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FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L NIAMEY 000584 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY (CAPTION ADDED) 
 
EMBASSIES FOR PAO, POL; DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/W 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016 
TAGS: KDEM KPAO PGOV PREL NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: ISLAM ANALYSIS 
 
REF: A. NIAMEY 298 B. NIAMEY 574 
 
Classified By: Ambassador B M Allen, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  Building on the excellent study of Islamic 
practices in Niger that the Danish Cooperation (Danida) 
commissioned this year, excerpts from Islamic press organs 
such as the monthly newspaper As-Salam and radio Bonferey and 
discussions with Nigeriens of various backgrounds and degrees 
of religiosity, it is possible to extrapolate current and 
future trends of Islam in Niger.  On the one hand, the 
growing influence of conservative preachers from the south 
and radical influences from the north have a potentially 
explosive effect when combined with unemployed, disaffected 
youth whose prospects seem equally dim whether they are 
illiterate or have finished university.  Increased 
humanitarian and development assistance from Islamic 
organizations and countries such as Libya, Saudi Arabia, and 
Pakistan will be equally influential.  This will be 
reinforced to the extent that these donations are given to 
local reformist or radical Islamic organizations, who will 
then carry out development projects with a strong 
proselytizing message.  At the same time, the ongoing 
problems in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere in the Middle 
East, combined with negative reactions to the Danish cartoons 
and to growing anti-immigration sentiments in Europe, create 
an increasing distrust of the US and the West. 
 
¶2.  (C) The GON continues to emphasize that Niger is a 
secular democracy, and many local Islamic organizations are 
increasingly discussing and promoting human rights and a 
culture of peace and tolerance.  US humanitarian and 
development assistance and transformational and public 
diplomacy are having a positive effect, but the US will have 
to do more to compete with the outside influences and 
perceived stagnating local development.  Quickly establishing 
the development component of the Trans-Saharan 
Counterterrorism Initiative (TSCTI) must remain a top USG 
priority.  Judicious use of ESF, DHRF and anti-Trafficking 
funds, as well as increased participation in International 
Visitor Programs (IVs) helped us reach key vulnerable groups 
in Niger.  Our reach can be further exteneded by setting up 
the American Corners requested for the southern border cities 
of Diffa and Maradi.  In the longer term, re-establishing a 
permanent  USAID presence and increasing public diplomacy 
efforts that reinforce the message of US support for 
democracy, development and humanitarian assistance are 
necessary steps to counter negative perceptions of US foreign 
policy vis a vis the Middle East and Islam in general.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶3.  (U) There are contradictory ideas of Islam and Islamic 
practices circulating in Niger.  Conservative imams and 
preachers from the Wahabi "Izalay" movement regularly cross 
the borders from Nigeria to fund and spread Niger's southern 
cousins' harsh views of sharia and communitarian politics. 
In some cases, these messages resonate with local culture and 
traditional animistic practices, resulting in a rise in the 
practice of cloistering women - ironically forcing men to 
assume many traditionally female tasks outside the home, such 
as fetching water.  Many practitioners are also discouraging 
formal education, particularly for girls.  The political 
ideas find fertile ground in the unemployed and disaffected 
youth of these regions, which many experts see as a potential 
powder keg. 
 
¶4.  (C) The northern part of Niger, particularly the region 
abutting Algeria and Mali, is susceptible to radically 
politicized Islamic messages spread by Algerian Salafists, 
and to a much lesser extent, Islamicized Tuaregs militant 
(most Tuareg activists thus far are secular nationalists). 
Izalay funds are paying for the construction of a large new 
mosque and social service center in Agadez city, and Saudi 
and other Gulf countries have provided funds to build smaller 
mosques in villages in northwestern Niger and elsewhere. 
Local cynicism about the GON and a love-hate relationship 
with the Western tourists who are the region's main source of 
revenue combine with these messages to create the most 
cynical perspective on US motives in any region of Niger 
(reftel A).  This area, too, suffers from severe unemployment 
and poor prospects for youth.  Those who do not slip across 
the porous borders to Algeria and Libya are torn between 
wanting to maintain the current peace and a desire to shake 
things up, for good or ill.  The potential spread of Tuareg 
militancy from neighboring Mali in the wake of the May 2006 
attacks on Kidal and Menaka clearly worries both GON and 
Tuareg community leaders. 
 
¶5.  (U) In the areas bordering Nigeria and elsewhere 
throughout the country, many imams and Islamic associations 
are working with a variety of partners - other NGOs, the GON, 
 
 
and international donors - to promote education, AIDS 
awareness, polio and other vaccinations, tolerance, and human 
rights.  There has been a steady rise in the number of 
seminars and workshops discussing Islam and human rights, 
some inspired and/or sponsored by the American Cultural 
Center, and others completely independent.  Here, too, there 
is a broad spectrum of opinions that sometimes finds some 
strange bedfellows working together.  In Niger, discerning 
the differences between "traditional" (African syncretic) 
Islam and self-described "modern" Wahabi strains introduced 
from outside influences can be extremely tricky. 
 
