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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNR #1398/01 1880503
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070503Z JUL 09 (CCY ADX874211 MSI2580-623)
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0213
INFO RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 6618
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3297
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 4052
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0576

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001398 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y ADDED SUBJECT TAG 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PPD ANYASO, EHRNMAN, WHITMAN, KELLEY; 
IIP Murphy, Domowitz; AF/E Driano 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KPAO KMDR KE
SUBJECT: President's Cairo Speech -- Adding Zest to Muslim Outreach 
 
¶1. Summary.  Muslim outreach has been one of the Mission's 
priorities.  Reaching out to Muslim academies in Nairobi and regular 
contact work in Kenya's Muslim areas -- the coast and northeast 
particularly -- has been central to the Mission's public diplomacy 
efforts.  The Embassy amplified the impact of the President's June 4 
Cairo speech by inviting Somali and Kenyan Muslims to view it in the 
Embassy and participate in a panel discussion led by the Ambassador. 
 Both the media and public reacted very positively to the speech. 
The Ambassador then traveled to Mombasa on June 22 to engage with 
Muslim and civil society leaders and youth.  On June 25 - 27, 
Mission officers visited Muslim communities in western Kenya.  The 
President's speech reinforced the Mission's ongoing Muslim outreach 
and has become a reference point for Kenyan Muslims.  We are 
continuing these outreach efforts.  End summary. 
 
--------------- 
Historic Moment 
--------------- 
 
¶2.  All five Kenyan television stations and most FM radio stations 
covered the President's June 4 Cairo speech live.  The Mission 
attempted to maximize the speech's impact by organizing a viewing, 
which over 80 Kenyan and Somali Muslim leaders, Imams, Muslim 
academy teachers and students, and civil society and NGO members 
attended.  The audience reacted enthusiastically whenever the 
President made reference to passages in the Koran and contributions 
made by Muslims.  After the speech, the Ambassador led a 90-minute 
panel discussion.  On the panel, in addition to the Ambassador, were 
a Kenyan MP, an Imam from Nairobi's main Jamia Mosque, and two 
Somali political analysts. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Immediate Reaction:  A New Beginning for All 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  The immediate reaction to the speech was positive and 
enthusiastic.  During the lively and, at times, emotional panel 
discussion, the most frequent comment by the participants was that 
finally, there could be a new beginning.  Many noted the President's 
"courage" and "candor."  Kenyan MP Amina Abdalla suggested that the 
new beginning should be for both sides.  She challenged Kenyan 
Muslims to reflect on their role in fostering the problems that have 
troubled Muslims' relations with the rest of the world.  Ambassador 
of Somalia to Kenya Ali Mohamed Nur echoed her sentiment, saying 
that "In Somalia, we are all Muslims, yet there is no peace.  We 
need to cultivate peace.  Muslims need to re-examine themselves." 
The participating SUPKEM (Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims) leaders 
were more restrained in their comments.  However, they welcomed the 
speech as a first step toward real rapprochement, but emphasized the 
need for follow-up real action by the U.S. 
 
¶4.  During the discussion, a few contentious points emerged:  the 
Israel-Palestinian conflict, where many alleged "blind" support for 
and "preferential" treatment of Israel by the U.S.; the U.S.'s 
"consistent" post-9/11 portrayal of Muslims as terrorists; and the 
Somali quagmire, which the U.S.'s "bad" policy had ushered in. 
SUPKEM's Deputy Chairman, Abdullahi Kiptanui, argued that as long as 
the U.S. continued to side with Israel, Muslims of the world would 
not take the President's overture to them seriously.  The Ambassador 
frankly addressed these comments. 
 
--------------------------- 
Full Court Media Engagement 
--------------------------- 
 
¶5.  After the panel discussion, the Ambassador reinforced the 
President's messages with the media that were present.  The 
Ambassador also participated in a panel discussion on Mombasa's 
major Muslim radio station, Radio Rahma with that city's Muslim 
leaders.  Post distributed the speech to all media, both Kenyan and 
international, based in Nairobi, as well as to Muslim academies.  We 
also distributed the speech through the Mission's extensive contact 
database. 
 
------------------------------ 
Reflecting on Kenya's Own Woes 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  The print media coverage focused on Kenyan Muslims' call for 
"action" that would make the President's words believable.  Many 
emphasized Kenya's need for reforms and a new beginning.  Letters to 
the editor in the print media were particularly telling.  Several 
contrasted the American and Kenyan leaderships, noting that U.S. 
leaders embraced change and were making efforts to integrate peoples 
of different shades, nationalities and creeds, while their Kenyan 
counterparts were engaging in endless power games, and driving 
 
wedges between different tribes for their political gains. 
 
