LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

September 28/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today
Jesus reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 11/20-24/:"Then Jesus began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’"

Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world
Book of Revelation 03/07-13/:"‘To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut,who shuts and no one opens: ‘I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 27-28/16
Clinton-Trump Debate polls...other than CNN/Walid Phares/Face Book/September 27/16
Iran releases jailed Iranian-Canadian academic, Homa Hoodfar/Misha Zand//Al-Monitor/September 27/16
Why ‘Infidel’ Women are Jihad’s Greatest Victims/Raymond Ibrahim/September 27/16
Turkey: Land of Mosques, Prisons and the Uneducated/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/September 27/16
Jihadists Target Spain/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/September 27/16
Syria and the American elections/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
The chains of sects and the war on society/Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
Is Hamid Karzai a threat to Afghanistan’s government/Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
Communication and building efficient diplomacy/Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
Hillary Clinton won the debate but will it matter/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/September 27/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on September 27-28/16
Nasrallah: Problem Solved Shall Mustaqbal Approve Aoun's Election
Nasrallah: No prospects for political solution in Syria
Report: Cabinet Witnessing 'Unfavorable' Times, Salam Will not Step down
FPM 'Cautious' on Hariri's Efforts as Berri Says No President without 'Package Deal'
Marada Hints Hariri Request Alone Not Enough for Franjieh Withdrawal
Mustaqbal Sources: Regional Atmospheres Don't Encourage Presidential Settlement
Mustaqbal Says Hariri Trying to 'Speed Up Election of President', Blames Hizbullah for Void
FPM Vows to Confront Those 'Blocking Partnership' until 'Martyrdom'
Hariri Speaks of 'Bitter Choice' as MPs Warn against 'Suicidal' Endorsement of Aoun
Shehayyeb: Government Trash Plan on the Go
Israel Stages Live Ammo Drill in Shebaa Farms
Police Arrest 8 in Raids on Syrian Encampments in Baalbek
IS Militant Killed in Exchange of Fire with Army in Akkar
Rai, Kaag tackle Syrian refugees' situation
Secretary General of Francophone arrives in Lebanon
Mikati: Presidential deadline hasn't reached serious level
Pakradonian, Miles tackle current developments
Harb presents ideas in favor of telecom sector in Abu Dhabi meeting for Arab telecom ministers
Ali visis El Hoss: Fresh events in Syria prove support of terrorism
Lebanese Army shells militants' movements in Ras Baalbek outskirts
Unknown individual opens fire on Tripoli's municipality building
Bou Saab winds up visit to New York

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on September 27-28/16
Pentagon: ISIS ‘dead set’ on using chemical arms
WHO in Aleppo medivac safe route appeal
Aleppo hospitals overwhelmed by wounded
Syria Army Retakes Aleppo District as Bombs Rain Down
IS Bombings Kill at Least 17 in Baghdad
Egypt recovers sunken migrant boat, more bodies
Clinton Energized after Fiery First Debate with Trump
Jordanian writer’s killer confesses, faces execution
Jordan Vows Crackdown on Online Incitement after Writer Murder
Peres 'Fighting for His Life' as Condition Worsens
Kuwait ‘ready to receive’ Yemenis for more talks
Ahmadinejad vows to follow Khamenei’s order not to run
Iran: Execution of 17 prisoners at Vakil Abad prison in Mashhad in one day
Iran: Retired staff of Education Ministry stage rallies in Tehran, other cities
IRAN: Ex-Tehran Univ. chancellor calls for justice for 1988 massacre of political prisoners
Iran: Univ. students in Tehran protest against dorm situation and educational costs

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on September 27-28/16
After two jihad attacks in NYC in September, de Blasio names September 25 “Muslim Parade Day”
Georgetown University’s Errant Priest-Professor
80% of Swedish police consider quitting over Muslim migrant danger
Clock Boy Ahmed Mohamed files defamation suit against conservative media
Crete: Flyers distributed quoting Qur’an and saying Allah has commanded conquest of the planet
Robert Spencer Video: Is It “Islamophobic” to Call 9/11 Hijackers “Islamic Terrorists”?
California: Muslim gets 30 years for trying to join the Islamic State
Muslim gets nine years for destroying shrines in Timbuktu
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Washington State Mall Shooter May Not Be a Jihad Terrorist
After meat cleaver jihad attack and jihad bomb, New York launches ad campaign against “Islamophobia”
US Muslim leaders urge CAIR-linked Hamas to release remains of Israeli soldiers
Hamas-linked CAIR top dog Awad: Anti-terror bill vetoed by Obama part of “war on Islam”
Spain: Two Muslims arrested for supporting the Islamic State

Links From Christian Today Site for on September 27-28/16
Trump v Clinton: Blistering Debate Sees Hillary Take First Round
Iraqi Parliament Votes Against New Christian Province In Nineveh Plain
Evangelical Leaders Vow To Defy Laws On Abortion And Gay Marriage
Church Membership Plummets In Wales, But Bishop Holds Onto Hope
20 Churches Destroyed' As Airstrikes Continue To Pound Aleppo
Poll Says: Republicans Like Churches More Than Democrats Do
Trial Adjourned Of Christian Pastors Facing Death Penalty In Sudan
Woman Beaten Up By Husband And Hospitalised After Conversion From Islam To Christianity
Thousands Of Muslim Buildings And Mosques Set For Demolition In Myanmar
Charleston Church Massacre: Jury Selection Begins For Dylann Roof Trial
Too Many Demons, Not Enough Exorcists: US Priests Overwhelmed By Demand

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on September 27-28/16

Nasrallah: Problem Solved Shall Mustaqbal Approve Aoun's Election
Naharnet/September 27/16/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed the need to hold Lebanon's presidential and parliamentary elections and said that the party will be ready for an understanding with al-Mustaqbal Movement when the latter approves the election of Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun, al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday. “We have no other choice but to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections. We don’t have a problem with our allies but we do have one with al-Mustaqbal Movement,” Nasrallah confirmed at the annual meeting with readers of consolation on the eve of the holy month of Muharram. “When al-Mustaqbal decides to go to the parliament and elect Aoun as head of state, only then can we reach an understanding with our allies. Today, we have a chance in the presence of two March 8 candidates for the presidency, we must not waste this opportunity by withdrawing the candidacy of Minister Suleiman Franjieh,” said Nasrallah. “There are pledges that the parliament session scheduled on September 28 could witness the election of a president, but things are not clear now but they may crystallize in the upcoming days,” he added. Referring to the cabinet meetings and how his ally the FPM have decided to boycott the sessions over a set of demands, Nasrallah remarked: “The cabinet must not fall. There is a need for the resumption of work and dialogue noting the needs of our allies.”On the security situation, Nasrallah remarked: “The Lebanese can't bear shocks to security and stability. We must preserve the country's stability because this is the only option we have.”

Nasrallah: No prospects for political solution in Syria
Now Lebanon/September 27/16/
Hezbollah's leader cautioned that the "final word" of the conflict remained on the battlefields.
BEIRUT – The leader of Hezbollah has lambasted the beleaguered diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria, saying that a political solution was not currently possible.  “There are no prospects for political solutions,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said during a televised speech to a gathering of Shiite clerics. Instead, Nasrallah cautioned that the conflict would be decided by on-the-ground developments. “The final word remains on the [battle]field,” Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar quoted the Hezbollah chief as saying. Narsallah’s comments come after the Syrian regime on Thursday evening heralded the start of an offensive aimed at rooting Syrian opposition forces out of the eastern sectors of Aleppo following the collapse of a US-Russia brokered cessation of hostilities. In the ensuing days, Syrian jets launched the heaviest wave of airstrikes in Aleppo since the start of the conflict in the country, killing dozens of civilians. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for his part, has voiced his rejection of a negotiated end of the war in his country, vowing on September 12 that his regime “is determined to recover every area from the terrorists.”In comments made on the eve of the failed US-Russia sponsored ceasefire, Assad boasted that the Syrian army was continuing its work “relentlessly and without hesitation, regardless of internal or external circumstances.” Meanwhile, Hezbollah officials have previously voiced their doubts over the diplomatic process on Syria, with the party’s deputy chief saying in early September that there “is no solution in the foreseeable future in Syria until after the US elections” in November. Naim Qassem also said that all current diplomatic steps were “partial and limited because they do not even [lead] to an introductory stage for a political solution” to the conflict raging in Syria.
NOW's English news desk editor Albin Szakola (@AlbinSzakola) wrote this report. Amin Nasr translated Arabic-language material.

Report: Cabinet Witnessing 'Unfavorable' Times, Salam Will not Step down
Naharnet/September 27/16/The upcoming cabinet meeting will take place as scheduled particularly that each of the ministers, except for the Free Patriotic Movement, have committed to attend, as sources assured that Prime Minister Tammam Salam will not step down and will continue to assume responsibilities, ministerial sources told al-Joumhouria daily on Tuesday. “Culture Minister Rony Araiji, the representative of the Marada Movement in the cabinet, told Prime Minister Tammam Salam that he will meet the calls for a cabinet meeting whenever an invitation is addressed,” sources close to Salam told the daily. Ministers of the FPM, Tashnaq and Hizbullah boycotted the latest cabinet meeting. The FPM claims that the government is not abiding by the National Pact and its ministers have vowed to boycott future sessions. The FPM announced earlier that it has started mobilizing for street protests on September 28 and October 13 as part of its escalatory steps that are aimed at pressing the other parties in the country to “abide by the National Pact.”FPM chief Jebran Bassil has threatened that the FPM would “topple the government” through street protests if the other parties do not heed the movement's demand regarding “partnership” and the National Pact. Assessing the general situation of the cabinet, sources to Salam expressed disapproval and said: “The government is living the worst days and there is no reason to get into something worse. Every previous pledge (by politicians) to provide a minimum level of governmental solidarity has evaporated. There are those who reneged on the promises made, and overlooked them for personal reasons that have no links to national interest.” “PM Salam will not back down on what he promised no matter what the cost is at the personal level,” added the sources. The Prime Minister will continue to assume his responsibility to the end, and these responsibilities will be ended or determined only by the election of a president.

FPM 'Cautious' on Hariri's Efforts as Berri Says No President without 'Package Deal'
Naharnet/September 27/16/The Free Patriotic Movement is “cautious” regarding the latest efforts of al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri to end the country's presidential vacuum, an FPM official said on Tuesday. “We are cautious regarding the presidential developments and we're neither optimistic nor pessimistic,” ex-MP Salim Aoun of the FPM told al-Manar television. LBCI TV meanwhile reported that that FPM will give Hariri “a chance” and “will wait for the outcome of his current efforts.”As for Ain el-Tineh's stance on the developments, al-Jadeed television reported that Speaker Nabih Berri “is saying that the vacuum will continue unless the parties agree on a package deal.”“The presidential settlement is not ripe yet,” Ain el-Tineh sources told al-Jadeed. Earlier in the day, FPM chief Jebran Bassil noted that there are “attempts to achieve accord” in the country while warning that the FPM would confront anyone seeking to “block partnership” strongly and to the extent of “martyrdom.” The developments follow an overnight meeting between Hariri and his declared presidential candidate, Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, and three days after Hariri returned to the country from a foreign trip that lasted several weeks. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, FPM founder 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, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. 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.

Marada Hints Hariri Request Alone Not Enough for Franjieh Withdrawal
Naharnet/September 27/16/Culture Minister Rony Araiji of the Marada Movement hinted Tuesday that the movement's leader MP Suleiman Franjieh might not withdraw from the presidential race should his main backer, ex-PM Saad Hariri, ask him to do so. “To clarify things, Franjieh had said that should all Lebanese components agree on a certain candidate, be him (Free Patriotic Movement founder) General (Michel) Aoun or anyone else, he would give up his nomination in his favor,” Araiji said in an interview with LBCI television. “With all due respect to ex-PM Hariri and his movement, he does not represent all Lebanese components, seeing as there are Christian parties and leaders and other leaders such as Speaker (Nabih) Berri and MP Walid Jumblat,” Araiji added. The minister also described as “inaccurate” reports claiming that Hariri visited Franjieh on Monday evening to “inform him of specific things.” “This cannot happen due to the nature of the relation that links the two men,” Araiji said. “In light of the meeting, Franjieh will carry on with his nomination and we didn't sense anything that suggests the contrary or any drastic change in the stances” of Hariri, the minister added. Meanwhile, FPM-affiliated OTV quoted Marada sources as saying that “Hariri stressed to Franjieh that all options are on the table in order to put an end to vacuum.”Hariri had returned Saturday to the country from a foreign trip that lasted several weeks. 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 Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. 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.

