ACTION REQUEST FOR RESPONSE TO OIC SECRETARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000044

SIPDIS

RIYADH FOR DHAHRAN; DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, IO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KISL OPDC OIC SA
SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST FOR RESPONSE TO OIC SECRETARY
GENERAL LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA


1. (SBU) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3.

2. (U) Below is the text of a congratulatory message from
the Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary General
Ihsanoglu to President Obama. The letter appears both on the
OIC website and as an advertisement in the International
Herald Tribune and the New York Times (01/20/2009):
BEGIN TEXT:
"An Invitation to a New Partnership from the organization of
the Islamic Conference (OIC) to President Barack Obama"
Dear President Obama,
With great respect, the Organization of the Islamic
Conference would like to congratulate you on behalf of the
Muslim world on your groundbreaking election as President of
the United States. The Muslim world has cheered your election
and holds high hopes for your historic presidency. The eyes
of the world now eagerly await your leadership and the
fulfilment of your vision, promises, and pledges beyond
America's shores.

The desire for peace is universal. Yet as the conflicts of
the last decade have shown, the quest for peace is easily
frustrated. We warmly welcome your expressed desire to give a
major address in a Muslim nation soon after you assume the
presidency and hope that it will mark the beginning of a more
fruitful and better-informed dialogue between the West and
the Muslim world. Above all, what is needed is the
restoration of mutual confidence. Throughout the globe,
Muslims hunger for a new era of peace, concordance, and
tranquillity. We firmly believe that America, with your
guidance, can help foster that peace, though real peace can
only be shared ) never imposed. A nation can either be great
or feared, but rarely both at the same time.

Myths: Many myths about Islam, fostered by extremists in both
the West and East, have proliferated in the last decade, and
a new word )"Islamophobia") has even entered the world's
lexicon to describe anti-Muslim acts of prejudice and
violence. Despite these pernicious myths, you will find that
Islam is a religion of peace. Tolerance is its benchmark and
borne of the very nature of Islam. Nor is Islam an exclusive
religion. It is an integral part of the history of world
religions. It continues and confirms the previous scriptures.
Along with Christianity and Judaism, Islam emanates from the
same part of the world, comes from the same God, and holds to
the same Prophets, mainly Abraham. It has been tested over
fourteen hundred years, and shown itself to be a religion of
compassion, mercy, justice, and equality.

Extremists in any faith or tradition are rare, though they
often command disproportionate attention. But the often
overlooked truth is Islam is also the religion of moderation.
It celebrates diversity and acknowledges and venerates a wide
array of religions.

Islam, in fact, abhors extremism and fanaticism and calls for
treading the path of the "middle way" in favor of tolerance
and reconciliation. It exhorts Muslims to be morally
responsive to the truth and to goodness, and to be alert to
all that is false, evil or destructive.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),which I
have the honor to represent, is not a religious organization.
After the United Nations, it is the largest official,
inter-governmental organization in the world. It is composed
of 57 sovereign states, almost all of whom are secular. The
population of these states collectively amounts to 1.5
billion ) or one fourth of humanity.

Moderation and Modernization: One of the OIC's guiding
principles is to practice "moderation and modernization." To
cite one example, it was at our demand that the UN General
Assembly organized a host of events and activities around the
world to disseminate the idea of "Dialogue among
civilizations" as an alternative to those who predict a
coming "clash of civilizations."

We have been alarmed by this tendency to divide the world
into rival civilizations ) civilized and uncivilized, good
and evil, friend and enemy. As a youth who spent part of his
childhood abroad, you are well aware of the dangers of
stereotyping. We believe you will have a unique opportunity
to promote tolerance and nurture vibrant multi-cultural
societies.
It is for these reasons that the OIC has been in the
forefront of the Muslim battle against terrorism.

Terrorism is a global phenomenon. It has no specific culture,
race, or region. The root causes of terrorism are surely
complicated but they include deprivation, poverty, despair

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and, most importantly, political injustice. Children do not
emerge from the womb to announce they will become terrorists.
They learn to be terrorists when injustice and tragedy are
twinned with powerlessness. The decades-long suffering of the
Palestinian people provides only the most recent and potent
illustration of the link between oppression, injustice, and
violence. The violence in the Mideast and the Palestinian
people deserve an urgent and just remedy.

Change and Partnership: The most powerful word in your
election campaign was "change." Change must make the world a
better place, correct wrongs and right the twisted. As an
organization, we too have undergone substantial reform in
charting an enlightened future for the Muslim world. As
Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference, I wish to assure you that we will be at your side
to see that justice prevails and that the forces which are
out to undo peace are defeated. At the OIC we are firmly
committed to cooperating with you and your new administraton
to foster constructive dialogue and facilitat solutions to
the intractable predicaments plagung the Muslim world and
beyond.

In this regar, we are keen to build on the commendable
initiatve taken recently regarding the appointment of a US.
Special Envoy to the OIC, and openingan office for him in
the U.S. State Department. We are confident that this useful
post will be endorsed and perhaps expanded under your
leadership.

We also look forward to working with the new Secretary of
State Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is no stranger to the
Muslim world. In the coming months, we hope to build on the
existing channel of communication between the United States
and the OIC and open new ones.

Muslims today, around the world, believe that they have
compelling strategic and moral reasons to cooperate and
peacefully co-exist with the United States in particular, and
with the West in general. Past episodes of short-lived
misunderstandings should give way to a long future of
peaceful cohabitation, making use of our shared civilizations
and values to build a better future for all mankind. As you
eloquently stated in your election-night acceptance speech in
November, "our stories are singular but our destiny is
shared."

END TEXT.


3. (SBU) Action Request: Post recommends Department prepare
an appropriate reply to the OIC.
QUINN