US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE1382

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 001382 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR R, P, AND EUR/NCE (FICHTE) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KDEM, KPAO, EAID, PHUM, KMPI, EZ 
SUBJECT: CZECH REPUBLIC: COMBATING EXTREMISM 
 
REF: A. STATE 159129 
 
     B. IIR 6 824 0127 05 
     C. IIR 6 824 0112 05 
 
Classified By: Political-Military Officer Brian 
Greaney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (S) Summary: Islamic extremism is rare in the Czech 
Republic, and Islamic authorities here are keen to ensure 
outside influences do not become a catalyst for indigenous 
radicalism. The Czech authorities do monitor for potential 
Islamic extremist activities. The U.S. Embassy provides 
training, monitors the media for hate speech, conducts 
outreach towards members of the Islamic community, and 
promotes tolerance in all sectors of Czech society. End 
summary. 
 
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OVERVIEW 
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2. (U) Muslims living in the Czech Republic make up a tiny 
proportion of the population as a whole (less than 0.1 
percent). The 2001 national census listed 3699 Czechs 
Muslims, though the media report a possible ten thousand, and 
the Islamic Center in Prague claims a total presence at any 
one time of 20,000, including students and temporary visitors 
to Czech thermal bath resorts. The largest Muslim communities 
are in Prague, Brno, and spa towns, such as Teplice.  Most 
resident Muslims maintain a low profile, speak Czech well, 
and dress as the Czechs do. There are few if any overt 
manifestations of the Muslim religion anywhere in the 
republic and Czech Muslim organizations are generally 
moderate. 
 
3. (S) Intolerance in relation to Islam in the Czech Republic 
generally has more to do with Czech intolerance of immigrant 
cultures than extremist Islamic preaching. In 2003 a petition 
of 4,500 signatures from the population of Teplice blocked 
plans to construct a mosque in the town. Another 
mosque-building project in Orlova was blocked in 2004, both 
by the local population and by the security services, when 
they realized the benefactor had had ties to a suspect 
Islamic NGO. In this case the local Czech Muslim population 
cooperated with the security services. There is no evidence 
of any extremist Islamic NGO activity in the Czech Republic. 
Islamic authorities in the Czech Republic publicly argue 
against extremist violence, calling it "contrary to the two 
main sources of Islam, the Koran and Sunna." 
 
4. (U) A notable exception to this general trend is the 
statement of Samer Shehaden, a Czech-born Palestinian 
employee of the Islamic Foundation in Prague, who stated in 
an interview with Czech daily Lidove Noviny that he could not 
denounce the September 11th attacks on the United States. 
Karam Al-Badavi, the Imam of the Prague Mosque, distanced the 
Czech Islamic Foundation from Shehaden, saying Shehaden was 
only a volunteer translator there and, while he was entitled 
to his personal views, "Islam denounces all these acts ... it 
is one of the biggest sins which, according to our faith, 
condemns the perpetrator to hell." 
 
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GOCR ACTION IN RELATION TO EXTREMISM 
------------------------------------ 
 
5. (S) The Czech Security Services are continuing to work 
with both the U.S. Government and their EU partner services 
to monitor the potential for Islamic extremist activities in 
the Czech Republic. These services understand that, not only 
is this country a growing center for western tourists, with 
many potentially "soft targets," but the overt contribution 
of Czech troops to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could 
raise their profile with the extremists. The long-standing 
and historical relationship between the Czech Republic and 
Iraq has created an environment in which the security 
services and police are attuned to the potential for 
extremists returning to Europe from Iraq, as well as the 
overall concern in Europe of homegrown Islamic extremist 
terrorist cells. These security services and police units are 
aware that illegal activities which are not solely 
"terrorism" could easily be exploited by extremist groups, 
such as: counterfeiting or money laundering, procurement 
and/or forgery of documents (especially passports/visas), 
weapons trafficking, etc. The Czech Security Services are 
aware of the dangers of Islamic extremist groups, and 
continue to take appropriate steps to monitor individuals and 
actions, which could lend rise to such groups and coordinate 
as necessary with their NATO and EU partners. 
 
