Cablegate: Sectarian Tension in National Assembly Over Book

VZCZCXRO9827
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #4377 3091014
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051014Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7504
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004377

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KIRF SA BA IR KU
SUBJECT: SECTARIAN TENSION IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OVER BOOK
DISTRIBUTED BY SHIA MINISTER -- CORRECTED COPY

Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution.

1. (U) Abdul Hadi Al-Salih, the Minister for National
Assembly Affairs and one of two Shi'a ministers in the
Kuwaiti government, sparked a rare public Sunni-Shi'a row
when he distributed to MPs over Ramadan a book of prayers,
called Al-Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyya (available in English at
http://www.shia.org/Sahifa/index.htm). The prayers were
written by Zain Al-Abdeen, a figure revered by Shi'as because
he was the prophet Mohammad's great-grandson through the line
of Ali and Mohammad's daughter Fatima. Salafi-leaning MP
Abdullah Akkash publicly objected because the book's
introduction (not written by Zain Al-Abdeen) slights the
early Islamic Omayyad dynasty (Note: The Omayyads took over
the mantle of leadership of Islam after the death of Ali.
The disagreement over succession to Mohammad and especially
to Ali led to the Shi'a-Sunni split, with the Shi'a
supporting the descendants of the prophet and the Sunnis
supporting the Omayyads. End Note.) A conservative Sunni
Islamic political association, the Nation Invariables
Grouping, called for Al-Salih to apologize and resign,
threatening to hold Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Mohammad
Al-Sabah responsible if Al-Salih remained as minister. A
number of MPs have sought to defuse the strident rhetoric by
proposing that the National Assembly form a committee to
"fight sectarianism, ensure moderation, and safeguard
national unity." The committee would look back to Islamic
sources and precedents to find answers to modern problems.

2. (SBU) Comment: The ostensible purpose of the new
committee would be non-sectarian, and prominent Shi'a cleric
Mohammad Al-Mohri endorsed the proposal. However, any
attempt to join Sunnis and Shi'as together to look back at
history would almost inevitably stir up the enmity that can
be glossed over in dealing with everyday problems. The
incident highlights how easily tension between Sunni and
Shi'a can be provoked, despite Kuwait's positive record on
Sunni-Shi'a relations. Among Sunnis in Kuwait, distrust
towards the Shi'a persists, most notably within the military
and, as in this case, the most ideologically extreme Sunni
Islamists. Regional tensions have raised these questions
anew for some Kuwaiti Sunnis. For now, Sunni-Shi'a squabbles
cause relatively little public outcry and few direct
consequences. If regional tensions increase or if Salafi
Islamists significantly increase their influence, however,
such incidents will be less easily contained. End Comment.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s

Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
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LeBaron

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