US embassy cable - 05DUBLIN1439

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 001439 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/PPD (ACERVETTI) 
EUR/UBI (NNOLAN) 
NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PINR, KPAO, KIRF, EI 
SUBJECT: SUNNIS AND SHIAS ATTEND INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING 
RECEPTION 
 
REF: A. DUBLIN 1264 
 
     B. DUBLIN 1216 
     C. DUBLIN 1087 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES C. KENNY, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B), (D) 
 
Summary 
-------- 
 
1.  (U) Summary.  On November 22, the Ambassador hosted the 
Embassy's second annual interfaith Thanksgiving reception, in 
large part to promote Post's Muslim outreach program.  The 
event was especially successful in bringing together key Shia 
and Sunni Muslim leaders, including among the Iraqi community 
in Ireland, promoting tolerance, and showing the unifying 
influence of religion and faith in the United States.  End 
Summary. 
 
Thanksgiving Reception 
--------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) On November 22, the Ambassador hosted Post's second 
annual inter-faith Thanksgiving reception, an event designed 
to reach out mainly to the Muslim community in Ireland and to 
emphasize the unifying influence of religion in the United 
States.  Prominent members from the Muslim, Jewish and 
Christian communities were among the approximately 120 
guests.  Muslims from the Sunni and Shia faiths attended, 
including approximately five Shia Iraqis and the director (a 
Sunni Iraqi from Mosul) of the Islamic Cultural Center of 
Ireland, the largest mosque in Ireland.  Many NGO 
representatives and several GOI officials, such as human 
rights and humanitarian aid officials from the Department of 
Foreign Affairs, as well as three Secretaries General of the 
government also attended. 
 
3.  (U) The event featured readings from the Koran, the Old 
Testament and the New Testament by participating 
clerics/cantors.  The Ambassador also spoke about 
Thanksgiving as an American celebration of faith, family and 
unity.  He said that generosity in response to major 
tragedies, such as the Pakistan earthquake, the Asian Tsunami 
and Hurricane Katrina, made Thanksgiving this year a more 
poignant event.  He also described religious faith in the 
United States as an anchor that helped to make communities 
stronger. 
 
4.  (C) Comment:  The theme of the American Thanksgiving 
holiday appeared to be effective in reaching out to the 
Muslim community.  Muslim guests expressed surprise that 
America has set aside a day to give thanks; they also seemed 
unfamiliar with the religious underpinnings of the holiday. 
According to several guests, the celebration established a 
measure of common ground that they did not know existed. 
Muslims who attended last year's reception evidently 
pressured other initially reluctant invitees to come this 
year.  As a result, members of the Sunni Muslim community, 
who normally espouse anti-U.S. opinions and are reluctant to 
respond to embassy outreach, attended and commented 
positively on the celebration.  The event was also an 
opportunity for GOI officials to learn more about USG 
outreach; several officials indicated an increased openness 
to include speakers representing American views at a 
GOI-sponsored Human Rights conference in June and other 
venues.  End comment. 
 
5. (U) Highlights of the event included the following: 
 
--According to several guests, this was the only event in 
Ireland that enabled members of the government, various NGOs, 
and faith-based groups to meet and interact. 
 
--The Shia Muslims, mostly Iraqi with very favorable views on 
USG involvement in Iraq, expressed shock at the attendance of 
the Imam and prominent leaders of the main Sunni Mosque, who 
are vocal in opposition to USG involvement in Iraq.  They 
also said that the Sunni leaders who attended the event will 
now have to confront the radicals in their community and 
explain why they were associating with the American Embassy. 
 
--Moderate Sunni Muslims expressed gratitude for this 
outreach and a determination to include emboffs in continued 
engagement with the community.  They relayed a special 
interest in helping us to see through what they described as 
a facade of moderation in the community and into the 
extremist pressures under the surface. 
 
 
--An Afghani attendee commented that he met more Muslims at 
this reception than he had in any previous Irish event. 
 
6.  (U) RTE, the local television channel, recorded 
highlights of the event as part of its "A Day in the Life of 
the American Ambassador" program to be aired on November 25. 
RTE filmed the Ambassador at other events, such as at a 
breakfast meeting discussing Northern Ireland, a country team 
meeting, a session with the Foreign Minister and other 
events.  We expect the coverage, arranged by RTE journalist 
Geraldine Harney, sister of Deputy Prime Minister Mary 
Harney, to present a positive image of the United States. 
 
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Visit Dublin's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/dublin/index. cfm 
KENNY