KOSOVO: IDENTIFING "CREDIBLE VOICES" IN THE MUSLIM

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000685 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y NOFORN SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER, NCTC FOR VAN DE VELDE E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2017 TAGS: KPAO KV YI SUBJECT: KOSOVO: IDENTIFING "CREDIBLE VOICES" IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY THAT REJECT VIOLENCE REF: A. STATE 122288 ¶B. 06 PRISTINA 001088 PRISTINA 00000685 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: COM TINA KAIDANOW FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Post identifies Kosovo Islamic Community (KIC) leader Mufti Naim Ternava as a credible voice rejecting violence, along with his chief of staff, Ejup Ramadani, and his chief of media relations, Qemajl Morina. The below information is keyed to reftel A. END SUMMARY. INFLUENCE, BIO, AUDIENCE ¶2. (S/NF) 4A) -- Mufti Naim Ternava is the most influential Muslim cleric in Kosovo and as such plays a key role in promoting inter-religious reconciliation, dialogue, and tolerance. However, he has re-instated several imams his predecessor removed due to their radical views. Our analysis is that this was not done for ideological reasons; rather, the imams were the Mufti's classmates at University in Cairo, and the Mufti would rather placate than antagonize his old friends. -- Ejup Ramadani is the Mufti's chief of cabinet at the KIC and one of his closest advisors. -- Qemajl Morina is well known as the KIC liaison on interfaith dialogue, and his influence stems from his concurrent positions as Vice Dean of the KIC's Faculty of Islamic Studies, chief of media for KIC, and editor in chief of Islamic Education magazine. ¶3. (SBU) 4B) -- Mufti Naim Ternava, a Kosovo Albanian and a Sunni, was born on January 7, 1967 in Lismir. He is a lecturer at the KIC's Faculty of Islamic Studies and previously served as the principal of the Alaudin Meddressa High School in Pristina. He was educated at the Medressa High School, studied at University Al-Az'Har in Cairo (1984) and received an MA from the American Open University in Cairo. -- Ejup Ramadani, a Kosovo Albanian and a Sunni, was born on December 10, 1952 in Sibovci i Ulet. He is the Mufti's chief of cabinet and has taught English at Alaudin. With a BA in Philology, he is a talented linguist and a member of the Kosovar English Teachers Association. -- Qemajl Morina, a Kosovo Albanian and a Sunni, was born on January 3, 1951 in Odanovce. He holds several concurrent positions: Vice Dean of the KIC's Faculty of Islamic Studies, chief of media for KIC, and editor in chief of Islamic Education magazine. In the past he has also been a professor of Arabic and an Arabic translator. He was educated at Cairo University from 1971-1976. ¶4. (SBU) 4C) The Mufti, Ramadani, and Morina are influential within the Islamic community in Kosovo. ¶5. (SBU) 4D) The KIC reviews applications non-governmental organizations (NGOs) submit to municipalities to use public facilities for religious gatherings (ref B). Officials believe that of the more than 400 NGOs operating in Kosovo, only a few are involved in suspicious activities, but they seek to prevent extremists from using NGOs to gain a foothold in Kosovo. Consequently, municipalities authorize NGOs' use of public facilities for religious gatherings only if the relevant religious community gives its consent. The KIC reports that it evaluated about 20 applications of mostly foreign NGOs in 2006 and rejected four due to reservations about their proposed programs and participants. The KIC also reports that it generally consents to religious gatherings of a cultural character, but rejects those involving preaching. With few exceptions, municipalities have respected KIC positions when issuing their permits. PRISTINA 00000685 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) 4E) -- The KIC attempts to encourage tolerance and peace in Kosovo, in both religious and political spheres. For example, in March 2007 ethnic Albanian tempers flared in western Kosovo when the Peja municipality claimed the Pec Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church failed to apply for a building permit to construct a security wall. With our encouragement, Mufti Ternava responded by traveling to a nearby mosque to make a special address, emphasizing the importance of practicing inter-religious and interethnic tolerance even under difficult circumstances. -- KIC members will also participate in a USOP-sponsored U.S. Speaker program with Dr. John Voll, a professor of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. Dr. Voll's program includes two senior seminars with faculty from the Institute of Islamic studies and the University of Pristina's Faculties of History, Philology and Philosophy. One will be hosted at the KIC, and one at the University. The topics are "The History of Religious Studies and its Role in Modern Academia" and "Global Christian-Muslim Relations after 9/11." KIC members will also attend Dr. Voll's public lecture: "The Role of Religion in a Secular Society." The KIC, and Ramadani in particular, have told us that they see a need for open, academic discussions about the history of religion. CREDIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY ¶8. (C) -- 5A) There are no known disagreements with or criticisms of U.S. policy. -- 5B) There is no known record of advocating violence against the U.S. or its allies. -- 5C) The KIC's position regarding jihad is not known, but we know of no KIC support for violent extremism as a form of jihad. -- 5D) There is no known derogatory information about Mufti Ternava, Ramadani, or Morina. -- 5E) We know of no calls for violence against these individual by Islamic leaders, countries or organizations. ¶9. (C) 6) -- USOP officers meet with the Mufti and Ramadani on a regular basis. The Mufti, Ramadani, and Morina traveled to the U.S. on a VolVis program in April 2007. In 2003, Ramadani participated in an IV program on teaching English as a second language, and Morina participated in a 2003 IV program on Islam in America. USOP hosts an annual Iftar meal with the KIC that is covered in local media. -- USOP gave a USD 25,000 grant to the KIC in September, 2003 to asses and preserve Islamic manuscripts throughout Kosovo. This was a joint project implemented by KIC, the National Library of Kosovo and the Faculty of Philology at the University of Pristina. PD anticipates a grant request from KIC to hold an exhibition of the manuscripts this fall. KIC has also requested a grant to fund the salaries of two curators to catalogue the colection. KAIDANOW