AL-FAQIH ORGANIZES DAMMAM PROTEST

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000042

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA AND DS/IP/ITA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2018
TAGS: ASEC KISL PGOV PINR PREL SOCI SA
SUBJECT: AL-FAQIH ORGANIZES DAMMAM PROTEST

REF: A. 07 RIYADH 2529

B. 07 RIYADH 1414

Classified By: Classified By: Consul General John Kincannon for reasons
1.4 b and d.


1. (C) SUMMARY: On December 28, 2007, immediately following
the end of Friday prayer, an estimated 150 to 200 people
protested outside of the al-Forqan mosque in Dammam, Saudi
Arabia, chanting the slogans "God is great" and "Death to the
al-Saud." Organized via broadcasts on the al-Islah radio
network of Dr. Sa'ad al-Faqih, the London-based founder of
the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, the demonstration
lasted an estimated 10 to 15 minutes before being broken up
by the Ministry of Interior's Special Security Force.
Despite the small number of participants and brief length of
the demonstration, viewed in conjunction with the Riyadh
protests of December 14 (Reftel A),the al-Forqan disturbance
serves as a reminder that there does exist a community of
anti-Saud conservatives willing to follow al-Faqih's
guidance. END SUMMARY.

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DEMONSTRATION DETAILS
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2. (C) On Friday, December 28, approximately 150 to 200
people protested outside of the al-Forqan mosque, located in
the middle class "Plot 91" neighborhood of southeast Dammam,
approximately 9.5 miles (15km) from ConGen Dhahran. With an
estimated capacity of 4,000 people, al-Forqan is the largest
mosque in Dammam and is considered a moderate place of
worship, not typically affiliated with radical ideology. Per
a source in attendance on December 28, there were an
estimated 2,000 worshippers present. At the end of prayer,
numerous worshippers began raising the ghutra and igal off of
their heads as a signal to show support amongst themselves
for the protest soon to begin. The men then started to chant
"God is great," and "Death to the Al-Saud." When the mosque
imam asked that the group not mix politics and religion, the
150 to 200 men, all of whom appeared to be Saudis, made their
way outside and continued to protest for an estimated 10 to
15 minutes. The protest dispersed quickly upon the arrival
of two buses of Ministry of Interior Special Security Force
officers, with protestors fleeing to waiting cars in attempt
to avoid arrest. A post Regional Security Office source
reports that at least one confirmed Mabahith officer was in
attendance at the mosque. It is unclear whether the SAG had
prior knowledge of the planned event. Likewise, the total
number arrested is at this time unconfirmed, although post
contacts note that there were six cars still left in the
mosque parking lot hours after the Special Security Force had
dispersed all protestors.

3 (C) Just as with the December 14 protests at King Khalid
mosque in Riyadh (Reftel A),a video of the demonstration was
posted on the website youtube by the user "anaislahi." The
five and a half minute long video can be accessed at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YVhkDsoDZo.

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AL-FAQIH AND HIS FOLLOWING
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4. (C) The protest was organized by Dr. Sa'ad al-Faqih, the
London-based Saudi exile who founded the Movement for Islamic
Reform in Arabia (MIRA) in 1996. Per a source in attendance
at the al-Forqan mosque, the protestors received their
guidance from an al-Islah radio broadcast which gave
instructions regarding the specific mosque and date for
demonstration. (NOTE: Al-Islah is the media arm of MIRA,
consisting of television and radio stations, as well as a
website. END NOTE). The group's website offers links to
information regarding the Al-Forqan protests, but none are
active.


5. (S) COMMENT: Whereas previous calls for demonstrations
have gone unheeded and it seemed al-Faqih's efforts were
receiving little support (Reftel B),two successive protests
in December show at the very least that al-Faqih and MIRA are
still active and have some following inside of the Kingdom.
Some post contacts suggest that these uprisings should not be
perceived as a surge in the number of people that
fundamentally agree with al-Faqih, but rather that in the
face of inflation and rising prices, people are willing to
listen to anyone who speaks loudly and offers a scapegoat for
their problems. It should be expected that al-Faqih will
continue with attempts to capitalize on the atmosphere of
economic unrest to encourage Saudis to support his
overarching anti-SAG ideology. The SAG has long-accused the

RIYADH 00000042 002 OF 002


Qatari government of funding al-Faqih's efforts, and despite
recent public reports of reconciliation between the two
governments, post contact Ibrahim al Mugaiteeb (protect)
believes the Qataris continue to provide funding. Al
Mugaiteeb claims to have been present for London cash drops
between a representative of the Qatari emir and al-Faqih in
the mid-1990s, though he has no current information that
would support his assertion of continued Qatari funding. END
COMMENT.

(APPROVED: KINCANNON)
FRAKER