US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT264

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000264 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PREL, KISL, KPAO, KU, TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: KUWAITIS SHOCKED BY RECENT TERROR INCIDENTS; MANY 
CALL FOR TOUGH ACTION 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 00244 
     B. KUWAIT 00185 
     C. KUWAIT 00174 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (d) 
 
1. (C) Summary and Comment: In the wake of a second shoot-out 
on January 15 between Kuwaiti security officers and 
extremists, public calls for increased monitoring of mosque 
sermons, weapons turn-in programs, and increased security 
throughout the country indicate a genuine and growing concern 
among Kuwaitis.  Newspapers are reporting in more detail the 
cache of weapons and plans for terrorist attacks in Kuwait 
found in the militant safehouses, while displays of 
Parliamentary multi-partisanship to confront terrorism mark a 
noteworthy change from the usual contentious infighting. 
Most Kuwaitis are hesitant to view their country as heading 
down the same path as Saudi Arabia, but as security is 
increased throughout the country, personal insecurity 
increases at a similar pace.  Many Kuwaitis, in discussing 
the issue of growing extremism with the Ambassador and 
Embassy Officers, are beginning to speculate on the origin 
and future of extremism in Kuwait.  Although many disagree on 
the particulars, most believe that attacks could continue and 
that the GOK must firmly address the problem in the 
near-term. End Summary and Comment. 
 
Second Shoot-Out Sparks Special Session 
--------------------------------------- 
 
2. (U) Kuwaitis from different political perspectives are 
openly and widely discussing the meaning of the January 15 
shoot-out, the second firefight between extremists and Kuwait 
security forces in a week, in the Umm Al-Haiman area of 
Southeastern Kuwait (ref A).  During the shoot-out, one Saudi 
militant was killed and two security officers were wounded. 
The incident also resulted in the apprehension of three 
Kuwaiti suspects, while several others managed to escape 
during the firefight. 
 
3. (U) Kuwait's dailies are blaming Saudi militants fleeing 
the Kingdom's crackdown and Kuwaiti jihadis, fresh from 
combat in Iraq, for the recent shoot-outs.  Newspapers also 
reported that in addition to a large cache of weapons and 
bomb-making material found at militant hideouts, there were 
plans to attack, with car bombs, Kuwait State Security (KSS) 
HQs and possibly U.S. military convoys.  Kuwait's National 
Assembly has called a special session to take place on 
February 1, after the Hajj and the extended Eid holiday, to 
address the rise of extremism in the country.  The MPs 
calling for the session represent all political blocs and 
they are expected to challenge ministers to explain the GOK's 
policy to confront the growth of extremism. 
 
Prominent Kuwaitis Consider Local Extremism 
------------------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) Islamist MP Nasser Al-Sane does not believe that the 
situation in Kuwait is as serious as it is in Saudi Arabia 
but told the Ambassador that "everyone is worried" about the 
two shoot-outs and admitted that no one knew the extent of 
the problem.  Al-Sane said he believed the militants have 
been in Kuwait for some time, but that they were only exposed 
after the January 10 attack in Hawally.  He added that it was 
good that they were discovered before more serious attacks 
happened.  Before these attacks, said Al-Sane, Kuwaitis 
thought that any terrorist attacks involving Kuwaitis would 
occur in Iraq or at least outside Kuwait.  He said that the 
Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), the political arm of 
the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood, held a special meeting on 
January 13 to discuss the first attack, but have had little 
time to arrive at conclusions.  The ICM held a more recent 
gathering in Jahra -- ICM,s hub in western Kuwait -- 
bringing together politicians and religious leaders in a 
collective front against terrorism.  According to Al-Sane, 
"everybody is fighting against this." 
 
5. (C) Dr. Shafiq Ghabra, liberal professor and President of 
the American University of Kuwait, told the Ambassador during 
a recent meeting, that the shoot-outs are evidence that the 
militant Islamists are on the defensive.  He explained that 
Kuwait is being influenced by the grassroots Salafist/Wahhabi 
movement from Saudi Arabia.  He claimed that the Islamist 
ideology is falling out of favor with young Kuwaitis who are 
more influenced by globalization and the U.S. and described 
the recent attacks as "culturally dirty," saying that it is 
culturally unacceptable for Kuwaitis of same or related 
tribes to attack one another.  He remarked that these attacks 
serve as a wake-up call for the GOK and that the government 
is responding by taking the attack to the extremists. 
 
