VZCZCXRO5898
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHNK #0619/01 2711239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281239Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8797
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1216

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000619 
 
STATE PLS PASS TO MILLENIUM CHALLENGE CORP 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KISL KMDR PREL MR PGOV PHUM SOCI KCOR KPAO NG
SUBJECT: FIRST EVER MOSLEM AMERICAN COUPLE VISIT CEMENTS NEW 
RELATIONSHIP WITH MAURITANIA 
 
¶1.  Summary:  IIP and ARS speakers Mrs. Fatima (Jane) Casewit and 
Mr. Daoud (Stephen) Casewit visited Mauritania from September 6th - 
10th, 2009.  Post capitalized on the timing of their visit to 
refresh recently renewed ties with the Mauritanian government 
through informal gatherings with local government, religious and 
civil society leaders.  The couple met with the Minister of Islamic 
Affairs alongside the Ambassador (9/7), visited a well-known local 
Islamic charity and distributed US government assistance (9/8), met 
with the directors and went on a tour of the Islamic Institute's 
Manuscript Conservation Lab and American Corner (9/8), led a 
roundtable discussion with 30 University students on Islam in 
America(9/9) and spoke flawless Arabic to a crowd of mostly local 
Imams at the over 150 person annual Embassy Iftar (9/9).  They 
attended informal Iftar dinners nightly to break the fast with local 
religious leaders, journalists and civil society leaders.  Their 
pioneering visit - the first of a Moslem American woman and Moslem 
American couple to Mauritania - was very well received and helped 
post cement important ties and gain access to local religious and 
civil society leaders at a critical moment for US - Mauritania 
relations. 
 
¶2. On Monday September 7th US Ambassador Mark Boulware and Daoud and 
Fatima Casewit met with the newly appointed Minister of Islamic 
Affairs Ahmed Ould Neini. While there Neini led an animated 
discussion in Arabic with the Casewits on tolerance in Islam 
explaining that Islam privileges non-Moslems living in Moslem 
countries by giving them more rights than Moslems.  This discussion 
took place almost three months after an American citizen was 
murdered in the capital city Nouakchott. Minister Neini was very 
pleased to meet the couple, and the meeting proved fruitful as the 
Minister spoke two days later alongside Fatima and Daoud at the 
Embassy sponsored Iftar (para 8 & 9). 
 
¶3. On their first evening in Mauritania the prominent Islamic 
Scholar Imam Hamden the US Ambassador Mark Boulware and his wife 
Nora Jean Boulware as well as Fatima, Daoud and the Public Affairs 
Section to an Iftar at his home. Much of the evening conversation 
focused on terrorism. Imam Hamden is very active and enthusiastic 
about joining forces and methodology in the fight against terrorism. 
He believes that the biggest challenge facing moderate imams and 
religious leaders is the refusal of extremists to speak with them 
and listen to their ideas.  This conversation came amidst an upsurge 
of extremist activity in Mauritania and calls from civil society to 
create a dialogue with alleged Salafists in prison. Immediately 
following the Iftar, the Casewits went to the Olympic Stadium where 
they joined hundreds of Mauritanian's in the nightly Tarawith 
prayer, where Mauritanian men and women pray in separate rings 
around the stadium during Ramadan. 
 
¶4. On Tuesday September 8th the Casewits and a delegation from the 
Public Affairs Section went on an official visit of the well known 
Mauritanian Islamic interfaith NGO El Awkaf.  The delegation brought 
200 sanitary kits, t-shirts and backpacks donated by the US Embassy 
to add to their daily Ramadan food distribution to needy families. 
The director of the NGO, Ahmed Mahmoud Nahwi explained to the 
delegation that the Mauritanian charity began in the countryside 
giving out animals (cows, goats and camels) and adapted to modern 
demands in 1982 with donations of food, houses and land.  The main 
goal of the charity, according to the director, is to effectively 
distribute the wealth of generous Mauritanians to the poor. 
 
¶5.  Following El Awkaf, next door at the Institute for the Advanced 
Study of Islam, ISERI, the Casewit's met with the Director, Sidi 
Mohamed Ould Mayaba, his brother, as well as the head of research 
Ahmed Taleb Salem. Mayaba explained that ISERI, the most prominent 
Islamic institute in Mauritania with over 5,000 students, hopes that 
the election of President Aziz and his recognition as Mauritania's 
president signals a new era of bilateral relations and increased 
cooperation with the US Embassy.  The University's Manuscript Lab 
was funded through a 2002 donation of 25,000$ and a 2009 donation of 
12,500$ from the Embassy's Ambassador's Fund for Cultural 
Preservation.  The visit gave the Casewits an opportunity to see a 
part of Mauritania's unique cultural heritage, perusing through 11th 
century handwritten manuscripts and seeing firsthand how US support 
has helped preserve and promote this legacy.  Through these funds, 
the lab has acquired air conditioning, aluminum and glass casings, 
cardboard to protect individual manuscripts, and computers and 
scanners for a digital library.  Around the corner from the lab the 
University's American Corner provides English learning materials, 
Arabic and English literature and 8 computers with internet access. 
 
