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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ASHGABAT 000550 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN - PERRY AND IIP/T/SV - BOYD 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PINR PGOV TX KY
SUBJECT: Islam in America Speaker Ahmed Younis 
 
ASHGABAT 00000550  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
Summary and Comment 
------------------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Turkmenistan was the first destination in the 
three-country Central Asian speaking tour of Ahmed 
Younis, National Director of the Muslim Public Affairs 
Council, a tour which included Kyrgyztan and Tajikistan. 
Embassy Ashgabat welcomed Younis, its first Islam in 
America speaker, and organized meetings with Turkmen 
imams, minority religious groups, USG alumni, civil 
society members, and Muslim diplomats, as well as visits 
to mosques and Islamic archaeological sites throughout 
Turkmenistan from March 25-30.   Younis' dynamic 
presentations on Islam in America engendered intense 
interest and a wide range of questions such as the role 
of Muslim women in America, volunteerism in Islam, and 
the concept of jihad.   Younis was accompanied by a GOTX 
minder throughout most of the formal meetings of the 
visit.  The predominant place of President Niyazov's 
spiritual guide, the Ruhnama, over the Koran in mosques 
throughout Turkmenistan was an eye-opener to Younis, who 
determined to discuss his concerns about the nature of 
Islam in Turkmenistan when he returned to the U.S. 
Following Younis' visit, the GOTX called in the DCM and 
stressed that any criticism of the Ruhnama would be 
viewed as an "insult to a sacred text."  Comment:  Younis 
addressed audiences on fundamental religious and 
philosophical issues in Islam, new to many in 
Turkmenistan.  In the coming year, post plans to build on 
Younis' visit by organizing workshops on Islam in America 
and religious freedom issues throughout Turkmenistan, 
benefiting also from periodic visits of regional USAID 
religious freedom officer, in our efforts to reach out to 
Turkmenistan's majority Muslim population.  End Summary 
and Comment. 
 
Turkmenabat: Young Imam Stresses "Solidarity" of Faiths 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In Turkmenabat on March 25, Younis met with 
Lebap Welayat's head imam and approximately fifteen "ak 
sakal" (white beard or traditional) leaders of local and 
regional mosques.  Seated at a table outside the 
relatively new Turkmenabat city mosque, Younis gave an 
engaging presentation about what it means to be an 
American Muslim and the need for Muslims everywhere to 
better understand Islam in order to rebut the 
misappropriation of Islam for violent purposes.  He 
discussed the daily life of Muslims in America, focusing 
on the activities of Muslim youth, and set forth the 
ethnic composition of the 6-8 million Muslims in America 
(30% Arab, 30% South Asian, 30% African-American, and 10% 
converts).  He explained that there are no conflicts 
between Muslim communities in the United States: they are 
100% Muslim, and 100% American. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Under the watchful eye of our GOTX minder, the 
29-year old head imam, a recent state appointee who had 
studied theology at Turkmen State University, parroted 
obviously prepared government talking points about the 
"solidarity" of all denominations and ethnicities in 
Turkmenistan while the others remained silent.  At one 
point, he commented that "our country is not religious" 
and that people practice many different religions - even 
that there is a fear of religions on the government 
level.  He said he uses some Arabic at the beginning of 
the khutba (sermon), but otherwise uses Turkmen.  The 
youth look to the elderly on how to behave, and how to 
keep the peace.  The imam (proudly) noted that President 
Niyazov has a policy of sending 180 Turkmen Muslims on 
the haj to Mecca each year (Note: the number that will 
fit on one Turkmen Air Boeing).  When, with Younis' 
enthusiastic prodding, one ak sakal started to talk about 
his recent experience at the Haj, the head imam cut him 
short.  Younis expressed surprise that in a culture that 
respects age, such a young imam would be selected and 
that he would feel comfortable interrupting his elders. 
Following the meeting, Younis entered the mosque and 
 
ASHGABAT 00000550  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
prayed, noticing a Ruhnama as well as a Koran in the 
entry. 
 
