LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 09/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.october09.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 05/24-30/:"Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life. ‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgement, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. ‘I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me."

Through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe
Letter to the Galatians 03/22-29/:"Brothers and sisters: Scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe. Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendant, heirs according to the promise."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 08-09/16
Alone, Hariri is seeking a president for Lebanon/Mohamad Kawas/The Arab Weekly/October 09/16
Lebanon dialogue, a conduit for Iran, Saudi Arabia/Dalal Saoud/The Arab Weekly/October 09/16
Why Iran is not the next China/Dr. Naser al-Tamimi/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
The tough challenge posed by new media platforms/Diana Moukalled/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
Obama’s doctrine of passivity/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
No Nobel for the noble: Should the White Helmets have won the Nobel Peace Prize/Peter Harrison/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
Following JASTA, what do we want from the United States/Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
The game with Hamas has changed/Yoav Zitun/Ynetnews/October 08/16/
Interview with Majid Oukacha/Grégoire Canlorbe/Gatestone Institute/October 08/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 08-09/16
Vatican Blames the Lebanese for Failure to Elect President
Report: Mustaqbal and FPM Deny Signing 'Paper of Agreement'
Report: Rabieh Assesses Saudi Stance as Positive, Still Has to Convince Berri of Aoun's Nomination
Geagea Warns of 'Appalling Risks' Shall Hariri's Initiative Fail
Report: Security Measures Upped as Terror Schemes against Foreign Diplomats Emerge
Secret’ agreement between Hariri, Aoun denied
Samir Geagea boldly announces his anti-Lebanese new alliance with Hezbollah/Interview From Asharq Al Awsat
Nasrallah: Sana'a incident a human catastrophe
Hernando marking her country's National Day: Spain is a peaceloving country, hopes for peace to reflect on Lebanon
Siniora meets Arab League Secretary General, Egyptian Foreign Minister in Cairo
Raad: victory against ISIS and Nusra will be resonant
Future Branch in West Bekaa: One bullet pierced the hall glass
Khreiss: Dialogue is the salvation of Lebanon
Hungarian Justice Minister, Supreme Judicial Council Head visit Saint Antonios Qozhaya's Monastery in Sacred Valley
Al Hujeiri family member shot to death by unknown assailants in Arsal
Alone, Hariri is seeking a president for Lebanon
Lebanon dialogue, a conduit for Iran, Saudi Arabia

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 08-09/16
France’s Ayrault says UN must act to 'save Aleppo'
'Huge Disaster' Averted in Turkey as Suspects Blow Themselves Up
Pence Steps Past Trump on Syria, Underscoring Differences
Syria's White Helmets: 'Heroes' Who Run towards Bombs
Egypt Admonishes US Embassy over Cairo Security Warning
Top Commander in Yemen's Army Killed
Islamists Beat Morocco Liberals in Morocco Elections
Kuwait arrests Egyptian after failed attack on US soldiers
Saudi denies Yemeni funeral bombing
Pastor Saeed Abedini, Wife Both Announce Divorce on Facebook — 'With a Heavy and Broken Heart'
October declared Islamic Heritage Month in Ontario
Iran: protest and workers rallies
Judiciary of Iran has switched the place of the defendant and the plaintiff
Congressional Resolution Addresses Iran’s 1988 Massacre
Iran: Bipartisan Support of UK Lawmakers and MEPs

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 08-09/16
October declared Islamic Heritage Month in Ontario
UK mosque distributes leaflets calling for murder of those who insult Islam
US cardinal: “It is clear that Muslims have as their ultimate goal conquest and power over the world”
German police union chief: Muslim migrants “despise our country and laugh at our justice”
Sam Harris: Robert Spencer “so fully stigmatized…you just don’t actually know who you’re talking to”
Germany: Manhunt on for Muslim migrant who plotted airport jihad massacre
Video: Jamie Glazov Moment: The Heart of Leftist Darkness

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 08-09/16
Trump In Crisis As He Apologises For Lewd Comments About Women
Bangladesh Kills Four Islamic Militants Blamed For Cafe Attack
Christian Relief Workers And Volunteers Stand By To Help Victims Of Hurricane Matthew
Australians Rally Ahead Of Same-Sex Marriage Referendum
Justin Welby: Brutal Conflict In Aleppo Is 'Demonic'
Mystery Over 'Suicide' Of Priest Who Campaigned Against Drugs Trafficking
US Christian Student Ministry To Fire Staff Who Support Gay Marriage
Pastor Saeed Abedini, Wife Both Announce Divorce on Facebook — 'With a Heavy and Broken Heart'

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 08-09/16

Vatican Blames the Lebanese for Failure to Elect President
Naharnet/October 08/16/The Vatican held the Lebanese of “different religions and political affiliations” responsible for the delay in electing a new head of state, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday. The Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri who arrived in Beirut on Friday, held a meeting with Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki. He stressed support to the efforts of the Patriarch with regard to the file of the presidency. However, the Cardinal stressed the insistence of the Holy See to elect the “only Christian president in the Levant soon,” as he held “all the Lebanese of different religions and political affiliations responsible for the delay.”During the meeting between Sandri and Rahi, the latter briefed the Cardinal on the latest developments with regard to the presidential file, including the efforts exerted by al-Mustaqbal Movement ex-PM Saad Hariri in that regard. Sandri arrived in Beirut to participate in the ordination of Father Cesar Essayan as bishop. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Report: Mustaqbal and FPM Deny Signing 'Paper of Agreement'
Naharnet/October 08/16/Mustaqbal MP Ammar Hour denied media reports on Saturday, alleging that a “concealed agreement” has been reached between chief of the party ex-PM Saad Hariri, and MP Michel Aoun that might see the latter become president of the republic, media reports said.
“News circulating in some media outlets about a secret agreement between Hariri and Aoun are totally untrue,” said Houri. “We emphasize that these reports are mere political visions that only aim to sabotage the consultations that Hariri is carrying out,” he added. On the other hand, Rabieh sources of Aoun said that an initial agreement on a number of issues has been reached between the two men, but a written agreement was not made. However sources of the March 8 camp said that Aoun and Hariri have agreed on several points that include the appointment of a new Army Commander preferably a non-provocative figure for the Resistance. However they did not mention any names. They also agreed, according to the March 8 sources, not to address the issue of Hizbullah's arms because it is already an item of discussion on the national dialogue table. Appointing a new Central Bank governor is among the undeclared agreement between the two men, according to the sources. The understanding is said to touch on the ministerial statement which called for an agreement to adopt the same statement as that of the government of Prime Minister Tammam Salam. Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Report: Rabieh Assesses Saudi Stance as Positive, Still Has to Convince Berri of Aoun's Nomination
Naharnet/October 08/16/As soon as he returned from a trip to Moscow and Riyadh, al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri tasked one of his representatives to hold contacts with MP Michel Aoun to brief him on Saudi Arabia's “initial” positive position with regard to his nomination for the presidency, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday. Although the Saudi stance is still indecisive, but the news was assessed as positive in Rabieh, the daily added. Contacts between Rabieh and Hizbullah followed, and the latter was briefed on the communications between Rabieh and the Center House, “things have matured and there is still Speaker Nabih Berri to convince,” of Aoun's nomination. Rabieh pins high hopes on Hizbullah's ability to convince Berri, although the man is adamant not to change his position as he adheres to the package deal that he suggested earlier, according to the daily. Another meeting between Hariri and the political aide to Berri, Minister Ali Hassan Khalil took place in the Center House. Discussions focused on Hariri's latest visit to Riyadh, where it has been noted that the Saudi stance is not decisive for Aoun's nomination as yet. Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Geagea Warns of 'Appalling Risks' Shall Hariri's Initiative Fail
Naharnet/October 08/16/Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea warned that the failure of al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri's initiative to bring MP Michel Aoun to the post of the presidency, will open Lebanon to “horrifying” risks, as he stressed that Hariri is very serious with regard to Aoun's nomination, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Saturday. “Hariri is serious with regard to his initiative, but he only needs time to build an understanding with Aoun and to convince his supporters to elect him after the shifting political relations between the two parties,” Geagea told the daily in an interview. Geagea added that he was convinced that Hizbullah does not want founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, Aoun, or anyone else to become a president, it “prefers vacuum because a weak State means that the party will become strong and vice versa.”Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Report: Security Measures Upped as Terror Schemes against Foreign Diplomats Emerge
Naharnet/October 08/16/Security sources said they obtained information about some bombing schemes that have been prepared to be carried out by terror groups against convoys of American, French and Russian diplomats in Beirut, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday. The sources said that “this information has been circulated to various military and security forces five days ago in order to promote all forms of surveillance.” “The diplomats have been informed of the schemes in order to coordinate efforts and exchange information with the Lebanese security forces,” added the sources. They added that information is being collected at all levels to counter such attacks professionally.

Secret’ agreement between Hariri, Aoun denied
March 8 has embarked on a carefully orchestrated media campaign aimed at sabotaging consultations Hariri is carrying out
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/October 08/16/Beirut: The pro-Syrian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) has embarked on a media campaign aimed at forcing Future Movement leader Sa‘ad Hariri to back presidential hopeful and FPM founder Michel Aoun. On Saturday, Ammar Houri denied media reports that alleged a “concealed agreement” was reached between Hariri and Aoun, which might see the latter become president of the republic and Hariri return to the premiership. Houri, a leading Future parliamentarian, affirmed that “news circulating in some media outlets about a secret agreement between Hariri and Aoun are totally untrue”. He emphasised this carefully orchestrated campaign was meant to “sabotage the consultations that Hariri is carrying out”. According to unconfirmed reports, an initial agreement was reached on four specific items — the appointment of a new commander for the Lebanese Army who would not be an anti-Hezbollah figure; a deliberate omission of Hezbollah’s arms in any public pronouncement since this was allegedly under discussion on the national dialogue table; the selection of several senior officials including a replacement for Riad Salameh, the Governor of the Central Bank; and an agreement over the ministerial statement that would be the same as the one under which the government of Prime Minister Tammam Salam operated and that granted Hezbollah specific privileges. These unfounded rumours were promoted by March 8 sources. March 8 is an alliance of pro-Syrian parties, including FPM and Hezbollah. Hezbollah leaders want Hariri to publicly and unconditionally back Aoun, and commit the Future Movement’s 26 parliamentary votes to vote for him. In exchange, Hariri would become prime minster, a post he’s held before, but only if he backed the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad and pledged not to oppose him as premier. Lebanon has been without a president after Michel Sulaiman completed his six-year term in office on May 24, 2014. Since then, Hezbollah, the FPM and various allies boycotted 45 sessions of parliament which failed to elect a head of state for lack of a quorum. Meanwhile, the Saudi daily Okaz reported on Saturday that Hezbollah’s conditions remained unchanged and Hariri was free to reach any decision he wished.
It added that Riyadh would not be held responsible for a putative Aoun selection.

Samir Geagea boldly announces his anti-Lebanese new alliance with Hezbollah/Interview From Asharq Al Awsat

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/08/samir-geagea-boldly-announces-his-anti-lebanese-new-alliance-with-hezbollahinterview-from-asharq-al-awsat/

Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea: Iran, Hezbollah Play on Presidential Void
Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al Awsat/October 08/16/Samir Geagea, leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces, speaks during an interview with Reuters at his home in the Christian village of Maarab in the mountains overlooking the seaside town of Jounieh . Beirut- In his latest interview with Asharq Al awsat newspaper, Lebanon’s Samir Geagea, executive chairman of the Lebanese Forces (LF), the second largest Christian political party in the country, hoped that the two-year presidential vacancy would be brought to an end. What is more is that the LF high-profile figure -in his efforts to settle the presidential void- now supports the nomination of the Free Patriotic Movement leader, Michel Aoun, Mr. Geagea’s ex-arch enemy. ‘Dreadful,’ was the word Mr. Geagea used to describe what’s in store for the West-Asian state, should the Aoun initiative for settling the presidential void fail.
Mr. Geagea did not see any harm of Aoun’s alliance with Lebanon’s so-called Hezbollah, especially that it was evident to him that Aoun distanced himself from the controversial paramilitary group. The March 8 Alliance, a coalition of various political parties in Lebanon, had been putting both Hezbollah and Aoun in the same group for a while. Mr. Geagea cited FPM’s Aoun as not an ally nor supporter of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria—loyalty to the Assad regime is a major character found in Hezbollah. Aoun’s position on Syrian affairs keeps his attempt at presidency at a safekeeping distance with the ‘state within a state,’ a term often used to describe Hezbollah. In 1989 he declared a “Liberation War” on Syria, which ended after Syrian forces invaded Beirut in 1990 forcing Aoun to flee to Paris, where he lived in exile for 15 years.
Aoun also appeared at the U.S. Congress in September 2003 to urge the adoption of the Syria Accountability Act, which demanded that Syria withdraw its estimated 25,000 troops from Lebanon and allow restoration of Lebanese sovereignty that he deemed was “an absolute necessity if terrorism is to be defeated”.Mr. Geagea’s recent ending of a long rivalry with Aoun, a surprise which dazed Lebanon’s Christians -according to the LF leader- in no way means that there would be a rapprochement with between the LF and Hezbollah. Mr.Geagea says that Hezbollah follows a political agenda far too conflicting with the LF’s viewpoint, especially on allowing foreign elements to control Lebanese internal affairs.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah has no desire for presidential election to be completed — a presidential election is taking place in Lebanon since 23 April 2014. No candidate reached a two-thirds majority vote in the first round and subsequent rounds failed to gain a quorum. Mr. Geagea revealed that Western diplomats who lately visited Tehran, have been told that Iran sees no urgent need to elect a new president for Lebanon. Enforcing Iran’s agenda, the so-called Hezbollah understands that the lacking presence of a president gives the group a strategic upper-hand over Lebanon’s decision-making process, especially concerning foreign activities and affairs. Save Hezbollah’s push for vacancy, Mr. Geagea says that other political blocs in Lebanon are spending considerable effort to elect a president.Leader of the Future Movement and Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is exerting serious efforts to reach an understanding with Aoun on backing his nomination, said Mr. Geagea.
“The result of the ongoing negotiations between Harriri and Aoun’s parties will show in a week or two,” added Mr. Geagea. Other than that, Hezbollah’s position remains the greatest mystery of all. Should Hariri reach a final decision to back Aoun’s nomination, Hezbollah would be facing a catch-22 paradox—Aoun is Hezbollah’s publicly declared nominee, but the group’s priority is to far and foremost prolong the vacancy as much as possible. If Hariri concedes to Aoun’s presidency, Hezbollah will have to make a choice on whether to carry on with Iran’s agenda for Lebanon or prioritize its domestic role.
As to what stands in the way of Harriri announcing his bid for Aoun, Mr. Geagea says that Harriri’s nomination of MP Suleiman Frangieh for the presidential bid must not be overlooked. More so, the Harriri-Aoun association remains a touchy subject. Harriri’s set of conditional common ground might not be immediately conceded to by Aoun, said the LF leader. Preparation and hard work are a major factor in reaching an understanding, especially in defining the practical dynamics of such a settlement. For two years now, Hezbollah had relentlessly backed his bid for Aoun’s nomination, disregarding all other candidates and holding back quorum as a mean to its alleged end. Today Christian parties, who once opposed Aoun for president, have accepted him as an official nominee, yet Hezbollah is still failing parliamentary quorum—the group’s actions lead to one conclusion: Hezbollah cannot truly be serious with electing a president at home, and is rather consumed by either dominance or Iranian influence. For Lebanon, the Aoun initiative failing –after receiving a wide consensus by the March 14 alliance – means that the state is in deeper trouble than one may think. The initiative failing is a terrible thing to imagine; Lebanon will descend into chaos, added Mr. Geagea. October 31 won’t be the last chance to elect a president-there is no such thing as a last chance in the world of politics- however, it is a chance which should not be missed, said Mr. Geagea.

Nasrallah: Sana'a incident a human catastrophe
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, strongly condemned on Saturday the recent raid which occurred in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, deeming it a "human catastrophe" and "deliberate killing."Speaking during the 7th night of Ashoura commemoration, Nasrallah said: "This calamity and dangerous incident of today is a blatant and obvious Saudi aggression against the largest possible number of people who were partaking in the council of mourning marking Ashoura in the city of Sana'a."He added: "It is enough to say that this is a natural and expected thing on part of the Saudi regime, with its history of committed massacres in the Arabian Peninsula."Nasrallah concluded by vehemently denouncing the terrible massacre and expressing deepest condolences to families of the fallen victims, while wishing the wounded fast recovery and vowing that the people of Sana'a shall know victory in the end.

Hernando marking her country's National Day: Spain is a peaceloving country, hopes for peace to reflect on Lebanon
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - "Spain is an advocate of peace and hopes for it to prevail in each and every region, and to reflect on Lebanon," said Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon, Mila Grosse Hernando, on Saturday. Marking her country's National Day, Hernando held a reception at Shehab Palace in Hadath, which was attended by a large number of senior political officials and economic, diplomatic and social figures.In her speech on the occasion, the Spanish Ambassador said: "Spain, on its National Day, is proud to have achieved its geographic discoveries of America and the New World, and is honored for its great architects and intellectuals and the remembrance of Cervantes and Don Quixote in each country we are present in."She stressed that "Spain is working for peace in more than one country, and is therefore involved in the UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon, and hopes for stability and peace in the whole region, especially for strengthened security and stability in Lebanon.""Spain and Lebanon share historical ties in various fields, and we are working to develop them to the benefit of both friendly peoples," Hernando concluded.

Siniora meets Arab League Secretary General, Egyptian Foreign Minister in Cairo
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - "Future" Parliamentary Bloc Head, former PM Fouad Siniora, met on Saturday upon arrival in Cairo with Arab League Secretary General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, as well as with Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shukri, with whom he reviewed bilateral relations. Siniora will be partaking as a keynote speaker at the opening of the first Lebanese Cultural Forum organized by the Egyptian Newspaper "Al-Ahram," which is taking place at the Egyptian capital tomorrow.

Raad: victory against ISIS and Nusra will be resonant
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - Head of Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, MP Mohamad Raad, assured that the victory against Al Nusra and ISIS will be extraordinary, noting that those who support these takfirist organisations suffer economically and have already sustained numerous defeats in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. Raad's words came during an Ashura council held Saturday in Ain Qana.

Future Branch in West Bekaa: One bullet pierced the hall glass
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - In an issued statement after subjection to open fire on Saturday, the Future Movement's coordinating branch indicated that "one bullet pierced the glass hall where the coordinating body members were meeting in Jeb Jenin, with the participation of MP Jamal Jarrah.""Security forces immediately arrived at the scene and initiated investigations into the incident," the statement added.

Khreiss: Dialogue is the salvation of Lebanon
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - MP Ali Khreiss said during a funeral ceremony held by Amal Movement in Bidyas that the "Hussein revolution" has won over the "Zionist iron fist", and that the "Hussein grip would triumph and save the country."Khreiss stressed that only dialogue could save Lebanon.

Hungarian Justice Minister, Supreme Judicial Council Head visit Saint Antonios Qozhaya's Monastery in Sacred Valley
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - Hungarian Justice Minister, Laszlo Troxana, visited on Saturday the Monastery of Saint Antonios Qozhaya in the Sacred Valley, accompanied by Hungarian Ambassador to Lebanon, Laszlo Faraday, and Supreme Judicial Council Head, Judge Jean Fahd, as well as a number of judges. Following a tour around the Monastery, the delegation had a closer look at the archaeological church, the miraculous cave and the first printing press in the East. The Monastery's Head, Father Michael Finianos, then welcomed the delegation in the Convent Hall, where he showed them a display of the Monastery's products and historical memorabilia.

Al Hujeiri family member shot to death by unknown assailants in Arsal
Sat 08 Oct 2016/NNA - A member of the Al Hujairi family was shot dead on Saturday by unknown assailants in the locality of Ras el-Serj in Arsal, NNA correspondent reported.

Alone, Hariri is seeking a president for Lebanon
Mohamad Kawas/The Arab Weekly/October 09/16
BEIRUT - The flurry of consultations by former prime minis­ter Saad Hariri towards ending Lebanon’s presi­dential vacuum signals a commitment to the independent political system. Meanwhile, other fragmented Lebanese forces are trying to come up with ways to by­pass the National Pact of 1943 and the Taif agreement of 1989, which together resulted in the current power structure. Hariri seems to be working alone in an intricate search for a president to fill the power vacuum at Baabda Palace but the political elite in the country does not seem very eager to end the

constitutional farce that has been blocking the election of the only Christian president in the Arab world. It appears that the two main can­didates for president — Suleiman Frangieh and Michel Aoun — are leaving the issue to Hariri, the lead­er of the Future Movement, as if the matter did not affect Christians in Lebanon and in the Middle East as a whole. Hezbollah looks preoccupied with an agenda that it shares with Iran, including regional ambitions in Lebanon, Yemen, the Arab Gulf states, Iraq and Syria. Lebanon’s troubles are low on Hezbollah’s agenda and, hence, the Baabda race has turned into a childish fuss ex­ploited to divert attention from the Shia movement’s blunders in Syria.
Whenever Hezbollah is request­ed to support one of the two main presidential candidates, who are both allies of the group, it falls si­lent, holds on verbally to the candi­dacy of Aoun or stands behind the talents of parliament Speaker Na­bih Berri in defending the so-called package deal on the presidency.
In the face of all this idleness, Hariri stands alone, knocking on doors. Until recently, he endorsed painful initiatives, proposing Frangieh for president and then pitching Aoun for the ceremonial post.
The two main presidential can­didates are both allies of the “axis of resistance”, which includes Syria and Iran on the regional level and Hezbollah on the national level. And, it actually looks surreal that Hariri, the leading political ally of Saudi Arabia in Lebanon, is strug­gling to arrange things for the “sons of Iran” and pave the path for them to sit on the top of the Lebanese po­litical establishment. Hariri continues to suggest that he is not aware of the whispers be­ing spread by some parties, which are hoping to abandon the Taif agreement and move towards the adoption of a political system that produces new quotas dictated by Hezbollah. If there were a failure to call a constitutional convention, as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hopes, the labours and schemes to abandon the Taif deal would never stop.
The Future Movement and the supporters of the Taif agreement reject the package deal as a pre­condition for the election of a new president. Recently, Maronite Patri­arch Bechara al-Rai also joined the opposing camp, arguing that such a deal violates the constitutional principles and strips the Christian president of his prerogatives.
The idea of the package deal rests on a suggestion that failures to agree on a prime minister, the for­mation of the next government and an electoral law will block the elec­tion process, which has long been overdue since the departure of for­mer president Michel Suleiman in May 2014. Berri’s position suggests that obstruction has become the es­sence of the political game. It also implies that dealing with the cur­rent stalemate necessitates a viola­tion of constitutional principles. In recent years, Hezbollah has blocked any decision or resolution that seems unfavourable to its in­terests. The movement is inces­santly working to impose a form of political Shiism on the Lebanese governing system, if not by means of weapons, then by way of some manoeuvres such as the Doha agreement of 2008, which resulted in the fall of the entire political sys­tem into the hands of Hezbollah and Tehran. Berri seems to believe that obstruction is no more occa­sional or incidental. It has rather turned into an authentic Lebanese tradition at the very heart of the po­litical system. Hariri’s critics may consider his moves a form of surrender to the options of Hezbollah. Yet, the critics are failing to see that Hariri wants a president for Lebanon while Hez­bollah wants all of the country for itself. And, when the Lebanese would vote to elect a president, their ambitions would not be con­sistent with the objectives of Hez­bollah, which only hopes to control the political institutions with the aim of serving its own agenda.

