MUSLIM LEADERSHIP VIEWS: HASSAN OLE NAADO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001639

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2017
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SUBJECT: MUSLIM LEADERSHIP VIEWS: HASSAN OLE NAADO

REF: A. NAIROBI 628

B. NAIROBI 1150

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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