This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000236 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARPI, R, ECA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2016 
TAGS: PREL SCUL OEXC KPAO KISL KIRF BA REFORM OFFICIALS BILAT
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC AFFAIRS UNDER SECRETARY SUPPORTS ENHANCED 
CULTURAL EXCHANGES ON RELIGIOUS ISSUES 
 
REF: MANAMA 0192 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  (C) The Ambassador called on Islamic Affairs Under 
Secretary Dr. Fareed Muftah February 7 to discuss cultural 
 
SIPDIS 
exchanges and religious issues in Bahrain.  Muftah 
characterized the October 2005 visit of Georgetown University 
Chaplain Imam Yahya Hendi as "very effective" in promoting 
cultural understanding and enrichment.  He said Hendi could 
have been as forward leaning in his public remarks as he was 
in private meetings.  Muftah supported the proposal of a 
Voluntary Visitors program for 5-8 Bahraini clerics focusing 
on Islam in the United States.  In response to the 
Ambassador's question, he said that Muslims had overreacted 
to the Danish cartoons controversy.  He called the American 
position on the issue "honorable."  He noted that, in the run 
up to the final days of the Shia occasion of Ashura, the 
Ministry was trying to spread tolerance and understanding by 
arranging programs and contact between Sunni and Shia 
scholars.  End Summary. 
 
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Supporting Additional Exchange Programs 
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¶2.  (C) Ministry of Islamic Affairs Under Secretary Dr. 
Fareed Muftah told the Ambassador in their February 7 meeting 
that the Ramadan (October 2005) visit of Georgetown 
University Chaplain Imam Yahya Hendi was very effective in 
promoting cultural understanding and enrichment.  Muftah 
apologized for the low turnout at some of the public events, 
saying attracting a large audience during Ramadan can be 
difficult.  He said Hendi could have been as open and direct 
in his lectures covering interfaith dialogue, Islam in 
America, and religious tolerance and freedom as he was in 
private; the people would have been receptive.  But overall 
the trip was very positive and constructive. 
 
¶3.  (C) The Ambassador replied that the United States wants 
to develop additional means of cooperation on religious 
affairs between the two countries.  He proposed a voluntary 
visitors program for 5-8 Bahraini Sunni and Shia clerics to 
visit mosques, Muslim communities, and religious leaders in 
Washington, DC and other American cities.  Muftah agreed this 
was a very good idea and promised to discuss it with Islamic 
Affairs Minister (and Deputy PM) Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al 
Khalifa.  (Muftah has since communicated Shaikh Abdulla's 
approval for the program.)  He suggested choosing Imams who 
would communicate ideas learned in the U.S. to their 
congregations during Friday prayer sermons.  Muftah also 
requested that additional American scholars visit Bahrain to 
discuss religious affairs. 
 
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Overreaction to Cartoon Controversy 
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¶4.  (C) In response to the Ambassador's question, Muftah said 
that many Muslims had overreacted to the Danish cartoons 
controversy, particularly among the ill-informed and 
uneducated.  Muslims' demands that the government and people 
apologize in addition to the newspaper that published the 
cartoons go too far and demonstrate that many Muslims are 
"simple-minded people" who do not understand the difference 
between independent newspapers and governments.  They tend to 
exaggerate and over-generalize.  He noted that the Ministry 
of Islamic Affairs had issued a public statement saying that 
it was unacceptable for people to overreact to the 
controversy.  The U.S. position of condemning religious 
intolerance while supporting freedom of speech was 
"honorable." 
 
¶5.  (C) Muftah stated that he and other Bahraini religious 
scholars have stressed in their Friday sermons that Muslims 
harm their own reputation and image of Prophet Mohammed by 
wars, bombings, killings, and "what we do to each other." 
Burning embassies in Beirut and Damascus was "very strange" 
and completely unacceptable.  He recommended an ongoing 
religious dialogue with the West, and especially the United 
States, to promote understanding. 
 
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Inter-Community Contacts During Ashura 
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¶6.  (C) Turning to events closer to home, Muftah said that 
the Ministry was trying to spread awareness between Sunnis 
and Shias in the run up to the occasion of Ashura.  (Note: 
The climax of the Shia holiday took place on February 8 and 
9.)  The Ministry had arranged for Sunni and Shia scholars to 
appear together on Bahrain TV programs to discuss 
coexistence, tolerance, understanding, and respect for 
others' cultures.  He said that audiences were mostly 
receptive to these messages.  Some Sunnis say that Ashura is 
not their holiday, so they cannot address it.  His response 
is that Imam Hussain (Mohammed's grandson and the leading 
figure in the Ashura commemoration) is for all Muslims, not 
only Shia.  He can serve to unify Muslims in the face of 
global challenges. 
 
¶7.  (C) Muftah noted that some Sunni mosques, particularly 
those following the fundamentalist Salafi interpretation, 
hold programs to emphasize their Sunni identity during 
Ashura.  To counter these potentially provocative actions, 
the Ministry promotes engagement between Sunnis and Shias 
during Islamic occasions.  He organized the visits of Sunni 
scholars to matams (Shia religious community centers) during 
Ashura to show understanding and to minimize suspicions. 
Beyond Ashura, the Ministry plans to schedule monthly 
lectures at the Grand Mosque by Sunni and Shia clerics, both 
Bahraini and foreign, to promote "open-minded" views about 
tolerance. 
 
MONROE