US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5330

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005330 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2013 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, KIRF, KISL, XF, JO 
SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN MP COMPLAINS ABOUT USG RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
POLICY IN JORDAN, THE MIDDLE EAST 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (B)(D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C)  A Christian member of the Jordanian Parliament 
complained August 20 that USG religious freedom policy in the 
Middle East hurts the indigenous Christian communities by 
encouraging emigration and diluting the strength of 
established churches by supporting foreign missionary groups. 
 He suggested that the U.S. reports on International 
Religious Freedom (IRF) should focus on the status of the 
minority indigenous Christian communities, rather than how 
easily foreign missionaries can gain access to proselytize. 
He said that Jordan's indigenous Christians are completely 
free to worship and conduct church business, and that the 
community's problems most often stem from the actions of 
foreign missionaries.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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MIDDLE EASTERN CHRISTIANS UNDER SIEGE 
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2.  (C)  In a lengthy conversation with PolCouns August 20, 
Greek Orthodox Parliamentarian Dr. Odeh Qawwas argued that 
the United States and Europe should be concerned with the 
condition of indigenous Christian communities in the Middle 
East.  The already small indigenous Christian minorities in 
Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon are dwindling.  He 
blamed European (and, to a lesser extent, American) 
immigration policies for the phenomenon:  "It is easier for a 
Palestinian Christian from Jerusalem to emigrate than for a 
Muslim.  This is why local Christians make up only a small 
and dwindling part of Jerusalem's population." 
 
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U.S. IRF REPORT MISSES THE POINT 
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3.  (C)  Qawwas then launched into a critique of the annual 
State Department IRF reports, arguing that the IRF 
"completely misses the point" in addressing the concerns of 
Middle Eastern Christians.  As a board member of the Middle 
East Council of Churches, he said, he has read all of the IRF 
reports on Middle Eastern countries.  "You focus too much on 
the problems of American and European missionaries, and on 
how Islam prohibits proselytizing.  Instead, he said, the 
reports should give a more accurate picture of Christianity 
in the Holy Land and address directly the health of Christian 
institutions -- indigenous church membership, financial 
problems, and persecution of Christians or restrictions on 
the worship of indigenous Christians where it exists. 
 
4.  (C)  In Jordan, for example, Qawwas said indigenous 
Christians enjoy "complete freedom of religion and worship" 
and get the support of the GOJ in most issues.  He argued 
that the most serious problems facing the Christian community 
in Jordan come from the influx of "foreign missionaries" who 
do not understand either the history of the local Christian 
community or how to operate in Jordanian society.  When 
foreigners proselytize Muslims, he said, local Christian 
institutions come under social pressure to prevent this 
taboo.  When missionaries convert local Catholics, Orthodox, 
or Malkites, the Christian community itself is insulted.  The 
missionaries "don't even recognize us as Christians" and 
thereby further divide an already small and divided 
community.  He specifically criticized the inclusion in the 
IRF and human rights report of two cases -- the Jordan 
Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS) and the Arab Orthodox 
Church -- as instances in which outside religious figures 
were trying to take advantage of Jordan's religious tolerance 
and liberal approach to Christian institutions to support 
their particular parochial interests -- and, intentionally or 
unintentionally, sowing discord within Christian communities 
outside Jordan.  The U.S., he argued, should not support one 
sect against another in this way. 
 
5.  (C)  As a Jordanian Christian, he concluded, he is always 
balancing two competing impulses -- the need to protect and 
maintain the rights of the Christian community in 
overwhelmingly Muslim Jordan, and the desire to explain to 
the outside world the long-standing and deep respect between 
Christians and Muslims in the country.  The U.S. and Europe 
could best help Christians in the Middle East by supporting 
local church structures (particularly in Jerusalem) and 
Christian charities designed to help Christians to remain in 
their traditional communities in the region. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C)  Qawwas' harsh words for U.S. IRF policy stem from 
his position in the lay leadership of the local Greek 
Orthodox Church and the Middle East Council of Churches. 
These criticisms come from an influential member of the Greek 
Orthodox community, and represent the feelings of many 
Christians with whom we have spoken. 
 
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BIO NOTE 
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7.  (C)  Dr. Odeh Qawwas is a Greek Orthodox Christian, 
elected to the Christian seat of Amman's Third District 
(affluent west Amman).  He is of Palestinian origin:  his 
family is from the village of Beit Sahour in the West Bank. 
He is a surgeon trained in Athens.  He speaks native Arabic, 
fluent Greek, and some English.  He is an elected member of 
the board of the Middle East Council of Churches.  He is 
married and has three daughters and one son.  His eldest 
daughter has a degree in civil engineering from the Jordanian 
University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Irbid, and his 
second daughter has a degree in genetic engineering from the 
same institution.  Qawwas chain smokes (and made several 
references to enjoying sitting with friends in the evening 
and smoking the argeileh (water pipe). 
HALE