LEBANON: INDEPENDENT SHIA SEEK TO COUNTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIRUT 000579

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/PI, ECA/FO
NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/GAVITO/ZARATE
OVP FOR HANNAH AND KAREM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PINR EAID OEXC OVIP PROP SY
IS, LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: INDEPENDENT SHIA SEEK TO COUNTER
HIZBALLAH DOMINANCE

REF: A. BEIRUT 573


B. BEIRUT 488

C. BEIRUT 571

D. BEIRUT 520

E. BEIRUT 570

F. 07 BEIRUT 1597

G. BEIRUT 560

Classified By: CDA Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) In an April 28 session at independent Shia NGO Hayya
Bina four independent Shia figures met with the Charge to
discuss efforts to counter Hizballah's influence in Lebanon.
The interlocutors support the ideals of March 14, but they
are critical of the political leadership which has mismanaged
Shia relations for the last three years. Some other common
themes of discussion emerged: the lack of a truly independent
Lebanese media outlet, the need to further expand existing
U.S. educational exchange opportunities for Shia students,
the need to quickly address electoral reform issues, and the
need to strengthen the GOL's institutions in order to provide
citizen services. They also believe the USG should
strategically target future USG assistance in a way that will
undermine Hizballah and promote the GOL. End Summary.


2. (C) On April 28, the Charge and Special Assistant visited
the offices of the Hayya Bina Foundation (Ref B). In the
final phases of preparing for the upcoming May 3-9 visit to
Washington, Hayya Bina founder Lokman Slim organized a
roundtable with four fellow members of the delegation: Rami
Al Amin, who is a journalist; Dr. Farid Mattar, a physician;
Malek Mrowa, a businessman; and Dr. Saoud Al Mawla, a
sociology professor. (Note: See paragraph 17 for full
delegation bios. End Note.)

"We Support the March 14 'Moment'"
--------------


3. (C) The interlocutors said that they agreed with the
principles expressed by March 14 three years ago. They
firmly believe that a free, sovereign and democratic Lebanon
is in the best interest of the entire populace. "We believe
in the ideals expressed during that crucial 'moment' on March
14, 2005. However, they lost us on March 15 when they
returned to 'business as usual.'" These individuals agree
that it is important for the independent Shia to maintain a
separate identity from the party politics of March 14
coalition. Though critical of March 14's approach towards to
independent Shia to date, they stand ready to follow a
parallel and complimentary path which pursues the same
national goals.

Shia Want Freedom of the Press
and Independent Media Outlet
--------------


4. (C) Rami al Amin, a young journalist, believes that in a
media market controlled either by March 8 or March 14, there
is no outlet for independent Shia journalists. Born in 1984
and well-known for his article "How I Was Orphaned By
Hizballah," he said that he and his fellow Shia journalism
students have grown up in an environment where
self-censorship is a necessary skill if one wants to remain
employed. (Note: MEPI funds have supported an International
Republican Institute program to examine this self-censorship
issue. End Note.)


5. (C) Rami, Lokman and the others agreed that they are
called in by the media as independent Shia commentators only
when March 8 and March 14 are actively attacking each other.
If the two sides declare a truce, the Shia figures say they
can't get anyone to return their calls. This "information
blackout" has hampered the efforts of independent Shia to
present their case to the public and to refute the religious
and political edicts of Hizballah.


6. (C) Rami hopes the Lebanese and international media will
become more informed. He said that while the media takes the

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time to differentiate between different blocks of Lebanese
Christians, they tend to lump all Shia together into one
category. He said it is time for Lebanon to have a media
outlet which supersedes religious or party orientations and
focuses on issues of national concern.

More Academic Exchanges
Will Promote Democratic Values
--------------


7. (C) Dr. Saoud al Mawla, a sociology professor at Lebanese
University, told us that Hizballah's administrative
stranglehold at the Lebanese University (with 70,000
students) represented an attack on a national institution
even more important that the Lebanese Armed Forces. He
estimates that more than 80 percent of the 2,000 faculty
members do not support Hizballah, yet they are censored in
their academic environment by Hizballah supporters who serve
as the university's deans and senior leadership.


8. (C) He urged the Charge to increase the number of slots
for Lebanese students to participate in academic exchange
programs in the U.S. "For a young person from the south,
this may be their only exposure to democratic values." He
asked that additional places be made available in order o
promote critical thinking and independent opinin among the
Shia youth. "Each student you send will be a priceless
investment in Lebanon's future."

Proportional Representation
and Electoral Reform
--------------


9. (C) The delegates were critical of March 14's approach to
electoral reform. "You, the USG, financially supported the
work of the Boutros Commission in 2004-2005. This expert
panel put together a series of sensible recommendations to
bring Lebanon in line with international electoral standards.
Yet it is your allies in March 14 who are the ones standing
in the way of progress. All they care about is preserving
their own petty interests." (Note: This sentiment is shared
by a number of our civil society interlocutors on electoral
reform. Future Movement leader Saad Hariri's opposition to
proportional representation is well-known. End Note.)


10. (C) The independent Shia clearly see proportional
representation as a way for them to gain political strength.
One delegate told us that in the 2000 parliamentary
elections, Hizballah only won 53 percent of the Shia vote.
Yet under the "winner take all" model, they gained all of the
Shia seats. Consolidating their power base in advance of the
2005 election, Hizballah used threats and intimidation at the
local level to improve their results. Proportional
representation during the 2009 elections would allow
independent Shia votes to also play a role in the national
political process.