Mustaqbal Sources: Regional Atmospheres Don't Encourage Presidential Settlement
Naharnet/September 27/16/The atmospheres in the region “do not encourage a presidential settlement” in Lebanon, Mustaqbal bloc sources said on Tuesday, amid speculation in the country that Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri's return to Lebanon will speed up the election of a president. “Hariri informed the bloc's MPs that he will continue his consultations with the leaders before returning to the bloc to take the appropriate decision,” the sources told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5). The sources also confirmed that “Hariri will visit (Free Patriotic Movement founder) General Michel Aoun in Rabieh.”After its weekly meeting earlier in the day, the bloc said in an official statement that Hariri has launched “consultations with all political parties” in a bid to “speed up the election of a president,” while reiterating that Hizbullah is to blame for the protracted presidential void crisis. The meeting, which was presided over by Hariri, comes only a few hours after talks between the ex-PM and his declared presidential candidate, Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, and three days after Hariri returned to the country from a foreign trip that lasted several weeks. Turning to Wednesday's presidential vote session, the bloc urged all MPs to “take part in tomorrow's session to practice their constitutional duty of electing a president.”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 Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. 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.

Mustaqbal Says Hariri Trying to 'Speed Up Election of President', Blames Hizbullah for Void
Naharnet/September 27/16/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc announced Tuesday that al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri has launched “consultations with all political parties” in a bid to “speed up the election of a president,” while reiterating that Hizbullah is to blame for the protracted presidential void crisis. “Ex-PM Saad Hariri briefed the bloc on his vision in the current period for tackling the national issues that the country is facing,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. The meeting, which was presided over by Hariri, comes only a few hours after talks between the ex-PM and his declared presidential candidate, Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, and three days after Hariri returned to the country from a foreign trip that lasted several weeks. “Ex-PM Hariri informed the bloc that he has started consultations with all political parties with the aim of speeding up the election of a president, demonstrating the developments in this regard and the strenuous efforts that he is exerting,” the bloc added. “The bloc will follow up on these developments with ex-PM Saad Hariri in open meetings,” Mustaqbal noted. Turning to Wednesday's presidential vote session, the bloc urged all MPs to “take part in tomorrow's session to practice their constitutional duty of electing a president.” “Hizbullah is still creating the presidential vacuum and it is putting the country in very dangerous situations and circumstances at all the national, security, economic, financial and social levels,” Mustaqbal charged. As for the grievances that are being voiced by the Free Patriotic Movement regarding Christian-Muslim “partnership,” the bloc emphasized that “the election of a president is the right gateway for resolving most of the problems that are gripping Lebanon in this critical period.” “The continued boycott of presidential elections sessions by Hizbullah and its allies has harmed Lebanon, the reputation of its institutions and the credibility of its leaders,” Mustaqbal warned, urging political leaders to “reconsider these negative policies and stances and embark on electing a president so that all Lebanese can create a new hope that enables to overcome the accumulating problems.”Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, FPM founder 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, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. 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.

FPM Vows to Confront Those 'Blocking Partnership' until 'Martyrdom'
Naharnet/September 27/16/Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil noted Tuesday that there are “attempts to achieve accord” in the country while warning that the FPM would confront anyone seeking to “block partnership” strongly and to the extent of “martyrdom.”
“Nowadays, we are witnessing attempts to achieve accord and we warn anyone who might seek to sabotage the country and block partnership that we would confront them with all our strength and to the extent of martyrdom,” said Bassil after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc in Rabieh. “Our defense of the National Pact is a defense of all Lebanese – Christians and Muslims,” he added. Earlier in the day, al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc announced that al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri has launched “consultations with all political parties” in a bid to “speed up the election of a president,” while reiterating that Hizbullah and its allies are to blame for the protracted presidential void crisis. The statements of the two blocs come a few hours after talks between Hariri and his declared presidential candidate, Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, and three days after Hariri returned to the country from a foreign trip that lasted several weeks. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, FPM founder 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, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. 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.

Hariri Speaks of 'Bitter Choice' as MPs Warn against 'Suicidal' Endorsement of Aoun
Naharnet/September 27/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri told the members of his parliamentary bloc on Tuesday that he might make the “bitter choice” of endorsing Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency as some Mustaqbal MPs described such a step as “suicidal,” media reports said. “Hariri told Mustaqbal's MPs during the Center House meeting that he could become obliged to endorse bitter choices, including the election of Aoun,” MTV reported. “The situation is not bearable anymore. They are holding us responsible for vacuum while we are keen on the State and Hizbullah is the one paralyzing it,” it quoted Hariri as telling the lawmakers. The TV network said none of the Mustaqbal MPs who are in favor of Aoun spoke during the meeting while noting that “the majority that opposes him went on alert, especially ex-PM (Fouad) Saniora and Ahmed Fatfat.”“Hariri wrapped up the discussion by saying that he would continue his tour and consultations before holding new consultations with his bloc,” MTV added. According to LBCI television, Hariri told the MPs during the meeting that “all options are on the table.”“Some MPs warned that the response of Mustaqbal's popular base to the step of endorsing Aoun would be very bad, describing the option of backing Aoun as suicidal,” LBCI added. “We lost some of our popular base due to some political choices and another part because of nominating Franjieh, so why should we risk losing the remaining part through endorsing Aoun,” some of the lawmakers asked. “Why should we back the Iranian project in Lebanon and what guarantees that Hariri will return to the premiership,” reports quoted some MPs as saying. Meanwhile, Mustaqbal sources told al-Jadeed television that “nominating Aoun is one of the options but the issue needs more time and it is not a matter of one or two weeks.” And OTV quoted sources close to Mustaqbal as saying that “all options are on the table and they range from nominating Aoun, continuing to nominate Franjieh or announcing inability to do anything.”An official statement issued after the meeting had said that Hariri “informed the bloc that he has started consultations with all political parties with the aim of speeding up the election of a president.”The meeting came after overnight talks between Hariri and Franjieh and three days after the ex-PM returned to the country from a foreign trip that lasted several weeks.
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 Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. 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.

Shehayyeb: Government Trash Plan on the Go
Naharnet/September 27/16/Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb confirmed on Tuesday that the government would carry on the implementation of its own waste management plan on ending the trash crisis, reminding that all ministers have agreed on it except for the Free Patriotic Movement. “Facts on the ground have shown that the aforementioned plan was not the best; but there is no other solution,” Shehayyeb said after a meeting devoted to address the trash issue at the Progressive Socialist Party's office in el-Msaytbeh. “The landfills of Bourj Hammoud and Costa Brava are the sole mandatory path towards a decentralized solution,” he said, stressing that removing trash piles from Bourj Hammoud is paramount. In August, the Kataeb students forced work suspension at the Bourj Hammoud landfill which aggravated the trash crisis and left many streets in the Mount Lebanon and Beirut areas flooding with garbage. Kataeb and environmental groups had accused authorities of seeking to “land-fill the sea” with unsorted and unrecycled garbage in a manner that poses environmental and health risks and violates the Convention for Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution. In September they announced a “temporary suspension” of the sit-in that lasted for almost a month. They argued that the their protest has obliged authorities to revise a controversial waste management plan and to endorse steps based on waste sorting, composting and decentralization.

Israel Stages Live Ammo Drill in Shebaa Farms
Naharnet/September 27/16/The Israeli army on Tuesday carried out a live ammunition maneuver in the occupied Shebaa Farms,the National News Agency reported. The troops used conducted live ammo drill and used heavy artillery and helicopters in their operation. The sound of shelling was heard in the nearby border towns of al-Arqoub.

Police Arrest 8 in Raids on Syrian Encampments in Baalbek
Naharnet/September 27/16/A State Security police patrol arrested eight Syrians in Baalbek's town of Sariin in the eastern Bekaa valley for illegal entry into Lebanon's territory, the National News Agency reported on Tuesday. “A State Security patrol in Baalbek carried out a raid on a Syrian refugee encampment in Sariin, east of the city,” said NNA. “Eight Syrians were arrested for infiltrating Lebanon,” it added. Moreover, police confiscated several illegal motorcycles and vehicles.

IS Militant Killed in Exchange of Fire with Army in Akkar
Naharnet/September 27/16/The Lebanese army killed an Islamic State group militant in an exchange of gunfire in the northern region of Akkar, the Army Command-Orientation Directorate said in a statement on Tuesday. “On Tuesday at 6:20 a.m. in the al-Kneisseh town in Akkar and while the army was trying to arrest Moustafa Mohammed al-Ahmed, aka Moustafa Awad, for belonging to the Islamic State group, the assailant opened gunfire at the army troops,” said the statement. “The army was compelled to fire back at the militant which caused his death,” it added.

Rai, Kaag tackle Syrian refugees' situation
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Rai met on Tuesday noon at Diman with the Secretary-General of the United Nations representative in Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag. Both sides discussed the general situation in Lebanon and the region, in addition to the situation of the Syrian refugees. Separately, Rai received President of the Alawites Islamic Council in Lebanon, Sheikh Assad Assi.

Secretary General of Francophone arrives in Lebanon
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - The Secretary General of the International Organization of the Francophone, Michaëlle Jean, arrived on Tuesday night in Lebanon for a three-day visit to meet with officials.

Mikati: Presidential deadline hasn't reached serious level
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - Former Prime Minister, Najib Mikati told 'NBN TV' on Tuesday that "current talks regarding the presidential file haven't reached a serious level and is facing obstacles".
Mikati stressed that any presidential election without reaching understanding would be postponement of the problem, ruling out "an imminent presidential election".He added that all sides should agree on a package of issues and above all the parliamentary electoral law. On the other hand, Mikati said "I don't think the Kingdom is intervening in the presidential issue". Commenting on FPM's movement in the street, he said that resorting to street is not the solution to the ongoing impasse.

Pakradonian, Miles tackle current developments
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - Tashnag Party Secretary General MP Hagop Pakradonian met on Tuesday with Australian Ambassador to Lebanon, Glenn Miles, at the Party's headquarters in Bourj Hammoud, with talks between the pair reportedly touching on most recent developments in Lebanon and the broad region. During the one-hour meeting, Pakradonian gave "a historical overview of the Armenian community in Lebanon and its positions emanating from national principles, notably territorial integrity, Lebanon's sovereignty and independence, preservation of freedom and coexistence as well as mutual respect," as per a statement by Tashnag Party.Both sides also discussed the current situation on the local arena, including the Syrian refugee issue.

Harb presents ideas in favor of telecom sector in Abu Dhabi meeting for Arab telecom ministers
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - The executive bureau of Arab Telecom Ministers Council on Tuesday held its 40th session at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, with Lebanese Telecom Minister Boutros Harb making a range of suggestions helping to overcome the difficulties and challenges facing the telecom sector at the international level. Minister Harb proposed forming an investing financial committee enjoying a big capital prone to support and produce telecom services and internet applications across all Arab countries. The committee will be formed between the private and public sectors and the governmental banks. He also proposed setting a rapprochement for "interneting" commodities, linking each object to the internet marketing.

Ali visis El Hoss: Fresh events in Syria prove support of terrorism
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdel Karim Ali, said on Tuesday in the wake of his meeting with Former Prime Minister, Salim El Hoss, that the bombings on Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, and Daraya showed a conspiracy between Americans and some regional forces to support and finance terrorism.""These bombings reveal the unity of Syria, a unity demonstrated by the Russian position and its allies, namely, China, Latin America, and Iran," the Ambassador added. He pointed out that some countries supported terrorism but pretended combating it, confirming that International forces want to splinter the societies in our region.