-------------------------- 
Continuing to be the Topic 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  The speech figured prominently in morning and evening talk shows 
for several weeks after its delivery.  The East Africa website said 
that "Most Muslims feel that Islam and Muslims have been demonized 
in America and Europe and they are essentially denied the right to 
practice their faith freely in those countries."  Muslim FM stations 
such as Iqra in Nairobi, and Radio Salaama and Rahma in Mombasa 
returned to the speech regularly, encouraging the U.S. government to 
demonstrate its seriousness with concrete action.  Some radio 
commentaries urged the U.S. to pressure Arab states to democratize 
and to promote women's rights in the Middle East. A quick survey 
among the media and public a month after the speech was delivered 
showed that the speech was still a current topic, not just in the 
media but among ordinary Kenyans. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Reaching out to Kenya's Muslim Belt 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  The Ambassador visited Mombasa on June 22 to engage with Muslim 
leaders and youth.  In a one-hour interview with Mombasa's top FM 
station, Radio Baraka, the Ambassador stressed a new beginning based 
on mutual respect and common interests.  The Ambassador hosted a 
working lunch for 20 Muslim leaders.  The participants welcomed the 
proposed new partnership.  They voiced the following concerns: 
 
--Stereotyping of the Muslim population 
--Discrimination and marginalization of Muslims in Kenya 
--Harassment of Muslims by the Kenyan government 
--The Kenyan government's anti-terrorism policy, which 
systematically affects the Muslim population negatively 
--Funding restrictions on Muslim organizations 
--Last-minute cancellation of Delta direct flights as a sign of lack 
of trust between the U.S. and Kenya 
--Kenya, in particular Mombasa, as the dumping ground for Somali 
pirates 
 
The Muslim leaders encouraged expanded engagement between Muslim 
civil society organizations and the Embassy to improve already 
extensive communication.  They also recommended that the Embassy 
consider more exchange programs for the Muslim population. 
 
¶9.   The Ambassador also called on the Chief Kadhi. The Chief Kadhi 
termed the President's speech a positive step and praised its 
non-confrontational nature.  He requested the Ambassador to assist 
in lifting the funding restrictions on Muslim organizations. 
Expressing concern for recruitment efforts by al-Shabaab in Kenya, 
the Chief Kadhi requested assistance in promoting dialogue among 
young Muslims and strengthening ties between the Embassy and coastal 
Muslim youth organizations. 
 
¶10.  The highlight of the visit was an open-air town-hall meeting 
which the Ambassador conducted with over 1000 youth.  The consensus 
was that the speech was a good beginning which they welcomed, and 
they would be waiting for the U.S.'s concrete action.  Several youth 
stressed that the way forward was via resolution of the 
Israel-Palestine conflict.  Many criticized the U.S.'s "wrongdoings" 
in the past which contributed to the characterization of Muslims as 
terrorists.  They were particularly emotional about the alleged 
collaboration between the U.S. and Kenyan governments to crack down 
Muslim organizations.  According to them, while criminal youth 
groups like the Mungiki thrive without police interference, the 
Kenyan government, supported by the U.S., continued to harass Muslim 
youths on the coast.  The Ambassador discussed these issues 
extensively and made clear the U.S. Government's commitment to 
assist Kenya in its reform efforts. 
 
----------------------------- 
Pockets of Muslim Communities 
----------------------------- 
 
¶11.  Public diplomacy officer visited western Kenya June 25-27.  In 
villages in the Kendu Bay area where the Muslim side of the 
President's family came from, she was told that a cheering crowd 
watched the speech.  An Imam recounted the experience, saying, "It 
was an odd sight to see Muslims cheering an American President.  We 
had not seen that for such a long time."   In this Luo land, where 
President Obama cannot do anything wrong, the reaction to the speech 
was overwhelmingly positive.  The only discontent came from the 
perception that the U.S. focused its Muslim outreach programs too 
much on the coast.  At an open-air session with over 700 students of 
a mixed-faith school, we covered the main points of the President's 
 
speech.  A discussion of equal opportunities for girls produced 
questions on women's rights in traditional societies. 
 
-------------------- 
Continuous Nurturing 
-------------------- 
 
¶12.  Muslim outreach has been and remains a Mission priority. 
Although Muslims represent less than 12 percent of the population 
and are considered to be "moderate," reaching out to them is 
important, especially with Somalia so close and extremism making its 
presence felt in Kenya.  The Mission plans to expand its Muslim 
outreach programs both in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya.  We are 
also planning to bring American Muslim scholars and religious 
leaders to speak to Muslim youth. 
Ranneberger