llLCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

May 30/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.may30.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/21-27:"They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory
First Letter to the Corinthians 02/01-10:"When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God."

Pope Francis's Tweet For Today
By receiving the Eucharist we are nourished of the Body and Blood of Jesus, and by entering us, Jesus joins us to his Body!
Par l’Eucharistie, nous nous nourrissons du Corps et du Sang de Jésus, pourtant, en venant en nous, c’est Jésus qui nous unit à son Corps!
بتناولنا للافخارستيا نتغذّى بجسد يسوع ودمه، غير أنّه إذ يأتي إلينا يوحِّدنا بجسده!

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 29- 30/16

No surprises in new round of municipal elections/Mohamad Kawas/The Arab Weekly/2016/05/29/
Why excessive hatred is a sign of weakness/Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/May 29/16/
When crooks use religious platforms/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/May 29/16
Tom Hanks and the principle of tolerance/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/May 29/16/
Iran’s “Moderates” Facing Pressures at Home/Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
The Next US President and the Middle East: Agenda for Gulf Security, Syria and Iraq/Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
The Dangerous Absence of State Authority in Iraq/Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: A Final Move towards Internal Split/Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
Germany's New "Integration Law"/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/May 29/16
A Deadly Shooting, a General’s Revolt, and the Rise of Israel’s New Right/By Amos Harel/Foriegn Policy/ May 25, 2016
The Murders In Bangladesh – The Role Of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, And Local Jihadis/Tufail Ahmad/MEMRI/May 29/16
Arabs Using Christians to Fight Israel/Shadi Khalloul/Gatestone Institute/May 29/16
Easter/Muslim Persecution of Christians, March 2016/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/May 29/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 29- 30/16

Roed Larsen slams Hezbollah in Al Arabiya interview
Rifi: I'm an autonomous Hariri condition
Report: Hezbollah digging tunnels, placing rockets on border for next conflict with Israel
Frangieh says OK with Hariri backing Aoun
Report: Al-Rahi Informs Hollande of Readiness to Elect Aoun as President to End Vacuum
Franjieh Tells Hariri he Has 'No Problem with him Voting for Aoun as President'
Elections Briefly Halted in Akkar Town after Minor Dispute
Harb Faces LF-FPM in Tannourine as Hbeish Hopes Qoubaiyat Municipal Battle Will Avoid Politics
Security Forces Contain Municipal-Linked Dispute in Akkar
Reports of Bribes, Minor Incidents as Final Stage of Municipal Polls Held in North, Akkar
Israel Thanks Russia for Returning Tank from 1982 Lebanon Invasion
Child Rescued after Father Tries to Drown Him in Sea
No surprises in new round of municipal elections

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 29- 30/16

Report: Israel and Arab states discuss new Palestinian leader to succeed Abbas
Police Send Netanyahu Spending File to District Attorney
US-led coalition troops seen near front line in new Iraq offensive
Thousands flee ISIS offensive in northern Syria
Iran insists on banning own citizens from Hajj
Iran parliament speaker easily wins reelection
Saudi Arabia executes Taif prison guard killer
Saudi Urges Iran to 'Stop Intervening' in Iraq
Amnesty International: Saudi Rights Activist Jailed for 8 Years
Turkey’s new prime minister wins vote of confidence in parliament
Up to 700 migrants feared dead in Mediterranean
Jordan’s King Abdullah dissolves parliament

Links From Jihad Watch Site for May 29- 30/16
Malaysian government backs bill to impose Sharia in the country
Nigeria: Sultan of Sokoto says Islam is a religion of peace
Canada: Pro-Sharia, pro-Caliphate organization holds conference in Mississauga
Islamic State seems to be selling sex slaves online
Islamic State murders 12 Real Madrid fans as they watched match
Erdogan: Infidels “good for nothing. They try to destroy our Islamic values.”
German Protestant bishop wants Islam classes in all state schools
Islamic State achieves biggest advance along Turkish border in two years
Independent: UK converts to Islam face suspicion and prejudice
Muslim wearing “I’m Muslim, don’t panic” t-shirt is beaten by other Muslims

Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 29- 30/16

Roed Larsen slams Hezbollah in Al Arabiya interview

Click Here To Listen to the Interview

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/inside-the-newsroom/2016/05/29/U-N-Envoy-says-region-under-serious-threat-from-Hezbollah-.html
By Staff writer Al Arabiya News English Sunday, 29 May 2016
Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian war and more recently in other parts of the region risks a spillover of sectarian tensions into Lebanon and elsewhere, U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen warned Friday, in an interview with Al Arabiya’s Talal Alhaj for his show “Diplomatic Avenue.”
He also called international community to take an urgent action in order to disarmament of the Shiite group which “was the only one militia inside Lebanon that did not abide by Altaif agreement.”
Larsen said that Israel withdrawal from South Lebanon was the result of the UN mediation "Contrary to what many believed it was not Hezbollah who pushed the Israelis out of Southern Lebanon, but it was actually the UN mediation, which drew the line of withdrawal, the so-called Blue Line.”
Roed-Larsen, who deals with the implementation of resolution 1559 that among other things calls for all militias operating in Lebanon to be disarmed and demobilized, urged international support for the country’s armed forces to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He called on Hezbollah to implement Lebanon’s 2012 policy of “disassociation” from regional conflicts that was adopted at the Baabda Palace under then President Michel Suleiman.
He told Talal Alhaj that “It is an anomaly that you have a very strong militia, probably stronger than the army in the country, which has been strengthening as well. It's disturbing though, also now in neighboring countries and not only Lebanon. So Hezbollah was supposed to be a resistance movement against the Israeli occupation. The Israeli occupation ended in the year 2000 and this is also why any form of legitimacy for that militia has vanished, and it is now also illegitimately going to neighboring countries, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and also doing, as I said before, undermining activities in other countries. So, if I should (suggest something)..., at the top of the political agenda related to Lebanon and the regional context is the disarming and disbanding of this militia.”
Terje Roed-Larsen has asked to be relieved of his duties as of the end of May to “devote more time to the work of the International Peace Institute” over which he currently presides. Since 2004, Larsen has served as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Security Council resolution 1559, which led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and called for the disarmament of all militias in the country.

Rifi: I'm an autonomous Hariri condition
Sun 29 May 2016/NNA - I am an "autonomous pro-Hariri condition," and no one could possibly dictate to me, resigned minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi, stated upon casting his ballot at a Tripoli polling station today. Stressing both police and soldiers' right to vote, Rifi attributed the failure of the previous municipal council to what he termed as "their staying under the thumb of politicians." He also expressed support for a civil society increasingly resentful to quota - politics. Municipal elections do not worry us at all albeit, we should remain well prepared for them at the next round, he stressed. Urging government agencies to crackdown on electoral money, Rifi concluded that he equates himself with all of them in terms of political weight despite remaining inside the pro- Hariri camp.

Report: Hezbollah digging tunnels, placing rockets on border for next conflict with Israel
Jerusalem Post/May 29/16/Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah is preparing for its next conflict with Israel by digging terror attack tunnels, tracking IDF movement and positioning its large arsenal of rockets along the northern border with Israel, Lebanese daily newspaper as-Safir reported Saturday.
The report comes as a flurry of articles are being published marking the 16 anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, in which the two countries were in engaged in the so called South Lebanon Conflict from 1985 to 2000. "Resistance fighters are watching, making preparations and digging tunnels so enemy soldiers and settlers are losing sleep", the newspaper said. "Observations of advanced electronic infrastructure and night-vision goggles are closely watching the border fence, which are able to transmit real-time information," the report added. The newspaper noted that the "preparations are being established so Hezbollah fighters can participate in combat at any moment." The report additionally addresses the terror tunnel infrastructure Hezbollah is creating along the northern border with Israel, taking notes from their jihadi militant counterpart Hamas. The paper describes the level of sophistication the tunnels are being built with, saying that they include underground ventilation systems which prevents moisture from damaging equipment. The tunnels include an electricity network and enough food to feed combatants for weeks, reads the article.

Frangieh says OK with Hariri backing Aoun
The Daily Star/May 29/16/BEIRUT: Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh Sunday appeared to welcome a call by Future Movement chief Saad Hariri one day earlier for dialogue between him and Michel Aoun with the hope that one of them would withdraw from the presidential race in favor of the other. "If Hariri decided he wanted to back Aoun, I wouldn't have a problem with that," Frangieh told reporters from the northern town of Zghorta during the municipal elections in the area. He revealed that he had spoken with Hariri one day earlier. On Saturday, Hariri encouraged Hezbollah to gather Frangieh and Aoun, the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, to try to convince one of them to drop out of the presidential race. Hariri's remarks came in response to a statement by Hezbollah deputy head Sheikh Naim Qassem that the Future Movement should engage in dialogue with Aoun, Hezbollah's preferred candidate, to end the presidential void. “We heard today (Saturday) Sheikh Naim Qassem say that the obstacle to the presidency is the fact that the Future Movement does not engage in direct negotiations with Gen. Michel Aoun. Let Hezbollah announce the measures it has taken to elect ... Aoun to the presidency," Hariri wrote on Twitter. He added: “The Future Movement proposes to [Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan] Nasrallah to gather his two allies Michel Aoun and Sleiman Frangieh at the dialogue table, hoping that the dialogue between Nasrallah and his two allies will lead to the withdrawal of one of them for the benefit of the other."Hezbollah backs Aoun for the presidency, while Frangieh is the Future Movement's candidate. Both Frangieh and Aoun are close allies of Hezbollah. Lebanon last week marked its two-year anniversary without a president.

Report: Al-Rahi Informs Hollande of Readiness to Elect Aoun as President to End Vacuum
Naharnet/May 29/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has urged French President Francois Hollande to exert efforts to end Lebanon's presidential vacuum, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Sunday. He voiced his willingness to see the election of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun as president to ensure that the impasse is resolved. Informed sources explained that by endorsing Aoun's candidacy, the MP “will be put on the spot and force him to stop obstructing the elections.”Hollande had reportedly relayed al-Rahi's stance to Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri. The lawmaker replied that he “does not mind” the proposal, saying that he is keen on ending the vacuum. He did however reiterate his support for his presidential candidate, Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh. The sources predicted that Hariri will not take any steps towards reaching an understanding with Aoun without consulting with Franjieh. He is also eager to “receive guarantees over the premiership, the formation of a cabinet, adoption of a parliamentary electoral law, and other issues”Al-Rahi had visited France in early May and Hariri paid a similar trip days later. Lebanon had been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have thwarted the polls.

Franjieh Tells Hariri he Has 'No Problem with him Voting for Aoun as President'
Naharnet/May 29/16/Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh held talks overnight with Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri on the latest developments in Lebanon, most notably the presidential vacuum. Franjieh revealed to reporters on Sunday that he had told Hariri that he “has no problem” with the Mustaqbal chief voting for Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun as president. The Marada chief made his remarks after casting his votes in the municipal elections in the northern region of Zgharta.Hariri had in late 2015 nominated Franjieh as president. His step was met with the Lebanese Forces' nomination of Aoun as president. The two March 8 camp members are running for the presidency alongside Democratic Gathering candidate MP Henri Helou. The elections however have been obstructed by boycotts from namely Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc and Aoun's Change and Reform bloc. The party had earlier this year declared that it would keep on boycotting the polls until it receives guarantees that its candidate, Aoun, will be elected head of state. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.

Elections Briefly Halted in Akkar Town after Minor Dispute
Naharnet/May 29/16/A verbal dispute broke out in a northern town on Sunday, forcing the temporary halt of the municipal elections, reported various media. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said that the dispute erupted between the heads of two lists running in the Akkar town of Rahbeh. It was soon contained the elections resumed.The North and Akkar districts are witnessing the fourth and final round of the municipal and mayoral polls.

Harb Faces LF-FPM in Tannourine as Hbeish Hopes Qoubaiyat Municipal Battle Will Avoid Politics
Naharnet/May 29/16/Heated electoral battles are expected in the Batroun region of Tannourine and the Akkar town of Qoubaiyat in the municipal polls and alliances by the Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement strive to shake off competition from local figures. In Tannourine, the LF-FPM list faces competition from Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb The minister said after casting his vote: “Today's battle should not be political, but it should have developmental goals.”“We did not reject the inclusion of any individuals affiliated with political parties in our electoral list.”In the Akkar region of Qoubaiyat, the LF and FPM back a list headed by Tony Mikhael and Jean Chidiac. It is running against a list headed by current municipal chief Abdo Abdo, who is backed by Mustaqbal MP Hadi Hbeish, former MP Mikhael al-Daher, and the Kataeb Party. Hbeish said after casting his vote: “The residents of the town are presenting an example of their democracy.”“They should decide their own fate and avoid succumbing to pressure.”“I hope that voters will be motivated by municipal interests, not political ones.”The fourth and final stage of the municipal elections kicked off on Sunday in the North and Akkar.

Security Forces Contain Municipal-Linked Dispute in Akkar
Naharnet/May 29/16/A clash linked to the ongoing municipal polls in the North and Akkar districts erupted in the town of Bourj al-Arab, reported the National News Agency on Sunday. It said that shots were fired during the dispute. The security forces soon intervened to contain it. The details of the quarrel were not disclosed. The North and Akkar districts are witnessing the fourth and final round of the municipal and mayoral polls.

Reports of Bribes, Minor Incidents as Final Stage of Municipal Polls Held in North, Akkar
Naharnet/May 29/16/The fourth and final stage of the municipal elections was held on Sunday in the North and Akkar. The Interior Ministry said that 5,976 candidates ran for seats in 273 municipal councils and 1,553 candidates competed for 740 mayoral seats.
Some 580,095 voters were registered in the North and 269,910 were registered in Akkar.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had followed up on the various administrative, security, and logistic preparations to ensure that the elections would be held without incident.
Mashnouq later told al-Jadeed television: “So far the final round of the elections is excellent and the voter turnout is very high.”The Interior Ministry urged candidates to respect the laws linked to the polls and security forces to combat any form of bribery. After the polls closed, the ministry announced a voter turnout of 26.9% in Tripoli, 43.8% in Koura, 54.4% in Batroun, 57.2% in Minieh-Dinniyeh, 61.6% in Akkar, 36.6% in Bsharri and 36.68% in Zgharta. In the city of Tripoli, a list backed by resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi competed against one backed by Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri, former Prime Minister Najib Miqati, and former ministers Faisal Karami and Mohammed al-Safadi.
A third list running in the elections was headed by former MP Mosbah al-Ahdab and a fourth one comprised independent figures and civil society activists. The list backed by Hariri and Miqati is headed by Azzam Aweida and the one supported by Rifi is headed by Ahmed Qamri. Polling stations remained open after 7:00 pm in some Tripoli areas due to the presence of voters within their premises. Media reports said supporters of the Arab Democratic Party led by Rifaat Eid were asked to "head to polling stations en masse at 5:00 pm to vote in favor of Tripoli's political coalition list in a bid to prevent Rifi-backed candidates from reaching the city's municipal council." Miqati said after casting his vote: “I met with Hariri and we decided to open a new chapter in our ties.”“Hariri and I are working towards development in Tripoli.”“Rifi is a part of Tripoli and no one can eliminate him.”
In the area of Batroun, some 60,000 registered voters were expected to vote for 309 municipal council members. The main battle took place between a list backed by Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb and another supported by the Free Patriotic Movement.
In Dinniyeh, over 115,000 candidates were supposed to vote for members of 34 municipal councils. In Zgharta, 76,000 voters were supposed to elect 333 municipal council members. In Bsharri, 50,000 voters were supposed elect 186 municipal council members.
In Akkar, the most heated battle occurred in al-Qoubaiyat between a list backed by the Lebanese Forces and FPM and another backed by Mustaqbal MP Hadi Hbeish and former MP Mikhail al-Daher.
Hbeish said after after casting his vote in Qoubaiyat: “I hope that voters will be motivated by municipal interests, not political ones.”
“Our sole reservation over the other electoral list in Qoubaiyat is that it was formed outside the town. A victory for our list will be a victory for residents of the town.”
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections said a number of voters were seen "casting their votes and then handing over their IDs to the representatives of the 'Qoubaiyat Decides' list," which is backed by Hbeish and al-Daher.
And in the Akkar town of Bebnin, LADE accused the Justice and Equality list -- which is backed by the al-Masri family and other families -- of buying votes "for $50, LBP100,000 or mobile phone recharge cards at the Rafik Hariri High School."
The Zgharta municipal elections were marked by an agreement between former rivals -- the Marada Movement of MP Suleiman Franjieh and the Independence Movement of Michel Mouawad.
Franjieh said after casting his vote in Zgharta: “The electoral process today is being held through consensus and it has development purposes, which we hope will encompass everyone.”
Minister Roni Araiji, of Marada, said after casting his vote: “The agreement between the two sides in Zgharta is aimed at easing political tensions.”
The electoral process was largely calm although security incidents were reported in some Akkar towns and in Minieh-Dinniyeh where disputes among the voters in Kfar Habou disrupted the elections.
The security forces were quick to prevent the dispute from escalating and the elections continued smoothly.
A similar clash also erupted in Bakhoun in Minieh-Dinniyeh, but it was soon contained.
The Interior Ministry meanwhile announced that polling was briefly suspended in the Zgharta town of Deir Ashash after a fistfight erupted inside a polling station between a voter and a representative of one of the lists.
LADE had earlier reported that "a major security incident occurred in Deir Ashash" and that a "state of chaos" was engulfing the polling centers and the areas around them.
Security forces meanwhile arrested two people in the Zgharta district town of Aitou on charges of paying electoral bribes, state-run National News Agency reported.