Lebanese Army shells militants' movements in Ras Baalbek outskirts
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - The Lebanese Army is currently targeting with heavy artillery the movements of the militants in Ras Baalbek outskirts, NNA field reporter said on Tuesday.

Unknown individual opens fire on Tripoli's municipality building
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - An unidentified person on a motorcycle opened fire on Tuesday night on Tripoli's municipality building and fled away, NNA field reporter said

Bou Saab winds up visit to New York
Tue 27 Sep 2016/NNA - National Education and Higher Education Minister, Elias Bou Saab, winded up on Tuesday his visit to the United States. Bou Saab participated in several conferences and meetings at UN headquarters, notably with the Global Business Coalition for Education. They discussed the education of refugees.He also took part in a round table that comprised King of Jordan, Abdullah II of Jordan, and Former US President, Bill Clinton.In his speech on the occasion, Former President Clinton praised the efforts made by Minister Bou Saab, who carries out a great humanitarian work in the education for all children in Lebanon, including the displaced Syrians.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on September 27-28/16

Pentagon: ISIS ‘dead set’ on using chemical arms
Reuters, Washington Tuesday, 27 September 2016/ISIS militants are “dead set” on using chemical arms and are likely to try them again as Iraqi forces advance on Mosul, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday, a week after a rocket with a possible chemical agent landed near US troops.
The rocket fired Tuesday landed in an unpopulated area near Qayyara West base, several hundred yards from where hundreds of US troops are working to prepare an airfield for an Iraqi offensive to recapture the city of Mosul. No one was hurt in the attack. The shell initially tested positive for a mustard agent, but two subsequent tests have been inconclusive and the device is undergoing further tests, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. “We fully recognize this is something that ISIS has done before. They’ve done it many times, at least a couple dozen that we know of where they have launched crude makeshift munitions that are filled with this mustard agent,” Davis said. An air strike by the US-led military coalition destroyed an ISIS chemical weapons factory on Friday near Qayyara, the second attack against a chemical arms facility this month. Davis said ISIS’s ability to weaponize mustard agent has been rudimentary. The group typically uses a chemical powder bound together with oil, which leaves behind a telltale oil trace. “It’s not generally in a lethal concentration. It’s more of an irritant than anything else, but again, not something we view as militarily significant,” he said, noting that the gas form of mustard agent used in the First World War was far more lethal. Even though ISIS has not perfected the ability to weapon-ize chemicals, US and Iraqi forces still have to be prepared for a chemical attack, Davis said. “We recognize this is real. They’re dead set on it. They would love to be able to use chemical weapons against us, against the Iraqis as they move forward,” Davis said. “We are making every effort to make sure that we’re ready for it.” He said US troops deployed to the region have the training and equipment they need to defend against chemical attacks and are working to ensure the Iraqis are prepared and properly equipped as well. Davis said the United States has provided more than 50,000 gas masks to Iraq, with about 40,000 going to Iraqi security forces.

WHO in Aleppo medivac safe route appeal
By Stephanie Nebehay Reuters, Geneva Tuesday, 27 September 2016/The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Tuesday for dozens of sick and wounded people in the embattled eastern part of the Syrian city of Aleppo to be evacuated through safe corridors for treatment.
The Syrian military, helped by Iranian-backed Shiite militias and the Russian air force, launched a major campaign to take rebel-held eastern Aleppo last week, where the WHO said only 35 doctors remained to care for at least 250,000 people. On Tuesday, pro-government forces were mobilizing for a ground attack, a senior rebel said. "WHO is calling for the immediate establishment of humanitarian routes to evacuate sick and wounded from the eastern part of the city," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a news briefing in Geneva. "We are talking about only 35 doctors left in east Aleppo to take care of hundreds of wounded people, and the number is increasing," she said. Only seven hospitals remain in east Aleppo, some of them only partially functional, and civilians have no way to leave the encircled city, she added. WHO spokeswoman Tarik Jasarevic said that "dozens" of patients required evacuation and that local health authorities would draw up the initial list after assessment by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. "WHO submitted the request for medical evacuations through the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Jasarevic said by email from Syria. "The plans are being firmed up on how and where to evacuate with options of west Aleppo and Bab al Hawa hospital in Idlib," he said, referring to a major hospital along the Turkish-Syrian border. Syrian doctors said on Monday they were in dire need of medical and surgical supplies to treat hundreds of wounded people among a trapped population of some 300,000. The Syrian doctors said at least 40 wounded people in eastern Aleppo needed to be evacuated, but most wanted to be sent to rebel-held areas or abroad, not to the government-controlled western side of the city."We are waiting to evacuate them safely, to the hospitals in Idlib governorate, and some of them need to be evacuated to Turkey," said Dr. Abd Arrahman Alomar of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).Jessy Chahine, spokeswoman for U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, told Tuesday's briefing: "We do remind always all parties that evacuation operations have to be in accordance with IHL (international humanitarian law) and protection standards. One of the principles of IHL is 'non-refoulement', meaning that the person cannot be evacuated against their own will."

Aleppo hospitals overwhelmed by wounded
Reuters Tuesday, 27 September 2016/Medical supplies were running out in the besieged rebel-held sector of Aleppo, with victims pouring into barely functioning hospitals as an all-out Russian-backed assault entered its fourth day and Moscow ignored Western pleas to stop.
The Syrian government offensive to recapture all of Aleppo, with Russian air support and Iranian support on the ground, has been accompanied by bombing that residents describe as unprecedented in its ferocity. Some 250,000 civilians remain trapped in the besieged, opposition-held sector of Syria’s biggest city. Hundreds of people, including dozens of children, have been reported killed since Thursday night by an onslaught that has included massive bunker-busting bombs that bring down whole buildings on people huddled inside. The United States has called Russia’s actions in support of President Bashar al-Assad “barbarism.” Moscow denies it is killing civilians and said such rhetoric from the west could damage the chances of solving the conflict. “Aleppo city’s hospitals are overwhelmed with wounded people ... Things are starting to run out,” said Aref al-Aref, an intensive care medical worker, who spoke from Aleppo. “We are unable to bring anything in ... not equipment and not even medical staff. Some medical staff are in the countryside, unable to come in because of the siege,” he said. Western countries say Russia may be guilty of war crimes for targeting medics and aid supplies. Moscow and Damascus say they are bombing only militants. Video from Aleppo has repeatedly shown small children being dug out of the rubble of collapsed buildings. Bebars Mishal, a civil defense worker in rebel-held Aleppo, said overnight bombardment continued until 6 am on Monday.“It’s the same situation. Especially at night, the bombardment intensifies, it becomes more violent, using all kinds of weapons, phosphorous and napalm and cluster bombs,” Mishal said. “Now, there’s just the helicopter, and God only knows where it will bomb. God knows which building will collapse,” he said. “Everybody is scared...unable to go out. They don’t know what to do, or where to go.”Russia and Assad appear to have abandoned diplomacy in the last week, betting instead on delivering a decisive military blow against the president’s enemies on the battlefield. Capturing rebel districts of Aleppo would mark the biggest victory of the civil war for Assad, crushing the revolt in its last major urban stronghold. Syrian government forces helped by Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias have gradually been tightening their grip on eastern Aleppo this year. They launched the all-out assault on the city last week after abandoning a ceasefire announced earlier this month by Moscow and Washington.
No respite
Indicating there would be no respite soon, the Syrian army issued a statement reiterating its call for civilians to steer clear of rebel positions and bases in eastern Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, says at least 237 people, including at least 38 children, have been killed in Aleppo and nearby countryside since the army declared the end of the ceasefire a week ago. Civil defense workers in opposition territory put the death toll at 400.
The rebel-held sector of Aleppo is completely encircled, making it impossible to receive supplies. The Syrian American Medical Society (Sams) charity group said this week in a statement that only 30 doctors remained inside. “We have patients who will die in the dozens if they are not evacuated, “Osama Abo Ezz, a general surgeon and Aleppo coordinator for Sams, told Reuters, speaking from an area near Aleppo. “The medical staff is insufficient and completely exhausted. The blood bank refrigerators are completely empty. Vital medicines have almost run out. The ICU beds are insufficient and always full. The CT scanner is out of order,” he said. A Syrian military source said on Saturday that weapons were being used that could destroy rebel tunnels and bunkers, dug in during years of opposition control. A water pumping station serving eastern Aleppo has also been destroyed. A spokesman for the World Health Organization said a technical mission was visiting the station to assess damage.“We don’t know how long it will take to restore the functionality,” said the spokesman, Tarik Jasarevic.Rescue efforts during the bombing have been hampered because damage has made roads impassable and because civil defense centers and rescue equipment have themselves been destroyed in raids.
Diplomacy
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the civil war between the Assad government and insurgents, and 11 million driven from their homes. Much of the east of the country is in the hands of ISIS militants, the enemies of all other sides. Since Russia joined the war a year ago to support the Assad government, the administration of US president Barack Obama has been engaged in intensive diplomacy with Moscow, trying to end the war between the government and most insurgent groups and turn the focus towards the common fight against ISIS. But the latest escalation has left US Syria policy in tatters, all but destroying any hope of a breakthrough before Obama leaves office next year. The collapse of diplomacy has led to dramatic stand-offs at the United Nations, where the United States called Russia’s actions in Syria “barbarism” on Sunday. Moscow’s UN envoy said ending the war “is almost an impossible task now.” The Kremlin said on Monday that tough Western condemnation might hinder any resolution to the crisis. Moscow saw “absolutely no prospect” of holding a summit on Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Moscow blames Washington for the failure of the ceasefire, arguing that the United States failed to prevent rebels from using the truce to regroup. A spokesman for Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel held Russia responsible for the violence in Aleppo, saying the Syrian regime’s onslaught on civilians would not be possible without military backing from the Kremlin. “Russia must immediately end the indiscriminate bombardments of civilian areas by the Syrian government,” Steffen Seibert said. The Syrian government meanwhile pressed its efforts to pacify rebellious areas on its own terms under local agreements with besieged fighters. In Homs, another group of rebels began to be evacuated from their last foothold in the city on Monday, state news agency Sana said. The observatory said about 100 fighters were in the group scheduled to leave al-Waer neighborhood for the northern Homs countryside.
 

Syria Army Retakes Aleppo District as Bombs Rain Down
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 27/16/Syria's army took control of a rebel-held district in central Aleppo on Tuesday, after days of heavy air strikes that have killed dozens and sparked allegations of war crimes. In the first advance since announcing plans last week to retake all of the divided city, pro-government troops seized the Farafira district northwest of Aleppo's historic citadel, a military source told AFP. "After neutralizing many terrorists... units are now demining the area," the source said. The push follows several days of Syrian and Russian air strikes on rebel-held Aleppo neighborhoods -- some of the fiercest bombardment of the five-year conflict so far -- after a ceasefire deal brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed last week. The Aleppo maelstrom prompted Western powers to accuse Russia of committing possible war crimes, charges the Kremlin condemned as "unacceptable."In the latest broadside, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the air campaign. "The appalling attacks on Aleppo have shaken all of us, and the violence and the attacks we have seen... is morally totally unacceptable and is a blatant violation of international law," Stoltenberg told a news conference in Bratislava. On the ground in eastern Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said air strikes struck several neighborhoods simultaneously, including in al-Shaar, where a five-story building was leveled with a family stuck inside. One young girl, her body encased in rubble, was among the dead. Her father, in shock as rescue workers picked up her lifeless body, collapsed beside, saying: "She's just sleeping. She's just used to sleeping."The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor, said that more than 155 people have been killed by Russian and regime bombardment on Aleppo city since the government announced its offensive last week. At least 11 civilians were killed Tuesday in raids on the neighborhoods of al-Shaar and al-Mashhad, according to the Britain-based group.
As well as the intensified violence, residents have been left reeling from food shortages and skyrocketing prices. The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that medical facilities in east Aleppo were on the verge of "complete destruction". "Over the last weekend alone, more than 200 people were injured and taken to understaffed health facilities in east Aleppo," a spokeswoman said in Geneva. The U.N. body called for "an immediate establishment of humanitarian routes to evacuate sick and wounded from the eastern part of the city."
'Absolutely unacceptable'
The Observatory said that there were "significantly fewer" strikes on Aleppo on Tuesday than in recent days, but confirmed the advance by pro-government forces into Farafira. Aleppo has been roughly divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since mid-2012, and the frontline has remained largely static despite continuous violence. Earlier this month, a ceasefire went into effect across Syria, brokered after exhaustive talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. It was dubbed by Kerry as the "last chance" to end more than five years of devastating conflict. But it fell apart within a week, with each side blaming the other for the latest failure in a war that has cost more than 300,000 lives since March 2011. Analysts said Tuesday that the unprecedented ferocity with which Aleppo has been hit in recent days suggested that Moscow was backing the Syrian government's aim to totally recapture the city. "Russia has decided to go all out because it no longer believes in the possibility of collaborating with the United States in Syria," said Fabrice Balanche, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. At an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Sunday, U.S. ambassador Samantha Power accused Russia of "barbarism", while both the British and French envoys went further, alleging the bombing of Aleppo constituted possible war crimes.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that violence in Aleppo was on an "absolutely unacceptable scale" and that it was up to Russia and Syria to ensure humanitarian aid could reach the battered city.

