VZCZCXRO1110
PP RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #4610/01 3441037
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 101037Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7829
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004610 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP AND R 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2016 
TAGS: PGOV KISL CVIS KU ISLAMISTS
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC AFFAIRS UNDERSECRETARY: MODERATION 
CONFERENCE SUCCESSFUL, INVITES FURTHER U.S. ENGAGEMENT 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 4467 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 4416 
     ¶C. KUWAIT 4389 
     ¶D. KUWAIT 4178 
     ¶E. KUWAIT 3650 
     ¶F. KUWAIT 3169 
 
Classified By: DCM Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C/NF)  Summary:  Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs 
Undersecretary Dr. Adel Al-Falah told the DCM on December 5 
that the Ministry's recent conference in Washington had been 
a great success, though he provided few details about the 
proceedings.  He said the Ministry is looking forward to 
holding another conference in the U.S. in 2007 and requested 
suggestions from the USG of people who could participate in 
preparatory workshops.  Al-Falah rebutted domestic criticism 
of the moderation project, saying that Islamist leaders were 
jealous of the Ministry's success as a leader in Islamic 
affairs in Kuwait.  The Minister briefed the DCM about the 
moderation training program for imams and offered to provide 
Post with the training materials.  Al-Falah asked the USG to 
reconsider its refusal to issue a visa to Dr. Essam 
Al-Bashir, head of the Ministry's World Moderation Center 
(refs A and C).  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C/NF)  The DCM met with Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic 
Affairs Undersecretary Dr. Adel Al-Falah on December 5 at the 
headquarters of the World Moderation Center to get a readout 
of the conference the Ministry held in Washington from 
November 17 - 19.  Al-Falah was very pleased with the 
conference and said nearly all the Ministry's goals were 
achieved.  He said bringing together so many important 
American Muslim leaders was a significant achievement in 
itself and that the conference put special emphasis on 
Muslims being good citizens in the countries where they live. 
 He provided few details on the conference proceedings, but 
promised to provide some documentation at a later date. 
Mutlaq Rashid Al-Qarawi, Assistant Undersecretary for Holy 
Quran, Islamic Studies, and Hajj Affairs, said American 
Muslims were pleasantly surprised that the conference was 
substantive and provided a fresh, productive look at Islam 
rather than the usual rhetoric.  Both Al-Qarawi and Al-Falah 
noted that attendees were very enthusiastic about another 
such conference in the U.S. and asked that it occur within 
the next year.  Al-Falah suggested holding several workshops 
before the convening of the next conference in the U.S. and 
asked that the U.S. suggest names of Americans who could 
participate. 
 
¶3.  (C/NF)  Al-Falah said the moderation project would 
continue moving forward though it might have to slow down 
because of pressure from the National Assembly.  He said that 
while most MPs support the moderation project, some are 
"jealous" of the Ministry's success in Islamic outreach. 
These MPs, according to Al-Falah, see the Ministry's success 
as a threat to their status as Islamic leaders and therefore 
make petty criticisms of the Ministry in order to bolster 
their own Islamic credentials.  (Note: Many MPs have 
criticized what they see as lavish amounts spent on this and 
other conferences.  End Note.)  In a separate meeting with 
PolOff on December 6, Shi'a MP Hassan Jowhar sharply 
criticized the moderation project, saying the speakers at the 
moderation conferences were "all extremists".  This sentiment 
is shared by many Kuwaiti liberals. 
 
¶4.  (C/NF)  The DCM asked for more information on the 
Ministry's program to train imams in moderation (ref B). 
Al-Falah recounted how a previous Awqaf Minister, faced with 
a shortage of Islamic studies graduates, began to recruit 
imams from other fields of study.  Lacking proper training 
and context, these imams were more likely to have extremist 
interpretations of terms such as "Jihad."  He pointed to 
engineering and medical students as especially dangerous 
since they are smart but have incomplete knowledge. The imam 
training, Al-Falah said, was designed to fill in the gaps in 
some imams' intellectual backgrounds.  He offered to provide 
Post with all the training materials as well as video of the 
training sessions. 
 
¶5.  (C/NF)  Al-Falah made special note of the Ministry's 
disappointment that World Moderation Leader Dr. Essam 
Al-Bashir did not receive a visa.  He said that Al-Bashir had 
extensive connections and a distinguished background and had 
"a very clear picture of moderation in his mind."  Al-Falah 
stressed that Al-Bashir would be a key part of all future 
moderation activities.  The DCM noted that background 
information on Al-Bashir made a visa impossible.  Al-Falah 
appealed to the U.S. to forgive a person for what he might 
 
KUWAIT 00004610  002 OF 002 
 
 
have done in his youth. 
 
********************************************* * 
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