AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ON MINISTER OF HAJI AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 000361

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2020
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF EAIR AP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ON MINISTER OF HAJI AND
ISLAMIC AFFAIRS

Classified By: Ambassador Francis Ricciardone; Reasons (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: In the Ambassador's January 26 meeting
with the new Afghan Minister of Haji and Islamic Affairs
(MHIA),Dr. Mohammad Yousef Niazi, they discussed ways the
Ministry could promote respect for fundamental human rights,
peace, justice, and national unity through Afghanistan's
network of some 140,000 mosques, most of which are not
directly under the Ministry's control. Highly appreciative
of the Ambassadors visit, Niazi expressed his desire for
closer relations with the United States and his commitment to
draw on Islam to impress upon the Afghan people that it is a
religion of peace and Americans are their friends. The
Ambassador lauded Niazi's presence when Afghan authorities
had inspected his office for evidence against Niazi's
predecessor, Sediq Chakari. End Summary.

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Biographical Information
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2. (SBU) Mohammad Yousef Niazi was born in 1959 in Nangarhar
Province's Kama District. He received his elementary and
secondary education from the Betab School and the Imam Abu
Hanifa Seminary in Kabul. Niazi went to Saudi Arabia for his
higher education, earning a Bachelor's degree in Shari'ah
from the Islamic University in Madina. He completed master's
and doctorate degrees in Islamic Studies at the Umm Al-Qura
University in Mecca, where he also taught in 2001. Niazi
served in Afghanistan's embassy in Saudi Arabia from
1996-2000. He was then appointed curriculum advisor to
Afghanistan's Education Ministry, where he worked for seven
years. Pashtun in origin, Niazi is fluent in Pashto, Dari,
and Arabic and is the author of several books. He speaks a
little English. (Note: Notwithstanding Niazis' years of
Islamic training in Saudi Arabia, when he greeted the female
Deputy Political Counselor at the start of the meeting, he
extended his hand to shake hers. End Note.)

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Islamic Principles Support Peace, Justice, Human Rights
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3. (C) In the Ambassador's courtesy call on Minister Niazi,
he congratulated Niazi for his appointment and Parliament's
robust support for his confirmation (Niazi received 130 votes
in favor, 80 against, 10 abstentions/blanks/spoiled votes, a
relatively high approval by a very combative legislature).
Attributing his support in Parliament to his ability to "get
along with everyone" regardless of ethnic orientation, Niazi
thanked the Ambassador for his visit. Unlike some Afghans
who did not understand the value of U.S. support, Niazi said
he appreciated our assistance and was cognizant that
Afghanistan "could not do anything" without U.S. presence.
He also thanked the Ambassador and the FAA Director attending
the meeting for our assistance to the very successful 2009
Haj. (Note: Last year, over 30,000 Afghans made the
pilgrimage. USAID provided H1N1 vaccines for all the
pilgrims as part of an International Travel Vaccine Program
for all interested travelers. End Note.)


4. (C) Referring to Niazi's extensive training as an Islamic
scholar, the Ambassador sought Niazi's views on how we could
best help Afghanistan build a legal system that incorporates
Afghanistan's Islamic tradition. Appreciative of the
Ambassador's interest in this subject, Niazi explained that
this subject was among his priorities. During his seven-year
tenure as the Ministry of Education's Curriculum Director of
Education (2001-2008),Niazi had focused on textbook
revisions to emphasize the importance of peace, justice, and
respect for human rights so that future generations of
Afghans would understand at an early age the importance of
these values and that they are compatible with Islamic
principles.

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Never Forget Someone Who Helps You
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5. (C) Niazi shared his plans to improve Afghan-U.S.
relations and spread the message that Islam is based on
peace, justice, and human rights through communications with
mullahs serving in Afghanistan's network of 140,000 mosques.
Most of these mosques are not directly controlled by the
Ministry and, for example, do not have state-supported imams.
The MHIA's unique position would allow it to influence
Islamic leaders, who in turn, would influence their
followers. So far, the Ministry had not used its position to
achieve this goal, but Niazi intended to use his good offices
to that effect. "The Koran teaches us to respect each

religion and encourages Muslims to live lives of peace and
cooperation," he explained. "The Koran also states that
"never forget someone who helps you," added Niazi. While he
did not expect to eventually use these teachings to influence
100 percent of the Afghan people, perhaps 80 percent would be
convinced.


6. (C) Niazi said his ministry would write materials and
arrange meetings and seminars to spread the word that Islam
is a religion of peace, justice, and human rights and that
the Americans are here to help Afghanistan. One key segment
of the population that needed convincing were the mullahs,
many who considered themselves among the opposition. For
example, providing 3,000 Afghanis (approximately USD 60) per
month to each of Afghanistan's mosques would go a long way to
demonstrate support and engender trust.

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Help Sought from the U.S. and Muslim Nations
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7. (C) Responding to the Ambassador's query regarding the
Ministry's priorities and needs, Niazi said that in addition
to providing modest financial support, the mosques also need
audiovisual, computer equipment, and new books that would
help mullahs develop a modern approach focusing on love
cooperation and trust, explained Niazi. The Ambassador asked
whether the Ministry received funds from Arab countries,
explaining that U.S. laws restrict financial support to
advance any particular religion, regardless of denomination.
Further, U.S. aid could be misconstrued as an effort to
propagandize and influence Afghanistan's Islamic traditions.
Notwithstanding these restrictions, the United States does
support initiatives that advance peace, human rights, and
justice.


8. (C) Niazi said he was aware of U.S. restrictions and that
they applied to all faiths. He was working with the
Presidency and the Ministry of Interior to obtain funding for
his objectives. The Ambassador referred to a common American
expression "where there is a will there is a way," adding,
"as long as the way does not send us to jail." At the close
of the meeting, the Ambassador expressed his desire for
further meetings after the Minister had time to settle into
his position. The Ambassador suggested holding a working
lunch with Embassy and Ministry officials to define future
cooperation opportunities.


9. (C) In a pull-aside between the Ambassador and Niazi
following the formal meeting, the Ambassador told him he was
aware from Afghan law enforcement that Niazi's predecessor
had issues with accountability and that he had heard Niazi
had been present when Afghan authorities had inspected the
office for evidence against his predecessor, Sediq Chakari.
Niazi's presence had made the investigation more legitimate
and would likely allow the recovered evidence to be used in
court explained the Ambassador. The Ambassador said there
could be no better ministry than Niazi's to set a "moral
example" to the Afghan people. Niazi replied that he lived
well during his 26 years in Saudi Arabia and during his seven
years back in Afghanistan. Now it was time for him to lead,
and the responsibility of a leader was to lead by example by
being clean and not allowing corruption. He was currently
reviewing his ministry's budget with the assistance of the
Ministry of Finance. "When there is zero corruption at the
top, then there will be zero corruption at the bottom," he
concluded.
Ricciardone