US embassy cable - 04AMMAN9717

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009717 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KISL, KMPI, KPAL, JO 
SUBJECT: GOJ PUSHES 'AMMAN MESSAGE' ON ISLAM 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 9152 
     B. AMMAN 7752 
 
Classified By: CDA Christopher Henzel for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (U)  Following the GOJ roll-out of the "Amman Message" 
last month denouncing political abuse of Islam, the Jordanian 
government has taken steps to show it is serious about 
promoting a mainstream religious message.  In addition to 
patronizing two large conferences on Islam, the King has 
increased funds for the resource-poor Ministry of Awqaf and 
Religious Affairs to enhance training programs for mosque 
preachers, increase the salaries for imams, and build a new 
Ministry headquarters.  The King also has donated funds to 
build a new Sharia secondary school outside of Amman.  End 
Summary. 
 
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SPREADING THE MESSAGE 
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2.  (U)  The GOJ has taken steps in recent weeks to show it 
is serious about implementing the "Amman Message," a 
declaration delivered by Jordan's top Islamic authorities 
last month that rejected religious extremism and terrorism in 
favor of moderation and tolerance (ref a).  On November 28, 
King Abdullah opened the "International Preaching and 
Guidance Conference," organized by the Awqaf Ministry, which 
featured prominent Muslim scholars -- including the ministers 
of Awqaf from Saudi Arabia and Egypt -- to discuss, among 
other topics, a possible "code" for preaching.  Awqaf 
Minister Ahmad Hilayel said the conference is part of 
Jordan's "relentless efforts" to present the rest of the 
world with "the true picture of Islam," stressing that "our 
talk of tolerance and moderation in Islam is based on 
foundations of strength and self-respect rather than weakness 
and fear."  The day before, Yarmouk University hosted a 
separate three-day conference (also in cooperation with the 
Awqaf Ministry and patronized by the King) called "Islam and 
Muslims in the 21st Century," which was supported through 
PASA funds approved by post's MEPI committee to support 
dialogue and moderate Islam. 
 
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AWQAF MINISTRY GAINS NEW RESPECT 
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3.  (U)  The GOJ's strategy has breathed new life into the 
resource-poor and overshadowed Ministry of Awqaf and 
Religious Affairs, and appears to have opened GOJ coffers as 
well.  During a visit to the Ministry shortly after Jordan's 
chief Qadi Sheikh Izeddin Tamimi delivered the Amman Message, 
the King promised the "required funds" from the 2005 budget 
to implement an ambitious list of new projects: educational 
programs for mosque imams and preachers, the building of 
mosques and shrines dedicated to the sahaba (the Prophet 
Mohammad's companions), investment in waqf (religious 
endowments), and zakat (religious charity) programs.  He 
ordered that the Awqaf Ministry raise the salaries of mosque 
imams by 30 percent, and that mosque caretakers receive a ten 
percent raise. 
 
4.  (U)  The King also announced the establishment of the 
King Abdullah II Institute for Qur'anic Studies, and 
authorized the relocation of the Ministry early next year to 
a new headquarters at a cost of JD 3.5 million.  In addition, 
the Awqaf Ministry is budgeting to build a fifth minaret for 
the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.  In keeping with the plans, 
the Ministry opened a training workshop for preachers this 
week focusing on population challenges, reproductive health, 
and family planning. 
 
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TAKING THE MESSAGE BEYOND AMMAN 
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5.  (U)  The King is taking the message (and his checkbook) 
beyond Amman.  During a visit last month to Salt, west of the 
capital, the King announced he would donate funds to build a 
new modern Sharia secondary school that is in keeping with 
his goal of institutionalizing a moderate approach to Islam. 
The new school, overseen by the Ministry of Awqaf but 
affiliated with the Ministry of Education, would replace the 
overcrowded Imam Ali Bin Abu Taleb Sharia Comprehensive 
School in Salt, one of only four in Jordan that complements 
its regular courses of Arabic, English, and math, with an 
Islamic curriculum, including Qur'anic studies, Hadith 
(teachings of the prophet), and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). 
 Demand for entry into the 14-year old school is high, in 
part because it is tuition-free.  The majority of graduates 
continue at a religious two-year college (also supervised by 
the Awqaf Ministry), which graduates imams and mosque 
preachers. 
 
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MP: TWENTY YEARS LATE? 
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6.  (C)  The impact of the GOJ's strategy remains to be seen. 
 The revival of traditional Islam around the world -- and the 
parallel growth of newer radicalisms -- have been linked in 
Jordan with growing frustration over regional and domestic 
problems, giving rise to a new generation that is notably 
more conservative than its elders (ref b).  Member of 
Parliament Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a former member of the Muslim 
Brotherhood whose constituency includes the residents of the 
Palestinian refugee camp in Madaba, told Poloffs that the 
"Amman Message" is a good idea, but it would have been more 
effective had it been implemented 20 years ago. 
 
7.  (U)  Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through 
the Department of State's SIPRNET home page. 
HENZEL