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EMBASSY-PROVIDED TRAINING 
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6. (S) LEGATT is providing training to Czech security forces 
on recognizing initial indicators of fundamentalist activity 
that poses a security threat. The aim is to identify an 
emerging problem before it becomes a security issue. 
 
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MONITORING BY THE EMBASSY 
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7. (S) Embassy Prague monitors hate speech as part of the 
normal operations of its Public Affairs, PolEc and DAO 
sections. The PAS daily Press Review, which is forwarded 
daily to Washington, would include press reporting of 
extremist hate speech if it were to emerge. DAO has issued 
reports in IIR channels relating to public statements or 
interviews by Islamic figures (Refs B,C). As described below, 
Polec and PAS continue to cultivate contacts with Islamic 
leaders. Discussions of the impact of global extremism on 
their lives form a major part of these meetings. 
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EMBASSY OUTREACH TO ISLAMIC LEADERS 
----------------------------------- 
 
8. (C) In October the Ambassador will hold the Embassy,s 
first Iftar at his residence in Prague. We are currently 
working with representatives of the Muslim community to 
identify the appropriate invitees. In August, in an effort at 
outreach to the Islamic Community Embassy Officers met with 
Mohammed Ali Silhavy, titular head of all Muslims in the 
Czech Republic. On Sep 20, Embassy Officers met with Vladimir 
Sanka of the Islamic Foundation of Prague to build links with 
the Islamic community and to gain further knowledge of 
Sanka,s own perceptions of extremism within the Czech Muslim 
community. Also on Sep 20 Embassy Prague,s PAO met with 
Muneeb Hasan, head of the Islamic Center in Brno, and members 
of his management board. The PAO also toured their mosque, 
and education and cultural facilities. The cumulative message 
from all of these meetings is that the Islamic leadership in 
the Czech Republic frowns on extremism, and has avoided 
external links and speakers from organizations that might 
promote extremist views. However the leadership does believe 
that individuals are entitled to their own opinion, and does 
not limit expression such as personal disapproval of the war 
in Iraq by members of their community. The rise of global 
Islamic extremism and in particular the terrorist attacks in 
New York, Washington, Madrid and London, have made life more 
difficult for Muslims in the Czech Republic. They feel that 
they are constantly queried by the media and that the Czech 
Government considers them a group of interest. The leadership 
also feels that the terrorist attacks negatively affected 
Czech public attitudes towards the Islamic community and let 
to a rise in discriminatory behavior. The Embassy is 
currently considering identifying potential candidates within 
the Islamic community for IV program visits to the United 
States. 
 
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EMBASSY PUBLIC OUTREACH 
----------------------- 
 
9. (C) Embassy Prague,s Public Affairs section has 
identified important Czech links to the Arab world from its 
Communist past that may provide useful outreach 
opportunities. Prague-based universities, think tanks, and 
training institutions may be an ideal forum for communicating 
anti-extremist viewpoints. This may have a far greater impact 
in the wider conflict than an exclusive focus on the tiny 
Muslim community in the Czech Republic. Additionally the 
Prague-based headquarters of RFE/RL is a natural platform for 
projecting the voices of moderate Islam its radio services 
beaming eastward. 
 
10. (U) In a country that is 70-per cent atheist, where 
Muslims make up less than 0.1 per cent of the population, and 
whose tiny Muslim population is not radical, Embassy PublicAffairs has not 
directly focused on Islamic extremism in its 
general public outreach programs. Instead public affairs 
outreach has focused on promoting tolerance within the wider 
society as a whole. For example, the long running Summer 
Institute partnership with Palacky University is intended to 
develop new thinking and methodologies in addressing critical 
issues for the modernization of Czech education. Embassy 
Prague,s A/CAO delivered opening remarks this year, focusing 
on combating intolerance and promoting multi-culturalism in 
schools. This long-term approach addresses the problem of 
intolerance towards several groups in Czech society and, in 
the context of Islam, we hope that continuing improvement in 
tolerance in Czech schools will lead to less of the 
marginalization that has shown to promote extremism in other 
countries. 
CABANISS