Mary Mosque: Ruhnama Room and a Scepter 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In Mary city on March 26, Younis met with the 
Mary Welayat's head imam and ten local ak sakals.  Again, 
the imam controlled most of the conversation.  Perhaps 
because he was older and less afraid than the 29-year old 
Lebap imam, the Mary imam questioned Younis on how Islam 
is practiced in America -- including the propriety of a 
recent service conducted by a woman, Professor Amina al- 
Wodoud, who led a Friday prayer at a university in New 
York.  (Comment: Younis was surprised that the imam was 
aware of this fact, indicating he had been briefed on 
such issues.  The imam asked the same question of USAID's 
religious officer during a September meeting.  End 
Comment.)  Ascending the minbar, the imam proudly held up 
his carved wooden scepter (Comment: an unusual accessory 
for an imam), and then recited a portion of the required 
readings of the Friday prayer in Arabic.  The imam also 
told Younis that he read the Ruhnama during Friday 
prayer.  Generally, the imam stuck to the same talking 
points on solidarity offered in Lebap.  He showed Younis 
and embassy officers the large "Ruhnama Room" in the 
mosque, but did not show him the library across the way 
in which the Koran was located.  He did add, however, a 
number of positive comments about the president and his 
spiritual and social guide, the Ruhnama.  Younis recited 
a verse from the Koran to the imam and the elders noting 
that one should beware of the day of judgement if issues 
dear to the heart were not taken seriously, but the imam 
did not react.  After the meeting, Younis expressed his 
outrage at the pin with the president's profile worn by 
the imam and the number of pictures of the president in 
evidence in the mosque.  The imam was overheard by a 
local employee quietly asking our GOTX minder if what he 
said to Younis was acceptable or whether he had made any 
missteps.  The GOTX minder applauded the imam's 
presentation as reflecting the correct opinion. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) At the American Corner in Mary, Younis 
addressed 25 USG alumni on "Faith and Civil Society 
Development and Community Service," inspiring them to 
develop volunteer activities in their community in 
Turkmenistan.  This led to a lively discussion on Islam 
in Turkmenistan, which revealed a range of views on their 
understanding of Islam and its role in their lives. 
Younis then visited shrines of two of the companions of 
Mohammed, Abu Huraira and Abu Dharr al-Ghafari, sites 
rarely visited by tourists.  The shrines included marble 
sarcophagi inscribed partly with Kufic Arabic script. 
The local religious leader responsible for the shrine, 
who studied theology in Turkey, spoke perfect Arabic, in 
addition to Turkish, Turkmen and Russian.  Later, Younis 
was hosted at lunch by the director of cultural 
preservation in the welayet. 
 
Meeting with DCMs from Islamic Countries 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) At a March 27 DCM-hosted lunch with DCMs and 
Charges from the embassies of Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi 
Arabia, Libya, and Afghanistan, Younis gave his 
impressions of Islam in Turkmenistan.  He asked the 
others if they too were outraged by the president's 
policies, equating the Ruhnama with the Koran at mosque. 
Most were in agreement.  The Pakistani DCM, however, 
suggested that there was little in the book that touched 
on religious topics, and therefore was not as much a 
violation as Younis suggested.  The Pakistani DCM noted 
that Turkmen did not begin practicing Islam until 1992, 
and he believed that the Turkmen Muslims are not taken 
seriously as Muslims by the world Muslim community. 
Nevertheless, Younis challenged the DCMs about their 
efforts to engage the president and the population on 
providing more education on Islam.  All demurred, 
 
ASHGABAT 00000550  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
suggesting that economic and geostrategic issues and 
their inability to influence the president made the task 
impossible. The Saudi DCM thought that President Niyazov 
was using the legitimacy of Islam for political purposes, 
to ensure that he would not be overthrown by his people. 
Only the Libyan representative claimed that one of his 
staff had distributed translated Islamic material 
secretly.  Both the Libyan and the Saudi said in Arabic, 
 
SIPDIS 
which Younis translated after the meeting, that the USG's 
policies were partially to blame for the situation in 
Turkmenistan.  Referring to Georgia, the Saudi DCM 
explained that there was a conspiracy to keep the region 
weak.  The Saudi DCM was positive on what the United 
States was doing to pursue human rights.  He hoped there 
would soon be an opportunity for Saudis to provide 
education on Islam.  At this point, the Afghan DCM 
sardonically commented to a local employee, "My goodness, 
I hope not!  They [the Saudis] should not be allowed here 
nor should they provide such `help' in my country." 
 
