US embassy cable - 01GABORONE3435

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 003435 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: (X1) 
TAGS: PINR, PTER, BC 
SUBJECT: TFUS01:  BOTSWANA MUSLIM ATTITUDES 
 
REF: (A)STATE 177569, (B)STATE 175484, (C)GABORONE 3315 
 
(U) CLASSIFIED BY POL/ECON OFFICER AARON TARVER, REASON 
1.5(B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) POST HAS ACTIVELY SOUGHT OUT MEMBERS OF THE 
MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN BOTSWANA TO GAUGE ATTITUDES TOWARDS 
U.S. ACTIONS IN COMBATING TERRORISM FOLLOWING THE 
SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS AND FOLLOWING COMMENCEMENT OF 
MILITARY ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN (REFS B, C).  MUSLIM 
COMMUNITY LEADERS HAVE DELAYED MEETING WITH US, AND HAVE 
EXPRESSED UNEASE AT THE PROSPECT, AS THE MEETING WILL 
LIKELY INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES OF OPINION. 
NEVERTHELESS, POST HAS SECURED A MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF 
THE BOTSWANA MUSLIM ASSOCIATION FOR OCTOBER 24, AND WILL 
REPORT ON THAT MEETING SEPTEL. 
 
POST'S RESPONSES TO REFTEL A ARE AS FOLLOWS: 
 
INDICATORS 
----------- 
 
2.  (C) THE MEDIA.  AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THERE ARE NO 
MEDIA OUTLETS WITH A RADICAL ISLAMIC EDITORIAL POLICY. 
HOWEVER, WE HAVE RECENTLY LEARNED OF THE EXISTENCE OF 
THE MUSLIM'S CRESCENT NEWSPAPER, PURPORTEDLY EDITED BY A 
MR. ZAFAR BANGASH.  THE PUBLICATION IS NOT AVAILABLE IN 
GENERAL CIRCULATION, AND WE HAVE NOT SEEN IT ANYWHERE IN 
GABORONE OR FRANCISTOWN.  ACCORDING TO A REPORT IN THE 
WEEKLY PAPER THE BOTSWANA GUARDIAN, MR. BANGASH RECENTLY 
DELIVERED A LECTURE AT THE GABORONE MAIN MOSQUE URGING 
ALL BOTSWANA'S MUSLIMS "TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH 
AFGHANISTAN."  (COMMENT:  WE WILL PRESS FURTHER TO FIND 
OUT MORE ABOUT THE MUSLIM'S CRESCENT.  AS THE BOTSWANA 
GUARDIAN IS ONE OF THE MORE SENSATIONALISTIC PAPERS IN 
BOTSWANA, WE ARE UNSURE HOW MUCH WEIGHT TO ATTRIBUTE TO 
THIS REPORT.  END COMMENT.) 
 
3.  (C) ISLAMIC PREACHING/TEACHING.  TO THE BEST OF OUR 
KNOWLEDGE, NO PREACHERS, MOSQUES, OR EDUCATIONAL 
INSTITUTIONS HAVE EMERGED AS CENTERS OF RADICALISM. 
THERE ARE NO RADICAL MUSLIM BROADCASTS ON LOCAL RADIO 
AND TV.  BOTSWANA TELEVISION (BTV) IS GOVERNMENT-OWNED, 
AS ARE THE RADIO STATIONS THAT REACH THE LARGEST 
PROPORTION OF LISTENERS IN BOTSWANA, RADIO BOTSWANA AND 
RB2.  TWO INDEPENDENT RADIO STATIONS EXIST, GABZ-FM AND 
YARONA-FM, AND ARE MORE POPULAR THAN STATE-OWNED RADIO, 
BUT THESE HAVE ONLY A LIMITED BROADCASTING RANGE. 
NEITHER STATION BROADCASTS ISLAMIC RADICALISM OVER THE 
AIRWAVES, ALTHOUGH LOCAL CALL-IN TALK SHOWS GIVE 
ANONYMOUS CALLERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO VENT ANTI-AMERICAN 
SENTIMENT AT TIMES. 
 
4.  (C) POLITICAL PARTIES.  THERE IS NO POLITICAL PARTY 
IDENTIFIED WITH ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN BOTSWANA.  THE 
LEADING OPPOSITION PARTY, THE BOTSWANA NATIONAL FRONT 
(BNF), ISSUED A STATEMENT THAT ASKS ALL BATSWANA TO 
"CONDEMN TERRORISM AND ALL ITS MANIFESTATIONS AND FORMS 
EVEN IF IT IS PERPETUATED BY SUPERPOWERS, MIDDLE-SIZED 
COUNTRIES, SMALL COUNTRIES, ORGANIZATIONS OR 
INDIVIDUALS."  THE BNF IS A PARTY OF SOCIO-DEMOCRATIC 
LEANINGS, BEGAN BY DR. KENNETH KOMA, WHO OBTAINED HIS 
PH.D. IN THE SOVIET UNION IN THE 1960S.  THE BNF'S 
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER IS MR. MOHAMMED KHAN. 
 
