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PP RUEHBC RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHDE #0730/01 0451405
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141405Z FEB 06
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8332
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR PRIORITY 0002
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 1246

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBAI 000730 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  2/14/2016 
TAGS: IR PGOV PREL SCUL SOCI
SUBJECT: IN IRAN, CARTOON CONTROVERSY SIMMERS BUT DOESN'T BOIL OVER 
 
REF: KUALA LUMPUR 0242 
 
DUBAI 00000730  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jason L. Davis, Consul General, Dubai, UAE. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: In response to the publishing of "blasphemous" 
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a number of European 
newspapers, Tehran has recalled its ambassador to Denmark and 
announced a cut in all trade ties with the country. Denmark 
pulled its diplomats out of Iran due to unspecified threats. 
Since February 6, Iranians have marched on several European 
embassies. For the most part, Iranian police have held back 
demonstrators and prevented them from doing significant damage 
to any of the embassies. Religious and government officials 
called upon Iranians to not attack embassies, and urged 
diplomatic solutions to the situation, as well as apologies from 
governments of countries where the cartoons appeared. Iran 
appears to be using the controversy to further its own 
interests. End Summary. 
 
Official Repercussions 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) According to Western press reports, Tehran reacted to the 
cartoon controversy last week by summoning the ambassadors of 
Denmark, Norway and Austria to express its anger, recalling its 
ambassador to Denmark, and cutting all trade ties with the 
country. Iran's Commerce Minister stated that this ban covered 
all Danish imports as well as all other business dealings. Iran 
currently imports 290 million USD worth of goods annually from 
Denmark. According to Norwegian press, Iran's embassy in Oslo 
commented that as a result of Norway's "suitable behavior" - 
read apology - over the cartoons, Tehran planned no boycott 
against it. Due to subsequent publication of the cartoons in 
newspapers in Poland and the Czech Republic, the ambassadors of 
these two countries were summoned to Iran's Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs on 12 February. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to reports in the Iranian press, Denmark has 
"temporarily" withdrawn its diplomats from Iran. A statement by 
the Danish Foreign Ministry stated that the ambassador and staff 
had left Iran due to "information about serious, concrete 
threats against the ambassador."  Post tried unsuccessfully to 
corroborate this information with the Danish consulate in Dubai. 
 
Popular Reaction 
---------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Since Monday, February 6, large groups of Iranians have 
marched on European embassies to protest the publishing of 
"blasphemous" cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Protests in Iran 
broke out two days after the violent protests in Damascus that 
resulted in the burning of the Norwegian and Danish embassies. 
Although these protests have been angry, police have for the 
most part been successful in holding the protestors back and 
preventing the torching of embassies as occurred in both Beirut 
and Damascus: 
 
-- February 6, a group of 400 demonstrators surrounded the 
Danish Embassy. They burned Danish flags and shouted "Death to 
Denmark."  According to the BBC, the Embassy gate and two trees 
caught fire before police forced protestors back with tear gas 
and made some arrests. 
 
--The same day, protestors marched on the Austrian Embassy, 
apparently breaking windows and starting small fires. 
 
-- February 7, 100 protestors converged on the Norwegian 
Embassy. According to Norwegian press, they threw stones and 
"fire bombs", but were quickly driven back by Iranian police who 
surrounded the building and prevented them from gaining access 
to the building. 
 
-- February 8, 200 demonstrators marched on the British Embassy, 
but police barred them from entering the building, according to 
the BBC. 
 
-- February 10, protestors gathered outside the French Embassy 
and shouted slogans against the U.S., France, Britain, and 
Denmark, according to Iranian press. 
 
-- February 11, an unspecified number of Iranians gathered in 
front of the British Embassy in the afternoon and shouted 
slogans against the cartoons. A special police unit had been 
stationed around the Embassy for several hours and prevented the 
crowd from getting close to the embassy building, according to 
Iran's state news agency. 
 
-- February 11, participants in rallies to celebrate the 
 
DUBAI 00000730  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
anniversary of the Islamic revolution condemned the cartoons, 
chanted anti-U.S., Danish, British, and Israeli slogans, and 
called for a boycott of Western products, especially those of 
the U.S. and Denmark. 
 
-- February 12, Iranians once again protested outside the French 
Embassy and termed the publication of the cartoons a 
"sacrilegious gesture" designed by Zionists. 
 
Iranian Officials Send Mixed Messages 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) According to the Iranian press, the substitute Friday 
prayer leader for Tehran told Iranians on February 10 to 
continue to show their anger over the cartoons. He advised 
protestors, however, to refrain from attacking embassies, as 
this would only give Western powers a "pretext" to proclaim 
"their innocence worldwide."  He stated, "They should be 
deprived of this pretext, but undoubtedly, your anger and 
resentment should continue until their complete repentance."  An 
unidentified cleric who participated in the protest at the 
French Embassy on February 10 was quoted in the Iranian press 
saying that the current crisis would not die down until the 
relevant governments apologized. 
 
