US embassy cable - 05MANAMA982

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000982 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, EFIN, BA 
SUBJECT: SOCIAL AFFAIRS MINISTER DISCUSSES SOCIETY CLOSING, 
TIP SHELTER, CHARITIES WITH AMBASSADOR 
 
REF: MANAMA 943 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe. Reason: 1.4 (B)(D) 
 
1. (C) Summary. Minister of Social Affairs Fatima Al-Belooshi 
told the Ambassador June 6 that her recent decision to 
suspend the Shia rejectionist Islamic Action Society for 45 
days was in fact the least harsh option, and one that would 
have little practical impact. Lamenting the Society's focus 
on the past (the coup plot of 1982), she said that freedom of 
speech is important but must take place in a legal way.  The 
Minister said that plans to open a government-run shelter for 
abused women were moving forward on two tracks: renting space 
to get something open in the short term, and building a 
permanent facility over the next year.  The Ministry has 
introduced a new measure to strengthen control over outflows 
of charity funds: using monthly reports prepared by the 
central bank to cross-check NGO funds sent abroad.  The 
Minister said she is strengthening her Ministry, seeking to 
double its staff.  One project aims at developing an 
incubator for small businesses run by women.  End summary. 
 
2. (C) The Ambassador opened the meeting by asking the 
Minister about her decision to close the Shia rejectionist 
Islamic Action Society for a period of 45 days following a 
ceremony it held June 29 honoring 73 people convicted in the 
early 1980s for attempting to topple the government (reftel). 
 The Minister downplayed the significance of the Ministry's 
action, saying that it was the least harsh of the three 
possible moves (other possibilities were to replace the board 
or permanently shut the society down).  She noted that, with 
the summer vacation season upon us, the Society would not 
have planned much activity over the next 45 days anyway, so 
the punishment had limited practical effect. 
 
3. (C) Asked what specifically the Society had done to 
warrant suspension, Al-Belooshi said that speakers had 
insulted the Prime Minister and the King by name, and had 
also committed many other infractions over time, including 
distributing books without proper authorization. More 
generally, she lamented the Society's focus on the past, 
saying that so much progress has been achieved that it was a 
shame that certain groups, in this new era of free speech, 
continue to bring up problems of the past.  "Freedom of 
speech is important," she stated, "but it needs to take place 
in a legal way." 
 
4. (C) The Ambassador asked about the status of plans to 
build a government-run shelter for abused woman (often 
foreign housemaids).  Al-Belooshi said that the shelter is a 
high priority for her and that she is moving forward in a 
two-step process.  First, in order to get something up and 
running quickly, the Ministry is renting a facility as an 
interim step.  Second, the Ministry has identified land owned 
by the Ministry of Interior on which it will build a 
permanent shelter.  Plans have been drawn up, and funding has 
been secured.  She estimated that it would take about a year 
to build the permanent facility, which would be co-located 
with a juvenile center. 
 
5. (C) Noting that the Ministry of Social Affairs has 
responsibility for oversight of charities, the Ambassador 
asked about the measures in place to regulate and control 
outflows of funds from charities in Bahrain.  Al-Belooshi 
asserted that strong regulations are in place, and that 
charities need permission from the Ministry in order to send 
funds overseas.  Every registered NGO is required to have in 
its by-laws an article stating that it will not send funds 
abroad without permission from the Ministry.  Acknowledging 
that compliance is crucial, she said that she recently met 
with Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA) Governor Al-Maraj to help 
improve coordination between the Ministry of Social Affairs 
and the BMA.  They agreed to implement a system where the BMA 
will send a monthly report to the Ministry advising which 
NGOs have sent money abroad.  By cross-checking with the 
Ministry's list of which NGOs requested permission to send 
funds abroad, the Ministry will now be able to better monitor 
compliance. 
 
6. (C) Al-Belooshi added that there are some NGOs or ad hoc 
groups that have not registered with the Ministry.  Some of 
these ad hoc groups have been in operation for a long time, 
she stated.  When she first came to the Ministry earlier this 
year, she began an effort to get these unregistered entities 
registered and legal.  In any event, if they are not 
registered they cannot open a bank account to send funds 
abroad through legal channels. 
 
7. (U) Stating that she is an academic and not a politician, 
Al-Belooshi acknowledged that she is not as comfortable 
dealing with such political issues as Bahrain's very active 
political societies, and would much prefer to focus on the 
core work of her Ministry.  She said that social affairs had 
often played a secondary role to labor under the old Ministry 
of Labor and Social Affairs, and that she has focused much of 
her energies, during her initial months as Minister of the 
now independent Ministry of Social Affairs, strengthening the 
Ministry.  To do this, she is trying to double the staff of 
the Ministry from 500 to 1,000.   She said she is trying to 
develop a national strategy to fight poverty, focusing on 
education, training, and small-scale entrepreneurship.  One 
project coming into operation is a retail and workshop center 
being built in the Seif business district as an incubator for 
women attempting to start small businesses.  The Ministry 
will supply microcredits and temporary space.  As businesses 
get established, they will be moved out to make room for new 
aspiring businesswomen.  Ultimately, she hopes to establish 
similar centers elsewhere in Bahrain. 
MONROE