LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
February 01/17
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins17/english.february01.17.htm
News Bulletin
Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
But he
turned and rebuked them.Then they went on to another
village
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 09/51-56/:"When
the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to
Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a
village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him,
because his face was set towards
Then they went on to another village."
Even Simon himself believed.
After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he
saw the signs and great miracles that took place
Acts of the Apostles 08/04-13/:"Those who were scattered went from place
to place, proclaiming the word. Philip went down to the city of
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 01/17
Dr Walid Phares
Defends Trump's Patriotic decisions/Dr Walid Phares/Face Book/January 31/17
How Aoun’s Presidency Is Already Realigning Lebanon’s
Fractious Politics/Samya Kullab/World
Politics Review(WPR)/ Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017
When Lebanese Democracy Talks/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/January
31/17
The Gulf and Iran: Realistic dialogue or necessary struggle/Turki
Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/January
31/17
Islam amid France’s elections/Nahla Chahal/Al Arabiya/January 31/17
Has Trump’s seven-nation ban been misunderstood/Peter Harrison/Al Arabiya/January 31/17
Trump's travel ban polarizes America/By Chris Kahn | NEW YORK
No tears shed in Gulf Cooperation Council over Obama's exit/By Mohammed Alkhereiji/he Arab Weekly/January 31/17
Muslim Brotherhood Front Organizations, U.S. and Canada/Thomas Quiggin/Gatestone Institute/January 31/17
On Boycotting Radical Islamic Nations/Nonie Darwish/Gatestone
Institute/January 31/17
Muslim Ban.. Populism and Hypocrisy/Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq
Al Awsat/January 31/17
Ten Days that Shook the World/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/January
31/17
Telephone Diplomacy Between King Salman and Trump/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/January 31/17
Trump’s Immigration Ban Is Illegal/DAVID J. BIER/The New York Times/January
31/17
Trump is his Administration’s Own Worst Enemy on Foreign Policy/David
Ignatius/The Washington Post/January 31/17
Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed: West Jerusalem Is Part Of Israel; Moving The U.S.
Embassy There As Part Of Overall Peace Agreement Could Herald The End Of The
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict/MEMRI/January 31/17
The Latest Applicant to be "The Muslim Voice"/Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/January 31/17
Egyptian Researcher Tareq Abu Al-Saad:
Official Islamic Institutions Throughout Arab And Islamic World Create Fertile
Ground For Extremism, ISIS Does The Harvesting/MEMRI/January 31/17
Fmr. Jordanian FM Marwan
Al-Muasher: We Must Vanquish Terror Groups
Ideologically, Not Just Militarily/MEMRI/January 31/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News
published on February 01/17
Trump Travel Ban Angers LA's Iranian
Community, Disrupts Hizbullah Financing
Change and Reform: We Want to Restore Our Rights and We're Open to Any
Electoral Law Conforming with Taef
PSP Flatly Rejects Proposed Electoral Law as Talks Return to Square One
Hariri meets PSP delegation
Sami Gemayel: Aoun, Berri, Hariri and Heads of Parliamentary Blocs Must Hold
Emergency Electoral Law Talks
Mustaqbal Clings to Hyrbid
Law, Renews Rejection of Law Fully Based on Proportional Representation
Aoun Promises Electricity, Water and Oil Projects,
Administrative and Military Appointments
Report: Aoun-Hariri Relations Firm in Spite of
Election Law Debate
Abou Faour Says Future
Election Law Must Abide by Taef Accord
Report: Sami Gemayel Will Expand Meetings with
Officials over Election Law
Vehicles Vandalized in Akkar
Judge Orders Permanent Closure of Costa Brava Dump
Kanaan: All factions should be represented according
to their size
Hmedeh receives from French Secular Mission
invitation to take part in international conference in New York
Lebanon wins West Asia Championship in Basketball after beating Iranian team
UNIFIL Head of Mission Major General Beary meets with
Minister of Interior Nouhad Machnouk
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics President arrives in Beirut
Terror Suspect Involved in Ksara Bombing Held in Zahle
Body of citizen found in Ras Nabeh
Syrian abducts minor in front of Amchit Secondary
School
Lebanon wins West Asia Championship in Basketball after beating Iranian team
How Aoun’s Presidency Is Already Realigning Lebanon’s
Fractious Politics
When Lebanese Democracy Talks/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/January 31/17
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 01/17
5 Egyptian Coptic Christians Brutally Murdered, Their Bodies Found With
Throats Slashed
Trump Fires Top US Govt Lawyer over Travel Ban Defiance
Priest tells anti-Trump protesters to commit suicide
Quebec suspect seen as nerdy outcast,' fan of France's right-wing Le Pen
Iran will be a key topic when Netanyahu visits Trump
UNSC to hold urgent talks on Iran missile test
UN peace talks on Syria delayed until February 20
Syrian militias see more US support for ISIS fight, plan new phase
Palestinians sets delayed local elections for May 13
ISIS Activates Terror Cells in Nile Valley
Dubai police deputy backs Trump’s travel ban
Yemen Rebel 'Suicide Boat' Attack Kills 2 Saudi Sailors
Dr. Tariq al-Hashemi reveals parts of Nouri al-Maleki’s crimes
Political Prisoner Addresses Iran Regime's President: Lies and Hypocrisy for
How Long?
