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PP RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHKU #3787/01 2631445
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 201445Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6826
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 003787 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KISL VT KU ISLAMISTS
SUBJECT: CONTINUED ANGER OVER POPE'S COMMENTS; ISLAMISTS 
USE CONTROVERSY FOR POLITICAL GAIN 
 
REF: KUWAIT 3717 
 
KUWAIT 00003787  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.4 (d) 
 
¶1.  (C/NF) Summary: The furor over the Pope's comments has 
continued unabated in Kuwait, fanned by some conservative 
Islamists' depiction of the comments as further evidence of a 
Judeo-Christian conspiracy against Islam.  The subject has 
dominated editorials over the past week with almost all 
authors condemning the Pope's remarks and dismissing his 
"apology" as insufficient.  Aside from the comments of the 
Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (reftel), there has 
been no official statement by the Government condemning the 
Pope's comments, though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did 
summon the Vatican Nuncio this week to "clarify" the Pope's 
remarks.  There have been isolated calls to stop the building 
of churches in Kuwait, but no one has advocated violence or 
retaliation against Christians.  An American Imam in Kuwait 
on a U.S. Speaker program expressed empathy with Muslim 
feelings, but called on fellow Muslims to accept the Pope's 
apology and use this as a spur for increased interfaith 
dialogue.  Prominent Kuwaitis held rallies, some of which 
were attended by MPs, in which they denounced the Pope in 
extremely harsh language. End Summary. 
 
Pope's Comments Connected to "Crusade" 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C/NF) In a September 20 article in Al-Rai Al-Aam (local 
Arabic daily), Ali Al-Fadhel linked President Bush's 2001 
reference to the War on Terrorism as a "crusade," his recent 
statement that "thiQation is at war with Islamic fascists," 
the controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed published in 
Denmark, and the Pope's comments.  This connection was made 
by a number of other columnists, including liberals like 
Ahmed Deyain, the former Secretary General ofQ Kuwait 
Democratic Forum.  In a September 17 article in Al-Rai 
Al-Aam, Deyain argued that certain "gangs of 
neo-conservatives in the West are striving to depict Muslims 
including nonreligious ones as strategic foes of Western 
civilization and eventually project Islam as the foe of the 
West."  "Are the European nations supported by (the Pope) 
currently involved in waging a crusader war on Islam?" 
columnist Ahmed Al-Kous asked in a September 17 article in 
Al-Watan (local Arabic daily).  He concluded that the Pope's 
"accusations...reflect a deep-rooted grudge among extremist 
Christians against Islam and Muslims attributable to the 
spread of Islam in many countries."  Another columnist, 
Waleed Al-Ghanem, claimed "this slander has been issued 
intentionally" to "undermine" the image of Islam and the 
Prophet Mohammed, in a September 20 article in Al-Qabas 
(local Arabic daily). 
 
¶3.  (C/NF) Many columnists also dismissed the Pope's 
"apology" as falling short of what is needed.  "The 'sadness' 
shown by the Pope is just an attempt to reformulate what had 
already been said by the Pope and in no way constitutes a 
denial or repentance," columnist and professor Dr. Ayed 
Al-Manna argued in a September 19 article in Al-Watan. 
Despite their criticisms, most Kuwaitis have urged a 
non-violent response to the Pope's statements and stressed 
the need for greater dialogue between the Christian and 
Muslim worlds.  Dr. Al-Mana, for example, called for a 
"deep-rooted Muslim-Christian dialogue on the issues and most 
important difference between the two religions." 
 
Controversy Also Sparks Degree of Soul-Searching 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4.  (C/NF) Not all Kuwaitis were quick to condemn the Pope. 
In a September 20 article in the Kuwait Times (local English 
daily), Dr. Sami Alrabaa, a staunch liberal, argued that the 
Pope's comments were taken out of context and asked why Islam 
could be so easily misrepresented.  Responding to an article 
by Ali Fahd Al-Ajmi, who alleged that the West was fighting a 
"crusade" against the Muslim world, Alrabaa said the only 
reason the world would have to "hate" Muslims is "because 
most terrorists are Muslims, terrorizing the world."  He 
continued: "They hate us because we are killing innocent 
people in the name of Islam.  They hate us because we are 
intolerant and undemocratic.  They hate us because we protest 
like savage animals; burning embassies and churches.  They 
surely do not hate us just because we are Muslims.  As 
ordinary Muslims, we do not pose any threat to anybody and 
hence nobody hates us." 
 
