MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DISMISSED EIGHTY THREE EMIRATI TEACHERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 001440 FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2018 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREF SOCI AE SUBJECT: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DISMISSED EIGHTY THREE EMIRATI TEACHERS REF: A) 07 ABU DHABI 1567, B) ABU DHABI 1037 Classified by Ambassador Richard Olson, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In 2007, eighty three Emirati teachers were unexpectedly reassigned from the Ministry of Education to other ministries for alleged Islamist tendencies. In a recent conversation with PolOff, two of the teachers lamented the dismissal of Emirati nationals from a school system dominated by non-native educators, the perceived failure of Emirati culture to keep pace with the country's economic growth, and the limitations on democracy. Although these two teachers' views appear to be moderate -- no advocacy for a drastic upheaval but strong interest in an open dialogue on the UAE's cultural and religious heritage and identity -- they do appear to have Islamist foundations. The case underscores the sensitivity of the UAEG towards Islamist activists in the school system, and also highlights tensions which can develop as the leadership here moves to reform the educational system. It also illuminates the roles and perspectives of two organizations, to which many of the teachers belonged, which offer an agenda of reform and change at odds with the leadership's. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) On June 15, 2008 the September 2007 reassignment (ref A) of 83 teachers attracted media attention when the teachers, along with their families, publicly protested their reassignment in front of the Ministry of Education. They asked that their official complaints be delivered to President Sheikh Khalifa and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum for review. The teachers allege that some of their spouses who also worked in the Ministry had promotions suspended and that some of their children were denied scholarships. ¶3. (C).The UAE Government's view on the dismissals is that the teachers represented a creeping Islamist threat to the UAE's traditionally tolerant approach to Islam. Minister of Cabinet Affairs Gergawi told Under Secretary Glassman and Ambassador Olson that the threat stemmed from the late seventies and early eighties when an Islamist served as Minister of Education and brought a number of religious conservatives into the Educational apparatus. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayed repeatedly describes to visitors how the UAE educational system has been "hijacked" by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Education Minister, Dr. Hanif Ali Hassan, describes the current reform program within the UAE as being designed to bring Islamic studies (which are mandatory for all Emirati and Muslim students) in accordance with UAE traditions, rather than imported ones. -------------- TWO DISMISSED TEACHERS SHARE THEIR STORIES -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Speaking to PolOff and Pol Specialist October 9, two former Emirati teachers from the UAE Ministry of Education, Messrs Ahmad Rashed Al Nuaimi and Salem Moussa Al Tineiji (Al Tineiji is well known to the PA Section, which considered nominating him for an internet-based interactive learning projects' grant),suggested that they and eighty one of their colleagues had been unexpectedly reassigned from the Ministry of Education to "marginal" jobs in other ministries because of their participation in the Reform and Social Guidance Association ("Islah wa Towjih" in Arabic, see paragraph 8). Both proclaimed that their membership was the only reason they could think of for their dismissal, since professionally they had all received "positive job reviews with grades of B+ and above." According to Mr. Al Tineiji, the Association was established in the 1970s, is sanctioned by the UAEG, and proclaims to limit its activities to "guidance, advice, and organizing lectures." ¶5. (C) Many of the reassigned educators see themselves as human rights activists and political reformists with Islamist leanings. Al Nuaimi admitted that most of the 83 teachers, if not all, belong to the Emirates People's Rights Organization (EPRO) which calls for social and political reform in the UAE (see paragraphs 9 and 10 for background on EPRO). When asked if they may have been reassigned because of Islamist leanings, Mr. Al Tineiji replied: "if that was the case and if some of us had been determined to be extremists, why not tell us that and deal with the individuals involved instead of us collectively?" He added: "I am proud to be Emirati. I am proud of the achievements of my country. I am worried that as our country grows materially, the culture is not keeping pace and that our identity is getting lost." Mr. Al Nuaimi felt that the teachers' "Islamist" views were simply an excuse for their dismissal and that the UAEG's real agenda was to quash any domestic discussion of political reform. Interestingly, neither man held the Minister of Education responsible for their dismissals and instead laid the blame squarely on State Security (ref B),which Mr. Al Nuaimi claimed acted on USG policy recommendations to root out Islamists. (Although the suggestion that the USG somehow played a role in their dismissal was clear, PolOff did not sense animosity. Al Nuaimi announced during the conversation that he might even seek political asylum in the USA.) ¶6. (C) When asked what may have led to them falling foul of the UAEG, they said that they had questioned the authenticity and credibility of the Federal National Council (FNC) as a symbol of democratic progress in the UAE given that many FNC members were appointed rather than elected (20 are appointed, with the other 20 elected by an appointed electorate). In addition, Al Nuaimi said he had questioned the wisdom of allowing ministers to remain in government without term limits and