ISLAM AT THE JIHAD CONVENTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 RIYADH 01865


USIA FOR NEA - RUGH

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: KISL PROP PREL IZ SA
SUBJECT: ISLAM AT THE JIHAD CONVENTION


1. (C) SUMMARY: WHILE ISLAM WAS A CENTRAL SUBJECT AT
LAST WEEK'S JIHAD CONVENTION IN RIYADH, DISCUSSIONS
GENERALLY REPEATED THE SAME POINTS EMPHASIZED BY SAUDI
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES SINCE LAST AUGUST. THE IRAQI
GOVERNMENT, AND ESPECIALLY THE BAATH PARTY, WERE ROUNDLY
CONDEMNED BY ALL SPEAKERS, ALTHOUGH ONLY A FEW HAD
SPECIFIC COMMENTS ABOUT SADDAM HUSSEIN. ALL SPEAKERS
ALSO HAD STRONG PRAISE FOR THE AL SAUD AND THE COALITION
EFFORT, AND ALL LISTED THE NUMEROUS REWARDS FOR THOSE WHO
WAGED OR SUPPORTED JIHAD. THE ONLY CONTROVERSIAL MOMENT
CAME WHEN AN ANONYMOUS WRITTEN COMMENT SUGGESTED THAT
MOST ISLAMIC SCHOLARS IN OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES SUPPORT
SADDAM. AFTER ONE SHEIKH TRIED TO BLAME JEALOUSY OF
SAUDI WEALTH AND IRAQI PROPAGANDA FOR SUCH SUPPORT, TWO
SENIOR SAUDI RELIGIOUS LEADERS ARGUED STRONGLY THAT MOST
SCHOLARS IN OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES IN FACT SUPPORT SAUDI
ARABIA. NONETHELESS, THE STYLE AND SUBSTANCE OF
DISCUSSION SEEMED TO REFLECT UNITED SUPPORT FOR SAG
POSITIONS ON THE GULF CRISIS. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) ALMOST ANY LARGE MEETING IN SAUDI ARABIA WILL
INVOKE ISLAM AS A PRINCIPLE THEME, AND THE RECENT JIHAD
CONVENTION AT RIYADH'S IMAM MOHAMED BIN SAUD ISLAMIC
UNIVERSITY WAS NO EXCEPTION. AS EXPECTED, ALL SESSIONS
AND SPEAKERS MENTIONED THE PROPERLY ISLAMIC NATURE OF THE
KINGDOM'S CURRENT JIHAD. COMMENT: IT IS WORTH RECALLING
THAT, WHILE JIHAD IS USUALLY TRANSLATED AS "HOLY WAR,"
ITS MORE LITERAL MEANING IS THAT OF "STRUGGLE." AMONG
MANY SUNNI POPULATIONS, ESPECIALLY THE CONSERVATIVE
WAHHABI CIRCLES OF SAUDI ARABIA, JIHAD CAN ALSO DESCRIBE
THE EFFORTS OF MUSLIMS TO FOLLOW ISLAM DURING A
PARTICULARLY TRYING TIME OR SITUATION. BOTH THESE
RELATED USES OF JIHAD WERE IN EVIDENCE THROUGHOUT THE
CONVENTION. END COMMENT.


3. (U) THE MOST DIRECT COMMENTS ON ISLAM WERE MADE
DURING A PANEL DISCUSSION ENTITLED "JIHAD IN THE GULF IS
A DEFENSE OF RELIGION AND THE HOLY PLACES." THREE SENIOR
MEMBERS OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS
(ULEMA) WERE ON THE PANEL: SHEIKH SALEH BIN MOHAMMAD
AL-LEHEIDAN, SHEIKH ABDULAZIZ BIN ABDULLAH AL ASH-SHEIKH,
AND SHEIKH SALEH BIN FAWZAN AL-FAWZAN. OTHER
PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED: SHEIKH MANNA AL-QAHTAN, A
NATURALIZED SAUDI FROM SYRIA; KUWAITI SHEIKH AHMAD
AL-QAHTAN (NO RELATION TO MANNA),ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN
RELIGIOUS SPEAKERS IN THE GULF REGION; SHEIKH MOHAMMED
ABDALLAH AS-SUBAYYEL, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE MINISTRY OF
HAJJ AND ENDOWMENTS' DEPARTMENT FOR AFFAIRS OF THE TWO
HOLY MOSQUES; AND DR. ABDALLAH BIN MOHAMED AL-AJLAN OF
THE IMAM MOHAMED UNIVERSITY FACULTY. ANOTHER FACULTY
MEMBER, DR. RASHED BIN RAJIH AL-RAJIH, SERVED AS
MODERATOR. NUMEROUS OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADERS WERE IN THE
AUDIENCE, INCLUDING UNIVERSITY RECTOR DR. ABDALLAH BIN
ABDULMOHSEN AL-TURKI AND SENIOR SAUDI RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR
ABDULAZIZ BIN ABDALLAH BIN BAZ.