Lebanon dialogue, a conduit for Iran, Saudi Arabia
Dalal Saoud/The Arab Weekly/October 09/16
BEIRUT - For almost two years, Leba­non’s principal rivals — Iran-backed Shia Hezbol­lah and the mainly Sunni Future Movement — have been engaged in a regular, quiet and low-profile dialogue to de­fuse sectarian tensions that have reached alarming levels in the small multi-confessional country.
Despite deep differences and the inability to reach agreement on is­sues such as Hezbollah’s arsenal and its participation in the fighting in Syria alongside President Bashar Assad’s regime, the two parties opt­ed for keeping the contacts — mak­ing their dialogue the only open channel between Sunnis and Shias in the region and thus indirectly between their rival sponsors: Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Tensions between Hezbollah, led by Hassan Nasrallah, and the Future Movement, headed by for­mer prime minister Saad Hariri, grew following the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Saad Hariri’s father and long-time prime minister, who was killed in a huge truck-bombing in Beirut on February 14th, 2005.
The subsequent withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, the es­tablishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon that accused Hezbol­lah members of being behind Hari­ri’s assassination, and Hezbollah’s show of force by sending its fight­ers to take control of Beirut in 2008, were the first signs of a Sunni-Shia conflict that has been exacerbated by the war in Syria and Iran’s upper hand in Iraq.
“We couldn’t leave things go out of hand in an already inflamed re­gion… and reach the point where the situation could explode within seconds,” said Samir Jisr, a parlia­mentarian and one of three mem­bers representing the Future Move­ment at the dialogue sessions with Hezbollah.
The dialogue, which started in December 2014, was limited to the two sides discussing the election of a new head of state after president Michel Suleiman completed his term in May of the same year and to defuse sectarian tension.
While they have failed to pave the way for electing a new presi­dent, the Hezbollah-Future Move­ment meetings helped maintain an acceptable level of stability in the country, which found itself deluged by more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Most important, they eased Lebanese fears of likely Sunni-Shia violence on their own territories.
“The dialogue achieved very lit­tle and less than what we aspire for,” Jisr said, adding on a realistic note that the relative stability Leb­anon is enjoying was due to the fact that “the big powers don’t want to move the war to Lebanon but if they decide otherwise, it will take less than 24 hours for the whole country to plunge into violence: Tension, fears and weapons are all there”.
However, Jisr appeared confi­dent that, sooner or later, the pre­sent dialogue will turn into “a more serious, in-depth one”.
“This is a preliminary phase… waiting for changes in the region,” he said.
No doubt, the conflict in Leba­non has many internal roots but it is also affected by the Saudi-Irani­an dispute and the political strug­gle over influence in the region.
In that context, maintaining the dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement, clearly with the consent of their respective pa­trons, represents an open chan­nel that could open the way for a much-needed regional dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“That means that this cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is destructive to both and to the region, could be contained and stopped by regulating their disputes,” said Michel Nawfal, a political analyst and expert in Ira­nian and Turkish affairs. “At the end, there is no escape but to have a dialogue.
Nawfal suggested a mechanism similar to the 1975 Helsinki ac­cords, which were meant to reduce tension between the Soviet and Western blocs by securing their common acceptance of the post-second world war status quo in Eu­rope.
The region may not be yet ready for such a deal as “the world is changing and the features of this new world are not clear”, he said. “But to lessen the losses, we should by all means create a mechanism to contain the disputes.”
Turkey, according to Nawfal, is “eligible and prepared to be the mediator” between Saudi Arabia and Iran, taking into consideration the good relations Ankara enjoys with both as well as its strategic po­sitioning in the Islamic world and internationally.
He said that the diminishing role of the Western world is allowing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Er­dogan to have “a big margin of ma­noeuvre”, emphasising that when­ever a mechanism for initiating a rapprochement between the two sides is in place, it would be then possible to define the issues of the conflict.
“This is the only way to tell the Iranians that there are limits for their presence in the region, that they are adopting an unbalanced strategy which could benefit them now but not in the future for the simple reasons there are other big blocs: Saudi Arabia and Egypt — so not to say the Sunni bloc,” Nawfal noted.
Consequently, the leaders in Iran and Saudi Arabia should be convinced that “no one can beat or break the other” and that they should seize the opportunity to get together while the big powers are almost inactive in the region.
Turkey would then be filling a gap largely left by an ailing Egypt, which should have been the one mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Nawfal concluded.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 08-09/16

France’s Ayrault says UN must act to 'save Aleppo'
AFPSaturday, 8 October 2016/French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Saturday urged the UN Security Council to take immediate action to save the Syrian city of Aleppo from being destroyed by the Russia-backed Syrian bombing campaign.
The council "must demand immediate action in order to save Aleppo," Ayrault said ahead of a vote on a French-drafted resolution calling for an end to the air strikes.

'Huge Disaster' Averted in Turkey as Suspects Blow Themselves Up
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 08/16/ Two people suspected of planning a car bomb attack on the Turkish capital Ankara on Saturday blew themselves up after being confronted by police, averting what the justice minister called a "huge disaster". The suspects, who both died in the explosion, were believed to be preparing an attack when they set off the explosives, the official Anadolu news agency said. "A huge disaster has been prevented. It is probable they would have attacked Ankara.... All signs are pointing to the PKK terrorist organisation," Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told the CNN-Turk broadcaster. The bombing comes two days before the first anniversary of Turkey's deadliest terror attack in its modern history in Ankara which left 103 dead. The attack was blamed on jihadists from the Islamic State group. Ankara governor Ercan Topaca told reporters at the scene it was "highly likely" that the suspects had connections to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). "The materials used, the construction and the way it was planned point to the PKK...." he said, quoted by Anadolu. The PKK -- proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU and US -- has been waging a 32-year insurgency against the state in the country's southeast. Violence returned to the region after the collapse of a two-year ceasefire last year with hundreds of Turkish security forces killed and thousands of militants dead. - Police swoop -The governor said police swooped early on Saturday after a tip-off from Diyarbakir, a mainly Kurdish province in Turkey's southeast. No-one else was killed or injured in the blast understood to have taken place close to a black car in the town of Haymana, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Ankara, the governor's office said in a statement. The suspects were believed to have been hiding in a hut near a stud. "The security forces launched the operation and warned (them) to surrender. A short while later (and) before any intervention, two terrorists confirmed to be a man and a woman detonated themselves," the statement added. In televised comments, Topaca also said the suspects were a male born in the eastern province of Bingol and an unidentified female. She was later named in Turkish media. He added that the authorities were looking for a third person adding that the suicide bombers hung a Turkish flag on the car to avoid suspicion. An ID card was also found at the scene, the statement said. Forensic investigators wearing white overalls were inspecting the area of countryside where the burnt-out black car was found, an AFP photographer said. On Friday, the Kurdish group Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) with ties to the PKK claimed responsibility for a motorbike bombing on Thursday near a police station in Istanbul which wounded 10 people.

Pence Steps Past Trump on Syria, Underscoring Differences
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 08/16/Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence has ventured beyond Donald Trump's ambiguous posture toward war-torn Syria. The Indiana governor said during a debate with Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine that the U.S. military should be ready to strike Syrian military targets under the command of President Bashar Assad, whom the U.S. blames for a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. The threat of military action against the Russia-backed Assad regime marks a departure from what Trump has proposed for the country's escalating humanitarian crisis. Trump has advocated a hands-off approach to dealing with Assad. He has rarely addressed the crisis beyond calling for the creation of so-called safe zones for Syrian civilians to keep them out of harm's way and keep refugees he claims pose a serious security risk out of Europe and the United States."What I like is, build a safe zone," Trump said almost a year ago, so "you don't destroy all of Europe."The space between the candidates underscores Pence's challenge as he attempts to champion an unusually vague presidential candidate who shows little interest in the intricacies of world affairs. The differences also raise questions of whether other policy gaps between the two Republicans would exist in a Trump administration facing the tangle of adversaries and allies at the heart of the Syrian conflict. While Pence espouses traditional conservative viewpoints, Trump has advocated an isolationist-tinged "American first" approach that is harder to classify.
Notably, the light between the two men on Syria exposes Pence's superior fluency on such issues as a former 10-year member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.The awkwardness surfaced during the only vice presidential debate Monday when Pence was asked whether the U.S. has a responsibility to protect civilians caught in the bloody Syrian conflict. Where Trump has suggested safe zones for refugees, Pence offered details and nuance — and he addressed the prospect of a confrontation with Russia.The U.S., Pence suggested, should protect the Syrian city of Aleppo, where aid agencies warn that a humanitarian disaster looms with the collapse of a short-lived cease-fire and stalled peace talks. "I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength," he said. "And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue, I should say, to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo." That's a very different approach from Trump, who has said repeatedly, and as recently as May, that he opposed military intervention in the civil war in Syria, and instead wants to target Islamic State militants. "I would have stayed out of Syria," Trump told MSNBC, arguing that the U.S. "has bigger problems than Assad." Trump has argued that it makes no sense for the U.S. to be fighting both Islamic State militants as well as Assad, when Syria and IS are also at war. A broader intervention in Syria, beyond counterterrorist strikes, would be complicated. U.S. and European nations hold Assad's government responsible for far more deaths than IS. There are also several al-Qaida splinter groups operating in Syria and they have various alliances with U.S.-backed rebels. Beyond Russia, Assad is receiving help from Iran and Hezbollah militants. Trump has also advocated working more closely with Russia to take on the Islamic State group.
Pence, who consistently took a much tougher tone toward Russia than Trump during the debate, sought to minimize the differences in interviews Thursday."There's absolute agreement (that) we have to establish safe zones for people to be able to get out of harm's way in Aleppo," he said. "And if you don't back that up with military resources and our allies in the region, then you really can't guarantee that," Pence said later Thursday during an MSNBC interview. "Whether that's ... a no-fly zone or whether you go beyond that with military force, I think that would have to be a real-time decision made by our commander in chief."President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, now the Democratic presidential nominee, urged Assad to step aside early in the uprising in 2011. But the administration put little effort into influencing Assad and has pivoted more toward striking Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.
Trump has said he supports military action against IS, already being conducted by the Obama administration. The clarification was just one of several Pence has been forced to offer in recent days as he seeks to defend a candidate who can come across as imprecise, and has taking numerous, sometimes contradictory positions on a number of issues over the course of the campaign. Pence also insisted Thursday that Trump no longer calls for a "total and complete" ban on foreign Muslims entering the United States, as Trump had proposed last year. "It's not Donald Trump's position now," Pence told CNN, insisting that Trump has made clear "we're going to suspend immigration from countries compromised by terrorism."Trump has yet to personally disavow his original all-Muslim ban and his campaign website still features the proposal.

Syria's White Helmets: 'Heroes' Who Run towards Bombs
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 08/16/Before war broke out they were bakers, decorators or students. Now Syria's volunteer rescuers known as the White Helmets risk their lives trying to pull victims from the rubble. Footage of the daring, often heart-rending rescues carried out by the group's nearly 3,000 volunteers has frequently gone viral, earning it plaudits around the world. Images of the aftermath of bombardments of rebel-held areas almost invariably show White Helmets sprinting into clouds of dust and digging through the debris, often with little more than their bare hands. Among the most famous footage was the July 2014 rescue of Mahmud, a two-month-old dubbed the "miracle baby" after he was pulled from the rubble of a building in battleground second city Aleppo following more than 12 hours of digging. His rescuer Khaled was killed in August in an air strike on the rebel-held east of the city, one of more than 140 White Helmets killed in the war. A painter and decorator, he was an early volunteer for the group, his round face distinguished by his crooked nose and bright eyes.
He was just 31 when he died and left behind a wife and two daughters. "If I die saving lives, I think God would definitely consider me a martyr," he once said. - 'Outstanding bravery' -A more recent video showed a volunteer sobbing as he cradled a four-month-old girl he helped rescue in Idlib province. "We've been working for two hours to get her out from under the rubble and thank God, it turns out she is alive," he said, as the girl, covered in dust, coughed and grabbed his collar. In late September, the group won a Swedish human rights prize often referred to an "alternative Nobel" with the jury hailing their "outstanding bravery, compassion and humanitarian engagement." It was also seen as a contender for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, and while it did not win it attracted support from a slew of celebrities. The group was also the subject of a Netflix short documentary.
The rescue group emerged in 2013, when the civil war that has now killed more than 300,000 people was nearing its third year. It was not until the following year that it took its current form and began to be known as the "White Helmets" for the distinctive hardhats worn by its volunteers. The group's motto -- "To save one life is to save all of humanity" -- is drawn from a verse of the Koran, although the White Helmets insist they treat all victims, regardless of religion. Some of its members have received training abroad, returning home to instruct colleagues on search-and-rescue techniques. It receives funding from a number of governments, including Britain, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, but also solicits individual donations to purchase equipment, including their signature hardhats, which cost $144.64. - 'Real life heroes' -More than five years into the conflict, the organisation now operates some 120 centres in eight provinces in Syria. Its volunteers include 78 women. It operates only in rebel-held areas, saying it is not permitted to work in government-held territory, but insists its volunteers are neutral. "We are independent, neutral and impartial, we are not affiliated to any political or armed group," White Helmet leader Raed Saleh told AFP last month."We are ready to rescue people regardless of their political or religious background."Still, the organisation is not without its critics, mostly backers of President Bashar al-Assad's government. Some accuse it of being a tool of its international donors, governments that largely support the opposition. Others have charged that the group's volunteers include rebel fighters or even jihadists, circulating pictures purportedly showing White Helmets in civilian clothing bearing arms. But elsewhere, the group's members have been hailed as "real life heroes" focused only on saving lives. "We stand for the victims and it is our responsibility and our duty to work for the victims," Saleh said.

Egypt Admonishes US Embassy over Cairo Security Warning
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 08/16/Egypt has criticised an "incomprehensible" US warning to citizens to avoid theatres and malls in Cairo over the weekend because of unspecified security concerns, saying it could damage the country's economy. The alert issued by the US embassy in Cairo on Friday was cited in Canadian and Australian travel warnings, with the British Foreign Office later putting out a message that copied the US warning. Embassy officials declined to comment, and an Egyptian interior ministry official said he was unaware of any specific threat. "The US Embassy strongly advises US citizens to avoid large gatherings and public spaces such as concert halls, movie theatres, museums, shopping malls, and sports venues in Cairo through Sunday, October 9, due to potential security concerns," it said on its website. Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said he "was disturbed" by the warning. "When contacted to clarify the reasons for issuing the security message, the US embassy denied the presence of any particular reasons or security threats that triggered the alert," he said in a statement overnight. He added that the embassy said it was a routine warning over long weekends. The embassy will be closed on Sunday, a workday in Egypt, for Columbus Day. "The Foreign Ministry deplored, during the call (with the US embassy), these unnecessary alerts that can have negative impacts, particularly on the economic front," he said. He called on "all embassies in Cairo to exercise caution when issuing unnecessary or incomprehensible statements". Egypt has been battered by militant attacks since the army toppled the divisive Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The Islamic State group's branch in Egypt has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in attacks, mostly in the restive Sinai Peninsula. It also claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from a Sinai resort last year, killing all 224 people on board.