 
¶6.  That evening, Deputy Chief of Mission Dennis Hankins and his 
wife Mira Hankins hosted an Iftar at their home for the visiting 
speakers and guests.  Of 24 total invitees, the 16 men and 8 women 
came mostly from civil society, among them prominent journalists and 
human rights advocates.  At the two men's tables topics of local 
politics and terrorism in the Maghreb were discussed.  Local 
journalists complained that the Algerian press publishes in an ever 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000619  002 OF 003 
 
 
increasing volume misinformation on "terrorists in the desert" in an 
effort to manipulate regional public opinion. At the women's table, 
topics pertaining to Mauritanian women in particular, including 
slavery, girl's education, forced feeding and trafficking were 
discussed. Two prominent women's advocates, the geologist and 
Mauritanian television personality Irhabia Mint Abdel Wedoud and 
anti-slavery advocate and Deputy at the National Assembly Malouma 
Mint Bilal, spouse of renowned former slave Boubacar Messaoud, 
shared conflicting opinions on the persistence of slavery in 
Mauritanian society and local political will to eradicate the 
practice.  The Iftar was covered favorably on two websites with 
photos, a French and an Arabic site: 
http://www.tawary.com/spip.php?article112; 
http://www.rim-asso.org/spip.php?article582. 
 
¶7.   On Wednesday September 9th, Fatima and Daoud met with 30 
students from the English Department at the University of Nouakchott 
and local staff and Americans.  They first introduced themselves and 
asked the audience to do the same and then explained the story of 
their discovery of and conversion to Islam in Morocco.  Fatima 
stressed the participation of Moslem women their communities giving 
the example of Moslem-American women lawyers in the Washington DC 
NGO Karamah which defends Moslems' human rights in the US.  She also 
talked about how American Moslems observe the holy month of Ramadan 
in the US by distributing free meals to the needy.  Students were 
very interested in discussing US foreign policy in Moslem countries 
and the issue of terrorism.  They felt that Americans need to make a 
clear-cut distinction between Islam and terrorism - something that 
is blurred for them in the international press.  There was also a 
lively discussion of the religious and philosophical basis of jihad 
in Islam, and everyone agreed that the terrorist acts portrayed by 
the media have nothing to do with Islam.  They spoke of the two 
jihads, the one within oneself as opposed to the external; the 
former being paramount to Islam.  Some students talked about the 
place of other religions (Christianity and Judaism) in Islam, and 
advocated tolerance between the world's main religions.  This 
discussion was planned for one hour, but was so absorbing for the 
speakers and audience that it lasted almost three hours.  All 
invitees were given IIP publications on Moslems and Moselm life in 
America in Arabic and English. 
 
¶8.  Later that evening at the annual Embassy Iftar over 150 local 
Imams - and for the first time prominent women including two 
recently appointed Ministers - attended.  Due to threats of rain, 
the venue was changed at the last minute and the Embassy tennis 
court was transformed with tents, traditional rugs, mattresses and 
pillows, and two separate eating areas for men and women were 
created.  Thousands of copies of IIP publications including "Being 
Moslem in America", "Islam in the USA" and "Barack Obama: In His Own 
Words" in Arabic, French and English were placed on each invitees 
dinner table and offered as parting gifts on the way out. After the 
prayer was broadcast through speakers to the audience and the fast 
was broken, guests left for two separate male and female prayer 
areas.  Ambassador Boulware then gave remarks focusing on the 
President Obama's outreach to the Moslem and African worlds, 
exemplified in his Cairo and Accra speeches, and the mutual 
challenges facing Mauritania and the US with respect to the wave of 
violent extremism confronting the world as a whole.  Following this, 
Mauritanian Minister of Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Neini thanked the 
Ambassador and welcomed again Fatima and Daoud to Mauritania, who he 
had met earlier in the week. Next, Fatima spoke about her special 
experience with Islam highlighting that it has taught her many 
lessons - one of the most important - to be patient. Daoud spoke 
next and explained that he is not the typical American Moslem 
because he has spent decades in the Arab world. He retraced his 
story with Islam and mainly his altered and improved relationship 
with his parents after converting to Islam from Christianity. He 
explained that visiting Mauritania had long been a dream for he and 
Fatima and he was very thankful to be sharing the holy month in the 
special historic land of Mauritania. 
 
