US embassy cable - 03BEIRUT5454

C O N F I D E N T I A L  BEIRUT 005454 
 
 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
PORT AU PRINCE FOR SCHMONSEES 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2013 
TAGS: PTER, KISL, KIRF, SOCI, EFIN, LE, SA 
SUBJECT: LEBANON:  ISLAMIC REFORM:  THE BEGINNING OF A 
PROCESS? 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Vincent M. Battle; reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary.  Meeting in Beirut to address the misuse of 
Islamic endowments by extremist groups, the Executive Council 
of the Ministers of Islamic Endowments rejected any link 
between Islam and terrorism, denouncing terrorists as 
"infidels."  Prime Minister Hariri called for reforming 
Islamic endowments and, more broadly, for internally-driven 
reform in the Muslim world.  Privately, Hariri's religious 
affairs advisor expressed cautious optimism about the outlook 
for Islamic reform, saying he was particularly impressed by 
the Saudis' receptiveness at the conference.  End Summary. 
 
Three Goals for the Conference 
------------------------------ 
 
2.  (U) On December 10, the Executive Council of the 
Ministers of Islamic Endowments opened a two-day conference 
in Beirut in response to growing international (namely, US) 
pressure to reform and control the use of Islamic charity 
funds.  The conference aimed at three goals:  1) confronting 
the linkage of the Arab and Muslim worlds with terrorism, 
going beyond the simple denunciation of specific acts of 
terrorism and carrying out a serious review of the current 
Islamic religious discourse; 2) improving the monitoring of 
"awqaf" (Islamic endowments) and turning them into more 
effective institutions for social and economic development; 
and 3) presenting the image of a tolerant, open Islam. 
 
3.  (U) Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, and Indonesia sent their 
ministers of Islamic endowments to participate, while 
lower-ranking officials represented Jordan, Gambia, Morocco, 
and Pakistan.  The Mufti of the Republic, Mohammad Rachid 
Qabbani, represented Lebanon, whose multi-confessional 
government has no minister for Islamic endowments.  Prime 
Minister Rafiq Hariri and other Lebanese government officials 
attended, as did a number of Lebanese religious leaders, 
including Christian clergymen invited to observe the 
proceedings. 
 
Hariri Calls for Reform 
----------------------- 
 
4.  (U) Prime Minister Hariri told the Council that "Islamic 
endowments are a great Muslim foundation that suffered from 
anarchy and mismanagement."  He called for change in Islamic 
societies, but added that "we need to do so in accordance 
within our identity, traditions and interests."  Challenging 
the perception that change is being imposed on the Muslim 
world from outside, he said, "We should not be afraid to seek 
improvement just because we are upset that others are 
demanding it." 
 
5.  (U) The chairman of the council, Saudi Minister for 
Islamic Endowments Saleh bin Abed al-Aziz Al-Shaykh, called 
on participants to "reform our approach to the Muslim 
properties and to define the role of mosques in addressing 
true Islamic values and teachings."  Al-Shaykh called upon 
Muslim scholars to "come up with new findings and fatwas that 
could preserve our nation and save it from the threats and 
challenges facing us today." 
 
Measures Adopted 
---------------- 
 
6.  (U) The Ministerial Council issued a final communique 
saying terrorism, violence, and extremism were not linked to 
Islam.  It called on "wise men" to eliminate root causes of 
terrorism and avoid fighting terrorism with more terrorism. 
It accused terrorists of being "infidels," specifically 
denouncing the recent terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia.  It 
endorsed the call for the Islamic world to confront internal 
and external challenges, and agreed on the importance of 
"renewing Islamic ideology."  The ministers also called for 
an end of the occupation of Iraq and for the establishment of 
a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. 
 
A Long Way to Go? 
----------------- 
 
7.  (C) Mohammad Sammak, Hariri's senior advisor on religious 
issues, said he was pleased with the results of the 
conference, describing it as laying the cornerstone for 
reform in Islamic endowments.  He described the Saudi 
delegation as "quite receptive" to the topic of Islamic 
reform; this represented a "big shift" in their thinking. 
While admitting that genuine reform will take time, a 
cautiously optimistic Sammak noted a clear desire for change 
among most of the conference's attendees. 
 
8.  (C) Sammak said the presence of Lebanese Christian clergy 
at the conference, while nothing out of the ordinary for 
similar events in Lebanon, showcased Lebanese 
multi-confessional tolerance to attendees.  It was a valuable 
example for representatives of certain countries whose record 
of religious tolerance left something to be desired (he 
mentioned Saudi Arabia and Pakistan).  Some of the same Saudi 
clerics attending this conference had once accused Sammak of 
being a "kafir", an infidel, for attending the Vatican's 
Synod for Lebanon in 1995.  This time, according to Sammak, 
they told him he had been right all along in seeking 
cooperation across confessional lines. 
 
 
BATTLE