IS Bombings Kill at Least 17 in Baghdad
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 27/16/Bombings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group hit shopping areas in Shiite districts of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, killing at least 17 people, security and medial officials said. The group said IS suicide bombers with explosive vests carried out the attacks in the Baghdad Jadida neighborhood in the east of the city and the Bayaa area in the south. Officials said at least eight people were killed and 29 wounded in Baghdad Jadida, although some said the area was hit by a roadside bomb as well as a suicide bomber.
Another suicide bomber targeted the Bayaa, killing at least nine people and wounding 30, officials said. IS and other Sunni extremists consider Shiite Muslims to be heretics, and the jihadist group often targets civilians in Shiite areas of Baghdad. Checkpoints in the capital frequently cause massive traffic jams that inconvenience citizens, but they consistently fail to prevent attacks.
For years, most checkpoints featured fake bomb detectors that have now finally been scrapped, and guards wave most cars through unchecked. Tuesday's violence came two days after another suicide bombing claimed by IS killed six people in western Baghdad. A day before that, bomb and gun attacks claimed by the jihadist group killed 12 people in the area of Tikrit, a city north of the capital. Iraqi forces are preparing for a push on Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country, after regaining much of the Iraqi territory the jihadists seized in June 2014. But IS has maintained the ability to carry out attacks in government-controlled areas even as it loses ground.

Egypt recovers sunken migrant boat, more bodies
Reuters Tuesday, 27 September 2016/Twenty-five bodies were recovered on Tuesday from a boat that sank in Mediterranean waters off Egypt last week with hundreds of migrants aboard, raising the confirmed death toll to 194, rescue workers said. The boat capsized off Burg Rashed, a coastal village where the Nile meets the Mediterranean, on Sept. 21. Rescue workers and fishermen said they had rescued at least 169 people, but uncertainty remained over how many might still be missing. The spokesman for the Beheira regional governor said the shipwreck had been hoisted out of the depths and was likely to contain dozens more bodies. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday it believed at least 450 people were aboard the vessel and that about 300 likely perished in all. "It is one of the worst tragedies of this year, but not the worst," IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a briefing in Geneva. "We are concerned about what this says for the rest of the season as the weather turns cold and seas get more difficult."Egyptian security sources initially said there had been almost 600 migrants aboard. Officials said the boat was carrying Egyptian, Sudanese, Eritrean and Somali migrants, and that they believed it was heading for Italy. Four members of the crew were arrested. More and more migrants have been trying to cross to Italy from the African coast over the summer months, particularly from Libya, where people-traffickers operate with relative impunity. But boats have increasingly departed from Egypt of late as Libya has slipped deeper into lawlessness. The IOM says that more than 3,200 migrants have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, while more than 300,000 have reached European shores. More than 1 million Middle Eastern, African and Asian migrants entered Europe in 2015. The IOM said the number of migrants to arrive in Europe this year likely would not reach last year's level though the number of fatalities was virtually certain to exceed the 2015 total. "Despite the drop in arrivals, which is considerable through this year, fatalities have exceeded last year's total at this time by almost 600 and seem virtually certain to surpass what we saw last year, which was a record year," Millman said.

Clinton Energized after Fiery First Debate with Trump
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 27/16/Hillary Clinton stormed back onto the campaign trail Tuesday energized by her performance in her first debate against Donald Trump, who threatened to "hit her harder" in the final stretch of the White House race.Clinton's bearing, as she flew to a rally in North Carolina, suggested she was climbing out from perhaps the worst period of her 15-month campaign, when she belittled Trump supporters two weeks ago and was then laid up with pneumonia. "I felt so positive about it," Clinton told reporters aboard her campaign plane the morning after she went toe to toe with Trump and frequently forced her prickly opponent on to the back foot. "I was thrilled I got a chance to lay out some of the middle-class economic policies and pro-family policies that I've been talking about throughout this campaign to all the viewers who tuned in," Clinton added. "But the real point is about temperament and fitness and qualification to hold the most important, the hardest job in the world, and I think people saw last night some very clear differences between us."The White House hopefuls sparred over temperament, judgment, trade, the economy, terrorism and other issues in a televised match-up Monday night that seemed to have gone in favor of the Democrat Clinton, according to most mainstream political analysts.
But in a campaign that has consistently defied predictions from the political establishment, few can forecast for sure the impact on Americans' vote on November 8.
- Pulling punches? -
Both sides cried victory Tuesday as the spin game that began the very instant the showdown ended kept up in full gear. Trump told Fox News he thought the debate went well, but complained that moderator Lester Holt failed to press Clinton on "her scandals," citing the controversies over her use of private email server as secretary of state and her handling of a 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. "They were leaving all of her little goodies out," he said Tuesday on "Fox and Friends."And he suggested he may bring up Clinton's husband Bill's past sexual indiscretions in their next debate. “I may hit her harder in certain ways. I really eased up because I didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.”Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway praised Trump's tone and demeanor."I was glad that he was polite and a gentleman to her, particularly at the end when he pulled the biggest punch of all," Conway said. With six weeks until election day, Trump was also on the move Tuesday, jetting to Florida to speak to supporters in the critical swing state.
During the debate at New York's Hofstra University, with an anticipated audience of up to 100 million, Clinton repeatedly questioned her rival's fitness to serve in the Oval Office.
She painted the celebrity real estate mogul as fatally out of touch and willing to say "crazy things" to get elected. "You live in your own reality," said the 68-year-old Democrat, who sought to project her steady experience. On Monday night Trump played the populist bruiser, pitching to frustrated blue-collar voters fed up with establishment politicians. "Let me tell you, Hillary has experience. But it's bad, bad experience," said the 70-year-old billionaire.
- 'Imperfect performance' -
"A lot of Americans will look at tonight's debate and see an individual who is prepared to become president of the United States, and she was up against an impostor," said John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "You saw not a perfect performance by Hillary Clinton, but as much as an imperfect performance as you can imagine by her opponent," he told AFP.Clinton's brightest moments came when debate turned to foreign policy, while Trump shined when he tapped into malaise about politics and the economy. Trump squarely blamed Clinton and the political class for losing jobs to Mexico and China through what he termed bad trade deals and incompetence. Clinton tried to undercut Trump's CEO-in-chief acumen by accusing him of having "stiffed" small business contractors throughout his career. Clinton has a massive organizational advantage, a bigger campaign war chest and a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. But Trump weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign, and now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president on January 20. There are two more debates in the 2016 race, which could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest coup in US political history.

Jordanian writer’s killer confesses, faces execution
By Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 28 September 2016/A former imam who shot dead writer Nahed Hattar on the steps of the palace of justice on Sunday, faces execution after confessing to the shooting. Riyad Abdullah, 49 years old, gave himself up to police after he killed the writer who was facing prosecution for insulting Islam. Abdullah performed the Hajj pilgrimage, a week before the crime. Now it has been revealed that the killer was the imam of one of Amman mosques six years ago before being dismissed by the Ministry of Religious affairs. It is understood that he is not a member of any terrorist organizations. Abdullah was remanded for 15 days and charged with premeditated murder, a crime that is punishable by death in Jordan. He recognized his victim, he told police, through a search for his image on the Internet after the caricature of God was published on a Facebook page. He admitted to the killing and said he did not regret what he did, adding: “Any person misrepresents the Divine Entity must be killed”. It is understood the defendant bought the gun last week, he walked, Sunday morning to the justice palace located in the region of the Abdal, and waited the victim one hour before the writer was to stand a trial.Hattar, a Christian and an anti-Islamist activist who was a supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was arrested last month after he shared a caricature that depicted a bearded man in heaven smoking in bed with women and asking God to bring him wine and cashews. Many conservative Muslim Jordanians considered Hattar’s move offensive and against their religion. The authorities said he violated the law by sharing the caricature.

Jordan Vows Crackdown on Online Incitement after Writer Murder
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 27/16/Jordanian authorities vowed Tuesday to crack down on incitement to violence on social media, two days after the murder of a writer over which the government has faced public anger.
Justice Minister Bassam Talhuni, quoted by official news agency Petra, said that "anyone who uses social media to spread hate speech" would face charges. "Certain acts of incitement to hatred could be defined as terrorist crimes... and we will deal with them in accordance with anti-terrorist laws," he said. On Monday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets calling on the government to resign over its failure to prevent the murder of Christian writer Nahed Hattar. A bearded assailant shot dead Hattar, 56, Sunday on the steps of a court in central Amman where he was facing trial for sharing an anti-Islam cartoon on social media. His family says the authorities were warned of threats to Hattar's life, including from his assailant, and of personal attacks on social media but had failed to take action. The interior ministry said Tuesday an unspecified number of arrests had been made in connection with incitement to "hatred and confessional discord" on social networking sites.
They included a social media user who set up a Facebook page campaigning for the release of Hattar's killer, who gave himself up to police at the scene and faces a charge of premeditated murder.

Peres 'Fighting for His Life' as Condition Worsens
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 27/16/Israeli ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres was "fighting for his life" on Tuesday after suffering a stroke earlier this month, a source close to him said. "The president is fighting for his life," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "His health position is very, very difficult. His doctors are worried about his health." Peres, 93, has held nearly every major office in Israel, serving twice as prime minister. He was also president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014.
He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo Accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state. The former hawk turned dove -- the last of Israel's founding fathers -- is widely respected both in Israel and abroad. He suffered a stroke on September 13 and has been hospitalized near Tel Aviv since then. On September 18, Peres' office said doctors planned to gradually reduce his sedation and respiratory support to judge his response. His personal physician and son-in-law Rafi Walden had said at the time that Peres had seen "very slow, moderate improvement."In January, Peres was hospitalized twice because of heart trouble.
In the first instance, the hospital said he had suffered a "mild cardiac event" and underwent catheterization to widen an artery. He was rushed to hospital a second time just days later with chest pains and an irregular heartbeat. Peres has sought to maintain an active schedule despite his age, particularly through events related to his Peres Center for Peace. When leaving hospital on January 19, Peres said he was keen to get back to work. "I'm so happy to return to work, that was the whole purpose of this operation," he said. In March, he met British supermodel Naomi Campbell at his Peres Center for Peace during an event linked to International Women's Day. On the same day, he met visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. After suffering the stroke this month, he received an outpouring of support from across the world, including from Pope Francis, U.S. President Barack Obama, the Clinton family, Donald Trump, Britain's former premier Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said he was hoping Peres made a "swift and full recovery," calling him "tireless in seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians." Peres once confided that the secret to his longevity was daily exercise, eating little and drinking one or two glasses of good wine.
 

