arraid.

Arraid's Carefully Cultivated Image of Moderation
-------------- --------------


8. (C) Emboffs visited the Arraid office in February to
follow up on Arraid participation in a USG-supported
conference for Eastern European Muslim organization in
November 2006, (Note: Given our concerns about the
organization, at the time we recommended that no USG funding
go to support their participation in the conference. End
Note.) Emboffs spoke with its Secretary General Mousa Arad,
Vice President Mareii Bassil, and information coordinator
Oleg Guzik who attended the conference. Guzik made only
general comments about the conference and provided few
details about what had been discussed. Bassil described the
organization's outreach and charitable activities. He also
mentioned problems with getting land from the government for
the construction of more religious centers. None of the
three were born in Ukraine but all were long-term Ukraine
residents. Arad later mentioned that he had been born in
Palestine.


9. (C) The Arraid center in KYIV is located in a Soviet-era
recreation center that was thoroughly renovated and
modernized. It has a large mosque, several class rooms for
Islamic education, a cafe, auditorium, library, printing
facility, and radio station. (Note: the Arraid Center was
far more fully outfitted than the SDMU's center, confirming
Tamim's complaints about Arraid's deep pockets. end note)
The walls were decorated with posters promoting religious
tolerance and mementos from a wide range of visitors to the
center including the Ambassador of Kuwait, a parliamentary
deputy, and representatives from orthodox churches. The
Arraid center presented a carefully cultivated image of
tolerance and moderation to its visitors.

Arraid Funded by Muslim Brotherhood
--------------


10. (C) In a subsequent meeting with the head of the
Ukraine-based Institute for Middle East Studies, Alexander
Bogomolov told Emboffs that Arraid is connected to the
Muslim Brotherhood, an influential Islamic network founded in
Egypt in 1927 that seeks to establish a unified caliphate
covering the Middle East. It officially opposes violence
directed against civilians, but some critics doubt its
sincerity. The Muslim Brotherhood has sophisticated metQds
of Qnding charities world-wide, such as Arraid, and these
charities frequently do not even know the origin of their
funding. He said that Arraid's hierarchy is multi-layered,
with its senior members involved in what he termed
"clandestine" activities. Bogomolov mentioned that although
Arraid portrayed itself as ethnically neutral, there have
been previous power struggles between Syrians and
Palestinians. He asserted that Arraid's goal is to have the
leading role in Ukraine's Muslim community, but did not
accuse the organization of violent or terrorist links. He
added that several Muslim organizations, including Arraid,
are competing for influence in Ukraine's largest Muslim
community, the Crimean Tatars, but that thus far, extremists
are making little headway.


11. (C) Comment: Tamim has previously raised his concerns
to us about Arraid, but this is the first time he mentioned
involvement by Egypt's ambassador and provided an example
literature it distributed that mentioned providing weapons to
Muslims. To be fair, there is only one passage referring to
weapons in the 80-page booklet and there may be some truth to
Arraid counter-statements implying that Tamim feels
threatened by its growing influence. Bogomolov's expert
credentials give credence to Arraid's ties to foreign
funding, but he did not link it with extremist or terrorist
activities in Ukraine. Although this could be nothing more
than a struggle for dominance among local Muslim

KYIV 00001246 003 OF 003


organizations, we take Tamim's concerns seriously. We will
continue to seek ways to support those organizations that
promote religious toleration and moderation, while monitoring
Arraid's activities for signs of support for promoting
extremism in Ukraine.


12. (U) Visit Embassy KYIV's classified website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev.
Taylor