4. (U) THE THREE SUPREME COUNCIL MEMBERS STRESSED THE
SAME THEMES THAT THEY HAVE IN VIRTUALLY ALL THEIR PUBLIC
APPEARANCES SINCE LAST AUGUST. ALL WERE QUICK TO
CRITICIZE THE "EVIL" IRAQI ACTIONS IN BOTH IRAQ AND
KUWAIT SINCE THE INVASION, GENERALLY PLACING BLAME FOR
ALL PROBLEMS WITH THE "ATHEIST" BAATH PARTY AND ONLY
OCCASIONNALLY MENTIONING KUWAIT OR SADDAM. AS-SUBAYYEL
REMINDED THE AUDIENCE SEVERAL TIMES THAT JIHAD IS FOUGHT
NOT ONLY THROUGH ACTION BUT THROUGH DEED AND THOUGHT AS
WELL. AL-LEHEIDAN, WHOSE PERIODIC APPEARANCES ON SAUDI
TV AND RADIO SINCE AUGUST HAVE BEEN WELL-RECEIVED, WAS
ATYPICALLY GENERAL IN HIS REMARKS, STRESSING THE REWARDS
FOR THOSE WHO BECOME MARTYRS DURING JIHAD. AL ASH-SHEIKH
POINTED OUT THAT THE IRAQI BAATHISTS HAD ACHIEVED WHAT
THE CHRISTIANS AND JEWS NEVER COULD: THE "DISINTEGRATION"
OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD. OTHER SWEEPING CONDEMNATIONS WERE
MADE OF SOCIALISM AND PAN-ARABISM, AND SOME SPEAKERS
(NOTABLY DR. AL-AJLAN) STRESSED THE NEED FOR A
REUNIFICATION OF ALL THE MUSLIM NATIONS.


5. (U) THE BEST-RECEIVED OF THE SPEAKERS WAS
UNQUESTIONABLY SHEIKH AHMED AL-QAHTAN OF KUWAIT. LIKE
HIS FIRE-AND-BRIMSTONE TAPES CIRCULATED THROUGHOUT THE
GULF STATES, AL-QAHTAN WAS MUCH LOUDER, MORE FORCEFUL AND
DIRECT THAN HIS SAUDI COLLEAGUES. HE SAID THE AFGHANS
AND PALESTINIANS WERE THE MAIN VICTIMS OF SADDAM AND THAT
ISRAEL WOULD BE THE ONLY WINNER OF THE WAR. HE SAID
ISRAEL HAD RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL AID FROM THE U.S.,
GERMANY, AND JAPAN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CRISIS, AND
CONTRASTED THAT SUPPORT TO THE LOST SIXTEEN MILLION
DOLLARS A MONTH THAT THE PALESTINIANS USED TO RECEIVE
FROM SAUDI ARABIA. AL-QAHTAN CONCLUDED WITH A STATEMENT
HE SAID WAS MADE BY KING ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD IN 1933: "I
DO NOT FEAR THE FOREIGNERS AS I FEAR THE MUSLIMS BECAUSE
OUR PROBLEMS WILL COME FROM THE MUSLIMS."


6. (U) ENSUING COMMENTARY FROM THE FLOOR OF THE
CONVENTION WAS MADE BY VARIOUS FOREIGN GUESTS WHO
REPEATEDLY PRAISED THE AL SAUD IN GENERAL AND KING FAHD
IN PARTICULAR. ONE SUDANESE DELEGATE PRAISED KING
ABDULAZIZ FOR "CIVILIZING THE BEDOUIN" BY TEACHING THEM
MODERN WAYS, A COMMENT NOT WELCOMED BY THE
TRADITIONALLY-MINDED AUDIENCE. ANOTHER SOURCE OF
DISCOMFORT FOR THE CONSERVATIVES ATTENDING WAS THE
ASSERTION BY EGYPTIAN PROFESSOR DR. MUSTAFA ASH-SHAKA
THAT THE CURRENT PROBLEM WAS NOT WITH SADDAM BUT WITH THE
PROCESS WHICH BROUGHT SADDAM TO POWER. HE SAID THAT
SIMILAR MEN WOULD RISE TO POWER IF PRINCIPLES OF
"CONSULTATION" (SHURA) WERE NOT IMPLEMENTED THROUGHOUT
THE MUSLIM WORLD.