¶9. Many distinguished VIPs attended including an official delegation 
comprised of the Minister of Interior and Decentralization, Mohamed 
Ould Boilil, representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Moulaty 
Mint Moctar, Minister of Social affairs, Children and Family, Maty 
Mint Hammady, Commissary In charge of Promotion of Investments, 
Diabira Baccary, President Aziz' Advisor, Mohamed Ould Sidi 
Secretary General of Foreign Affairs and Ahmed Ould Hamza, Mayor of 
Nouakchott. National television and radio stations, TV Mauritanie 
and Radio Mauritanie covered the event and played coverage of the 
Ambassador speech several times a day in both Arabic and French, 
over the period of 4 days. 
 
¶10. On the morning of Thursday September 10th Fatima visited Mariam 
Diallo's Orphanage, the sole of its kind in Mauritania where over 30 
children live currently.  Mrs. Diallo is a local hero who has 
rescued abandoned children for decades, bringing them up in a loving 
and supportive environment.  The embassy has a long and sustained 
relationship with her institution, having at one point donated the 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000619  003 OF 003 
 
 
van that sends the childen to school daily.  Fatima encouraged the 
shy youth to recite Koranic verses and praised their knowledge and 
memory.  Fatima also helped distribute backpacks and hygiene kits to 
the children. 
 
¶11.  Later in the afternoon, Fatima gave a presentation focusing on 
Moslem Women in America at the human rights NGO conglomerate Forum 
National de Droits de L'Homme, FONADH.  There were a total of 30 
civil society leaders in attendance, and one journalist; mainly 
women and several men.  The controversial head of the NGO protecting 
trafficked women, AFCF (Association Femmes Chef des Familles), 
Aminetou Mint Moctar, mentioned that in a recent speech given by the 
Imam of the Central Mosque in Nouakchott he said that Moslem women 
should not work, cannot lead a Moslem country.  He justified this by 
explaining that the traditional centers of Islamic learning never 
allowed female participation.  In response, Aminatou wrote an 
editorial in the popular French online site CRIDEM decrying his 
message and explaining that it is precisely that very sentiment that 
is keeping women behind and preventing Mauritanian society from 
progressing.  Lalla Aicha Sy, a vocal lawyer and NGO director, said 
that Mauritanian men prefer their wives stay at home and remain 
ignorant.  Many women agreed that this sentiment does not reflect 
the practices of early Islam as the Prophet himself asked questions 
regarding the rules of purification for women and on many occasions 
women in the Prophet's household were the interlocutors and even the 
interpreters of the religious guidance that affected women's ritual 
purity. Diattabe Diop, a journalist from the French language weekly 
L'Eveil Hebdo covered the event for the papers Senegalese edition in 
mid-September and is planning to print a similar article for the 
Mauritanian version in late September. 
 
¶12.  Impact:  A long-term dream realized for Fatima and Daoud, 
visiting Mauritania was a special trip for them and the mission 
alike.  Having lived in neighboring Morocco for decades and having 
had a son who spent time in a rural Mahadra in Mauritania, Fatima 
and Daoud integrated seamlessly and felt very at home in Mauritania. 
 This was evident in their interactions with Mauritanians who often 
commented on their linguistic and cultural knowledge.  Through their 
excellent language skills, with flawless Arabic and French, post 
gained access to new audiences and leaders and took advantage to 
meet and cement relationships.  These meetings proved especially 
fruitful helping post further main public diplomacy MSP goals.  As a 
pioneer, Fatima is the first female American Moslem and together, 
they are the first couple and family that post has ever hosted. 
Informal reactions were overwhelmingly positive, many Mauritanians 
were surprised to meet an American couple with no Arabic roots, who 
spoke Arabic so well and knew and had studied their culture and 
religion.  Over 300 people met personally with Fatima and Daoud, and 
through media coverage in print, radio and television, the number 
reached is over 1,000 and spans regionally. 
 
¶13. Challenges:  Programming during Ramadan in the hottest period in 
Mauritania is very challenging for visitors and staff alike. 
Universities are closed and events are at a minimum during the day. 
In addition, Mauritania experienced the heavy rain and flooding 
plaguing the entire West African region just before their visit. 
Power outages affected even the best hotel where the couple was 
staying, adding to the challenges. Despite these issues, the program 
was a smash hit, in large part due to the flexibility and 
adaptability of our guests.  Special thanks go to AF/PD Deputy 
Director Bruce Wharton and ARS Director Donna Winton for their 
support without which the program would not have been possible. 
 
HANKINS