11. (C) In addition to the various electoral reform proposals
that are currently being discussed, the delegates were
frustrated by March 14 inability to come up with a solid
position on the issue. "Regardless of how it turns out, we
need to know the rules ahead of time so we can come up with
our own strategies. People are convinced that Sunni/Future
Movement leader Saad Hariri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt
are going to make a last-minute, back room deal with March 8
to suit their own purposes -- even if it means cutting the
legs out from underneath the independent Shia."

USG Assistance Should "Strategically Support"
GOL's Provision of Services
--------------


12. (C) The delegates agree that the Government of Lebanon's
national institutions and its profile in the south should be
strengthened. They are frustrated that Hizballah continues
to claim credit for projects which, in fact, have been paid
for by the GOL and/or international donors.


13. (C) They asked the Charge to consider a new "strategic"
approach for future USG assistance programs in the region.
The delegates offered to come to the Embassy to act as a

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advisory board for future program initiatives targeted in the
south and in the Bekaa Valley. They feel that their
"on-the-ground experience" will provide useful input as U.S.
Mission Beirut considers various USAID, MEPI, DRL and PD
project proposals.

Slim Dismisses Tufayli's Strategic Utility
--------------


14. (C) In a side-bar conversation with the Charge, Lokman
Slim echoed Saad Hariri's assessment that former Hizballah
SYG Tufayli would not/not be a useful ally to the independent
Shia (Ref A). Slim said that he had visited Tufayli on a
number of occasions, but found him to be untrustworthy. He
thinks Tufayli is "only in it for the money" and has no real
following in the Bekaa Valley. "He brings nothing to the
table." Ahmad al-Assad had earlier urged us to cultivate
this contact (Ref C),but Assad appears to be the only
advocating this approach.


15. (C) Slim also told us that the Mufti of South Lebanon,
Sayyed Ali Al Amine, praised by many for his courageous
stance against Hizballah, is facing increasing criticism from
pro-Hizballah forces. There is talk that the Higher Shia
Council leadership had threatened to remove the Mufti from
his official position in Tyre.

Comment
--------------


16. (C) Having met with and listened to the delegation put
together by Lokman Slim, we continue to believe that this
group presents a more credible and realistic approach to
independent Shia issues that Ahmad al-Assad (Ref C). We will
be reaching out to contacts in Washington this week to
request high-level meetings. End Comment.

Independent Shia Delegation Members
--------------


17. (U) -- Lokman Slim is a publisher and filmmaker (Ref A).
He is co-founder of the Hayya Bina Foundation, which promotes
civil liberties. He and his wife also founded the Umam
Documentation and Research Center, a cultural association
dealing with Lebanon's civil war history (Ref D).

-- Rami Al Amin is a young journalist working at the
NowLebanon.com news portal. He is also acting as a
researcher on freedom of the press issues for the Samir
Kassir Foundation. Al Amin has authored a number of pieces
which criticize the control that Hizballah exerts over his
Southern Beirut neighborhood and his generation of Shia
youth. He received widespread acclaim for his piece, "How I
Was Orphaned by Hizballah."

-- Malek Mrowa is a self-described secularist, businessman
and board member of the Democratic Renewal Movement headed by
Nassib Lahoud. He is also the brother of Jameel Mrowa (also
spelled Jamil Mroue),editor of the Daily Star newspaper.

-- Dr. Saoud al Mawla is a sociology professor at the
Lebanese University who has been active in organizing
Muslim-Christian dialogue initiatives. He served as the
private secretary to the former head of the Higher Shia
Council, Mohammad Shams ad-Din, until his passing. He is a
noted and outspoken critic of Hizballah.

-- Dr. Farid Matar is an OB/GYN who trained at UT-Memphis.
He decided to return to Lebanon to practice and raise his
family because he wanted to be "part of the change" in
Lebanon. He describes himself as an average concerned
citizen who grew up in a tolerant Shia household that was
typical in his youth. He told us that this delegation is
part of his efforts to become pro-active about the political
changes and progress he wants for his country. He is also
first cousin to Mohamed Matar, a prominent Shia lawyer who is
also working to strengthen the position of Lebanon's
independent Shia (Ref E).

-- Dr. Mona Fayyad is a psychology professor at the Lebanese
University. She has published numerous books and articles

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about the modern Shia experience in Lebanon (Ref F). Her
article, "To Be a Shia Now," was carried widely in the
international press.

-- Sheikh Maarouf Rahal is a practicing Shari'a judge and
seminary teacher in Baabda, Beirut and Byblos. He also
serves as an advisor to Sayyed Ali Al-Amin, the Mufti of
South Lebanon (Ref G).

-- Duraid Yaghi is a lawyer and Vice President of the
Progressive Socialist Party. He was a former candidate for
parliament from Baalbeck and serves as a senior advisor to
Walid Jumblatt.

-- Sara el Dallal is a Program Assistant with Hayya Bina
Foundation and is working on NDI's "Citizen Lebanon" program,
a citizen awareness project Hayya Bina is leading the
initiative for the Bekaa region.

-- Inga Schei is a Program Director with the Hayya Bina
Foundation.

SISON