MP Reviews Muslim Issues with Charge

UNCLAS ULAANBAATAR 000234 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, NEA/ARP, SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ECON PHUM SCUL KPAO MG SA SUBJECT: MP Reviews Muslim Issues with Charge Ref: 06 Ulaanbaatar SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During an April 18 meeting with Charge, MP Sairaan Kader invited the Embassy to participate in a meeting of the Mongolian Muslim Society in Ulaanbaatar next month. Sairaan, a supporter of moderate, secular Islam elected from a largely Kazakh Muslim region in Mongolia's far western province, said he has recently returned from meetings in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait where he secured partial funding for the construction of an Islamic Center in Ulaanbaatar and support for Mongolian Muslim schools. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On April 18, Charge met with State Great Hural (parliament) Member Sairaan Kader at Sairaan's request. MO and GSO also attended the cordial, hour-long meeting. The MP represents the Bayan Ulgii aimag (province),a predominantly Muslim area in the extreme western region of Mongolia, with only 25 miles of Chinese territory separating the aimag from Kazakhstan. Most residents of the district are ethnically Kazakh; of Mongolia's total population of 2.8 million, about 7% are of Kazakh ethnicity. Charge noted to Sairaan that he would be visiting the aimag during the week of April 23 and that the Ambassador planned to visit the region later this summer. (Note: Reftel entitled "The Face of Islam in Mongolia" summarizes the status of Islam as modest in size, secular and non-radicalized.) ¶3. (U) Sairaan stated that the Mongolian Muslim Society is planning a Congress in Ulaanbaatar from May 18-20. The focus of the Congress will be Mongolian Muslims' relationship with the state and the establishment of a federation of Islamic Councils in Mongolia. MP Sairaan invited the Embassy to observe sessions of the Congress and the Charge expressed a desire to host a separate meeting with the Society's key leaders. ¶4. (SBU) MP Sairaan, who often acts as an unofficial envoy to the Muslim world for Mongolia, described recent visits to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and indicated plans for additional travel to the Middle East and Muslim nations in South East Asia. The purpose of these trips is to build relations and seek support for Mongolian Muslim Society activities and schools. Sairaan indicated that he has successfully raised US$1,850,000 from Saudi Arabia for the construction of an Islamic Center in Ulaanbaatar. He said he expected additional support in the future from Saudi Arabia. Turkey had also been very forthcoming in supporting education for Mongolia's imams as well as various development projects. (Note: Sairaan is credited with obtaining Kuwaiti funding to build a new parliament building.) ¶5. (SBU) Sairaan was active in encouraging Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia, which it did just this year. He said he was hoping to arrange a special visit to Buyan Ulgii by Arab Ambassadors resident in Beijing, possibly in June or July. He asked that the USG support this effort. (Note: Mongolia's only presence in the Arab world is in Cairo, but they do have an Embassy in Beijing to work this issue. That said post would appreciate any assistance ¶5. (U) Sairaan requested Embassy support for printing and distributing English education textbooks in Kazakh language to schools in his district. Charge said the Embassy would look into providing materials on Islam in America publication and would check into Kazakh language materials which might be available from Embassy Astana. Goldbeck