US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT5841

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 005841 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KISL, PREL, KU 
SUBJECT: CONFERENCE WRAPUP: ISLAMISTS AND POLITICAL REFORM 
 
1.  Summary. Gulf Islamists, notable academics and reporters 
gathered in Kuwait from December 6-8 to discuss the role of 
Islamists in regional political reform.  During the two-day 
conference, entitled The Role of Islamic Groups in the 
Political Reform Process in the Middle East and sponsored by 
the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace, the panel 
members and the audience exchanged a broad range of views on 
Islamism, Democracy, Jihad and the future of Iraq.  End 
Summary. 
 
On Democracy in the Middle East 
------------------------------- 
2. The panelists almost unanimously concurred that the spread 
of democracy, if defined as an increase in participation by 
Islamists in the political discourse of the Middle East, 
would be a positive development.  However, many criticized 
the US for perceived hypocrisy on the issue of democracy and 
democratization.  Bahraini MP Adel Al-Muawedah said the US 
seeks to impose its vision of democracy on the Arab world, 
while supporting corrupt, repressive regimes in the region. 
He said this has led to a lack of USG credibility on the 
issue of democracy among Islamist groups. 
 
3. Deputy Secretary General of Jordan,s Islamic Front Party, 
Dr. Raheel Al-Gharaibah, said that democracy was about 
respecting others, beliefs. He criticized "outside forces" 
for intervening in Arab affairs and provoking nationalistic 
responses.  He said that Islamist groups were trying to 
represent the real aspirations of the people, and argued that 
government persecution of Islamist groups would only provoke 
radicalism.  An unidentified Salafi audience member stood up 
and railed against democracry as an unislamic institution. 
He said that only God had the authority to govern over 
people. (Note: This appeared to be an isolated view, not an 
undercurrent of the whole conference.  End Note.) 
 
4. Many of the panelists expressed their concern over the 
lack of female participation in Middle Eastern politics. 
Editor of Iraq,s Islam and Democracy magazine,  Mohammed 
Abdul Jabar, noted that women represent half of Arab 
societies but are largely excluded from political life.  He 
said that reform could not be complete without political 
participation by women, and added that many Islamist 
movements fail to recognize this.  Kuwaiti Islamist and 
political commentator, Dr. Ismael Al-Shatti, concurred.  He 
said there were no verses in the Qur'an that denied women 
their political rights. 
 
On Islamism in Iraq 
------------------- 
6. The panelists were in disagreement over the role of 
Islamist movements in Iraq, with some arguing that an 
Islamist government in the newly free Iraq was both 
inevitable and positive, while others questioned Islamist 
commitment to the rotation of power.  The Carnegie 
Foundation,s Marina Ottaway argued that the USG had 
overestimated the secular nature of Iraq, and is threatened 
by the reappearance of strong Shiite religious leaders.  She 
said the USG now finds itself in the awkward position of 
opposing early elections in Iraq, while Shiite clerics such 
as Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani are actively promoting them. 
 
7. The editor of Kuwaiti Arabic daily, Al-Watan, Mohammed 
Al-Jassem called radical Shiite parties in Iraq, &Iran,s 
Trojan Horses,8 and warned that continued acceptance of 
their presence by the USG would lead to increased Iranian 
influence in Iraq.  Al-Jassem said the USG should focus on 
&freedom, not democracy.8  Al-Jassem finished by expressing 
his doubt that Islamists (whether Shiite or Sunni) really 
believe in the rotation of power and protection of minority 
rights. 
 
8. Bahraini MP Adel Al-Muawedah asked why the US and others 
feared that Islamists would monopolize power.  Noting that 
&there is a not a free regime in the entire Arab world,8 he 
said that those who promoted democracy would have to &suffer 
the consequences8 of democracy. 
 
Jihad 
----- 
9. The topic of Jihad ideology was discussed by three 
speakers during the fourth panel.  Definitions of jihad were 
as varied as was sanction for the means by which to carry it 
out.  While all three speakers agreed that it is a duty for 
all Muslims and believed that it should be employed to change 
an unsatisfactory situation and to protect Islam, they 
disagreed on the specific means.  The first speaker 
characterized jihad as a type of great reform (Islah), 
whereby rejecting un-Islamic things should not be confined to 
combat but could be seen as more of a reform process.  The 
second panelist stated that a nation has the right to revolt 
if the state has no Islamic terms of reference.  He validated 
the use of violence---the circumstances of which he did not 
clearly define---while also advocating some Islamic-based 
political reform.  The third condemned the growth of radical 
militant jihadi groups claiming that a lack of consistent 
condemnation of these groups by non-violent Islamic 
organizations equates to a validation of the violent actions. 
 He called for an acceptance of pluralism and democracy and 
an end to violent acts in the name of Islam. 
 
10. The tone of those weighing in during the question and 
answer period was generally focused on peaceful ways of 
carrying out jihad while not directly equating it with only 
political reform. The political reforms discussed included 
both those moving towards and away from Sharia-based elements 
of government change. 
 
On the Future of Political Reform in the Middle East 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
11. The last substantive panel focused on the future of 
political reform in the Middle East, and featured Kuwaiti 
Islamist Dr. Wael Al-Hassawi and advisor to the Saudi 
Ambassador in London Jamal Ahmad Khashogji.    Dr. Hassawi 
called on Muslims to reject violence and develop within an 
Islamic framework.  He said Islam was compatible with 
democracy, but noted that individual needs must often be 
subjugated for the good of the umma.  Hassawi denied the 
often-voiced opinion that Islamists only believe in democracy 
for as long as it takes for them to gain power through it. 
He said there has never been an example like this in the 
Muslim world, although non-Muslim organizations have used 
this tactic in the West in many instances. 
 
12. Jamal Khashogji focused his remarks on the future of 
reform in Saudi Arabia.  He admitted that Saudi Arabia has 
problems with violent groups it had previously doubted the 
existence of.  He called on moderate "Neo-Islamists" to speak 
up to combat these groups.  Khashogji went on to detail five 
key areas of reform for Saudi Arabia: the conduct of 
municipal elections; the expression of more tolerance and 
abandoning extremism; reforming the educational system; 
opening wider prospects for women; and opening up to the 
world. 
 
13. Comment: While the conference produced little of 
substance, it was a rare opportunity to gather Islamists and 
their critics from across the Middle East and hear a wide 
range of views on key issues facing the region. 
MORAN