SINGAPORE MUSLIMS IMPRESSED BY CAIRO SPEECH, BUT

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 000559 SIPDIS SENSITIVE FOR R - U/S GLASSMAN, EAP/PD - RFERGUSON-AUGUSTUS, EAP/PD - KSTOLTZ, PA/FPC - SMACTAGGART, EAP AND EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO SCUL SOCI SN SUBJECT: SINGAPORE MUSLIMS IMPRESSED BY CAIRO SPEECH, BUT HOPE FOR CONCRETE ACTION ¶1. (U) Summary: President Obama's June 4 speech in Cairo generated a lot of attention and discussion in Singapore's Muslim community. Singapore's Muslims appreciated President Obama's Cairo speech, but they want to see what actions he will take, especially with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. End summary. WIDESPREAD AWARENESS ¶2. (SBU) President Obama's remarks in Cairo received widespread coverage in Singapore. Channel NewsAsia carried the speech live and rebroadcast it later the same evening. Singapore's English and Malay-language newspapers covered the speech extensively with excerpts, photos, editorials and commentary. Embassy contacts consistently told us that Singapore's Muslims were well aware of the speech and its substance. Imam Syed Hassan Bin Mohamed Alattas, imam at the Ba'alwi Mosque, told Poloff that even if Muslims had not seen the speech, they would generally still know that President Obama had reached out to Muslims and offered a new beginning. POSITIVE REACTIONS ¶3. (SBU) The Embassy's contacts uniformly praised the Cairo speech as a masterful gesture. The former President of the Singapore Malay Teacher's Union, Dr. Bibi Jan Md Ayyub BBM, said that Obama's speechwriter was a "genius" for striking the perfect tone. Mohammed El Shahed, Counsel at the Egytian Embassy in Singapore, told us the speech exceeded his high expectations and that he had heard that in the Middle East even opponents of the United States were impressed. ¶4. (SBU) Imam Alattas particularly appreciated that President Obama said Islam is a religion of peace. Alattas said the world has many misconceptions about Islam and the most effective way President Obama can repair relations with Muslims is to publicly debunk the alleged link between terrorism and Islam. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT KEY ¶5. (SBU) Despite the strongly positive reaction to the Cairo speech, both media commentary and Embassy contacts stressed the need to match words with actions. When pressed as to what kind of action Singapore's Muslims want to see, most contacts identified the handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the key test. Imam Alattas said he believed that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would "eliminate 99 percent of the terrorism problem." The Malay Teacher's Union's Jan said that Muslims just want the United States "to be consistent in its policies" and not have a double standard towards Muslims. ¶6. (SBU) Singapore's Muslims perceived the speech to be more balanced than previous U.S. policy, but there were conflicting views on whether President Obama will be able to effect real change. Senior Minister of State Zainul Abidin Rasheed told us, "The Palestinians and the Israelis deserve real peace and the USA can make it happen." Mohamad Hosni Bin Abdul Malik, a staff member at the Muslim community organization Jamiyah, said that "this was a confidence boosting speech that gives Muslims stronger hope for peace in the region." Conversely, the Egyptian Embassy's El Shahed said that he is not optimistic because "PM Netanyuhu is a hawk" and he believes Israel "will try to keep the focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions." ¶7. (SBU) Imam Alattas suggested that the United States follow the Singapore government's example in handling the conflict. He said that Muslims in Singapore are strongly supportive of the GOS, even though the GOS "strongly supports Israel," because the GOS responds to attacks by either the Israelis or the Palestinians by immediately condemning the violence and urging peace. Imam Alattas praised President Obama's comparison of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the struggles of African-Americans because it recognized the Palestinian's grievances, while arguing that non-violence is a more effective way to achieve justice. Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm SHIELDS