7. (U) AFTERWARDS, WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED
ANONYMOUSLY FROM THE AUDIENCE WERE READ, WITH ANSWERS
PROVIDED BY PANEL MEMBERS. ONE QUESTION ASKED FOR AN
EXPLANATION OF THE PRO-SADDAM POSITION TAKEN BY MOST
ULEMA OUTSIDE SAUDI ARABIA. AFTER AS-SUBAYYEL ATTRIBUTED
SUCH POSITIONS TO TRICKERY BY SADDAM OR ENVY OF SAUDI
WEALTH, DR. AL-TURKI INTERRUPTED TO SAY THAT MOST ULEMA
OUTSIDE THE KINGDOM IN FACT DID NOT SUPPORT SADDAM. HE
ASCRIBED REPORTS OF ANTI-SAUDI FEELING IN OTHER COUNTRIES
TO WESTERN MEDIA DISTORTIONS AND TO THE PRO-SADDAM
POSITION TAKEN BY SOME GOVERNMENTS IN THE REGION. SHEIKH
BIN BAZ ALSO DENIED THE PREMISE OF THE QUESTION, SAYING
THAT HE DAILY RECEIVED CABLES FROM ULEMA ALL OVER THE
WORLD IN SUPPORT OF SAUDI POSITIONS AND ACTIVITIES. BIN
BAZ REPEATED THE RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATION FOR MUSLIMS TO
SEEK THE ASSISTANCE OF NON-MUSLIMS FOR A JIHAD.


8. (U) OTHER SESSIONS OF THE CONFERENCE REPEATED MANY OF
THE POINTS MENTIONED ABOVE, TYING THEM INTO THE TOPIC AT
HAND. AMONG THE MORE IMAGINATIVE ARGUMENTS WAS A CLAIM
THAT BAATH PARTY FOUNDER MICHEL AFLAQ WAS A JEW;
THEREFORE, SAID THE SPEAKER, THE BAATH PARTY WAS ONE OF
THE GREATEST DANGERS CURRENTLY FACING THE MUSLIM WORLD.
OTHERS WERE MORE CIRCUMSPECT IN THEIR CRITICISMS,
GENERALLY ARGUING THAT SADDAM'S WAR HAS DISTRACTED THE
MUSLIMS FROM OTHER PROBLEMS FACED BY MUSLIMS IN
AFGHANISTAN OR THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES.


9. (C) COMMENT: THE SLIGHTLY CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS
DESCRIBED ABOVE WERE NOT PARTICULARLY EXTREME AND, LIKE
THE ENTIRE CONVENTION, ARE MOST NOTEWORTHY IN THAT THEY
HAPPENED AT ALL. THE COMMENTS BY THE EGYPTIAN AND
SUDANESE DELEGATES SHOW THAT FOREIGNERS WERE NOT
PROHIBITED FROM SPEAKING THEIR MINDS, ALTHOUGH THE
PROFESSOR CAREFULLY AVOIDED USING THE WORD "DEMOCRACY" IN
HIS TALK. IN MOST OTHER WAYS, THOUGH, THE DISCUSSION WAS
TYPICALLY SAUDI, WITH QURANIC INVECTIVE MIXED AMONG CALLS
FOR MUSLIM STEADFASTNESS IN THE MODERN WORLD (SOMETIMES
WITH CORRESPONDING CALLS TO OPPOSE ZIONISM AND
IMPERIALISM).


10. (C) OF SOMEWHAT GREATER INTEREST WAS THE INTERPLAY
BETWEEN THE RELIGIOUS FIGURES AT THE CONVENTION,
ESPECIALLY BETWEEN THOSE ON THE PANEL AND BIN BAZ.
UNLIKE THE PANEL OF MEDIA FIGURES (REPORTED SEPTEL),
MEMBERS OF THE RELIGIOUS PANEL NEVER OPENLY DISAGREED
WITH ONE ANOTHER. AT MOST, THEY RAISED SUPPLEMENTAL
POINTS THROUGH THE USE OF SOMEWHAT NEBULOUS ANALOGIES OR
QURANIC REFERENCES. BIN BAZ RECEIVED FAR MORE RESPECT
THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE AUDITORIUM, SOMETIMES
INTERRUPTING TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL QURANIC REFERENCE AND
SOMETIMES BEING CALLED ON BY THE MODERATOR FOR
COMMENTARY. BOTH THE MODERATOR AND THE PANEL REFERRED TO
BIN BAZ AS "OUR FATHER" (WALIDNA) AND WERE ALWAYS READY
WITH EFFUSIVE PRAISE FOR POINTS RAISED BY THE SENIOR
SHEIKH.


FREEMAN