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DE RUEHSI #1757/01 2661438
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P 231438Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2225
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 001757 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2019 
TAGS: KIRF PGOV PHUM PREL AZ GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: RADICAL ORTHODOX GROUP STOPS MOSQUE 
CONSTRUCTION; LOCAL AUTHORITIES SUPPORT AZERI COMMUNITY 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  On September 16, representative of two 
radical fundamentalist Georgian Orthodox groups, the "Society 
of Saint David the Builder" and "Union of Orthodox Parents" 
stopped construction on a mosque in the village of Talaveri. 
The groups demanded to see the villagers' construction permit 
and threatened residents with violence if the construction 
did not cease.  The people of the traditionally ethnic Azeri 
village were making repairs on their 104 year-old mosque and 
had not obtained official permission for the work.  The 
Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) and the 
Sheik-Ul-Islam for Muslims of the Caucuses negotiated a 
suspension of the construction until official permission 
could be obtained.  Officially, only the permission of the 
Ministry of Culture is required as this mosque has been 
designated as a historical building.  However, the unofficial 
blessing of the Patriarch is generally required on any 
building or modification of religious buildings.  A decision 
on the mosque by the Patriarch is still pending.  These two 
fundamentalist groups have recently become more active 
including organizing boycotts against an Azerbaijani company 
and disseminating disinformation about the Roman Catholic 
Church.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C)  Comment: While local authorities have been responsive 
to the actions against the Talaveri villagers, the GOG 
appears reluctant to criticize or question the authority of 
the highly popular Patriarch Ilia II and break with the 
unofficial tradition of obtaining GOC "permission" before 
making any decisions concerning religious institutions. 
These regulations demonstrate that a separation of church and 
state has yet to be achieved.  The harassment of religious 
minorities continues to be a problem that by all appearances 
the GOC would rather ignore.  End Comment. 
 
They Are Just Fixing a Roof 
 
¶3. (C)  Talaveri is a small, rural, traditionally ethnic 
Azeri village located in the Bolnisi district of Kvemo Kartli 
in southeastern Georgia.  Poloff visited the village and its 
mosque to participate in the Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday 
celebrating the end of Ramadan, on September 20.  Villagers 
explained that their mosque was built in 1905.  Local 
residents, with help from Azerbaijan and Russia, were able to 
raise funds to make repairs to their mosque, including 
replacing the roof.  Their goal was to have the repairs 
completed in time for the Eid.  According to the villagers 
the local Gamghebeli (district governor) was aware of the 
project and did not object.  However, on September 16, 14 
SUV's descended on the village filled with people 
representing the radical Georgian Orthodox groups, "Society 
of Saint David the Builder" and "Union of Orthodox Parents." 
Representatives from the groups demanded to see the 
villagers' permit for construction on the mosque.  The 
villagers had not obtained any official permission for their 
work because they viewed it as simple repairs.  The radicals 
also were reportedly threatening villagers with violence if 
the construction did not immediately cease.  Local police 
authorities arrived on the scene and took action to diffuse 
the situation and the Georgian Orthodox group members left 
peacefully. 
 
Resolution Hinges On Patriarchate 
 
¶4. (C)  Lela Jejelava, founder of the religious issues NGO 
"Conciliation," said that she facilitated a phone call 
Q"Conciliation," said that she facilitated a phone call 
between Patriarch of the GOC Ilia II and Sheikh-Ul-Islam 
Allah-Shukhur Pasha Zade, the spiritual leader of Caucasian 
Muslims, about the incident.  The two religious leaders 
decided that construction work should be suspended until 
official permission could be obtained.  As Beka Mindiashvili, 
in charge of religious and minority integration issues at the 
Public Defender's Office (PDO), explained, officially these 
radical orthodox groups have no legal right to demand the 
villager's permit for construction.  The "ownership" of the 
hundred year-old mosque should fall to the Ministry of 
Culture as a historical building and any necessary building 
permits should come from them rather than the GOC. 
Mindiashvili said, however, that unofficially any work on any 
religious building in Georgia requires the blessing of the 
patriarchy of the GOC and that local government officials are 
reluctant to allow any project to proceed without it. 
Mindiashvili said that a decision on the mosque has been 
tabled until the Patriarch returns from a trip to western 
Georgia.  Despite the incident, the villagers said that they 
are pleased with the support of the local government.  During 
the Eid, the head of the local police for the district (not 
an ethnic Azeri) joined the celebration and announced that 
the villagers could commemorate the day in peace.  He assured 
 
TBILISI 00001757  002 OF 002 
 
 
them that the local police would ensure that they would not 
endure harassment from radical Georgian Orthodox groups. 
Poloff did note at least three police cruisers parked outside 
the village.  Regional Deputy Governor Hussein Iusubov 
attended the Eid festivities and said that he was personally 
engaged in discussions with the patriarchate about the issue. 
 In the meantime, one SUV from the radical Georgian Orthodox 
groups remains posted outside the village to ensure that 
construction does not resume. 
 
Who Are These Guys? 
 
¶5.  (C)  It is unclear what formal ties these radical 
Georgian fundamentalist groups have with the GOC hierarchy. 
Mindiashvili expressed his belief that these groups would not 
operate without at least tacit permission from the GOC.  GOC 
officials said that they could not meet with Poloff to 
discuss the incidnt until September 25 saying they needed 
more time to gather information.  The "Society of Saint David 
the Builder," made up of GOC priests, and the "Union of 
Orthodox Parents," made up of lay persons preaches a return 
to fundamentalist, conservative and nationalistic values 
including conducting services in Greek instead of Georgian. 
According to Mindiashvili, these groups have well-known 
patrons including Ilia II's nephew, Dmitri Shiolashvili, and 
former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili  (Embassy Note: 
Post can not confirm that either individual has any relation 
with the groups.  End Note.) 
¶6.  (C)  Mindiashvili also cited speculation that the radical 
groups are funded by the Russian oil company Lukoil in an 
effort by the Russians to create internal conflict.  On 
September 15, the two groups picketed nine Socar gas stations 
in Tbilisi.  A pamphlet the groups distributed called on 
drivers to boycott the Azerbaijani company, a direct 
competitor of Lukoil, because the company is a "facilitator 
in the construction of mosques" which was "strengthening the 
Muslim element" in the country.  Mindiashvili also reported 
that the radical groups are distributing pamphlets warning 
Georgian Orthodox parents about pedophilia in the Roman 
Catholic Church.  A copy of the pamphlet was provided to the 
Poloff, which includes a translation of a BBC report on "Sex 
Crimes and the Vatican" and a picture of Pope John Paul II 
touching the forehead of a child during what appeared to be a 
blessing.  Mindiashvili felt that the radical groups are 
becoming more aggressive and are now turning their attention 
to more "traditional" groups in the country, like the Roman 
Catholics and the Muslims. 
LOGSDON