IRAN TO PUBLISH HAUSA LANGUAGE MAGAZINE

UNCLAS KADUNA 0653 LIMITED OFFICIAL USE E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PINS PROP SCOM NI IT SUBJECT: IRAN TO PUBLISH HAUSA LANGUAGE MAGAZINE ¶1. IRAN WILL SOON BEGIN PUBLICATION OF A NEWS MAGAZINE IN THE HAUSA LANGUAGE, ACCORDING TO THE MAY 23 ISSUE OF GASKIYA TA FI KWABO, THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED HAUSA NEWSPAPER. THE MAGAZINE IS TO BE CALLED "SAKON SAURA", WHICH ROUGHLY TRANSLATES TO "THE OTHER MESSAGE". ¶2. THE UNATTRIBUTED NEWS REPORT SAYS THE MAGAZINE WAS CONCEIVED AS A MEANS OF PROPAGATING IRAN'S SHI'ITE MANIFESTO. IT WILL FEATURE INFORMATION ABOUT THE IRAN- IRAQ WAR, THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE IRANIAN STATE, AND THE WORLDWIDE WAR AGAINST UNBELIEVERS. IT PROMISES TO EXPOSE "ISRAEL'S SECRETS AND AMERICA'S OPPRESSIVE TENDENCIES" AND TO DESCRIBE IRAN'S STRUGGLE TO STOP THEM. NO DATE FOR THE BEGINNING OF PUBLICATION WAS GIVEN, NOR WERE ANY DETAILS PROVIDED ON THE MAGAZINE'S DISTRIBUTION POLICY. ¶3. COMMENT: IF THIS REPORT IS TRUE, THE NEW MAGAZINE WILL REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT NEW ATTEMPT BY IRAN TO GAIN INFLUENCE AMONG NIGERIA'S MUSLIM POPULATION OF SOME FIFTY MILLION. PRESUMABLY, THE MAGAZINE WOULD ALSO FIND AN AUDIENCE IN NIGER. NONE OF THE LEADING ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA HAVE SHOWN ANY INCLINATION TO EMBRACE IRAN'S BRAND OF SHI'ITE FUNDAMENTALISM, AND MOST MAINSTREAM ISLAMIC LEADERS--FROM BOTH THE MAJOR FACTIONS-- FIND KHOMEINI ABHORRENT. ONLY THE MOST MILITANT MUSLIM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HAVE SHOWN ANY INTEREST IN IRANIAN PROPAGANDA, AND THEIR NUMBERS ARE VERY SMALL. THE FMG, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT MAITATSINE TROUBLES, IS VERY WARY OF ANY EXTREMIST RELIGIOUS VIEWPOINTS AND WOULD BE LIKELY TO MONITOR THE CONTENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE MAGAZINE VERY CLOSELY. RACKMALES