Israel Thanks Russia for Returning Tank from 1982 Lebanon Invasion
Associated Press/Naharnet/May 29/16/Israel's prime minister has thanked the Russian president for agreeing to return a tank from a battle in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon from which three Israeli soldiers are still missing in action. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Sunday thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin. It says that after the war Syria delivered the tank to the Russian army and it later ended up in a Moscow museum. The Sultan Yaaqoub battle pitted Israeli forces against the Syrian army. Three Israeli soldiers from the battle where the tank was deployed are still missing. At least 30 Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting. Military service is compulsory in Israel and the fate of the missing soldiers has emotional resonance. Netanyahu addressed the soldiers' families in the statement saying, "there has been nothing to remember the boys by and no grave to visit for 34 years now. The tank is the only evidence of the battle."

Child Rescued after Father Tries to Drown Him in Sea
Naharnet/May 29/16/A Syrian child was rescued after his father tried to drown him in the sea off Tripoli's el-Mina area, state-run National News Agency reported. “A number of el-Mina residents managed to rescue the Syrian child Mohammed Slim, 5, after his father tried to drown him in the sea off el-Mina in the Ras al-Sakhr area,” NNA said. “They captured the father and handed him over to army troops who arrived on the scene after being informed of the incident,” the agency added.
 

No surprises in new round of municipal elections
Mohamad Kawas/The Arab Weekly/2016/05/29 Issue: 58 Page: 5
BEIRUT - There were no major sur­prises in the third round of Lebanon’s municipal elec­tions, covering the South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh governorates. Nor did observers expect any upset along the lines of those seen in the first two rounds of voting.
The third round of the municipal elections took place in areas domi­nated by Lebanon’s Shia communi­ty and the country’s two main Shia parties — Hezbollah and the Amal Movement — which formed an elec­toral coalition dubbed the Develop­ment and Loyalty list.
The slate dominated the electoral scene, despite growing competition from independent candidates. The emerging presence of grass-roots candidates and electoral lists ech­oes a phenomenon seen in the first and second rounds of municipal elections and was the only striking development in the third round.
Whenever Shia-led protests would break out against the gov­ernment in Beirut, or rallies would be staged in southern Lebanon to criticise international powers or the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Hezbollah would point to the power of the ahali of the south. However, for the first time, those families threw their weight behind Hezbollah’s opponents, backing lo­cal grass-root candidates and elec­toral lists.
Although the families-backed candidates did not succeed in un­seating Hezbollah, the switch in support could cause repercussions in future elections.
Hours before the start of polling, Hezbollah Secretary-General Has­san Nasrallah called on Hezbollah supporters to make sure to vote to affirm his party’s popularity and electoral legitimacy.
However, voter turnout was mod­est due to a lack of any real electoral competition with some Develop­ment and Loyalty candidates run­ning virtually unopposed.
As for the families-backed elec­toral candidates, they put up a strong fight based on a general feel­ing of discontent in southern Leba­non towards Hezbollah’s continued dominance of the region based on the pretext of the “resistance”, but were ultimately unable to succeed.
There can also be no doubt that this phenomenon of grass-roots political engagement has begun to concern Hezbollah, with Nasrallah calling on people to remain loyal to his party. Senior Hezbollah fig­ures expressed concern that this phenomenon could go beyond the south and affect the party’s stand­ing nationwide and its dominance of Lebanon’s Shia community.
The results of the third round of elections ultimately confirmed — as was demonstrated in the pre­vious two electoral rounds — the dominance of the major parties, which likely indicates their future dominance of parliamentary elec­tions. This is because the current majoritarian electoral system — as opposed to the proportional repre­sentation system — guarantees the ascendancy of the major parties.
This raises the question of to what extent these parties will accept elec­toral reform given that the current system guarantees their electoral success.
The third round of elections also saw strong left-wing mobility, with the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) winning important victories. New LCP Secretary-General Hanna Gharib sought to promote its “resist­ance” credentials but was careful to frame the contention as resistance against corruption — a campaign policy that Hezbollah failed to learn from.
The Christian community in southern Lebanon remained under the sway of the country’s two main Christian parties — the Free Patri­otic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, which formed a coalition that crosses the March 14 and March 8 alliance divide.
The Christian coalition secured a hard-fought victory in the Bekaa city of Zahle against local candi­dates. It also won an important par­liamentary by-election in Jezzine.
However, the real victory was for Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who confirmed his popularity among Lebanon’s Chris­tian electorate, including in major cities such as Zahle, Jounieh and Jezzine, in a manner that strength­ened his presidential ambitions.
The electoral battle in Sidon, a Sunni stronghold and the so-called “capital of the south’, was also in­teresting. The fierce electoral battle over the home town of former prime minister Rafik Hariri ended with a victory for the Future Movement, which is led by his son Saad Hariri.
The victory confirmed the Fu­ture Movement’s dominance of the city at a time its opponents were counting on the party’s decline fol­lowing financial troubles related to construction company Saudi Oger. The victory affirms that Hariri’s long absence from the country has not troubled his popular standing, and confirms his leadership of the Fu­ture Movement.
The final round of Lebanon’s elec­tions is set for the North Lebanon governorate.
**Mohamad Kawas is a Lebanese writer.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 29- 30/16

Report: Israel and Arab states discuss new Palestinian leader to succeed Abbas
Jerusalem Post/May 29/16/The United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan are reportedly planning to have former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan replace Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Citing unnamed senior Palestinian and Jordanian sources, Middle East Eye reported Friday on the joint plan to bring Dahlan, the former leader of Abbas’ Fatah party in the Gaza Strip, back from exile in the Gulf. The plan was discussed with Israel, according to the article, which did not indicate Israel’s reaction. Dahlan, a bitter rival of Abbas, was driven from Gaza after Hamas seized control of the coastal enclave in 2007. In 2011, he was expelled from Fatah amid allegations of corruption and accusations that he had poisoned longtime Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat. Abbas, 81, has headed the Palestinian Authority since 2005. Dahlan who is 54 and headed the Palestinian police in Gaza in the immediate aftermath of the 1993 Oslo Accords, “has close ties to” the UAE’s royals, according to the Middle East Eye. The Middle East Eye said the plans key goals are to unite Fatah and strengthen it against Hamas, weaken Hamas, complete a peace agreement with Israel and seize control of sovereign Palestinian institutions in the West Bank.“Dahlan believes that Hamas is weaker than Fatah in Gaza and that Fatah is weaker than Hamas in the West Bank and that Fatah could win if it were to be united whereas Hamas is likely to win if Fatah remained disunited,” a senior Palestinian source told the Middle East Eye. “The parties [the UAE, Jordan and Egypt] believe that Mahmoud Abbas has expired politically and that they should endeavor to stop any surprises by Abbas during the period when Fatah will remain under his leadership until the elections are held,” the source said. According to the report, Jordan has concerns about Dahlan, however, namely his reputation for being unpopular among Palestinians and allegations that he is corrupt and has ties to the Israeli security services.

Police Send Netanyahu Spending File to District Attorney
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 29/16/Israeli police said Sunday they had completed a probe into allegations Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife used public funds for their private villa, with the findings now passed on to prosecutors. Police gave no indication of the results of their investigation, though Israeli media reported that they recommended charges against Sara Netanyahu. The announcement comes days after the release of a separate official report into alleged overcharging and conflict of interest involving Netanyahu's past travel expenses. Sara Netanyahu was questioned by fraud squad detectives last year as part of a 15-month investigation over claims the couple spent taxpayers' money on garden furniture and electrical repairs at their private villa in the exclusive coastal resort of Caesarea. A police statement said Sunday that the inquiry began in February 2015 and examined "suspicion of commission of criminal acts including fraudulently obtaining a benefit, fraud and breach of trust.""All of the alleged evidence... was passed to the Jerusalem district attorney, who has been following the investigation, for the purpose of studying the material and reaching a decision (whether to prosecute)," it said. The statement did not comment further but Israeli media said the police recommended that the district attorney file charges against Sara Netanyahu and others, but not her husband. Among the allegations is that Sara Netanyahu pocketed at least $1,000 from deposits on empty bottles returned from the official residence between 2009 and 2013, money that should have gone to the treasury. In 2013, Netanyahu reimbursed the state $1,000 but the premier's former butler has said that the figure should have been six times higher. The Netanyahus have dismissed the allegations as a smear campaign. On Tuesday the Israeli state comptroller issued a report on Netanyahu's foreign trips, some with his wife and children, in 2003-05 when he was finance minister. "Trips by Mr. Netanyahu and his family, funded by external bodies during the period in which he served as finance minister, deviated from regulations on the subject and as such could give the appearance of obtaining a benefit or of a conflict of interest," the report said. It did not allege criminality but said some of its findings had been passed to the attorney general's office and could therefore not be publicized for the time being.

US-led coalition troops seen near front line in new Iraq offensive
By Isabel Coles Reuters, Hassan Shami, Iraq Sunday, 29 May 2016/Servicemen from the US-led coalition were seen near the front line of a new offensive in northern Iraq launched on Sunday by Kurdish peshmerga forces that aims to retake a handful of villages from ISIS east of their Mosul stronghold. A Reuters correspondent saw the soldiers loading armored vehicles outside the village of Hassan Shami, a few miles east of the frontline. They told people present not to take photographs. They spoke in English but their nationality was not clear. Reuters had earlier reported that they were American but this could not be confirmed officially. Commenting on the ground deployment of coalition soldiers seen near the battle front, Baghdad-based spokesman for then coalition, U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren, said: "US and coalition forces are conducting advise and assist operations to help Kurdish Peshmerga forces".
He said he could not confirm which country those seen by Reuters were from. "They may be Americans, they may be Canadians or from other nationalities," he said, when told that some forces were reported to be wearing maple leaf patches, the emblem of Canada. The sighting of the servicemen near the frontline is a measure of the US-led coalition's deepening involvement on the ground in Iraq as the war against Islamic State approaches its third year. Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the early hours of Sunday launched an attack to dislodge Islamic State fighters from villages located about 20 km (13 miles) east of Mosul on the road to the regional capital, Erbil. Fighting appeared heavy. Pick up trucks raced back from the frontline with wounded people in the back, and two of the US-led coalition servicemen helped haul one man onto a stretcher. Gunfire and airstrikes could be heard at a distance, while Apache helicopters flew overhead. One of the villages, Mufti, was captured by mid-day, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement. Mosul, with a pre-war population of about 2 million, is the largest city under control of the militants in both Iraq and Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the end of last year expressed hope that the "final victory" in the war on ISIS would come in 2016 with the capture of Mosul. About 5,500 Peshmergas are taking part in Sunday's operation, said the Kurdish Region Security council. "This is one of the many shaping operations expected to increase pressure on ISIL in and around Mosul in preparation for an eventual assault on the city,'' the council said. The Peshmerga have driven the militants back in northern Iraq last year with the help of airstrikes from a US-led coalition, and are positioned around Mosul in an arc running from northwest of the city to southeast. The Iraqi army is also keeping up the pressure on ISIS in their stronghold of Falluja, 50 kilometers (32 miles) west of Baghdad, in central Iraq. Backed by Shiite militias on the ground and airstrikes from the US-led coalition, the army is about to complete the encirclement of the city in an operation that started on May 23, state TV said Sunday citing military statements. Counter-terrorism forces specialized in urban warfare have taken up positions around Falluja and should begin advancing in inside the city when the encirclement is complete, the TV said.

Thousands flee ISIS offensive in northern Syria
AFP, Beirut Sunday, 29 May 2016/Thousands of civilians have fled an offensive by ISIS against non-militant rebels in northern Syria into territory controlled by a US-backed Kurdish-led alliance, a monitor said on Sunday. The offensive against the towns of Marea and Azaz threatens to overrun the last swathe of territory in the east of Aleppo province held by non-militant rebels and bring ISIS to the doorstep of the Kurds’ Afrin enclave. At least 29 civilians have been killed since ISIS launched the assault early on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It came as the militants were under attack by the Kurdish-led alliance in Raqa province further east and by the army and allied militia around Fallujah in neighbouring Iraq. “More than 6,000 civilians, most of them women and children, were able to flee areas in the countryside of Aleppo province... especially from Marea town and Sheikh Issa village” to its west, the Britain-based monitoring group said. “The displaced arrived last night in areas in the west and north of Aleppo province under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. The SDF is an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that Washington regards as the most effective force on the ground in Syria against the militants of ISIS. Washington’s support for the alliance, which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), has severely strained relations with NATO ally Ankara which regards it as a terror group. AFP pictures of US commandos wearing the YPG insignia drew condemnation on Saturday from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government regards the group as a puppet of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which Ankara has been battling for more than three decades. ISIS launched its offensive against the rebel-held territory that separates it from the Kurds in Afrin on Friday. Heavy fighting raged early on Sunday on the outskirts of Marea and around two villages on the supply route to the town of Azaz on the Turkish border to the northeast. The militants managed to cut the key supply line in a surprise assault early on Friday. At least 61 rebel fighters have been killed in the fighting, as well as 47 militants, nine of them suicide bombers, the Observatory said. The United Nations has expressed concern for some 165,000 civilians who have been trapped by the fighting between Azaz and the closed Turkish border. The UN refugee agency said fleeing civilians were being caught in crossfire and were facing “challenges to access medical services, food, water and safety”. The supply lines to Turkey have made Aleppo province one of the most contested battlegrounds of Syria’s five-year-old civil war. Parts are held by the government, parts by non-jihadist rebels, parts by the Kurds and parts by ISIS or its militant rival Al-Qaeda.

Iran insists on banning own citizens from Hajj
Al Arabiya English with AFP Sunday, 29 May 2016/Iran on Sunday said it will not allow its citizens from taking part in this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah and blamed it on Saudi officials, claiming they have raised “obstacles” that prompted its decision. “After two series of negotiations without any results because of obstacles raised by the Saudis, Iranian pilgrims will unfortunately not be able to take part in the hajj" pilgrimage, expected this year in September, Iranian culture minister Ali Jannati told state television. Saudi officials have said an Iranian delegation wrapped up a visit to the kingdom on Friday without reaching a final agreement on arrangements for hajj pilgrims from the Islamic republic. The Saudi hajj ministry said it had offered "many solutions" to meet a string of demands made by the Iranians in two days of talks. Agreement had been reached in some areas, including to use electronic visas which could be printed out by Iranian pilgrims, as Saudi diplomatic missions remain shut in Iran, it said. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in January after Iranian demonstrators torched its embassy and a consulate following its execution of a prominent Shiite preacher. Earlier this month, Iran had accused its regional rival of seeking to "sabotage" the hajj, a pillar of Islam that devout Muslims must perform at least once during their lifetime if they are able. Tehran said Riyadh had insisted that visas for Iranians be issued in a third country and would not allow pilgrims to be flown aboard Iranian aircraft. But the Saudi hajj ministry said Friday that Riyadh had agreed to allow Iranians to obtain visas through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which has looked after Saudi interests since ties were severed in January. Riyadh also agreed to allow some Iranian carriers to fly pilgrims to the kingdom despite a ban imposed on Iranian airlines following the diplomatic row between the two countries, the ministry said. Last week's talks were the second attempt by the two countries to reach a deal on organizing this year's pilgrimage for Iranians after an unsuccessful first round held in April in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi ministry said at the time that the Iranian Hajj Organization would be held responsible "in front of God and the people for the inability of its pilgrims to perform hajj this year."

