MORE NETWORKING, MORE OUTREACH TO MUSLIM YOUTH,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JEDDAH 000445 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/SRMC; NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD-JDICKMEYER, PAGNEW, PKABRA, DBENZE; R-JMCHALE AND WDOUGLAS; IO E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2019 TAGS: KIPR KPAO SA SCUL SOCI SUBJECT: MORE NETWORKING, MORE OUTREACH TO MUSLIM YOUTH, AND A CALL FOR AN "ISLAMIC DAVOS": SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FARAH PANDITH'S VISIT TO JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 1, 2009 REF: A. RIYADH 1278 ¶B. JEDDAH 424 ¶C. JEDDAH 342 JEDDAH 00000445 001.3 OF 003 Classified By: Consul General Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During her October 31 - November 1 visit to Saudi Arabia, the Secretary's Special Representative to Muslim Communities (SRMC),Farah Pandith, reached out to a wide range of Saudi youth and civil-society activists over the course of two full days in Jeddah. SRMC Pandith discussed her role, noting that Secretary Clinton asked her to act as "convener, facilitator, and intellectual partner" to Muslim communities around the world, particularly focusing on youth. She described her goal and mission as "building networks of like-minded people throughout the world and getting to know the next generation." Pandith met with students from Dar al-Hekma and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),representatives of Hejazi civil society, Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and the head and staff members of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Khadija bint Khuwailed Center (KBKC) for Saudi businesswomen. (See separate forthcoming reftel for post's report on Pandith's KBKC meeting.) Pandith also gave an exclusive interview to leading pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat. END SUMMARY. MEETINGS WITH SAUDI STUDENTS: BETWEEN EXUBERANCE AND ANXIETY -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) SRMC Pandith met with students from Dar al-Hekma, a private women's university in Jeddah. The students gave an elaborate presentation on the college's institutions and activities, including the Model United Nations club, Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) funded U.S.-Saudi Forum for Women's Social Entrepreneurship, "Green Jeddah" environmental club, child-abuse awareness club "Motherhood Home" (Bayt Omomati),and "Blossom", a zakat (alms for the poor) distribution program. The students' projects reflected a high degree of sophistication in their use of social networking tools, partnerships with private sponsors and existing charities, and applying entrepreneurial principles to promote social responsibility. They had partnered with Babson College on entrepreneurship, The Fletcher School, and Wellesley College for Women's Leadership. The students were bright, active and very excited to work with the U.S. on doing more in the civil society space. ¶3. (U) After the presentations, Pandith explained the role of her office and opened the floor to their questions. During the ensuing and lively Q & A session, the young women asked Pandith about U.S. perceptions of Saudi women and ways to improve them, the role of the media in shaping perceptions in both countries, and how the Special Representative reconciles being an American and a Muslim. In her responses, Pandith highlighted the unprecedented power of forming people-to-people networks, importance of building civil-society institutions, and diversity of Islam and freedom of religion in the United States. ¶4. (C) Pandith also had the opportunity to briefly meet with five students from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). In an informal setting, the students noted that along with the academic opportunities afforded them, the experience of interacting with young men and women from 70 different countries has been the most rewarding aspect of their study at KAUST. The students -- three women and two men -- who participated in the meeting were from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, the West Bank, and Sudan. They unanimously described the American students at KAUST as extremely friendly and said that this trait had altered their perception of the United States. The Palestinian student, an elected member of the KAUST student body, stressed the importance of cultural exchange programs to correct the misperceptions that young Muslims have about the U.S. One of the women said that she realized "how important diversity was." ¶5. (C) PAS Jeddah coordinated Pandith's KAUST visit and student discussion with a representative of KAUST's Office of Communications. Nonetheless, about 30 minutes into the JEDDAH 00000445 002.3 OF 003 discussion with students, the KAUST representative became noticeably worried and told the PAO, CAO, and Management Officer (who had helped facilitate the meeting) that the university's senior administrators were "extremely agitated" that "additional U.S. Government staff were talking to students on campus." The representative asked at least two CG staff to leave; the Management Officer and PAO did so, and the CAO remained with SRMC Pandith. The meeting ended shortly thereafter, at 2 p.m., as the students had to go to class. MEETINGS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY: "ISLAMIC DAVOS" AND ARABIC NPR? -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) As