VZCZCXRO2318
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK
RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHPW
RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTA #1618/01 2661037
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 231037Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6328
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE 1961
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1330
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2029
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0981
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2497
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2811
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1516
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 1397
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 001618 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SOCI KISL SOCI RS KZ
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  IFTAAR DINNER BUILDS RAPPORT WITH 
KAZAKH-LANGUAGE AND MUSLIM COMMUNITY LEADERS 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On September 14, the Ambassador hosted an Iftaar 
dinner for more than 20 prominent Muslim community members, 
including the Deputy Chairman of the Kazakhstani Muslims' Spiritual 
Board Muhammad Alsabekov, many Kazakh-language journalists, and 
university students.  Participants thanked the Ambassador for 
arranging such a culturally-appropriate opportunity to convey 
President Obama's Ramadan message and hold a fruitful conversation. 
The participants -- leaders of Kazakhstan's Muslim community who 
predominantly speak Kazakh -- urged Post to engage more with the 
Kazakh-language community.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ENTHUSIASTIC, APPRECIATIVE PARTICIPANTS 
 
¶3.  (SBU) During an Iftaar dinner the Ambassador hosted in Almaty on 
September 14, more than 20 leaders of the Muslim community and 
Kazakh-language journalists engaged in a lively discussion about 
bilateral relations and domestic events.  The Deputy Chairman of the 
Kazakhstani Muslims' Spiritual Board Muhammad Alsabekov -- serene, 
soft-spoken, and understated except for his gold-embroidered 
navy-blue velvet traditional robe -- told the Ambassador that the 
Grand Mufti would have attended, but was currently hospitalized 
because of serious complications from diabetes.  For his formal 
remarks, the Ambassador read an abridged version of President 
Obama's Ramadan message.  Participants applauded more than politely 
and took home copies of Post's Russian translation. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The following day, journalists from "Alash Ainasy" 
newspaper and the "Assyk Arna" Islamic television station thanked 
Post, saying, "We are very thankful for yesterday's after-fast 
evening meal.  Those people who give such a meal to people who are 
fasting shall be rewarded with God's goodness.  May Allah be 
rejoiced seeing your respect to Islam!"  A scholar with a doctorate 
in philosophy who works as a senior manager for Price Waterhouse 
Coopers also wrote to PolOff expressing appreciation for "the 
opportunity to chat with the Ambassador and hear his answers to my 
questions." 
 
A NEW PERSPECTIVE FROM THE KAZAKH-LANGUAGE COMMUNITY 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Participants pointed out that Kazakh-language media view 
international political incidents, especially the Russo-Georgian 
conflict of August 2008, very differently than Kazakhstani Russian 
press.  According to one of the Ambassador's interlocutors, the 
Kazakh-language press immediately criticized Russia's actions during 
the August 2008 conflict and "100 percent supported Georgia."  They 
criticized the Russian-language media for largely supporting Russia. 
 One professor told the Ambassador that the Kazakh-language 
intellectual community is significantly more pro-American than the 
Russian-language community.  They encouraged Post to expand outreach 
to Kazakh-language media and NGOs, rather than focus on larger and 
more entrenched Russian-language entities.  Everyone spoke Russian, 
but one of the most respected young people at PolOff's table was a 
man who had won a national Kazakh-language contest.  The group 
agreed that Kazakh usage is -- and should be -- increasing, telling 
PolOff, "Next time you come back, let's speak only in Kazakh." 
(COMMENT:  Being able to hold a basic conversation in Kazakh helped 
PolOff establish a rapport.  END COMMENT.) 
 
ISLAM ON THE RISE AGAIN 
 
¶6.  (SBU) According to students from Al-Farabi National University, 
"religion is a growing force in Kazakhstan."  They noted 
Kazakhstan's July 1-2 Congress of Leaders of World Religions 
demonstrated Kazakhstan's values of religious diversity and 
tolerance.  (NOTE:  Kazakhstani officials announced their country 
will make promoting inter-religious tolerance a key tenet of 
Kazakhstan's 2010 OSCE Chairmanship.  END NOTE.)  Iftaar 
participants at PolOff's table, mostly young people in their 20s and 
30s, unanimously agreed that the number of followers of Islam in 
Kazakhstan is growing rapidly.  One journalist told PolOff he just 
founded a new religious television station broadcasting in the 
Almaty area.  PolOff's interlocuters highlighted the importance of 
 
ASTANA 00001618  002 OF 002 
 
 
charity in Islam, and its positive effects on society. 
"Unfortunately, our charity organizations, even Islamic ones, are 
not well-developed yet," Kuanyshbekova said.  "We could learn a lot 
about this from U.S. organizations, which are well-known for their 
activities."  One of the most talkative interlocutors, "Alash 
Ainasy" newspaper correspondent Anar Kuanyshbekova, said the 
post-Soviet rebirth of Islam is a positive force, causing a sharp 
drop in alcohol abuse -- and associated problems. 
 
CAN YOU WEAR HEADSCARVES IN U.S. SCHOOLS? 
 
¶7.  (SBU) PolOff's interlocutors, none of whom had travelled to the 
United States, expressed sincere interest in learning more about 
U.S. Islamic communities.  Kuanyshbekova asked if U.S. schools 
permitted women to wear headscarves, and said her cousin, a 
Kazakhstani teacher, had been told she could not wear hers at 
school.  PolOff asked the young journalists  to comment on a 
conversation PolOff overheard between three young women on an Almaty 
bus near the Grand Mosque, comparing attitudes towards religion, 
specifically wearing headscarves, in France and Kazakhstan.  (NOTE: 
According to PolOff's personal observation, wearing the hijjab in 
Kazakhstan is increasing, although less than 10 percent of the 
female opulation wear headscarves, even during Ramadan.  PolOff 
observed two young women enter a restaurant to break their Ramadan 
fast wearing headscarves, pray before eating, and then tuck their 
headscarves into their purses.  Fewer women wear headscarves in 
Astana than Almaty.  END NOTE.)  Iftaar attendees echoed 
Kazakhstan's prevailing sentiment of tolerance, and said women 
should be free to wear headscarves, if they choose. 
 
THEY'RE NOT READING WHAT WE'RE READING 
 
¶8.  (SBU) None of PolOff's interlocutors spoke English well, or had 
read President Obama's Cairo speech.  Only one person at PolOff's 
table, a young man also fluent in Arabic, said he watched a few 
televised portions.  The young man said he "had a positive 
impression of the United States," due to a friend's experience.  His 
friend wanted to visit a mosque in the United States, but got lost. 
Since he looks Central Asian, he was initially afraid to ask the 
police for directions, because he thought they would think he was a 
terrorist.  The young man recounted that when he did finally ask a 
police officer, he politely replied and personally helped him find 
the mosque! 
 
¶9.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Post held several well-attended events focused 
on the President's Cairo speech.  The warm reception the 
participants gave the Ambassador suggests that we might have 
opportunities to build bridges with Kazakhstan's growing population 
of observant, Kazakh-speaking Muslims.  The majority of the news 
here originates from Russia.  But, as we have urged before, 
providing Post with more funding to translate documents and 
distribute them, including increasing our Kazakh-language 
translation capacity, is critical to break down communication 
barriers.  END COMMENT. 
 
HOAGLAND