Iran parliament speaker easily wins reelection
AFP, Tehran Sunday, 29 May 2016/Moderate conservative Ali Larijani Sunday easily won reelection as speaker of the Iranian parliament with 173 votes against 103 for his reformist opponent Mohammad Reza Aref, in a vote broadcast live on state radio.The vote follows elections that saw major gains by reformists and moderates allied to moderate President Hassan Rowhani, but not enough for them to take the speaker's position.

Saudi Arabia executes Taif prison guard killer
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 29 May 2016/Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced it had executed a man named Fahad Hawsawi who had killed a security officer in Taif prison in May 2013. Hawsawi was accused of starting a fire in one of the cells at the Taif Investigations Prison that entrapped and killed Corporal Abdulghani al-Thubaiti. Hawsawi was believed to have started the fire during a prison break attempt.

Saudi Urges Iran to 'Stop Intervening' in Iraq
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 29/16/Saudi Arabia accused Iran on Sunday of sowing "sedition" in Iraq urging the Islamic republic to "stop intervening" in the affairs of its neighbors. "Sedition and division in Iraq are the results of sectarian policies that developed out of Iran's policies in Iraq," said Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in a joint press briefing with his British counterpart Philip Hammond in Jeddah. "If Iran wants stability in Iraq, it has to stop intervening and withdraw," he said after accusing Tehran of sending "Shiite militias" to the war-torn country. "Iran should respect the principle of good neighborly relations, to focus on its internal situation and not intervene in the affairs of other countries in the region, mainly Iraq," he said. Shiite-dominated Iran is the arch rival of the Sunni-led Arab kingdom, which is a traditional ally of Washington.

Amnesty International: Saudi Rights Activist Jailed for 8 Years
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 29/16/A Saudi court on Sunday sentenced a human rights activist to eight years in jail under the kingdom's "repressive counter-terrorism law," Amnesty International said. Abdulaziz al-Shubaily, the only founding member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA) not to be behind bars, was tried in the Specialized Criminal Court, the London-based watchdog said. He faced a number of different charges which included "communicating with foreign organizations and providing information to Amnesty International for use in two of its reports," the rights group said. "After shutting ACPRA down three years ago, the authorities have prosecuted and jailed its founding members one by one in a merciless bid to suppress criticism of Saudi Arabia's appalling human rights record," said James Lynch, Amnesty's deputy Middle East and North Africa director. "The authorities have once again proven that they are determined to conceal the truth about Saudi Arabia's dire human rights record. The authorities must urgently ensure his conviction is quashed and they should not detain him," he added. Lynch urged the kingdom's international allies to "press the authorities to end this iron-fist clampdown on civil society."

Turkey’s new prime minister wins vote of confidence in parliament
Reuters, Ankara Sunday, 29 May 2016/Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s government on Sunday won a vote of confidence in parliament as well as approval for his legislative programme, parliament speaker Ismail Kahraman said. Yildirim is a close ally of President Tayyip Erdogan and a co-founder of the ruling AK Party. He was declared prime minister after he was elected as the new leader of the AK Party at a party congress. Yildirim’s appointment marks another step in Erdogan’s plan to create a full presidential system in Turkey. Yildirim replaces Ahmet Davutoglu, who said he was stepping down after weeks of tension with Erdogan. Kahraman said the result was 315 votes for approving the government and 138 against.

Up to 700 migrants feared dead in Mediterranean
AFP Sunday, 29 May 2016/Up to 700 migrants are feared to have drowned in deadly shipwrecks off the coast of Libya this week, the UN’s refugee agency said Sunday, citing survivor testimony. “The situation is chaotic, we cannot be sure of the numbers, but we fear up to 700 people may have drowned in three shipwrecks this week,” one of which was believed to have claimed over 500 lives, UNHCR spokesman Federico Fossi told AFP. About 500 migrants were declared lost after the fishing boat they were on capsized on Thursday morning off Libya, with survivors saying at least 40 of the dead were children, including newborn babies. Some 100 people were missing after a boat sank Wednesday and 45 bodies were recovered from a wreck that happened Friday, with more feared lost. “We’ll never know the exact number, we’ll never know their identity, but survivors tell that over 500 human beings died” in Thursday’s shipwreck, Carlotta Sami, UNHCR spokeswoman, said on Twitter. Brought to safety at the Italian ports of Taranto and Pozzallo, survivors told the UNHCR and Save the Children how their boat had sunk after a high-seas drama which saw one woman decapitated. Giovanna Di Benedetto, Save the Children’s spokesperson in Sicily, told AFP it was impossible to verify the numbers involved but survivors spoke of around 1,100 people setting out from Sabratha in Libya on Wednesday in two fishing boats and a dinghy. “The first boat, carrying some 500 people, was reportedly towing the second, which was carrying another 500. But the second boat began to sink. Some people tried to swim to the first boat, others held onto the rope linking the vessels,” she said. According to the survivors, the first boat’s Sudanese captain cut the rope, which snapped back and decapitated a woman. The second boat quickly sank, taking those packed tightly into the hold down with it. The Sudanese was arrested on his arrival in Pozzallo along with three other suspected people traffickers, Italian media reports said.

Jordan’s King Abdullah dissolves parliament
By Ismaeel Naar/Al Arabiya English Sunday, 29 May 2016/Jordan's King Abdullah on Sunday announced a decree to dissolve the country's parliament and appointed Hani al-Mulqi as prime minister to oversee new elections. Jordan's constitution stipulates that a sitting government must resign within a week to pave way for a new cabinet. The decision on Sunday to dissolve parliament did not take Jordanians by surprise as the news was expected since the passing of the 2015 Elections Law two months ago. “When the new elections law was passed two months ago, it was decreed that a new elections would take place in either September or November of this year. In order for that to happen, parliament has to be dissolved at least four months prior, so that is why people were expecting the news,” Mohammed Husseiny, a political analyst and director of think tank - the Identity Center JO - told Al Arabiya English. Under the new bill, Jordan has done away with the “one-person, one-vote electoral system,” and elections are now based on a large voting system, in which candidates can run for parliamentary seats on one large multimember ticket. The bill divides the country into 23 electoral districts, one for each of the 12 governorates, except for Amman which was split into five districts, Irbid into four and Zarqa into two.
Prioritizing the economy
Tasked with overseeing an elections before the end of this year will be Mulqi, who was minister of foreign affairs and minister of industry and trade in previous years. Given Jordan’s desire to prioritize the economy on the top of its agenda, Mulqi’s appointment did not come as a surprise to Husseiny. “The new prime minister is well known as a specialist in economics. His appointment might be an indicator that the priorities for the coming time will be the economy.” Husseiny said. Tasked with overseeing an elections before the end of this year will be Hani al-Mulqi, who was minister of foreign affairs and minister of industry and trade in previous years.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 29- 30/16

Why excessive hatred is a sign of weakness
Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/May 29/16
Nothing weighs down men more than the reaction resulting in hatred, Nietzsche once said. He said that sacrificing temptation, sensitivity, the feeling of being incapable of taking revenge, being insatiable for vengeance, and wanting to hurt others with all means are definitely the worst ways of an overstrained men’s reaction. These ways consume a lot of nervous energy and provoke increasingly dire repercussions. This is what hatred can do to men. Hatred weighs down many, physically and psychologically, undermines their power and prevents them from behaving normally with the person he hates. Hence, hatred for Nietzsche is a sign of weakness and not of strength. He considers that illness is intrinsically the result of hatred and should consequently be treated before treating the symptoms that are evident. Therefore, ill people must not hate because it poses great danger to them. Eliminating hatred from our systems is the very first step toward healing. Hatred weighs down many, physically and psychologically, undermines their power and prevents them from behaving normally with the person he hates. Hatred is like the smoke that blocks the view and the fire that burns the person who hates. In order to heal from this hatred, a man must tame himself, reject naivety, demonstrate a great sense of dignity and must not be affected by his negative surrounding.
The issue of hatred becomes deeper when it goes beyond individual behavior to a social one. This is when hatred becomes a collective force and hampers social cohesion. It elicits strong reaction from people facing adversity. Matters related to religion, overt nationalism or predisposition to hatred are part of the discourse in the society and reflect hidden issues. This phenomenon is evident on Twitter, and other social media outlets, where many people express their hatred for others under various pretext. They even resort to betrayal, demonstrate lack of respect and make accusations using their own faith or nationality to attack those who do not agree with them. This provokes further divisions and makes the society even more unstable. We see that many conflicts between individuals, groups or sects are driven by this hatred. Most of these conflicts are useless arguments that lead to nothing. They don’t reveal any truth and doesn’t raise questioning of anything.
‘Low character’
Even Nietzsche used to be very wary of anything “controversial” and believed it as a sign of “low character”. He harshly criticized Socrates saying that the latter saw himself as more valuable than the ordinary people. “I never knew the art of controversies and disputes”, Nietzsche says. This was one of the attributes that made him proud of himself. What helped him was that he withdrew form people and preferred isolation, which elevated him to a higher level where he found the source of happiness. Having “the power”, that Nietzsche praises, can make people despise themselves for hating or arguing with others because strong persons do not fear others who differ from them but can rather make stupid people behave well. Besides power, there is intelligence and intuition that stem from wisdom, learning and philosophical meditation. These characteristics make people have a particular awareness and prevent them from getting into trouble. “I am aware that the herd of cows is getting closer before I can even see it with my eyes.” This is the vision of those who get away from filth, make their souls transparent and their minds a source of light.
This article was first published on Al Riyadh on April 27, 2016.

When crooks use religious platforms
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/May 29/16
It has often been narrated how a crook in Kuwait used religious platforms to collect money for the needy only to be discovered later that the money was being transferred to his bank account. It is not strange that mosques have been used to trick worshippers to collect money or propagate ideas. However, this particular man, who was later arrested, tricked everyone irrespective of their religious affiliations. He began with the sufis claiming that he was one of their sheikhs and then went to three different Sunni mosques. He took to the podium and collected money from worshippers by claiming that the money will be given to the needy. Then he wore a black turban to disguise himself as a sayyed and then went to Shiite husseiniyahs. He mourned with them and collected as much money as he could. Perhaps if there were more churches in Kuwait he would have dangled a cross and gone there too. Fraud in the name of religion is an easy and common means that is not only limited to stealing money but also includes influencing people’s minds. Thousands of young men have sold their souls to these crooks in the name of the so-called jihad and left their homes to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and other countries. These fraudulent religious operations are one of the biggest in our history. Many of these people don’t even know until this day how or why and how they have happened.
The Syrian preacher
Legend has it that there was a Syrian preacher, nicknamed Abu al-Qaqa, who was tasked with hosting enthusiastic Muslim men, organizing their recruitment process and sending them to fight in Iraq. In 2007, Abu al-Qada – who was viewed as a hero by the mujahideen – was killed. It was later discovered that he was a Syrian intelligence officer called Mahmud al-Aghasi. Because religion is a dangerous weapon, it will continue to be targeted by crooks, war merchants and those seeking power. Thousands of young men were deceived by the Syrian intelligence, which planted its officers as clerics and succeeded at propagating the idea of “jihad” in Iraq. This has been done for many years in several places under different religious slogans. And because religion is a dangerous weapon, it will continue to be targeted by crooks, war merchants and those seeking power.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on May 29, 2016.

Tom Hanks and the principle of tolerance
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/May 29/16/
After every act of terror we get enthusiastic about what we call “embellishing our image”. What’s more important is that our image should be good in the first place without the need for modification and improvement all the time. Strangely enough, despite numerous acts of terrorism targeting the West, the latter is still in the process of understanding us. This is particularly true for some individuals. Famous Hollywood actor Tom Hanks visited Morocco recently and made some statements that deserve a comment. Hanks was in Morocco to film parts of his new movie "A Hologram for the King." Following the visit, Hanks said: “Ten years ago, we shot some of Charlie Wilson’s War in Morocco. I had never been to a Muslim nation before. I was a white, western American and I assumed that every time the muezzin called the faithful to prayer, everybody shut down and went to their local mosque. Some did but really there was no change whatsoever. A huge stereotype was busted just like that.” What influenced Tom Hanks is the principle of tolerance, the deep-rooted approach which has been common throughout the history of Muslims such as in Andalusia, where the Jews, Christians and Muslims were present in the administration and public position. Strangely enough, despite numerous acts of terrorism targeting the West, the latter is still in the process of understanding us.They lived side-by-side in the society and tolerance dominated their behavior without any constraints. Describing Morocco, that Muslim country which is full of spirituality and sufism, Hanks said: “Morocco, it’s living in a culture that tolerates you but doesn’t embrace you.”
This article was first published in Okaz on May 29, 2016.

Iran’s “Moderates” Facing Pressures at Home
Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
On May 28, the tenth Majlis is to be sworn in with a reform and moderate plurality for the first time. International sanctions have been formally lifted as of January 2016, in keeping with the P5+1 deal, restricting Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon over the next decade or two. Overall Iranian oil production in April reached 3.6 million barrels per day, nearly reaching pre-sanctions levels, with 2 million barrels exported. And on May 23, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met with President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran to ink a trilateral development deal, to build the Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, which will open new trade routes to India, Central Asia, Russia, and Europe.
Despite all of these positive developments, the internal situation facing the moderates in power is, however, far more problematic, as the result of a combination of internal and external factors that the Rouhani camp has very little leverage to change.
Internally, the Iranian “deep state,” comprised of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), hard-line clerics (the Combatant Clergy), and the judiciary, remains deeply entrenched in power—in the economy, in the banking system, and at the top of the political power structure, where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is a generally reliable ally. This apparatus, particularly the IRGC, has continued to maintain a vice grip control over much of the Islamic Republic’s physical economy and banking system. They jealously defend that power, and are therefore opposed to some of those foreign direct investments that are vitally needed if Iran is to see genuine growth. In a sign of their continuing clout, a recent joint venture construction deal with France was given to a company known to be controlled by the IRGC.
The behind-the-scenes power of the “deep state” was made evident last week, when Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the 90-year old head of the Guardian Council, was elected to Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, the body that will choose the next Supreme Leader, when the ailing 77-year old Supreme Leader Khamenei dies or is forced to step down by infirmity. Jannati got 55 out of 88 votes to win the chairmanship. As head of the Guardian Council, he had presided over the purging of the electoral slates, which blocked many of the most outspoken reformers and moderates from running in the recent Majlis and Assembly elections. After winning the powerful post of Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Jannati delivered a speech demanding unswerving loyalty to the Supreme Leader, a not-so-veiled threat to reformists.
The next test of power will come soon, when the new Majlis is sworn in and must elect its Speaker, along with two deputy speakers, six secretaries and three observers. The two candidates for Speaker are moderate reformer Mohammed Reza Aref and the current Speaker, traditional conservative Ali Larijani. Although Larijani is far more conservative than Aref, both men supported the P5+1 deal, and therefore it is expected that a behind-the-scenes deal will be reached for the next Speaker, rather than go through a publicly contentious vote. Ali Akbar Nategh-Nuri, a former Majlis Speaker and Interior Minister, is widely expected to broker the negotiations between the two camps. Ali Hashemi Rafsanjani has signaled his support for Larijani in the upcoming vote, on the grounds that Larijani will be more skilled at fending off the most hard-line conservatives.
In another sign of the still powerful hardline-IRGC faction, Iran successfully launched a new-generation missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers this month. The launch was followed by a statement by Ahmad Karimpour, a well-known adviser to the Al Quds Brigade of the IRGC, which runs all overseas operations. He boasted that, with the missile breakthrough, Iran could wipe out Israel within eight minutes. Such statements are a further deterrent to foreign investors.
Although sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear weapons program were lifted as of January 1, under the P5+1 agreement, the United States maintains a wide range of other sanctions, both primary and secondary, centered on Iran’s classification as a state sponsor of terrorism. A long list of IRGC officials and business entities is still under strong Washington sanctions, and, as the result, European and other foreign banks are hesitant to engage in any investments or joint ventures with Iranian companies with documented ties to the IRGC sanctions list. Under the US sanctions and the enforcement provisions of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), foreign firms are responsible for due diligence to keep in line with the US restrictions.
Ayatollah Khamenei issued a statement recently condemning these US actions of the US, declaring that “on paper, the US allows foreign banks to deal with Iran, but in practice they create Iranophobia so no one does business with Iran.”
Given the tight grip that the IRGC maintains over the construction, energy, and banking sectors of the Iranian economy, Khamenei was not far off in accusing the United States of standing in the way of Iran fully realizing the economic benefits of the P5+1 deal. President Rouhani, who is likely to seek re-election next year, has good reason to worry that the US actions, blocking a full flow of foreign investment could gravely damage his popularity. Former hard-line president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recently floated the idea that he could seek re-election in 2017, and while even his former backers do not take this seriously, it is a clear indication that the support for Rouhani is slipping due to what many see as a double-cross by Washington, and the lack of serious economic benefit from the years of diplomacy on the nuclear issue.
This dilemma was underscored on April 20, when the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that Iran must pay $2 billion to family members of the more than 300 Americans killed in the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing. Iran is one of the few countries exempted by the US from protection under the 1976 Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act.
The outcry against the Supreme Court action was universal in the Iranian capital. President Rouhani called it “blatant theft,” and Foreign Minister Zarif called it “highway robbery”. Days after the Court ruling, the Majlis, by an overwhelming 174-7 vote, called for Iran to seek damages from the United States for 63 years of “hostile actions and crimes” carried out, starting with the 1953 Anglo-American coup that overthrew Prime Minister Mossadegh. The bill must be approved by the Guardian Council.
In effect, any country seeking to engage in dollar-denominated trade with Iran is going to have to face pressure from the United States, based on the still-active sanctions, which bar any foreign companies from engaging in business with the sanctioned Iranian individuals and entities.
On the eve of the Modi visit to Iran, India did manage to make a $750 million payment to Iran, as part of a $6.5 billion debt accrued through oil purchases during the period of the UN sanctions. The Indians worked out an arrangement with a Turkish bank, Halkbank, which maintains accounts for the National Iranian Oil Company, under which dollars were converted to euros to make the payment. But there are so far only three European banks, in addition to Halkbank, who have indicated a willingness to make the dollar-to-euro transfers to make payments to Iran: Danske Bank of Denmark, Europaeisch-Iranische Handelsbank of Germany, and the Central Bank of Italy.

