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DE RUEHRL #3529/01 3521640
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181640Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6451
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHWW/BAGHDAD GULF WAR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 003529 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: GM KISL PTER
SUBJECT: ENGAGING MUSLIMS IN GERMANY ON U.S. FOREIGN POLICY 
 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Mission Germany has expanded its Muslim 
engagement efforts to include a series of roundtable 
discussions on U.S. foreign policy with prominent members of 
Germany's Muslim communities.  Despite skepticism and 
suspicion from some interlocutors, most are keen to express 
their political views to the U.S. government.  The goal of 
this ongoing "Foreign Policy Roundtable" is to counter 
misperceptions and misinformation about U.S. policies, 
develop a sense of shared interests and perceptions even if 
disagreements on specific policies continue, and, through the 
multiplier effect of our interlocutors, help undermine the 
bases for extremism and anti-Americanism among Muslims. 
Mission Germany welcomes participation in future Roundtable 
discussions by State Department officials with expertise 
on/responsibilities for issues of interest to Muslim 
communities here, including Middle East issues.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  Mission Germany has built extensive relationships with 
the many diverse Muslim communities in Germany.  Our contacts 
include leaders of all the major Muslim religious groups and 
of many non-religious organizations for persons from largely 
Muslim countries; academics with Muslim background active on 
Muslim, immigration, and other political issues; politicians 
and government officials of Muslim background; and community 
activists.  In addition to existing cultural and public 
affairs activities, Mission Germany has stepped up efforts to 
engage Muslims in Germany on foreign policy matters.  Using 
the goodwill fostered by previous engagement efforts, we seek 
to explain our foreign policy to key Muslim community leaders 
in a collegial, receptive environment. 
 
Countering Myth with Facts 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Through our roundtables, we seek to reinforce that a) the 
fight against terrorism is focused on extremists, not on 
Islam, b) we have many shared interests with Muslims, and c) 
the U.S. has often stood alongside Muslims (e.g., 
Afghanistan, Bosnia, Indonesia, Iraq, Kosovo, Kuwait, and 
Pakistan) in pursuit of shared political and humanitarian 
interests.  A better understanding of our foreign policy and 
an awareness of frequent past collaboration would be a major 
step forward. 
 
¶4.  Since early November, Embassy Berlin has hosted three 
Foreign Policy Roundtables with Muslim leaders with the 
participation of visiting State Department officials who are 
experts in policy issues of interest to these key Muslim 
contacts.  EUR/SE Director Doug Silliman led the first 
roundtable on November 6 which drew, among others, European 
Parliament member Cem Oezdemir.  The session centered on 
Turkey and Cyprus issues.  Silliman also was able to 
authoritatively and completely counter misperceptions about 
alleged U.S. support of the PKK.  In the second session, 
which focused on Afghanistan, Thomas Johnson (USAID Director 
in Kabul) clearly described many American-led reconstruction 
efforts which the attendees were previously unaware of.  On 
December 7, Charles King Mallory, NEA Senior Advisor, led the 
discussion on a new strategic landscape in the Middle East. 
Eight prominent Muslims attended the event.  They represented 
DITIB (the major Turkish organization in Germany supported by 
the Turkish government), the Turkish Community of Germany, 
the Association of Islamic Culture Centers, the Alevitan 
Community of Germany, the European Integration Center, and 
the Heinrich Boell Institute (affiliated with the Green 
Party.)  A Muslim German who works on integration issues at 
the German Interior Ministry also attended. 
 
¶5.  Mallory emphasized the importance of spreading democracy 
in the Middle East, reiterated U.S. support for Turkey's EU 
membership, and underscored the importance of prominent 
Muslims to vociferously renounce violence and extremism as 
political tools.  Discussion of integration into German 
society, religious versus secular representation of Muslims, 
and democracy in the Middle East revealed a wide range of 
viewpoints among Muslim attendees.  Most emphasized that the 
U.S. would find it hard to change the minds of Muslims 
because of their perception of a credibility gap between the 
U.S. and Muslims overseas.  The group was unanimous, however, 
in its desire to see the Foreign Policy Roundtable continue 
on a regular basis. 
 
Overcoming Skepticism 
--------------------- 
 
 
BERLIN 00003529  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  During the course of developing the initiative, Mission 
representatives met in Cologne and Berlin with prominent 
Muslims.  Some organizations, such as DITIB and the liberal 
Alevitan Community, were eager to participate in the 
Roundtable from the start.  Others, such as the Association 
of Islamic Culture Centers and the Islam Council, were 
clearly and openly suspicious of U.S. government motives. 
Poloffs explained that Mission Germany is pursuing Muslim 
engagement because the U.S. and Muslims in Germany share the 
objectives of undermining support for extremists through open 
discussion of common interests and promotion of better Muslim 
integration into European societies. 
 
¶7.  Many of our Muslim contacts have expressed the wish to 
visit the U.S. via mechanisms such as the International 
Visitor (IV) program.  Interestingly, even some contacts who 
come from groups that do not view the U.S. in a positive way 
have expressed eagerness to participate in the IV program. 
Such skeptical Muslim contacts could prove to be the 
program's most valuable participants. 
 
¶8.  Comment:  Mission Germany's experience shows that Muslims 
in Germany want to express their views on foreign policy to 
U.S. government officials.  Participants are probably 
motivated not only by a desire to discuss foreign policy, but 
also to confirm their place in the fragmented landscape of 
Muslim organizations in Germany.  Nonetheless, their desire 
to engage with the U.S. indicates that a window of 
opportunity is open to shape Muslim popular opinion and 
behavior.  End comment. 
KOENIG