VZCZCXRO8307
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1284 2091416
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281416Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5561
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001284 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA, NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR, JSC 
FOR SELVA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PROP PTER KWBG KPAL KISL IS
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS ON MOSQUES, HAMAS, 
AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmud al 
Habbash outlined progress in the Palestinian Authority (PA) 
government's campaign against mosque incitement in a July 16 
meeting.  Compliance with mandatory PA sermons in the West 
Bank's 1,800 mosques is now over ninety percent, he claimed. 
The PA is now focused on removing problematic staff and 
training a new generation of clergy in its religious schools. 
 Al Habbash claimed politicization of Hamas mosques has led 
some Gazans to shift to independent mosques instead, and he 
raised concerns over Israeli National Police (INP) actions at 
the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif.  End Summary. 
 
Compliance With Mandatory Sermons "Over Ninety Percent" 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a July 16 meeting with Polchief, al Habbash 
described the ongoing PA campaign against incitement in 
mosques.  He said the situation in the West Bank's 1,800 
mosques has improved dramatically in recent months as a 
government campaign to monitor Friday sermons takes hold. 
"Every mosque belongs to the state in theory," he said, "but 
we didn't really control any of them before."  The first step 
in the PA's effort was to distribute a document containing 
"key points" for Friday sermons to all West Bank mosques, he 
said.  The document also prohibits incitement or criticism of 
the PA.  An investigative division under the ministry 
prepares a twice-monthly compliance report based on feedback 
from government employees and the security services. 
Compliance rates have risen from around twenty percent at the 
inception of the program to over ninety percent today, he 
claimed. 
 
Next Steps: Firings, Training New Generation 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Al Habbash said that, despite this success, some 
employees have refused to accept the PA's policy of 
separating politics from the mosques.  "There is a clear 
difference between those who serve religion and those who use 
it for political purposes," he said, adding, "you can see 
clearly who is obeying and who is not."  For that reason, al 
Habbash said, the ministry recently initiated a second stage 
in the campaign focused on forcibly retiring problematic 
mosque staff. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The third stage in the PA campaign against 
incitement is to revamp the religious education system, al 
Habbash said.  "Some of what children learn comes from inside 
the mosques," he noted, "but (training in) the Qu'ran and the 
Hadith outside of schools is very important.  It is here they 
learn Hamas equals religion, Fatah are pagans, and the U.S. 
is evil."  In order to address the situation, he said, the PA 
had reformed the eight religious schools under the ministry. 
"Soon we will have trained 400 new imams who are loyal to the 
PA, who teach religion (and not factional) politics," he 
said. 
 
Hamas Mosques Losing Some of Their Followers? 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) In response to a question on the situation in the 
Gaza mosques, al Habbash said "ninety percent" remain under 
Hamas' control, with the remainder divided among Salafists, 
Sufis, and radical groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 
Al Habbash, who once ran the Islamic Dawa in Gaza before he 
left Hamas in 1994, said the politicized message in Hamas-run 
mosques had alienated some Gazans.  Consequently, attendance 
at independent mosques is on the rise, he claimed. 
 
INP Actions at the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Finally, al Habbash expressed concern over INP 
actions at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.  He claimed the 
INP had prevented "necessary" repairs at the site and cited 
cases of mistreatment of female worshippers.  Although he 
acknowledged his ministry has no direct authority in the 
matter, he said he travels to Jerusalem frequently and 
remains in touch with the Office of the Awqaf there.  He said 
the situation had worsened since PM Netanyahu came into 
office and could "ignite" if not addressed. 
WALLES