6. (C) During a January 17 meeting with the Ambassador, 
National Bank of Kuwait Chairman Mohammed Al-Bahar and CEO 
Ibrahim Al-Dabdoub said that much of the GOK's past 
reluctance to crack down on extremism is due to the growing 
influence of the Islamist bedouin.  Al-Bahar and Al-Dabdoud 
traced the rise of the bedouin influence to the 1950s, when 
the merchant families of Kuwait began to express an interest 
in "pan-arabism."  To counter the merchant families, they 
explained, the Al-Sabah ruling family gave citizenship to 
many of the bedouin and brought them in to the political 
arena to "even out the balance" with the merchant families. 
Now that many of the Kuwaiti bedouin are populating the 
rank-and-file at government ministries and are instrumental 
in electing Islamist MPs, their influence continues to grow 
and they outnumber the "original Kuwaitis," according to 
Al-Bahar.  Both bankers agreed that the merchant families and 
the Al-Sabahs are feeling political pressure from the bedouin 
tribes and that both are threatened by the growing influence 
of the bedouin tribes who increasingly espouse an intolerant 
Islamist ideology. 
 
7. (U) ICM Secretary General Bader Al-Nashi summed up in a 
memo the reasons for the emergence of violent extremism in 
Kuwait.  The memo included the participation of youth 
radicalized by foreign wars, the influence of worldwide 
persecution of Muslims, media exaggerations that provoke 
young Muslims, a lack or ignorance of proper mechanisms to 
address societal problems, American military presence in the 
region, and the emergence of U.S. policies toward social, 
educational, and political reforms in the region. 
 
Rank-and-File Kuwaitis Split on Source of Extremism 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
8. (C) PolOff met with many National Assembly professional 
staff members representing a broad political spectrum.  There 
is a general, although not universal, split between Islamists 
and liberals on the issue of Kuwaiti extremism.  Liberals 
believe that the GOK must crackdown more harshly and show 
less leniency toward militants.  They believe that this is 
the only way to end the growth of extremism in Kuwait. 
Islamists argue that militants must be co-opted and not 
tortured or harassed.  While no mainstream Islamists endorse 
violence, they appear sympathetic to the plight of the 
"misguided" militants and are urging the GOK not to torture 
suspects reasoning that such actions would only create more 
hatred toward the government and lead to more violence. 
 
-- One Kuwaiti told PolOff that these attacks are just the 
beginning.  He said emphatically that the tribes are upset 
that some of their own were tortured by KSS and now those 
individuals are lashing out.  He thought the tribes might 
protect those militants, if necessary, and believed that many 
more attacks would occur. 
 
-- A prominent liberal staffer in the Secretary General's 
office at the National Assembly argued for a tougher 
crackdown on terrorists.  He didn't think that the extremists 
would resort to bombings, but he expected more attacks.  He 
blames the mainstream Islamists for remaining in their "ivory 
towers" to comment on insignificant Qur'anic issues rather 
than reaching out to the Kuwaiti street to address the growth 
of religious misinterpretations that lead to violence. 
 
-- Another said the problem is that there is no central 
religious authority for Sunnis as there is for the Shi'a.  He 
explained that every Sunni community has a different 
interpretation of the Qur'an and this decentralized system 
leads to great misinterpretation and therefore to violence. 
He also said he expected more attacks and had little 
confidence that Kuwaiti security elements would be able to 
prevent future attacks. 
 
-- A senior staff member on the National Assembly's Foreign 
Affairs committee was completely convinced that Kuwait State 
Security (KSS) and Kuwaiti police would prevent future 
attacks.  He remarked that he was not concerned about the 
situation and did not expect any terrorist attacks in Kuwait. 
 He said that terrorism and extremism are alien to Kuwait, a 
refrain heard regularly by PolOffs until the shoot-outs of 
the past week. 
 
Increasing Focus on Mosques 
--------------------------- 
 
9. (U) There is an increasing realization that some mosques 
are inciting Kuwaitis to violence.  Arabic-language 
newspapers are reporting that Fawwaz Al-Otaibi's Imam, Amer 
Khlaif, showed to his followers video of Americans being 
beheaded and instructed them to strive to do the same. 
(Note: Fawwaz Al-Otaibi was the Kuwaiti extremist killed in 
the January 10 shoot-out. End Note.)  Khlaif, a 29-year old 
Imam and preacher at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic 
Affairs, is a suspect in the two shoot-outs and is known as 
the spiritual mentor of Kuwaiti jihadis in Jahra, including 
Al-Otaibi.  Al-Otaibi's family is publicly calling for GOK 
supervision of mosques and one news daily remarked that these 
recent acts of violence began in the mosques.  Some Kuwaitis 
are calling for more supervision of mosque activities for 
fear their children could be swayed to commit violent acts 
and one muezzin suggested that any "abnormal" gathering in a 
mosque should be reported to the police. 
 
10 (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
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LEBARON