US embassy cable - 02AMMAN7234

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD (MCGUINNESS, CBOURGEOIS), R, NEA/ARN, 
NEA/P (ACASPER) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, PREL, KISL, JO 
SUBJECT: RAMADAN 2002: AMMAN 
 
1. SUMMARY:  EMBASSY AMMAN UNDERTOOK A NUMBER OF SPECIAL 
ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF RAMADAN AIMED AT 
REINFORCING A MESSAGE OF RESPECT FOR ISLAM.  SOMEWHAT TO OUR 
SURPRISE IN THESE TENSE TIMES, OUR JORDANIAN CONTACTS 
PARTICIPATED IN GREAT NUMBERS AT OUR EMBASSY RAMADAN EVENTS, 
INCLUDING TWO IFTARS, A CULTURAL EVENING OF POETRY AND 
MUSIC, AND OUTREACH EFFORTS HIGHLIGHTING RAMADAN AND EID 
ACTIVITIES OF SENIOR USG POLICYMAKERS.  THE SUCCESS OF THESE 
EFFORTS APPEARS TO CONFIRM THE VIEW THAT WHILE MANY OF OUR 
CONTACTS, LIKE MOST JORDANIANS, ARE ANGERED BY SPECIFIC US 
POLICIES IN THE REGION, THEY REMAIN OPEN TO ENGAGEMENT ON A 
PERSONAL BASIS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. PA AMMAN PLANNED A NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIONAL EVENTS 
DURING THE ISLAMIC MONTH OF RAMADAN WITH MIXED EXPECTATIONS. 
WHILE THESE ACTIVITIES IN YEARS PAST HAD PROVEN SUCCESSFUL 
IN JORDAN, THEY HAD GENERALLY INSPIRED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF 
BACKGROUND NOISE - AN OCCASIONAL NEGATIVE EDITORIAL, FOR 
EXAMPLE.  WOULD OUR CONTACTS BOYCOTT OR POLITELY DECLINE OUR 
INVITATIONS THIS YEAR, GIVEN THE STRONG HOSTILITY EXPRESSED 
IN THE MEDIA AND BY MANY OF OUR CONTACTS TO U.S. POLICY IN 
THE REGION?  THE FIRST TEST CAME NOVEMBER 20, WHEN PA 
ARRANGED AN IFTAR HOSTED BY AMBASSADOR GNEHM FOR CONTACTS IN 
THE MEDIA SECTOR.  2002 MARKED THE THIRD YEAR FOR THIS EVENT 
FOR PA AMMAN.  WE BOOKED THE SAME RESTAURANT AS LAST YEAR, 
AND INVITED 160 JOURNALISTS, PUBLISHERS AND OTHER MEDIA 
CONTACTS.  APART FROM A VERY FEW INVITEES WHO WERE OUT OF 
TOWN, A FULL HOUSE TURNED OUT FOR THE EVENT.  WE FOLLOWED 
THIS EVENT A WEEK LATER WITH A SECOND IFTAR HOSTED BY THE 
AMBASSADOR FOR RETURNED JORDANIAN PARTICIPANTS IN US 
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.  AGAIN, APART FROM A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF 
REGRETS, THE EVENT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED.  THE GUEST LIST 
FOR THE SECOND IFTAR INCLUDED A GROUP OF RECENTLY-RETURNED 
ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW FACULTY, INDICATING A WILLINGNESS TO 
ENGAGE AMONG EVEN OUR MOST CHALLENGING AUDIENCES.  BOTH 
IFTARS WERE MARKED BY A COLLEGIAL ATMOSPHERE, AND AT BOTH, 
AMBASSADOR GNEHM OFFERED WELL-RECEIVED WELCOMING REMARKS IN 
ARABIC.  POST DISTRIBUTED AT THESE EVENTS MORE THAN 200 
COPIES OF THE "MUSLIM LIFE IN AMERICA" BOOKLETS, AS WELL AS 
COPIES IN ARABIC OF THE PRESIDENT'S RAMADAN GREETING TO 
MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD. 
 
