UNSCR 1267-INSTRUCTIONS TO USUN TO SUBMIT ONE

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 060813 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2018 TAGS: EFIN KTFN PTER PREL UNSC SUBJECT: UNSCR 1267-INSTRUCTIONS TO USUN TO SUBMIT ONE ENTITY (REVIVAL OF THE ISLAMIC HERITAGE SOCIETY) REF: A. STATE 48113 ¶B. KUWAIT 559 ¶C. JAKARTA 919 Classified By: IO Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James B Warlick for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraphs 3, 4 and 5. -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (C) The United States on May 6, 2008 prenotified (Ref A) our intent to request the listing under UNSCR 1267 of the Kuwait-based international Islamic charity Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) and all its branches. We further expressed our intention to designate RIHS domestically under E.O. 13224. Government of Kuwait officials have told us they oppose this action (Ref B). -------------- ACTION REQUEST -------------- ¶3. (U) USUN is instructed to submit on June 5 to the al-Qaida/Taliban Sanctions Committee the following names for listing under UNSCR 1267: IDENTIFIER INFORMATION Name: Revival of Islamic Heritage Society AKA: RIHS AKA: RIHS Headquarters-Kuwait AKA: Revival of Islamic Heritage Foundation AKA: RIHF AKA: Society for the Revival of Islamic Heritage AKA: Islamic Heritage Revival Party AKA: Islamic Heritage Restoration Society AKA: IHRS AKA: Kuwaiti Heritage AKA: Ihya Turas Al-Islami AKA: Ijha Turath Al-Islami AKA: Jamia Ihya Ul Turath AKA: Jamiat Ihia Al-Turath Al-Islamiya AKA: Jam'iyat Ihya' Al-Turath Al-Islami AKA: Jami'at Ihy'a Al-Tirath Al-Islamia AKA: Jamiatul Ihya Ul Turath AKA: Jamiyat Ikhya At-Turaz Al-Islami, Society of the Rebirth of the Islamic People AKA: Jamiatul-Yahya Ut Turaz AKA: Jomiatul Ehya-Ut Turaj AKA: Jomiyatu-Ehya-Ut Turas Al Islami AKA: Jama'ah Ihya Al-Turaz Al-Islami AKA: Jami'ah Al-Hiya Al-Turath Al Islamiyah AKA: Lajnat Ihya Al-Turath Al-Islami AKA: Lajnat Al-Ihya Al-Turath Al-Islami AKA: RIHS Administration for the Building of Mosques and Islamic Projects AKA: RIHS Mosques Committee AKA: Administration of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society Committee AKA: RIHS Arab World Committee AKA: RIHS Committee for the Arab World AKA: RIHS Committee for West Asia AKA: RIHS Central Asia Committee AKA: Committee for Europe and the Americas AKA: RIHS Europe and the Americas Committee AKA: RIHS Two Americas and European Muslim Committee AKA: RIHS Europe America Muslims Committee AKA: RIHS Southeast Asia Committee AKA: RIHS Committee for South East Asia AKA: RIHS Indian Continent Committee AKA: RIHS Indian Subcontinent Committee AKA: RIHS Committee for India AKA: RIHS African Continent Committee AKA: RIHS Committee for Africa AKA: Revival of Islamic Society Heritage on the African Continent AKA: RIHS Public Relations Committee AKA: RIHS Cultural Committee AKA: RIHS Principle Committee for the Center for Preservation of the Holy Qu,aran AKA: RIHS General Committee for Donations AKA: RIHS Youth Center Committee AKA: RIHS Scientific Committee-Branch of Sabah Al-Nasir AKA: RIHS Fatwas Committee AKA: RIHS Center for Manuscripts Committee AKA: RIHS Educating Committees, Al-Jahra' AKA: RIHS Audio Recordings Committee AKA: RIHS Project of Assigning Preachers Committee AKA: RIHS Office of Printing and Publishing AKA: RIHS Committee for Women AKA: RIHS Committee for Women, Administration for the Building of Mosques AKA: RIHS Women's Branch for the Project of Endowment AKA: RIHS Administration for the Committees of Almsgiving AKA: RIHS Committee for Almsgiving and Charities AKA: RIHS Committee for the Call and Guidance AKA: RIHS-Cambodia AKA: RIHS Cambodia-Kuwait Orphanage Center AKA: The Kuwaiti-Cambodian Orphanage Center AKA: The Kuwait-Cambodia Islamic Cultural Training Center AKA: RIHS Chaom Chau Center AKA: Nara Welfare and Education Association AKA: RIHS-Bosnia and Herzegovina AKA: Kuwaiti Joint Relief Committee, Bosnia and Herzegovina AKA: KJRC-Bosnia and Herzegovina