R 231526Z MAY 85
FM AMCONSUL KADUNA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7986
AMEMBASSY LAGOS
INFO AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
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