VZCZCXRO4443
OO RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHRH #1012/01 2161521
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041521Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1342
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHDH/AMCONSUL DHAHRAN IMMEDIATE 0155
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH IMMEDIATE 0248

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RIYADH 001012 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP JHARRIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SA SOCI
SUBJECT: NATIONAL DIALOGUE: STRENGTHENING NATIONAL UNITY 
AND BRIDGING DIFFERENCES 
 
REF: RIYADH 922 
 
RIYADH 00001012  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Secretary General Faisal al-Moammar of the National 
Dialogue Center told Charge July 27 that King Abdullah had 
created the national dialogue campaign - aimed at promoting 
tolerance and moderation in Saudi society - because of Saudi 
society's reluctance to embrace change and serious 
differences between Saudi religious leaders on major 
religious and world issues.  Al-Moammar described mosques, 
schools, and the family as the most important influences 
shaping Saudi attitudes and said the Center therefore 
targeted these institutions using various events, training 
courses, and seminars.  Education reform was essential, he 
said, and was not just a matter of textbooks and curriculum, 
but of "modernizing" how teachers think.  Al-Moammar said 
before and after polling of participants in various programs 
indicated the campaign was producing measurable results in 
promoting greater tolerance and positive change in Saudi 
society, and in the process strengthening national unity and 
understanding of mainstream Islamic values. 
 
 
THE CENTER: BRINGING TOGETHER DIFFERENT VOICES 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (SBU)  The Charge met July 27 with Faisal al-Moammar, 
Secretary General of the King Abdulaziz Center for National 
Dialogue (KACND) to discuss Saudi Arabia's societal need for 
a dialogue center in promoting a culture of dialogue and 
tolerance (reftel).  Al-Moammar, who concurrently serves as 
the Deputy Minister of Education and as an advisor to King 
Abdullah, discussed how prior to September 11, King Abdullah 
found that Saudi religious leaders seriously disagreed on 
major religious and world issues.  This led the King in early 
2003 to convene 35 religious scholars, all men, from the 
Ulema to discuss their differing opinions and ideas.  The 
King Abdulaziz Public Library was chosen as the venue for the 
meeting, al-Moammar wryly noted, so the scholars could turn 
to the 1.5 million books in the library for answers, should 
they not be able to agree among themselves. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  According to al-Moammar, the meeting was "not 
relaxed" due to extremists, moderates and liberals as well as 
different religious sects sitting down at the same table for 
the first time.  However, the atmosphere improved from no 
handshakes on the first day to offering personal invitations 
to their private homes on the third and final day of 
discussions.  The single recommendation to come out of the 
3-day meeting was the creation of a permanent dialogue 
center, and shortly thereafter, the King tasked al-Moammar 
with the creation of the National Dialogue Center. 
 
 
SAUDI SOCIETY RESISTANT TO CHANGE 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  A "new" and relatively isolated country for much of 
its history, al-Moammar explained, "Saudi Arabia is the only 
country where change is introduced by the government and 
resisted by society."  As the Custodian of the Two Holy 
Mosques, every Muslim looks to Mecca and, therefore, to Saudi 
Arabia.  Saudis see themselves as responsible for upholding 
Islam and associate change with outside influences that 
negatively affect this role.  Saudi society thus has a 
difficult time adjusting to change and tends to resist or 
question new ideas and reforms, particularly those coming 
from outside the kingdom.  Although Saudi Arabia is 
experiencing a "Golden" period characterized by rapid 
development and reform, "change does not mean affecting core 
beliefs and values," al-Moammar emphasized. 
 
 
THREE PLACES OF INFLUENCE: THE MOSQUE, SCHOOL AND FAMILY 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Al-Moammar opined that the programs and training 
offered by the Center are specifically designed to encourage 
and facilitate dialogue in the mosque, school and family - 
the three places of great influence on one's beliefs and 
values in Saudi society.  He highlighted that instead of 
solely being used as a place of worship, mosques should 
function more like a community center as they did in the 
past, used for discussions and exchange of ideas.  As 
important community leaders with far-reaching influence, many 
clerics have participated in and benefited from the KACND 
 
