VZCZCXRO0219
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHJI #0044/01 0321308
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 011308Z FEB 09
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1141
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 8223

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
RIYADH FOR DHAHRAN; DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KISL OPDC OIC SA
SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST FOR RESPONSE TO OIC SECRETARY 
GENERAL LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA 
 
¶1.  (SBU) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3. 
¶2.  (U) Below is the text of a congratulatory message from 
the Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary General 
Ihsanoglu to President Obama. The letter appears both on the 
OIC website and as an advertisement in the International 
Herald Tribune and the New York Times (01/20/2009): 
BEGIN TEXT: 
"An Invitation to a New Partnership from the organization of 
the Islamic Conference (OIC) to President Barack Obama" 
Dear President Obama, 
With great respect, the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference would like to congratulate you on behalf of the 
Muslim world on your groundbreaking election as President of 
the United States. The Muslim world has cheered your election 
and holds high hopes for your historic presidency. The eyes 
of the world now eagerly await your leadership and the 
fulfilment of your vision, promises, and pledges beyond 
America's shores. 
 
The desire for peace is universal. Yet as the conflicts of 
the last decade have shown, the quest for peace is easily 
frustrated. We warmly welcome your expressed desire to give a 
major address in a Muslim nation soon after you assume the 
presidency and hope that it will mark the beginning of a more 
fruitful and better-informed dialogue between the West and 
the Muslim world. Above all, what is needed is the 
restoration of mutual confidence. Throughout the globe, 
Muslims hunger for a new era of peace, concordance, and 
tranquillity. We firmly believe that America, with your 
guidance, can help foster that peace, though real peace can 
only be shared ) never imposed. A nation can either be great 
or feared, but rarely both at the same time. 
 
Myths: Many myths about Islam, fostered by extremists in both 
the West and East, have proliferated in the last decade, and 
a new word )"Islamophobia") has even entered the world's 
lexicon to describe anti-Muslim acts of prejudice and 
violence. Despite these pernicious myths, you will find that 
Islam is a religion of peace. Tolerance is its benchmark and 
borne of the very nature of Islam. Nor is Islam an exclusive 
religion. It is an integral part of the history of world 
religions. It continues and confirms the previous scriptures. 
Along with Christianity and Judaism, Islam emanates from the 
same part of the world, comes from the same God, and holds to 
the same Prophets, mainly Abraham. It has been tested over 
fourteen hundred years, and shown itself to be a religion of 
compassion, mercy, justice, and equality. 
 
Extremists in any faith or tradition are rare, though they 
often command disproportionate attention. But the often 
overlooked truth is Islam is also the religion of moderation. 
It celebrates diversity and acknowledges and venerates a wide 
array of religions. 
 
Islam, in fact, abhors extremism and fanaticism and calls for 
treading the path of the "middle way" in favor of tolerance 
and reconciliation. It exhorts Muslims to be morally 
responsive to the truth and to goodness, and to be alert to 
all that is false, evil or destructive. 
 
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which I 
have the honor to represent, is not a religious organization. 
After the United Nations, it is the largest official, 
inter-governmental organization in the world. It is composed 
of 57 sovereign states, almost all of whom are secular. The 
population of these states collectively amounts to 1.5 
billion ) or one fourth of humanity. 
 
Moderation and Modernization: One of the OIC's guiding 
principles is to practice "moderation and modernization." To 
cite one example, it was at our demand that the UN General 
Assembly organized a host of events and activities around the 
world to disseminate the idea of "Dialogue among 
civilizations" as an alternative to those who predict a 
coming "clash of civilizations." 
 
We have been alarmed by this tendency to divide the world 
into rival civilizations ) civilized and uncivilized, good 
and evil, friend and enemy. As a youth who spent part of his 
childhood abroad, you are well aware of the dangers of 
stereotyping. We believe you will have a unique opportunity 
to promote tolerance and nurture vibrant multi-cultural 
societies. 
It is for these reasons that the OIC has been in the 
forefront of the Muslim battle against terrorism. 
 
Terrorism is a global phenomenon. It has no specific culture, 
race, or region. The root causes of terrorism are surely 
complicated but they include deprivation, poverty, despair 
 
JEDDAH 00000044  002 OF 002 
 
 
and, most importantly, political injustice. Children do not 
emerge from the womb to announce they will become terrorists. 
They learn to be terrorists when injustice and tragedy are 
twinned with powerlessness. The decades-long suffering of the 
Palestinian people provides only the most recent and potent 
illustration of the link between oppression, injustice, and 
violence. The violence in the Mideast and the Palestinian 
people deserve an urgent and just remedy. 
 
Change and Partnership: The most powerful word in your 
election campaign was "change." Change must make the world a 
better place, correct wrongs and right the twisted. As an 
organization, we too have undergone substantial reform in 
charting an enlightened future for the Muslim world. As 
Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference, I wish to assure you that we will be at your side 
to see that justice prevails and that the forces which are 
out to undo peace are defeated. At the OIC we are firmly 
committed to cooperating with you and your new administraton 
to foster constructive dialogue and facilitat solutions to 
the intractable predicaments plagung the Muslim world and 
beyond. 
 
In this regar, we are keen to build on the commendable 
initiatve taken recently regarding the appointment of a US. 
Special Envoy to the OIC, and openingan office for him in 
the U.S. State Department. We are confident that this useful 
post will be endorsed and perhaps expanded under your 
leadership. 
 
We also look forward to working with the new Secretary of 
State Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is no stranger to the 
Muslim world. In the coming months, we hope to build on the 
existing channel of communication between the United States 
and the OIC and open new ones. 
 
Muslims today, around the world, believe that they have 
compelling strategic and moral reasons to cooperate and 
peacefully co-exist with the United States in particular, and 
with the West in general. Past episodes of short-lived 
misunderstandings should give way to a long future of 
peaceful cohabitation, making use of our shared civilizations 
and values to build a better future for all mankind. As you 
eloquently stated in your election-night acceptance speech in 
November, "our stories are singular but our destiny is 
shared." 
 
END TEXT. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Action Request: Post recommends Department prepare 
an appropriate reply to the OIC. 
QUINN