Kuwait ‘ready to receive’ Yemenis for more talks
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 27 September 2016/Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al Jarallah has confirmed his country’s willingness to receive delegations from all Yemeni sides in the future if and when peace talks are agreed on. Jarrallah also spoke against allegations made by Iranian FARS news agency that Kuwait was differing with Saudi Arabia on the situation in Yemen, saying the Kuwait has not shifted its stance and solidly supports neighboring Riyadh. As Kuwait celebrated the 26th anniversary of its liberation earlier this year, all of us remember the sacrifices offered by Saudi Arabia since the first day of the liberation war,” Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamed Al-Sabah said on Monday. Three months of UN-brokered talks - which were hosted in Kuwait - failed to make headway, with the Houthi militias and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government both holding firm to their positions. Following the 2011 uprising against Yemen’s then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, several events occurred that led to the country’s political turmoil. As factions fought for control of Yemen, the power vacuum led Houthi militias to take advantage of instability and rising fuel prices to oust Hadi’s government in Sept. 2014. Hadi and his cabinet fled to Saudi Arabia, which led an Arab coalition against the Houthis in March 2015. After 18 months of fighting, the Houthis and their allies control most of the north - including the capital Sanaa - while forces loyal to Hadi and the popular resistance control the south.

Ahmadinejad vows to follow Khamenei’s order not to run
By AFP, Tehran Monday, 26 September 2016/Former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad says he will not seek reelection in the country’s 2017 presidential vote. His announcement came a day after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told him he should not run. In a letter published in Iranian media, he confirmed Khamenei had told him it was not in the country’s interest for him to seek the presidency again. Ahmadinejad wrote that he expressed his fealty to the supreme leader.
The call to the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stay out of next year’s election followed a speech by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday. In a cautiously worded statement ahead of a theological class, Khamenei said: “A certain person came to me and I told him not to do a certain thing, believing it would be to the benefit of both the person himself and the country.” Although he did not mention Ahmadinejad by name, several conservative figures interpreted his words as a rebuke to the controversial former president who led the country from 2005 until the 2013 presidential election. “Mr Ahmadinejad must be very thankful and grateful for the leader’s advice and he will definitely listen to this advice and not run for the election, and will be of service to people in some other position,” said Mohammad Gharavian, a cleric in the holy city of Qom, according to ISNA news agency. Ahmadinejad has made numerous public appearances in recent months, leading to speculation that he was planning a comeback in the presidential election next May. Khamenei implied that such a move would create “a bi-polar atmosphere” that would “damage the country”. Ahmadinejad’s inflammatory rhetoric - particularly regarding Iran’s nuclear program and hostility towards Israel - was blamed for deepening tensions with the West, but his populist approach and humble roots means he has retained popularity with poorer sections of Iranian society. By the end of his term, he had alienated even the conservative establishment and faced wide-ranging criticism over his handling of the economy and failure to show sufficient deference to the supreme leader. President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who oversaw a deal with world powers to end sanctions in exchange for curbing Iran’s nuclear program, is expected to run for a second term, although he faces mounting pressure from conservatives who say the deal has brought few benefits to Iran.

Iran: Execution of 17 prisoners at Vakil Abad prison in Mashhad in one day
NCRI StatementsTuesday, 27 September 2016/The mullahs' inhuman regime in a shocking crime on September 11th hanged 17 inmates collectively in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad. Another 400 prisoners are on death row in prison.
From September 13 to 24, 19 prisoners in the prisons of Shiraz, Gorgan, Tabas, Tabriz, Bandar Abbas, Rasht, Taybad, Orumiyeh and Neyriz were hanged.
At the same time 13 prisoners in solitary confinement in Karaj’s Gohardasht and Varamin’s Khorin prisons, and seven prisoners of 25 to 30 year-old in Minab central prison are on death row. These are in addition to the thousands of prisoners on death row in prisons around the country, especially Ghezel Hessar prison. These executions, simultaneous with so-called “moderate” Rouhani participation in the United Nations General Assembly, demonstrates how hollow and deceitful the claim of moderation in the clerical regime of Velayat-e-Faqih is.
Various internal factions of religious tyranny ruling Iran don’t have any dispute with each other as far as the suppression of the Iranian people is concerned.
Unable to deal with crises at home and abroad, especially while the disclosure of the new corners of the massacre of 30 thousand political prisoners in 1988 adds to the people’s anger toward the ruling regime, the clerical regime has found no other choice but to intensify repression, particularly of capital punishment. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Minister of Interior of Rouhani, alluding to a 20 thousand-page report on the spread of social pathologies, acknowledged that "the main threat is in the internal affairs" (ISNA state run news agency –September 26).
Iranian Resistance calls on the Iranian people, especially the courageous youth to protest against the repressive measures of the regime and calls for solidarity with the families of those executed. It also asks the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and all human rights organizations to take immediate actions to confront the growing trend of executions in Iran. The regime of Velayat-e-Faqih is a disgrace to contemporary humanity, must be rejected from the global community, its leaders must be brought in front of international tribunals for crimes against humanity and any relations with it must be conditional upon a halt to executions.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/September 26, 2016

Iran: Retired staff of Education Ministry stage rallies in Tehran, other cities
NCRI Statements/Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Protesters chant: Poverty line, 3million, our salaries, 1million;
Dignity, jobs, are our inalienable rights
On the morning of Tuesday, September 27, 2016, thousands of the retired personnel of the Education Ministry staged protest rallies in Tehran, and other cities including Kermanshah, Isfahan, Zanjan, Kerman, Shiraz, Tabriz, Aligoodarz, Mashhad, Rasht, Abhar, Ilam, Yazd, Gorgan, Hamedan, Behbahan, Birjand, Bojnourd, Sanandaj, Nahavand, some cities in the northern Gilan Province, etc. to protest low wages, salaries and benefits as well as their miserable living conditions.A large number of the protesters from Tehran and other cities staged their protest outside the Iranian regime's parliament (Majlis). To prevent people from joining them, security forces surrounded the protesters and blocked all roads leading to the area.
Demonstrators in Tehran and other cities carried placards which read, "Dignity, jobs, are our inalienable rights", "poverty line= 3million, our salaries= 1million", "the retired = the forgotten", "officials should be ashamed of the salaries of the retired personnel in light of their astronomical salaries", "respect for the retired = attending to their living conditions."
While the Education Ministry staff and retired personnel are living in difficult circumstances, the country's wealth and revenues are spent on anti-patriotic nuclear, military, security, export of terrorism and suppressive projects or are plundered by the regime's officials and deposited in their foreign bank accounts. So long as the inhuman and anti-Iranian religious dictatorship rules in Iran, poverty, unemployment, and inflation are aggravated day by day. The Iranian Resistance expresses its solidarity with the protesters, and calls on Iran's nation and youths in particular to support them.
The Secretariat of National Council of Resistance of Iran/September 27, 2016

IRAN: Ex-Tehran Univ. chancellor calls for justice for 1988 massacre of political prisoners
Tuesday, 27 September 2016/NCRI - Dr. Mohammad Maleki, the first Tehran University chancellor after the 1979 revolution, calls for international trial of Iranian regime. Mr Maleki emphasized on the demands for justice for the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. The following is excerpts of his speech: “We are in special days; the days that for many years we were waiting for. And the poem that I wrote in my latest letter: Did you see that the unjustly spilled blood of butterfly did not give the candle the respite to live thru the night until dawn. “Those of us who experienced prisons in the 1980s know this hugely insane person, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, very well. In 2009 he denied everything and said it (the massacre) never happened at all. And now he says ‘We did well, we did our religious duty (Sharia), we will do it again and we are proud of it.’ “I, however, as a Muslim child, a child who grew up in mosques inside the country and in churches abroad, I do not understand this Sharia law. What is this Sharia that they say they have done their religious duty (according to Sharia)?
“If Sharia means killings, executions, lies, theft, looting and fancy salaries... then damn this Sharia from which such things come out. “But if Sharia means justice, freedom, equality, and equal rights, then we accept it and seek justice according to this Sharia…“Today the facts are clear and surely many other facts will become clear later. I particularly wrote in the letter that we demand to know the facts about the 8-year war (between Iran and Iraq) that destroyed hundreds of thousands of Iranian youth and students and according to Hashemi Rafsanjani (Iranian regime’s former president) 36 thousand children who were sent to war (by the regime) were torn apart. We want the truth becomes clear. “We do not intend to execute anyone or cause violence, because we are a member of the LEGAM, The abolition of the death penalty step by step. We will not execute any one of them. We want them to tell what their crimes were, and then let them go to people if they dare. “We recommend to people not to touch them, though. Only spit on the ground when they see them (these criminals). “The Justice-Seeking movement must be expanded, as the issue is fortunately being debated by the international bodies now, so that in the future no group, no class, no party, and no organization dare to do such acts. “

Iran: Univ. students in Tehran protest against dorm situation and educational costs
NCRI/Tuesday, 27 September 2016/ Hundreds of students of Sharif University of Technology, Amir Kabir University and Melli (Beheshti) University held gatherings and staged a sit-in in front of the chancellors’ offices and university entrance gates to protest about educational costs and the situation of dorms.
According to ILNA news agency, 600 students from Sharif University of Technology as well as a group of students from Amir Kabir University are in these gatherings, protesting about the removal of laws related to educational years.
In a gathering which kicked off from the student self-service and moved toward Educational Assistant Office Sharif University of Technology students were chanting slogans such as:
Freedom of thought is not happening under pressure
University education should be free of charge
Sharif University or Business Institution?
Also a group of Amir Kabir University students held a gathering on the university lawn. The students were protesting against a plan related to Educational Years which forces students to pay for their educational costs and tuition fees.
According to students, this is extortion money and has changed the university into a business institution. Students had placards in hand saying: “Student is not a means to earn money”
The protest gathering was held at the same day when newly admitted students along with their families were about to enter the university to celebrate the start of a new academic year.
Melli (Beheshti) University students have staged a sit-in from Saturday September 23 to protest about the designated place for one of the student dorms and the date at which the dorms are due to open.. The students say that the designated dorm is 2 hours away from the University and students from other cities who are admitted in this university for continuing their education are now in trouble. Sharif University of Technology, Amir Kabir University and Melli (Beheshti) university are among the most reputable universities in Iran.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on September 27-28/16

Clinton-Trump Debate polls...other than CNN...
Walid Phares/Face Book/September 27/16
Polls on winner of Presidential Debate. Millions have voted, but the results are different than CNN's
CBS NEW YORK
Trump 60%
Clinton 40%
(87,117 votes)
NJ.COM
Trump 57%
Clinton 38%
(217,991 votes)
THE RIGHT SCOOP
Trump 53%
Clinton 23%
(75,223 votes)
TIME
Trump 53%
Clinton 47%
(1,402,870 votes)
CNBC
Trump 66%
Clinton 34%
(750,957 votes)
BREITBART
Trump 76%
Clinton 24%
(249,713 votes)
VARIETY
Trump 57%
Clinton 43%
(61,608 votes)
THE HILL
Trump 58%
Clinton 36%
(118,859 votes)
DRUDGE REPORT
Trump 82%
Clinton 18%
(524,369 votes)
BREITBART/GRAVIS FLASH POLL
Plausible President
Trump 46%
Clinton 42%
DJT + 4
Honesty
Trump 49%
Clinton 42%
DJT + 7
Strong Leader
Trump 48%
Clinton 44%
DJT + 4

