KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- Update: U.S. Designation of

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000700 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 KWMN MEDIA REACTION SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION -- Update: U.S. Designation of Kuwait-based RIHS REF: KUWAIT 0677 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- Wednesday, June 18, 2008 ¶1. (U) Summary and Comment. The June 13 U.S. designation of Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) as a charity that provides financial and material support to al-Qaeda and its affiliates continues receive heavy coverage in the Kuwaiti press. Although the vast majority of published articles denounce the U.S. decision, a few favorable commentaries have appeared. End Summary and Comment. ¶2. (U) Block Quotes: -- Jasem Al-Fheid, a regular columnist in the conservative Arabic Daily Al-Wasat editorialized (06/18) that classifying RIHS as supporting terrorism is "nothing but new proof that the American Administration sees all the Islamist movements with the same extremist eye. It does not differentiate between those who carry arms and those who build mosques and engage in charity projects. That is why we were not surprised by the decision to list RIHS as an organization that supports Al-Qaeda." Mr. Al-Fheid concluded: "Therefore, the financial support given to Hamas, for instance is also classified as funding terrorism. The U.S. standard is the group's identity rather than their actions. [The Americans claim that] what Israel is doing in Gaza is legitimate but say that the actions taken by the Palestinians against Israel are illegitimate and should be classified as terrorism!" -- In the conservative Arabic language daily Al-Watan, regular columnist Khaled Sultan Al-Sultan, thanked the Government of Kuwait (GOK) and its leadership for their renewed confidence in tRIHS, and pointed out that the United Nations Security Council "rejected" a U.S. request to add RIHS to the list of terrorist organizations, saying (06/18): "The U.S. accusations against RIHS are unsubstantiated. How can an organization that is well-known for its strong opposition to terrorism and its ideology be a supporter of terrorism?" -- Under the headline "The Great Empire of Kuwait," the regular columnist in the liberal Arabic daily Al-Qabas, Hassan Al-Issa wondered (06/18) why RIHS took so much umbrage at the U.S. designation, especially since the designation targeted U.S.-based assets. He also wondered why the GOK endorsed RIHS and acted as if the frozen assets were their own. Al-Issa commented: "The U.S. has only exercised its basic sovereignty by trying to control its territory and currency. It has the right to make sure that its funds are not spent on terrorist forces whose only concern is to fight the great Satan! However, if you do have funds in the American bank, why did you do this since this is against Sharia law? If the answer is no, then why are you so angry? And what was the reason for all these disparaging statements? Do you recall how many time the U.S. Treasury Department warned RIHS about its money transfers after Al-Rai ran a report saying that some of the RIHS funds were given to organizations linked to terrorist forces in Bangladesh and Afghanistan?" The columnist concluded that until very recently, Kuwait praised the U.S. for its assistance during the 1991 invasion, yet today Kuwait is attacking the U.S. to please Islamist MPs. -- Equally notable was an article in Al-Watan, where Kuwait University Political Science Professor and liberal columnist Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-Issa criticized the GOK and the Islamists for their support of RIHS, as well as the alleged lack of transparency in Kuwait's charity system. Dr. Al-Issa reminded his readers of those Kuwaitis whose assets were recently frozen for their involvement in terrorism financing (06/18): "At the time, the Kuwait government opposed the U.S. decision and claimed that these individuals were innocent. When one of them later publicly admitted financing terrorist acts in Iraq, the GOK was unable to respond." Dr. Al-Issa sarcastically concluded: "If our government is unable to monitor our water and electricity consumption, how can it claim that our charity system is under control?" -- In the conservative Arabic language daily Alam Al-Yawm, Salafi writer and Chief Editor of the RIHS publication "Al-Forkan," Dr. Bassam Al-Shatti continued his ongoing critique of the U.S. designation, but broadened his commentary to include broader attacks KUWAIT 00000700 002 OF 002 on U.S. policy. Al-Shatti attributes the designation to domestic politics: "The failures of U.S. policy in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and also their inability to mobilize European support are some of the reasons for the hatred against the U.S." He concluded: "Today, while the American people are looking at the Democratic candidate as their next President, the U.S. Administration is playing the terrorism card again. Combating terrorism, the pursuit of Osama bin Laden, and the demoralization of Islamic charity organizations were the winning cards that kept the Bush Administration in power for the past eight years. Now they are doing it again." ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * MISENHEIMER