AKA: Plandiste School, Bosnia and Herzegovina AKA: Organizacija Preporoda Islamske Tradicije Kuvajt AKA: Kuwait General Committee for Aid AKA: General Kuwait Committee AKA: RIHS-Albania AKA: Center of Call for Wisdom AKA: CCFW AKA: Thirrja Per Utesi AKA: NGO Turath AKA: RIHS-Kosovo AKA: Dora E Miresise AKA: Hand of Mercy AKA: RIHS-Azerbaijan AKA: RIHS-Russia AKA: RIHS-Lebanon AKA: RIHS-Bangladesh AKA: RIHS-Somalia AKA: RIHS-Ghana AKA: RIHS-Tanzania AKA: RIHS-Benin AKA: RIHS-Cameroon AKA: RIHS-Senegal AKA: RIHS-Nigeria AKA: RIHS-Liberia AKA: RIHS-Ivory Coast Addresses: Address: Part 5, Qurtaba, P.O. Box 5585, Safat, Kuwait Address: House #40, Lake Drive Road, Sector #7, Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh Address: Number 28 Mula Mustafe Baseskije Street, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Address: Number 2 Plandiste Street, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Address: M.M. Baseskije Street, No.28p, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Address: Number 6 Donji Hotonj Street, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Address: RIHS Office, Ilidza, Bosnia and Herzegovina Address: RIHS Alija House, Ilidza, Bosnia and Herzegovina Address: RIHS Office, Tirana, Albania Address: RIHS Office, Pristina, Kosovo Address: Tripoli, Lebanon Address: City of Sidon, Lebanon Address: Dangkor District, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Address: Kismayo, Somalia Address: Kaneshi Quarter of Accra, Ghana Address: Al-Andalus, Kuwait Address: Al-Jahra,, Kuwait Address: Al-Qurayn, Kuwait Address: Sabah Al-Nasir, Kuwait Address: Qurtubah, Kuwait Address: Hadiyah, Kuwait Address: Al-Qadisiyah, Kuwait Address: Al-Fayha,, Kuwait Address: Al-Riqah, Kuwait Address: Al-Firdaws, Kuwait Address: Khitan, Kuwait Address: Al-Sabahiyah, Kuwait Address: Jalib Al-Shiyukh, Kuwait Address: Bayan Wa Mashrif, Kuwait Address: Sabah Al-Salim, Kuwait Address: Al-Rumaythiyah, Kuwait Address: Al-Salimiyah, Kuwait Address: Al-Aridiyah, Kuwait Address: Al-Khalidiya, Kuwait Address: Al-Dhahr, Kuwait Address: Al-Rawdah, Kuwait Address: Al-Shamiyah Wa Al-Shuwaykh, Kuwait Address: Al-Amiriyah, Kuwait Address: Al-Nuzhah, Kuwait Address: Kifan, Kuwait Website: www.alturath.org ¶4. (U) USUN is further instructed to share the attached Statement of Case (SOC) with 1267 Members and to request their support for this listing. Statement of Case Begin Text: The Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) has provided support to a number of U.N. 1267 Committee listed terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida and al-Qaida affiliates Lashkar e-Tayyiba and Jemaah Islamiyah. RIHS has also provided financial support for acts of terrorism. In January 2002, the RIHS offices in Afghanistan (RIHS-Afghanistan) and Pakistan (RIHS-Pakistan) were designated by the U.S. Government and the U.N. 1267 Committee based on evidence of their support for al-Qaida. A U.S. Department of the Treasury fact sheet announcing these designations stated that there was no evidence at that time that the Kuwait-based RIHS headquarters (RIHS-HQ) knew that RIHS-Afghanistan and RIHS-Pakistan were financing al-Qaida. Since that time, however, evidence has mounted implicating RIHS-HQ in terrorism support activity. The U.S. government has learned that RIHS senior leadership, who have actively managed all aspects of the organization's day-to-day operations, have been aware of both legitimate and illegitimate uses of RIHS funds. Its Chairman appears to have hiring authority for all RIHS managers, including those in charge of foreign branch offices. As detailed below, RIHS-HQ has funded terrorist activity worldwide. Suspected of providing support to terrorism, RIHS offices have been closed or raided by the governments of Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, and Russia. RIHS Headquarters Directing Activities of Overseas Branches In countries where RIHS activities are banned or scrutinized by local governments, RIHS HQ has developed multiple methods to continue