Top Commander in Yemen's Army Killed
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 08/16/Yemen's army has announced the death of its most senior commander to be killed this year in the country's ongoing civil war. In a statement late on Friday, it said Maj-Gen. Abdul-Rab al-Shadadi was killed while leading an offensive against the Iranian-backed Shiite rebels known as the Houthis east of the capital Sanaa. Three militia commanders fighting alongside the army of the internationally-recognized government were also killed. It says all four were killed when a missile fired by the Houthis struck their position on Friday. A Saudi-led coalition backing the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has been fighting against the Houthis and their allies, including former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's loyalists, since March 2015. The rebels control the capital Sanaa and vast swathes of territory in northern Yemen.

Islamists Beat Morocco Liberals in Morocco Elections
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 08/16/The Islamist party which has headed Morocco's coalition government since Arab Spring-inspired protests five years ago has beaten liberal rivals in parliamentary elections, results showed Saturday. Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane's Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) took 125 seats out of 395, the interior ministry said after all ballots were counted. Its main rival, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which had campaigned against the "Islamisation" of Moroccan society, won 102 seats, the ministry said. Istiqlal, the party which historically fought for independence from France, came third with 45 seats. In any case, the real power will remain in the hands of King Mohammed VI, the scion of a monarchy that has ruled the North African country for 350 years. Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad said that the election was "transparent" and had gone well, rejecting accusations of voter fraud from both sides. The PJD had earlier issued a statement saying it was "very concerned about numerous reports of fraud being carried out by authorities" in favour of the PAM, and called on the interior ministry to "urgently intervene". PAM spokesman Khalid Adennoun declined to comment but said that his party had filed "50 complaints" of voting irregularities, some concerning the PJD in Tangiers. An Islamist candidate was attacked and wounded outside a polling station in Rabat, according to local media.  A video shared on social networks also showed a man stuffing a ballot box, leading the PJD to file a complaint, media reported. Participation was at 43 percent, or roughly 6,750,000 voters, Hassad told a press conference in the capital Rabat. Early turnout had been low in Rabat with many people waiting until after the weekly noon prayers to cast their ballots while others trickled to the polls after office hours. Meriem, a voter in her 40s, said after casting her ballot in central Rabat: "I came to carry out my duty as a citizen. Our Morocco needs a healthy democracy." To make life easier for the illiterate, who make up a third of Morocco's population, the 30 parties in contention were marked on ballot papers with symbols such as a tractor or camel. Scandals -The PJD came to power in 2011, months after massive street protests prompted concessions from the monarchy. A new constitution transferred some of the king's powers to parliament, at a time when autocratic regimes were falling in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. While in government, the PJD passed a controversial reform of the retirement system and followed a relatively liberal economic policy. Its task has been complicated by the unstable world economy and a drought this year that hit Morocco's vital agricultural sector and sent growth plummeting. The party has been weakened by rising unemployment and what critics say is a failure to make good on promises in 2011 to tackle corruption. It has also faced a string of scandals within its ranks including a drugs bust, a land-grab deal and the suspension of two vice presidents found in a "sexual position" on a beach. The opposition PAM, formed in 2008 by a close adviser to the king, had hoped to take advantage in the polls. Headed by Ilyas El Omari, it has poured enormous resources into a campaign criticising the government's economic record as "catastrophic" and pledging to roll back the "Islamisation" of society. Several parties fielded ultra-conservative Salafists, in a sign that Islamists are becoming a feature of Moroccan politics. The PJD and the PAM have ruled out joining forces in a grand coalition. Under the 2011 constitution, the king appoints a prime minister from the biggest party in parliament once the election results have been announced.

Kuwait arrests Egyptian after failed attack on US soldiers
The Associated Press, KuwaitSaturday, 8 October 2016/An Egyptian driving a garbage truck loaded with explosives and ISIS papers rammed into a car carrying five US soldiers in Kuwait on Saturday, injuring only himself in the attack, authorities said. The attempted attack is the first in the stalwart US ally to target American troops in the tiny, oil-rich emirate. The state-run Kuwait News Agency identified the attacker as Ibrahim Sulaiman, born in 1988. KUNA said the five soldiers were not injured. It said Sulaiman had multiple fractures and injuries. It was not immediately clear if the Egyptian had a lawyer. The KUNA report did not offer a location for the failed attack. American forces and others have troops stationed at Kuwait's Camp Arifjan. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US Embassy in Kuwait City had no immediate comment. Kuwait is a solid US ally following the 1991 American-led Gulf War that ended the Iraqi occupation there. The announcement comes ahead of the Shiite commemoration of Ashoura, which marks the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. Shiites and Sunni Muslims largely live in peace in tiny Kuwait. Kuwaiti police have promised increased security ahead of Ashoura. Two Iranians were arrested in recent days for taking "suspicious" photographs ahead of the commemoration. An ISIS-claimed suicide bombing in 2015 targeting a Shiite mosque in Kuwait City killed 27 people and wounded scores. The extremist group, which holds territory in both Iraq and Syria, did not immediately claim the failed assault.

Saudi denies Yemeni funeral bombing
Reuters, Dubai Saturday, 8 October 2016/There was no Arab coalition air role in a strike in Sanaa on Saturday, sources in the Saudi-led coalition said, after authorities in the Yemeni capital reported an air strike by the alliance on mourners killed more than 140 people. "Absolutely no such operation took place at that target," one of the sources said, citing what he described as confirmation from the coalition air force command."The coalition is aware of such reports and is certain that it is possible that other causes of bombing are to be considered. The coalition has in the past avoided such gatherings and (they) never been a subject of targets."

Saudi Arabia: Israel must abide by UN resolutions
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishSaturday, 8 October 2016/Saudi Arabia has said that Palestinians, and people worldwide, have the right to support the right to self-determination during a speech at the United Nations’ Special Political and Decolonization Committee meeting. Saudi Arabia demands Israel to abide the United Nations resolutions. Members of the Gulf Cooperation Countries reaffirm their support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and calls for a timeline ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories,” said Manal Radwan, first secretary at Saudi Arabia’s mission at the UN. On the issue of Western Sahara, Saudi Arabia confirmed support of Morocco’s autonomous region of the Sahara, and supports the position of Morocco. In 2006 the Moroccan Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS) proposed a plan for the autonomy of Western Sahara and made visits to a number of countries to explain and gather support for their proposal.

Pastor Saeed Abedini, Wife Both Announce Divorce on Facebook — 'With a Heavy and Broken Heart'
Hazel Torres/Christian Today/ 07 October 2016
This new "freedom" hurts—quite badly.
Unlike the joy and celebration that accompanied his release from an Iranian prison in January this year, Pastor Saeed Abedini was downcast after announcing another kind of personal "release"—the end of his 12-year marriage with his wife Naghmeh. On Wednesday, Saeed announced on social media that he and his wife are divorcing."My heart is deeply saddened to be sharing the news that Naghmeh and I will be divorcing. She has been my wife of 12 years and she will always be the wonderful mother to our amazing children," Saeed posted on his Facebook page. "There are no words to describe the ongoing effect of the trauma I experienced and my family has experienced both during and in the aftermath of my imprisonment." Naghmeh was actually the first to announce the divorce with a brief message on her Facebook page at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday. She wrote: "It is with a heavy and broken heart that I inform all of you who have prayed and wept with our family the last few years, that Saeed has rejected counseling for anger and abuse and has filed for a divorce. There will be a time to share more fully, but for now, we appreciate your prayers."
Twelve hours later, at around 6 a.m on Wednesday, Saeed made his own announcement of the divorce in a long statement he posted on his Facebook page.
"While we have experienced struggles, she, along with my children will forever be my heroes, both for what they had to deal with during my imprisonment in Iran and for how they never gave up fighting for my freedom," he wrote. "My personal pain, and our family's struggle, does not diminish my commitment to Christ or my resolve to preach his Gospel to Iranians and to Muslims around the world," the Iranian-American pastor stated. Saeed languished in an Iranian prison for more than three years after being arrested in September 2012 on charges of undermining national security by holding private Christian gatherings in private residences in Iran in the early 2000s. A Christian sharing his faith with Muslims is an act considered illegal and worthy of death in Iran, according to CBN News. In January 2013, he was sentenced to eight years in prison where he was reportedly subjected to psychological and physical torture.
Naghmeh relentlessly fought for his release, even speaking before Congress to press the U.S. government to help her husband regain his freedom. Saeed was eventually released from his Iranian cell along with three other American prisoners.
However, his homecoming was bittersweet. Months before his release, Naghmeh revealed to friends and supporters that their marriage was on the rocks. She actually filed a domestic relations case against him shortly after he returned to the U.S., claiming "abuse" in their marriage even before he was imprisoned in Iran, according to The Christian Post. "I do deeply regret that I hid from the public the abuse that I have lived with for most of our marriage and I ask your forgiveness. I sincerely had hoped that this horrible situation Saeed has had to go through would bring about the spiritual change needed in both of us to bring healing to our marriage," Naghmeh wrote in a Facebook post last year. "Tragically, the opposite has occurred. Three months ago Saeed told me things he demanded I must do to promote him in the eyes of the public that I simply could not do any longer. He threatened that if I did not the results would be the end of our marriage and the resulting pain this would bring to our children," she added.

October declared Islamic Heritage Month in Ontario
Christine Williams/Jihad Watch/October 8, 2016
This should be a cause for outrage across Canada, and it is, but that outrage is not widespread enough. Email forwards are already buzzing with disapproval. Why are Muslims getting special treatment above every other religious group? Why is Hinduism not being recognized with a Hindu heritage month? What about Buddhism? Judaism? Christianity? Sikhism? Toaism? Shintoism? Jainism? Cheondoism? Hedonism? Atheism? What makes Islam more special or more foundational to Canada’s heritage than any other religion or belief system?
Party leader Andrea Horwath says it’s an opportunity to celebrate and learn about the history of Islamic culture….Horwath says she also hopes it’s also a step toward eliminating Islamophobia….
No Andrea Horwath. It’s an “opportunity” for you and other shameless, kowtowing, pandering politicians to grab popularity in the Muslim community, especially with the news that a “top Canadian imam” revealed how Muslims helped Trudeau become Prime Minister of Canada, followed by Trudeau praising Muslims for his election win. In Trudeau’s own words:
There are a thousand stories I could share with you about this remarkable campaign, but I want you to think about one in particular. Last week, I met a young mom in St. Catharines, Ontario. She practises the Muslim faith and was wearing a hijab. She made her way through the crowd and handed me her infant daughter, and as she leaned forward, she said something that I will never forget. She said she’s voting for us because she wants to make sure that her little girl has the right to make her own choices in life and that our government will protect those rights.
To her I say this: you and your fellow citizens have chosen a new government.
One important aspect of Trudeau’s comment was his insinuation that only his government will protect the rights of diverse groups. Yet no other visible minority group has been complaining in Canada — or, in fact, in any Western country — about a “phobia” against them. This is not to say that a wariness of Muslims is not developing due to widespread global jihad attacks and calls for violence against Westerners, but to date, there have been no statistics to validate the claim that any Western nation is “Islamophobic.”
According to statistics, Jews remain by far the group most targeted for hate crimes. Yet Jews are not agitating about “Judeophobia,” which would be a more accurate slogan than “Islamophobia.” Horwath – with her “step toward eliminating Islamophobia” gestures, as though Jews did not exist in this hate-crime equation, not to mention her exclusion of other faiths for their own heritage month, as though they were unworthy of recognition.
But the facts do not matter to Andrea Horwath and those who are manipulated by a victimology subterfuge. A former member of the International Institute for Islamic Thought, Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, who has since renounced the group, was present when the word “Islamophobia” was “created.” He stated that it was a “loathsome term” and “nothing more than a thought-terminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down critics.” Muhammad also said that “Islamists decided to emulate the homosexual activists who used the term ‘homophobia’ to silence critics.” Curious that “Islamists” will take a lesson from “homosexual activists” of which the latter is worthy of death in mainstream Islamic States. Recall also the imam who called for the murder of gays out of “compassion,” and did so at a mainstream Islamic center in Orlando, near the site of the gay massacre at the Pulse Nightclub by a jihadist.
A controversial Muslim in Canada has had enough of the contemptuous genuflecting to his community:
Learn about our often bloody history of conquest and enlightenment, including how we Muslims slaughtered our own Prophet Mohammed’s family, right up to modern times when we committed genocides in Bangladesh and Darfur and tried to kill innocent school girls like Malala Yousafzai.
It’s amazing how Canada is providing us Muslims the opportunity to reconcile the crimes and accomplishments of our forefathers, without us having to fear for our lives.
andrea-horwathjpg-jpg-size-custom-crop-877x650
“October declared Islamic Heritage Month in Ontario”, The Globe and Mail, October 6, 2016:
October will now officially be recognized as Islamic Heritage Month in Ontario after the legislature unanimously passed an act Thursday.
It began as an NDP private members’ bill, and party leader Andrea Horwath says it’s an opportunity to celebrate and learn about the history of Islamic culture.
Horwath says she also hopes it’s also a step toward eliminating Islamophobia, noting that in her city of Hamilton, a fire was set at a mosque recently.
Canadian Islamic History Month has been officially recognized federally since 2007.
Farheen Khan, with the International Development and Relief Foundation, joined Horwath at the legislature and says it’s important to profile and highlight the positive contributions of Muslims.
The news comes as Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current and fifth caliph and leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, is slated to be in Toronto on Friday for a three-day Islamic convention….

