KYRGYZ PRESIDENT AND AMBASSADOR AGREE ON DANGERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000181

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (GORKOWSKI)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KISL KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZ PRESIDENT AND AMBASSADOR AGREE ON DANGERS
OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

REF: A. BISHKEK 180

B. BISHKEK 154

BISHKEK 00000181 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Amb. Tatiana Gfoeller, Reason 1.4 (b) and (d).

THEY WILL TRY TO STORM THE WHITE HOUSE AND KILL ME
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1. (C) During a March 2 meeting to discuss the future of
Manas AIR Base (Ref A),President Bakiyev raised with the
Ambassador his deep concerns about the spread of religious
extremism in Kyrgyzstan. "Ten years ago, the problem was
only in the south," Bakiyev claimed, "but now it is
everywhere." Bakiyev cited the October 2008 events in the
southern city of Nookat, where a group of Muslims linked to
the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir group rioted and threw stones at
the city administration building after being denied
permission to hold a celebration on the city's central square
(Ref B). He emphasized that this was an extremely worrisome
example of religious fundamentalists getting bolder and
bolder and challenging the authority of the state. Bakiyev
said he had warned about this danger ten years ago, but
former President Akayev had ignored the problem. Bakiyev
claimed that many in the Kyrgyz government are also blind to
the dangers of Islamic extremism.


2. (C) Bakiyev admitted that the government has mismanaged
the "fight for hearts and minds." He raised concerns about
the number of young people going to mosques, and said it was
necessary to monitor "what they say in mosques." "If you
fill 13- and 14-year olds with hate," then there will be
problems later, and those same young people could come back
with guns, Bakiyev warned. "They will try to storm the White
House and kill me," he added starkly.

USG DOES NOT EXPLOIT RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM
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3. (C) The Ambassador acknowledged Bakiyev's concerns about
extremism, and she assured him that, contrary to some
persistent rumors and press reports, the USG had no interest
in exploiting religious extremism for political purposes here
or anywhere else. The Ambassador recounted that she had
served as Consul General in Jeddah, where she had seen
first-hand the after-effects of a terrorist attack carried
out on the U.S. Consulate General six months prior to her
arrival by religious extremists. "I met with the families of
the victims" of the al-Qaeda attack on the Consulate General,
and "I know the dangers of extremism," she said. "You may
hear from others that the U.S. supports Islamic extremists,
but I can tell you we do not, and will not," the Ambassador
said forcefully. Bakiyev looked decidedly relieved and
expressed his appreciation for the Ambassador's assurance.
Turning to Foreign Minister Sarbayev, who was also
participating in the meeting, Bakiyev exclaimed: "This
American understands the dangers of extremism better than our
bureaucrats do. We need to educate our people to these
dangers. I expect you and the other Ministers to get on this
right away."

Comment
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4. (C) Bakiyev's concern about growing Islamic
fundamentalism is well-founded. Unfortunately, much of the
appeal of groups like HT is fueled by the Kyrgyz government's
inability to provide basic services to its population, its
unwillingness to curb corruption, and the lack of credibility
of official imams, starting with the poorly educated Grand

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Mufti. At a recent roundtable with NGO's on human
trafficking, one participant shared with the Embassy her
concerns that Hizb ut-Tahrir is engaged in trafficking.
Specifically, she claimed that HT was recruiting young ethnic
Russian girls (as young as eight years old),converting them
to Islam, and providing them religious schooling in
preparation for sending them to "better countries" for
unspecified purposes.
GFOELLER