Iran releases jailed Iranian-Canadian academic, Homa Hoodfar
Misha Zand//Al-Monitor/September 27/16
Less than 24 hours after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s return to Tehran from New York, where he addressed the UN General Assembly meeting Sept. 22 for the fourth time, he was strictly reprimanded by Hojat al-Islam Ali Saidi and advised to refrain from developing any further relations with the United States outside the framework of the nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Saidi is not just any hojat al-Islam, a Shiite clerical rank just below that of ayatollah, but the supreme leader’s representative to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In an interview with the IRGC-linked Fars News Agency on Sept. 24, Saidi said, “Under the cover of the JCPOA, the country’s government was pursuing the straightening out of relations with the United States. The Americans’ intention with the negotiations was also beyond solving the nuclear issue, but the supreme leader prevented the Americans from gaining more points.”
These comments come only days after Rouhani welcomed American companies at a Sept. 22 news conference in New York, where he said, “The nuclear deal has paved the ground for all foreign investors and companies to invest in Iran.”
This is not the first time Rouhani has tried to build on the July 2015 nuclear deal. In February, he announced his government’s economic plans for a “second JCPOA” that would include international “reconciliation.” That statement did not please the supreme leader, either.
In the Sept. 24 interview with Fars News, Saidi specifically underlined that talks with the United States should at all times stay within the framework of the nuclear deal, saying that broader diplomatic engagement “is one of the red lines that we cannot cross,” and adding, “This issue goes back to the cornerstones of the revolution.”
Rouhani’s Sept. 20-22 visit to New York was also marked by extensive coverage in the Iranian media of the breaking news that the US Treasury finally issued licenses to Boeing and Airbus, permitting the sale of passenger airplanes to Iran. The Boeing deal is the largest business agreement between Iran and the United States since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
The positive reactions to the aircraft deals were inevitable in the pro-reform Iranian newspapers over the weekend. Speaking to the Reformist Shargh Daily on Sept. 24, Abbas Akhoundi, the minister of roads and urban development, praised the Boeing and Airbus deals and said, “This means that we finally after four decades can regain our share of the [aviation industry] in the global market.”
In contrast, news outlets close to hard-liners downplayed the aviation deals, which are authorized under the nuclear deal. Adopting a skeptical position on Sept. 24, the hard-line Vatan-e Emrooz criticized the United States for not delivering its part of the nuclear agreement on time, as it has been months since preliminary understandings with Airbus and Boeing were announced. Other conservative outlets such as Kayhan Daily took it further and demanded Sept. 26 that the United States provide compensation for the delay.
Saidi also remarked on the Boeing deal in his Sept. 24 interview with the IRGC-linked Fars News Agency, saying, “I am worried that they will send a few Boeing airplanes here and while a group of people take pictures with them, their minds will get sidetracked and they will start thinking that the JCPOA has been a success.”
In other news, Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian academic who was imprisoned earlier this year on security charges, has been released on humanitarian grounds. Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi announced Sept. 26 that she has returned to Canada through Oman. The release comes after Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion’s Sept. 21 meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York. It was the first meeting held at the ministerial level since Ottawa severed relations with Tehran in 2012.

Why ‘Infidel’ Women are Jihad’s Greatest Victims
Raymond Ibrahim/September 27/16
Originally published by the Gatestone Institute as, “Christian Girls are only Meant for One Thing, the Pleasure of Muslim Men”
Always harsh, Islamic law is still harsher for women. According to the Koran, men have “authority” over women and may beat them for disobedience (4:34). According to Mohammad, the prophet of Islam, women are less intelligent than men — two women are needed to equal one man’s testimony — and the majority of hell’s population consists of women, who are further likened to donkeys and dogs in their ability to distract a man from his prayer and thereby annul it.
What, then, is Islam’s view of women who are “infidels”? They are at best “meant for one thing, the pleasure of the Muslim man,” as one Muslim told a group of young Christian girls in Pakistan before terrorizing and murdering one. In the Koran, (e.g., 4:24), non-Muslim women seized in a jihad can be bought and sold as sex slaves for Muslim men, as the Islamic State—not to mention America’s “good friend and ally” Saudi Arabia—have been doing.
Emily Fuentes, communications director for Open Doors, a human rights organization that advocates for persecuted Christians, said:
Unfortunately, more and more women are the target of [Muslim] terrorist groups. There are numerous international incidents of women being kidnapped, raped, and forced to convert from Christianity to Islam by radical extremist groups…. Many are also sold on the open market. This brutality is not only occurring in the Middle East but in Africa and in many other places. In many of these countries, women are subject to persecution because they are considered second-class citizens because of their gender. As minorities in both gender and faith, Christian women face double the persecution. Although we don’t have an exact number, we know that millions of women are being persecuted…. In these Muslim-dominated countries, Christian women are systematically deprived of their freedom to live and are denied basic human necessities.
Christian women are double damned: as non-Muslims, they are barely tolerated “infidels”; as women, they are even more inferior than their already despised male counterparts. Add to this the facts that women are physically weaker—and physically more attractive—than men, and, at least outside the West, more passive than men, and it becomes clear why they are the greatest recipients of Islamic abuse.
By now, the plight of non-Muslim females in the grips of ISIS is well known. Since conquering Mosul in June 2014, the caliphate has executed as many as 250 captive non-Muslim girls (mostly Yazidis and Christians) for refusing to be sex slaves. Most recently, 19 Yazidi girls were placed in iron cages and burned alive in front of a crowd of hundreds, for refusing to copulate with jihadis.
According to a report that appeared one day after Open Doors highlighted the plight of non-Muslim women:
Religious minority women under IS control are often repeatedly sold from jihadi to jihadi. Once militants get tired of raping and abusing one particular girl, they usually sell them off to one of their militant buddies so they can rape and abuse them at their own pleasure.
One escaped Yazidi girl explained how “she was bought and sold by eight different jihadis… We were put on display [in sex slave markets]. Men came in and looked at us like objects. It was like a car showroom…. Women were bought for cash — as little as $20, or exchanged for things like mobile phones, or given away as gifts.”
She was raped at least three times a day for over 16 months by countless ISIS fighters, forced to take contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs, and repeatedly tried to kill herself to escape the abuse. Her account is typical, and has been made by many other escaped non-Muslim girls.
Other recent reports tell of “one 8-year-old girl who was also bought, sold and raped by eight different militants in a span of 10 months”; of another “sex slave who set herself on fire to prevent from being raped”; of a couple who, after their children were abducted by ISIS, answered their door to find a plastic bag containing the body parts of their daughters and a video of them being tortured and raped; and of Christian and Alawite women being raped and slaughtered by ISIS jihadis invading their village.
But such Islamic abuse of women is hardly limited to groups such as ISIS or Boko Haram — a Nigerian-based organization that also defines itself in exclusively Islamic terms and is notorious for abducting, enslaving, raping and murdering Christian girls. Approximately 700 Christian and 300 Hindu girls are abducted, enslaved, and raped in Pakistan every year. These are very large numbers considering that Christians and Hindus each make up only one percent of the nation’s Muslim-majority population.
Just four days after Open Doors made its remarks about the plight of Christian women, two Muslim men in Pakistan invaded the home of a Christian woman while her soldier husband was away serving in the army. They tied and gang raped her while threatening to slaughter her two-year-old infant daughter if she did not comply. According to the 30-year-old woman: “The men treated me like an animal, telling me I was a worthless Christian…. They said Christian women are all whores and they would come back and repeat their debauchery if I ever told anyone.”
Because she is both a female and an infidel in a Muslim-majority nation, the police and the law did nothing for her. That same week, five more Christian girls were kidnapped, converted to Islam, and forced to “marry” their captors.
There are many more examples of rape and sometimes murder of Christian girls — and sometimes Christian boys — in Pakistan. After a 9-year-old Christian girl was raped by a Muslim man who boasted of having “done the same service to other young Christian girls,” local residents explained:
Such incidents occur frequently. Christian girls are considered goods to be damaged at leisure. Abusing them is a right. According to the [Muslim] community’s mentality it is not even a crime. Muslims regard them as spoils of war.
A similar situation prevails in Egypt. In July 2012, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith testified about the “escalating abduction, coerced conversion and forced marriage of Coptic Christian women and girls. Those women are being terrorized and, consequently, marginalized.”
The late and often diplomatic Coptic Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt’s Christian community, highlighted this proclivity back in 1976: “There is a practice to convert Coptic girls to embrace Islam and marry them under terror to Muslim husbands.” Between 2008 and 2013 alone, nearly 600 cases of abduction, rape, and forced conversion of Christian women have been documented in Egypt. The situation has only gotten worse since, as per the title of a 2012 report: “Abductions and Forced Conversions of Christian Coptic Women in Egypt Dramatically Increase.”
If young women are sexually targeted, older women are sexually degraded. On May 20, a 70-year-old Christian woman in Egypt was stripped naked, spat upon, and paraded in the streets of Minya to jeers, whistles, and yells of “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah is Greatest”) by an angry Muslim mob.
Two days before the Open Doors report was published, Muslims in Uganda beat and raped a 22-year-old Christian woman because she accused a mosque leader of murdering her father due to a religious argument. A month earlier, the 13-year-old daughter of a mother who left Islam and converted to Christianity, was raped by local Muslims and told: “This is the second warning to your mother for disgracing the faith of the Muslims.”
It should be noted that even in Europe, it is the indigenous females who are suffering the most from the influx of Muslim migrants. Exponentially higher numbers of sexual attacks and rapes are being committed, often on the same logic that prevails in the Islamic State or Pakistan. In the words of a Muslim migrant in Germany who stalked, cursed, and groped a woman: “German women are there for sex.”
A final important point: while non-Muslim women are targeted more than non-Muslim men for sexual reasons, that does not mean that they are targeted less than men when it comes to non-sexual forms of Muslim persecution, such as attacks on “blasphemers” and “apostates.” Chivalry is an alien concept to Islam; when it comes to terrorizing and putting infidels in their place, the religion of Muhammad is strictly egalitarian. In Pakistan for example, the most notorious blasphemy case involves a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who has been in prison on death row since 2009; and when a Christian couple was accused of desecrating a Koran, both husband and wife were burned alive. More recent accounts that surfaced around the same time that Open Doors highlighted the plight of Christian women include:
Indonesia: In what was described as “an unprecedented use of Shari’a on a non-Muslim,” a 60-year-old Christian woman was publicly caned 30 times for selling alcohol.
Islamic State: A Christian woman was executed by Islamic militants for refusing to deny her faith in Christ. ISIS also threatened a group of Dominican nuns, demanding they either convert to Islam or pay jizya, tribute (based on Koran 9:29). “The elderly sisters [fled and] began to suffer heart attacks and heart failures from the stress of the mass exodus. Over the past 18 months, 23 of them died, sometimes up to three deaths a week. ‘They died of a broken heart,’ said Sister Huda.”
Uganda: A Muslim man strangled his wife to death for leaving Islam and converting to Christianity. Another Muslim man beat and threatened to butcher his wife while shouting “Allahu Akbar” because of her conversion to Christianity.
One seldom hears of the reverse, of a Muslim wife killing her husband for apostasy, due to the lack of authority women have in the Muslim world.
It is for all these reasons that non-Muslim women—physically weaker and physically more desirable than men—are perfect targets: for nowhere else can Islam’s hate for “infidels,” and females in general, best combine and vent itself than onto non-Muslim women.

