US embassy cable - 05DJIBOUTI391

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 000391 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF AND AF/E 
STATE ALSO FOR USAID 
LONDON/PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SCUL, SOCI, PINR, EAID, SA, DJ 
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI AT LOGGERHEADS WITH SAUDI ARABIA OVER 
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 
 
REF: DJIBOUTI 246 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARGUERITA D. RAGSDALE. 
REASONS 1.5 (D) AND (G). 
 
 1. (C) The 4/19-20 visit of the president of Al-Imam Mohamed 
Ibn Saud Islamic University, Dr. Mohamed Al-Salem, gave Arab 
League member state Djibouti the opportunity to reiterate to 
Saudi Arabia its concerns about instruction offered 
Djibouti's youth under Saudi auspices.  Acting Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Ali Youssouf told Ambassador 4/20, 
during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry, that he had been 
tasked to lay out clearly to al-Salem Djibouti's demand that 
Saudi Arabia swiftly bring its primarily religious education 
programs in Djibouti in line with standards and curricula of 
Djibouti's Ministry of Education. 
 
2. (C) Al-Salem arrived with an express purpose to hand out 
"diplomas" for a "graduation ceremony" of students completing 
a program of study at the Saudi-funded Islamic Institute. 
According to Youssouf, none of the so-called "diplomas" are 
recognized by the Government of Djibouti and the graduation 
did not leave recipients with sufficient job or life skills. 
Youth receiving the diplomas would join the large number of 
those already unemployed. A mere handful -- perhaps 5 or 6 -- 
might be offered scholarships for further study in Saudi 
Arabia. (Note:  While the graduation ceremony was billed as 
"under the high patronage" of Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed 
Dileita, neither the Prime Minister nor the Minister of 
Education or Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs attended. 
They told al-Salem they were tied up in ministerial meetings. 
Nevertheless, Youssouf sent a representative, who stated in 
his remarks at the ceremony that the value of education is to 
prepare students to meet work force needs in the future. End 
note.) 
 
3. (C)  The instruction at the Islamic Institute in Djibouti 
is primarily religious in focus and impacts nearly 400 
students.  According to Youssouf, most of the students are 
not Djiboutian at all but Ethiopian and Somali refugees who 
have used forged documents to register themselves with the 
schools.  He said Djibouti had protested officially Saudi 
willingness to accept these fake documents yet it is obliged 
to tread carefully to avoid damaging relations. Saudi Arabia 
is a significant contributor to development aid for Djibouti. 
Yet, he said Djibouti will not allow its schools to be used 
to instruct in a way that does not benefit the country. 
Youssouf specifically cited fears about the potential 
groundwork being laid for extremist ideology. 
 
4. (C) Youssouf's views mirror those of Minister of Education 
Abdi Ibrahim Absieh, who informed us of his concern that 
education provided under Saudi auspices was not 
"progressive."  Absieh had asked us last month if we could 
help him develop a strategy and action plan to deal with 
Saudi schools (see reftel).  Absieh did not attend a dinner, 
to which Ambassador was also invited, hosted by the Saudi 
ambassador to Djibouti, in honor of al-Salem.  Instead, he 
sent a representative from the education ministry.  According 
to Youssouf, the minister wanted to send a stern message to 
al-Salem over instruction at Saudi institutes broadly, but 
that it had been decided that he (Youssouf) would deliver the 
same message more diplomatically.  To make matters worse, 
al-Salem asked the Foreign Ministry to grant consular status 
to its institutes in Djibouti in order to given them 
diplomatic immunity. Youssouf said his government is refusing 
this request. 
 
5. (C) Comment: On the politics of education in Djibouti, the 
government's concern seems well-justified.  Cloaked in 
secrecy behind high walls, Saudi education methods and 
programs at its institutes are cause for concern.  This most 
recent, and more vigorous step, to force Saudi compliance 
with Djiboutian education prescriptives is testament to 
Djibouti's impatience with the Saudis on this point, but also 
an indicator of its increased concern about the possibility 
of a growth in fundamentalist influence. End comment. 
 
6. (C) Bio-data: Al-Salem told Ambassador he had studied in 
the U.S., receiving a bachelor's degree from the University 
of California at Santa Barbara in education administration 
and an advanced degree from the University of Oregon in 
Eugene. Personable, and well-spoken in English, his 
conversation revealed no specific political or ideological 
leanings.  Yet he seemed keen to defend Saudi education as 
having no extremist intent, and broached the matter himself 
without prompting. End bio-data. 
RAGSDALE