KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- MUMBAI TERRORIST ATTACKS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001174 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, NEA/PI, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA LONDON FOR NEA WATCHER PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO XF KU MEDIA REACTION SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- MUMBAI TERRORIST ATTACKS -------------- SUMMARY -------------- 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 KUWAIT 00001174 002 OF 002 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." ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * JONES