¶5.  (C/NF) Khalil Ali Haider, a Shi'a intellectual and 
columnist for Al-Watan, told Poloff September 19 that 
 
KUWAIT 00003787  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
conservative Islamists were using the controversy over the 
Pope's comments for their own political gain.  He feared the 
ramification would be the loss of freedoms of speech in 
western countries.  "Given this backlash, people will be 
afraid to say anything even mildly critical of the Muslim 
world," he said.  Ultimately, this will undermine dialogue 
and understanding between the Muslim world and the West. 
Haider expressed disappointment that the Pope had not 
distinguished between "Islam" and "political Islam."  "You 
can say anything you want against the latter," he said, "but 
the former is sacred."  Craig Walker, an American Muslim 
hired by the Ministry of Awqaf as a consultant on a project 
aimed at improving the image of Islam in the West, told 
Poloff he believed the controversy would have a positive 
outcome by inspiring greater dialogue between Christians and 
Muslims. 
 
Visiting American Imam Responds 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Sohaib Sultan, an American Imam visiting Kuwait on 
a U.S. Speaker program, told Poloff the first question he was 
usually asked in Kuwait, by a wide range of Kuwaitis, was 
what he thought of the Pope's comments.  Kuwaitis have told 
Sultan they are particularly disappointed because they saw 
the previous Pope as a person dedicated to interfaith 
dialogue.  Sultan has responded that religious leaders should 
choose their words carefully and that Muslims regret the 
Pope's choice of words.  However, he has also told Kuwaitis 
that Muslims should accept the Pope's apology and take 
advantage of this opportunity to improve the dialogue between 
Muslims and Christians. 
 
Islamists See an Opportunity for Political Gain 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7.  (C/NF) A number of conservative Islamists seem to be 
using the controversy for political gain by situating the 
Pope's comments in the context of a Judeo-Christian 
conspiracy against Islam.  One of the most strongly worded 
responses came from former Salafi Member of Parliament (MP) 
Dr. Fahad Al-Khanna who wrote in a September 17 article in 
Al-Watan, "It looks like (the Pope) has decided to throw his 
weight behind a hectic campaign which has been waged by 
ruling extremist rightist parties and parliaments in the 
West, including the U.S., Germany, and Austria against Islam. 
 The campaign in question was actually motivated by political 
factors aimed at instigating the people against Islam in the 
name of fighting terrorism.  We conclude the Jews and the 
rightist Christians are in agreement about their specific 
objectives while dealing with Muslim countries: 
re-imperialize these countries and eventually divide 
them...erect barriers of hatred and fear between the West and 
the Muslim world to prevent the spread of Islam in the 
West...spread Christianity in the world...(and) fight Islam 
and expel Muslims from many nations....In light of the above, 
we expect the arrival of a new crusader whose armies and 
banners the Muslim nation must confront by all means." 
Despite their rhetoric, Kuwaiti Islamists have stressed that 
opposition to the Pope's comments should only be expressed 
through peaceful means; none have publicly encouraged Muslims 
to retaliate against Christians in any way. 
 
¶8.  (C/NF) Islamist groups have organized several rallies 
over the past few days to condemn the Pope's comments. 
According to local media reports, one rally organized by the 
Salafi Movement was attended by "dozens of Islamists," 
including several MPs.  Acting National Assembly Speaker 
Mohammed Al-Bousairi, a member of the Islamic Constitutional 
Movement (ICM), said the Pope's "apology" was "not 
sufficient" and demanded that he make "an official apology." 
Islamist MP Dr. Waleed Al-Tabtabaei echoed previous calls by 
Islamist MPs (reftel) for the Government to stop issuing 
licenses to new churches in Kuwait and called for the 
expulsion of the Vatican Nuncio.  Another speaker at the 
rally, academic Raed Al-Salih, insisted that Islam is a 
religion of "peace, mercy, and wisdom" and emphasized that 
"there is no compulsion in relQion."  He said, "We must 
protest against any attempt to tarnish the image of Islam by 
anyone, but it should not be carried out through extreme 
actions.  We must remember the teachings of the Prophet who 
said that all religions must be respected." 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
 
KUWAIT 00003787  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
LeBaron