SAUDI CLERICS URGE OBEDIENCE TO KING, TAKE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 004074 E.O.12356: DECL: 9/9/2000 TAGS: PGOV KISL SA SUBJECT: SAUDI CLERICS URGE OBEDIENCE TO KING, TAKE SWIPE AT ISLAMIC OPPOSITION ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: RIYADH'S LEADING IMAM, TOGETHER WITH A SHAYKH FORMERLY RENOWNED FOR PUBLICLY OPPOSING AL SAUD POLICIES, RECENTLY ADVOCATED OBEDIENCE TO KING FAHD AND UNITY WITHIN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY. THE OCCASION, A MOSQUE SEMINAR WHICH WAS UNCHARACTERISTICALLY COVERED BY A SAUDI NEWSPAPER, MARKED BOTH THE RETURN OF A RADICAL SHAYKH TO THE AL SAUD FOLD AND THE SAG RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT'S SUPPORT FOR STRICT MEASURES TAKEN AGAINST ANYONE ATTEMPTING TO UNDERMINE THE AL SAUD. THE SEMINAR COMES IN THE WAKE OF SIGNIFICANT DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL PRESS COVERAGE OF THE EXECUTION OF A CDLR SUPPORTER ON THE CHARGE OF ATTEMPTING TO DIVIDE THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY (UMMAH). END SUMMARY ISLAMIC SEMINAR PROCEEDINGS AKIN TO FATWA -------------- ¶2. (U) IN THE MOST RECENT EPISODE OF JOCKEYING BETWEEN THE SAUDI RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT AND ISLAMIST CRITICS OF THE REGIME WHICH BEGAN IN THE WAKE OF THE GULF WAR, THREE SHAYKHS PROMINENT WITHIN THE OFFICIAL SAUDI RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT BANDED TOGETHER IN A PUBLIC APPEAL FOR OBEDIENCE TO KING FAHD AND UNITY WITHIN THE SUNNI COMMUNITY. THE TRIO'S MOST VOCAL SPOKESMAN IS A CLERIC ONCE NOTORIOUS FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE 1991 - 92 "MEMORANDUM OF ADVICE" AND "PEACE PROCESS" PETITIONS - WHICH URGED THE KING TO JETTISON THE SAG-U.S. RELATIONSHIP AND CHART A MORE AUTHENTICALLY ISLAMIC COURSE - AND FOR HIS FLIRTATION WITH THE LONDON-BASED COMMITTEE FOR THE DEFENSE OF LEGITIMATE RIGHTS (CDLR). THE FORUM FOR THIS APPEAL, WHICH ATTRACTED COVERAGE IN THE SEPTEMBER 2 ISSUE OF THE ARABIC-LANGUAGE SAUDI NEWSPAPER "OKAZ," WAS A SEMINAR CONDUCTED AT RIYADH'S "GRAND MOSQUE" - THE LARGEST IN THE CAPITAL - HEADED BY THE PATRIARCH OF THE AL-SHAYKH FAMILY, WHOSE MEMBERS COMPRISE THE DESCENDANTS OF MUHAMMAD ABD AL-WAHHAB AND CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE RELIGIOUS PILLAR OF THE SAUDI STATE. ¶3. (C) SEMINARS ARE ROUTINELY CONDUCTED IN THE MAJOR MOSQUES OF SAUDI ARABIA AND THEIR THEMES, ACCORDING TO A LOCAL EMBASSY EMPLOYEE WHO FORMERLY TAUGHT AT THE IMAM MUHAMMAD BIN SAUD RELIGIOUS UNIVERSITY, CAN BE A FUNCTION OF A GOVERNMENT DIRECTIVE, A QUESTION FROM A WORSHIPPER, OR A DECISION OF THE SENIOR IMAM. HOWEVER, THE FACT OF A SEMINAR AND A REPORT OF ITS CONTENTS IS RARELY PUBLICIZED. THE COMBINATION OF THE PROMINENCE OF THE INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED AND THE PRESS PLAY GAVE THE SEMINAR'S CONCLUSIONS THE FLAVOR, IF NOT THE LEGAL STATUS, OF A FATWA, ACCORDING TO OUR SOURCE. RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT REPRESENTED -------------- ¶4. (C) THE COMPOSITION OF THE SEMINAR'S INSTRUCTORS WAS ARRESTING AS IT INCLUDED MAINLINE ESTABLISHMENT FIGURES TOGETHER WITH A SHAYKH WHO, IN THE RECENT PAST, CAME INTO CONFLICT WITH THE REGIME FOR OPENLY CRITICIZING AL SAUD POLICIES. THE FOLLOWING ARE BRIEF BIOS: -- SHAYKH ABD AL-AZIZ BIN ABDULLAH AL AL-SHAYKH: THE BLIND, ELDER STATESMAN OF THE AL AL-SHAYKH FAMILY, HE SITS ON THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF ULAMA AND IS THE IMAM OF THE RIYADH GRAND MOSQUE - THE VENUE OF THE SEMINAR. SHAYKH ABD AL-AZIZ IS A STALWART SUPPORTER OF THE AL SAUD, WHO ABSTAINED FROM ALL OF THE PETITION DRIVES OF 1991-92. -- SHAYKH ABDULLAH BIN ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-JABRIYN: A SIGNATOR TO BOTH THE "MEMORANDUM OF ADVICE" AND THE "PEACE PROCESS" PETITIONS, AL-JABRIYN'S EARLY SUPPORT FOR THE CDLR RESULTED IN HIS OUSTER FROM THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF ULAMA. HOWEVER, FOLLOWING HIS HASTY RENUNCIATION OF THE CDLR