Iran: protest and workers rallies
Saturday, 08 October 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime’s ailing and sluggish economy has not been able to improve people’s lives even after the nuclear deal and receiving the cash. A fact which can clearly be seen in the spread of protests across different cities in Iran against the regime’s predatory leaders. According to a report on October 6, the petrochemical contract workers in so-called Bandar-e Khomeini, held a protest rally following the head of the industrial unit’s continued refusal to implement the unification scheme. On Wednesday October 5, more than 200 employees of ‘Khalij Fars Mining and Metals Industries’ gathered in front of Hormozgan governor’s place to protest against assigning the main part of the company to the contractor, demanding that the directive be repealed. On Tuesday October 4 as well as Wednesday October 5, Avangan Factory workers in Arak, Markazi province (Central Iran), held a rally in front of the governor’s place in the city to protest against not being paid for the past 22 months. By installing a banner, the workers expressed their protest against the regime’s brokers for not paying 22 months of their salaries, demanding that their salaries and benefits be paid. Also during the past few days, hundreds of ‘Machin Sazi’ contract workers in the same city (Arak) protested against their working conditions. On Wednesday October 5, some of the Telecommunication company employees from across the country held a gathering in front of the parliament. The employees who had headed to Tehran from different locations, protested against non-implementation of the Classification Scheme, demanding that with the implementation of the scheme, equal salary and benefits be considered for both official and non-official employees.

Judiciary of Iran has switched the place of the defendant and the plaintiff
Saturday, 08 October 2016/NCRI - Narges Mohammadi: I believe in the way I pursue and I have no regret about the jobs that I did. The deputy of the Human Rights' Advocates, Narges Mohammadi sent a memo from Evin Prison and stressed that she will tolerate the ordeal of prison but she never believes that serving a day in this prison is legal, ethical and humane for her. The branch 36 of the Appeals Court of Tehran Province confirmed the sentence of Narges Mohammadi to 16 years of imprisonment. Following the confirmation of her sentence by the Appeals Court, the political prisoner, Narges Mohammadi defended her measures and actions and wrote in a letter:" I don’t regret about my beliefs, thoughts, and deeds and I insist on the realization of human rights." This political prisoner, in her letter, asks:" are the social harms, such as addiction, poverty, unemployment and suicide, the product of the human rights' activists or are they the result of government's performance? The government has no boundary in observing the people's privacy. Not only are the individual, civil and political rights of the citizens retained but the government also encroach them and each protest is responded with imprisonment and detainment."The political prisoner, Narges Mohammadi also added in her letter:"Apparently, the Judiciary of Iran has switched the place of the defendant and the plaintiff. The perpetrators of the economic, cultural and social problems are exempted from any interrogations or further inquiries whereas the real victims and critics are sentenced to imprisonment and punishment."

Congressional Resolution Addresses Iran’s 1988 Massacre
NCRI Iran News/Saturday, 08 October 2016/The news regarding the Islamic Republic’s massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners attracted the attention of the national and international media outlets. On October 7, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, an Iranian-American political scientist and Harvard University scholar, and president of the International American Council wrote about the human rights and political activists who are protesting the lack of legal actions taken by the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the United Nations to hold Iranian leaders accountable. They argue that the international community should prevent this crime from being forgotten, and should be the voice of the victims’ families. The Congress resolution is being introduced by the House Homeland Security Chair, Mike McCaul, and cosponsored by Chairman Ed Royce, Ranking Member Eliot Engel, and Rules Committee Chair Rep. Sessions by which the US Congress appears to give hope to the families of victims who were hung, shot and buried in mass graves.
McCaul quotes the late Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, who served as Khomeini’s chief deputy, and who called the 1988 massacre “the greatest crime committed during the Islamic Republic, for which history will condemn us”.
The resolution states, “Condemning the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and calling for justice for the victims. Whereas over a four-month period in 1988, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out the barbaric mass executions of thousands of political prisoners and many unrelated political groups; Whereas according to a report by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, the massacre was carried out pursuant to a fatwa, or religious decree, issued by then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, that targeted the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI), also known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK)”.  The first part of the new resolution highlights the crimes committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, referencing Amnesty International and other credible sources. According to a November 2, 2007 report by Amnesty International, “between 27 July 1988 and the end of that year, thousands of political prisoners [in Iran], including prisoners of conscience, were executed in prisons nationwide.” The executions were ordered by a “Death Committee, consisting of a Judge from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and a government prosecutor. Many of those involved in the massacre currently serve high positions in Iran. Mostafa Pourmohammadi was a representative of the intelligence ministry, and was recently appointed by the so-called moderate president Hassan Rowhani to be Justice Minister. Ebrahim Raeisi was a public prosecutor and is now serving as the head of Astan Quds Razavi, which has billions of dollars in revenues. The executions proceeded very quickly, and some of the victims were teenagers and pregnant women. Prisoners “were executed in groups, some in mass hangings and others by firing squad, with their bodies disposed of in mass graves”. Many, including members of the Baha’i faith, were reportedly brutally tortured. The authorities kept secret the locations of the mass graves.
In the second part, the resolution lays out recommendations to hold the Islamic Republic accountable. “Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress— condemns the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the 1988 massacre, and for denying the evidence of this manifest set of crimes against humanity,” it says, adding that “the Administration and United States allies to publicly condemn the massacre, and pressure the Government of Iran to provide detailed information to the families of the victims about their loved ones and their final resting places”.
Finally, the Congress should urge “the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran and the United Nations Human Rights Council to create a Commission of Inquiry to fully investigate the massacre and to gather evidence and identify the names 15 and roles of specific perpetrators with a view towards bringing them to justice”. According to Dr. Rafizadeh, “other governments and members of the United Nations enact similar resolutions, Iranian leaders will be pressured to provide more information. In addition, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran can play a crucial role, by opening a full investigation to hold those officials accountable.” He says that “if the West truly stands for social justice, liberty and democracy, Iran-West and Iran-US relations should not be primarily anchored in tactical and geopolitical landscapes, but should focus more fundamentally on human rights issues.”

Iran: Bipartisan Support of UK Lawmakers and MEPs
Saturday, 08 October 2016/ NCRI - 45 British law makers and MEPs, issued a statement to support the international movement to obtain justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran, and called for the trial of the perpetrators of this crime against humanity, following is the full text of the statement:
STATEMENT ON IRAN
Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran in 1988 A newly released audio file of Ayatollah Montrazeri, former successor to Khomeini, in 1988, reveals new evidence about the massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners in Iran's prisons in the summer of 1988 including women and children and all political prisoners who supported the opposition movement of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI).  This massacre was carried out following a fatwa by the Supreme Leader Khomeini, who ordered all political prisoners loyal to the PMOI to be immediately executed.
In the new audio recording, Montazeri, comments that “these executions was the biggest crime that has occurred in the Islamic Republic and that the world will not forgive us for this crime”.  Human rights abuses and execution continue today in Iran because of the impunity enjoyed by authorities of the Iranian regime in the past three and half decades. According to survivors' account, those in charge of the massacre go unpunished and are currently appointed in high positions of the lranian government including Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Minister of Justice, and Hossein Ali Nayeri, Head of Administrative Court for the Judges. In their efforts to end these decades-long atrocities, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its President-elect, Mrs Maryam Rajavi, have presented a 10-point plan for future Iran that envisions a democratic, secular republic in Iran with the abolition of death penalty and torture as well as establishing the rule of law and respect for the United Nations Charter. We urge the Government to recognise and condemn this brutal massacre as a crime against humanity and ask the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Human Rights Council, the General Assembly and the Security Council to order an investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. We further urge the Government to back the efforts of Iranian people and the NCRI to make Mrs Rajavi’s 10-point democratic platform a reality in Iran.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 08-09/16

Why Iran is not the next China?
Dr. Naser al-Tamimi/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
Iran is a major power in the Middle East, with a population of over 80 million and strong military capabilities. It is the third largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region after Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, with an estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over $400 billion. Importantly, Iran ranks second in the world in natural gas reserves (behind Russia), fourth in proven crude oil reserves (After Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Canada). Iran is rich with natural resources for growth and the statistics point to a potential bonanza. With 70 percent of the population whom was born after the Iranian revolution in 1979, many are well-educated or skilled workforce, offering a strong foundation for economic growth. Certainly, Iran is expected to be one of the fastest growing economies in the MENA over the next five years with real GDP growth projected at an annual average of 4-4.5 percent. Although the Iranian government is more optimistic as its sixth five-year (2016-2021) development plan envisages an annual economic growth rate of 8 percent. In the broader picture, Iran's "Vision 2025" has a bigger ambition: Becoming the Middle East's top power by the year 2025.
Iran has also set itself an ambitious target: boosting its oil production from 3.8 million barrels a day to 5 million by 2020. However, the country needs $200 billion in foreign investment over the same period to achieve that target. Most estimates suggest that Iran will not produce more than 4.2 by end of the current decade. Despite the rosy picture, Iran remains a minefield for foreign business and investors. Unlocking Iranian economy’s growth potential will require serious and deep reforms. The World Bank projects that Iran’s exports of oil and oil products could increase from 1.27 (mb / d) in 2014 to 2.53 (mb / d) by 2020. As for gas, Iran is set to be the largest driver of gas production gains in (MENA) region in 2015-2021, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) expecting an annual output to rise by 29 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas to 199 (bcm). That said, domestic demand is set to rise by 26 (bcm) to 195 (bcm), so it’s not a game changer in short and medium term.
Iran has huge potential across almost all sectors, particularly automobile, petrochemicals and consumer goods. The country has the second-largest petrochemicals industry in MENA region after Saudi Arabia and has the ambition to double its production capacity to 120 million tonnes by 2025. On top of this, Iran is looking to significantly increase production of aluminium, steel, and copper within the next decade as it possesses 7 percent of the world’s total mineral reserves and already has the largest mining industry in the region.
The automobile sector, Iran’s second largest sector after energy, has strong potential to make the country a regional hub for export to neighbouring states as Tehran is optimistically hoping to triple its current production to 3 million vehicles by 2025. Above all, Iran benefits from its strategic geographical location, the country has potential to develop into a key transit point for East-West trade. However, all transport infrastructures are in need of modernization. The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index for 2016 places Iran at 96 globally out of 160 countries. Some estimates indicate that Iran’s infrastructure investment needs are at staggering $1 trillion over the next decade.
Not the next China
Despite the rosy picture, Iran remains a minefield for foreign business and investors. Unlocking Iranian economy’s growth potential will require serious and deep reforms. Central in these efforts according to the IMF “will be promoting the private sector, attracting foreign investment, reducing the cost of doing business, and enhancing transparency and governance.” However, under the prevailing political developments in Iran, sectarian tensions in the region and the fears of neighboring countries of Tehran’s intentions; the theory of “Iran is the next China” will be difficult to materialize in medium term for the following reasons:
1. Economic Growth: Although China’s policy of opening up to the outside world in 1979 coincided with Iranian revolution, but the difference in growth rates between the two countries was very wide. China has managed to achieve an average growth of almost 10 percent between 1980 and 2015, while Iran’s economy grew by only 2.5 percent for the same period. Looking forward, even with the slowdown in Chinese economy, the country is expected to record growth rates in the range of 6 percent in the medium term (2016-2021), comparing with 4-4.5 percent for Iran. Interestingly, Chinese economy in 1980 was equivalent to around 3-fold the Iranian GDP (market value), but the gap widen significantly in 2015 to more than 29-fold. Iran’s per capita income was higher more 8-fold than per capita income in China in 1980. Last year, China’s per capita income was double than the Iranian one according to the latest IMF data. Importantly, Iran still dependent on the energy sector, relying on 80 percent of its export’s revenues on oil sales, and most of its trade conduct with Asia. While China’s exports are more diverse, and neighbouring countries are heavily dependent on the performance of its economy.
2. Foreign Policy: Since the 1970s Chinese leaders have realized that without improving their country relations with neighbouring and western states, it will be difficult to achieve high rates of economic growth. The Chinese famous leader Deng Xiaoping's 24-character strategy: "keep focused on domestic economic growth, stresses the importance of keeping a low profile on the world stage and do not challenge western countries" dominated China’s foreign policy for more than three decades. In Iran the opposite has been evolving or as Henry Kissinger once said that Iran has to decide “whether it is a nation or a cause.” Until then, most the Iranian potential will remain untapped.
3. The domestic politics: When China launched its reforms in 1979; there was a broad consensus among the Communist Party leaders that without economic openness, and improving relations with the West the regime could collapse. Iran has several competing power centres; although the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the true centre of power in the country. Judging him by his recent speeches, one can say that he is maintaining an uncompromising approach towards social/political reforms and the United States. While the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which has substantial business interests comprise around 30-40 percent of the overall Iranian economy will make sure that any reforms will not seriously threaten its stakes. This situation will for sure conspire against achieving very high rates economic growth rates, as it was the case in China.
4. Demographic Shifts and diverse population: Although China has concerns about separatist movements in Tibet and the Muslim region of Xinjiang, but currently they do not represent a serious threat. Importantly, Han Chinese constitutes almost 92 percent of China’s total population. The demographic picture in Iran is quite different. According to the CIA World Factbook Iran’s population reached 82.8 million in July 2016. Persians comprise over 60 percent of the total, with the minorities (Azeris, Kurds, Arab, and others) accounting for nearly 40 percent. A recent analysis of Stratfor noted that Iran is taking hits from minority groups throughout its borderlands. Although Iranian security apparatus still have upper hand, but the question is if Iran will be able to keep the lids on in the longer term. Indeed, there is growing attractiveness of Persian nationalism, and this trend is expected to rise as the regime's ideological appeal weakens. Should this happen, it may increase the sectarian divisions and have serious repercussions in Iran. In parallel with the complex demographic picture, youthful population is another potential risk to political stability. According to UN statistics, around 40 percent of Iran’s population were younger than 25 years in 2015. The official unemployment rate was above 12 percent last year, but unofficial estimates put it closer to 20 percent, with youth unemployment likely to be even higher.
All in all, if the nuclear deal between Iran and the great powers survives against the odds, there is no doubt that the Iranian economy will get bigger and could double within a decade. However, it is unlikely under the current circumstances that Iran will become a regional superpower or the next China by 2025.

