Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09DHAHRAN210
2009-08-10 16:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Consulate Dhahran
Cable title:  

SAUDI SHI'A CELEBRATE IMAM AL-MAHDI'S BIRTHDAY

Tags:  KIRF KISL PGOV PHUM SA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8860
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDH #0210/01 2221602
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 101602Z AUG 09
FM AMCONSUL DHAHRAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0227
INFO RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0202
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 0038
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDH/AMCONSUL DHAHRAN 0306
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAHRAN 000210 

NOFORN
SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ARP JOSHUA HARRIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/10/2019
TAGS: KIRF KISL PGOV PHUM SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI SHI'A CELEBRATE IMAM AL-MAHDI'S BIRTHDAY

DHAHRAN 00000210 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Kevin Kreutner, Acting Consul General, EXEC, DOS.

REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
SUMMARY:

-------



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAHRAN 000210

NOFORN
SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ARP JOSHUA HARRIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/10/2019
TAGS: KIRF KISL PGOV PHUM SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI SHI'A CELEBRATE IMAM AL-MAHDI'S BIRTHDAY

DHAHRAN 00000210 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Kevin Kreutner, Acting Consul General, EXEC, DOS.

REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
SUMMARY:

--------------




1. (C/NF) The Shi'a of Qatif openly celebrated the birthday of
Imam al-Mahdi -- who is recognized by most Shi'a as the twelfth
and final (hidden) Imam -- on August 6 with impromptu public
plays, free food, and candy for the children. PolOff and two
EmbOffs from Riyadh visited Qatif during the festivities and met
with several residents. Though the police were noticeably
present, the celebrations were allowed to proceed without
interference. However, Shi'a blogs reported that in al-Ahsa, a
large oasis with a large Shi'a population some 200 miles south
of Qatif, security forces dismantled preparations for the
celebration and harassed several event organizers. END SUMMARY.



THE "NASFA" CELEBRATION IN QATIF:

--------------




2. (C/NF) PolOff and two EmbOffs were invited by Ali al-Marzouk
(protect),a longtime Qatifi contact, to attend the annual
"Nasfa" celebration of Imam al-Mahdi's birthday. Nasfa is
observed by Shi'a the world over and is a national holiday in
Iran. The Qatif oasis, comprised almost exclusively of Shi'a,
has publicly celebrated Nasfa for decades with minimal
government interference. Aside from a couple of extra
checkpoints and a slightly larger police presence, the residents
were allowed to carry out their festivities unhindered.




3. (C/NF) In the interest of maintaining a low profile, PolOff
and EmbOffs spent most of the visit in private homes and a
restaurant. However, a windshield tour of several villages
comprising the Qatif oasis demonstrated the unusually public and
festive nature of the event. Families were walking the streets
and eating free food, while the children went door-to-door
collecting candy and treats from their neighbors. Homes and
main thoroughfares were decorated with lights, small temporary
monuments, and impromptu theaters were erected in open spaces.
In general, large public gatherings like these are rare in Saudi
Arabia, especially when gender mixing is unavoidable. Moreover,
Nasfa in particular celebrates the birth of a religious figure
not recognized by the Kingdom's conservative Sunni establishment.




4. (C/NF) One Qatifi resident explained that Nasfa has grown
significantly and become more festive over the last decade. He
likened it to a political statement intended for the government
from the Qatifi Shi'a that, despite persecution, they will
carry on prominently with their traditions. (COMMENT: Other
contacts have made similar comments about the growing popularity
of Ashura in recent years -- another major Shi'a occasion
commemorated later in the year. END COMMENT.)



POLICE BREAK UP AL-AHSA CELEBRATIONS:

--------------




5. (C/NF) According to prominent Shi'a online news sources, some
residents of the al-Ahsa oasis (50%-60% of the population is
Shi'a) were not permitted to celebrate Imam al-Mahdi's birthday
publically. The police reportedly took down temporary monuments
and other fixtures assembled for the occasion in the al-Ahsa
town of Bani Maan. It was also reported that police confiscated
the identification cards of the event organizers and demanded
that they report to the police station at a later time. PolOff
and EmbOffs did not have a chance to visit the al-Ahsa area.



COMMENT:

--------------



DHAHRAN 00000210 002.2 OF 002




6. (C/NF) Qatif continues to enjoy a certain degree of autonomy
to practice their minority sect's religious beliefs; something
rarely afforded to the Saudi Shi'a in other parts of the
Kingdom. The reported harassment in al-Ahsa of Nasfa organizers
has become an increasingly common feature for the Shi'a
community in this historic oasis. Most contacts attribute the
uptick in Shi'a mosque closings, arrests, and generally more
restrictive environment to HH Prince Badr bin Mohammed bin
Abdullah bin Jiluwi Al Saud, the governor of al-Ahsa. (NOTE:
Prince Badr was appointed as governor of al-Ahsa in 1997 and
King Abdullah recently extended his term another four years. END
NOTE.) Also, Saudi authorities have recently closed several
Shi'a mosques in the commercial city of al-Khobar. Opposition
to the closings has drawn increasing support and attention among
the Shi'a community as well as tolerant Sunni leaders. Post
will report on the al-Khobar mosque closings in a separate
cable. END COMMENT.
KREUTNER