KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- MUMBAI TERRORIST ATTACKS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001174

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SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- MUMBAI TERRORIST ATTACKS

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SUMMARY
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Monday, December 01, 2008


1. (U) On Sunday, November 30 and Monday, December 1, a considerable
number of Kuwaiti Arabic language dailies ran opinions and
editorials about the terrorist attacks that occurred last week in
Mumbai, India. At least eight Kuwaiti citizens were trapped during
the attacks and the multi-day siege that followed. The majority of
the editorials agreed that terrorism is harming not only Westerners
but also the Arab and/or Muslim people. Some editorials underlined
the importance of monitoring charity donations, while others chose
to raise issues regarding the treatment of Muslim Indians. Another
columnist analyzed the attacks as nothing but a new challenge to
distract President-Elect Obama, characterizing the attacks as an
attempt to prove the involvement of European intelligence in the
attacks. Only one columnist considered the attacks as aiming to
undermine India's democratic regime. End of summary.



2. (U) Block Quotes

-- In a read-out of Mumbai's terrorist attacks and their
repercussions, the regular columnist in the conservative Arabic
daily Al-Watan Dr. Khaled Ahmad Al-Saleh observed that (12/01):
"From the first day, India allegedly accused Pakistan of
involvement. This is a new shift in the international arena towards
new centers of conflict. Both countries possess nuclear weapons and
a potential war between them would make countries pay more than the
double of what we are paying today. Are India and Pakistan ready to
get rid of hundreds of thousands of people? Is European
intelligence, which was behind the emergence of many conflicts in
the world, trying to create a new challenge to distract the new
American President? Is this challenge linked to what was mentioned
in the British papers concerning the dissatisfaction that
accompanied the American presidential campaign? It is an attempt to
prove that only the white race succeeds in the old system that
remains in Europe. Europe will always try to derail the upcoming
plans of the new American Administration. However, interests will
overlap and concerns will be united so that conflicts would double
and terrorism for the only purpose of terrorism will spread
further."


-- Dr. Shamlan Al-Issa, another regular columnist in the same
abovementioned conservative daily concluded (12/01): "The bloody
terrorist operation in India aims to undermine the democratic
countries and in particular, the democratic regime in India. Our
concern is that there would be an ally, which would serve as a
transit point for jihadist movements into Afghanistan, Pakistan, the
Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa. Today terrorists move freely
from one country to another. What raises the concern regarding
terrorism in India is that the terrorists came from neighboring
countries, according to the Indian Prime Minister. Terrorist
attacks in India confirm that the war against terrorism is going to
be very tough and long. The Government of India is requested to ask
the following question: Where have the terrorists been trained?
Which countries trained, armed and financed them and their
operations? Where are the schools that graduated these kinds of
extremist criminals?"

-- In an analysis of the latest terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the
regular columnist in the liberal Kuwaiti Arabic Daily Al-Qabas Abdul
Latif al-Duaij commented (11/30):
"The terrorist attack in Mumbai is not the first and certainly would
not be the last, even though we wish that the security authorities
all over the world would be able to contain terrorism and restrain
terrorist activities. These terrorists are unfortunately receiving
support, and financial and political supplies from unsuspecting
persons. This latest attack should alarm these unsuspecting persons
as well as associations involved in supporting "religious persons"
abroad. We all know that a huge part of charity donations goes to
the wrong parties, where it is transformed into weapons of
destruction against believers and peaceful persons. It not
acceptable anymore to continue to support and finance suspected
associations, schools, and mosques."

-- Under the headline "The Terror Craziness that Hit Mumbai," the
regular columnist in the pro-government Arabic daily Al-Seyassah
concluded (11/30): "Fighting terrorism could be done through
removing repressive regimes, which benefit from backwardness,
fanaticism, and violence. This terrorism is occurring not only
against the West but also against Arabic and Muslim people. There

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is anger against the strategy of American economic policy, which
turned the entire world into one market, which is the only reason
behind poverty and misery in the world. Only freedom, human rights,
and respecting people's dignity would kill this kind of terrorism."

-- Another regular columnist in the same aforementioned
pro-government Arabic Daily, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hattab noted (11/30):
"One of the armed persons who participated in the Mumbai's terrorist
attacks cried out the following call: "Where was the world when our
mothers, brothers and sisters were killed?" He was referring to the
Gujarat incident, which occurred between Muslims and Hindus in 2002,
and cased the death of 2000 Muslims. This call made it obvious that
the Muslim Indians believe that they are suffering from oppression.
Muslim Indians are living marginalized and oppressed, particularly
since India has stalled United Nations efforts concerning Kashmir.
The jihad principles were established in India in a fashion similar
to the Afghans who entered Pakistan after the Russians invasion."

-- In the pro-government Arabic daily Al-Anbaa, the regular
columnist Sami Abdul Latif Al-Nisf observed (11/30): "When the
senior Islamists remain silent about past terrorist attacks and when
they try to justify the deaths of thousands, they are actually
encouraging these deaths and are collaborating in spreading them.
Consequently, they would be exposing thousands of innocent people to
danger. This time, the condemnation should be strict and serious --
without adding the word "But."

-- In the same abovementioned daily, another regular columnist
Faisal Abdul Aziz Al-Zamel remarked (11/30):
"The Security Authorities in India should cautiously deal with this
file [Mumbai's terrorist attacks], which intends to implicate a
major part of India's structure, which is the best example of
plurality. This structure should not be affected by some electronic
messages that read, "We are going to punish India because it
supports the United States." This issue should be dealt with
independently and completely away from Indian society and its
neighbor Pakistan, which has also struggled with the same issues.
Pakistan succeeded in proving that it was innocent from former
accusations."

-- Under the headline, "Kill, Kill, Kill: People Get to Know You"
Salafi columnist Wael Al-Hasawi editorialized in Al-Rai daily
(11/30): "If we do not have the power to stop this massive wave of
anger that hits the world today and eradicate nations, we must
demand that Muslim Clerics differentiate between jihad and
corruption to their people. They must clarify the punishment and
the prohibition to kill innocent Muslims and non-Muslims, and how
great is the crime of he who takes an innocent life for no just
cause. They must make it clear that means do not justify the cause,
and that he who kills innocent people on earth will be punished in
the after-life."


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JONES