The tough challenge posed by new media platforms
Diana Moukalled/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
We cannot even anticipate where this collective passion in the world of social media will lead us to. We are almost fully immersed in these platforms – either in terms of friendships, personal relations or finding out about developments across the world. What’s certain is that these new platforms have not yet become stable. It’s clear that our lives are moving at a faster pace in a greater momentum. We’ve found ourselves captives of that mysterious need which mobilizes us to be active on these platforms and to display our lives and opinions through them. This epidemic has defeated us and we’ve become captives to the need to be in direct touch with everything that happens to us and with developments across the world. sformation almost affects everything including journalism and the media. Those who work in this field are sometimes worried as we observe the transformations taking the world by storm and which everyone is rushing to keep up with in a random or tiresome manner sometimes. Social media succeeded at granting people a voice but, in many cases, it turned into a negative voice that’s full of hatred and seclusion.
The tools of publishing media and journalistic content have changed. Everyone’s major concern now is how to harmonize between journalistic work and the nature of modern platforms, particularly social media, which is somehow our way of formulating our relations with what is happening around us. This has somehow led to a lack of centralized information. What we have witnessed in the Arab world on several occasions in the Arab region are not all negative. Yes, in the beginning of the revolutions, social media helped spread awareness and mobilize people; however, its success was soon undermined.
Emotional reactions and populist demagogic speeches have dominated these platforms. This is in addition to monitoring of people’s activities and pursuing them or prohibiting these social media websites altogether. Social media succeeded at granting people a voice but, in many cases, it turned into a negative voice that’s full of hatred and seclusion.
The written word
When it comes to social media, we’ve witnessed what resembles the death of the written word in favor of a bigger role for videos and photos. Everyone seems to prefer brief ideas over long and thorough discussions. However, no development whatsoever can deprive journalism of its basic role. Every time a new technological innovation emerges, the media changes and this change is accompanied by the fear that it will replace the technology which preceded it. Those who worked in newspapers fear the development of the radio, and those who worked in the radio fear the development of television. And all of the former are confused and worried about the internet. However, all these tools ended up co-existing and they even cooperated to present news stories in different ways. There is no reason to think that the media’s modern tools will not be part of this model. What’s certain is that the way news is consumed changes but its content and the basics of a journalistic story remain unchanged. Smart media is the one which is not only capable of using these new tools to expand and reach a wider audience but which is also capable of trying out new ways to present news and feature stories. On the level of Arab countries, the challenge is tougher considering the strong relations between investment and authorities. Therefore, the talk of a competitive market that harmonizes between the story’s capability to create an influence and new tools is still in its nascent stage and there are many obstacles facing it. Therefore, instead of becoming a source for new opportunities, developments in the field of media and technology have heightened the confusion in the ranks of the Arab media.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Oct. 03, 2016.

Obama’s doctrine of passivity
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
Once again, the Obama administration displayed its utter impotence in dealing with Russia’s savage war against the Syrian city of Aleppo, and was forced finally to muster enough indignation – after repeated public humiliations from Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov- to suspend its “participation in bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain the Cessation of Hostilities” in Syria. It took a year of Russian military rampaging, accompanied by open deception and promises never meant to be honored, for President Obama and his team to come close but not close enough to consider Russia part of the problem and not part of the solution. This decision was made on Monday. But by Wednesday the diplomatic itch has overtaken the peripatetic Secretary of State John Kerry, who dialed his partner Lavrov on the other side of darkness to discuss Syria for the umpteenth time.
“Engagement remains,” intoned the spokesperson of the State Department trying to spin a sophist interpretation: the bilateral engagement regarding Syria, “doesn’t preclude the Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Lavrov from talking.” What remains also at the State Department and the White House is an abundance of illusions, wishful thinking and denial of hard realities. In the meantime, death was hovering over Aleppo, claiming in two weeks more than 400 people, including at least one hundred children. One can see that Aleppo will continue to burn, while the words will continue to gush from President Obama and his two old Senate colleagues, with no discernible effect on what is happening in the real cruel world. By mid-week, the plumbers at certain government agencies were given the mission of leaking to the media that the Principals Committee, and later the Deputies Committee representing the State Department, the CIA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met to discuss military options including strikes against the forces of the Syrian regime to punish it, and to force it to sue for peace. The leaks were laughable and insulting at the same time, because even the supporters of punitive strikes against the forces of the Syrian tyrant, were quick to assert that President Obama remained an immovable object on the issue of striking the Syrian regime. When a Russian military spokesperson warned US military planners that they should “carefully consider the possible consequences” of such an attack, the State Department responded meekly that such Russian threats “are not helpful”, and reiterated along with the White House that the US is not seeking to escalate militarily in Syria. But, seriously who would take these leaks at face value? How many times in the last 5 years we heard this nauseating refrain that the Obama Administration is considering military options in Syria?
The abandonment of Syria
The blunt truth is that President Obama who declared at the beginning of the conflict that Syria is “somebody else’s civil war” and who may say now words to the effect that “I don’t own Syria” will not do anything significant to save Aleppo, particularly if it requires the use of force, even though, he knows that Syria will tarnish his legacy. Four months from now, when Obama leaves the White House, the American abandonment of Syria will be complete, probably with him watching stoically the fall of Aleppo, while denying any moral or political responsibility. The passivity of the Obama Administration, and its refusal to give President Assad his well-deserved comeuppance, and the reluctance to deter Iran’s ambitions in Iraq and Lebanon, and finally, the overall “political and financial” approach to the brazen Russian occupation of Crimea, all have combined to create the impression that the Obama Administration is weak and feeble. And President Obama, has no one else to blame but himself. In dealing with states ruled by unscrupulous autocrats, populists and strongmen, Machiavelli’s dictum that “it is much safer to be feared than loved” should be headed, if the President is to be treated with respect and not held in contempt.
In many parts of the world, but definitely in Russia and the Middle East President Obama is seen as the man who can talk the talk, but not walk the walk. He failed his first test with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the issue of building settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. Netanyahu, decided to bid Obama farewell, by announcing the building of new settlements after securing $38 Billion in US military aid over 10 years. He failed the test of checking and blunting the corrosive and dangerous sectarian policies that former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki pursued with tragic consequences for Iraqis and Americans. He spectacularly failed the test of standing up to the tinhorn dictator in Damascus, with devastating consequences, first and foremost to millions of Syrians, the peoples of the neighboring states and the faraway European societies. So much for Syria, being “somebody else’s civil war”.
Words, words, words
Senators are talkers; and the legislative process is radically different from the executive process. The three most senior positions in this Administration are occupied by former senators. Between them, Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary Kerry have 60 years of service in the Senate. President Obama did not even finish his first term. But the three of them act sometimes as if words are synonymous with actions. Words are always gushing from them, and there is nothing that cannot be explained, justified or obfuscated by words. President Obama can deliver a speech about the concept of Responsibility to Protect (RtP) innocent civilians from genocide and war crimes, but can argue and litigate for an eternity to justify not helping the civilians of Syria by asking for absolute (unattainable) guarantees from his aides that there will be no adverse consequences. He used similar arguments to deny the people of Ukraine American arms for self-defense. A wise ruler of a great power should be deliberate and cautious, but Obama’s caution leads to immobility. The fear of adverse consequences was used to justify not punishing Assad’s regime, (for fear of Iran’s reaction “in the form of IED’s” against American personnel, military and civilians deployed in Iraq). When the Iranian Navy captured ten American sailors who lost their way in the Gulf and entered Iranian territorial waters, the sailors were treated as prisoners of war; they were filmed (illegally) and humiliated publicly. The White House did not denounce the treatment publically, and Secretary of State Kerry spoke with his counterpart Javad Zarif to secure their release. A senior official in the Administration then, lamented to me that President Obama did not realize what the humiliating footage (and Iran avoiding the consequences) would do to the reputation of the US in countries like North Korea and China.
Russia’s week in Washington
By the end of the week, Secretary Kerry, who spent a year chasing and courting the Russians for cooperation in Syria, finally saw the light and accused Russia and Syria of committing war crimes because of their deliberate bombing of hospitals, and killing of women and children. But one may be excused to doubt the resolve of this administration to carry out such a threat until its logical conclusion. One wonders if Kerry was aware of his ironic position when he was denouncing the savagery of Russia’s Air Force, the same Air Force that he was willing to cooperate with against another set of enemies.
This was in a way Russia’s week in Washington. On Friday, America’s Intelligence agencies took the unprecedented decision of directly accusing Russia of hacking the computer systems of American organizations, institutions and individuals to interfere in the upcoming US elections, as was evident from leaking emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee and other entities. It took the Obama Administration four months to point the finger to Russia. The initial reaction from the Administration confirms the reluctance of the White House to extract a price from Russia for going where no other government had dared to go in the past, to influence American elections. Russia’s contempt for the Obama Administration is based in part on their analysis of Obama’s Modus Operandi, and it was also on full display this week. Russian officials in Moscow and at their embassy in Washington were poking fun at American officials, while they were engaged in peddling wild accusations against the US such as claiming that the American Air Force bombed Syrian soldiers intentionally few weeks ago in Eastern Syria, when the US vehemently denied that and admitted to a mistake. The eagerness of the Obama Administration, particularly Secretary Kerry to accommodate Russia in Syria, and avoid challenging Moscow’s destructive policies in the Ukraine has raised a lot of eyebrows among American observers and officials in friendly countries. Secretary Kerry became a frequent flyer to Moscow where he appeared at times as if he will pitch a tent at the Kremlin; he flew many times to Geneva to pursue the implementation of the cessation of hostilities and diplomatic progress in Syria, even though his Russian interlocutor rarely kept his word. I heard disparaging words about Kerry “who has diminished this building” from career diplomats at State.
Looking ahead at the next four months, one can see that Aleppo will continue to burn, while the words will continue to gush from President Obama and his two old Senate colleagues, with no discernible effect on what is happening in the real cruel world.