¶6.  (U) Some "traditional" scholars point to several Islamic 
declarations of human rights, such as that adopted in Cairo 
during the 1990s, which states that all human beings are 
created equal, regardless of grade, religion, or ethnic 
origin.  Reformist, izalay, preachers are sometimes more 
willing to acknowledge women's property rights than many 
supposedly more moderate imams, who are more influenced by 
local traditions.  A supposedly progressive Muslim Nigerien 
philosophy professor with a traditionalist bent created a 
backlash from all sides when he said that Islam had 
historically tolerated such injustices as slavery and other 
human rights violations:  even those who might not have 
acknowledged the violations were adamant that Islam does not 
tolerate injustice.  Traditionalists and Izalays alike 
universally condemned the Danish cartoons in Niger, and they 
equally oppose US/Western foreign policy in the Middle East. 
However, to date there has been an equally united call for 
non-violent measures to refute them and a repudiation of 
those who choose violence in contradiction of Islam's 
peaceful nature (what limited support for violence that 
exists in Niger political culture tends to arise from fringe 
elements of leftist student movements).   The tensions and 
contradictions in current Nigerien Muslim thinking are 
evident in a newspaper such as As-Salam, whose latest edition 
carried extremely sophisticated analyses of the "clash of 
civilizations" between East and West - and an article about 
djinns (evil spirits) appearing in Diffa, due to the indecent 
attire of some of the local young girls. 
 
¶7.  (U) Views on the status of women are mixed.  Some women's 
organizations are working for complete equality, parallel to 
that of their sisters in the West.  Others promote better 
health and education for women and children in a more 
traditional framework.  The GON publicly supported the 
ratification of the Additional Protocol to the African Human 
and People's Rights Charter relating to Women's Rights in 
Africa, but the was defeated (reftel B).  This position 
prevailed in spite of the GON's argument that allowing early 
marriage and some of the problems that result is really a 
violation of the principles of Islam. 
 
¶8.  (U) One trend that is consistent throughout Niger is the 
rise in the number of Koranic schools, or madrassas, in part 
due to the lack of other educational facilities in some 
areas.  Even here, though, there is a wide range of sizes and 
shapes.  Some are run by highly educated intellectuals who 
speak and read fluent Arabic, French, and other local 
languages.  Some are run by itinerant preachers who are 
virtually illiterate themselves.  Some schools restrict 
admission to boys and men, but many are opening their doors 
to girls and women as well - in some cases, in order to 
preach repressive messages.  The most deleterious of these 
are the full-time madrassas that provide no education other 
than a poor ability to parrot passages from the Koran in 
pigeon Arabic:  the children in these schools grow up 
completely illiterate, with no training in math or basic 
science.  Both the GON and civil society are working to 
encourage such schools either to function only during 
evenings and week-ends so as to allow the children to attend 
public school, or to incorporate more formal educational 
elements into their own curricula.  Still others would like 
the GON to allow religion and morals to be taught in the 
public schools, both to coopt  madrassas and prevent 
perceived decadence from seeping into society. 
 
¶9.  (U) As noted above, many Islamic organizations are 
beginning to include messages about development and democracy 
in their preaching.  Islamic groups, including American 
PVO's, were key partners who responded to the severe food 
crisis that struck Niger in 2005.  Many of the groups have 
remained and are even beginning to move into more active 
development work, such as building wells and food banks. 
Funding for such activities usually comes from outside 
sources.  The US, European donors, and the UN support the 
spread of democratic messages in an Islamic context as 
promoted by religious leaders, but they fund more concrete 
projects either in direct partnership with the GON or via 
secular organizations or faith-based PVO's which do not 
proselytize.  Increasingly Middle Eastern, Maghrebian, and 
 
 
some Asian donors are the main sources of funding for the 
building projects.  This is encouraged, and, indeed, promoted 
by the GON. 
 
¶10. (C) The GON insists that the country is a secular, 
pluralistic democracy, but has shown inability to set up a 
family code or enforce even sharia practices that provide 
women with inheritance and other rights.  This demonstrates 
fear of traditional religious leaders and an unwillingness to 
take a firm stand for the equality promised in the 
constitution.  One example is the failed vote on marriage age 
(Reftel B).  Another example is the GON's concession to the 
GON-appointed Islamic Council not to permit the publication 
of the Danish study, because some members of the Council 
claimed the unscientific nature of the study and its 
conclusions about Islamic practices would cause ruptures 
among religious leaders, although it has been hard to obtain 
specific information about exactly what was problematic. 
 
¶11. (U) Comment:  Niger is at something of a religious and 
societal crossroads.  A history of Islamicization dating back 
to the seventh century is nevertheless mixed with equally 
ancient animist and other traditional practices that shape 
the local face of Islam in Niger.  Progressive "traditional" 
Muslims advocating women's rights and other departures from 
local tradition are sometimes aided by "modern" Izalays who 
preach a return to a purer form of Islam, while others turn 
to more repressive interpretations and more political 
messages.  Despite differing opinions and practices, most 
Islamic leaders would be glad to work with the US to further 
development and education, but they are also open to 
influence by other outside donors.  It is crucial for the US 
to continue to work on food security, health, and other 
development areas, as well as to increase its 
transformational and public diplomacy efforts via new 
American Corners, increased IVs for Muslim leaders, and other 
ongoing programs.  ESF funds for our Ref A proposal to work 
with Moroccans to provide the GON with guidance about setting 
up a family code that protects women and children will help 
us avoid a backlash from the religious community.  However, 
perhaps a secular contact of the Embassy, summed it up when 
he said, "Niger's youth will follow whoever provides them 
with health, education and jobs."  Winning the hearts and 
minds of the people and, thus, the Global War on Terror, in 
Niger, may well come down to who is seen to care most for the 
welfare of the people.  End Comment. 
ALLEN