US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT4371

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004371 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KISL, PREL, PGOV, KU 
SUBJECT: THE LINES AND BEARDS GET LONGER AT THE ARAB BOOK 
EXHIBITION 
 
 
1. Summary: The 29th Arab Book Fair reflected a continued 
trend of the gradual Islamization of the annual exhibition. 
A noticeable increase in Islamic religious books, shoppers, 
and booksellers highlighted the fair, where the majority of 
participants and shoppers were rural conservative Muslims. 
Some urban, moderate Kuwaitis increasingly shied away from 
the event and some liberal contacts described the event as a 
waste of time.  Nonetheless, Washington-produced Arabic texts 
sold well at the U.S. Embassy's book fair stall.  End Summary. 
 
2. The 29th Arab Book Fair was held from November 23 - 
December 3.  Twenty-five countries took part in the 
exhibition, displaying over 90,000 books, mostly in Arabic, 
although there were a limited number of English-language 
books available.  The opening was presided over by 
Information Minister Mohammed Abulhassan.  (Note: The 
Information Minister is likely to be the next minister to 
face a parliamentary grilling.  Members of the Salafi 
Movement, a.k.a. Scientific Salafis, are attacking him on 
numerous charges including irregularities in the Ministry, 
permitting indecent concerts and inappropriate television 
programming, and general promotion of moral corruption. End 
Note.) 
 
3. Over the past five years, the tone of the book fair has 
become increasingly more religious. The majority of patrons 
this year were bearded Kuwaiti men and fully-veiled Kuwaiti 
women.  The majority of the bookshops and publishers taking 
part in the exhibition, particularly the Kuwaiti 
participants, reflected conservative religious ideologies. 
Most books covered traditional and historical issues such as 
the life of Prophet Mohammed, the spread of Islam, and 
Islamic life issues and rituals.  Analytical books about the 
Islamic groups and movements were not seen.  (Comment: This 
is almost certainly because of the growing influence of the 
Islamist groups in Kuwait.  A few years ago, Islamist MPs 
grilled Shaykh Saud Nasser Al-Sabah, then Information 
Minister, because some of the books at a previous fair were 
perceived to be contrary to Islamic values. End Comment.) 
Many shoppers filled their shopping carts with lower-quality 
religious books which are sold at bargain prices.  The fair 
is viewed by rural bedouin and Islamists as a day out for the 
family.  Kids can "play" in the shopping carts and cheap 
books on Islam are plentiful.  As a result, most urban 
Kuwaitis increasingly avoid the book exhibition.  (Comment: 
Several liberal post contacts described the event as a waste 
of time, the Islamic experts as "hacks," and commented that 
many Kuwaitis never read their purchased books, instead using 
them as home decor. End Comment.) 
 
4. New this year was a display of modern and professionally 
published English-language children's books on Islam.  In 
place of music played on the traditional oud, an Arab 
mandolin, it was agreed that there would be only readings 
from the Qur'an to accentuate the mood at the fair -- a 
widely understood concession to the Islamists -- and workers 
at one booth handed out free informational CDs in support of 
Palestinian political causes.  Some of the many non-Islamic 
books to be found included interpretation of dreams, 
hypnotism, cooking, general fiction, and technical and 
computer-related reference books.  There were also books on 
astrology, a topic growing in popularity among Arab women, 
and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a technique for 
personal self-improvement and societal betterment that is 
gaining many adherents in the Arab world, especially among 
Islamists. 
 
5. The U.S. Embassy stall, adorned with red, white, and blue 
bunting, did brisk business.  Embassy staff working the event 
sold approximately 400 books, in Arabic and English, on a 
variety of topics including: U.S. politics, history, and 
culture as well as English-language instruction.  Especially 
popular was an Arabic-language book about the boxer Muhammed 
Ali and texts about the U.S. legal system, both of which sold 
out.  Arabic-speaking participants also purchased 
Arabic-language texts on U.S. history, government, and the 
electoral process, and expressed a desire to have more, and 
more modern, texts for learning English. 
 
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Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
 
You can also access this site through the 
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website 
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LEBARON