INTERFAITH DIALOGUE IN MADRID - AGENDA AND MUSLIM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 RIYADH 001090 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ARP BMCGRATH E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2018 TAGS: ASEC CIA EU EUN KISL PGOV PHUM PREL PTER SA UNFPA, UNGA SUBJECT: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE IN MADRID - AGENDA AND MUSLIM PARTICIPANTS REF: A. RIYADH 1035 ¶B. RIAYDH 1070 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. The Muslim World League (MWL),under the auspices of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has organized a global interfaith dialogue in Madrid from July 16-18 (Reftels). This is a ground breaking event as the Saudis have organized an event that puts Christianity and Judaism on equal footing with Islam. This conference is the follow-up to the June 4-6 Mecca Conference on Interfaith Dialogue which was solely for the Muslim faith. The Madrid Conference is being chaired by both King Abdullah and King Juan Carlos of Spain. Abdullah Al-Turki, Secretary General of the MWL, stated that leading personalities representing various monotheistic religions will participate in the three-day conference, which will discuss various topics including social amity, international cooperation, human rights and peaceful co-existence. The four conference sessions are titled &Dialogue and Its Religious and Civilization Foundations,8 &Dialogue and Its Importance to Society,8 &Common Human Values in Areas of Dialogue,8 and &Evaluation and Promotion of Dialogue.8 There will be approximately fifteen Saudi participants, with two confirmed Shi,a from Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. Press in Saudi Arabia has been quite positive regarding this event, although certain bloggers have condemned this multifaith gathering. END SUMMARY. FOUR PLANNED SESSIONS -------------- ¶2. (C) King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia along with King Juan Carlos of Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero and MWL Secretary-General Al-Turki will open the conference. The first session, titled &Dialogue and Its Religious and Civilization Foundations,8 will be chaired by Bawa Jain, Secretary General of the Millennium World Peace Summit. Hussain Hamid Hassan of Dubai Islamic Bank will speak on &Dialogue in Islam,8 while Lebanese Minister of Culture Tariq Mitri, member of the World Council of Churches, will speak on &Dialogue in Christianity.8 Arthur Schneier of Appeal of Conscience Foundation in the United States and M.M. Verna, director of Interfaith Foundation in India, will address the session as well. ¶3. (C) The second session, titled &Dialogue and Its Importance in Society,8 will be chaired by Saleh Bin-Humaid, President of the Saudi Shoura Council. Nichiko Niwano, President of the Committee of World Parliament for Religion and Peace (based in Japan) will discuss &Dialogue and Interaction of Cultures and Civilizations.8 Professor Federico Major Zaragoza, President of the Cultural Foundation for Peace in Spain, will speak on &Dialogue and its Impact on Peaceful Coexistence.8 Abdulhadi Tazi, member of the Moroccan Academy, will discuss &Dialogue and Its Impact on International Relations.8 Redwan Al-Sayyed, Chairman of the International Institute for Islamic Studies in Lebanon, will speak on &Dialogue in the Face of Calls for the Clash of Civilizations and End of History.8 ¶4. (C) The third session, titled &Common Human Values in Areas of Dialogue,8 will be chaired by William F. Vendley, Secretary-General of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (based in the United States). Nihad Awad, Executive RIYADH 00001090 002 OF 004 Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Muhammad Ali Taskheeri, Secretary General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought in Iran; Shankaracharya Omkar Anand Saraswati of India; and Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, rector of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue at the Vatican, will all present papers. ¶5. (C) The fourth session, titled Evaluation and Promotion of Dialogue, will be chaired by Rabbi Coaudio Epelman, Secretary-General of the Jewish Congress in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ezzuddin Mustafa of the UAE, Zue Cheng of the Buddhist Association of China, Econos Haddad of Jordan's Center for Religious Coexistence, and Habil Luka Bibawi, member of Egypt's Shoura Council will all speak. The final session will begin at 10:00 AM on Friday wherein the Assistant Secretary of the MWI, Abdul Rahman Al-Zaid, will read the concluding statement of the Conference. SHIA AND SUNNI PARTICIPANTS -------------- ¶6. (C) The following is a list of notable Muslim conference participants: Shia Invitees: Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al-Taskhiri (IRAN) Al-Taskhiri is the General