The Next US President and the Middle East: Agenda for Gulf Security, Syria and Iraq
Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
The flaws of President Obama’s approaches to the Middle East are clear to almost everyone, if only by their results. The President used rhetoric to replace trust in his diplomacy, all the while failing to understand that for diplomacy to work, it has to be given a concrete foundation on the US’s ability to persuade, pressure, and implement. Failure to address problems in an early stage, then defending this failure as the right thing to do, turned those problems into an unmanageable crisis and exacerbated their negative impact on US interests and regional security. Instead of admitting mistakes, we heard unintelligible terms like “leading from behind” or blaming everyone else but the administration, just to reveal the gap between rhetoric and capacity.
However, all the mistakes stem from one source: The lack of a grand strategy. Failed tactics have reached absurd levels during the last few years. We have seen a President who spent several million dollars to train fifty Syrian fighters, all of whom later vanished. We have seen a President who compares ISIL to an unimportant sports team then send US soldiers to fight it. All those comic moments came from the original absence of an articulated view of what US strategy, globally speaking, should be.
This approach gave us a picture of delayed and reactive responses, failed diplomacy, and erosion of US global interests, particularly in the Middle East. The problem of terrorism continues to grow unchecked, Russia and Iran have kept pushing the limits of the global order to test US resolve while the President remained unmoved, failed states or quasi failed states have mushroomed, attempts to reshape the world have increased at the expense of the West and global stability, allies do not trust the US in the same way they used to, partnerships are weaker, and even small-time thugs like Bashar al-Assad are openly challenging a retreating US that often forgets what it has said. The US is certainly losing ground in the region, and is threatened in the Baltic region and East Asia, and the world order has come under tough tests.
It is true that the US cannot fix the problems of the Middle East. After all, those who keep repeating this mantra seem to be talking to themselves. No one ever suggested that the US can fix all the cultural, governance, economic, social, and political troubles deeply rooted in history. No one even wants the US to impose a Washington lab-prepared remedy and force it down the throat of a region as old as written history.
In general terms, “what is desired” is that the US works with allies to preserve stability, where minting stability is possible. The naïve objective of getting things to an imagined “end-state” presupposes that there is such an “end-state” in a region going through historic transformation.
Rather, the objective should be based on a long-term view that begins with managing and shaping this transformation in a way that limits the spread of instability. Stability must become the organizing principle for the next President. Moving to reduce instability should be swift and fast. Time and hesitation are the worst allies in the rapid and consecutive twists and turns of a region built on quicksand.
Accepting the mantra that “the US cannot fix the problems of the Middle East” should not be allowed to magically develop to a defense of the “do nothing” policy. It is not either all or nothing. The world is not perfect and the US should not see its mission in any messianic terms to make it perfect.
The marriage of stability and change is particularly difficult in the Middle East. While the US can play a role in enhancing stability, all its past attempts to bring change have ended in instability. Shouldn’t this repeated failure make administrations think about the shortcomings in their approaches?
The balance between stability and change should strongly tilt towards stability under the current conditions in the Middle East. Would that require supporting regimes that share little with the US values? Yes, it would. Change is the responsibility of the region’s people, not of anyone else. If those people do not create it, they will not defend it. Yet fixed, engraved-in-stone principles are characteristic of dead strategies. A plan needs to be flexible, as the military strategists say, a plan is made to be changed. In many cases, the US can lend a helping hand to forces of change once they prove their merits and capabilities. One of the badly needed areas that needs encouragement is that of attempts by some Muslim scholars to develop a critical approach to the version of Islam commonly adopted by extremists.
Still, a view of what should be done in the Middle East in the immediate future remains urgent. Here are some thoughts:
Iran:
Tehran has a choice to make: either to live like a normal country and tackle the problems within its own borders, or continue its attempts to expand its influence in the region. In order to convince the Ayatollahs to stop their persistence in testing their limits, probe and sense reactions, and erode further any prospects of stability in the region, the next US President, in partnership with regional allies, should make it a costly endeavor for them to interfere. Making such tactics fruitless, or at least not very profitable, for the Iranians is a powerful practical argument, as it provides support to the moderates in their domestic power struggle . This requires enhancing Gulf Arab countries’ security, and moving swiftly against Iranian-supported insurgencies. Iran’s intervention in other countries’ affairs should not go unpunished.
Iran should be rewarded for ending its intervention and support of terrorism, and punished if it continues this policy. The central point here is behavior. The nuclear deal is understandably defended by its supporters as an agreement that prevents Tehran from possessing a major tool of extortion and blackmail, or instigating a nuclear race in the region. Yet, the very same deal has furthered Iran’s aggressive behavior. While the deal was presented as a means to curb Iranian adventurism, the underlying problem of Tehran’s behavior grew more complicated since it was signed without addressing the reasons Iran wanted to possess a nuclear bomb – that is, without addressing how it views itself and its regional role. The nuclear deal rewarded Iran for its defiant policy and gave it more fuel to continue this policy unabated.
Gulf Cooperation Council:
The foundation of diplomacy is trust. Friends have to trust that you will keep your commitments, and foes have to trust that you follow through on your red lines. For 16 years, this foundation has received one blow after another. We can detail numerous meetings held in 2012 and 2013 between US officials, representatives of Gulf countries, and the Syrian opposition during which commitments were given only to be neglected later. Even in the realm of direct commitments related to GCC security, several promises have been breached. Trust has to be re-established through swift action to prove to the US’s regional allies that the new administration is serious about following through on what it has expressed in words with concrete action.
The GCC has to see that the US is seriously mindful of threats to the member countries’ security and stability. A candid and honest discussion with their leaders is of paramount importance early on in the new President’s first term. Practical steps to fulfill US commitments should follow quickly, so that Gulf Arab leaders sense that something has changed in Washington’s policy.
Dialogue for the sake of dialogue is meaningless. Dialogues should lead to something practical or else they will become an unproductive protocol. The US does not have to agree with all Arab policies, just as the Arabs are not required to accept all US policies. But differences have to be managed in a way that keeps them under the umbrella of the two sides’ core interests.
Egypt and Turkey:
The two countries are close allies of the US, yet they are nearly enemies of each other. The main principle here is that the stability of both is integral to US interests in the region. Many aspects of the domestic policies of the two countries are currently under fire, for understandable reasons. But it is only the Egyptians and the Turks who have the right to sort out their problems and decide their paths. Domestic policies are internal affairs. From the US perspective, those policies are objectionable when they run against US interests or when they encroach grotesquely upon international agreements and norms. However, the US needs to consider how it expresses reservations about these policies with a view to their impact on the stability of each country. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi should be aided in his uphill struggle to rebuild the economy of his country all the while talking to him frankly about whatever reservations there are. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should be aided in confronting terrorism within his borders. In these two areas, it is important for the US to provide as much help as it can, as it would also serve its own regional interests.
Iraq and Syria:
The cardinal aims in both Iraq and Syria are: 1. To preserve the state; 2- To preserve territorial integrity.
However, to reach those objectives, the road leads through some odd ups and downs. In Syria, there is no chance of preserving the state or reaching any reasonable degree of sustainable stability without a political solution that rids the country of the current political mafia in Damascus. Even the most optimistic observers do not see how to combine Assad as a head of the state and future stability. Assad opposes any political solution that leads to his ouster. That does not mean abandoning the political track; it means that a reasonable political solution, which aims to create a relatively sustainable stability in Syria, is unattainable through the current proposals and in the process’s current configuration. It is only through proposing a solution that aims at creating sustainable peace that such a peace can be reached. This entails modifying the current balance of power on the ground to get Assad to listen.
The diplomatic road should be kept open. But it should not turn into the primary road for the time being. It is being tried out to no avail. For diplomacy to reach its objectives, it should be based on reasonable and realistic grounds.
In Iraq, we have repeatedly criticized how President Obama squandered US assets in the Central part of the country. ISIL grew in the vacuum and the US had to start over again in gathering those assets, but against the backdrop of neglecting them throughout Obama’s 8 years.
Those assets are extremely valuable. They are “the forces on the ground” that the President, who abandoned them, keeps lecturing everyone about, as an empty and unrealized concept of reducing US burdens.
For the US to influence any situation, it has to have leverages or else we will see again another John Kerry who, standing virtually on nothing, turns out like the Secretary of State who is trying to reinvent the foundations of American foreign policy.
Russia in the Middle East:
Russia and Iran keep testing the limits of US responses, establishing a pattern for their subsequent encroachment. If the US makes a display of intent, which it did when getting ready to bomb Assad for his use of chemical weapons, for example, they then step back. However, as if to remind us that the US’s threat was merely a storm in a clear sky, Assad resumed manufacturing chemical weapons the moment the international community took away his initial arsenal.
The next US President has a heavy load to deal with. The first task needs to be repairing the damage caused by 16 years of failed Middle East policies.