part of her goal to hear from civil-society activists in Saudi Arabia, Pandith met with presidents of charitable organizations, social advocates, and religious educators. During the meetings, she listened to two suggestions on how to reach out to Muslim youth. Ms. Henna Al-Maimani of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) suggested creating an Islamic economic forum. SR Pandith said she had a concept that she had been working on called "Islamic Davos" to promote economic and social development in Muslim majority countries. SR Pandith said she would like to work with the Chamber on this idea. Another suggestion came from Dr. Sadiq Al-Malki, social advocate and professor of comparative social and political systems at King Abdulaziz University, to translate National Public Radio (NPR) programs into Arabic and broadcast them on radio stations in the Arab world to "show young Muslims a different side of America." MEETING WITH OIC SECRETARY GENERAL: HOW TO AVOID THE QUICKSAND -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) At the headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),the Special Representative briefly met with Secretary General (SG) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. Responding to Ihsanoglu's question regarding outreach to American Muslims, Pandith explained that she is not permitted to conduct diplomacy domestically but stressed that the strong relationships she has developed with Muslims who live and work in America have had an impact on the way she approaches her job. She noted that she often connects American Muslims with others around the world, helping all to build relationships and share ideas. ¶8. (U) To illustrate her point, Pandith mentioned her work with Eboo Patel, Executive Director of Interfaith Youth Core based in Chicago, noting that she worked with Patel in developing his program aimed at promoting pluralism in Western Europe. Responding to SG Ihsanoglu's inquiry as to whether Pandith's job was to rebuild the image of America, Pandith said, "This is not about that. This is about seeding relationships of common interest for the common good." ¶9. (SBU) Ihasanoglu expressed his appreciation of the Special Representative's role and noted that in his open letter to President Obama he suggested that the U.S. establish a new partnership with "the Muslim world" based on two principles: "mutual respect and mutual interest." "If not built upon this foundation," he said, "We will be standing on quicksand." He concluded by stressing to SRMC Pandith that her mission needs to be a long-term project. Pandith agreed, noting that this was indeed Secretary Clinton's intention. ¶10. (SBU) Toward the end of the meeting, Ihsanoglu concluded that while Muslims in Europe are experiencing a severe identity crisis, Muslims in the U.S. easily reconcile their faith with an American identity. Ihsanoglu described the U.S. as a "modern-day Ottoman Empire," in that America integrates people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. ¶11. (U) OIC highlighted the meeting in its latest newsletter, issued on November 3, entitling the short article "U.S. Special Envoy for Muslim Communities Farah Pandith Elaborates to the OIC Secretary General on Her Mandate." The summation sentence of the article: "Ms. JEDDAH 00000445 003.3 OF 003 Pandith explained that the objective of her office is not improving the image of the U.S. but facilitating, connecting and implementing concrete and specific ideas which will bring both sides, particularly youth, together based on mutual respect and mutual interest and on a long-term approach." MEDIA COVERAGE -------------- ¶12. (U) SRMC Pandith gave an exclusive interview to leading pan-Arab, London-based daily Saudi newspaper "Al-Hayat". The interview focused on her vision for her office and mission, and on President Obama and Secretary Clinton's efforts to increase engagement with Muslims around the world. COMENTS -------------- ¶13. (C) Special Representative andith was well received in Jeddah. Her positive message, personal ackground, and infectious entusiasm allowed her to easily connect with Saudis especially young adults, in Jeddah and at KAUST(located in Thuwal, about 50 mies north of Jeddah). We can and should do more to engage civil society in Jeddah building on this favorable and positive visit. ¶14. (C) The reaction of KAUST's senior administration during the campus visit quite possibly reflected the growing scrutiny that the university is receiving from governments, religious figures, and media throughout the Middle East (and even farther afield). In addition, KAUST is trying to cope with the fallout from a string of mostly adverse publicity in the wake of a number of recent events: King Abdullah's firing of prominent Saudi cleric Sheikh Sa'ad al-Shethry for criticizing the university's mixed-gender policy (a Saudi first),a recent YouTube video that purportedly showed a male Saudi student dancing at the university's cafeteria, a highly publicized accusation by an American KAUST student and blogger that a major Saudi Arabic-language newspaper plagiarized and ran a large excerpt and photos from the student's blog as the paper's own original reporting (ref B), and the KAUST administration's decision -- based on USG export-usage requirements -- to deny Syrian students access to the university's U.S.-sourced supercomputer. ¶15. (U) SRMC Farah Pandith has cleared this message. QUINN