US wanted to woo Dar-ul-Uloom clerics

The cable said,“While the declaration obviously won’t end terrorism and domestic political considerations are never far away,Deoband’s willingness to denounce terrorism publicly must be taken as a positive sign that will influence the thinking of Muslims from Afghanistan to Indonesia who listen to what Deoband has to say. The USG (US Government) should refrain from commenting on the declaration publicly,but should capitalize on this development by quietly offering Deoband educational resources and continuing to issue invitations for its clerics and students to participate in international visitor programs in the US.”

The cable sent a request for action,which read,“We should capitalize immediately on this positive development. The Deobandis remain wary of the USG,and harshly critical of its policies,but they continue to engage at the personal level with representatives of the US Embassy. We tried a few years ago to offer them computers for madrassa education,but were turned down. We propose that we try to identify a third party (perhaps one of USAID’s partners in programs in curriculum development) through which we could offer technical assistance and other support.”

The request added,“In addition,we should immediately look at ways to fund a special annual group (International Visitor Leadership Program) for clerics and students from the madrassa to visit the US and meet USG officials and private Americans. A little money spent now to show our appreciation for Deoband’s moderate tilt could continue to pay dividends for years to come as we struggle against violent extremism in Islam.”

From its contacts,the Embassy learnt that the Government of India “blessed” the conference where the declaration was adopted. Further,a senior Muslim journalist from Lucknow informed that the GOI was planning to announce sops and concessions before the parliamentary elections.