5.  (C) NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.  THERE ARE NO 
KNOWN NGOS, CHARITABLE OR OTHERWISE, WITH KNOWN TIES TO 
ISLAMIC RADICALISM.  WE KNOW OF ONE ORGANIZATION, THE 
BOTSWANA MUSLIM ASSOCIATION (BMA), WHICH FOCUSES ON 
ISSUES OF INTEREST TO MUSLIMS.  THE BMA EXECUTIVE BOARD 
CONSISTS OF ABDUL SATAR DADA, PRESIDENT (DADA IS 
TREASURER FOR THE RULING BOTSWANA DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND 
THE ONLY NON-BLACK AFRICAN IN BOTSWANA'S PARLIAMENT); 
ISMAIL IBRAHIM, VICE-PRESIDENT; ABDUL MALEK MELAMU, 
SECRETARY GENERAL; MOHAMMED IQBAL CHAND, ASSISTANT 
SECRETARY; RIAZ PEERBHAI, TREASURER; AND SALIM KALA, 
ASSISTANT TREASURER.  (SOURCE:  MIDWEEK SUN, 19 SEPT. 
2001). 
 
6.  (C) THE BMA YOUTH WING, THE MUSLIM YOUTH MOVEMENT 
(P.O. BOX 1903, GABORONE, BOTSWANA, TEL: +267 71-707- 
870, A MOBILE PHONE NUMBER) ISSUED A PRESS RELEASE 
ENTITLED "USA:  HYPOCRITES!" RECITING SEVERAL "FACTS" 
PURPORTING TO EXPLAIN WHY THE U.S.-LED CAMPAIGN AGAINST 
TERRORISM IS A "FANTASY," INCLUDING THE STATEMENT THAT 
"IT IS ALSO A RECOGNIZED FACT IN THE ARAB WORLD THAT 
THOSE BOMBINGS (OF THE U.S. EMBASSIES IN NAIROBI AND DAR 
ES SALAAM) WERE PLANNED BY THE ISRAELIS." 
 
7.  (C) FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND PRIVATE COMPANIES. 
WE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS HAVING 
TIES TO RADICAL ISLAM.  THE FOUR MAJOR BANKS IN 
BOTSWANA, BARCLAYS AND STANDARD CHARTERED, STANBIC AND 
FINANCIAL BANK OF BOTSWANA, ARE BASED OUT OF THE UK AND 
SOUTH AFRICA, RESPECTIVELY.  WE WILL BE MEETING WITH 
EACH OF THOSE BANKS SHORTLY TO GAUGE PROGRESS IN 
IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSCR 1373.  WE HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS 
(ORIGINALLY FROM THE RAPPORT, AN AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE 
NEWSPAPER IN SOUTH AFRICA, REPRINTED IN THE CAPE TOWN 
NEWS) THAT ONE OF TWO BUSINESSMEN INVOLVED IN THE 
WATERVAL ISLAMIC INSTITUTE IN MIDRAND, GAUTENG, HAS TIES 
TO THE BANKING INDUSTRY OF BOTSWANA.  RSO AND THE 
BOTSWANA SPECIAL BRANCH OF THEIR POLICE SERVICE ARE 
FOLLOWING UP ON THIS ALLEGATION, BUT HAVE TURNED UP NO 
NEW INFORMATION. 
 
8.  (C) SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDY ABROAD.  WE HAVE NO 
INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE LOCAL MUSLIM STUDENTS ARE SENT 
ABROAD FOR STUDY.  WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME BATSWANA MAY 
HAVE RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDY IN LIBYA, WHICH HAS 
AN EMBASSY HERE, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF SCHOLARSHIPS 
FOR STUDY EMANATE FROM THE GOB, WHICH SENDS THE LARGE 
MAJORITY OF ITS SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS TO THE UK AND THE 
U.S.  A SMALL MINORITY WERE SENT TO STUDY AT AN 
ENGINEERING COLLEGE IN MALAYSIA, BUT A NUMBER OF THOSE 
STUDENTS WERE EXPELLED AFTER THEY STAGED A WALKOUT 
COMPLAINING THAT THEIR COLLEGE WAS IN FACT A SHOPPING 
MALL IN MALAYSIA. 
 
9.  (C) FOREIGN ITINERANTS.  WE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF 
FOREIGN ITINERANTS WITH KNOWN OR RUMORED TIES TO RADICAL 
ISLAM LIVING IN OR REGULARLY TRANSITING THE COUNTRY. 
THE COUNTRY'S BORDERS, HOWEVER, ARE QUITE POROUS, AND 
BOTSWANA'S GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO 
KNOW IF ITINERANTS ARE TRANSITING THE COUNTRY. 
 
10.  (C) CONTACT INFORMATION AND RUMORS.  RSO CONTACTS 
NOTED WITH SURPRISE REPORTS THAT THE BMA WAS UNABLE TO 
REACH A CONSENSUS ON ISSUING A STATEMENT OF CONDOLENCE 
AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 11 TERRORIST ATTACK.  ACCORDING TO 
SOURCE, DADA BASICALLY "BOUGHT HIS WAY IN" TO THE BMA, 
AND CONTROLLED THE ORGANIZATION.  SOURCE THEORIZED THAT 
EITHER DADA TRULY DID NOT WANT A CONDOLENCE STATEMENT 
ISSUED (CONTRARY TO HIS STATEMENT TO AMBASSADOR AND 
DCM), OR THAT THE YOUTH WING BOTSWANA MUSLIM MOVEMENT IS 
EXERTING MORE AUTHORITY WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION THAN 
MAINSTREAM BMA MEMBERS ANTICIPATED. 
 
LANGE