VZCZCXRO1146
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHMS #0904 2380644
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 260642Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0705
INFO GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000904 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR DRL 
NEA/PPD DBENZE 
NEA/ARP AMACDONALD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL KPAO MU
SUBJECT: OMAN: RESPONDING TO PRESS ANTI-SEMITISM 
 
REF: MUSCAT 080; MUSCAT 829 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Two incidents over the past month have spurred 
post to protest anti-Semitic content in the Omani media.  On July 29, 
state Arabic daily "Oman" carried an editorial, "Jews and 
Normalization Sacrifices," and on August 24, youth-oriented private 
Arabic daily "Al Shabiba" included a news-agency supplied article, 
"The Battle of Bani Al Nadir" in a special Ramadan supplement.  In 
response, post sent letters expressing distaste and indignation and, 
following earlier precedent (Ref A), sent them via diplomatic note, 
highlighting how such content serves as fodder for Embassy reporting 
on human rights and religious freedom.  No responses have been 
received or, based on earlier examples, are expected.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) As reported in Ref B, "Oman" - with at least tacit permission 
from the Omani government, as the state dailies receive close 
supervision - on July 29 carried a highly uncharacteristically harsh 
column rejecting normalization with Israel in light of "heinous 
crimes against Palestinians and the people of Gaza."  The column 
moved well beyond political discourse on the subject, decrying those 
"who think they are the chosen ones and have killed prophets and 
altered the words of Allah and have perpetrated lies." 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Embassy responded with a letter from the CDA to CEO of 
the Oman Establishment for Press, Publications and Advertisement, 
noting that such inflammatory content is "strongly at variance with 
the constructive role that His Majesty's government has historically 
played in regional issues, that of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 
included." 
 
¶4.  (SBU) As is standard practice with such responses, the letter was 
sent via diplomatic note, providing an opportunity to remind the MFA 
that this is "the kind of material which, at the direction of the 
United States Congress, the Embassy is obligated to discuss in public 
documents such as the annual worldwide country reports on Human 
Rights and Religious Freedom." 
 
¶5. (U) On August 24, the private Arabic "Al Shabiba" published an 
eight-page supplement, "Anwar Ramadan" ("Ramadan Lights") that 
featured varied, mostly positive, content about the month, its 
celebrations, religious obligations, and other holiday-related 
material.  Included, however, was an article, attributed to the Arab 
Press Agency, headlined "The Battle of Bani Al Nadir."  The article 
discusses, in distorted and inflammatory terms, an episode in the 
life of the Prophet involving the Jews of Medina.  The "history" 
opens with ugly anti-Semitic rhetoric, language which is reiterated 
at the conclusion: 
 
"... Jews, throughout history, have been treacherous, back-stabbing 
and unfaithful ... Jews are brought up on treason and unfaithfulness, 
in addition to being cowards and hiding behind fortifications. The 
story of the Bani al-Nadir battle illustrates the aforementioned and 
details how Muslims are always fulfill their part in agreements... 
[at the conclusion, with the above repeated:] This battle explains 
what we are witnessing today." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Post responded with a letter from the CDA to the paper's 
Editor in Chief, again presented via diplomatic note, decrying the 
article's inclusion in a celebration of the holy month and saying 
that it "appeals to the lowest common denominator of public discourse 
and reinforces prejudices that have no place in the world today." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT:  "Al Shabiba" has in recent years been, in Omani 
terms, comparatively progressive and is home to several of the 
country's best younger journalists.  It is, however, owned by the 
same family as the English "Times of Oman," whose patriarch (author 
of the column in Ref A) is noted for his intemperate, at times 
anti-Semitic writings.  The creators of this special supplement 
likely found this column, perhaps online, and printed it assuming it 
would meet with their employer's approval. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED:  While post does not expect a reply, 
either from the newspaper or the MFA, responding to such occurrences 
in the local media both puts the paper involved no notice and reminds 
the MFA that such language is bound to reverberate in post's annual 
reporting. The three separate events to date this year to which post 
has had to respond are troubling individually, but are not enough 
taken together - yet - to indicate that anti-Semitism in general in 
Oman is seriously worsening.  END COMMENT. 
HURTADO