Secretary of The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic School of Thoughts (also known as Secretary General of the International Assembly for Understanding between the Islamic Sects) Sheikh Dr. Jawad Al-Khalisi (IRAQ) Al-Khalisi is the Secretary General of the Iraqi National Foundation Congress, an alliance of secular and religious organizations covering all religious and ethnic groups in Iraq. Sheikh Hasan Musa Al-Saffar (SAUDI ARABIA) Al-Saffar is the leading Shi,a cleric in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Dhahran's 7/10 cable (RIYADH 01070) references Sheikh Hasan Musa Al-Saffar,s role in the Kingdom. Yahya Al-Quraish (SAUDI ARABIA) Al-Quraish, also from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, is a Safwa-based civic organizer and businessman. He and Al-Saffar are the only two representatives from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Note that Al-Quraish is not an official participant but rather accompanying Sheikh Hasan Musa Al-Saffar. Sunni Invitees: Dr. Hamad Al-Majid Dr. Al-Majid writes occasionally in Asharq Alawsat. His writings are mostly political in nature. He wrote about the US elections last February, and in June discussed religious tolerance and the recent Mecca conference. Dr. Salih Suliman Al-Wohaibi Al-Wohaibi is the Secretary General of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY). Dr. Saleh Ghanim Al-Sadlan Al-Sadlan is a Sunni Muslim scholar who has his own Muslim charity organization and preaches in the former Queen,s RIYADH 00001090 003 OF 004 mosque in Riyadh Abdullah Omar Naseef Naseef is a former Secretary General of OIC Mohammed Jamil Al-Khayat Al-Khayat is the Secretary General of the Supreme Commission for Coordination between Islamic Organizations, a subsidiary of the MWL. Sheikh Majed Al-Arafaj Al-Arafaj is a Sunni sheikh. Salman Al-Ouda Al-Ouda,s addition is a key development. As someone who has been tied to extremism in the past his addition gives hope to the Conference impacting religious leaders/communities associated with extremism. Note that Al-Ouda is not on the official list of participants but will be at the Conference nonetheless. Sheikh Abdulaziz Ibraheem Qasem Qasem is the former judge in The Public Court in Riyadh Dr. Saleh Abdullah Bin Himeid Himeid is the President of the Saudi Arabian Consultative Council Adel Ali A AlShaddy Al-Shaddy is Professor of Higher Islamic Studies at the Imam Muhammed bin Saudi Islamic University Abdullah Ali M Al Maliki Al-Maliki is board chairman of the Bureau of Cooperative Dawa, Guidance, and Education Communities in Abha. Dr. Abdallahi Ould Cheikh El-Mahfoudh Ould Boye Ould Boye is a professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Sadan Ahmad S. A. Turkistani WELL-RECEIVED, SOME GRUMBLING -------------- ¶7. (C) COMMENT. This is a ground breaking event. That the Saudis are bringing together Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars, all on equal footing, for a dialogue to establish mutual understanding and religious tolerance is truly significant. One of the King's main purposes in leading this event may be to stimulate the Saudi people to question their own attitudes toward non-Muslims. This is a top down society. Images of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, as the King is officially known in the Kingdom, meeting with religious leaders of other faiths in a western nation will inevitably strike many Saudis as both shocking and controversial. This event is probably intended to send a strong symbolic message to the Saudi people, as well as to the Arab and Muslim world. The choice of Spain as the venue, with its history of religious co-existence, is likely intended to reinforce this message. ¶8. (C) Overall, this conference has gotten extremely positive reaction within the Kingdom. However, current information suggests no member of the Council of Senior Ulema will participate in the Madrid conference. It is possible that RIYADH 00001090 004 OF 004 despite the good press that resulted from the June Mecca conference it was solely due to the fact that it was just for the Muslim faith. The Ulema appear cold to the idea of such dialogue with other faiths and so are not eager to participate in such activities, at least for now. So far, press reports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been highly positive, noting King Abdullah,s attempt to not only bring world faiths together but to take a leadership role in doing so. It even includes calls for Abdullah to win the Nobel Peace Prize. However, certain blogs have been cautious and somewhat negative to the idea of sitting down with other religious leaders. Post-conference reports after this globally significant event will better determine the reaction within Saudi Arabia as well as of the rest of the Muslim world to King Abdllah's interfaith outreach effort. END COMMENT. FRAKER