its operations. After the Government of Bangladesh closed RIHS offices, RIHS-HQ funneled money into Bangladesh through another organization to continue RIHS activities and to help shield it from scrutiny there. RIHS-HQ has used RIHS officials and other individuals to courier funds out of the country in order to evade the scrutiny of the international financial system. In some countries, including Albania and Kosovo in particular, RIHS senior officials have assisted RIHS branch offices with name changes, and then continued to provide financial support to the new organization. In another case, RIHS senior officials traveled to Bangladesh and unsuccessfully lobbied the Bangladeshi government for the release of frozen RIHS funds. RIHS Support for Terrorism in South Asia RIHS-HQ provides significant financial and logistical support to the U.N.-designated terrorist group Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT). As of 2007, RIHS provided office space to an LeT leader who visited Kuwait to raise funds for LeT operations. RIHS officials accompanied the LeT leader while he raised funds throughout Kuwait. As of late 2007, RIHS sent money to LeT elements on a monthly basis, and regularly transferred funds to LeT representatives' bank accounts in Pakistan. In some cases, LeT has received the funds at charitable entities associated with RIHS. RIHS also reportedly provided a key source of funding for terrorist attacks carried out by an extremist group in Bangladesh in 2005. Despite a February 2005 Bangladeshi government ban of the terrorist group Jamaaat Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB),on August 17, 2005, JMB launched a series of near-simultaneous bomb attacks across Bangladesh, killing two and injuring 64 persons. Following the bombings, RIHS was identified by a Bangladeshi official as one of the key sources of funding needed for staging these attacks. After the August 2005 bombings, RIHS was accused of funding JMB's military activities with overt and covert funds. These funds were channeled through a senior leader of a Bangladeshi Islamic organization. As of early 2005, RIHS in Bangladesh had contributed millions of dollars to this organization. RIHS Support for Terrorism in Southeast Asia and the Horn of Africa RIHS has provided financial and logistical support to the Southeast Asia based terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). An RIHS employee provided logistical support to JI,s fugitive leader Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (a.k.a. "Hambali") prior to his capture in 2003. Due to the high security conditions during the 2002 Asian Summit, the RIHS employee escorted Hambali from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to an alternate location, where he then provided him with accommodations. The employee was later captured and sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism charges. An RIHS representative in Indonesia provided funding to a JI member collecting money for JI activities. The JI member funneled the funds he received from RIHS and other sources to JI associates for the procurement of weapons to support their operations. RIHS has also funded al-Qaida affiliates in Somalia. As of 2002, al-Qaida supporters in Somalia reportedly received most of their funding through RIHS. End Text ¶5. In response to information recently provided to USUN from the Indonesian UN Mission indicating the GOI has no evidence to indicate RIHS maintains operations in Indonesia, USUN should inform the Indonesians that the USG has information from 2006 indicating that RIHS did maintain operations in Indonesia. However, in light of the information recently provided by the Indonesian UN Mission, we have removed references from our SOC to any RIHS presence in Indonesia. Please convey our appreciation to the Indonesian Mission for having shared this information. -------------- POINT OF CONTACT -------------- ¶6. (U) Questions may be directed to IO/PSC (Erin Crowe, 202-736-7847). ¶7. (U) Tripoli minimize considered. RICE