Turkey: Land of Mosques, Prisons and the Uneducated
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/September 27/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/09/27/burak-bekdilgatestone-institute-turkey-land-of-mosques-prisons-and-the-uneducated/

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9002/turkey-mosques-prisons

"[I]n spite of dire predictions by secularists, the [ruling] AKP did not introduce conspicuous efforts to Islamize Turkey. But since 2011, this has changed." — Svante E. Cornell, in "The Islamization of Turkey: Erdogan's Education Reforms."
In 2014, Turkey's government introduced a scheme which forcibly enrolled about 40,000 students at Islamic "imam schools," and granted permission for girls as young as 10 to wear Islamic headscarves in class.
A new study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that 43% of Turkish women aged between 15 and 29 were neither working nor receiving education.
One way the rise of Islamist authoritarianism in a country can be seen is by the rise in the number of mosques, religious schools and prisons -- coupled with a sharp decline in the quality of education. Turkey is no exception.
Most recently, the Turkish government said that it would build 174 new prisons, increasing capacity by 100,000 convicts. This is Turkey's reply to complaints that six convicts must share a cell built for three. Convicts say they must sleep in turns in their bunk beds.
Before that, Turkey's government released nearly 40,000 convicted criminals, in order to make space for tens of thousands of suspects, including journalists, businessmen and academics, detained after the failed coup of July 15.
Turkish police and soldiers transport handcuffed military officers, who are accused of participating in the failed July 15 coup d'état. (Image source: Haber Turk video screenshot)
The other type of trendy building in Turkey is the mosque. Turkey's state-funded Directorate for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has proudly announced that nearly 9,000 new mosques were built across the country between 2005 and 2015. The number of mosques in Turkey is estimated at around 90,000, or one mosque per 866 people. Iran, with a similar population to Turkey's [nearly 78 million] boasts just 48,000 mosques. In other words, Turkey has twice as many mosques as the Islamic Republic of Iran, for roughly the same population. Egypt, which has a population -- nearly 90 million -- bigger than Turkey's, has 67,000 mosques.
Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has not only been building mosques and prisons to further Islamize the country. He has also passionately been building religious schools [from which he once graduated]. He boasts that during his term as prime minister and president (since November 2002), the number of students enrolled at religious schools, officially called "imam schools," has risen from 60,000 to more than 1.2 million -- a 20-fold increase. In his study, "The Islamization of Turkey: Erdogan's Education Reforms," Svante E. Cornell wrote that:
"The growing efforts at Islamization of Turkish society have largely gone unnoticed. For many years, Islamization was the dog that did not bark: in spite of dire predictions by secularists, the [ruling] AKP did not introduce conspicuous efforts to Islamize Turkey. But since 2011, this has changed. The main exhibit is the education sector, which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has remodeled to instill considerably more Islamic content, in line with his stated purpose to raise "pious generations". Ultimately, the Islamic overhaul of the education system is bound to have implications for Turkey's civilizational identity, and on the choices it will make on where it belongs politically."
In 2012, Erdogan's government introduced a contentious 12-year compulsory education system, paving the way for religious middle schools. In 2014, it introduced a scheme which forcibly enrolled about 40,000 students at imam schools. In some districts, imam schools were suddenly the only option for parents who could not afford private schooling. Also in 2014, the government granted permission for girls as young as 10 to wear Islamic headscarves in class.
So, where does Turkey's increasingly Islamist education stand after all those efforts? According to a report released this month by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Turkey is one of the countries with the lowest spending per student. Turkey's public spending for primary and secondary school education, and its spending per university student, were all below the OECD average. The OECD study also found that 43% of Turkish women aged between 15 and 29 were neither working nor receiving education. The OECD average for that group is 17%.
But it is not just about the quantitative findings; qualitative findings also point to an alarming education deficit in Turkey. In 2016, more than two million Turkish high school graduates took the annual national test to enroll at a post-secondary institution. According to the nationwide test results, the students scored an average 4.6 out of 40 questions in mathematics; 7.8 in science and 10.7 in humanities. Ironically, the test results show that the Turkish students do not even have adequate skills in their own language. The average score in Turkish was 19.1 out of 40.
This is the inevitable outcome of systematic Islamization of society in general, and of education in particular, over the past 14 years. The next 14 years will doubtless be far bleaker.
**Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Jihadists Target Spain
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/September 27/16

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/09/27/soeren-kerngatestone-institute-jihadists-target-spain/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9025/jihadists-target-spain
"The actions of your ancestors are the reason for our actions today."
The Islamic State document said that since the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition in 1478, Spain "has done everything to destroy the Koran." It said that Spain tortured Muslims, including burning them alive. Therefore, according to the Islamic State, "Spain is a criminal state that usurps our land." The document calls on jihadists to "reconnoiter airline and train routes for attacks." It also calls on followers to "poison food and water" with insecticides.
"We will kill any 'innocent' Spanish infidel we find in Muslim lands, and... whether we are European in origin or not, we will kill you in your cities and towns according to our plan." — Islamic State document, May 30, 2016.
"We will recover al-Andalus, Allah willing. Oh dear Andalus! You thought we forgot about you. I swear by Allah we have never forgotten you. No Muslim can forget Córdoba, Toledo or Xàtiva. There are many faithful and sincere Muslims who swear they will return to al-Andalus." — Islamic State video, January 31, 2016.
"Spain is the land of our forefathers and we are going to take it back with the power of Allah." — Islamic State video, January 7, 2016.
Islamic militants are stepping up a propaganda war against Spain. In recent months, Islamic State and other jihadist groups have produced a flurry of videos and documents calling on Muslims to reconquer al-Andalus.
Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given to those parts of Spain, Portugal and France occupied by Muslim conquerors (also known as the Moors) from 711 to 1492. Many Muslims believe that territories Muslims lost during the Christian Reconquest of Spain still belong to the realm of Islam. They claim that Islamic law gives them the right to re-establish Muslim rule there.
A recent Islamic State document includes a list of grievances against Spain for wrongs done to Muslims since the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa on July 16, 1212, when the Christian forces of King Alfonso VIII of Castile routed the Almohad Muslim rulers of the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula. More than 100,000 Muslims were killed in the battle, which was a key victory in the Catholic Monarchs' "Reconquista" of Spain.
The document said that since the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition in 1478, Spain "has done everything to destroy the Koran." It said that Spain tortured Muslims, including burning them alive. Therefore, according to the Islamic State, "Spain is a criminal state that usurps our land." The document calls on jihadists to "reconnoiter airline and train routes for attacks." It also calls on followers to "poison food and water" with insecticides.
The document concludes: "The actions of your ancestors are the reason for our actions today."
On July 15, 2016, Islamic State released its first propaganda video with Spanish subtitles. The high quality of the Spanish translation, both in writing and in syntax, led some analysts to conclude that that the translator's mother tongue is Spanish and that the subtitling may even have been done inside Spain.
On June 3, Islamic State released a video — "Month of Ramadan, Month of Conquest" — which mentions al-Andalus four times. Spain is the only non-Muslim country mentioned in the video.
On May 30, Islamic State released a two-page document in Spanish in which it issued threats directly against Spain. The document states:
"We will kill any 'innocent' Spanish infidel we find in Muslim lands, and if not we will reach your land. Our religion and our faith lives among you, and even though you do not know our names or what we look like and do not even know whether we are European in origin or not, we will kill you in your cities and towns according to our plan, in the same way that you are killing our families."
On January 31, Islamic State released a video in which one of its Spanish jihadists warned Spain that it would "pay a very heavy price" for expelling Muslims from al-Andalus. The eight-minute video included the following statement:
"I swear by Allah that you will pay a very heavy price and your demise will be very painful. We will recover al-Andalus, Allah willing. Oh dear Andalus! You thought we forgot about you. I swear by Allah we have never forgotten you. No Muslim can forget Córdoba, Toledo or Xàtiva. There are many faithful and sincere Muslims who swear they will return to al-Andalus."
An armed, masked Islamic State jihadist appears in a propaganda video, where he warns Spain that it would "pay a very heavy price" for expelling Muslims from al-Andalus hundreds of years ago. The Spanish subtitle above reads "Oh dear Andalus! You thought we forgot about you. I swear by Allah we have never forgotten you. No Muslim can forget Córdoba, Toledo or Xàtiva."
On January 7, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which is fighting Islamic State for hegemony of North Africa, released a video calling for jihadist attacks in Madrid as a strategy to help Muslims recover the Spanish North African exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
Another Islamic State video vowed to liberate al-Andalus from non-Muslims. A jihadist speaking in Spanish with a heavy North African accent said:
"I say to the entire world as a warning: We are living under the Islamic flag, the Islamic caliphate. We will die for it until we liberate those occupied lands, from Jakarta to Andalusia. And I declare: Spain is the land of our forefathers and we are going to take it back with the power of Allah."
Meanwhile, 33 jihadists were arrested in Spain in 17 different raids during the first nine months of 2016, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry.
Most recently, two Spanish citizens of Moroccan origin — Karim El Idrissi Soussi, 27, and a second man identified as 18-year-old O.S.A.A — were arrested in Madrid on jihad terror charges. One of the detainees is a 27-year-old computer science student who watched jihadist propaganda videos in class and threatened to massacre his fellow students.
According to the Interior Ministry, Soussi tried to join the Islamic State but was detained by Turkish authorities while attempting to cross the border into Syria. He was deported and just recently returned to Spain.
The Interior Ministry said Soussi's penchant for radical Islam became evident in November 2015, when the secondary school where he was studying computer science held a moment of silence to honor the victims of the jihadist attacks in Paris. According to teachers and students, Soussi shouted slogans in support of the attacks which killed 130 people, including 89 at the Bataclan Theater.
On other occasions, Soussi publicly justified jihadist attacks by Islamic State, which he said was the ideal form of government for all Muslims. According to the Interior Ministry, Soussi visited a public library almost daily to connect to the internet and browse jihadist websites. He allegedly created fake profiles and posted jihadist material on social media sites. Soussi also criticized so-called moderate Muslims and expressed hope that someday Spain would become an Islamic emirate.
Soussi allegedly watched Islamic State propaganda videos during his computer science class and repeatedly threatened to bring weapons to school to kill his classmates.
The other jihadist, O.S.A.A., was arrested for the offenses of "glorifying jihadist terrorism" and "self-indoctrination for terrorist purposes." The Interior Ministry did not provide further details.
A total of 636 jihadists have been detained in the country since the March 2004 Madrid train bombings, in which nearly 200 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured.
A recent study by the Madrid-based Elcano Institute found that of the 150 jihadists arrested in Spain during the past four years, 124 (81.6%) were linked to Islamic State and 26 (18.4%) to al-Qaeda.
Of those linked to Islamic State, 45.3% were Spanish citizens, 41.1% were Moroccans and 13.6% had other nationalities. In terms of birth, 45.6% were born in Morocco and 39.1% were born in Spain. Only 15.3% were born in other countries.
In terms of immigration, 51.7% were first-generation immigrants, 42.2% were second- or third-generation immigrants, and 6.1% had no immigration background, which implies they are Spanish converts to Islam.
In terms of residency, 29.8% were arrested in Barcelona, 22.1% in Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta, and 15.3% in Madrid. The others were arrested in more than a dozen other localities across the country.
Islamic State has suffered setbacks on the battlefields of the Middle East, but the jihadist terror threat remains undiminished. In the words of Spanish terrorism analyst Florentino Portero: "Islamic State is answering military defeats with more terror."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
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Syria and the American elections
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
Although the US elections begin on Nov. 8, the elected president will not set foot in the White House before Jan. 20, when he or she performs the oath. During this relatively long period of time, the administration does not manage its work as usual, and the current president will be described as a lame duck. There are those who think this is an opportune time to act without being confronted by Washington. The Syrian regime, fully supported by Russia and Iran, is expected to seize the opportunity to create a new reality on the ground so it becomes difficult for the next US president to change it. What we have recently seen in Syria is due to this vacuum, which has begun early. Aid convoys have been attacked, and there has been horrifying destruction in Aleppo. Russian, Iranian and Syrian regime forces have done all this without sensing the least fear of the possibility of an international or regional reaction. Washington’s protests were not enough to be taken seriously by Moscow and Tehran.This is why, during the next three months, countries that sympathize with the Syrian people face a dangerous challenge. They must not let the regime and Iran seize a single meter in Syria without paying a high price, and they must do so by supporting the rebels. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran are working to impose their agendas on the next US president from now. We hope the next US president will be more courageous in confronting Iranian and Russian encroachment than the current one
New reality
Whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is elected, we do not know yet what his or her options will be vis-a-vis the world, particularly Syria, which represents a major regional conflict. However, letting the current hideous aggression against Aleppo last will lead to forcing the next US president to accept the new reality. Aleppo is Syria’s biggest city and the closest to Turkey. If it falls, the governorate will fall, it will be easy for the regime to destroy the rest of Syria, and at least 1 million more refugees will head to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. We hope the next US president will be more courageous in confronting Iranian and Russian encroachment than the current one, not necessarily via a direct American military presence, but by letting other countries support the opposition militarily, logistically and diplomatically. The coming weeks are important, as Washington will be preoccupied until a new president is elected and a government formed. No matter what happens in the world, Washington will not act unless something dangerous happens that directly affects its security and higher interests. Iran and Russia know there is no US deterrence policy toward Syria, so American preoccupation with the elections will encourage them to commit more massacres and violate international law to break the resistance of the Syrian people, subjugate them by force, and change the regional balance of power.

