MUSLIM LEADERSHIP VIEWS: HASSAN OLE NAADO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001639 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS ACCRA FOR NAN STEWART MUMBAI FOR KEVIN GREEN DEPT FOR AF/E AND INR/AA E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2017 TAGS: PTER KE KISL KPAO PGOV PHUM SUBJECT: MUSLIM LEADERSHIP VIEWS: HASSAN OLE NAADO REF: A. NAIROBI 628 ¶B. NAIROBI 1150 NAIROBI 00001639 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: PolCouns Andre for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The national chairperson of the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA) depicts "African Islam" under siege from "Wahabi extremist foreigners." HKMYA favors moderate, modern, indigenous Islam with an emphasis on education as a means of uplifting the Muslim community. He also advocates for a strong identification with Kenya, rejecting the Kenyan Muslim community's traditions of self-imposed isolation. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) PolCouns recently met with Hassan ole Naado, National Chairperson of the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA). Ole Naado's organization has a committed and influential membership from across the country and a strong orientation toward moderate, modern, indigenous Islam (i.e. anti-Wahabi/Salafist),with an emphasis on education as a means of uplifting the Muslim community. KMYA also advocates for a strong, personal identification with Kenya (rather than the traditional tendency for the Kenya Muslim community to isolate itself). Ole Naado is a Muslim from the ethnic Maasai community, which, as he himself notes, is a rare combination. Ole Naado's Pitch -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Which Side Are You On? Ole Naado took great pains to explain to PolCouns the tensions within the Kenyan Muslim community between traditionalists (proponents of indigenous, Sufi-influenced, moderate Islam) and radicals (Wahabi/Salafists). He identified the Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims (SUPKEM) as a traditionalist bastion under siege from the Wahabis. The Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) is a Wahabi stronghold. Ole Naado mentioned that Sheikh Dor of CIPK (see reftel B),was a traditionalist who had switched sides when the Wahabis offered financial inducements. The Friday Bulletin, a Wahabist and stridently anti-American publication distributed at mosques, is produced by "a Ugandan who receives his instructions from foreign Wahabis and has no independent editorial control of the paper," according to Ole Naado. ¶4. (SBU) Who's Who on the Coast? Ole Naado claims that among the coast's Swahilis and Arabs, nearly all the youth identify with the Wahabi radicals while the older generation and the business class are solidly traditionalist. "All but two of Mombasa's mosques are controlled by traditionalists," he said. "The exceptions are Sakina Mosque and Barooq Mosque." Ole Naado referred to Swahilis as "Arab wannabes" and put the total Swahili/Arab population at only ten percent of Coast Muslims. The "indigenous" 90 percent of Coast Muslims (Mijikenda/Digos, Tana River Ormas, Lamu Bajuns) have a strong traditionalist orientation, but some urbanized, unemployed youth in those communities "can be susceptible to the tug of Wahabi inducements." Traditionally, Swahili/Arabs occupy the great majority of clerical positions, but "the Ormas are now producing a lot of traditionalist clergy." (Note: The Orma are a Cushitic people linguistically and culturally related to the Borana/Oromo. End Note.) ¶5. (SBU) Of Somalis and Boranas: Ole Naado claimed, in an exasperated tone, that "100 percent of Somalis are agents of Wahabi extremism." He then relented and said "some Somalis over age 50 retain a traditional outlook, but they are increasingly isolated." The Borana/Oromo are "relatively recent converts," profoundly attached to their traditions and so remote that they remain largely untouched by Wahabi influence. ¶6. (SBU) The "Real Battleground" for the Soul of Kenya's Muslim Community: For Ole Naado, the real battleground is among the 50 percent of Kenyan Muslims who make up Muslim minorities within Christian-majority ethnic groups. These communities were converted by traditionalists with an accomodationist approach (i.e. permissive of local practices that may not entirely accord with orthodox Islam). However, again, some youth can be enticed by Wahabi inducements, especially dissatisfied, restless, unemployed urban youth (who, unfortunately, are many). ¶7. (SBU) Comparison of Traditionalists and Wahabis: Ole Naado said that the term "Sufi" now has pejorative NAIROBI 00001639 002.2 OF 002 connotations, but that in fact traditional East African Islam is strongly mystical and not very legalistic. "The Wahabis are just the opposite," he said. (Note: Ole Naado used the terms Wahabi, radical, extremist and Salafist interchangeably, which specialists frown at. End Note.) Ole Naado described the traditionalist camp as "laid back and passive," while the Wahabis are "well organized, hard-working and aggressive" promoters of their creed. Traditionalists require about fifteen years of study before a man can be considered a Muslim scholar, but the Wahabis "take three months of indoctrination" to produce "one of their so-called scholars." Ole Naado recounted a controversy when Wahabis sought to remove graves from mosque grounds. Traditionalists challenged them to a public debate, which, Ole Naado insists, the traditionalists easily won. "All the Wahabis can do is repeat the slogans that are drilled into them. Traditionalist scholars can recite verses and hadith and use logic and reason to back up what they say." ¶8. (SBU) A Rose by any Other Name: For Ole Naado, the Wahabi creed does not resonate with African culture. "If Wahabis rather than Sufis had been the ones to introduce Islam to our region then there would be no such thing as East African Muslims," he said. Wahabi opposition to such well loved traditional practices as celebrating the Prophet Mohammed's birthday (Maolid) earn them a lot of derision. At the same time, Ole Naado expressed frustration with the passivity and self-isolation of traditionalists. He considers himself a "reform traditionalist," which he acknowledged sounds like an oxymoron. "I value our traditional approach to the faith, but I want to see modern curricula integrated into our madrasa schools and stronger identification with our country and the ethnic communities that make up Kenya." He cites the example of family names. Muslim converts are commonly told to replace both their names with Arabic/Islamic names. "I say do as the early Muslims did. Change your first name, but keep your tribal name. That way everyone knows you are Kenyan and you belong." ¶9. (SBU) Dueling Demographics: PolCouns reviewed his analysis on the demographics of Kenya's Muslim community as laid out in reftel A. Ole Naado begged to differ. He numbers Kenya's Muslims at six million, or 18 percent of the total population. He distributes the Muslim community as 15 percent Coast Province, 25 percent Somali, ten percent Borana/Oromo (North Central Kenya),and 50 percent Muslims integrated into majority Christian ethnic communities (Luo, Luhya, etc.) and others (Nubians, South Asians, etc.). (Note: We put the total Muslim population at 10 percent, with a breakdown of 60 percent Coastal, 20 percent Somali, ten percent Borana, and ten percent other. Ole Naado said that KMYA will soon establish a website and post its research there. We will study the data behind Ole Naado's claims at that time. For now, we stick by our numbers. End Note.) Comment: He Knows What We Like to Hear... -------------- ¶10. (C) Ole Naado is an engaging interlocutor and KMYA is a credible, influential and growing organization. Ole Naado is adept at cruising the donor missions and picking up scholarships, project funding and equipment donations for KMYA. He definitely knows what we like to hear. We consider his analysis that half Kenya's Muslims hail from Christian-majority ethnic communities highly suspect. While there is certainly some truth to his depiction of "African Islam" under siege from "Wahabi extremist foreigners," we believe the situation is more fluid and nuanced than that. However, an organization seeking to diversify the national leadership of Kenya's Muslim community, breaking the stranglehold of the inveterately anti-American cabal that now monopolizes national leadership and spokesperson positions, deserves our support. RANNEBERGER