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DE RUEHDBU #0724/01 1601127
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R 091127Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0413
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0915

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000724 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR, SCA AND INR/R/MR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO KISL KDEM PHUM TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK AUDIENCE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AND RECEPTIVE TO OBAMA 
SPEECH 
 
REF: DUSHANBE 688 
 
DUSHANBE 00000724  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: In Tajikistan, an extremely poor country where 
97% of the population is Muslim, few people watched the speech, 
either because it was broadcast in English or because it was 
available only via satellite and few had receivers.  An audience 
of 40 came to watch the speech at the embassy and shared their 
views with guest reporters.  A local TV station re-broadcast the 
speech on the primetime news, and a local wire service posted 
the Russian version of the speech on June 5.  In the initial 
wave of reaction, public opinion was guarded.  While commending 
Obama's "unprecedented" overture to the Muslim world, most 
objected to perceived favoritism for Israel in the Middle East 
conflict.  Academics and civil society leaders asked for copies 
of the speech to teach in discussions and college courses.  End 
summary. 
 
 
 
Embassy Event Kicks Off Debate 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) By invitation, an audience of 40 religious leaders, USG 
program alumni, advanced placement high school students, 
political analysts, and media watched the speech at the embassy 
and then offered assessments and pull aside interviews with 
media.  Almost everyone commented on the President's remarks 
concerning relations among Israelis, Palestinians, and the Arab 
world. 
 
 
 
"Israel is Not the Victim" 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) Vohidkhon Qosiddinov, deputy chairman of Tajikistan's 
Islamic Renaissance Party, said the conflict between the United 
States and Muslim world would be resolved only when the U.S. 
seeks improved relations with all Muslim countries, including 
Iran, and not just Arab countries.  He said that "America is 
legalizing terror by Israel" and that "since 1948 all UN 
resolutions were ignored by Israel, so let's not portray them as 
victims."  He "liked the point on women's rights" and noted: 
"The hijab itself does not violate the rights of women; denying 
access to education violates their rights."  Qosiddinov 
considered Obama's speech an "unprecedented" gesture by the 
United States to the Muslim world and he hoped the speech would 
turn a new page in history of relations between the United 
States and Muslim countries. 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) Nurali Shoev, editor of an English language newspaper, 
attended the embassy viewing and said he only started practicing 
his faith while living in the United States for 10 years.  "I 
lived in the U.S. for 10 years and I saw how attitudes toward 
Muslims changed after 9/11.  It is unfortunate that this event 
impacted relations with Muslims in such a negative way.  This 
speech was overall very good and if things said are implemented 
in practice, there will be results."  Shoev said he expected 
more about how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 
since "people around the world judge U.S. attitudes towards 
Islam based on the situation in the Middle East." 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) Muhibullo Dodojanov, deputy chairman of the Central 
Election Commission, said "Obama tried to unite Muslims and 
Christians together through the message that there is only one 
God above all of us.  This is a very good approach.  We will 
also try to go back and promote this message from our side." 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) Rashid Ghani Abdullo, a nationally known political 
scientist (and disgruntled former embassy employee), said the 
United States continues to divide the countries of the Middle 
East by favoring countries "near Americans' hearts" at the 
expense those who are not.  He said the speech provided no proof 
that the unequal approach had changed.  He believed Obama's 
desire to change the situation was not voluntary, but derived 
from a pragmatic understanding that the defeat in Afghanistan 
and Iraq was bringing "more harm than good to the U.S." 
 
DUSHANBE 00000724  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
 
 
Speech Repeats "Empty Promise" about Middle East Peace 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda, a former Majilis deputy who 
resigned his seat in protest over Tajikistan's controversial Law 
on Religion, did not attend the embassy event, but watched the 
speech in Arabic on Al Jazeera.  He told Emboff he was expecting 
more specific proposals regarding peace in the Middle East, 
instead of a repeat of a promise that had already been made -but 
not fulfilled - by President Bush.  Turajonzoda said that peace 
was not possible in the Islamic world while the Middle East 
remained unstable.  He said the speech mentioned Jewish victims, 
but not the Muslims who had been killed and tortured in various 
parts of the world.  He thought Obama had some success in 
burnishing America's image, in part by highlighting the 
religious freedom of Muslims in America. 
 
 
 
Speech "Important Event in Global Policy" 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) In an interview with Asia Plus June 5, political analyst 
Rustam Haidarov said he believes that Obama's address to Muslims 
is "one of the most important events in global policy" and he 
believes that it will "without a doubt be positively evaluated 
in many Muslim countries and possibly lead to a diminishing of 
the allies of extremism."  Regarding the Afghan conflict closer 
to home, he expressed hope that "having recognized that the 
Afghan problem cannot be solved by military means, the U.S. will 
start to cooperate with border countries, including Tajikistan, 
which could make a positive investment in establishing peace." 
 
 
 
¶9. (U) In a June 6 Asia Plus interview, political scientist 
Abdullo Hakim Rahnamo said, "In his historic speech Obama 
recognized that imposing values on another country is simply not 
possible.  One could sense in Obama's words his shame of U.S. 
policy regarding relations with the Muslim world for the past 
decade.  At the same time, Obama somehow avoided mentioning the 
actions of the United States and called on all to forget the 
past.  It would have been more effective if the president had 
summoned the courage to admit all the mistakes committed for the 
past eight years by the American leadership, including in 
relations with the Muslim world."  Rahnamo expressed hope that 
Obama's speech would have a positive impact on the Middle East 
peace process. 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) RFE/RL's Tajik bureau published the Ambassador's comment 
that the speech in Cairo as "the beginning of a new U.S. 
strategy towards the Muslim world."  She pointed to the increase 
of exchange programs for students and professionals as one of 
the most immediate outcomes of the new strategy. 
 
 
 
Results and Reverberations 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶11. (U) All media at the embassy event reported excerpts and 
commentary, including a national state channel Jahonnamo 
(audience share of about 600,000), the independently owned radio 
stations Imruz and Asia Plus (combined audience share of 
700,000), the independently owned wire service Asia Plus (1 
million), and RFE/RL.  An independent TV station SMT (50,000 
viewers) broadcast the speech in its entirety during prime time 
and included comment by the embassy audience.  SMT also plans a 
debate on the speech the week of June 8 for an analytical 
program. 
 
 
 
¶12. (U) The embassy-sponsored viewing brought together 
 
DUSHANBE 00000724  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
influential opinion makers and media to initiate a debate about 
this important foreign policy issue.  Several NGO leaders and 
academics asked for copies to use in public discussions about 
Muslim relations and in university courses.  After the embassy 
posted the Russian and Persian versions of the speech on the 
mission Web site June 6, local wire services linked to the 
speech and posted more interviews and comment about it.  The 
speech was delivered on a Thursday, after the weekly papers had 
been issued, but interest is surging.  To meet the demand, the 
embassy is disseminating DVDs of the speech and print copies in 
Russian and Tajik. 
JACOBSON