LEADING ISLAMIC FIGURE DENOUNCES TERRORISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 012034


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/02
TAGS: PREL KISL MEPP PTER KPAL IS EG
SUBJECT: LEADING ISLAMIC FIGURE DENOUNCES TERRORISM
AGAINST ISRAELIS

REF: CAIRO 11403


1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY POL/ECON MINISTER COUNSELOR JEFF
MILLINGTON FOR REASON 1.5 (B).


2. (C) SUMMARY: SHEIKH OF AL-AZHAR MUHAMMAD TANTAWI,
IN AN INTERVIEW PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 7 IN A POPULAR
EGYPTIAN MAGAZINE, STATED HIS OPPOSITION ON ISLAMIC
GROUNDS TO SUICIDE OPERATIONS AGAINST ISRAELI
CIVILIANS. LIKE HIS RECENT MEETING WITH THE ISRAELI
AMBASSADOR, HIS FORTHRIGHT REFUTATION OF POLITICALLY
POPULAR "RESISTANCE" OPERATIONS DEMONSTRATES TANTAWI'S
WILLINGNESS TO EXHORT MUSLIMS TO FOLLOW ISLAMIC
TEACHINGS UNTAINTED BY POLITICAL IDEOLOGY. TANTAWI
HAS GOVERNMENT SANCTION, BUT NOT THE FULL BACKING OF
THE OFFICIAL RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT HERE, FOR HIS
OUTSPOKEN POSITIONS ON TOLERANCE TOWARDS ISRAEL AND
JEWS. END SUMMARY.


3. (U) SHEIKH TANTAWI WAS INTERVIEWED BY THE
GOVERNMENT-OWNED AL-MUSAWWAR. AL-MUSAWWAR IS A POPULAR
WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE. EXCERPTS FOLLOW:

INTERVIEWER: ALL PREVIOUS SHEIKHS OF AL-AZHAR REFUSED
TO MEET WITH ANY ISRAELI, AND THE LATE SHEIKH
GAD EL-HAQ EVEN REFUSED TO MEET ISRAELI PRESIDENT
EZER WEIZMAN.

SHEIK TANTAWI: I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH OTHERS'
OPINIONS. I PERSONALLY MEET WITH WHOMEVER I WANT AND I
AM NOT ASKED WHY I MET WITH A CERTAIN PERSON....

INTERVIEWER: IN A PREVIOUS INTERVIEW WITH ME YOU
COMMENTED ON THE LEBANESE RESISTANCE, REPRESENTED BY
HIZBOLLAH, AND ON THEIR SUICIDE OPERATIONS. YOU SAID
THAT THESE DEATHS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ACTS OF
MARTYRDOM.

SHEIKH TANTAWI: I CAN'T CHANGE WHAT I BELIEVE IN.
I SAY THAT ANYONE WHO BLOWS HIMSELF UP AMONG AN ENEMY
WHO IS AGGRESSING UPON HIS PROPERTY, LAND, HONOR OR
COUNTRY IS A MARTYR. THE DEFENSE OF RELIGION AND
COUNTRY IS A JIHAD (HOLY STRUGGLE). BUT BLOWING UP
ONESELF AMONG CHILDREN, WOMEN, AND OLD, SICK AND
INNOCENT PEOPLE - THIS IS AN ACT THAT IS VERY MUCH
AGAINST ISLAM.

INTERVIEWER: BUT SOME MAY SAY THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO
DEFINE WHO IS AN INNOCENT ISRAELI AND THAT ALL OF THEM
ARE MILITARY COLONIAL INVADERS.

SHEIKH TANTAWI: I CANNOT GO DOWN THAT PATH OR SAY SUCH
A THING. PEOPLE MAY SAY WHAT THEY WANT. MY DEFINITION
(OF THE ENEMY) CONFORMS TO WHAT THE KORAN COMMANDS US,
NAMELY TO REPEL AGGRESSION. ALMIGHTY GOD SAYS: "FIGHT
IN THE CAUSE OF GOD THOSE WHO FIGHT YOU, BUT DO NOT
TRANSGRESS LIMITS, FOR GOD LOVES NOT TRANSGRESSORS."
OUR PROPHET IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS. THE PROPHET FOUGHT
HIS ENEMIES, INCLUDING ARAB RENEGADES, HYPOCRITES, AND
JEWS, BUT IT HAS NEVER BEEN PROVEN THAT THE PROPHET
KILLED A WOMAN OR CHILD. WHAT IS PROVEN IS THAT THE
PROPHET ABHORRED THE PRESENCE OF A WOMAN AMONG AN
ENEMY'S DEAD AND SAID "SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
KILLED."

