US embassy cable - 05NDJAMENA1635

UNCLAS  NDJAMENA 001635 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/C, LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA- 
WATCHERS 
INFO AF/PD (DWHITMAN) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, OIIP, KPAO, KIRF, PHUM, KWMN, CD, Humanitarian Operations 
SUBJECT: RAMADAN ACTIVITIES 2005 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary:  To celebrate Ramadan this 
year, Embassy N'Djamena organized a talk by Dr. 
Abderrahmane Almahy, rector of King Faisal 
University.  The talk was followed by    End 
Summary 
 
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MUSLIM OUTREACH 
--------------- 
 
2.  (SBU)  The Ambassador, accompanied by the PAO, 
spoke to 
Grand Imam Haasan Hissein Abkar about continuing 
cooperation between the United States and Chad. 
The 
Ambassador highlighted the Embassy's English 
teaching 
micro-scholarship program, which funds English 
classes for 
75 students in three Muslim secondary schools in 
N'Djamena. 
The Grand Imam expressed his gratitude for this 
program, 
and his hopes that it would expand in the future. 
The 
Ambassador also provided the Grand Imam with some 
information on Muslim life in America, and the two 
discussed the success of this year's visit by the 
American 
Imam Mohamed Bashar Arafat, funded through the 
International Visitors program. 
 
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KORAN ALLEGATIONS 
----------------- 
 
3.  (SBU)  The Ambassador also spoke with the 
Grand Imam, 
and the six High Council members present at the 
meeting, 
about the allegations of abuse of the Koran in 
Guantanamo. 
The Ambassador assured the Imam that abuse of the 
Koran 
would not be tolerated.  The Ambassador also 
provided the 
Imam with the latest information on the 
allegations, in 
Arabic, from the Washington File.  This included a 
May 11th 
statement by Secretary Rice, and a May 14th report 
on the 
initial investigation of the allegations by the 
Department 
of Defense. 
 
--------------- 
IMAM'S REACTION 
--------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) Reacting to the Koran abuse allegations, 
the Imam 
first thanked the USG for "allowing the prisoners 
of 
Guantanamo to read their holy book, to practice 
their 
faith, and for preparing their food in accordance 
with 
Muslim practices." The Imam said that the 
allegations of 
abuse of the Koran had "shocked the hearts of more 
than one 
billion Muslims around the world."  However, he 
went on to 
state that, "we do not judge the American 
Government 
because of individual behaviors; at the same time 
these 
individual behaviors should be punished by the 
Government." 
 
The Imam asked to send a message to Washington 
through the 
Ambassador, saying that "for the American 
Administration to 
show [.] its kindness to the world, it should free 
the 
prisoners of Guantanamo, as soon as it can be sure 
that 
they will not be killed in their own countries and 
they 
will not return to any kind of terrorist 
activity." 
 
------------- 
CHILD BEGGING 
------------- 
 
5.  (SBU)  The streets of N'Djamena are often 
crowded with 
children begging.  Those carrying small aluminum 
bowls are 
sent out by their Islamic school in search of 
alms.  The 
Ambassador raised this issue with the Imam, saying 
that he 
hoped to work with the Imam to find a solution to 
the 
problem.   The Imam was receptive to the request, 
and 
suggested that the High Council and the Embassy 
for a 
working group to discuss possible solutions. 
 
-------------- 
MEDIA COVERAGE 
-------------- 
 
6.  (SBU)  The visit received heavy media 
coverage.  Radio 
Nationale du Tchad and FM Al-Koran broadcast news 
of the - 
visit in Standard Arabic, French. and Chadian 
Arabic. 
Television du Tchad (TVT) also covered the visit 
in both 
its French and Arabic evening broadcasts.  TVT 
mentioned 
that this was the Ambassador's second visit to the 
High 
Council, and stated that the Imam and the 
Ambassador 
discussed peace, development, and the American- 
Chadian 
friendship.  TVT also noted that the Ambassador 
talked to 
the Grand Imam about the success of the Embassy's 
Muslim 
outreach, in particular in the form of the English 
Language 
Program in Muslim schools. The TVT coverage in 
French also 
featured the Ambassador stating that "we will not 
tolerate 
any lack of respect for the Koran," and included 
footage of 
the warm greeting given to the Ambassador by the 
Grand 
Imam, who took the Ambassador's hand as the two 
walked 
through the halls of the Grand Mosque. 
 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
7.  (SBU)  The High Islamic Council in Chad is 
composed of 
moderate Sufi Muslims, and the relationship 
between the 
 
Council and the Embassy continues to strengthen. 
Since the 
visit, the PAO has received two calls from the 
Imam's 
Secretary General thanking the Ambassador and the 
 
SIPDIS 
PAO for 
the visit.  The warm and genial atmosphere of the 
meeting 
is an indication of the successful efforts of the 
Embassy's 
Muslim outreach programs, reflecting a core MPP 
goal. 
 
 
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