US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT595

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000595 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR R, IIP-TERRY SCOTT AND PATRICIA ATKISSON, NEA/PPD- 
MACINNES AND DAVIES, NEA/ARP-KANESHIRO, INR/NESA, LONDON FOR 
KHOURY, PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, PREL, KISL, OPRC, OIIP, KU 
SUBJECT: EVALUATION: KUWAIT SHARED VALUES SPEAKER HEDIEH 
MIRAHMADI 
 
REF: KUWAIT 05391 
 
1. Summary: Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, Director of Public Affairs 
for the Supreme Islamic Council of America and member of the 
Council of American Muslim Understanding, visited Kuwait 14- 
15 January in the context of the Department's Shared Values 
campaign.  In a series of presentations before audiences 
that ranged from conservative Islamist charities to liberal 
NGOs, Dr. Mirahmadi, a Sunni Muslim, addressed the issue of 
Islam's international reputation as a religion of violence 
and intolerance, and the responsibility of Muslims to 
counter the extremist ideologies that give credence to this 
perception. The audience reaction to Dr. Mirahmadi's polite 
but straightforward presentations ranged from mannered 
toleration (on the part of one Muslim charity) to angry 
rhetorical outbursts in denunciation of US policy (on the 
part of university students and faculty.) Given the 
importance of her message and the tact with which she 
delivers it, we plan to bring this speaker back to Kuwait in 
the late spring for a more extensive program.  Post 
recommends Dr. Mirahmadi to any post wishing to program on 
this sensitive subject.  End Summary. 
 
2. Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, Director of Public Affairs for the 
Supreme Islamic Council of America and member of the Council 
of American Muslim Understanding, visited Kuwait 14-15 
January in the context of the Shared Values campaign.  Dr. 
Mirahmadi was a last minute substitute for the subjects of 
the Shared Values video spots that we had managed to get 
broadcast on Kuwait TV during Ramadan, and post was 
accordingly disappointed when these locally-recognized 
speakers were not able to travel to Kuwait as planned. 
Added to our apprehension was the fact that Dr. Mirahmadi, a 
Californian of Iranian extraction, does not speak Arabic and 
was therefore limited in terms of the kinds of audiences she 
could engage.  In retrospect, however, we think Dr. 
Mirahmadi's principal message (that extremist religious 
violence threatens Islam's future) was of great utility in 
the context of Kuwait's current internal debate on the 
growing Islamist influence in the country's civil 
institutions. 
 
3. Programs with the leadership of the International Islamic 
Charitable Organization (IIOC) and two women's Islamic 
charities (including a program for thirty members of the 
Islamic Care Society) broke new ground for PAS.  These 
meetings touched on the basic themes of tolerance and mutual 
respect that underpin the shared values initiative, and the 
audiences expressed deep interest in Muslim life in the US. 
When our speaker attempted to engage the IIOC leadership on 
a discussion of the issue of "jihad," however, they refused 
to be drawn out, instead repeating that moderation is a good 
thing and that there is "only one Islam."  Our effort to 
move the conversation into the crux of the matter--are 
Muslim organizations like the IIOC willing to put 
politically loaded religious terms like "jihad" and 
"mushrakeen" into a modern context--clearly made them 
uncomfortable, and reinforced our sense that our polite 
reception was for diplomatic purposes only.  This sense was 
reinforced somewhat by a photo spray in their lobby that 
showed dismembered Palestinian corpses, with the caption, 
"Thus is Jewish hatred rendered." 
 
4. Dr. Mirahmadi's presentation before Kuwait University's 
Mass Communication Department, which includes a number of 
liberally oriented, US-educated staff among its ranks, was 
noteworthy for the highly charged political tone of the 
interaction. The audience was clearly not interested in 
hearing about Muslim life in America, and instead focused on 
a litany of accusations that US policy was biased against 
Muslims.  One student proclaimed, to general approbation, 
that there was no proof Muslims carried out the September 11 
attacks, and that US actions in Afghanistan effectively 
constituted a "Crusade."  The department faculty joined in 
with a heated attack of the Shared Values program, warning 
that Arabs would not be fooled by such egregious 
propagandizing while martyrs are falling in Palestine. 
(Reftel addresses the issue of Kuwaiti reaction to the 
Shared Values campaign.) 
 
5.  Dr. Mirahmadi responded well to these charges, 
effectively refusing to accept self-victimization and 
captious argumentation as excuses for extremist violence. 
To the charge that there was no proof Muslims were behind 
the September 11 attacks, she replied that the hijackers 
themselves made videotapes claiming responsibility for the 
attacks and declaring that they had done so in the name of 
Islam, and asked her interlocutor if he really believed what 
he was saying.  Regarding the US "crusade" in Afghanistan, 
she reminded her audience that Afghans themselves were happy 
to see the Taliban go, and asked why anyone saw a reason to 
contradict them.  When one angry student accused the US of 
discriminating against Muslims by adopting new visa 
requirements, Dr. Mirahmadi said that if Arab states apply 
harsh and onerous control mechanisms to other Arabs, why 
would anyone fault the US for tightening up a very lax 
immigration system after thousands of its citizens were 
killed? 
 
6. Dr. Mirahmadi's visit received wide coverage in Kuwait's 
major Arabic-language dailies and major English-language 
daily. She was interviewed live on KTV's "Good Morning 
Kuwait." Reportage was positive, focusing on themes of 
moderate Islam and the freedom and tolerance accorded 
Muslims in the U.S.  Sample headlines include: 
 
"`Immigration laws old. enforced after 9/11'" 
 
"There is Definitely a Future for Islam in America" 
 
"`Muslims sometimes disagree amongst themselves and are 
intolerant of each other'" 
 
"Dr. Mirahmadi: `It is very sad that terrorism is the 
introduction so many have to our religion'" 
 
"`We have to portray the true image of Islam as a model for 
tolerance and forgiveness'" 
> > 
7.  Program Evaluation: Post greatly appreciates the work of 
IIP in bringing Dr. Mirahamdi to Kuwait. IIP/G/NEA-SA 
Terrence Scott and IIP/T/SV Patricia Attkisson (who came to 
Kuwait with this speaker) provided superb guidance and 
support on this program.  > Dr. Mirahmadi's credibility as a 
US Muslim leader, her personable manner and > professional 
background (a former corporate litigator who doesn't fluster 
easily) were ideally suited to the issue at hand.  We look 
forward to bringing her back to Kuwait during the May/June 
timeframe. 
 
JONES> 
  >