¶6. (U) According to other Iranian reports, Iran's Foreign 
Minister Mottaki has discussed the cartoon controversy with the 
Foreign Ministers of several countries, including Norway, Spain, 
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria, Malaysia, and Yemen, and urged his 
European counterparts to do their utmost to defuse the 
situation. Tehran also requested that Malaysia, as head of the 
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), call an emergency 
session of the body to discuss the global protests in response 
to the cartoons and the impact of the situation on Islamic 
countries (reftel). Mottaki stated that legal prosecution and an 
apology from the Danish government will help restore calm. 
 
¶7. (U) While attending a conference in Malaysia (reftel), Iran's 
former President Khatami echoed Mottaki's statements, stating 
that "those who have insulted (the) Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) must 
apologize for their shameful act." (Note: Khatami gave the 
keynote speech at the conference, which was aptly titled "Who 
Speaks for Islam? Who Speaks for the West?" End Note.) 
 
Key Leaders Link Cartoon Controversy to the Holocaust 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶8. (U) Both Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad 
have repeatedly complained about a Western "double-standard" in 
regards to free speech. During a speech to a gathering of air 
force commanders and personnel, Khamenei stated, "In accordance 
with this freedom of speech, denial of the holocaust has been 
banned, but sacrilege against the sanctities of 1.5 billion 
Muslims has been allowed."  He termed the cartoon controversy a 
"Zionist plot meant to pit Muslims and Christians against each 
other," but noted that the "sacred fury" of Muslims was not 
directed at Christians, but at the "vicious plotters of the 
conspiracy." 
 
¶9. (U) During speeches to commemorate the 27th anniversary of 
the Islamic revolution February 11, Ahmadinejad accused European 
countries of being puppets of the Israelis for publishing the 
cartoons. He stated, "They say that their countries are free, 
but they are lying. They are held hostage by Zionists. . . How 
come insults are free in your country, but any research on the 
Holocaust is a crime?" 
 
¶10. (U) In response to the cartoons' publication, the 
conservative Iranian daily Hamshahri, which is run by Tehran's 
city council, announced it is sponsoring a cartoon contest about 
the Holocaust. The paper's graphics editor stated, "The Western 
papers printed these sacrilegious cartoons on the pretext of 
freedom of expression, so let's see if they mean what they say 
and also print these Holocaust cartoons." 
 
Another Cartoon Controversy 
--------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) In a related story, Iran demanded an apology from the 
German newspaper that printed a cartoon February 10, depicting 
the Iranian national soccer team in a World Cup stadium with 
bombs strapped to their jerseys, with German soldiers standing 
by and a caption saying, "This is why the German army has to be 
deployed at the World Cup stadiums."  According to Iranian 
press, the artist expressed regret to the Iranian people and 
claimed he was trying to protest the absurdity of positioning 
soldiers at the World Cup games. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
DUBAI 00000730  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶12. (C) Many Western analysts see the linking of the cartoons 
and the Holocaust as the Iranian government's attempt to 
increase tension and "up the ante" in the current situation, 
especially in light of Ahmadinejad's anti-Israel comments in the 
fall. Thus far, Dubai's Iranian visa applicants have been quiet 
on the controversy. Iran likely sees in the controversy a chance 
to assert its leadership in the Muslim world, much as it did in 
1989 when -- after initial reticence -- it took the hardest line 
of any Islamic country against British author Salman Rushdie for 
his book, "The Satanic Verses," issuing a fatwa that called for 
his murder.  It is also likely trying to deflect world attention 
from its nuclear situation and put Europe on the defensive at a 
time when the U.S. is looking to Europe to continue to toughen 
its stand on the nuclear issue. 
 
¶13. (C) One Iranian wealthy businessman contact argued that the 
cartoon controversy actually gave an advantage to the U.S.  He 
claimed that none of the protests were directed against the U.S. 
(which would appear to be overstating the situation).  With 
Iranian-European relations at a low-point, he said, Iran would 
have little choice but to deal in a more direct way with the 
U.S.  That interpretation notwithstanding, President Ahmadinejad 
appears to feel strengthened by the controversy.  In a February 
12 interview with a U.S. reporter, President Ahmadinejad 
criticized the U.S. for giving "support" to those who published 
the cartoons, and he put the onus on the USG to change its 
attitude toward Iran before negotiations would be possible. 
DAVIS