US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT4532

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004532 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, ECA, INR/NESA, INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2013 
TAGS: PREL, KISL, PINR, KU 
SUBJECT: (C) AMBASSADOR CALLS ON NEW AWQAF MINISTER 
 
REF: KUWAIT 4451 
 
Classified By: AMB. RICHARD H. JONES; REASON 1.5 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  The Ambassador paid an introductory call 
on the new Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Dr. 
Abdullah al-Maatouq, September 30.  The Minister praised the 
US liberation of Iraq, jumped at the offer to work with PAO 
to re-organize a visit of Ministry staff to the US, which he 
had put on hold upon learning of the arrest of Abdul-Rahman 
al-Amoudi, and insisted that he is cracking down on 
extremists, whose distorted version of Islam reveals their 
ignorance.  He offered to meet with leaders of the National 
Evangelical Church to hear their concerns about how planned 
road construction could reduce their already cramped space. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) The Ambassador was accompanied by PAO and Pol Chief 
(Notetaker); the Minister was alone for most of the meeting, 
which was conducted entirely in Arabic. 
 
3.  (C) SUPPORT ON IRAQ:  The Minister greeted the Ambassador 
immediately after seeing off an Iranian delegation which had 
presented him with an ornate Koran-stand.  He was very 
cordial throughout, and set the tone for the meeting by 
recalling an encounter with the Ambassador at MP Ahmed 
al-Saadoun's diwaniya during Operation Iraqi Freedom, when 
someone had expressed the hope that US forces would leave 
Iraq via Syria (thus ridding the region of both Baathist 
regimes).  That someone had been none other than himself. 
Citing the hadith that "he who does not thank people does not 
remember God," Dr. Maatouq thanked the US for liberating Iraq 
from a tyrant who was responsible for killing more Muslims 
than anyone in history.  But, he continued, many Kuwaitis are 
asking:  where is the benefit to us for being the only Arabs 
to support the Americans?  The Ambassador noted that the US 
troop build-up in and through Kuwait has pumped about $2 
billion into the Kuwaiti economy.  The Minister also referred 
to the strong negative reaction in Kuwait to comments by CPA 
Administrator Bremer that were interpreted here as calling 
into question the principle of Iraqi compensation payments to 
Kuwaitis and others harmed by the 1990-91 occupation 
(reftel). 
 
4.  (C) US VISIT:  The Minister agreed that the Prime 
Minister's visit to Washington had been very successful.  He 
expressed eagerness to strengthen the bilateral relationship 
in all fields, including through visits.  In that regard, he 
noted with regret that he had had to put a hold on a planned 
visit to the US by a group of Ministry staff, due to the 
arrest of Abdul-Rahman al-Amoudi who was coordinating the 
trip.  He stressed that he only wanted the trip to go forward 
if it could convey support for the US liberation of Iraq.  He 
gladly accepted the Ambassador's offer to have PAO work with 
the Ministry to re-organize the visit with as little delay as 
possible.  A Ministry official who would serve as poc was 
briefly brought into the meeting to establish contact. 
 
5.   (C) AGAINST EXTREMISM:  Dr. Maatouq said extremism is 
inconsistent with a correct understanding of Islam -- indeed, 
"extremism is kufr (infidelity)."  It is noteworthy, he 
remarked, that leading extremists are not religious scholars: 
 Usama Bin Laden is an engineer, Ayman al-Zawaheri is a 
physician, and Suleiman Bu-Ghaith (Kuwaiti-born spokesman for 
Al-Qaeda) is a school-teacher.  "Zawaheri knows a lot about 
medicine, but in religion, all he has going for him is a long 
beard, which means nothing:  those with the longest beards 
are Sikhs."  The Minister insisted he is cracking down on 
extremists in Kuwait's Islamic establishment, suspending some 
Imams and making it clear that he is willing to fire any who 
persist in the error of their ways.  He claimed that in 
general, this has led to improved behavior, i.e. a more 
moderate, less political line in teaching/preaching.  He 
added that he is cooperating with the Minister of Information 
to steer Kuwaitis away from extremist thinking. 
 
6.  (C) CHURCH SQUEEZE:  The Ambassador mentioned that 
leaders of the National Evangelical Church had called on him, 
worried that planned road construction would reduce their 
already over-crowded space.  The Minister seemed unaware of 
the issue -- even though, he said, he had received a 
multi-denominational delegation of Christian leaders.  He 
invited the Ambassador to have the Evangelical leaders call 
on him and explain their concerns.  (NOTE:  It would be more 
accurate to call his Ministry the ministry of religious 
affairs, not just Islamic affairs.  END NOTE.) 
 
7.  (C) BIO NOTE:  The Minister is consistently described to 
us as having ties (or at least past ties) to the Muslim 
Brotherhood; all our sources agree he is not a Salafi, unlike 
his predecessor Ahmed Baqer.  Dr. Maatouq told the Ambassador 
that he received most of his education in Saudi Arabia, but 
obtained his doctorate from the University of Glasgow.  This 
presumably means he speaks fluent English, but we did not get 
a chance to assess his proficiency.  He appears to be in his 
mid-forties, of medium height and build. 
JONES