US embassy cable - 85KADUNA653

UNCLAS KADUNA 0653 
 
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PINS, PROP, SCOM, NI, IT 
SUBJECT: IRAN TO PUBLISH HAUSA LANGUAGE MAGAZINE 
 
1.  IRAN WILL SOON BEGIN PUBLICATION OF A NEWS MAGAZINE IN 
THE HAUSA LANGUAGE, ACCORDING TO THE MAY 23 ISSUE OF 
GASKIYA TA FI KWABO, THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED HAUSA NEWSPAPER. 
THE MAGAZINE IS TO BE CALLED "SAKON SAURA", WHICH ROUGHLY 
TRANSLATES TO "THE OTHER MESSAGE". 
 
2.  THE UNATTRIBUTED NEWS REPORT SAYS THE MAGAZINE WAS 
CONCEIVED AS A MEANS OF PROPAGATING IRAN'S SHI'ITE 
MANIFESTO.  IT WILL FEATURE INFORMATION ABOUT THE IRAN- 
IRAQ WAR, THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE ESTABLISHMENT 
OF THE IRANIAN STATE, AND THE WORLDWIDE WAR AGAINST 
UNBELIEVERS.  IT PROMISES TO EXPOSE "ISRAEL'S SECRETS 
AND AMERICA'S OPPRESSIVE TENDENCIES" AND TO DESCRIBE 
IRAN'S STRUGGLE TO STOP THEM.  NO DATE FOR THE BEGINNING 
OF PUBLICATION WAS GIVEN, NOR WERE ANY DETAILS PROVIDED 
ON THE MAGAZINE'S DISTRIBUTION POLICY. 
 
3.  COMMENT:  IF THIS REPORT IS TRUE, THE NEW MAGAZINE 
WILL REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT NEW ATTEMPT BY IRAN TO GAIN 
INFLUENCE AMONG NIGERIA'S MUSLIM POPULATION OF SOME 
FIFTY MILLION.  PRESUMABLY, THE MAGAZINE WOULD ALSO FIND 
AN AUDIENCE IN NIGER.  NONE OF THE LEADING ISLAMIC 
ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA HAVE SHOWN ANY INCLINATION TO 
EMBRACE IRAN'S BRAND OF SHI'ITE FUNDAMENTALISM, AND MOST 
MAINSTREAM ISLAMIC LEADERS--FROM BOTH THE MAJOR FACTIONS-- 
FIND KHOMEINI ABHORRENT.  ONLY THE MOST MILITANT MUSLIM 
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HAVE SHOWN ANY INTEREST IN IRANIAN 
PROPAGANDA, AND THEIR NUMBERS ARE VERY SMALL.  THE FMG, 
PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT MAITATSINE TROUBLES, 
IS VERY WARY OF ANY EXTREMIST RELIGIOUS VIEWPOINTS AND 
WOULD BE LIKELY TO MONITOR THE CONTENT AND DISTRIBUTION 
OF THE MAGAZINE VERY CLOSELY. 
 
 
RACKMALES