US embassy cable - 04MANAMA1275

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001275 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/NEA AND NEA/ARP 
LONDON FOR ETHAN GOLDRICH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2029 
TAGS: PHUM, ASEC, ALOW, PGOV, KDEM, KWMN, IZ, BA 
SUBJECT: 8,000 BAHRAINIS PEACEFULLY PROTEST US OPERATIONS 
IN IRAQI HOLY CITIES 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY.  Bahrain's Shi'a leadership organized a 
march in which 8,000 Bahrainis peacefully protested US 
military actions in Najaf and other holy cities of Iraq. 
Representing Parliament, Sunni Council of Representatives 
(COR) Chairman Ahmed Khalifa Al Dahrani issued a public 
statement expressing Parliament's concern for the "brutal 
carnage" in Iraqi cities. Prominent Shi'a parliamentarians 
emphasized that Parliament's statement is a condemnation of 
all violence in Iraq, both coalition forces and Iraqi 
elements.  They reiterated that Bahraini Shi'a do not support 
Muqtada Al Sadr and that his rise to prominence is only based 
on his father's laurels. While the protest and parliamentary 
statement are clearly expressions of Bahrainis' concern for 
Iraqis, they also reflect a measure of local politics with 
Sunnis jumping on a popular Shi'a bandwagon.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  On Friday August 13, approximately 8,000 Bahrainis 
(RSO estimate) marched in protest against US military actions 
in Najaf and other holy cities of Iraq. Organized by 
Bahrain's leading Shi'a opposition society Al Wifaq, 
demonstrators walked the customary four kilometer course 
between the Seef and Pearl roundabouts following Friday 
sermons, chanting slogans demanding a halt to US military 
actions.  Hundreds of women protested separately on a nearby 
route.  Internet chatrooms called for a protest in front of 
the US Embassy which did not materialize.  Eyewitnesses and 
the press reported that the protests were peaceful and there 
were no reports of injuries, casualties or arrests.  A 
prominent Shi'a Editor-in-Chief Mansour Al Jamri in his 
August 15 column in al-Wasat praised the police for their 
low-key presence at the demonstration. 
 
3.  (U)  Bahraini religious leaders made statements in both 
the English and Arabic local press on August 14.  Al Wifaq's 
President Shaikh Ali Salman stated that (US) occupiers of 
Iraq need to take full responsibility for the "bloodshed of 
innocent civilians in Iraq." He added that the USG creates 
trouble in Iraq to ensure the continuity of its presence. 
Prominent religious Shi'a clerics Shaikh Issa Qassim and 
Shaikh Abdulla Al-Guraifi publicly endorsed Salman's 
comments.  Sunni Parliamentarian and member of Al Minbar 
Islamiyya (Muslim Brotherhood) Shaikh Mohammed Khalid, who 
participated with Shaikh Salman in the protest, told the 
press that he wanted to send a clear message to the US 
administration that Bahraini Sunni and Shi'a are united 
against US occupation and "desecration" of religious sites. 
 
4.  (C)  Sunni Chairman of the elected Council of 
Representatives (COR) Ahmed Khalifa Al Dahrani issued a 
public statement August 13 on behalf of the Parliament 
condemning the events in Iraq, expressing its concern for the 
"brutal carnage" Iraqi cities have experienced and that 
American forces have waged attacks in Najaf close to the Imam 
Ali shrine. In conversations with Shi'a COR members, Shaikh 
Mohammed Al Abbas told PolOFF on August 14 that he was 
gratified to receive a call from Al Dahrani requesting a 
meeting of COR members to approve a public statement.  COR 
member Ali Samaheeji told PolOFF on August 14 that he was 
surprised that Al Dahrani took the initiative to support the 
Shi'a, demonstrating that Al Dahrani is "a man for all 
Bahrainis."  Both COR members claimed that all available 
Sunni and Shi'a COR members agreed with the statement's 
content. 
 
5.  (C)  However, Shaikh Mohammed Al Abbas insisted that 
Parliament's statement was also a condemnation of all 
violence in Iraq, whether by coalition forces or Iraqi 
elements.  He added that the Shi'a do not support Muqtada Al 
Sadr and that Al Sadr's rise to prominence is only based on 
his father's laurels and suffering.  "Al Sadr set in motion a 
violence machine he can't control," Al Abbas said.  MP 
Samaheeji also said that Bahrain's religious clerics do not 
support Al Sadr and no one called for action in Bahrain in 
support of Al Sadr.  Yousif Zailalabedeen Zainal told PolOFF 
on August 14 that the Islamic Bloc of Parliament will meet 
with Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Mubarak Al 
Khalifa on August 16 to present a letter of concern 
protesting coalition troops fighting near Najaf's Imam Ali 
shrine. 
 
6.  (C)  COMMENT.  While the protest and parliamentary 
statement are clearly heartfelt expressions of Bahrainis' 
concern for Iraqis, they also represent some measure of 
gamesmanship and local politics.  Perhaps out of concern for 
being outmaneuvered by Shaikh Salman and Al Wifaq, COR 
Chairman Al Dahrani took the initiative to issue a public 
statement against US operations in Najaf.  If this was his 
motivation, it appears to have worked: he has earned the 
appreciation of COR members who generally consider him a weak 
leader and the Prime Minister's man.  END COMMENT. 
ZIADEH