The Dangerous Absence of State Authority in Iraq
Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
The battle to free Fallujah from ISIL has already started. The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) estimate the number of ISIL fighters in the city at 700 only. Civilians in Fallujah are estimated to be 60-70,000, and the combined forces for the operation are in the neighborhood of 25,000. But liberating Fallujah will not be easy or quick. ISIL booby-trapped all main accesses to the city and hundreds of buildings, and is determined to cause maximum damage to the ISF. It is important to work on opening safe paths for the civilians in Fallujah and to fully protect those paths to minimize civilian casualties.
Iran’s news-service Mehr agency wrote a story on May 25 about the role of Qasem Soleimani “in leading the battle of Fallujah”. Iraq’s Military Media Service circulated a picture of Soleimani meeting with military commanders in the operational HQ of the campaign to liberate Fallujah. On May 25, Iraq media described the role of Soleimani as follows: Soleimani Leading the Battle of Fallujah”. But Fallujah is in Iraq, isn’t it?
Soleimani said that the presence of Iran in the battle of Fallujah is a response to the American role in Iraq. “It was the Americans who created all this. They understand that our revolution inspires all the countries of the world.”
Any sectarian attacks on Fallujah’s Sunni civilans would be the responsibility of Soleimani and his allies in the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF). Shia sectarian attacks could push the Sunni population to side with ISIL in other places like Mosul. Stories of atrocities against Fallujah Sunnis will echo everywhere in Central Iraq. Already, Anbar tribes issued a communiqué on May 24 opposing any decision by Baghdad to allow the PMF to enter Fallujah.
Preventing the PMF from playing a prominent role in liberating Fallujah and assigning only disciplined components of the ISF to enter the city would help. But the problems of Iraq have grown even more complicated during the last year. What is even worse is that there is no easy way to regain order and safely complete the current critical phase. Freeing Fallujah of the terrorist group would probably give Abadi a needed boost. Yet, the growing political and social ruptures in Iraq will be remedied neither by a victory in Fallujah nor by the IMF’s $5.4 billion loan, signed with Baghdad May 19. A continuation of the existing trend, even with victories against ISIL here and there, would certainly lead to a failed state where governance has broken down and everyone is fighting everyone else.
In chaos, many ISILs would grow, as we have seen in Libya. Focusing on defeating the ISIL that is there, while many others are in the making, improves the situation temporarily and only in minor way. It is like trying to patch a leak in a sinking boat. Ultimately, there is little that the global community can do to save Iraq. Yet, a sincere attempt should be made. The Middle East cannot bear another failed state. While Iraq is not a failed state yet, it is progressing steadily in that direction.
We have already addressed the call for redrawing the Sykes-Picot borders in the Middle East. We argued that while the historic colonial agreement may be counted as one of the sources of troubles in the region, it comes at the bottom of the list. In the case of Iraq, we see now Shias fighting Shias. This is similar to what we saw in Libya where Sunnis fight Sunnis. Propositions of partitioning the region’s countries on the basis of sectarian or tribal identity are no solutions, they address the wrong ills. Furthermore, as Iraq and Libya both indicate, partition would be followed by more partition on the one hand and more wars to reunite or further subdivide on the other. On May 20 Baghdad saw yet another spectacle revealing the depth of the crisis. Muqtada al-Sadr supporters stormed the Green Zone for the second time in three weeks. The move should be understood in the political context of the Shia-Shia political fight. The temperature of this intra-Shia fight is increasing alarmingly.
Even the Iranians, who have considerable leverage over several major Shia political blocks in Iraq, seem to be lost in the midst of the turmoil. It is indeed a challenge to work out a concept or plan a practical way out. In Baghdad alone, there are over 40 armed militias. It is a country that gives the impression that it is determined to commit suicide.The crisis in Iraq is shifting from that of a stateless Sunni land to that of a stateless Shia land. However, through the smoke rising from the Iraqi political fire, we see that the starting point should be the nation-state. Though we are much less certain today that the national state is still salvageable, we think that all avenues should be exhausted before abandoning the boat of the nation-state. What makes any attempt to reinforce the nation-state useful is that the majority of Iraqis still believe in one unified Iraq.
Sunni Arab states have nothing to do with the current crisis in Baghdad. They did not cause it. They do not have the leverage to push it towards a conclusion. However, they have a stake in preserving order in Iraq in general. A Sunni ISIL threatens them. One can only imagine what a Shia ISIL could do.
The intra-Shia feud has gone so far as to exchange accusations of coordinating with the Sunni ISIL. Hakem al-Zamli, a Sadrist MP, claimed that al-Dawa Party (of both current and former PMs Abadi and al-Maliki) is responsible for the recent terrorist attacks in Baghdad’s Sadr City. This is the first time that a Shia politician has accused al-Maliki’s militias of collaborating with ISIL. The accusation is certainly farfetched.
Sadr said that he was not aware of the move of his supporters into the Green Zone on May 20. His denial is, of course, hard to believe. Sadr believes that Tehran favors other groups, and he needs at the same time to prove his independence. Yet, the Shia cleric is aware that he should keep a thread of deniability following his invitation to Qom and recommendations by influential Ayatollahs to cool down his followers in Baghdad.
This tells us two things: first, that the situation in the Iraqi capital is getting out of Iran’s control, and second, that the political fight is floating adrift without any anchor or common objective. In other words, Abadi is weak due to the fact that his chair sits on a weak political system, and because it is difficult anyway to navigate such rough waters in a storm and find a safe path between as many sharp edged rocks as we see in Baghdad now.
For the time being, Abadi avoided the security vacuum that occurred in the Green Zone during the first Sadrist incursion by rapidly deploying elite units of Iraq’s security forces. Meanwhile, it is not clear yet if Ayatollah Sistani is ready to move boldly against the uncontrollable political blocks.
The impact of the destructive and coercive role of al-Maliki now is not less intense than when he was in power. During his years as Prime Minister, Iraq lost large swaths of its territories to ISIL, the public coffers were emptied, corruption spread, and security forces were weakened. While this record is enough to end the career of any politician anywhere else in the world, al-Maliki is still ticking.
He now, following intensive pressure from Tehran, is throwing his weight around in order to reconvene Parliament. This is a change from his previous moves to oust Abadi and replace him with one of his protégés. Al-Maliki excluded Sadr from his contacts to reconvene Parliament, in a sign of Tehran’s anger at the young cleric. This is not encouraging as Sadr can get back to his role as spoiler at any time.
The divorce between civil society and political elite in Baghdad has never been clearer. While al-Maliki is accused by most Iraqis of destroying the country, he controls a large block in the Parliament and is able to mobilize thousands of armed militia fighters. It is amazing to see such a corrupt politician still enjoying such influence even after his profoundly negative role in destroying Iraq. Tehran interfered heavily to prevent Abadi from publicly holding al-Maliki accountable and putting him in trial for corruption. Al-Maliki even resisted a decision by Abadi to oust him from the post of Vice President.
What should be done then?
While it is only natural to think of either Sistani or Tehran for assisting in enabling Abadi, it is possible that neither would be able to shape the current chaos to a meaningful conclusion. Sistani wants to preserve the neutrality of his office and is slow to react. The influence of Iran among Iraqi Shias in general is often exaggerated. For Iraq’s Shias, territorial integrity, nationalism and, independence are key parts of their ideological outlook.
Yet, the picture should be seen as one reflecting the wide gap between the various organized groups, whether armed militias or political blocs, and the public at large. The weakness of civil society in Iraq means the gap has been growing, and the current public protests should be seen as a natural result of this fact. But even when the public explodes in protest, the movement is hijacked by quasi-political leaders like the mercurial al-Sadr.
This gap has always led to a magnified image of Iran’s influence in Iraq. Iran’s influence is mainly confined to some powerful Shia militias and political groups.
The immediate way out of the current chaos in Baghdad may lie in gathering as many forces as possible around a specific road map which could help de-escalate tension. Giving something to Sadr, mobilizing Iranian efforts, and increasing international support to Abadi may help. The road map must start with reconvening Parliament, a clearer intervention by Sistani in favor of the implementation of Abadi’s reforms, clear signs of support for Abadi by all regional powers, and placing victories against ISIL on his side and that of the ISF, rather than the PMF.
This may help in the short term. In the longer term, more radical thinking should be encouraged to help find a way out of the chronic problems that threaten the future of Iraq.
What we see in Baghdad is not a mere bad version of the usual political fight. The system does not have strong checks and balances to keep it in order. Government authority is very weak, to say the least. Civil society’s weakness helps to prevent any attempts to reform the regime. These double weaknesses provide the militias with sufficient space to grow uncontrollably as we see now. Short-sighted Iranian intervention pushes things to the edge then rushes to pull them back. The US does not have enough leverage and can only work with the best bits and pieces available. The Shia political block is profoundly fractured and may tend to use violence against one another.
This crisis may pass. But the ground would already be laid for the following one. The current imbalance in Baghdad is quite obviously unsustainable.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: A Final Move towards Internal Split
Middle East Briefing/May 29/16
While no one should fall for the reform proposed by the leaders of Tunisia’s Muslim Brotherhood (MB) or confuse it with a profoundly secular approach, this reform should, nevertheless, be encouraged. It places a wing of the regional organization in a position where it is compelled to defend a different perspective than that adopted by the mother organization. Internal debate related to the ideological foundations of the organization’s political role is helpful in encouraging opposing views to surface.
The mother organization in Egypt is going through rough times. The Tunisia’s branch’s modest reforms grew in the space left by the shrinking role of the group’s center of gravity in Egypt.
The Egyptian MB seems to have stepped closer to the moment of truth: implosion from within. The London–based Mahmoud Ezzat, the group’s acting Murshid (leader), ordered on May 18 that the membership of eight influential members, all of whom are affiliated with MB’s Executive Bureau (EB) based in Turkey, to be frozen. The EB was leading a movement within the organization to revise its political and organizational order after the group’s one year of failed rule over Egypt.
Most of the frozen members were senior officials under former President Mohamed Morsi. Amr Darrag was the minister of international cooperation in Morsi’s cabinet, Yehia Hamed the minister of investment, Reda Fahmi and Abdel Ghafar Salhin were members in the Consultative Council, which plays the role of the upper chamber of the Parliament, and Ahmed Abdel Rahman is the head of the EB.
The opposition to Ezzat and the old leadership is represented by the EB, and is led by the organization’s spokesperson Mohammad Muntaser, Ahmed Abdel Rahman, and a self-proclaimed Supreme Committee. This opposition responded to Ezzat’s decision with a call to fire him as an acting Murshid, as well as all who are affiliated with his London–based office. The opposition has said that it has enough evidence of financial corruption surrounding Ezzat’s supporters, and named in particular Mahmoud Al Ibiari. In an angry communiqué issued from Istanbul, the opposition said everything comes out of London or Al Ibiari is “illegal” and should not be considered representative of the “true” MB.
The EB went as far as threatening an open split. “It seems we are approaching the moment of a face-off. Ezzat’s group has itself to blame. They triggered all this,” Reda Fahmi said upon hearing the news of the freezing of his membership. A communiqué signed by the EB denied even any relation between the organization as a whole and Ezzat’s London office. “The MB does not have an office in London. Any decision taken by a group in London does not represent our organization; therefore, it should be disregarded”.
The dispute between the two camps is almost unbridgeable. One creative way to end the split was proposed by some leaders recently in a desperate attempt to de-escalate the two opposed groups within the organization. The proposed approach splits the activities of MB into two different categories: Religious Dawa (call or education), and political party activities.
This approach aims at relatively disconnecting the two functions of the MB, preaching and political activity. Gamal Heshmat, a member in the MB’s Majlis al-Shura (Consultative Council), said May 19 that all sides in the organization agree that the proposed separation of the two functions is feasible.
Heshmat, based in Istanbul, said that the dispute within the MB is confined to the “elite”. “There are efforts to conduct a wide-scale revision to our outlook and approaches. This will need time and will. It requires pushing the organization’s youth to the front rank. But what is certain is that the split is not felt in the levels of our base members”.
Heshmat offered his take of the crisis by saying: “The current crisis is not about continuing the organization or disbanding it. It is more a serious attempt to develop the group and prepare for its return to the public opinion in a better from and image, with past mistakes remedied, lessons learned, and a better view of future missions.”.
Heshmat, a member in the organization’s internal opposition, said that the EB offered a road map to solve the crisis. “The plan proposed that both sides de-escalate and take a step back. It also called for comprehensive organization-wide elections. The crisis in our group revolves around managing our mission, as it is about how to view the general crisis,”, Heshmat said.
“No reasonable person can call now for a deal with the ruling regime in Egypt which took power in a military coup. It is criminal to give this regime any hope to survive” he added. Heshmat admitted that the absence of the leadership of the organization, which for the most part is behind bars in Cairo, is one of the reasons behind the current crisis inside the MB.
It is difficult to conceive of any practical bridge between the two sides of the MB other than what Heshmat proposes. But even the dividing the group’s body into a political party and an educational, social, and Dawa one would not provide a real solution. The split is indeed based on a profound difference in how each camp sees the mission and tactics of the MB. Furthermore, it should not be expected that the old guard behind Ezzat, or the imprisoned leadership for that matter, will easily buy the proposal.
However, Heshmat’s attempt to untangle the knot between the two groups is mainly organizational, or managerial so to speak. It is not ideological, even if it’s related to an ideological view at the end of the analysis. This reflects the nature of the crisis inside the Egyptian MB. This crisis is mainly political and organizational, not ideological. A good part of the group is trying to adapt to the post–Morsi failure all the while preserving the final objective which is to regain power and implement the organization’s platform, which is basically the same as the old guard’s’ platform.
But even if the group is divided into two parts as Heshmat envisions, the same problems would remain. While in power in Egypt, the MB had its own political party, the Freedom and Justice Party. But the party was tightly under the daily control of the leadership of the organization. Furthermore, Abdel Mouneaim Abu Al-Foutouh, who left the MB a few years ago, formed his own Islamist party, which will hardly can make any mark in the current circumstances in Egypt.
However, the turning point may come if a deal is reached between the regime in Cairo and the MB. This unlikely deal may place the old guard in a dire position. It would be subjected to a barrage of criticism from the EB for “selling off the blood of the martyrs”. Yet, it would provide the organization with some space to weather the storm, all the while recovering some of the assets confiscated by the Egyptian government.
For Al Sissi government, the value of such a deal is increasingly questionable. If signing a deal would lead to a split, and if the group’s hotheads would continue their anti-Sissi campaign, the price for a deal should be reduced. But if a deal is reached, the imprisoned leaders have enough moral weight over the membership to shift the internal balance in favor of the old guard.
So long as the imprisoned leadership sees a radical wing within the organization, it will be less compelled to reach a deal. Such an unlikely deal would be conditioned by extremely tightening and restricting of the organization’s political activity, and the leadership may be able to sell the measure to its bases as a temporary long term step to ward the long-term goal of rebuilding the organization’s capacities. The imprisoned leadership, constituted mostly of members of the old guards, may be thinking of the 70’s, when the late President Anwar Sadat struck a deal with Omar Al-Telmisani, the Murshid of the time, to cooperate with the regime in return for a wider margin of freedom to “Islamize”- all aspects of social life in Egypt. The wave of Islamization brought with it many violent groups, one of which assassinated Sadat. Cairo prefers only one half of the Heshmat prescription, that of turning the group, the whole group, into a Dawa organization. But that would induce those hotheads to form a new political party, which would not be part of the general body of the MB. It is a split though through different means.
The policy of former President Hosni Mubarak was defined by allowing the group a calculated margin of political movement and hitting it hard once it stepped out of the assigned area. But this did not help much in preventing the organization from joining the spontaneous public revolt of 2011, which helped carry the group’s leadership to the Presidential palace. The best possible path, under the current circumstances, is for the MB to follow the Tunisian model.
It is difficult to repeat the Mubarak story with the group now. The MB of today is facing an internal fissure and Egypt’s authorities are less tolerant. The organization is deeply isolated on the popular level and regarded by the ordinary Egyptian with suspicion and hostility. Furthermore, allowing it to return to political activities is opposed by many in Cairo. This situation may develop counter-activism on the level of civil society. And no one in the current regime wants that to happen.
The MB in Egypt is on the road to split. Even if the two wings are kept artificially together, the underlying conditions that could produce a split will remain. What remains to be seen is the extent to which the organization’s current situation will place its ideological-political perspectives under constructive criticism.

Germany's New "Integration Law"
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/May 29/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8145/germany-integration-law
The new law applies only to legitimate asylum seekers, not to the hundreds of thousands of economic migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who have entered Germany illegally by posing as asylum seekers.
Of the more than 1.1 million migrants who arrived in Germany in 2015, only 476,649 have applied for asylum. Many of the rest have gone underground and are sustaining themselves through petty crime and drug dealing.
Nearly half (49%) of the migrants in Germany whose asylum applications were rejected during the past two years have not left the country, according to leaked government data.
"Regaining control of our borders is an existential issue for our culture and the survival of our society." — Thilo Sarrazin, renowned German central banker and a former member of the Social Democrats.
After months of haggling, Germany's coalition government has agreed on a new "Integration Law" aimed at regulating the rights and responsibilities of asylum seekers in Germany.
The main focus of the law is to encourage refugees to learn enough German to be able to find a job and help pay for their living expenses.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has hailed the new law as a "milestone," and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel says it represents a "true paradigm shift in Germany."
Critics counter that the new law is a largely symbolic measure directed at reassuring German voters and blunting the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party.
Details of the Integration Law were announced on May 25 after a two-day government summit in Schloss Meseberg, a castle north of Berlin. Based on the motto "Support and Demand" (Fördern und Fordern), the new law makes the government an active participant in the integration process. Key components of the law include:
Integration Courses. Courses on German culture, society and values will be expanded from 60 hours to 100 hours. The number of available slots will be increased from 20,000 to 200,000 nationwide. The courses will be obligatory for all asylum seekers; those who refuse to attend will have their social welfare benefits cut.
Language Courses. Asylum seekers will now be allowed to apply for language courses six weeks after arriving in Germany (compared to three months before) and regardless of whether their asylum applications have been processed. All refugees seeking permanent residency must be proficient in German.
Work Programs. The government will create 100,000 low-wage jobs paying around one euro an hour. Refugees who refuse to work will have their benefits cut.
Labor Laws. Existing labor laws will be relaxed to encourage German companies to hire refugees, even if better qualified German or EU citizens are available for an advertised position.
Preventing Ghettoes. The new law will authorize regional governments to determine where refugees will live, either by allocating or banning them from certain areas, for the next three years. The objective is to prevent refugees from settling in migrant ghettoes.
Permanent Residency. Refugees who are proficient in German and can provide for their own upkeep in Germany can apply for permanent residency after five years; those with exceptional German skills can do so after three years.
The law has been accompanied by the so-called Meseberger Declaration on Integration, a statement of principles summarizing the government's new integration policy.
Addressing the proliferation of migrant sex crimes in Germany, the document states: "We will not accept assaults on women, children and others in need of protection, whether such attacks are directed against German citizens or against refugees."
Critics say the new law, which must be approved by the German Parliament, which will debate the measure in July, is inadequate to deal with Germany's integration problems.
For a start, the law applies only to legitimate asylum seekers, not to the hundreds of thousands of economic migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who have entered Germany illegally by posing as asylum seekers.
Of the more than 1.1 million migrants who arrived in Germany in 2015, only 476,649 have applied for asylum, according to official statistics. Many of the rest have gone underground and are sustaining themselves through petty crime and drug dealing. The government has not said how it plans to "integrate" such migrants.
In addition, the government is already facing an acute shortage of instructors to teach the integration courses. It remains unclear where the government will find thousands of new instructors envisioned in the new law. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière has admitted: "The bottleneck is not money but the lack of teachers."
Also unclear is who will pay for implementing the new law. According to a recent estimate, the total cost of "integrating" refugees will reach 25 billion euros ($28 billion) in 2016 alone. Leaders of some of Germany's 16 federal states are demanding that the central government assume responsibility for at least half this amount.
Moreover, some critics say the law lacks meaningful punitive measures. Although it does call for cutting welfare benefits to refugees who refuse to learn German, it does not threaten them with deportation. Of course, refugees fleeing warzones cannot be returned to their countries of origin, even if they refuse to learn German.
In any event, Germany is lenient when it comes to deportation. For example, nearly half (49%) of the migrants in Germany whose asylum applications were rejected during the past two years have not left the country, according to government data leaked to Die Welt.
Perhaps most importantly, the new law appears to be based on the assumption that the EU-Turkey migrant deal will hold. If Turkey reopens the floodgates to mass migration, and hundreds of thousands of additional migrants flow into Germany, integration efforts are likely to collapse.
Hans-Peter Uhl of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), said the new law does not go far enough: "Integration is good and important, but placing limits on the number of refugees would be much better."
Stephan Mayer, also of the CSU, added: "Whoever refuses deportation should be sent to a detention center and deported within four days."
Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel of the Social Democrats (SPD) says the Integration Law is actually the precursor to a full-fledged Immigration Law, a claim disputed by Angela Merkel. Gabriel — who has called for airlifting migrants directly from the Middle East to Germany — says he plans to introduce a draft immigration law this fall; critics of the measure say it would encourage yet more migration to Germany.
Thilo Sarrazin, a renowned German central banker and a former member of the Social Democrats (SPD), has been warning Germans for years about the consequences of mass migration. In 2010, he wrote the best-selling book, "Germany Does Away with Itself" (Deutschland schafft sich ab), which shattered Germany's long-standing taboo on discussing the social changes transforming the country due to the presence millions of non-integrated Muslims.
In his latest book, "Wishful Thinking," (Wunschdenken), Sarrazin accuses Merkel of "no longer being concerned about the interests of Germans and the future of their nation, the protection of their living environment (Lebensumfelds) and their cultural identity." He concludes: "Regaining control of our borders is an existential issue for our culture and the survival of our society."
Thilo Sarrazin (left), a renowned German central banker and a former member of the Social Democrats (SPD), accuses Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) of "no longer being concerned about the interests of Germans and the future of their nation, the protection of their living environment and their cultural identity." Sarrazin concludes: "Regaining control of our borders is an existential issue for our culture and the survival of our society."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in 2016.