RIYADH 00001012  002.4 OF 003 
 
 
dialogue training programs and seminars.  As a result, these 
clerics set a crucial example for tolerant discourse in Saudi 
society. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  Briefly putting on his Deputy Minister of Education 
hat, al-Moammar discussed at length educational reform and 
the important role of teachers in creating a more tolerant 
learning environment.  Although the amount of time spent on 
religion in relation to the sciences has not changed, he 
said, the way religion is taught and interpreted has 
improved.  Dialogue that encourages students to accept others 
while still holding true to Islam is the new way of thinking. 
 He emphasized, however, that improving and modernizing 
education does not mean changing peoples' beliefs.  Another 
KACND official noted that "science and seeking knowledge is a 
must in Islam."  Religious leaders, she continued, must 
understand that students should be taught to "see God through 
physics, the sciences and math classes as well as through 
creativity and invention."  It should not just be in religion 
class where students learn the Quran and Sunna in an isolated 
learning environment. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Additionally, al-Moammar indicated that the quality 
and teaching methods of teachers and the Saudi curriculum 
have also improved.  Alluding to continuing problems with 
many teachers, he emphasized that the "thinking of teachers 
must be modernized."  To this end, the KACND signed 
Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the Ministry of 
Education (MOE) and multiple universities to involve teachers 
and professors in the dialogue training programs.  Recently, 
the King approved $9 billion to modernize the Saudi education 
system including new and renovated schools, revised 
curriculums, long-distance learning programs, and mobile 
schools in rural areas.  Al-Moammar claimed that 2 new school 
buildings per day and 80 per month are being constructed. 
 
 
IS THE KACND AFFECTING POSITIVE CHANGE? 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Al-Moammar opined that relating the importance and 
need for dialogue and increased toleration directly to 
Islamic principles is the best way to affect positive change 
in peoples' behaviors and attitudes.  For example, a pure 
Quranic text of a conversation between God and Satan is often 
cited to show that dialogue is a part of Islam and should be 
embraced.  When asked by the Charge how effective the KACND 
is in promoting tolerance and understanding, al-Moammar 
explained how the KACND conducts monitoring and evaluation of 
its programs through participant questionnaires that measure 
attitudes and behavior both before and after the training 
program or seminar.  In this regard, a recent 5 year report 
compiled by the KACND indicates that the various training 
programs are successfully affecting positive change in 
participants. 
 
¶9. (SBU)  Additionally, al-Moammar mentioned that the KACND 
signed an agreement with a major company to develop and 
conduct public opinion polls to more clearly identify what 
Saudis are thinking and what issues are important in their 
lives.  "This is a breakthrough" he stated, because for the 
first time, a Saudi organization with the public's trust and 
the King's approval will conduct opinion polls as opposed to 
outsiders unfamiliar with the country and Saudi society. 
 
 
THE KACND: BACKGROUND 
---------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU)  Beginning in 2003, the KACND has held an annual 
National Meeting for Intellectual Dialogue focusing on a 
different subject of national interest each year.  Topics 
have included national unity, moderation, women's rights and 
obligations, youth, cross-cultural understanding, education 
and employment.  The 8th dialogue meeting, currently 
underway, focuses on healthcare.  Participants represent 
different ideologies, regions and segments of society, and 
include representatives from different religious sects, the 
Ulema, university faculty and teachers, sociologists, 
economists, youth, businessmen and Islamic scholars and 
imams.  The national meetings not only discuss differences in 
ideas, but also question services provided by the Saudi 
government.   Interestingly, while the first national meeting 
had 30 participants, all of whom were men, there was now 
equal participation of men and women and the last national 
meeting had 1,000 participants.  The King hears 
recommendations from the meetings and a special committee 
studies and reviews the recommendations.  In this way, public 
 
RIYADH 00001012  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
opinion is brought directly to the decision makers through 
the national meetings. 
 
¶11. (SBU)  The KACND has also developed and conducted a 
number of training programs, workshops and seminars aimed at 
the public although a number of MOUs have been signed with 
government ministries including the MOE and the Center for 
the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV). 
There is a Certified Trainers Program (reftel) which has 
certified 1,200 Saudis in 42 cities as well as a Family 
Dialogue Program, the Ambassador's (Safeer) Program which 
focuses on cross-cultural understanding between Saudi and 
foreign students, and community training programs which help 
Saudis adjust to different cultures.  Al-Moammar mentioned 
that the KACND is looking to expand the Ambassador's program 
to include participation from American students. 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶12. (SBU)  More than having the King's stamp of approval, the 
KACND was the King's own vision in order to foster an 
environment of tolerance and dialogue on Saudi public 
consciousness while defeating extremism thinking at home and 
anti-Islamic thinking abroad.  By embracing the principles of 
Islam while promoting national dialogue, the KACND has 
successfully navigated around the hurdle of the conservative 
religious establishment, which is often the biggest obstacle 
when dealing with change and reform in Saudi Arabia. 
 
ERDMAN