VZCZCXRO8860
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDH #0210/01 2221602
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 101602Z AUG 09
FM AMCONSUL DHAHRAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0227
INFO RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0202
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 0038
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDH/AMCONSUL DHAHRAN 0306

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAHRAN 000210 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ARP JOSHUA HARRIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  8/10/2019 
TAGS: KIRF KISL PGOV PHUM SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI SHI'A CELEBRATE IMAM AL-MAHDI'S BIRTHDAY 
 
DHAHRAN 00000210  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Kevin Kreutner, Acting Consul General, EXEC, DOS. 
 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
SUMMARY: 
 
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¶1. (C/NF) The Shi'a of Qatif openly celebrated the birthday of 
Imam al-Mahdi -- who is recognized by most Shi'a as the twelfth 
and final (hidden) Imam -- on August 6 with impromptu public 
plays, free food, and candy for the children.  PolOff and two 
EmbOffs from Riyadh visited Qatif during the festivities and met 
with several residents.  Though the police were noticeably 
present, the celebrations were allowed to proceed without 
interference.  However, Shi'a blogs reported that in al-Ahsa, a 
large  oasis with a large Shi'a population some 200 miles south 
of Qatif, security forces dismantled preparations for the 
celebration and harassed several event organizers.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
THE "NASFA" CELEBRATION IN QATIF: 
 
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¶2. (C/NF) PolOff and two EmbOffs were invited by Ali al-Marzouk 
(protect), a longtime Qatifi contact, to attend the annual 
"Nasfa" celebration of Imam al-Mahdi's birthday.  Nasfa is 
observed by Shi'a the world over and is a national holiday in 
Iran.  The Qatif oasis, comprised almost exclusively of Shi'a, 
has publicly celebrated Nasfa for decades with minimal 
government interference.  Aside from a couple of extra 
checkpoints and a slightly larger police presence, the residents 
were allowed to carry out their festivities unhindered. 
 
 
 
¶3. (C/NF) In the interest of maintaining a low profile, PolOff 
and EmbOffs spent most of the visit in private homes and a 
restaurant.  However, a windshield tour of several villages 
comprising the Qatif oasis demonstrated the unusually public and 
festive nature of the event.  Families were walking the streets 
and eating free food, while the children went door-to-door 
collecting candy and treats from their neighbors.  Homes and 
main thoroughfares were decorated with lights, small temporary 
monuments, and impromptu theaters were erected in open spaces. 
In general, large public gatherings like these are rare in Saudi 
Arabia, especially when gender mixing is unavoidable.  Moreover, 
Nasfa in particular celebrates the birth of a religious figure 
not recognized by the Kingdom's conservative Sunni establishment. 
 
 
 
¶4. (C/NF) One Qatifi resident explained that Nasfa has grown 
significantly and become more festive over the last decade.  He 
likened it to a political statement intended for the government 
from the Qatifi Shi'a that, despite  persecution, they will 
carry on prominently with their traditions.  (COMMENT:  Other 
contacts have made similar comments about the growing popularity 
of Ashura in recent years -- another major Shi'a occasion 
commemorated later in the year.  END COMMENT.) 
 
 
 
POLICE BREAK UP AL-AHSA CELEBRATIONS: 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶5. (C/NF) According to prominent Shi'a online news sources, some 
residents of the al-Ahsa oasis (50%-60% of the population is 
Shi'a) were not permitted to celebrate Imam al-Mahdi's birthday 
publically.  The police reportedly took down temporary monuments 
and other fixtures assembled for the occasion in the al-Ahsa 
town of Bani Maan.  It was also reported that police confiscated 
the identification cards of the event organizers and demanded 
that they report to the police station at a later time.  PolOff 
and EmbOffs did not have a chance to visit the al-Ahsa area. 
 
 
 
COMMENT: 
 
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DHAHRAN 00000210  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6. (C/NF) Qatif continues to enjoy a certain degree of autonomy 
to practice their minority sect's religious beliefs; something 
rarely afforded to the Saudi Shi'a in other parts of the 
Kingdom.  The reported harassment in al-Ahsa of Nasfa organizers 
has become an increasingly common feature for the Shi'a 
community in this historic oasis.  Most contacts attribute the 
uptick in Shi'a mosque closings, arrests, and generally more 
restrictive environment to HH Prince Badr bin Mohammed bin 
Abdullah bin Jiluwi Al Saud, the governor of al-Ahsa.  (NOTE: 
Prince Badr was appointed as governor of al-Ahsa in 1997 and 
King Abdullah recently extended his term another four years. END 
NOTE.)  Also, Saudi authorities have recently closed several 
Shi'a mosques in the commercial city of al-Khobar.  Opposition 
to the closings has drawn increasing support and attention among 
the Shi'a community as well as tolerant Sunni leaders.  Post 
will report on the al-Khobar mosque closings in a separate 
cable.  END COMMENT. 
KREUTNER