TAJIK AUDIENCE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AND RECEPTIVE TO OBAMA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000724 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR, SCA AND INR/R/MR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO KISL KDEM PHUM TI SUBJECT: TAJIK AUDIENCE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AND RECEPTIVE TO OBAMA SPEECH REF: DUSHANBE 688 DUSHANBE 00000724 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Summary: In Tajikistan, an extremely poor country where 97% of the population is Muslim, few people watched the speech, either because it was broadcast in English or because it was available only via satellite and few had receivers. An audience of 40 came to watch the speech at the embassy and shared their views with guest reporters. A local TV station re-broadcast the speech on the primetime news, and a local wire service posted the Russian version of the speech on June 5. In the initial wave of reaction, public opinion was guarded. While commending Obama's "unprecedented" overture to the Muslim world, most objected to perceived favoritism for Israel in the Middle East conflict. Academics and civil society leaders asked for copies of the speech to teach in discussions and college courses. End summary. Embassy Event Kicks Off Debate -------------- ¶2. (U) By invitation, an audience of 40 religious leaders, USG program alumni, advanced placement high school students, political analysts, and media watched the speech at the embassy and then offered assessments and pull aside interviews with media. Almost everyone commented on the President's remarks concerning relations among Israelis, Palestinians, and the Arab world. "Israel is Not the Victim" -------------- ¶3. (U) Vohidkhon Qosiddinov, deputy chairman of Tajikistan's Islamic Renaissance Party, said the conflict between the United States and Muslim world would be resolved only when the U.S. seeks improved relations with all Muslim countries, including Iran, and not just Arab countries. He said that "America is legalizing terror by Israel" and that "since 1948 all UN resolutions were ignored by Israel, so let's not portray them as victims." He "liked the point on women's rights" and noted: "The hijab itself does not violate the rights of women; denying access to education violates their rights." Qosiddinov considered Obama's speech an "unprecedented" gesture by the United States to the Muslim world and he hoped the speech would turn a new page in history of relations between the United States and Muslim countries. �A;¶4. (U) Nurali Shoev, editor of an English language newspaper, attended the embassy viewing and said he only started practicing his faith while living in the United States for 10 years. "I lived in the U.S. for 10 years and I saw how attitudes toward Muslims changed after 9/11. It is unfortunate that this event impacted relations with Muslims in such a negative way. This speech was overall very good and if things said are implemented in practice, there will be results." Shoev said he expected more about how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since "people around the world judge U.S. attitudes towards Islam based on the situation in the Middle East." ¶5. (U) Muhibullo Dodojanov, deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission, said "Obama tried to unite Muslims and Christians together through the message that there is only one God above all of us. This is a very good approach. We will also try to go back and promote this message from our side." ¶6. (U) Rashid Ghani Abdullo, a nationally known political scientist (and disgruntled former embassy employee),said the United States continues to divide the countries of the Middle East by favoring countries "near Americans' hearts" at the expense those who are not. He said the speech provided no proof that the unequal approach had changed. He believed Obama's desire to change the situation was not voluntary, but derived from a pragmatic understanding that the defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq was bringing "more harm than good to the U.S." DUSHANBE 00000724 002.2 OF 003 Speech Repeats "Empty Promise" about Middle East Peace -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda, a former Majilis deputy who resigned his seat in protest over Tajikistan's controversial Law on Religion, did not attend the embassy event, but watched the speech in Arabic on Al Jazeera. He told Emboff he was expecting more specific proposals regarding peace in the Middle East, instead of a repeat of a promise that had already been made -but not fulfilled - by President Bush. Turajonzoda said that peace was not possible in the Islamic world while the Middle East remained unstable. He said the speech mentioned Jewish victims, but not the Muslims who had been killed and tortured in various parts of the world. He thought Obama had some success in burnishing America's image, in part by highlighting the religious freedom of Muslims in America. Speech "Important Event in Global Policy" -------------- ¶8. (U) In an interview with Asia Plus June 5, political analyst Rustam Haidarov said he believes that Obama's address to Muslims is "one of the most important events in global policy" and he believes that it will "without a doubt be positively evaluated in many Muslim countries and possibly lead to a diminishing of the allies of extremism." Regarding the Afghan conflict closer to home, he expressed hope that "having recognized that the Afghan problem cannot be solved by military means, the U.S. will start to cooperate with border countries, including Tajikistan, which could make a positive investment in establishing peace." ¶9. (U) In a June 6 Asia Plus interview, political scientist Abdullo Hakim Rahnamo said, "In his historic speech Obama recognized that imposing values on another country is simply not possible. One could sense in Obama's words his shame of U.S. policy regarding relations with the Muslim world for the past decade. At the same time, Obama somehow avoided mentioning the actions of the United States and called on all to forget the past. It would have been more effective if the president had summoned the courage to admit all the mistakes committed for the past eight years by the American leadership, including in relations with the Muslim world." Rahnamo expressed hope that Obama's speech would have a positive impact on the Middle East peace process. ¶10. (U) RFE/RL's Tajik bureau published the Ambassador's comment that the speech in Cairo as "the beginning of a new U.S. strategy towards the Muslim world." She pointed to the increase of exchange programs for students and professionals as one of the most immediate outcomes of the new strategy. Results and Reverberations -------------- ¶11. (U) All media at the embassy event reported excerpts and commentary, including a national state channel Jahonnamo (audience share of about 600,000),the independently owned radio stations Imruz and Asia Plus (combined audience share of 700,000),the independently owned wire service Asia Plus (1 million),and RFE/RL. An independent TV station SMT (50,000 viewers) broadcast the speech in its entirety during prime time and included comment by the embassy audience. SMT also plans a debate on the speech the week of June 8 for an analytical program. ¶12. (U) The embassy-sponsored viewing brought together DUSHANBE 00000724 003.2 OF 003 influential opinion makers and media to initiate a debate about this important foreign policy issue. Several NGO leaders and academics asked for copies to use in public discussions about Muslim relations and in university courses. After the embassy posted the Russian and Persian versions of the speech on the mission Web site June 6, local wire services linked to the speech and posted more interviews and comment about it. The speech was delivered on a Thursday, after the weekly papers had been issued, but interest is surging. To meet the demand, the embassy is disseminating DVDs of the speech and print copies in Russian and Tajik. JACOBSON