The chains of sects and the war on society
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
Honest stories circulated by our parents and grandparents prove that sectarianism did not exist in societies before Iran’s revolution. Sectarian terms were not circulated, and trade contracts and marriages between Sunnis and Shiites were very common in Al-Ahsa, Qatif and Saihat. This social blending was genuine, and did not submit to an academic vision or to implementation of a theory as part of the social contract. It was the people’s ordinary and spontaneous approach, which was not disturbed by personal trends or political orientations. Sects remained harmonious and tolerant until Iran’s revolution, after which the revival and awakening (sahwa) phenomenon among Sunnis began to emerge and made use of the revolutionary circumstances at the time. They began to tear societies apart, and statements between Sunnis and Shiites were characterized by an elimination approach as they exchanged insults and accusations. Belonging to a sect thus transformed from having jurisprudential principles that may differ from others, to political sectarianism that increases hostility among sects. Ruhollah Khomeini, who led Iran’s revolution, said at its beginning that sects’ political affiliation is more important than ideological affiliation. Late Saudi King Abdulaziz said there were 30,000 Shiites in Al-Ahsa, all of them respected, and although he sometimes urged them to decrease protests and celebrations, he did not interfere. Following the revolutionary phase, sectarian ideology became political, not religious. This is the real problem, because slogans became more important than prayers, and chanting for a leader became better than chanting in the name of God. The preacher’s role expanded, and he became the absolute ruler who seeks the loyalty of those who belong to the same sect worldwide. People in Saudi Arabia enjoy the same rights regardless of sect, while in Iran Sunnis cannot practice their rituals in a certain mosque according to their jurisprudential beliefs
Bitter harvest
It has been three decades since Iran’s revolution, and the country is reaping the bitterness of sectarianism. The other’s image between both parties has been inflated, and enmity reached its peak via civil wars between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. Incitement in societies led to fighting and bloodshed. They are fighting ‘others’ due to the imagination they have of them, although the image as drawn via religious sermons and delivered via religious podiums is an illusion. This reminds us of the threat of forming an idea about others. French philosopher Tzvetan Todorov said man’s existence lies in deep communication, that to exist means to communicate. “Life is dialogical by its very nature. To live means to engage in dialogue,” he wrote. The entire theory of social contract throughout the phases of its development discussed the relation of man with others, and addressed planning activity among them in public life. Amid the presence of sectarianism, it is impossible to draw a social contract because oppression will be the alternative.There is a huge difference between the humanitarian and social dimension in Saudi Arabia and Iran. People in Saudi Arabia enjoy the same rights regardless of sect, while in Iran Sunnis cannot practice their rituals in a certain mosque according to their jurisprudential beliefs. This is how sectarianism plays a role in cancelling the existence of the other. This is not due to one’s jurisprudential choice, but to the dangerous problem of linking sect to political loyalty to a certain regime. The chains of hating the other are heavy. “Oh how happy are those who get rid of the chains controlling their lives,” said Jalal Eddine Roumi, 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian and Sufi mystic.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Sept. 27, 2016.

Is Hamid Karzai a threat to Afghanistan’s government?
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
Billions of dollars have been spent and many foreign soldiers have died in Afghanistan during the war on terror. The international community has committed itself to stabilizing Afghanistan with the aim of installing a sound democracy and a sense of stability that will benefit Afghans and the world. Now, 15 years after the fall of the Taliban, the current Unity Government of Afghanistan has failed to improve security and the economic situation and now finds itself on shaky ground. Uncertainty and political drama has surrounded the current government of Afghanistan regarding the agreement between the two political leaders reached on September 29, 2014. The two rival candidates during the 2014 presidential elections, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, wouldn’t give up the claim that they won the election. International reports alleged that the results were fraudulently tipped in favor of Ghani but the complexity of having a fresh election left power sharing as the only option.After the interference of the United States, the Unity Government of Afghanistan appointed Asharf Ghani as the president and Dr. Abdullah as the government chief executive.
Making constitutional changes
When this agreement was signed, the unity government was obligated to form a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) with the presence of the country’s influential tribal leaders who were tasked with making constitutional changes. The deadline for making the constitutional changes is September 29, 2016, which according to many political activists in Afghanistan, means that after that date, the continuation of the Unity Government will come into question. The power struggle between the president and the government chief executive hasn’t left any room for social and political improvements. The power struggle between the president and the government chief executive hasn’t left any room for social and political improvements. On July 23, a twin bombing hit Deh Mazang square in Kabul when the Enlightenment Movement protesters, mostly from the Hazara ethnic group, were targeted. Not a month has passed without a report of an explosion that has killed and maimed ordinary Afghans while the war with the Taliban in the southern areas of Nangehar, Orozghan and Kundoz is continuing. Parliament’s five-year term expired in June 2015, but elections were postponed because of security fears and disagreements on how to ensure a fair vote after the election. The date President Ghani has set for the next parliamentary election – in October 2016 - will likely come and go with no change and this raises questions about the current parliament’s validity and legal power.
The main threat?
Some observers see former President Hamid Karzai as the main threat to the current government and although Dr. Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani dislike each other, it seems the two will band together to remain in power and prevent the return of Karzai. There are fears that Karzai could mobilize influential tribal leaders to discharge the Unity Government and to form a transitional government headed by himself. A source close to Karzai told me, on condition of anonymity, that the US (which Karzai does not favor) was pressing Karzai to sign a document promising he wouldn’t use his influence to discharge the Unity Government by the Loya Jirga. In serval interviews, Karzai has denied any plans to run in future elections. It’s clear to me that over the past two years, Ghani has increased his power and Dr. Abdullah has lost support. Dr. Abdullah’s status is set to expire on September 29 but he always has the authority to issue a decree and extend his position for another three years, in conjunction with the remainder of the Unity Government’s term. The choice is difficult – should he remain in a post which doesn’t give him any power and authority or resign and become a strong opposition leader and ready himself for the next election?At this stage, it seems that the real threat to the Unity Government is Hamid Karzai’s increasing influence and popularity.

Communication and building efficient diplomacy
Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting is annually held in September. It is a universal occasion that presidents and diplomats attend in New York to deliver speeches through the UN platform and convey their countries’ opinions about different matters, particularly controversial ones. Dr Vali Nasr discusses prominent politicians’ interest in this global event in his book “The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat.” He wrote: “It is not the speeches that draw these diplomats to New York. It is the chance to see and be seen, to exchange ideas and compare notes, to talk shop and even gossip. And it is an ideal place for a diplomat looking to drum up support for his country’s plans to get things done.” Nasr’s practical vision is based on the idea that diplomatic work is the basis of political work between countries and groups. This cannot be achieved by just delivering speeches, like some leaders did, such as late Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi, who randomly delivered speeches without benefiting his country in establishing a convincing diplomatic vision. Real diplomats proficiently prepare an agenda that includes the most important affairs that they seek to discuss and market. They also examine the names of leaders and politicians who will be present at the meeting, and with whom they are interested in communicating, to create a network of political, economic and diplomatic support, or to have them adopt and support the proposals they make. Communicating with others, and creating active and efficient diplomacy, can contribute to resolving disputes between countries, decreasing tensions and reaching agreements
Richard Holbrooke
Late US envoy Richard Holbrooke, whose last post was special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (2009-2010), used to practice this diplomatic approach. Nasr, who was a major member in Holbrooke’s special team, narrates how Holbrooke told him he intended to talk to their allies’ representatives during the UNGA meeting about his plan for peace in Afghanistan. Holbrooke did what he intended to do, regardless of different viewpoints and criticisms. His first meeting was with Egypt’s then-Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. He then met with several other figures. Nasr recalls how during one of their meetings with an official, the latter told Holbrooke: “It is much better you buy local warlords to keep al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan. I figure that will cost you $20 billion, which is what, one fifth of what you spend every year in Afghanistan? Spend that and then just go home!”
Nasr noted: “The diplomats on the other side of the table made it painfully clear that they thought we were way off in la-la land” regarding Afghanistan. Despite all this, Holbrooke continued to take the notes of those with whom he met, even though they were harsh, as this did not prevent him from continuing to promote an idea he believed in. Communicating with others, and creating active and efficient diplomacy, can contribute to resolving disputes between countries, decreasing tensions and reaching agreements that constitute a protective umbrella from violence and fundamentalist movements.
*This article was first published on Al Riyadh on September 23, 2016.

Hillary Clinton won the debate but will it matter?
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/September 27/16
You know you have lost the debate when Merriam Webster has to interject explaining your word “bigly”, and when the sniffling, the rambling, the incoherent sentences become the conversation about your performance. This was, in essence, the Republican nominee Donald Trump’s night at the much anticipated first presidential debate that ended a short while ago at Hofestra university in New York. For 90 minutes, Hillary Clinton dominated in style and substance, managing to get under Trump’s skin while staying on message as he fumbled his attacks and descended into rhetorical disarray.
Clinton came prepared
The Trump team was bragging throughout last week that its candidate was out on the campaign trail while Clinton “stayed at home” and was preparing for the debate. The lack of preparedness from Trump was evident on the split screen, as the GOP nominee would make confused statements such as when telling Clinton (68) “No wonder you’ve been fighting ISIS your entire adult life.”That catalyzed into Hillary’s strongest lines of the night, responding to an agitated and rambling Trump: “I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And, yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And I think that’s a good thing.”For 90 minutes, Hillary Clinton dominated in style and substance, managing to get under Trump’s skin while staying on message as he fumbled his attacks and descended into rhetorical disarray. Clinton’s readiness was in maintaining a calm, at times cheerful and steady temperament, and by not getting dragged to the mudslinging over the ISIS, “birtherism” or other accusations from Trump. Even when the Republican nominee interrupted her over 28 times, Clinton kept to her message, and hammered Trump using his own words and personal attacks.
Clinton’s best attack of the night was in response to Trump’s accusation that she lacks the stamina. Her comeback by attacking his character and condescending demeanor to few women in the past, provided her a strong closing for the night. Trump looked surprised by Clinton bringing up the story of Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe who was taunted by Trump for gaining weight. “He called her ‘Miss Housekeeping’ because she was Latina...And she has become a US citizen, and you can bet... she’s going to vote this November”, Clinton said in what surely had become a campaign ad. targeting women and Latino voters.
Will it matter?
While the debate by itself might not deliver the knockout blow for Hillary Clinton in a very polarized election year, Trump’s anemic performance and misstatements on issues related to race and foreign policy will hurt his chances in winning on November 8th.
Some of Trump’s responses did not even make sense. Such as attacking actress Rosie O’Donnell by saying “nobody feels sorry for her”, or promoting his Washington DC hotel, or inviting China to go into North Korea, or claiming a 400 lbs person “sitting on their bed” (and not Russia) might have hacked the DNC emails. These answers have raised key questions among focus groups about his qualifications for the job. Yet, and given the deep divide in the US electorate and the deadlock in the polls between both candidates, this debate might move the undecided voters without flipping the race. Those who like Trump for his anti-trade positions and populist talk, will unlikely be affected with what his weak debate presence. It is the undecided voters (between 10 and 20 percent) that Clinton might be able to sway in this race, as well as stalling Trump’s momentum and energizing her base.
Clinton had more paths to the Presidency prior to the debate, and she only solidified this standing after. Trump will likely continue his populist message, in hopes of maintaining his bulk of support, but without necessarily expanding it.After weeks of rumors about her health and stamina, Hillary Clinton made a strong comeback in New York, one that left Trump in the dust and could deal him a blowout if he doesn’t come prepared for their next TV date.