VZCZCXRO6805
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHRL #1841/01 2771519
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041519Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9417
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001841 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: GM KIRF KISL PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: IFTAR DIPLOMACY 
 
 
¶1. (U)  Summary:  For the third year, Ambassador and Mrs. 
Timken led senior Mission Germany staff in hosting Iftar 
dinners and events, a major element in the Mission's Muslim 
Engagement activities.  This year, the venues were Berlin, 
Cologne, Frankfurt, and Munich.  Muslim guests uniformly 
praised the Ambassador for undertaking this outreach and 
suggested that the Ambassador's example, in part, has 
encouraged some senior German officials to take similar 
steps.  Iftar dinners have become an important way for 
Mission Germany to reinforce relationships with key Muslim 
community leaders as well as set a positive example to German 
officials and Muslim Germans -- of celebration of common 
values and respect for cultural differences -- as they work 
towards integration.  End summary. 
 
Ambassador Hosts Iftars 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  On September 19, the Ambassador welcomed over 60 
representatives of the Muslim communities, as well as other 
German political and community leaders involved in 
integration efforts, to his Berlin residence for a program on 
cultural exchange, including a traditional Iftar reception. 
Dr. Richard Wilke from the Washington-based Pew Research 
Center began the evening by presenting recent reports from 
the Pew Global Attitudes Project on attitudes towards Muslims 
in the U.S. and Europe.  Following his lecture, three Muslim 
Germans recounted their overwhelmingly positive impressions 
of the U.S. from their recent exchange programs, including 
the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). 
 
¶3. (U)  Five nights later, the Ambassador hosted a sit-down 
Iftar dinner at his residence which allowed for frank and 
open discussion on issues of concern to Germany's 
multi-faceted Muslim communities.  Muslim guests included 
Afghanistan's Ambassador to Germany Maliha Zulfacar, federal 
parliamentarian Hakki Keskin, Berlin parliamentarian Ozcan 
Mutlu, noted women's rights advocate Seyran Ates, and 
community activist Badr Mohammed.  Also in attendance were 
Berlin's Integration Commissioner Guenther Piening and the 
Federal Interior Ministry's Islam Advisor Ali Aslan, himself 
a Muslim.  Echoing the sentiments of the Muslim guests, 
Mohammed noted that the Ambassador's Iftar invitation was the 
first that he has ever received in Germany from a non-Muslim 
organization, including the Turkish government.  This point 
was clearly intended as a signal to German government 
officials -- specifically, that they should also engage in 
this type of engagement with the Muslim communities. 
 
If Mohammed Can't Come to the Mountain,... 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U)  The Ambassador also traveled to our consular 
districts to host large Iftar dinners.  On September 25 in 
Cologne, the Ambassador and Duesseldorf Consul General Boyse 
hosted a broad group of 35 leaders from each of the five 
major Muslim religious organizations (Ayyub Axel Koehler of 
the Coordinating Council of Muslims and the Central Council 
of Muslims, Sadi Arslan of DITIB, Ali Kizilkaya of the Islam 
Council, and Mehmet Yilmaz of the Association of Islamic 
Cultural Center), women's groups, Kurdish and Alevite 
organizations, as well as parliamentarians, state and local 
politicians, activists in interfaith dialogue, and 
journalists.  The Ambassador selected Cologne because of its 
significance as the unofficial "Capital of German Islam."  In 
Munich, the Ambassador and Consul General Nelson hosted an 
Iftar dinner for 50 guests, including the Bavarian Minister 
of Justice and IVLP alumna Dr. Beate Merk and Munich Lord 
Mayor Christian Ude.  Although guests noted that they would 
be honored by an Ambassadorial invitation even in Berlin, 
they were particularly impressed by the Ambassador's 
thoughtfulness in hosting events in their local regions, 
which precluded the necessity of travel during Ramadan. 
 
¶5. (U)  Both the Cologne and Munich events drew favorable 
attention in both German and Turkish electronic and print 
media.  For example, the Muenchner Merkur, with a circulation 
of 230,000, ran an in-depth article on "Muslim-American 
Understanding on Munich Soil."  Prominent media outlet and 
ARD affiliate B5 radio aired a 3 minute, 40 second report on 
CG Munich's Iftar activities.  Articles on the dinner in 
Cologne appeared in the Koelner Stadt-Amzeiger/Koelnische 
Rundshau as well as Turkish-based outlets Huerriyet, Turkyie, 
Milliyet, Zaman, and Sabah.  Radio Koeln carried a 2 minute 
interview with the Ambassador. 
 
¶6. (U)  In addition to the Ambassador's events, Frankfurt 
Consul General Powell hosted an Iftar dinner in Frankfurt on 
September 25 and attended an Iftar dinner in Wiesbaden with 
Hesse Minister-President Roland Koch on September 27. Munich 
 
BERLIN 00001841  002 OF 002 
 
 
CG Nelson joined IVLP alumnus Imam Benjamin Idriz in hosting 
an Iftar at the latter's mosque on September 25.  Mission 
staff at all levels also accepted invitations to Iftars 
hosted by Muslim contacts in Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, 
Hamburg, and Munich. 
 
German Government to Follow Ambassador's Example 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶7. (SBU)  As in past years, many guests opined that 
high-ranking German officials such as the Chancellery's 
Integration Commissioner Maria Boehmer and Interior Minister 
Wolfgang Schaeuble should host Iftar dinners as well.  The 
Ambassador interjected that Boehmer will indeed host an Iftar 
this year, while Interior Ministry official Aslan noted that 
Schaeuble is planning one this October as well.  Several 
guests expressed the opinion that these government-hosted 
Iftars, brand-new in Germany, are a direct result of the U.S. 
Mission's extremely active and increasingly visible Muslim 
engagement activities. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (U)  Mission Germany is increasingly using Iftar events as 
opportunities to engage with a broader spectrum of contacts 
from NGOs, government agencies, politicians, and others, in 
addition to religious and secular Muslim contacts.  Feedback 
has thus far been very positive; this is a direction we 
intend to continue with future years' Iftars. 
 
¶9. (U)  This report includes input from ConGens Duesseldorf, 
Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. 
TIMKEN JR