US embassy cable - 04ABUJA1332

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ABUJA 001332 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/PDPA, AF/W, R 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, KDEM, PREL, EAID, PHUM, PGOV, OIIP, OEXC 
SUBJECT: MUSLIM WORLD OUTREACH - PCC REQUEST FOR STRATEGIES 
 
REF: SECSTATE 155954 
 
1.  Summary:  Nigeria's large Muslim population is highly 
critical of US foreign policy and harbors many misconceptions 
and stereotypes about American society.  Muslim media 
re-inforce these negative opinions.  Our current Muslim 
outreach strategy is effective but needs vastly increased 
public and private funding.  End Summary 
 
 2.  Context.  Nigeria has the largest Muslim population in 
Africa, including North Africa.  In fact there are more 
Muslims in Nigeria than any single Arab country.  Islam is 
deeply rooted in northern Nigeria among the ethnic 
Hausa/Fulani and in the south-west Nigeria among the ethnic 
Yoruba.  All Muslim communities maintain mosques, koranic 
schools (Islamiyya) and Sharia courts.  Fora for 
Muslim-Christian dialogue are active, but relations are tense 
and often erupt in communal violence spearheaded by 
unemployed Muslim youth.  In foreign policy terms, most 
Nigerian Muslims disagree with U.S. Middle East policy and 
are against the war in Iraq.  Their opinions about the U.S. 
are mixed.  They appreciate U.S. support for Nigerian 
democracy and respect for US technology and institutions. 
However, they criticize permissiveness in American society, 
U.S. support for Israel, and what they perceive as lack of 
American appreciation for Muslims and the Islamic faith. 
Broadcast and print media in the north re-inforce these 
opinions. 
 
 3.  Opportunities for Dialogue.  There are numerous Muslim 
religious and civil society groups open to dialogue:  Islamic 
studies departments at universities, the Arewa Forum in 
Kaduna, northern Nigerian think tanks, women's groups, youth 
organizations, the Muslim/Christian Dialogue organization in 
Kaduna, the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in 
Lagos, and Muslim secondary and koranic schools. 
4.   Effective Programs/Projects.  The current outreach 
strategy utilizes Mission outreach, State Department exchange 
programs, USAID technical assistance, and DOD humanitarian 
assistance programs.  Effective projects include: 
 
-- Mission-sponsored Iftars (dinners) to mark the end of 
Ramadan; 
-- International Visitor Grants (34 grants that include 50% 
Muslim participation); 
-- Mission-published Hausa-language magazine "Magama" that 
reaches 8,000 subscribers; 
-- Conferences like the recent Sharia conference sponsored by 
the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (US), the 
Islamic Studies Department of Ahmadu Bello University (NG), 
and the International Forum for Islamic Dialogue (UK) greatly 
enhance Mission outreach and dialogue; 
-- USAID's LEAP program to increase literacy and USAID 
technical assistance projects in Muslim communities; 
-- Peace Basketball Project for Muslim and Christian Youth in 
Kaduna and Jos modeled after programs for youth gangs in NYC 
(funded by USAID and Coca Cola); 
-- Television Co-Productions with the National Television 
Authority such as the one on Muslim life in America that 
receives prime-time broadcast during all Muslim holidays; 
-- Speeches to Muslim groups by US speakers and Mission staff; 
-- English teaching grants to high schools in Kano and Kaduna 
and special scholarships for needy students; 
-- Hausa-language fellows to teach at US colleges (3 grants); 
-- Supplies and construction of classrooms and clinics under 
DOD humanitarian assistance program; 
-- Youth exchange for high-school students from Kaduna and 
Sokoto under the International Partnerships for Learning 
initiative (IP4L). 
-- Girls's Scholarship Program for junior secondary students 
in 12 states, including 6 states in the north and 2 in the 
south-west; 
-- Establishment of American Corners in Ibadan and Jos. 
-- Educational Advising and college fairs on study in the US. 
-- Native Deen, Muslim hip-hop group from US. 
-- Workforce development programs funded by grants from 
Citizen Exchanges office. 
5.   Recommendations for future outreach.  The current 
strategy is effective but needs to expand to more Muslim 
communities and needs increased funding from public and 
private sources in both the US and Nigeria.  Mission's 
recommendations are as follows: 
 
-- Provide 100 International Visitor grants for Nigeria to 
enable increased Muslim participation; 
-- Fund academic exchanges in religion between US and 
Nigerian institutions; 
-- Step-up educational advising at Muslim high schools; 
-- Fund grants for US Muslim organizations, such as CSID, to 
work with Migerian Muslim NGOs; 
-- Expand publication and distribution of "Magama" magazine; 
-- Increase funding for television co-productions with the 
Nigerian Television Authority and independent producers; 
-- Establish American Corners in additional Muslim 
communities; 
-- Fund workshops for Muslim journalists; 
-- Expand Nigerian participation in the IP4L initiative to 
include educational reform and curriculum development; 
-- Increase the number of Nigerian states (north and 
south-west) and Nigerian high-school students in the YES 
program; 
-- Sponsor a tour of Muslim universities by the Native Deen 
musical group; 
-- Re-establish Muslim/Christian Dialogue exchange project; 
-- Expand Peace Basketball Project to additional Muslim 
communities; 
-- Expand Girls's Scholarship program; 
-- Increase cooperation between US Mission and other 
embassies (e.g., UK and Germany) on Muslim outreach. 
-- Fund regional conferences for PD officers to discuss 
programming and personnel needs related to expanded Muslim 
outreach. 
 
 
 
CAMPBELL