maintain the same portfolio for many years. That said, Al Nuaimi claimed to be fully supportive of allowing the royal family to rule and Al Tineiji repeatedly praised the strides his country had made in the last three decades. Their primary concern, they both claimed, was that the country was losing its identity and they wanted a conversation on that issue to take place on a national level. ¶7. (SBU) Both former teachers conceded that their reassignments had not resulted in reductions in salary. Al Nuaimi opted to retire rather than accept the job to which he was reassigned, a decision with lifestyle implications for his family (his retirement benefits were about a third of what he had earned as a teacher). Al Tineiji continues to draw a full salary although he no longer works as a teacher. He pointed out that the Ministry of Education had offered to re-instate him but that he refused to accept unless his fellow teachers were extended similar offers or given full explanations for their dismissals. He lamented the small number of UAE nationals who taught in a school system which employs many expatriates -- according to statistics issued by the Teachers' Association, the eighty three dismissed teachers represent a surprising 10 - 15% of UAE nationals who teach in the system overall. Al Tineiji pointed out that the rate of attrition among that small group of nationals was fairly high and that the Ministry of Education could ill afford the luxury of dismissing so many teachers who actually wanted to work given the difficulty it had in retaining national teachers in the first place. As evidence of their abilities as educators, they presented Teachers' Association magazines that profiled the contributions that they and their colleagues had made as teachers. -------------- BACKGROUND ON REFORM AND SOCIAL GUIDANCE ASSOC -------------- ¶8. (C) Al Islah Wa Al Tojihi Al Ijtima (The Reform and Social Guidance Association) was established in Dubai in the early 1980s with the support of then Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al Maktoum, father of current Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. We have few details about the mandate of the organization other than that it was part of a general desire to support the evolution of Dubai as a modern city embracing tolerance and acceptance with Islam as a backdrop. In the latter part of the 1980s the Association appears to have become less moderate (or the regime may have become more moderate and changed its perception of the association) and perhaps pushed for a more Islamist agenda. The association continues to exist with branches in Dubai, Ras al Khaimah, and Sharjah with public events that are primarily charitable and social in nature. -------------- BACKGROUND ON EPRO -------------- ¶9. (C) The Emirates People's Rights Organization (EPRO or Emirates Pro) was established in 2004 as an independent human rights organization by Mr. Hassan al-Diqqi, a trained accountant turned self-proclaimed political activist and human rights advocate. The organization sought and failed to receive recognition by the UAEG which countered its creation by facilitating the establishment of the Emirates Human Rights Association (EHRA) in 2006 with members drawn primarily from government or loosely connected to government. (Mr. al-Diqqi was also an early member of Al Islah Wa Al Tojihi Al Ijtima who appears to have parted ways with the group, preferring more Islamist ideas about development.) To underscore the UAEG's disapproval of EPRO, Mr. al-Diqqi was ordered to shut down his Emirates Pro website (www . emiratespro . com ) -- a site on which he denounced the UAE's lack of civil liberties and alleged political abuses and human rights violations. Post was able to access the website before it was shut down. It was clear from the website that al-Diqqi had Islamist views and was vociferous in his criticism of the UAEG. He criticized the lack of substantive public political dialogue in the UAE and the non-existence of political parties. He strongly objected to permitting Christian churches and Hindu temples to operate in the UAE and to allowing Western universities (particularly American ones) to establish local campuses -- a trend that he claimed corrupted Emirati youth and diluted Emirati culture. He regularly referred to non-Muslims as "non-believers," which runs against the grain of the UAEG's desire for a tolerant image. 10 (C) From a human rights perspective, al-Diqqi cited cases of political prisoners and human rights violations, including incommunicado detentions and torture, that have seen no coverage in the mainstream UAE press. However, his failure (or refusal) to cite his sources makes it difficult to confirm these reports. Controversy continues to cloud the picture: Mr. al-Diqqi was arrested in July 2008 in Sharjah on charges that he raped his maid. The Geneva based human rights group Alkarama fears that "Mr. al-Diqqi is a victim of a fraudulent criminal prosecution undertaken by the authorities for the sole purpose of discrediting a known national human rights activist and to force him to cease all activity." -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) The case of the 83 teachers provides rare insight into the UAEG's efforts to limit the influence of Islamist thought in key institutions and, in particular, the government's approach in the context of its highly sensitive effort to reform the educational system. Al Tineiji and Al Nuaimi, and the organizations they belong to, appear to represent a segment of the society grappling with questions of Emirati identity -- a topic with significant political overtones because it brings into question the leadership's "vision" for the UAE. For its part the UAE Government, views itself as being both Islamic and modern, and views the Islamists as being the standard bearers for an essentially foreign ideology. Elsewhere in the region the issues of modernizing versus traditionalist Islamism have been resolved with considerable violence. Here they are being resolved by the quiet marginalization of the Islamists. OLSON