INTERVIEWER: THE PROPHET ADVISED MUSLIMS TO SEEK THE
COUNSEL OF CHRISTIANS ONLY, AND NOT THE JEWS, SINCE THE
LATTER WERE KNOWN FOR TREACHERY, BREAKING PROMISES AND
DISLOYALTY TO ANY FORM OF COMMITMENT.

SHEIKH TANTAWI: I FOLLOW GOD'S HOLY BOOK. THE KORAN
SPEAKS OF AND EMPHASIZES THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK, AND
STATES "DO NOT DISPUTE WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
...BUT SAY WE BELIEVE IN THE REVELATION WHICH HAS COME
DOWN TO US AND IN THAT WHICH HAS COME DOWN TO YOU. OUR
GOD AND YOUR GOD IS ONE, AND IT IS TO HIM THAT WE BOW
IN ISLAM." SO IF THE KORAN SAYS SO, CAN I SAY THAT
WHAT IS MEANT BY "PEOPLE OF THE BOOK" ARE THE
CHRISTIANS WITHOUT THE JEWS? INDEED THE "PEOPLE OF THE
BOOK" ARE THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIANS BOTH, AND IT IS
NOT POSSIBLE TO RESTRICT "PEOPLE OF THE BOOK" TO EITHER
THE CHRISTIANS OR THE JEWS.

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COMMENT
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4. (C) SHEIKH TANTAWI'S MESSAGE OF TOLERANCE TOWARDS
JEWS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S THEME OF
INTERFAITH TOLERANCE, HIGHLIGHTED IN PRESIDENT
MUBARAK'S SPEECH LAST JULY ON THE OCCASION OF PROPHET
MUHAMMAD'S BIRTHDAY. SHEIKH TANTAWI'S MEETING WITH THE
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR HAD OFFICIAL SANCTION - HE MENTIONS
ELSEWHERE IN THE INTERVIEW THAT HE SPOKE WITH FM MOUSSA
BEFORE AGREEING TO MEET WITH THE ISRAELI AMBASSADOR.
MOUSSA TOLD HIM THE DECISION WAS UP TO HIM, HE SAID.
THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT IS ENCOURAGED BY SHEIKH
TANTAWI AND, ACCORDING TO THE ISRAELI EMBASSY HERE
(PROTECT),THE GOI IS SEEKING A SUITABLE CHRISTIAN
RELIGIOUS LEADER TO HOST AN INTERFAITH MEETING THAT
WOULD INCLUDE TANTAWI AND THE CHIEF SEPHARDIC RABBI OF
ISRAEL. THEY ARE HOPING POPE JOHN PAUL II WILL AGREE
TO HOST THIS MEETING.


5. (C) TANTAWI IS USING THE PRESTIGE OF HIS AL-AZHAR
POST TO PREACH IN THE EGYPTIAN MEDIA AGAINST THE
RADICALIZED POLITICAL ISLAM PROPOUNDED BY THE MUSLIM
BROTHERHOOD AND BY ISLAMIC TERRORIST GROUPS. THEIR
VERSIONS OF ISLAM, AND POSITIONS ON ISSUES OF THE DAY,
CONTINUE TO HAVE MUCH RESONANCE HERE. TANTAWI'S
POSITIONS ON TOLERANCE TOWARDS JEWS AND ENGAGING IN
DIALOGUE WITH ISRAELIS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE EGYPTIAN
GOVERNMENT BUT NOT DICTATED BY IT. HE REMAINS AT ODDS
WITH HIS OWN RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT OVER HIS MEETING
WITH THE ISRAELI AMBASSADOR. TANTAWI FACES AN UPHILL
BATTLE, BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE OF OFFICIAL RELIGIOUS
CIRCLES, BUT HE SHOWS NO SIGNS OF RETREAT.


BATTLE