VZCZCXRO9827
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #4377 3091014
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051014Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7504
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004377 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KIRF SA BA IR KU
SUBJECT: SECTARIAN TENSION IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OVER BOOK 
DISTRIBUTED BY SHIA MINISTER -- CORRECTED COPY 
 
Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 
 
¶1.  (U)  Abdul Hadi Al-Salih, the Minister for National 
Assembly Affairs and one of two Shi'a ministers in the 
Kuwaiti government, sparked a rare public Sunni-Shi'a row 
when he distributed to MPs over Ramadan a book of prayers, 
called Al-Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyya (available in English at 
http://www.shia.org/Sahifa/index.htm).  The prayers were 
written by Zain Al-Abdeen, a figure revered by Shi'as because 
he was the prophet Mohammad's great-grandson through the line 
of Ali and Mohammad's daughter Fatima.  Salafi-leaning MP 
Abdullah Akkash publicly objected because the book's 
introduction (not written by Zain Al-Abdeen) slights the 
early Islamic Omayyad dynasty (Note:  The Omayyads took over 
the mantle of leadership of Islam after the death of Ali. 
The disagreement over succession to Mohammad and especially 
to Ali led to the Shi'a-Sunni split, with the Shi'a 
supporting the descendants of the prophet and the Sunnis 
supporting the Omayyads.  End Note.)  A conservative Sunni 
Islamic political association, the Nation Invariables 
Grouping, called for Al-Salih to apologize and resign, 
threatening to hold Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Mohammad 
Al-Sabah responsible if Al-Salih remained as minister.  A 
number of MPs have sought to defuse the strident rhetoric by 
proposing that the National Assembly form a committee to 
"fight sectarianism, ensure moderation, and safeguard 
national unity."  The committee would look back to Islamic 
sources and precedents to find answers to modern problems. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Comment:  The ostensible purpose of the new 
committee would be non-sectarian, and prominent Shi'a cleric 
Mohammad Al-Mohri endorsed the proposal.  However,  any 
attempt to join Sunnis and Shi'as together to look back at 
history would almost inevitably stir up the enmity that can 
be glossed over in dealing with everyday problems.  The 
incident highlights how easily tension between Sunni and 
Shi'a can be provoked, despite Kuwait's positive record on 
Sunni-Shi'a relations.  Among Sunnis in Kuwait, distrust 
towards the Shi'a persists, most notably within the military 
and, as in this case, the most ideologically extreme Sunni 
Islamists.  Regional tensions have raised these questions 
anew for some Kuwaiti Sunnis.  For now, Sunni-Shi'a squabbles 
cause relatively little public outcry and few direct 
consequences.  If regional tensions increase or if Salafi 
Islamists significantly increase their influence, however, 
such incidents will be less easily contained.  End Comment. 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
LeBaron