No Nobel for the noble: Should the White Helmets have won the Nobel Peace Prize?
Peter Harrison/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
On Friday the Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize – this was despite losing a referendum in which his fellow countrymen and women voted against an agreement with Marxist rebels that would ultimately have ended 52 years of civil war. Another contender for the prize this year was the Syria Civil Defense, who risk life and limb on a daily basis as they run toward the bombs to pull people from the rubble after Russian and Syrian attacks. This group of volunteers is better known as the White Helmets – an unarmed group of people who have remained in the war ravaged villages, towns and cities dotted across Syria with the sole purpose of saving lives. They were established in 2013 with a mere 25 volunteers – in the three years since, their numbers have grown to nearly 3,000. It’s thought that at least 130 White Helmets have been killed in the course of saving 60,000 lives. Putin and Assad call them terrorists. On the day this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner was announced another White Helmet volunteer was killed as he responded to a bombing raid in south Syria. The prize the White Helmets would cherish the most is for the bombs to stop falling, for the children to stop dying and I guess for them to be able to return to some kind of normality where they no longer have to be heroes. These are not trained rescue service personnel who joined up in peace times – they hail from all walks of life, including tailors, bakers, builders and teachers – they have trained since the war began – but no amount of training can prepare anyone for a falling bomb. The work of these men and women is well documented – including the moment Abu-Kifah broke down in tears after pulling a new born baby from the rubble after a bomb raid last week in Idlib. But they don’t receive a living wage, just a small amount of money that barely pays for the basics. The White Helmets chief Raed Saleh told reporters on Friday that his group had been hoping to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Real life super hero
But rather than griping about the decision to award it to Santos, Saleh instead congratulated the president and wished the Colombians a peaceful future. A truly humble response I say, from a real life superhero among many. “For us, saving a life remains the most important prize that we could receive,” Saleh said. “This success makes us richer than any other prize,” he added. In a recent interview with the UK daily The Guardian, Saleh recalled an occasion in 2013, not long after he’d joined the team – they arrived at a bombsite in Darkoush, north west Syria where at least 112 people were killed.“The smell of burnt bodies was everywhere and the first responders felt like they were helpless,” he remembered. “We rescued just two or three people, and it was depressing.”These people are surely the true heroes, they run toward danger not knowing if this will be their last journey. Their drive is to save at least one life, even if they lose their own in the process. They are not obviously deterred by the horrific scenes they must be confronted by each time they respond to another blast. I have encountered many people who could fall under the category of brave, or heroes, but none so courageous as the White Helmets. They could have decided to flee the warzones in a bid to make a better life. But instead decided to stay, to fight, without taking up arms, by pulling children from the rubble as strangers in the sky above them drop even more bombs. So should we be surprised, outraged or upset at the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Santos? Possibly not - it is without a doubt a great achievement by Santos to have finally reached a resolution with the Marxists after more than half a century of war as he did, even if the nation’s people do not support the idea. And I guess the prize the White Helmets would cherish the most is for the bombs to stop falling, for the children to stop dying and I guess for them to be able to return to some kind of normality where they no longer have to be heroes. Their work will be done when the fighting stops.

Following JASTA, what do we want from the United States?
Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/October 08/16
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), passed by the US Congress by a majority, has raised questions over the future of the US-Saudi relations after decades of strong partnership between the two countries. This partnership has led to Riyadh becoming one of the most important capitals for Washington DC, not only because of its economic weight due to oil but also due to the important role played by Saudi Arabia in the region’s stability and in countering terrorist organizations. The present American administration has ruled for almost eight years. Obama has his own vision for the Middle East region and for American foreign affairs. The main outline of this vision is withdrawing from regional conflicts and refraining from engaging the US in new wars. Obama made this policy clear in the beginning of his presidential campaign but a lot of Arab political analysts did not take it seriously and considered it as just election promises. However, Obama started implementing his vision, specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan and tried to reduce the US military losses. He applied alternative policies such as creating local military organizations manned by people of these countries or by using drones to target al-Qaeda and Taliban. I do not aim to evaluate Obama’s policy in a positive or negative manner in this article. Obama has followed this policy even after the so-called Arab Springs that emerged in 2011. It was Obama’s policy that compelled him not to interfere in the on-going war in Syria and made him offer limited support to the Syrian armed opposition, thus only targeting ISIS targets. The confusion that has spread within the Arab public and the political elites is a result of excessive focus on Obama’s personality without trying to understand his vision in order to deal with it. Obama’s policy in the Middle East was considered by its opponents as a regression and a weakening of Washington’s power in this vital region. Despite all this, Obama ignored criticism and continued to implement his vision. Arab writers became very critical of President Obama to the extent of becoming sarcastic and sometimes even using racist expressions.
Public opinion
The confusion that has spread within the Arab public and the political elites is a result of excessive focus on Obama’s personality without trying to understand his vision in order to deal with it. During the eight years of Obama administration, we did not make any effort as Arabs to engage in a serious dialogue with the American administration. We also failed to convince them of our point of view. We did not even work on building a network of efficient relations with American politicians, businessmen and media leaders knowing that this network is essential to any country that wants its voice to be heard in Washington DC. It is important to remember that Obama, whom we dubbed as weak, vetoed the JASTA. He maintained that it will harm the US interests and consequently refused to sign it. In other words, he stood by Saudi Arabia in the face of this law even when members of the Democratic Party voted in its favor.
American politicians, with President Obama being one of them, are mandated to work for the interests of the United States and not for other countries even if they happen to be strategic allies such as Israel. That’s why, we must not expect from them to give preference to Arab or Saudi interests over their own interests. Continuing to express our outrage against Washington is neither relevant to politics nor to diplomacy. Instead it results from our weakness and inability to find solutions as well as a narrow political vision. What we really need, is to work on establishing a smart and effective diplomacy that can communicate with the different international actors; a diplomacy that does not have a short-sighted vision. Such an approach would present strong elements on which it can rely away from the whims of a few who might wish that Riyadh will interrupt its relations with Washington or enter into a cold war. The first question that we should answer is the following: what do we want from the United States and what kind of relation we should aim for in the future between the two countries?
**This article was first published on Al Riyadh on September 23, 2016.
 

The game with Hamas has changed
Yoav Zitun/Ynetnews/October 08/16/Analysis:

Hamas high value targets were hit following the rocket attack on the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Wednesday; hit with heavy, precision munitions, these attacks represent a change in IDF policy—immediately hit Hamas hard and fast after any rocket attack. When the IDF hit high value targets in the Gaza Strip following a rocket attack on Sderot Wednesday, Israel was continuing its strategic policy as laid out by new Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman—hit Hamas targets along the border with tanks as quickly as possible after a rocket attack (sometimes less than a minute later), while managing to bomb quality Hamas targets from the air within hours.
This is different than the former policy, where by the IDF would wait until nightfall to carry out its retaliatory attack, causing little damage. Even then, most of the attacks were on missile launch sites, sites which were dismantled anyway by the time the jets came to hit them.
By contrast, on Wednesday the Israeli Air Force hit Hamas targets with heavy bombs all throughout the afternoon. The airstrikes were exact, surgical, massive, and destroyed Hamas offensive strategic capabilities—capabilities that Hamas has been preparing since the end of the last war in preparation for the next one. The IDF is currently evaluating the results of Wednesday's attacks on Gaza. The air force hit targets including warehouses used for storing weapons equipment stores used by Hamas naval commandos.
These targets were identified months ago through the joint efforts of the Shin Bet and Israeli Military Intelligence. Destruction of these targets was enabled as a result of the "window of opportunity" provided by the rocket launch from Gaza, and due to the IDF's newer, harsher policies regarding keeping Hamas from building up its offensive attack capabilities.
According to Israeli security assessments, Hamas is not interested in an escalation of violence, as it is fighting against the Salafi Jihadist organizations in the Strip, which are trying to undermine Hamas's power. Israel is also uninterested in an escalation, despite the large scale of recent attacks. In fact, Israel wants to mitigate any chance of an escalation, especially in light of the High Holy Days, during which huge numbers of Israelis travel to the south of the country.
As such, it seems that the IDF isn’t focusing its military efforts on small terror cells that launch rockets of their own accord, thereby leaving these terror cells more or less intact. This despite the fact that Sderot has been hit four times since the end of Operation Protective Edge.
However, according to IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, the IDF's number one target is uncovering and destroying the Hamas "terror tunnels" that cross into Israel. Hamas allocates the majority of its budget to the construction of these tunnels. IDF efforts to mitigate the threat posed by them can be seen with new technology currently being developed and used to locate these tunnels, along with the continuing efforts of Israeli intelligence to locate and destroy these underground threats. All this notwithstanding, though, the IDF's new method of hitting high quality Hamas targets in real time may bring about a new threat: namely, that the Hamas military wing might start a new war sooner rather than later.
 

Interview with Majid Oukacha
Grégoire Canlorbe/Gatestone Institute/October 08/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9059/majid-oukacha

