MALAWI: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH OPENS DOORS FOR INCREASED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000320 SIPDIS SENSITIVE LONDON FOR AF WATCHER PETER LORD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SCUL KPAO KISL MI SUBJECT: MALAWI: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH OPENS DOORS FOR INCREASED MUSLIM OUTREACH ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Discussions with student groups and Muslim leaders following President Obama's recent speech in Cairo have highlighted several opportunities for increased outreach to the Muslim community in Malawi. Commenting on President Obama's balance and inclusiveness in the speech, observers noted that the U.S. government could help bolster interfaith efforts in Malawi. Muslim leaders also asked for the Ambassador's engagement to address religious discrimination in Malawi. Finally, Muslim leaders noted in the post-speech dialogue the need for greater intra-community coordination. To continue this dialogue, the Embassy has committed to hosting a diverse group of Muslim leaders on a quarterly basis to work with the Muslim community in Malawi as it pursues its goals. End Summary. Positive Reaction to Cairo Speech -------------- ¶2. (U) The Embassy facilitated viewing and subsequent discussions of President Obama's Cairo speech at the Public Affairs Section and three American Corners with over 220 attending the four separate events. Later in the day, the Ambassador hosted a roundtable discussion with 15 senior Malawian Muslim leaders. The reaction of both leaders and students was overwhelmingly positive and many commented on President Obama's balance and inclusiveness in the speech. Several Muslim leaders were impressed by the President's quotations of religious texts and his personal messages regarding his exposure to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. During a call-in show on Radio Islam two days after the speech, over 90% of callers lauded President Obama for taking a bold step forward to improve U.S.-Muslim relations. Basis for Greater Cooperation with USG -------------- ¶3. (U) In the follow-up discussions, Muslim community members expressed universal interest in exploring opportunities for further U.S.-Muslim cooperation in Malawi. Citing the President's balance of religions, students and leaders immediately seized on the need for greater interfaith efforts in Malawi and the possibility that the U.S. could play a beneficial role. Students specifically called for the elimination of religious stereotyping in Malawi, with some noting that Malawian school rules do not always respect religious differences. (Note: Malawi allows local parent-teacher associations to select the form of religious education for government primary schools, potentially isolating minority religious groups in a school's area. End note.) Overall, Muslims were in favor of increasing their work through existing interfaith organizations to address and solve these issues. ¶4. (U) Muslim leaders went further, saying that greater intra-Muslim dialogue was necessary. The majority of attendees were African Muslims, but Malawi also has a small, but wealthy Asian Muslim population. Participants stressed the need for both African and Asian Muslims to work together. A prominent Muslim parliamentarian said that a common platform was necessary to educate the Islamic community on big issues such as women's rights and tolerance. The MP said foreign teachers brought high-quality instruction in Arabic language at Muslim schools, but other subjects often received less attention. Quickly identifying this problem as one of the President's seven issues, the leaders asked for U.S. financial support for Muslim girls' education, especially in rural parts of Malawi. ¶5. (U) A recurring theme among the discussions was the role of Malawian Muslims, who make up less than 20% of the population. In a country with few ethnic or tribal tensions, Muslims said they continue to feel that they fall behind the Christian majority in access to government resources and services. The group of Muslim leaders asked the Ambassador to help encourage the government to ensure there is no religious discrimination in Malawi. Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Muslim community in Malawi has a history of good relations with the U.S. Embassy, but the occasion of President Obama's speech offered an opportunity to look for new areas of potential cooperation. While Muslims have had prominent roles in Malawi, including holding the offices of President and Vice-President, the Islamic community in Malawi continues to view itself as disadvantaged due to historical disparities in education. The Ambassador agreed to regularize our informal but positive relationship with the Islamic community in Malawi by agreeing to host quarterly meetings with community leaders. The Islamic community has been positive in their response to our engagement with them, and we will seek additional opportunities to help them enhance their generally positive role in Malawi civil society. We should not miss the chance to engage as a partner in promoting greater interfaith dialogue and cooperation given the minority status of LILONGWE 00000320 002 OF 002 Muslims in Malawi. WARNER