US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT1933

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KUWAIT CONDEMNS MURDER OF AMCIT PAUL JOHNSON

Identifier: 04KUWAIT1933
Wikileaks: View 04KUWAIT1933 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Kuwait
Created: 2004-06-21 12:33:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Tags: PREL PTER ASEC CASC SA KU
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


 
UNCLAS KUWAIT 001933 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP 
TEL AVIV FOR DCM LEBARON 
TUNIS FOR NATALIE BROWN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, ASEC, CASC, SA, KU 
SUBJECT: KUWAIT CONDEMNS MURDER OF AMCIT PAUL JOHNSON 
 
REF: STATE 135081 
 
1. The GOK, National Assembly, and Muslim religious leaders 
have condemned the Johnson murder and expressed support for 
Saudi actions against terrorists in the Kingdom.  On June 19, 
Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed publicly condemned the 
murder as a terrorist act and stressed that those who "kill 
the innocent should get their just penalty, even if that be 
death." Also on June 19, National Assembly Speaker Jassem 
Al-Khorafi told reporters that "we (Kuwaitis) feel pain and 
sorrow over such ill-calculated actions ... we pray that God 
Almighty helps us all to eliminate the presence of such 
individuals who have no reverence for homeland, religion, or 
even humanity in our midst."  Dr. Mohammed Tabtabaei, Dean of 
the Faculty of Shari'a and Islamic Studies at Kuwait 
University, said the Johnson murder was "damaging to our 
religion."  Sayed Mohammed Al-Mohri, head of the Shi'a 
Clerics Congregation in Kuwait, also condemned the killing 
and called the Al-Qaeda militants cowards and criminals who 
defame Islam. 
 
2. On June 20 during its weekly meeting, Kuwait's Council of 
Ministers (Cabinet) publicly and officially condemned the 
murder of AMCIT Paul Johnson by Al-Qaeda militants as an 
"inhumane and brutal act that breaches the teachings of Islam 
and all human values." The Cabinet also praised Saudi efforts 
to combat terrorism and extremism in the Kingdom. 
 
3. Local dailies carried front-page articles on June 20 and 
June 21 on the Johnson murder and the killing of Saudi 
Al-Qaeda leader Abdulaziz Al-Muqrin by Saudi security forces. 
Leading local English-language daily Arab Times carried 
numerous editorials on June 21 unanimously condemning the 
AMCIT's brutal murder.  Faisal Al-Zamel, a moderate Islamist 
highly critical of U.S. policies in Israel and Palestine, 
wrote that "the killing of innocent people under such naive 
justifications must be categorically rejected." 
URBANCIC 

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