What I care about more than anything else is freedom of thought. It is criminalized by the Koran.
My goal is to warn the French people. The day when France will be a Muslim country, it will be almost impossible to back out.... Wherever there is Islam, there are only conflicts of cultures, women who feel guilty for being attractive and who are infantilized and abused; and above all, a continual extinction of creativity and imagination.
A majority of French Muslims may well declare themselves peaceful, but Islam is the cultural common denominator of all the Frenchmen who have told me that the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists murdered during the massacre of January 7, 2015, "had it coming to them."
I prefer the individualism of intellectual ideals and moral values ​​of modern Western civilization to the Islamic "big-brotherian" system that criminalizes liberties.
No matter what the Muslims of France—torn between the Western cultural codes and the Koran—say, the majority of Muslims feel closer to an Islamist Muslim who wants to stick to the letter of the laws of the Koran than they do to a non-Muslim who ignores the Koran.
France, and other countries in the West, are increasingly the victim of a cruel twist of irony in which their own founding values and principles are turned​ against them.
The French politicians who currently govern us have no interest in recognizing or solving these rifts.
I have no desire to make political compromises with Islamist politicians who worship a pro-slavery and misogynist book that criminalizes freedom of belief.
Majid Oukacha is a young French essayist who was born and grew up in a France which he recognizes less every year. "A former Muslim but an eternal patriot," as he sometimes likes to describe himself, he is the author of Il était une foi, l'islam... (literally "Once upon a time Islam...", the French title of a book soon to be released in English under a different title), a systematic critique, without value judgments, of the most inconsistent and imprecise Koranic laws.
Majid Oukacha (Image source: Video screenshot from "The Fred Connection")
Grégoire Canlorbe: Could you start by reminding us of the circumstances and motives of your abandoning Islam — and of your decision to take up your pen to unravel your former religion for the public at large?
Majid Oukacha: Like all Frenchmen who were born and grew up in France in the late twentieth century, I am fortunate to belong to a peaceful nation that allowed me to enjoy rights and freedoms for which I never personally had to fight. My parents, French citizens of Algerian origin and Muslim persuasion, provided me with a religious education, which destined me to remain a devout Muslim. They also gave me a civic, social and ethical education based on respect for France and its values, as embodied in its motto, "liberty, equality, fraternity."
I started going to the mosque at the age of eight. The first imam who taught me, and who came from a foreign country, had a perfect French accent, a big, cheerful smile, and he was careful never to give orders to his students outside the walls of the mosque. The courses I took quickly led me to see that what I thought was a blessing — to be born into a faith able to save me from Hell, which, according to the Koran, spares only Muslims — would also become a permanent burden.
When one is a Muslim, every trivial action of daily life is codified, from how to drink a glass of water upon waking to how to go to bed. I submitted to Allah to avoid the torments of His wrath in the afterlife; I obeyed codified rituals that sometimes seemed a waste of time or a nonsense. My non-Muslim friends were accustomed to hearing me tell them I had to interrupt a game of football or cards to go to the mosque. There, I essentially learned to do the salat, the Muslim five-times-a-day prayers, as well as the bottomless pit of behavioral codes established as virtues by the romanticized figure of the prophet Muhammad.
In the middle of the uniform flock — blindly imitating a distant spectrum imposing its obligations and prohibitions — I was not afraid to ask "hard" questions.
"Why in Koranic law about the need to cut off the hand of thief (Surah 5, verse 38), does Allah not say which hand is to be cut off (the right one or the left one)? Why does He specify no minimum value for the theft from which the hand of a thief can be cut off? Stealing an apple for the first time in one's life, does it really deserve to have a hand severed? And why does Allah not say the minimum age of a thief who must have a hand cut off? Should a 12-year-old who has never stolen before really be held as responsible as a 40-year-old repeat offender?"
"Why should one walk seven circles around the Black Stone during the Hajj and not six or eight? What will happen if I walk around it eight times?"
"The Prophet Muhammad explains in his Sunnah that a woman, a black dog or a donkey passing in front of a praying Muslim can cancel his prayer; but, as usual in the Sunnah, Muhammad merely advances a judgment without explaining why it should be that way. To someone who does not believe in Islam, such a statement sounds like a superstition. Why not give the intellectual journey linked to it, instead of just a dogmatic sentence? If it is Allah Himself who gave him this knowledge, why didn't the Hadith that mentions this prophetic story become a verse of the Koran? The Koran is supposed to represent the messages of Allah which the prophet Muhammad passes on to his contemporaries to inform them about what their creator expects of them. If a woman passes one kilometer from someone who is praying, is the prayer canceled then? What is the maximum distance from which a prayer is cancelled altogether?"
The logical "domino effect" of these questions is only a small part of the many thoughts that can, and should, keep one's mind alert — far from the corset of indoctrination that is closed to doubt. I never heard satisfying answers to the limits of this juridical Islam to which I had always pledged allegiance, so I decided to seek them directly from Allah himself. Just before entering university, I tried to understand Islam with an unbiased look, rather than to learn it as an unquestioning believer.
I had decided to read the entire Koran, from the first to the last sentence, and to register impressions, doubts, and questions in a notebook. Reading the Koran that way not only forced me to have to admit that almost all Islamic laws and dogmas had no scientific or rational basis, but it also highlighted that Islam, under its founder, was a misogynistic religion, preaching slavery, and an enemy of freedom of thought. I had fallen. My trust in what was both obvious and intangible had deceived me all this time. It is the libertarian and egalitarian values ​​of secular and humanist France — which I have learned to love and respect — which gave me the strength to refuse to give in to the fear of blackmail in the form of eternal Hellfire.
Leaving Islam confirmed my longtime fear that one day I would witness the French people lose all these freedoms and this lifestyle that make France a beloved and envied country throughout the world. All revolutions do not necessarily begin or end in a bloodbath. In a democracy, the majority has the power to make or break a revolution, away from anarchy and war. The day an Islamic majority in France will vote for a president and parliamentarians able to define for all of us what separates right from wrong, good from evil and fair from unfair, what choices then will remain for us?
You cannot flee from problems indefinitely. You have to fight them at one time or another. I need to convince the maximum of my contemporaries that Islam is a threat to our individual rights and freedoms, and I choose to fight using words, because communication (through writing, speech) is the weapon that gives me my strength. I am, as far as I know, the only author who has made a comprehensive critical study of the principal legal and doctrinal aspects of Islam, by addressing the technical inaccuracies of the laws but without ever stating any moral or value judgment. I have no taboos so I dealt with explosive topics: slavery, pedophilia, criminalization of freedom of conscience... I think this is the most effective method to demonstrate to the widest possible audience the obscurantism and danger of Islam: a universal legislation that cannot coexist with difference.
Grégoire Canlorbe: This objective look at the technical limitations of Koranic laws seems rare. Is it possible to do the same work with religious books from Christianity or Judaism?
Majid Oukacha: For Muslims, every sentence in the Koran is meant to be a tale whose author is Allah Himself, the creator of the world, and who is an omnipotent, omniscient and perfect God. This God proclaims many draconian universal laws that are not limited by place or time.
This base makes analyzing the Koran far simpler than analyzing some of the sacred texts of Judaism or Christianity. The Talmud cites original narratives and interpretations thought by humans. It is up to today's Jews to decide whether to adhere to these passages or to question them. We can say the same of the New Testament, which is dear to Christians.
Today, the countries where one lives best, if one is a woman or a free thinker, are precisely the countries with Christian and Jewish roots: France, the United States of America, Israel, Australia, England... These countries defend the individual freedoms of the weakest and the most varied people more than any Muslim country in the world has ever done. If a Muslim wants to criticize a misogynistic passage from the Bible or the Torah for example, good for him!
I judge a tree by its fruit. To me, the critique of Christianity or Judaism will never be anything other than an intellectual hobby. The critique of Islam, however, is a political responsibility because this "tree of knowledge" seems to produce chaos wherever it takes root. In France, wherever Christianity and Judaism are the dominant cultural force, women can walk around more peacefully than elsewhere and free-thinkers like me can disbelieve freely. Have you ever heard of a former Christian or Jew in the 21st century who must live hidden away because he criticized his former religion?
Grégoire Canlorbe: You insist on reminding everyone that the demographic Islamization of the French people is rampant, and that the ability of Muslims one day to constitute the majority of voters exposes France to the risk of Islamization. Yet the majority of Muslims living there today seem to practice their religion in a moderate, tolerant and peaceful way.
Majid Oukacha: If you take French Muslims one by one and interview them in the eye of a camera, the overwhelming majority of them will honor the slogans that promote human rights. They will talk about freedom, equality and peace. A majority of French Muslims may well declare themselves peaceful, but Islam remains the cultural common denominator of all the Frenchmen who have told me that the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists murdered during the massacre of January 7, 2015, "had it coming to them."
Another topic: verse 34 of Surah 4 of the Koran allows men to beat their wives — from whom they actually fear disobedience. Generally, when I talk with a Muslim who tells me that, according to the Koran, women are beings not inferior to men, I ask the following question: "Does Verse 34 of Surah 4 of the Koran forbid or allow to hit a disobedient wife?" As far as I can remember, no Muslim has ever answered me that this verse forbids Muslims to hit a disobedient wife. What I get are attempts to minimize or hide the significance of this act.
I cannot even count the number of Muslims who have told me that Muslim husbands should beat their disobedient wives softly or hit them with a small wooden stick such as a miswak (a teeth-cleaning twig). French law forbids hitting a "disobedient" wife — period. Hitting a "disobedient" wife "gently" is still hitting and humiliating her.
No matter what the Muslims of France — torn between the Western cultural codes and the Koran — say, the majority of Muslims feel closer to an Islamist Muslim who wants to stick to the letter of the laws of the Koran than they do to a non-Muslim who ignores the Koran. There are speeches, and there are facts. When a Muslim country is ruled by an Islamist, no popular revolution overthrows him in favor of a head of state who supports human rights. The Islamist Mohamed Morsi was the victim of a military coup-d'état, not of a popular overthrow. When popular revolutions happen in the Muslim world, they dismiss Westernized dictators, such as Libya's Muammar Gaddafi or Tunisia's Ben Ali.
Peace is not verified by claims; it is verified by deeds. The worst places to live in the world when one is an atheist or a woman are precisely the countries where Islam is the dominant cultural force. Muslim societies turn out to be authoritarian and coercive because of the divine character that Muslims attribute to the Koran, which is basically pro-slavery, misogynistic and freedom-destroying.
Grégoire Canlorbe: When it comes to elaborating on the creeping Islamization of laws and mores in French democracy, what do you see as the symptoms of Islamic domination in the first place?
Majid Oukacha: Far from the political speeches, you just have to listen to people describe problems that did not exist in France only 50 years ago but have become increasingly recurrent. Most local officials who court the votes of Muslims in local elections have been violating the principle of the total separation of religion from state, laïcité, which in France is still the cement of the stability pact among citizens of differing cultures. Mosques are showing up everywhere, all too often thanks to the taxpayers of France. The Christmas tree that used to stand in the kindergarten of my childhood has today become an offense to the religious faith of certain people. I will let you guess who they are.
Also today, French Christians, atheists or agnostics who eat or drink in the street during Ramadan can be confronted — sometimes violently — for allegedly showing disrespect to Muslims, by daring to consume a sandwich or a drink in a public place in broad daylight. Muslims who pretend to be pacifists and republicans should first cleanse their own ranks, at least by daring to admit that some problems almost systemically come from people claiming the same religious affiliation as them. I have never heard of any Frenchman reproached for using a phone or driving during the Sabbath day.
At present, in France, when we approach the issue of Islamization with the benefit of hindsight, one can clearly observe that in neighborhoods where Islam has been the dominant cultural force for several generations, "living together in harmony" does not exist. When Islam dominates some areas of France that have not always been Islamized, the majority of non-Muslims who have financial means run away.
The French politicians who currently govern us have no interest in recognizing or solving these rifts. In a manner of "divide and conquer", pitting people against each other in elections allows these officials to keep their positions. It also diverts the attention of the French away from the failure to solve the economic crisis.
Grégoire Canlorbe: Ideologists and heads of state in the Islamic world often present Islam as the solution to the materialistic decay that is supposedly leading Western civilization to its doom. Sayyid Qutb, the spiritual guide of Osama bin Laden, wrote in 1964, in Milestones:
"Mankind today is on the brink of a precipice... The Western world realizes that Western civilization is unable to present any healthy values for the guidance of mankind... Islam is the only System which possesses these values and this way of life."
How would you respond to this charge of permissiveness, consumerism and individualism in Western societies?
Majid Oukacha: I sometimes have the impression that our leaders have less and less shame in safeguarding their moral purposes by immoral means. Under the pretext of fighting "the radicalization of Islam," for instance, many of our politicians would like French secularism to give way to a system that legally and socially recognizes a "state-controlled" version of Islam, knighted, promoted and financed by public authorities.
The only Islam which the current French state could recognize would obviously be a religion defined as peaceful and tolerant by its founder, the prophet Mohammed. Muslims are so numerous in France and they represent such an electoral weight, that in public opinion, it would be like a bomb going off to have to admit that they worship a God who thinks that if you do not believe in Islam, it is a crime that will cause you to burn in Hell forever.
France and other countries in the West are increasingly the victims of a cruel twist of irony in which their own founding values and principles are turned​ against them. I am a defender of freedom of belief and equality between all humans, regardless of gender, skin color or religion. But I do not want safeguarding these ideals to require the public school textbooks French children read to be filled with Islamophilic propaganda.
The media and political systems, which make the rain fall or the sun shine in France, have more and more trouble denying inconvenient truths. They appear to prefer reassuring lies. Yesterday, we were told that "the Muslim migratory invasion is a far-right-wing fantasy." Today, we hear that "anyway, they are there lastingly, we cannot do anything about that it because there are now too many, so we have to deal with them in order to avoid a civil war."
I have no desire to make political compromises with Islamist politicians who worship a pro-slavery and misogynist book that criminalizes freedom of belief. I prefer the individualism of intellectual ideals and moral values ​​of modern Western civilization to the Islamic "big-brotherian" system. I prefer the freedom to have sex before marriage; the freedom not to believe in a religion or to convert to another religion; the freedom to mock the mighty (which includes these eternal mighty from Islam such as Allah and Mohammed).
Grégoire Canlorbe: Islam seems to call into question the sort of freedoms that we feel empower our society. Islam looks like a religion that has turned its citizens into slaves of a totalitarian system, but that has succeeded by the bonding power of blood and the bonding power of killing others. In the long run, Lenin, Hitler and Mussolini did not meet, however, the same success as Mohammed in their totalitarian enterprises. How do you explain that Islam has managed to impose itself in face of the Western societies for more than a thousand years, while Fascist and Soviet regimes collapsed in less than a century?
Majid Oukacha: Nazism and the totalitarian communism in the USSR were both led by fallible men who could know military defeats, betrayals which they had not managed to predict; and, ultimately, death. Islam is a totalitarianism headed by an eternal God, who cannot be defeated or submitted. From the perspective of Muslims, the Koran was written by a perfect, omnipotent and omniscient God, who imposes as His supreme legislation laws valid at all times and in all places — until Judgment Day. The most efficient totalitarianism in the world is by far Islam: it is impossible to overcome its non-existent God. What does not exist cannot lose and cannot die.
Grégoire Canlorbe: Thank you for your time. Would you like to add anything else?
Majid Oukacha: What I care about more than anything else is freedom of thought. It is criminalized by the Koran, which sends to eternal Hell all those who have never been Muslims. A country is primarily defined by the people living there and the Islamization of France is a reality that fewer and fewer people deny. I am not naive: it is through childbirth and immigration that Islam will become the majority faith in France.
I invite the French people to judge the tree of Islam by the fruit that it produces in reality. Wherever Islam culturally dominates, there are only conflicts of cultures; women who feel guilty for being attractive and who are infantilized and abused; and above all, a continual extinction of creativity and imagination. The rare artists and scientists of the Muslim world who manage to stand out and be known worldwide all received a Western education, far from the opportunities their homeland, which standardizes humans, would have offered them.
The French, who fear the Islamization of France through politics or war, can no longer be silent. The situation is critical. We must dare to talk and act. The day France becomes a Muslim country, it will be almost impossible to back out. Those who secretly wait and hope behind a closed door, far from the course of action, should not complain when their right to remain silent becomes a duty to remain silent.
Majid Oukacha, author of Il était une foi, l'islam... wishes to thank companies such as Google and Twitter, which have made available to the greatest number of people free tools promoting the diversity of opinions and freedom of expression in a way that no French mainstream media has ever done. https://twitter.com/MajidOukacha
Grégoire Canlorbe, a journalist, currently lives in Paris. While presently collaborating with acclaimed author Howard Bloom, he has conducted many interviews for journals such as Man and the Economy, founded by Nobel Prize winning economist Ronald Coase, and think-tanks such as Mises Institute. Contact: gregoire.canlorbe@wanadoo.fr
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