UNDER OFFICIAL PRESSURE, SHAYKH AL-JABRIYN RETAINED HIS POSITION WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE FOR FATWAS AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. IN A RECENT ISSUE OF THE SAUDI WEEKLY PUBLICATION "AL-MUSLIMUUN," AL-JABRIYN AUTHORED THE "FATWA" PAGE, DISPENSING ISLAMIC GUIDANCE IN RESPONSE TO READERS LETTERS - A SPOT USUALLY RESERVED FOR FULL-FLEDGED MEMBERS OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF ULAMA. -- SHAYKH SALIH BIN ABD AL-AZIZ AL AL-SHAYKH: OUR PRESUMPTION IS THAT SHAYKH SALIH, WHO IS A LECTURER ON THE KORAN AT IMAM MUHAMMAD UNIVERSITY, IS THE SON OF RIYADH GRAND MOSQUE IMAM SHAYKH ABD AL-AZIZ (ABOVE). OBEY KING FAHD -------------- ¶5. (C) THE SHAYKHS DREW TWO CONCLUSIONS: (1) ANY DIVISIONS WITHIN THE SUNNI COMMUNITY WAS TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY ("JAMAA'AT AL-MUSLIMIIN"),OR MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS; AND (2) ALL "PEOPLE OF THE MAJORITY" SHOULD FOLLOW THE LEADER (IMAM) OF THE MUSLIMS. IN THE SAUDI CONTEXT, THE PHRASE "LEADER OF THE MUSLIMS" REFERS UNAMBIGUOUSLY TO KING FAHD. (IN FACT, IN MOSQUE SERMONS, A STANDARD FORMULA FOR REFERRING TO SAUDI ARABIA'S TWO SENIOR-MOST LEADERS IS "THE LEADER OF THE MUSLIMS AND THE CROWN PRINCE...") ¶6. (C) AL-JABRIYN'S CONDEMNATION OF ISLAMIC FACTIONS (OR SCHISMS) SUCH AS THE JAMAA'AT AL-SUNNA, ANSAR AL-SUNNA, AHL AL-TAWHID, AND JAMAA'AT AL-TABLIGH SPARKED DIPLOMATIC SPECULATION THAT HERETOFORE UNKNOWN ISLAMIC POLITICAL OPPOSITION GROUPS HAD EMERGED IN SAUDI ARABIA. HOWEVER, STUDENTS OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT HAVE CLARIFIED THAT THE ABOVE-NAMED GROUPS REPRESENT SCHOOLS OF ISLAMIC THEOLOGY MAINLY ACTIVE OUTSIDE SAUDI ARABIA. THEY CONSTITUTE STRANDS WITHIN THE BROADER SALIFIYYAH MOVEMENT OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN USING ORIGINAL TEXTS ONLY (THE KORAN AND THE SUNNA) IN INTERPRETING ISLAM. THESE GROUPS ARE INACTIVE IN SAUDI ARABIA (THOUGH DOUBTLESS ATTRACTING SOME SAUDI SYMPATHIZERS). BUT LOCAL OBSERVERS READ INTO AL-JABRIYN'S COMMENTS THE CONDEMNATION OF ANY OPPOSITION FORCE WHICH, WEARING THE CLOAK OF ISLAMIC VIGILANCE, SEEKS TO DIVIDE THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY. ¶7. (C) THE SHAYKHS' PAEAN TO THE IMAM, I.E., KING FAHD, WAS REMARKABLE IN THE CONTEXT OF SHAYKH AL-JABRIYN'S PARTICIPATION. THE SHAYKHS LECTURED THAT ONLY IN THE INSTANCE OF A KING'S EMBRACE OF ATHEISM WAS IT APPROPRIATE FOR MUSLIMS TO TURN ON THE LEADER OF THEIR COMMUNITY. THE MAIN CHARACTERISTIC OF THE "MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS," THEY ADDED, WAS THEIR OBEDIENCE AND PATIENCE. ONE OF THE MANIFESTATIONS OF DIVISIVENESS IS DISOBEDIENCE TO THE KING WHICH CAN RESULT IN GREAT DAMAGE AND INTERNAL CRISIS WITHIN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) WE BELIEVE THE PRESS COVERAGE OF THE RIYADH GRAND MOSQUE SEMINAR SERVED TWO PURPOSES: IT HIGHLIGHTED SHAYKH AL-JABRIYN'S RETURN TO THE FOLD, AND IT UNDERLINED THE SAUDI RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT'S SUPPORT FOR STRONG MEASURES AGAINST ANY INDIVIDUAL, SECULAR OR ISLAMIST, ATTEMPTING TO UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE SAUDI STATE. THE LECTURE COMES IN THE WAKE OF A GREAT DEAL OF PUBLICITY, LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL, PAID TO THE EXECUTION OF ABDULLAH AL-HIDAIF, A SUPPORTER OF THE CDLR WHO, THOUGH CONVICTED FOR MAIMING A POLICEMAN, WAS EXECUTED ON AUGUST 11 FOR THE CRIME OF ATTEMPTING TO DIVIDE THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY. ¶9. (C) THE SEMINAR ALSO REFLECTS AN EFFORT TO MEET ISLAMIST CRITICS ON THEIR OWN THEOLOGICAL GROUNDS IN A SOCIETY IN WHICH POLITICS OFTEN TAKES ON THE COLORATION OF THEOLOGICAL DEBATE. WHILE HARD-CORE CRITICS MAY REMAIN UNPERSUADED, THE SEMINAR'S ORGANIZERS MAY HOPE THAT RESTORING THE PATINA OF RELIGIOUS LEGITIMACY ON RULE BY THE AL SAUD WILL INFLUENCE LESS COMMITTED SKEPTICS AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. END COMMENT KATTOUF