US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT4552

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004552 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KISL, SCUL, ECON, KU 
SUBJECT: KUWAITIS CONFLICTED OVER CHRISTMAS 
 
1. (U) This message is Sensitive But Unclassified; Please 
Protect Accordingly. 
 
2. (SBU) Summary:  While some of Kuwait's western educated 
elite dabble in decorating Christmas trees and exchanging 
presents, and Christians openly celebrate the holiday, some 
Islamists have called for banning the sale of 
Christmas-related goods and some have scolded Muslims for 
"congratulating Jewish and Christian apostates and others on 
their festivals and holidays."  The diverse reactions to a 
holiday celebrated by many residents here reflect the 
relative freedom enjoyed by Kuwait's population -- in this 
case to both commemorate and criticize the commemoration of a 
non-Muslim holiday.  End Summary. 
 
It's Christmas for Kuwaitis, Too 
-------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) To visit one of Kuwait's many shopping malls during 
the Christmas holiday season is to transport yourself back 
to the United States.  Christmas trees adorn many shops, the 
likeness of Santa Claus is unavoidably plastered throughout 
buildings and traditional (and remarkably religious) holiday 
tunes play in the background.  Although one might think the 
target audience of these decorations and adornments is 
Kuwait's large population of expatriate Christians (approx. 
250,000 - 500,000) -- and in fact this is partially true -- 
there are many Muslim Kuwaitis who have adopted the Christian 
holiday and embraced its commercial, if not religious 
aspects.  Accordingly, scores of Kuwaitis, most of them 
educated in the West, put up Christmas trees, buy their 
children Christmas presents, host lavish parties and send 
holiday greetings to their Christian friends.  Newspapers are 
also filled with inserts urging shopping and dining at the 
many retail outlets and restaurants scattered about the city. 
 
The Islamists Who Stole Christmas 
--------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) But venture outside the malls and Kuwait City proper 
and one will find little public acknowledgement of any 
non-Muslim holiday; in places where Kuwait's bedouin and 
tribal populations are centered -- Jahra, Ahmadi, and other 
outlying regions, the influence of Islamists is increasingly 
apparent.  The influence is manifested not only in dress and 
custom -- more men wearing long beards and more covered women 
-- but has also affected what merchants are allowed to sell. 
On December 23, according to local dailies, a group of Salafi 
Islamists forced a well-known supermarket to withdraw such 
products as trees and greeting cards from its shelves in its 
Jahra store, claiming that holiday items connected to 
Christmas and the New Year celebration were contrary to 
Islamic teachings.  The group reportedly produced a petition 
with 350 signatures demanding the withdrawal and explaining 
that such goods were 'haram.' 
 
5. (U) Additionally, well known Salafis have called on 
Muslims to refrain from congratulating Jews and Christians on 
their holidays.  The Chairman of Revival of Islamic Heritage 
Society's (RIHS) Good Word Committee (Note: RIHS is the 
charitable and social welfare arm of the Traditional 
Salafis), Khaled Al-Sultan Al-Issa announced in the Kuwaiti 
arabic daily 'Al-Qabas' on December 26 that "Muslims (are) 
forbidden from imitating others in everything, even 
involvement in the festivals and holidays of non-Muslims." 
Reinforcing his message, he went on to characterize the 
beliefs underlying these holidays as "creeds which are openly 
incompatible with the Islamic creed...Muslims are prohibited 
from sharing the Christians' and other infidel faiths 
holidays in any form, whether by attendance or exchange of 
gifts or expression of joy." 
 
6. (SBU) Anecdotally, a Muslim contact of Polchief's was 
stopped by the police for displaying Christmas ornaments in 
the back window of his car.  Upon being scolded by the 
officer for "promoting a Christian holiday," he claimed he 
was Christian, which immediately ended the harrassment. 
 
Kuwaiti Liberals: 'Tis The Season... 
------------------------------------ 
 
7. (U) Despite protestations over Christmas by many 
Islamists, the vast majority of Kuwaitis -- who are Muslim -- 
are tolerant of the celebration.  Moderate, independent 
columnist Mohammed Musaed Al-Saleh wrote in Al-Qabas on 
December 27 that the forced removal of Christmas items from 
the Jahra store was conducted by "narrow-minded people" who 
have committed a "violation" against the state ministries 
charged with regulating commerce.  He finished by wishing a 
"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our Christian 
brothers."  Columnist Khaled Al-Jenfawi agreed, noting that 
"the relevant people neither represent the authorities 
concerned in the country nor the citizens in Al-Jahra 
Governorate."  Lamenting the general loss of civility towards 
Christians during the Christmas season since the 1970s, 
Khaled Bourisly fondly recalled a previous time when he and 
his Kuwaiti friends openly celebrated Christmas with their 
Christian friends.  In a December 25 Special to the english 
language Arab Times, he noted that "foreign elements" began 
to influence Kuwaiti society in the late 1970s.  As a result, 
"all sorts of freedoms began to be restricted, including 
public singing and celebrations -- and Christmas and New 
Year's parties -- were limited or forbidden...In the 
suppression of Christian holiday celebrations, Kuwaitis and 
their children are the real losers."  Finally, outspoken 
Shiite cleric Sayed Mohammed Baqr Al-Mohri, likely reacting 
to the remarks of Khaled Sultan, reiterated that there is no 
religious prohibition against congratulating those of other 
faiths on their holidays. 
 
8. (SBU) Comment:  That most are free to celebrate their 
religious holidays within limits is a credit to the relative 
openness and freedom enjoyed in Kuwait, in contrast to many 
of its neighbors.  Part of that freedom may be economic in 
nature, as holiday items, none of which were on sale -- 
generated nice profits for many retailers.  History, however, 
shows that the path from denouncing other religious 
celebrations to prohibiting them is very short.  Whether 
Kuwait takes this path is part of the broader Kuwaiti 
societal debate between those who view the West as an example 
and those who reject it as un-Islamic.  For the time being, 
the fact that there are public debates about this issue is 
reassuring; should the frequency of Islamist complaints 
increase or become vitriolic, there will be additional cause 
for concern.  End Comment. 
 
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LEBARON