US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI3200

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; 
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR ZEYA 
LONDON ALSO FOR MOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: SAUDI INTELLECTUAL CONDEMNS 
SUICIDE BOMBINGS 
 
 
1. SUMMARY:  SAUDI INTELLECTUAL JAMAL KHASHOGGI WROTE IN THE SEMI- 
OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD" THAT THE SUICIDE BOMBINGS 
REPRESENT THE LARGEST INTELLECTUAL AND ETHICAL CRISIS 
ENCOUNTERING ISLAM.  HE ASSERTS THAT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MUSLIMS 
AND THE WEST ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE, BUT RESORTING TO SUICIDE 
OPERATIONS IS NOT THE ANSWER. THIS ISN'T BECAUSE OF WHAT THE WEST 
WANTS, OR BECAUSE ARAB GOVERNMENTS ARE GETTING THEIR DUE, BUT 
SIMPLY BECAUSE SUCH OPERATIONS CONFLICT WITH THE SPIRIT OF ISLAM 
AND MANY MUSLIM AUTHORITIES HAVE ISSUED FATWAS IN THIS REGARD. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2. UNDER THE HEADLINE "SUICIDE OPERATIONS: THE LARGEST MORAL AND 
INTELLECTUAL CRISIS ENCOUNTERING ISLAM", SAUDI INTELLECTUAL JAMAL 
KHASHOGGI, WROTE IN ABU DHABI-BASED ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD" 
7/19:(CIRCULATION 65,000) 
 
MUSLIM LEADERS IN BRITAIN IMMEDIATELY CONDEMNED THE LATEST 
SUICIDE ATTACKS, WITH SOME LEADERS ADMITTING THEIR INABILITY TO 
STOP THESE ATROCITIES DUE TO THE FREQUENT DISPLAY OF KILLINGS 
AND HUMILIATIONS OF MUSLIMS IN IRAQ AND PALESTINE ON THE 
INTERNET AND TELEVISION.  THE LATTER FEELING IS OFTEN SHARED 
WITH MUSLIMS OUTSIDE OF BRITAIN, WHO TEND TO VIEW U.S. AND 
BRITISH POLICIES AS RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPIRING ANGRY MUSLIM YOUTH 
TO BECOME TERRORISTS.  THIS MEANS ONE THING: SUICIDE BOMBINGS 
WILL CONTINUE IN LONDON AND ELSEWHERE.  NOTHING ON THE HORIZON 
INDICATES THAT BRITAIN WILL DECIDE TO INCLUDE KASHMIR IN 
PAKISTAN OR THAT THE U.S. WILL ABANDON ISRAEL.  SOME MAY SAY, 
LET THEM PAY THE PRICE FOR THEIR ERRONEOUS POLICIES. THE PROBLEM 
IS THAT THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC MISTAKE, FOR WHICH WE PAY A DEAR 
PRICE. SUCH SUICIDE OPERATIONS ARE IN CONFLICT WITH OUR RELIGION 
AND ETHICS.  BRITAIN AND THE U.S. ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO BOOST 
THEIR SECURITY, STRENGTHEN THEIR STAND, AND CONDEMN ANYONE THEY 
BELIEVE TO BE FOREIGN TO THEIR NATURE.  IT IS HIGH TIME THAT 
CLEAR AND DECISIVE POSITIONS ARE TAKEN AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS, 
THAT CLEARLY BAN ALL KINDS OF SUICIDE BOMBINGS. NOT BECAUSE THE 
WEST WANTS THIS OR BECAUSE THE ARAB NATIONS WILL PAY FOR IT, BUT 
SIMPLY BECAUSE THESE BOMBINGS CONTRADICT THE SPIRIT OF ISLAM AND 
MANY SALAFI ULAMAS SUPPORT THIS VIEW.." 
 
3.  "IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WISE FOR OUR ULAMAS, EVEN THOSE WHO 
ALLOWED SUCH ATTACKS, TO RETURN BACK TO A LEGAL AND FUNDAMENTAL 
STANCE BANNING SUCH ACTS. EVEN IF THE ULAMA THAT ISSUES THE 
FATWA IS A WELL-KNOWN AND RESPECTED MAN SUCH AS SHEIKH YOUSSEF 
QARADAWI, OR A MEMBER OF A HONEST AND HARDWORKING MOVEMENT SUCH 
AS HAMAS, SUCH ACTIONS SHOULD RECEIVE CONDEMNATION.  RESORTING 
TO SUCH AN ACTION WAS A HUGE MORAL BLUNDER AND REFRAINING FROM 
SUCH A MISTAKE IS A VIRTUOUS DEED.  ISLAM IS FACING THE MOST 
DANGEROUS MORAL CRISIS AS A RESULT OF AL-QAEDA'S UNLAWFUL 
OPERATION THAT HURT OUR PROUD TRADITION. THIS MUST BE SOLVED 
FIRSTLY BY LIMITING THE AUTHORITY OF SENIOR ULAMAS AND 
CHALLENGING THEIR LEGITIMACY THROUGH PUBLIC PRESSURE AND 
PROTESTING." 
 
4.  "SOLVING THIS PROBLEM MUST BEGIN BY REFERRING TO THE LAW AND 
THE TEACHINGS OF GOD AND HIS PROPHET.  DIFFERENCES WILL ALWAYS 
REMAIN BETWEEN US AND THE WEST. IT IS A MISTAKE FOR ANYONE, 
REGARDLESS OF HOW PRAGMATIC HE IS, OR HOWEVER MUCH A FRIEND OF 
THE WEST, TO TELL HIS FELLOW MUSLIMS TO COMPLY OR SURRENDER ON 
THEIR TERMS.  LET'S OPPOSE THEIR POSITIONS AND RESIST THEM, BUT 
ONLY  WITHIN A LEGAL AND MORAL FRAMEWORK. EVEN WHEN MUSLIM 
BRITISH VIOLATE THE LAW OR DEMONSTRATE AGAINST GLOBALIZATION, 
THEIR ACTIONS WILL REMAIN ACCEPTABLE AND THE MOST THEY WILL PAY 
FOR THIS IS THE PRICE OF BROKEN GLASS AND FEW DAYS IN JAIL. NO 
ONE WILL ACCUSE ISLAM OF VIOLENCE OR FEEL SUSPICIOUS OF MUSLIMS. 
LET'S GO BEYOND POLITICS AND OTHER INTERESTS AND BAN THESE 
OPERATIONS IN ACCORDANCE TO THE TEACHINGS OF ALLAH AND ISLAM." 
 
SISON