AFGHAN SHIAS OBSERVE ASHURA UNDER NEW TOLERANCE

UNCLAS KABUL 000077 SENSITIVE SIPDIS KABUL FOR USFOR-A STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS CG CJTF-82, POLAD, JICCENT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KIRF PHUM PREL AF IR SUBJECT: AFGHAN SHIAS OBSERVE ASHURA UNDER NEW TOLERANCE ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. Afghan Shia observed the Ashura holiday this month, staging public demonstrations of their faith that went largely unchallenged by the country's Sunni majority. Thousands of Shia took to the streets in processions in Kabul, Herat, and other cities -- an open display that stood in stark contrast to the strict limits on Ashura ceremonies during the Taliban era. Observations Peaceful in Kabul -------------- ¶2. (SBU) More than a week before the official holiday January 7, western Kabul was bedecked in black, green and red banners as ethnic Hazara and other Afghan Shia prepared for the public mourning of the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of the prophet Mohammad. In an emerging trend, Afghans also hung pictures of MP Sayed Mustafa Kazimi -- killed along with several other MPs in a 2007 bombing -- on storefronts and fences. Kazimi had been one of the highest-ranking Shia politicians. Some Afghans, however, say Kazimi was a major beneficiary of Iranian support and that the Iranian government is funding the campaign to popularize his martyrdom. Kabul authorities closed major streets to make room for processions of mourners, who engaged in the chest-beating and self-flagellation typical among some Shia who observe the holiday. ¶3. (U) The Taliban had banned such commemorations and many Afghan Sunnis conitnue to dislike the graphic display of mourning by their Shia countrymen that marks Ashura. However, the large and uneventful public processions this year show an emerging religious tolerance for other interpretations of Islam. Some Afghans assert Iranian government funding of Ashura celebrations, mosques, and cultural centers threatens Afghanistan's majority Sunni culture, but such concerns are often entangled with conspiracy theories and long-running political rivalries. Some Shia-led ceremonies included participation by Sunni clerics, tempering anti-Shia prejudices. Heratis Join Together, Despite Threat of Conflict -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Commemorations in Herat, one of the country's largest Shia population centers, also passed without violence, despite fears that a Sunni group was plotting to disrupt events. A night letter circulated by a group calling itself "Supporters of Prophetic Customs and Traditions" labeled Shia commemorators "puppets of Iran" and warned that public observations of Ashura would ignite sectarian violence. The group demanded that the government contain ceremonies to Shia mosques. ¶5. (SBU) Local police responded with a heavy presence at intersections and public gatherings. Government officials attended Ashura observations at three major Shia mosques (Shias had hoped provincial officials would approve more sites for the ceremonies.) Locals credited the peaceful ceremonies to good cooperation among Sunni and Shia leaders, as well as the efforts of the new provincial police chief. Tolerance the Theme Nationwide -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Balkh Governor Atta allowed local Shias to hold ceremonies at Mazar-e-Sharif's famed Blue Mosque, a Sunni temple. Shia also won, for the first time, permission to display their colored banners throughout the city. Local Shia businessmen apparently funded most of the day's events, although diplomats from the Iranian consulate made appearances at various mosques around town. Elsewhere, 5,000 Shias attended a ceremony in Kunduz and more than 10,000 gathered in Helmand. In provinces with smaller Shia populations, Shia families typically celebrated in their homes or in small groups at local mosques. WOOD