A Deadly Shooting, a General’s Revolt, and the Rise of Israel’s New Right
By Amos Harel/Foriegn Policy/ May 25, 2016
The appointment of Avigdor Liberman as Israel's new defense minister is jolting the country’s politics and sparking fears of a "shoot first, and ask questions later" military policy.
A Deadly Shooting, a General’s Revolt, and the Rise of Israel’s New Right
The shot that killed Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in late March may not have been heard around the world, but it still succeeded in rocking Israeli society. Sharif, a young Palestinian man who was involved in an attack in which an Israeli soldier had been stabbed and wounded in the West Bank city of Hebron, was lying helpless and severely wounded on the ground. As the Israeli soldiers milled around and ambulances shuttled back and forth, Sgt. Elor Azaria walked over to Sharif and shot the injured man in the head from close range.
The incident divided the Israeli public and its leaders, with some expressing outrage over the killing of an incapacitated man, and others supporting even the most extreme response to a stabbing attack. Last week, the scandal indirectly claimed a political casualty: Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. The defense minister sharply criticized Azaria, saying that anyone who supported what he did “is damaging the values of the Israel Defense Forces,” or IDF. Filling Yaalon’s place as the next defense minister is Avigdor Liberman, a tough, right-wing politician known for both his tense relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aggressive attitude toward Israel’s neighbors.
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Yaalon decided to resign after finding out that Netanyahu was openly offering his job to other parties. The Likud party stalwart also resigned from the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, saying that he was “taking time out from political life” due to his “lack of faith” in Netanyahu and that he was “fearful for Israel’s future” under the current leadership.
The feuding at the top of the Israeli government reflects a larger societal rift
The feuding at the top of the Israeli government reflects a larger societal rift, which has been exposed by the recent surge in violence that has claimed dozens of Israeli lives since last October. The wave of stabbing attacks, mostly by young “lone-wolf” perpetrators, has brought Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories to the top of the agenda — and uncovered divisions among Israelis regarding the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the conflict and the rules of engagement for soldiers and police when handling attackers.
Right-wing politicians, in and outside of government, have demanded a shoot-to-kill policy in every incident. That includes Liberman, who said after the shooting: “Better a soldier who was wrong and remains alive than one who hesitated and got himself killed.” He even made a point of appearing in the military court last month to show his support to Azaria’s family.
Over the course of the wave of attacks, both Yaalon and IDF chief Gadi Eizenkot have ordered soldiers to shoot only in life-threatening situations, react cautiously when dealing with attackers who are minors, and provide immediate medical treatment to perpetrators after they’re shot. Eizenkot was the first to experience the right wing’s wrath after he called on soldiers not to empty their ammunition magazines into “13-year-old girl[s] with scissors.”
It was Azaria’s killing of Sharif in March that brought this brewing controversy to a head. A video of the incident released by Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem caused a huge political storm. Yaalon and Eizenkot condemned the soldier’s conduct, and he was put on trial for manslaughter. Netanyahu, who began by supporting their position, quickly changed his mind after reading public opinion polls that showed most Israelis felt the army’s reaction to the soldier’s actions had been too harsh. Netanyahu even made a phone call to Azaria’s father, during which the prime minister told him that he understood the family’s distress “as a father of a soldier” — an unprecedented step that astonished Yaalon.
Then came the final blow: Eizenkot’s deputy, Gen. Yair Golan, on May 4 compared recent trends in Israeli society to events that took place in Europe “and particularly in Germany 70 or 80 years ago.”
Any comparison to the Nazis is an absolute taboo in Israel, especially when made by an officer in uniform, speaking on National Holocaust Remembrance Day. Netanyahu publicly criticized Golan, but Yaalon came out in defense of the general. The feud between the two leaders continued a week later, when Yaalon called on officers to speak their minds freely when talking to politicians.
A few days after those remarks, Yaalon was out. Netanyahu offered his job to both Liberman and the center-left Zionist Union party. Yaalon angrily resigned, blaming the prime minister for deliberately dividing Israeli society.
But this wasn’t entirely a debate over morality. Netanyahu had other motives. The prime minister has been worried for some time about his narrow coalition, supported by only a tiny majority of 61 out of 120 Knesset members. In the Israeli system, a government can face a no-confidence vote almost at any time, making Netanyahu completely dependent on coalition backbenchers — including a young member of Likud who was recently accused in a TV report of being involved in a gambling and prostitution scandal in Bulgaria.
Netanyahu was also concerned about being seen as weak in the face of the recent terrorist attacks. His main source of support among voters is the belief that he is “Mr. Security,” so any sign of helplessness in the face of such threats represents a political problem. Netanyahu was afraid that the statements made by Yaalon and the army’s top officers were seen by his “base,” Likud’s right-wing voters, as appeasement to terrorists — and that he, as prime minister, would suffer some collateral damage.
The answer to the problem, it turned out, was Liberman. With his five Knesset members joining the coalition — the sixth Knesset member refused to join — the prime minister will enjoy a relatively comfortable margin.
Liberman was appointed director-general of Netanyahu’s office in 1996 but fell out with the prime minister not long after, and the two politicians have had a mostly stormy relationship ever since. Only a few days before becoming defense minister, Liberman accused Netanyahu of surrendering to Palestinian terrorism. In return,
Netanyahu’s office called the future defense minister “unfit even for the job of military correspondent”
Netanyahu’s office called the future defense minister “unfit even for the job of military correspondent” (harsh words to the ear of this military reporter).
Those previous spats, however, don’t matter in the face of the political benefits both Netanyahu and Liberman hope to reap from their new alliance. In addition to securing the loyalty of his hawkish base, Netanyahu probably sees another advantage in replacing Yaalon with Liberman. The prime minister has been worried for some time that Yaalon and the IDF’s top brass were operating as a last pocket of resistance against him, dictating a more restrained attitude toward the Palestinians. As Haaretz political analyst Yossi Verter put it, Netanyahu will unleash Liberman “armed with a baseball bat” against the last of Israel’s old elites, the army.
The change, however, was greeted with shock at the army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv last week. The generals were not aware that Netanyahu might drop Yaalon until almost the last minute. And while Yaalon is a former IDF chief of staff who was perceived as a genuine part of the military establishment, Liberman enjoys no such relationship with the generals. The new defense minister arrived in Israel from the Soviet Union in the late 1970s and only served a short time in the IDF’s logistical branch. In recent years, he also didn’t hide his contempt of the army for its failure to deliver a massive blow to either Hezbollah or Hamas during recent confrontations in Lebanon and Gaza.
Liberman has threatened to bomb Egypt’s Aswan Dam and said last month that Israel should assassinate Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh if the organization refuses to return the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in 2014. However, his positions are seen by the military establishment as the less serious cause for concern. It is widely believed in Israel that defense ministers show more restraint once they enter office and are faced with the huge responsibilities of the job. Netanyahu himself called for the destruction of the Hamas regime in Gaza in early 2009 yet never followed up on his promise once he became prime minister a few months later.
Neither Yaalon nor Liberman is a serious believer in the two-state solution. But they do have radically different strategies for dealing with the Palestinians. Yaalon depended on precise, limited action, along with close security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority (PA), to contain attacks. Liberman, meanwhile, has expressed contempt for Mahmoud Abbas’s government in the West Bank and will probably find it more difficult to coordinate with the PA’s various security agencies.
The most important difference, however, is the two men’s disagreement over the rules of engagement for soldiers. Liberman, unlike Yaalon, sees this matter in black and white: Terrorists need to be shot; questions and reservations are for journalists and other nudniks, not for decision-makers.
It is such views that led former Prime Minister Ehud Barak to warn on May 20 against “fascist tendencies” in the government and society. Some Israelis are beginning to voice similar fears: Last Friday, Israel’s most popular military correspondent, Roni Daniel, said on TV that, for the first time, he is having reservations whether to encourage his children to keep living in Israel as they become adults.
I’ve met them: nice kids, in their early 20s, both studying in university after significant service in the army. If Daniel, a pillar of Israel’s political mainstream and a staunch Zionist, says this, Netanyahu might be in more political trouble than he currently estimates.

