US embassy cable - 03ABUJA630

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000630 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR IIP/SC AND IPI, IIP/T/ES, AF/PDPA 
IIP/G/AF, INFO AF, AF/RSA, AF/W, NEA/PPD 
LAGOS FOR PAS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, SCUL, PREL, OIIP, NI 
SUBJECT:  IALOGUE BETWEEN U.S. AND NORTHERN 
NIGERIAN MOSLEM OPINION LEADERS 
 
1.  Summary:  Hosted by the Emir of Kano, a two 
day dialogue to discuss perceptions about U.S. 
Middle East Policy, the U.S. and Islam, the 
Global War on Terror and Poverty Alleviation in 
Northern Nigeria took place in the ancient 
Northern Nigerian city of Kano on January 27-28. 
The conference, the first of its kind in Nigeria, 
and a long-standing Embassy priority offered an 
opportunity to hold a candid discussion and hear 
the views of some leading Moslems in Northern 
Nigeria. Ambassador Jeter, 16 Mission staff, five 
U.S. invited speakers, along with 18 Moslem 
traditional leaders, intellectuals, and activists 
participated in the conference.  The conference 
served to expose deep suspicions about the U.S. 
among Northern Nigerians, as reflected by the 
academic, political, and religious elites who 
participated in the Conference.  It also was a 
chance for us to clear the air, to some degree, 
of conspiracy theories and clash of culture 
analysis.  The conference was a positive step in 
helping to bridge the gap in perceptions between 
Nigeria  Islamic North and the United States. 
Participants agreed that continued dialogues and 
similar conferences should be held using Mission 
resources and personnel.  The Embassy plans to 
repeat the conference in a series of such 
gatherings in key Northern cities in the future, 
beginning with Katsina following Nigeria  April 
National Elections. 
 
 
--Post appreciates the Herculean effort by IIP 
and AF/PDPA to support the conference and to 
recruit U.S. Speakers Gwen Mikell, Alan Godlas, 
Lannon Walker, Jennifer Cooke, and Nabeel Khoury. 
This cable evaluates U.S. speakers.  Septel 
follows with comprehensive reporting on the 
conference. 
 
 
2.  ngaging Islam: the Evolution of Islam in 
Nigeria and in the U.S. -Ms. Jennifer Cooke, 
Center for Strategic & International Studies, and 
Dr. Alan Godlas, University of Georgia, responded 
to Professor Ibraheem Sulaiman  presentation on 
 he Sharia Initiative in Nigeria. Sulaiman 
asserted that the partnership of Nigeria and 
other Sahelian countries with Islam had been 
rewarding and fruitful and the partnership with 
the West had been minatory.  He claimed the 
influence of Islam in West Africa was wholly 
beneficial while the influence of Western culture 
and economics was negative.  He maintained that 
Western thought was inimical to Islam. 
 
 
--Ms. Cooke noted that Americans knew little 
about Islam and that the media tended to shape 
the perceptions of the general public.  She 
stated that Americans were not  nti-Islam ut 
were concerned that radical Islam posed a threat 
to the U.S. Factors included traditional 
suspicion of government, different perspectives 
on the separation of church and state, and the 
psychological impact of Sept. 11 and the 1998 
East African Embassy bombings. Her frankness and 
sincerity made her highly credible. 
 
 
At a separate event, Ms. Cooke also lectured on 
 emocracy and Good Governance o 50 members of 
women  groups.  They questioned her extensively 
and shared their views of women  participation 
in Nigerian politics. 
 
 
--Dr. Godlas attempted to show that a  lash of 
culture as avoidable.  He did a comparative 
analysis of American  odernist alues and 
viewpoints with those of Islam.  His conclusion 
was that there were more commonalties than 
differences.  He also asserted that there was a 
drastic change among American Moslems after 
Sept.11 who are now more outspoken about taking 
back  slam rom the extremists. 
 
 
While some Nigerian participants challenged his 
portrayal of Islam in America, Dr. Godlas 
established easy rapport with Nigerian 
participants, many of whom were familiar with his 
Islamic Studies web site.  Dr. Godlas also 
lectured on  slam in the U.S. o 20 members of 
the Moslem Youth Organization of Kano.  The Q&A 
was stimulating and often in Arabic.  He was 
interviewed by the Gamji web site and BBC 
stringers. 
 
 
3. ngaging Poverty in Nigeria and U.S. Efforts 
--Ambassador Lannon Walker (Rtd.), Dr. Gwendolyn 
Mikell, Professor and Director of African 
Studies, Georgetown University, responded to Dr. 
Tijjani Naniya  presentation on the  ntecedents 
to Poverty in Nigeria hat blamed colonialism, 
globalization, and over-reliance on oil for 
Nigeria  widespread poverty. 
 
 
--Ambassador Walker gave an excellent analysis of 
the Nigerian economy and recommended increasing 
credit to small and medium  zed enterprises, 
the creation of a new approach to debt repayment 
and national development, the downsizing of 
government, increasing crop production, and the 
development of the non-oil sector of the economy. 
 
 
--Dr. Gwendolyn Mikell suggested alleviating 
poverty by focussing efforts on youth, women and 
the elderly; she suggested that projects similar 
to Ghana   ack to the Farm outh program might 
be useful, but also cautioned against a   ne- 
size fits all evelopment strategy where Nigeria 
would uncritically mimic what has been applied 
elsewhere.  Her lecture in Kaduna following the 
conference was cancelled due to security 
concerns. 
 
 
4.   .S. Policy in the Middle East" 
--Dr. Nabeel Khoury reviewed current U.S. peace 
initiatives and challenged participants to name a 
country other than the U.S. that has invested 
more human and material resources to resolve the 
Israeli/Palestinian conflict.  His lecture in 
Abuja on  .S. Middle East Policy as carried on 
network TV two consecutive evenings, and his 
interview with the  ew Nigerian ewspaper was 
front-page news. Dr. Khoury  public lecture and 
radio interview in Kaduna and Kano were cancelled 
at the last minute, following a call to the 
Ambassador from President Obasanjo expressing 
concerns about the public lecture which, he 
thought, was too soon after the  iss World 
Kaduna riots. 
 
 
5.   he Global War on Terror 
--DCM Tim Andrews chaired this session that began 
with a videotaped message from Ambassador Francis 
Taylor followed by a viewing of Secretary 
Powell  January 20 speech on terrorism at the 
UNSC. 
 
 
--Dr. Saddiq Mohammed of Ahmadu Bello University 
shared research on northern Nigerian opinion 
showing understanding of the United States 
position on the GWOT yet justifying the increased 
terrorism as a logical consequence of alleged 
biased U.S. policy in the Middle East. 
 
 
6.   Conclusion:  Candid, at times emotional, the 
conference was a success.  Participants were 
unanimous in requesting more dialogues.  IIP and 
AF/PDPA deserve the lion  share of the credit. 
Despite short notice, holiday leave, and 
uncertainty about Iraq, Maureen Howard, Peter 
Piness, Mona Esquetini, Brenda Butler, Inga 
McMichael, and Pat Attkisson provided 
extraordinary support to make this groundbreaking 
conference a reality. 
 
 
JETER