Dashoguz: Only one Type of Islam Here 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In Kunya Urgench near the northern city of 
Dashoguz on March 28, Younis met with a local imam who 
showed him the historic monuments.  During lunch, the two 
struck up a conversation in Arabic, much to the obvious 
discomfort of the MFA minder.  The relatively young imam 
had attended theological studies in Ashgabat, Bukhara, 
and Tashkent.  He told Younis that he wished to be more 
of a spiritual leader than the tour guide the government 
had made him.  When Younis asked him about how many 
schools of Islam (Hanafi, Hanbali, etc.) were present in 
the region, the imam looked him in the eye and with a 
wink and a nod, said, "We have only one type of Islam 
here," implying the Niyazov school. 
 
¶8. (SBU) On March 29, Younis gave a presentation to 
specialists from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of National 
Security and scholars of the Institute for Democracy and 
Human Rights on terrorist financing.  He described the 
role his organization, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, 
played in communicating the interests of Muslim Americans 
to the USG and security concerns to the Muslim American 
community.  Participants eagerly questioned Younis about 
his opinion on topics ranging from the Afghani who 
converted to Christianity to the number of women working 
in his organization.  Younis and embassy officers 
accompanying him agreed the meeting stimulated one of the 
most frank and open discussions of the visit. 
 
Minority Religious Groups: The Pluralism of Protection 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Addressing minority religious groups, including 
Bahais, Baptists, Evangelists, Greater Grace, the 
Catholic Church, and Jehovah's Witnesses on March 29, 
Younis discussed the "Pluralism of Protection."  He 
explained that at the time of Muhammed, Muslims in Mecca 
faced reprisals when they began to adopt the theology of 
Islam, so moved to Medina, where there were multiple 
religious groups.  The group of Muslims in power in 
Medina developed a constitution that protected the 
pluralism of the minority religious communities.  If 
anyone were to attack one group, it would be the 
responsibility of all to protect that group.  In this 
context, he explained that America is a pluralistic 
society including citizens of many faiths.  He encouraged 
the religious minority representatives not to wait for a 
crisis to begin interfaith dialogue, and to base their 
cooperation on family values, and on the importance of 
protecting the freedom of the entire community.  Younis 
fended numerous questions from the audience on American 
Muslim life, noting that American Muslims do not engage 
in demonstrations.  He also discussed the Islamic concept 
of jihad (struggle), noting its basis in the Shari'a 
principles of democratic authority and defense. 
 
ASHGABAT 00000550  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶10. (SBU) Younis discussed on March 29 the status of 
American Muslim women in a meeting with women 
representing various NGOs and professions, a session 
which led to extensive questions on topics such as the 
dress and professions of American Muslim women.  Younis 
also addressed a group of independent media and local 
journalists on "Faith and free speech in regard to the 
recent controversy over cartoons with the Prophet 
Muhammed's depiction," analyzing the development and 
answering a series of questions on the spread of this 
controversy throughout Muslim countries. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) The GOTX minders throughout Younis' visit 
quickly shared their concerns about his interest in the 
Ruhnama to the MFA officials.  This resulted in calling 
in the DCM to alert the USG that the GOTX might not be 
receptive of future visitors if Younis publicly 
criticized the Ruhnama, "our sacred book."  Post has 
reported at length the status of Islam in Turkmenistan, 
and the role of the Ruhnama in religious life, in the 
annual religious freedom report as well as the human 
rights report, and throughout post reporting.  Younis' 
visit spurred discussion on the nature of Islam in many 
circles, and we welcome his return and that of other 
speakers on religious freedom.  End Comment. 
 
BRUSH