The Murders In Bangladesh – The Role Of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, And Local Jihadis
Tufail Ahmad*/MEMRI/May 25, 2016 Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No.1251
Introduction
Since early 2013, Bangladesh has attracted international media attention for the systematic killing of freethinkers and non-Muslims by Islamist forces in the country. In analyzing these killings, an important date to begin with is March 31, 2013 – the day a group of Islamist leaders submitted a list of 84 individuals to the Bangladeshi government and urged it to take action against secular bloggers and Facebook commentators for their remarks against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.[1] Since then, a number of secular activists and writers have been killed, including those whose names were not on the aforementioned list.
At the center of the Islamist movement in Bangladesh are not only the jihadis associated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS), but also Hefajat-e-Islam ("Defense of Islam"), a coalition of Islamist organizations supported by 25,000 madrassas (Islamic seminaries), which orchestrated a campaign against the secularist Shahbag Movement.[2] Hefajat-e-Islam enjoys the support of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for political reasons. The Shahbag Movement was focused on demands to prosecute Islamists, especially the leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, for committing war crimes during the 1971 War of Liberation from Pakistan. Before the emergence of Hefajat-e-Islam, the main Islamist force in the country had been the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, whose cadres went on to form Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a jihadi terror group, with support from Pakistan-based jihadis after the 1980s Afghan jihad.
In the context of this analysis, the term "bloggers" is a biased term used by outsiders, as it reduces the significance of those Bangladeshi writers and freethinkers who were killed by the armed Islamists. In a wider meaning, this term includes writers, activists, atheists, professors, students, publishers, and authors. In the context of these attacks, the focus has turned on the role of local jihadis, Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and ISIS. As the killings continued this year, it appears that ISIS and Al-Qaeda are two main organizations to which the local jihadis have affiliated themselves.[3] This analysis seeks to put in perspective some of the major killings of Bangladeshi bloggers and non-Muslims, as well as attacks on the religious places of Shi'ite and Ahmadi Muslims in Bangladesh from 2013 to the present day, though Islamist attacks on secular activists and writers have also taken place prior to that.
The Nature Of Jihadi Killings From 2013
In 2013, at least three major attacks took place that fit the characteristics of a systematic pattern. A few months before the Islamist leaders submitted the list of 84 bloggers to the government, the attacks on the secular bloggers had already begun. On the night of January 13, 2013, Asif Mohiuddin, an atheist blogger, was attacked in Dhaka, resulting in a month-long hospitalization.[4] This was perhaps the first in a pattern of ambush-style attacks, but Asif Mohiuddin survived.
Approximately one month later, on February 15, 2013, Ahmed Rajib Haider, a 30-year-old architect and a key leader of the Shahbag Movement, was stabbed to death in Dhaka.[5] On the night of March 7, 2013, Sunnyur Rahaman, a 26-year-old IT engineer and atheist blogger, was wounded in an attack in the Mirpur area of the capital.[6] These were the three major attacks in 2013 in which young men with some background in Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, an Islamist organization whose leaders have been recently executed for war crimes committed during the 1971 War of Liberation, played a role.
Asif Mohiuddin, the first blogger targeted (TheDailyStar.net)
Five young men arrested for the attack on Ahmed Rajib Haider revealed that they were part of a newly-formed group called Ansar Bangla Team (ABT), which was linked to Al-Qaeda.[7] Senior police officer Nazrul Islam told a reporter that while the five were involved in the attack on Ahmed Rajib Haider, there were several groups working as part of ABT in the country that were also responsible for the attacks on Asif Mohiuddin and Sunnyur Rahman.[8] The fact that the men were members of the ABT does not mean that they were not part of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh at some point in time. Naim Sikder Irad, one of the men arrested, belonged to the Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, and had played a role in motivating others.[9] Other than the ABT, another name that came up was Ansar Al-Mujahideen English Forum, a group owing allegiance to slain Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Anwar Al-Awlaki which congratulated the militants behind the killing of Ahmed Rajib Haider.[10]
In 2014, there were no major attacks that involved the jihadi motive, but there were some ambush killings such as that of Shafiul Islam, a liberal sociology professor at the Rajshahi University, which took place on November 15.[11] Although a group calling itself "Ansarul Islam Bangladesh-2" claimed responsibility for the killing of Shafiul Islam on Facebook, one year later, in December 2015, the police declared that after an investigation, no militants were found to have been involved in the attack.[12] This, despite the fact that six months earlier, on May 2, 2015, AQIS retroactively claimed responsibility for the killing.[13]
2015 saw a spike in attacks. On the night of February 26, Avijit Roy and his wife were attacked as they were returning from a book fair in Dhaka.[14] Roy, a writer known for his liberal views, died in the attack, but his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya survived. The case of Avijit Roy drew international attention, as he held an American citizenship. One month later, it was reported that the police suspected that either Hizbut Tahrir or Ansar Bangla Team (ABT) could have been behind the attack on Roy.[15] On March 30, 2015, Washiqur Rahman Babu, a secular blogger, was hacked to death by radical Islamists for his atheist views.[16] Witnesses to the attack captured two of the three attackers: Zikrullah, a student of Hefajat-e-Islam's Hathazari Madrassa in Chittagong, and Ariful, a student of Mirpur Darul Uloom Madrassa. A third attacker escaped.[17]
May 2015 – Al-Qaeda's Involvement Begins
AQIS statement claiming responsibility for the killing of Xulhaz Mannan
In the third fatal attack of this kind within three months, secular blogger Ananta Bijoy Das was killed by masked men in the town of Sylhet on May 12, 2015.[18] This seems to be the first attack on a blogger in Bangladesh that was immediately claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in a statement posted on justpaste.it – a link to which was shared on the same day by Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh, the Bangladeshi branch of AQIS.[19] While in the case of previous attacks on bloggers, it does not appear that AQIS or other foreign jihadi group were in the loop beforehand, in this case AQIS claim responsibility within hours of the attack. This means that local jihadis had by this point established a definitive connection with the leadership of Al-Qaeda.
The argument that local jihadis had coordinated the premeditated killing of Ananta Bijoy Das with the AQIS leadership was also established by the fact that ten days earlier, on May 2, AQIS leader Maulana Asim Umar appeared in a video[20] and claimed responsibility for the previous killings of bloggers Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman Babu, Rajeeb Haider and Rajshahi University professor Shafiul Islam.[21] In the video, Asim Umar had also noted that the assassinations were part of an order by Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
However, this does not mean that Al-Zawahiri ordered the killings of these specific Bangladeshi individuals. Most probably, Al-Zawahiri approved a general policy to target atheist and secular writers in South Asian countries. Therefore, AQIS's claim of responsibility for these previous killings appears to be an ex post facto stamp of approval from Al-Qaeda leadership via a retroactive claim of responsibility for killings carried out by local jihadis, as opposed to the execution of premeditated attacks. It is worth noting in this regard that AQIS also claimed responsibility for the killing of Professor Shafiul Islam in 2014, despite the police attributing other motives to this attack.
On August 7, 2015, secular blogger Niladri Chatterjee aka Niloy Neel was killed in Dhaka. Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh claimed responsibility for the killing the same evening in an email message sent to the Bangladeshi media groups from ansar.al.islam.bd@gmail.com.[22] On October 31, 2015, two separate attacks took place. In the first attack, Ahmedur Rashid Tutul, a publisher of Avijit Roy, was attacked in his office along with bloggers Ranadipam Basu and Tareque Rahim; all three survived. In the second attack, progressive publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan was hacked to death. As per a media report, the perpetrators in both attacks locked the victims inside their offices before escaping the scene.[23] Police have found it hard to identify the attackers.
The names of groups that appeared in connection with the killings of Bangladeshis bloggers included: Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh, Ansar Bangla Team and Ansarul Islam Bangladesh-2, three local groups aligned with possible ties to AQIS as well as JMB. It is important that AQIS, which is supposed to cover all of South Asia, seems to have coopted these three organizations instead of ordering these attacks under its own name.
Clockwise from right: The five slain bloggers – Niloy Neel, Ahmed Rajib Haider, Ananta Bijoy Das, Avijit Roy and Wasiqur Rahman Babu (image: Risingbd.com)
September 2015 - ISIS's Involvement Begins
Near the end of September 2015, it emerged that ISIS and local jihadis had established a definitive connection. On September 28, 2015, Cesare Tavella, an Italian aid worker for the Netherlands-based development organization ICCO, was shot to death in Dhaka. Within hours of the attack, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released on Twitter.[24] This pointed to a new trend, since the attack did not involve the killing of Bangladeshi secularists and rationalist bloggers. Instead, it fit a jihadi pattern of ideological attacks perpetrated by ISIS in Syria and Iraq targeting non-Muslims.
There are three points to note about this attack:
1. It was the first attack in Bangladesh claimed by the Islamic State.
2. The method of the attack remained the same, as in the case of the attacks claimed by Al-Qaeda or previous attacks by local jihadis.
3. The claim of responsibility by ISIS on social media came within hours and was in Arabic, which meant that the local jihadis who planned the attack had established prior communication with ISIS's Arab social media team.
Within a week – on October 3, 2015 – Japanese national Hoshi Kunio was shot to death in the northern town of Rangpur.[25] Like in the case of Cesare Tavella, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of within hours of the attack, stating that he was a "Japanese infidel" and that the attack was a continuation of ISIS's targeting of members of the U.S.-led international coalition.[26] Two months later, Bangladeshi police arrested Masud Rana, who was described as a member of JMB, for the attack.[27] It should be noted that Hoshi Kunio had converted to Islam, a point that was perhaps unknown to the killers.
Two days after Kunio's murder, on October 5, 2015, three men attempted to kill Luke Sarker, a pastor, by slitting his throat at his home in the town of Pabna.[28] Police officials arrested six suspected members of JMB for the attack.[29] As part of this pattern, ten Christian priests received death threats on November 26, in a letter sent to one of them – but not by ISIS.[30] The attack on Sarker and threat to the ten priests were not claimed by the Islamic State, but they fit a typical pattern of targeting non-Muslims adopted by jihadis in all countries. However, JMB's regional commander Rakibul Islam was arrested for the attempted attack on Luke Sarker along with one other person.[31]
On the night of October 23-24, a series of bomb attacks in Dhaka killed one person and wounded over 60, as Shi'ite mourners had gathered for the Ashura procession to mark the annual day of mourning for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.[32] This was believed to be the first attack on Shi'ite Muslims in Bangladesh. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying that "the soldiers of the Caliphate in Bangladesh" had detonated explosives during "polytheistic rituals."[33] The second attack on Shi'ite Muslims in Bangladesh within a month targeted a Shi'ite mosque in Bogra, 200 km northwest of Dhaka, killing the muezzin and wounding three others on November 26.[34] ISIS claimed responsibility for this attack as well.[35]
ISIS statement claiming responsibility for killing Cesare Tavella
On November 4, a police checkpoint was attacked in the Baroipara area near Dhaka. A media report stated that ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack, saying: "In a security operation, Allah enabled the soldiers of the [Islamic] State in Bangladesh to attack a police checkpoint."[36] Earlier, on October 22, a policeman was stabbed to death at Gabtoli checkpost in Dhaka.[37] A few days later, on November 10, a soldier was attacked near a military camp in Dhaka.[38] These isolated attacks were not claimed by the Islamic State and AQIS, which could be due to the failure of the local jihadis to link up.
On December 25, a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Ahmadi mosque in Bagmara, 250 km from Dhaka. ISIS issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack and calling Ahmadis "polytheistic."[39] Although the attack was claimed by ISIS, it appears that it may have been carried out by the JMB as Bagmara is the stronghold of JMB militant leader Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, who was executed in 2007.[40] It is also possible that ISIS used a suicide bomber from JMB to carry out the attack. There are past examples from Pakistan in which multiple like-minded organizations carried out a single attack together, with some providing suicide bombers and others offering logistics, arms and ammunition. The attacks on foreign nationals, Christian priests, Shi'ite Muslims and Ahmadi Muslims bear the ISIS stamp, but ideologically speaking, Al-Qaeda and other local jihadis also consider them all legitimate targets.
Three terror attacks have attracted attention in 2016: On April 6, Nazimuddin Samad, a 27-year-old law student activist who was vocal against religious extremism, was hacked to death in Dhaka.[41] On April 23, Rezaul Karim, a professor at the Rajshahi University, was hacked to death near his home in the town of Rajshahi.[42] Shafiul Islam was a professor at the same university. Police initially ruled out the possibility of radical Islamists being involved in both attacks,[43] however, JMB has been known for killings at the Rajshahi University; for example, eight JMB men were indicted in early 2009 for killing university professor Muhammad Yunus.[44] Later, on May 18, 2016, four JMB men were arrested for the killing of Rezaul Karim.[45]
And just when the security officials' attention was turning from AQIS towards ISIS, the former made a comeback in April of this year. On April 25, 2016, gay rights activist Xulhaz Mannan (who was also editor of Bangladesh's only LGBT magazine Roopbaan) and his friend Tanay Majumder were killed at Mannan's apartment – the attack was claimed by AQIS, which stated: "Alhamdulillah [Praise be to Allah]. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the heroic knights of Ansar Al-Islam (AQIS, Bangladesh Branch) were able to assassinate Xulhaz Mannan and his associate Samir Mahbub Tonoy. They were the ones responsible for spearheading the campaign to publicly spread the filth of homosexuality in Bangladesh.[46]
Conclusions – Attacks Organized Locally, Inspired By Jihad
These events lead to some key conclusions:
1. The attackers have targeted both Muslim and non-Muslim bloggers and freethinkers, with the attacks initially focusing on those who were part of the Shahbag Movement, which demanded the death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami leaders who were convicted of committing war crimes in the 1971 War of Liberation.
2. Except for the three attacks on Shi'ite and Ahmadi religious sites, almost all the cases involve ambush attacks on unsuspecting individuals. The ambush mode of attacks is typically local.
3. Some of the attacks were claimed by AQIS and others by ISIS.
4. There are a number of attacks that were not claimed by either ISIS or AQIS, perhaps due to the failure of local jihadis to communicate with the social media teams of the two groups. In most such cases, the role of JMB emerges.
5. In all the cases, the attackers appear to be local jihadis, some of whom have linked up with the leadership of ISIS and AQIS in order to garner social media attention at the international level, and therefore it could be said that Bangladesh is experiencing radicalization of Muslim young people on a mass scale, aided by the Hasina government's coddling of fundamentalist groups such as Hefajat-e-Islam to win elections.
6. Since most of the attacks have involved local jihadis, the Bangladeshi government has refused to admit that ISIS has established presence in Bangladesh. On October 4, 2015, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently serving her second term, rejected ISIS's claims of responsibility, saying that the attacks on foreigners were planned by Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and the BNP, and noting that these parties "definitely abetted these murders in an attempt to overshadow Bangladesh's achievements."[47] During her previous term in office, which began in January 2009, Hasina had launched severe crackdown against jihadis, especially against the JMB, whose cadres splintered and began disappearing from the police's radar. On February 12, 2016, Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, on a visit of Washington DC, made a similar claim, saying: "On the ground, in the investigations that we have carried out, we did not get any evidence of ISIS links as yet."[48]
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has coddled fundamentalist group Hefajat-e-Islam
In a paper published by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on March 20, 2016, this writer observed the following: "Jihadism in Bangladesh has roots in the 1980s Afghan jihad. Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist organization founded by Abul A'ala Maududi in 1941, has been the main feeder organization for jihadi groups across South Asia. Following the creation of Pakistan in 1947 and of Bangladesh in 1971, Jamaat-e-Islami split, for all practical purposes, into four branches that are ideologically similar but organizationally not connected: a) in India; b) in India's Jammu & Kashmir; c) in Pakistan; and d) in Bangladesh. In the last three, jihadi groups have been sheltered by mosques, madrassas and organizations affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami.
"In Bangladesh, young men emerging from Jamaat-e-Islami formed the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). It is from the JMB – many of whose members fled to India following the crackdown by the Sheikh Hasina government – that the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) emerged. Two Bangladeshi nationals were found among a group of five ISIS terror suspects arrested by Indian officials in Delhi in mid-January. There is a continuing overlap between the JMB and ABT. In the cases of the terror attacks claimed by ISIS, it does not appear that the ISIS's top leadership is planning and executing the operations in Bangladesh."[49]
Also, in all the cases of attacks claimed by AQIS (notably with groups calling themselves Ansar Bangla Team, Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh, and Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh-2) and ISIS, it is the former members of JMB that have organized into groups, seeking to establish connections with foreign jihadi organizations. The worrying point for the Bangladeshi government has to be this: It is not dealing with a single organization, but rather with several active local jihadi units, three of which could be part of AQIS and at least one could be connected to ISIS. Their connections with AQIS and ISIS appear, as of now, to be at the level of social media relationships, and in this regard it is notable that the literature published by both AQIS and ISIS does not reveal a relationship at the operational level. As argued by this writer, it does not appear that there is top-down link with the local jihadi groups. It is more like bottom-up links being established by local militants with ISIS and AQIS.[50]
* Tufail Ahmad is Director of the MEMRI South Asia Studies Project. He is the author of "Jihadist Threat To India – The Case For Islamic Reformation By An Indian Muslim."
Endnotes:
[1] NatunBarta.com (Bangladesh), March 31, 2013.
[2] See the author's article explaining the rise of Hefajat-e-Islam in Bangladesh: "Liberty in Peril in Bangladesh" (newindianexpress.com/columns/Liberty-in-Peril-in-Bangladesh/2013/07/30/article1708161.ece), July 30, 2013.
[3] See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 84, The ISIS-Related Attacks In Bangladesh – Organized Locally, Inspired By ISIS, March 20, 2014.
[4] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), April 3, 2013.
[5] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), February 16, 2013.
[6] Piplika.com (Bangladesh), accessed May 17, 2016.
[7] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), March 15, 2013.
[8] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), March 15, 2013.
[9] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), March 15, 2013.
[10] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), March 15, 2013.
[11] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), March 8, 2014.
[12] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), December 18, 2015.
[13] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), May 12, 2015.
[14] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), February 26, 2015.
[15] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), March 30, 2015.
[16] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), March 30, 2015.
[17] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), March 30, 2015.
[18] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), May 12, 2015.
[19] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), May 12, 2015.
[20] See MEMRI JTTM report Al-Qaeda In The Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) Claims Responsibility For Assassinating Bangladeshi-American Blogger, Calls Muslims To 'Take Revenge [On] The Blasphemers Of America And France', May 2, 2015. It seems Asim Umar mentioned only two names: Avijit Roy and Rajib Haider, along with some writers killed in Pakistan. However, Bangladesh media reports noted that Asim Umar named four persons: Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman Babu, Rajeeb Haider and Shafiul Islam.
[21] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), May 12, 2015.
[22] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), August 7, 2015.
[23] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), October 31, 2015.
[24] See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS In Bangladesh Claims Responsibility For Assassinating Italian National Cesare Tavella, September 28, 2015.
[25] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), October 3, 2015.
[26] See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS Claims Responsibility For Assassinating A Japanese National In Bangladesh, October 3, 2015.
[27] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), December 9, 2015.
[28] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), October 6, 2015.
[29] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), November 19, 2015.
[30] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), November 27, 2015.
[31] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), November 4, 2015
[32] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), October 24, 2015.
[33] ANInews.in (India), October 25, 2015 & BDnews24.com (Bangladesh), October 24, 2015.
[34] BDNews24.com (Bangladesh), November 27, 2015.
[35] BDNews24.com (Bangladesh), November 27, 2015.
[36] NYTimes.com (U.S.), November 5, 2015.
[37] BDNews.com (Bangladesh), October 22, 2015.
[38] BDNews24.com (Bangladesh), November 10, 2015.
[39] DhakaTribune.com (Bangladesh), December 26, 2015.
[40] NDTV.com (India), December 27, 2015.
[41] BDNews24.com (Bangladesh), April 7, 2016.
[42] BDNews24.com (Bangladesh), April 23, 2016.
[43] BDNews24.com (Bangladesh), April 23, 2016.
[44] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), February 20, 2009.
[45] TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), May 18, 2016.
[46] See MEMRI JTTM report Al-Qaeda Bangladesh Lashes Out At America: 'This Is The Same America, 43% Of Whose Citizens Are Born As Illegitimate... Is The Top Producer Of Pornography In The World', May 11, 2016.
[47] IndianExpress.com (India), October 4, 2015.
[48] Business-Standard.com (India), February 13, 2016.
[49] See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 84, The ISIS-Related Attacks In Bangladesh – Organized Locally, Inspired By ISIS, March 20, 2016.
[50] See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 84, The ISIS-Related Attacks In Bangladesh – Organized Locally, Inspired By ISIS, March 20, 2016.

Arabs Using Christians to Fight Israel
Shadi Khalloul/Gatestone Institute/May 29/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8055/arabs-christians-israel
The Middle East has been inhabited by Jews and then Christians for nearly three thousand years; until the seventh century, Muslims did not even exist.
Many Christians in Arab countries and in Palestinian Authority (PA), without a state or anyone else to support them, are still behaving as dhimmis, paying lip service to Muslim Arab "lords" in exchange for protection in their original homelands.
The Palestinians plan activities, pay salaries and fund anti-Israeli Christian dhimmi organizations, in order to make Western Christians believe in the "Palestinian cause" -- by which they mean the establishment of another Arab-Islamic dictatorship state with no human rights in it.
Coexistence is not the issue for Christians here, but rather fear for their own existence -- based on the ruthless lack of freedom under the PA, as in all Arab states.
Christians in Holy Land, Judea and Samaria -- what today is called the West Bank or the Palestinian Authority (PA) -- are, with the Jews and assorted Arabs, the indigenous people of the land. The region has been inhabited by Jews and then Christians for nearly three thousand years; until the seventh century, Muslims did not even exist.
After the conquest of Jerusalem by Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula in 637 AD, the Jews and early followers of Christianity were forced either to convert to Islam or accept the rule of sharia (Islamic religious law) under the Islamic Caliphate, with its dhimmi laws designed to remind you that you are inferior. In Islam, dhimmis are non-Muslims -- and therefore second-class, barely tolerated residents -- who live under separate, harsher, laws and have to pay protection money (a "tax" called the jizya) to safeguard their lives and property.
These laws are imposed by Muslim conquerors against all "infidels," both Christians and Jews, in all occupied areas, and are still valid under different guises today in Gaza and in the Palestinian Authority.
In Syria, ISIS recently sent out an Islamic decree ordering Christians in Al Raqqa to pay a tax of around half an ounce (14g) of pure gold as part of these dhimmi rules, the same as in the earlier Muslim conquest of the Middle East.
In Gaza, Christians are persecuted by Islamic groups and the Hamas government. Rami Ayyad, a local Christian who owned a bookshop, was assassinated for refusing to close it.
Rami Ayyad, a Christian bookseller in Gaza, was murdered by Islamic extremists because he refused to close his bookshop.
In Bethlehem, in the West Bank, the Saint Charbel Monastery was set ablaze on October 8, 2015 and the car of the Jerusalem Latin Patriarch was attacked by Palestinian Islamic extremists last Christmas Eve. Luckily, we have Israeli soldiers at Rachel's Tomb who intervened to stop the Palestinian attackers.
Now, what was the role of the Jews in all these attacks? The answer is: nothing.
With that said, we did not hear the local Christian media speaking out against this persecution and discrimination. Muslim groups certainly did not condemn these attacks. We heard silence from the majority of Palestinian Islamic society.
On the other hand, we hear loud outrage in the local Christian when some fanatic Jews, who in no way represent Israeli Zionist values, and whom the Zionists subsequently arrest, damage a monastery.
Why didn't Christians react to both crimes equally?
Dhimmitude was once forced on both Jewish and Christian communities under Islamic sovereigns and states. The Jews now have their own strong democratic country, and feel safe. Many Christians in Arab countries and in Palestinian Authority (PA), however, without a state or anyone else to support them, are still behaving as dhimmis, and paying lip service in exchange for protection in their original homelands.
At a recent conference called "Christ at the Checkpoint," for example, we noticed Christian dhimmis, ruled by the Palestinian Authority, acting aggressively against the sole democratic state in the region, Israel, where the Christian community is actually thriving. The Christians at "Christ at the Checkpoint" tried falsely to rewrite history. Like good dhimmis, they denied any relation of Jesus to Jewish roots -- even though the Last Supper was a Jewish Passover Seder -- and thereby even to our own to Christian roots, and the purpose of God's appearance as a human on Earth, through the Jewish people, as written in the Bible.
Moreover, the conference's organizers, like its participants, ignored any current or historic persecution of Christians by Muslims. In fact, by their announcements, they even denied their own beliefs as mentioned in the holy Bible. The only concern that led them at each step, every second and every moment, was fawningly to satisfy the Islamic Arab majority in its fight against Jewish state.
Coexistence is not the issue for Christians here, but rather fears for their own existence and total lack of freedom under the Palestinian Authority, as in all Arab states. The PA and other Arab Islamic regimes are smart enough to smell this weakness. They plan activities, pay salaries and fund anti-Israeli Christian dhimmi organizations, in order to make Western Christians believe in the "Palestinian cause" -- by which they mean the establishment of another Arab-Islamic dictatorship state with no human rights in it.
Their method is to use Christians temporarily, pitting them against their Jewish brothers, with whom the Christians share the same roots and the same holy books. The Palestinian Authority constitution, in Article 4, states clearly: "The principles of Islamic Shari'a shall be the main source of legislation."
If this country is defined as Islamic, it assures Islamic superiority upon all other religions and prevents any person from ever leaving Islam. It is important for the West to understand that all matters relating to human rights and freedom of religion mentioned are irrelevant, and are there just to attract temporary Western support. The Western democratic world -- with all Christian churches worldwide -- should be aware of this tactic. They should also acknowledge, for their own survival, that Israel has democratically enshrined, and abides by, human rights laws for Christians and all its other citizens. The West should stop funding Palestinian Arabs so easily, and put pressure on Palestinian leaders to assure that they provide human rights, security, equality and freedom for their own people, as well as for the local Christian community. Israel is not the problem; Israel is the solution.
**Shadi Khalloul, Chairman of the Aramaic Christian Association in Israel, is also a representative of Arabic-speaking Christians, and a parliamentary candidate in Israel.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.Christians Beheaded and Slaughtered on