3. SEPARATELY, CAO HOSTED A RAMADAN EVENING OF ARABIC MUSIC 
AND POETRY FOR ROUGHLY 30 CULTURAL CONTACTS OF THE EMBASSY. 
AGAIN, A FULL HOUSE OF YOUNG JORDANIAN WRITERS, ARTISTS AND 
MUSICIANS MIXED CASUALLY AND ENJOYED AN EVENING THAT 
INCLUDED LIVELY DISCUSSION ON CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS 
AND RELATED SUBJECTS.  SEVERAL INVITEES EXPRESSED PLEASANT 
SURPRISE THAT A TRADITIONAL RAMADAN EVENING OF THIS KIND 
COULD BE HELD AT THE HOUSE OF AN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT, AS 
RAMADAN EVENTS AROUND AMMAN HAVE INCREASINGLY MOVED AWAY 
FROM SUCH TRADITIONS IN FAVOR OF MORE COMMERCIAL PURSUITS 
LIKE PAID ENTERTAINMENT AND LAVISH RESTAURANT-HOPPING.  THE 
ANNUAL FULBRIGHT IFTAR, PRIMARILY FOR AMERICAN SCHOLARS, 
SIMILARLY DREW A GOOD TURNOUT OF JORDANIANS, INCLUDING THE 
PRESIDENT OF A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY. 
 
4. POST SOUGHT WIDE PLACEMENT IN LOCAL MEDIA FOR RAMADAN- 
RELATED STATEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES OF SENIOR USG POLICY 
MAKERS.  ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES FEATURED PROMINENT COVERAGE 
OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S RAMADAN GREETING TO MUSLIMS AROUND THE 
WORLD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH.  ALTHOUGH JORDAN'S 
NEWSPAPERS DID NOT PUBLISH DECEMBER 6-7, TELEVISION NEWS 
CARRIED THE PRESIDENT'S EID ACTIVITIES AT THE ISLAMIC CENTER 
IN WASHINGTON.  POST ALSO FEATURED ON THE EMBASSY WEBSITE 
SECRETARY POWELL'S EID GREETINGS TO THE JORDANIAN PM AND FM, 
 
SIPDIS 
AS WELL AS NSA RICE'S IFTAR WITH FEMALE MUSLIM LAWYERS. 
 
5.  OTHER PA ACTIVITIES INCLUDED PREPARATION OF A "RAMADAN 
SPEAKER'S KIT."   THIS SET OF WASHINGTON FILE AND OTHER 
MATERIALS PROVIDED INFORMATION REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE AND 
MEANING OF RAMADAN, AS WELL AS GUIDANCE ON KEY AND 
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES OF CURRENT INTEREST WHICH WE 
DISTRIBUTED TO OFFICERS THROUGHOUT THE MISSION TO PREPARE 
THEM FOR CONVERSATIONS DURING THEIR BUSY IFTAR SCHEDULES. 
PA AMMAN ALSO SECURED COPYRIGHT FROM THE US POSTAL SERVICE 
FOR THE IMAGE ON THE POSTAL SERVICE'S 2002 "EID GREETINGS 
STAMP" WHICH WAS USED AS THE COVER FOR A GREETING CARD SENT 
TO 600 EMBASSY CONTACTS. 
 
6.  COMMENT: WHILE MOST OF OUR CONTACTS REMAIN DEEPLY AND 
VOCALLY SKEPTICAL OF U.S. POLICIES TOWARD THE ISRAELI- 
PALESTINIAN CONFLICT AND IRAQ, THEY WERE ALSO PREPARED TO 
SEPARATE THESE MISGIVINGS FROM THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSONAL 
CONTACT WITH EMBASSY OFFICERS.  IT MAY BE THAT THIS IS 
SIMPLY A MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP THAT 
MARKS RAMADAN IN JORDAN, BUT WE BELIEVE IT ALSO CONFIRMS THE 
NOTION THAT WHILE U.S. POLICIES IN THE REGION MAY NOT BE 
VIEWED FAVORABLY, MANY JORDANIANS CONTINUE TO VALUE THEIR 
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH AMERICANS 
WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE MISSION.  IN ADDITION, MANY OF OUR 
GUESTS MAY HAVE SEEN THE IFTARS AS A CHANCE TO SATISFY THEIR 
CURIOSITY ABOUT WHAT THE EMBASSY IS UP TO, GIVEN THE RECENT 
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AUTHORIZED DEPARTURE AND THE RUMORS OF 
IMMINENT MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ.  WHATEVER THE 
MOTIVES, WE BELIEVE THAT THE JORDANIAN RESPONSE TO SUCH 
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EVENTS UNDERLINES THE VALUE OF AN ACTIVE 
OUTREACH PROGRAM IN SUSTAINING THE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP 
DURING TENSE TIMES.  BERRY