VZCZCXRO2791
OO RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #2348/01 2261519
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141519Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0813
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002348 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV AF
SUBJECT: AFGHAN ELECTIONS: SNAPSHOTS FROM THE MOSQUES 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  On August 14, the last Friday before 
elections, and four days before the August 18 "blackout" on 
campaign activities begins, some mosques are making a final 
push to encourage voters to go to the polls - while others 
are conveying the message that democracy undermines the power 
of the ulema, or religious elite.  Overall, Afghanistan's 
mosques reflect local concerns, and they are not subsumed 
under a centralized control.  Customarily venues to discuss 
current events as well as places of worship, mosques are part 
of the campaign scene.  End Summary. 
 
---------------------- 
A National Perspective 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  According to Mohamed Aref Rahmani, Senior Advisor to 
the Ministry of Hajj and Islamic Affairs, Afghanistan has 
3,500 "official" mosques and over 200,000 unregulated ones. 
Official mosques have salaried mullahs and respond to state 
control, and the message in these mosques is supposed to be 
only that voting is an important duty of democracy.  Rahmani 
also told us that Afghanistan,s democracy is new and many 
mullahs also probably preach their personal preferences. 
Mosques are a place to discuss current affairs, and the state 
of the country, he explained. 
 
----------------------- 
Wardak - Mixed Messages 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) According to PRT Wardak, the messages in the local 
mosques are varied.  Some mullahs are urging people to vote 
and insist that the elections are a positive step.  However, 
in areas of the province where security is more of a concern, 
the message tends to be more negative and the elections 
continue to take a back seat to the local population,s 
concerns. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Paktia Mullahs Urge Residents to Vote 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) In Paktika, the Provincial Elections Officer told PRT 
Paktika that the mullahs in Sharana are generally positive 
about the elections and are emphasizing that there is nothing 
in Islam that says one should not vote.  In Khair Kot and 
Orgun districts of Paktika, mullahs are underscoring the 
importance of the elections for Afghanistan,s future and are 
encouraging their followers to vote for whomever they think 
is best for the country. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Zabul:  Message Reflects Local-National Power Struggle 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5.  (U)  According to PRT Zabul, mullahs in a number of 
mosques in the province, including in the capital, Qalat, 
have preached anti-elections sermons over the past few 
months, perhaps because these mullahs consider the central 
government a threat to their power base.  To the PRT,s 
knowledge, there have been no pro-elections or pro-government 
sermons and today's sermons ignored the subject.  On a 
separate note, Zabul hosted its first visit by a major 
candidate, Ashraf Ghani, on August 14. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Helmand: A Pashtun Message Dominates 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (U)  According to the PRT in Helmand, the most common 
messages from local mullahs is that people must vote because 
the future of the Pashtun people is at stake and that they 
must sure a Pashtun president leads the nation.  From 
Helmand,s Hazara community, however, the message seems to be 
a more generic one, i.e., that it's their national duty to 
vote.  According to PRT reporting, some Karzai supporters 
showed up at the national mosque with large amounts of fruit 
and food to distribute to worshipers. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Badghis: Criticism of Karzai's Record 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U)  According to PRT Badghis, the mullahs have been 
encouraging people and their families to vote on election 
day.  Some mullahs are also criticizing Karzai,s 
administration for its lack of attention to Badghis and its 
failure to deliver on campaign promises during the last 
presidential election.  On August 13, the director of the 
line ministry for Hajj and Islamic Affairs in Badghis, Mullah 
 
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Malawi Nehmani, was arrested while he was meeting with a 
large gathering of other mullahs from ulema councils 
throughout Badghis.  Reportedly the chief prosecutor arrested 
him for alleged corruption and because he had made 
anti-government statements during a speech at an IEC-hosted 
event.  Nehmani had campaigned for Karzai in 2004, but has 
since become disaffected with the president because he has 
been remiss on his commitments to the province. 
Approximately 200 people, largely mullahs, protested 
Nehami,s arrest in front of Qal-e-Naw,s largest local 
mosque and he was released soon thereafter.  During the 
August 14 Friday prayers, another renowned mullah, Muhaedi, 
suggested that elections are inconsistent with Islam, which 
mandates that ulema representatives and educated elders 
should select the president. 
 
----- 
Herat 
----- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  PRT Herat reports that, according to local press, 
President Karzai,s brother Mahmood attended the weekly 
meeting of the Provincial Ulema Shura on August 11, chaired 
by Mullah Khodadad, who is a strong supporter of Karzai,s 
reelection.  Local RTA news on August 11 reported that 
Mahmood told the assembled ulema, comprising both Sunni and 
Shi,a members, that President Karzai will increase the 
number of madrassahs in his next five-year plan and that the 
Ulema Shura has voiced its support for Karzai.  PRT Heart 
believes RTA may have overstated the extent of ulema support 
for President Karzai, although Mullah Khodadad has been 
actively working to gain their support for Karzai. 
EIKENBERRY