Easter/Muslim Persecution of Christians, March 2016
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/May 29/16
In Pakistan, a Muslim suicide bomber murdered 74 people — mostly Christians — and injured nearly 400 more, on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016.
The U.S. and British governments knew the exact location of many of the Nigerian Christian girls captured by Boko Haram, but failed to launch a rescue mission, according to Andrew Pocock, the former British high commissioner to Nigeria.
In Uganda, Amina Napiya’s 13-year-old daughter was raped while fetching firewood near their home. The rapist told the girl, “this is the second warning to your mother for disgracing the faith of the Muslims.” Napiya, a 42-year-old widow, converted to Christianity in 2014.
Approximately 700 Christian girls are kidnapped and forced into Islamic marriages every year in Pakistan.
On Easter Sunday in Pakistan, March 27, a suicide bombing took place near the children’s rides of a public park, where Christians were known to be celebrating the resurrection of their Lord. At least 74 people — mostly women and children — were killed and nearly 400 injured. “There was human flesh on the walls of our house,” a witness recalled.
“We claim responsibility for the attack on Christians as they were celebrating Easter,” said a group affiliated with the Taliban. In a media statement, the group’s spokesman said it had “deliberately targeted the Christian community.” “We had been waiting for this occasion,” he said.
Click here, here, here, here, and here, for more examples of lethal attacks, worldwide, on Christians celebrating their holidays who also “had been waiting for this occasion.” Even “the terror cell that struck in Brussels in March, killing 34 was planning to massacre worshippers at Easter church services across Europe, including Britain, intelligence chiefs believe, according to a report.
In Scotland, a Muslim man stabbed another Muslim man to death for wishing Christians a Happy Easter. Asad Shah had posted messages on Facebook that said “Good Friday and very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation” and “Let’s follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds.” Police said a 32-year-old Muslim man was arrested in connection with Shah’s death, and confirmed that the attack was “religiously prejudiced.” Islamic law (Qur’an 5:52) forbids Muslims from participating in or congratulating non-Muslims for their religious holidays as doing so implicitly validates other religions.
A Muslim nanny in Russia beheaded a 4-year-old girl, Anastasia, whom she had been taking care of for the last three years. Gulchehra Bobokulova, a Chechen, went to a Moscow metro station and, for 20 minutes, waved the child’s severed head while screaming “Allahu Akbar” ["Allah is Greatest"]. After her arrest, she said the murder “was what Allah ordered.” In the months before the slaughter, Bobokulova was said to have become “more religious.” She began wearing a hijab, and telling her son to pray five times a day and live in accord with Sharia [Islamic law]. Authorities concluded that, as she is “insane,” she will not face a murder trial.
“ISIS carries out Good Friday crucifixion of Indian Catholic priest in Yemen after he was kidnapped three weeks ago in attack on old people’s home where four nuns were shot,” the Daily Mail reported. Father Thomas Uzhunnalil, a 56-year-old Indian Catholic priest, was seized by Muslim gunmen who attacked an old people’s home in Aden. According to the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Uzhunnalil had been crucified. Most recently, a report appeared indicating that Fr. Thomas was likely still alive and “that talks between the Indian government and Yemeni rebels to ensure his release were continuing.”
The rest of March’s roundup of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Unknown Middle Eastern Nation: Islamic radicals killed four workers of a Christian organization that translates and publishes Bibles. Wycliffe Associates issued a statement saying that the attackers shot and destroyed all the equipment in the Bible translators’ office, but failed to note the name of the country where the attack occurred. Two workers were apparently killed by gunshots, while two others lay over the head translator and died while “deflecting bludgeoning blows from the radicals’ spent weapons,” They saved his life. Several other people were also injured in the raid. The organization explained that the remaining team has vowed to redouble their efforts to translate, publish and print the Gospel.
Bangladesh: Two attackers with sharp weapons killed 68-year-old Hossain Ali, who converted to Christianity from Islam in 1999. ISIS claimed responsibility for the murder of the apostate from Islam in a tweet:
“A security detachment from the soldiers of the Caliphate was able, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, to kill the apostate (Ali), who changed his religion and became a preacher for the polytheist Christianity.”
The statement added that the murder was “a lesson to others.” In recent months ISIS has claimed being behind a series of attacks on religious converts and minorities in Bangladesh.
Yemen: Four Muslim gunmen attacked an old people’s home in the port of Aden, killing at least 15 people, including four nuns who were Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa. Two of the nuns were from Rwanda, one from India, and one from Kenya. Another nun survived by hiding inside a refrigerator in a storeroom. The gunmen, who initially told the guard they were at the old people’s home to visit their mother, stormed into the home with rifles and opened fire. The dead included two Yemeni women working at the facility, eight elderly residents, and a guard. The motive of the gunmen was not known. After the attack, they fled.
Ivory Coast: A squad of boatmen shouting “Allahu Akbar!” — “Allah is Greatest!” — leapt onto a beach in the resort town of Grand Bassam and proceeded to round up and kill Christian tourists. By the time security forces killed the terrorists, 14 tourists and two special forces personnel were dead, “all of them presumably Christians,” noted the report. At some point, witnesses said the gunmen captured a pair of children, one five-years old. A gunman “with a long beard” threatened them. Both boys fell to their knees in prayer, and begged for their lives. The first boy knew an Islamic prayer by heart, so he was spared, but the five-year-old, a Christian, had no hope, and was shot dead. Images of the aftermath showed bodies strewn across the beach, several of them believed to be French tourists. Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, via social media, claimed responsibility for the attack. According to the report, “Ivory Coast is becoming a target for Islamic extremists who want to spread Islam around the globe. Previously confined to the desert regions of the Sahara, Muslims have recently started a campaign of aggressive, militant expansion into West and Central Africa. “
Nigeria: According to a March report, since 2000, some 12,000 Christians have been slaughtered for their faith and 13,000 churches destroyed, and not just by the Muslim terrorist organization, Boko Haram: “Northern Muslim political and religious elite are also major actors of targeted violence towards the Christian minority.” From mid-February to mid-March alone, 500 Christian farmers were butchered by Muslim herdsmen.
Pakistan: A Muslim man shot dead a Christian boy and threatened to rape his sisters, after their mother rejected his advances in the town of Qayum. The Muslim suspect, 57-year-old Tahir Jutt, who had a “known long-term infatuation” with 42-year-old Shazia Tahir, tried to intervene in a family argument. Tahir rebuffed his offer to help. Later that day, he returned to the Tahir family home and started shooting at family members, killing 17-year-old Noel Tahir, and wounding several others, including the husband and wife. Although initially detained by police, Jutt was eventually set free, only to continue threatening and terrorizing the Christian family. According to a rights activist:
“This family are in desperate need for [sic] help, the perpetrator of violence has shown no remorse for the violence he meted out on this poor family and has increased their tension by stating he will repeat the violence if they dare to challenge him through the courts. Local police are being extremely slow and sluggish with this case, allowing Mr Jutt to exhort [sic] great pressure on the family who have already had to suffer the surprising ignominy of the murderer of their son being set free on bail.”
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches
United States: Three Christian statues at St. Margaret Parish, a Catholic church in Massachusetts, were vandalized. Two statues had their hands severed and multiple sets of rosary beads removed and scattered on the ground. The third statue, located near the rectory and depicting the Virgin Mary, had its head severed and both hands removed. Although the identity of the vandals is unknown, Robert Spencer, an expert on Islam, correctly observes that
in light of the curious fact that the head and hands were severed, the perpetrators could have been Muslims acting upon this Qur’an verse: “When your Lord inspired to the angels, ‘I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip.’” (Qur’an 8:12).
Turkey: Late one night, four Muslim men went to the Agape Church in the Black Sea region and began banging and kicking at the front door. The church caretaker and a few members of the congregation were inside but refused to open the door. After they noticed they were being videotaped by a security camera, the assailants destroyed it and fled. (Image of the men kicking the door appears here.) According to the church’s pastor, Pıçaklar,
“They attacked us knowing that they would get caught – they even looked at the security camera and smiled. Later they went to the police and turned themselves in, and today they were set free. So what should I do [in response] to these guys who drink until they get drunk, and when they get caught [attacking the church building], instead of fear and sadness, yell, ‘Allahuu Akbar!’? ["Allah is Greatest"]
Pastor Pıçaklar said the incident was not just a “kick the door and go. These guys wanted the door open and to go inside and hit someone or attack in some other way.”
Greece: The Church of All Saints in Kallithea, Athens region, was set on fire. The kitchen was completely destroyed, but thanks to the fire department’s quick response, the fire was contained. According to witnesses, “Arabic speakers” were behind the arson attack.
Dhimmitude (Non-Muslims’ Status of Inferiority in Islam)
Uganda: After several threats and attacks — including the rape of her 13-year-old daughter — a mother with her five children, who had left Islam for Christianity, fled their village. Amina Napiya, a 42-year-old widow, converted to Christianity in 2014, after her husband, Mohammed Dongo, died. She and her family remained secret believers until the beginning of 2016, when relatives discovered they were followers of Christ. Attacks started soon after: two motorcycles that had belonged to her late husband were stolen in January, apparently by Muslim relatives. They left an unsigned note:
“We have taken the motorcycles, and soon we are coming for your life if you continue embarrassing the religion of the family. You have become an embarrassment to the family as well as the Muslim family.”
A month later, Napiya’s daughter was raped while fetching firewood near their home. The rapist told the girl, “This is the second warning to your mother for disgracing the faith of the Muslims.”
Finally, Napiya received an anonymous text, saying, “We have warned you several times, and our warnings are falling on deaf ears. We are on the way coming for you and your children.” The Christian woman and her children fled and were last reported living in dire straits.
Separately in Uganda, a Muslim youth who converted to Christianity was attacked and ostracized by his family. After Mohammed Nsera graduated from high school last year, his Muslim family built a small house for him on their homestead. A week after he converted to Christianity, his Muslim family burned it down. According to the convert,
“I could not deny Christ when my father asked me whether I had joined Christianity. With a lot of joy I answered him affirmatively, with a yes. My uncle, who had a walking stick, hit me on my back, and my father tried to get hold of my shirt, but I managed to escape with a tattered shirt and a bleeding back.”
While recovering at the home of a Christian 13 miles away, he learned that his family had burned his house down. “I received reports that my parents, uncle and some other Muslims were looking for me. I have lost my entire valuables, especially my academic certificates.” He has since taken refuge in an undisclosed village more than 60 miles from his home.
Pakistan: A 30-year-old Christian mother of three who was kidnapped and forced into an Islamic marriage. When she escaped months later, she was returned to her abductor by her own family, in hopes that it will spare other family members from persecution and arrest. Fouzia Sadiq, whose entire family works as bonded laborers in Pattoki, was abducted last July by her Muslim landlord, Muhammed Nazir. He told her family to forget about her as she “was now his property.” With her family’s aid, the women eventually escaped back to them. Her abductor-husband sent the police after her. They threatened her family, and suggesting that they might seize and deliver her younger sister to Muhammad as a “consolation” gift. According to a human rights activist:
“This family has gone through a torturous decision making process. They have not wanted to deliver their daughter back but the threats on their family were so extreme, including potential blasphemy law allegations and kidnap charges against Paris the brother of Fouzia, that they felt there was no other way out.”
Fouzia is one of approximately 700 Christian girls who are kidnapped and forced into Islamic marriages every year in Pakistan.
Belgium: The council of Belgian imams rejected an initiative to pray for the souls of the victims of the Brussels terror attacks on the grounds that it is forbidden to pray for the souls of non-Muslims — “infidels.” The Koran states:
“It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.” (9:113)
Instead, the Muslim scholars recommended the use of tawriya — using words that mean one thing to listeners and another thing from the speaker. One Muslim cleric said: We cannot pray over the souls of non-Muslims, but if we do this, we don’t have to call it a prayer. We can call it something else: ‘solidarity with the families of the victims.’ We can stand by them and support them.”
Another Muslim cleric suggested: “Since this was a general event, in which Muslims as well as non-Muslims [were hurt], we address all of the victims, and wish them peace, mercy, and health.”
Italy: According to Archbishop Matteo Maria Zuppi, recently appointed to head the archdiocese,
“I really think it’s time for a mosque in Bologna. Some people think otherwise but they are wrong. … I also wish Islamic celebrations to be welcomed in schools… We shouldn’t be carried away by hateful generalizations, like the comparison between Muslims and terrorists.”
However, according to the report,
“Zuppi’s reflections are far distant from those of his predecessors. Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, once warned the faithful to be wary of the West’s current integration project of Middle-Eastern, largely Muslim migrants. The late Cdl. Giacomo Biffi, archbishop of Bologna before Caffarra, was a respected theologian known for being ‘extremely politically incorrect,’ and some note that his prophecies about Europe either returning to Christianity or surrendering to Islam were prescient for Italy today….”
Zuppi also seems to overlook the historic fact that, whenever a region was conquered by Islam, one of the first signs of consolidation was the erection of a mosque on top of the sacred sites of the vanquished: the pagan Ka’ba temple in Saudi Arabia was converted into Islam’s holiest site, the mosque of Mecca; the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, was built on top of the ruins of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem; the Umayyad mosque in Damascus was built on top of the Church of St. John the Baptist; and the Hagia Sophia in Turkey was converted into a mosque upon the conquest of Constantinople.
Sudan: Pastor Ayoub Tilian, moderator of the Sudanese Church of Christ in the Khartoum area, was arrested at his office and taken to an unknown location. He was later released, but ordered to report daily for interrogation to the security officials of Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Services, which is staffed by hardline Islamists. They are reportedly upset that he may have spoken about the Sudanese government’s persecution of Christians. Discussing this incident, an area source said, “Things are very difficult here in Sudan as time after time we hear that a church leader is arrested.”
Iran: A pastor and three other Christians, all of whom appear to be converts from Islam, were sentenced to serve one year in prison, and banned from holding or attending any church services for two years. They were arrested earlier during a picnic in Daniel-e Shoosh, in southern Iran. The plainclothes secret police came to them with guns drawn, threatening and beating some in the group. The report does not mention what the alleged crime is. Most likely, if this case is like other allegations against non-Muslims, they were sentenced under the pretense that they are a “security threat to the nation.”
US and UK: Despite all the widespread attention and international condemnation given to the kidnapping by Boko Haram of nearly 300 (mostly Christian) Nigerian girls — recall First Lady Michelle Obama holding a sign saying “bring back our girls” — the US and British governments knew exactly where many of the girls were, but failed to launch a rescue mission. According to Dr. Andrew Pocock, the former British high commissioner to Nigeria: “A couple of months after the kidnapping, fly-bys and an American eye in the sky spotted a group of up to 80 girls in a particular spot in the Sambisa forest, around a very large tree, called locally the Tree of Life, along with evidence of vehicular movement and a large encampment.” He said the girls were there for at least four weeks but authorities were “powerless” to act.
Pictured in a Boko Haram video, some of the hundreds of Christian Nigerian schoolgirls who were abducted in 2014 by Boko Haram. The U.S. and British governments knew the exact location of many of the captured girls, but failed to launch a rescue mission, according to Andrew Pocock, the former British high commissioner to Nigeria. (Image source:)
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by Muslims is growing.
The report posits that such Muslim persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place in all languages, ethnicities, and locations.
Raymond Ibrahim is the author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians (published by Regnery with Gatestone Institute, April 2013).