Current Mullahs Ruling Iran, the Godfathers of ISIS
Right Time for West to Correct Policy on Iran
Links From Jihad Watch Site for on February 01/17
Austria:
Muslim migrants scream “Allahu akbar”
as they fire plastic pellets at train passengers
Sweden:
State-owned company launches campaign to replace standard Swedish with
“migrant-inclusive accent”
Collapse
of the counter-jihad Left continues: Sam Harris says “Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ is a
terrible policy…unethical”
Video:
Robert Spencer asks, Why do Western officials even bother to condemn terror
attacks?
Hamas-linked
Muslim group ICNA starts 24-hour “Islamophobia”
hotline
Australia’s
ABC: “There’s no record of a refugee being part of any of the terrorist acts
that have occurred in the US”
London’s
Muslim mayor demands cancellation of President Trump’s state visit to UK
Pakistan
acquits and releases 115 Muslims accused of burning down 150 Christian homes over
“blasphemy”
Obama
selected the list of Muslim countries in Trump’s executive order
Indifference
to Islamic Gender Apartheid at the Women’s March
UK:
No more weekend Changing of the Guard ceremonies due to fears of jihad attacks
Hugh
Fitzgerald: “I’m a Muslim — Ask Me Anything,” Answers 1-6
Links From Christian Today
Site for on February 01/17
Christians
May Not Return To Mosul For Years, If At All, Experts Warn
Donald
Trump Thinks He Is Helping Christians. But He Is Making Things Worse, Warns Top
Iraq Patriarch
Fired:
Trump Dumps Top Lawyer Who Defied Immigration Order
Southern
Baptist Russell Moore Warns Trump Actions Could Harm US Interests Overseas
President
Trump, Please Think Again: Evangelical Leaders Plead For Rethink On Refugee Ban
Bishop
Angaelos Condemns Refugee Policies That Discriminate
Baptist
Minister Challenges Franklin Graham Over Donald Trump Refugee Policy
Will
Sir Mo Farah Escape Donald Trump Travel Ban? Confusion Reigns
Trump's
Refugee Ban vs Obama's: What Is The
Difference?
Church
of England Bishops Blast Trump's Refugee Ban
Prince
Charles Would Welcome A Sit-Down With Trump To Discuss Interfaith Dialogue And
Climate Change, Reports Say
Reformation
500: Evangelical Alliance Warns Against Compromise With Catholicism
Priest
Defends As 'Funny' His 'Jump For Trump' Suicide Post On Social Media
Obama
Hits Out At Trump Refugee Ban: 'Fundamentally Disagrees' With Religion-Based
Discrimination
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on February 01/17
Dr Walid
Phares Defends Trump's Patriotic decisions
Dr Walid Phares/Face
Book/January 31/17
Phares on al Arabiya
respond to anti Trump attacks systematically: "Who is it that wants to
decide for US immigration system other than the US itself" In an interview
with al-Hadath stream on al Arabiya,
Dr Walid Phares asked
"who is out there to decide what the US immigration system should be other than the
*On France 24: "Did you not notice that the forces opposing President
Trump domestically and in Europe on US immigration decisions are the same
political forces that opposed the election of candidate Trump? The exact same political opponents opposing Trump on all issues
regardless of what the issues are.
Trump Travel Ban Angers LA's Iranian Community, Disrupts Hizbullah
Financing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
31/17/Members of California's large Iranian-American community expressed shock
and disbelief on Monday at President Donald Trump's travel ban, saying it would
tear families apart and tarnish America's image abroad, but would also help
stop financing for Hizbullah party. "It's
affecting everybody from the community because everybody has family and friends
that have been coming back and forth from Europe and all over the world to
"He doesn't know if his wife can come back and they have children. It's
tragic," Besharati said. He said he had also
received calls from students pleading for his help but had little to offer them
in terms of hope or assistance. "One of them finally arrived yesterday but
another one was not allowed to board her plane," he said.
Leila, who did not want her family name to be used, said she still shudders at
the thought that her father, who arrived back in
"He said 'I think they shut the doors after me'," she recounted as
she shopped for groceries. She said an 82-year-old woman in a wheelchair had
not been as lucky as her dad and was deported back to
"I wanted to go for the Persian New Year to visit my family but now I
don't know," he said, adding that he also feared a backlash from the
Iranian government against dual nationals like him. Many of those interviewed
said Trump's actions may play well among some voters, but will harm the
country's standing on the world stage and deter people from traveling to the
Change and Reform: We Want to Restore Our
Rights and We're Open to Any Electoral Law Conforming with Taef
Naharnet/January 31/17/The Change and Reform
parliamentary bloc on Tuesday reiterated its rejection of the 1960 electoral
law while noting that it is “open” to any electoral law that conforms with the
1989 Taef Accord. “All what we have been saying is
that we do not want the 1960 law because it contradicts with the Document of
National Accord (Taef Accord) which stipulates clear
standards and call for correct and effective representation and coexistence,”
said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.“We
do not have any complexes, guilt or embarrassment and we are seeking to restore
our rights under any electoral law while being keen on our partners in the
country,” the bloc added. “We are open to any law that conforms with the
Document of National Accord, which means that it must be based on unified
standards instead of being tailored to fit a certain party,” Change and Reform
said. After a four-party meeting gathering the Free Patriotic Movement, al-Mustaqbal Movement, Hizbullah and
AMAL Movement, the parties announced that major progress had been made towards
agreeing on a so-called hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional
representation and winner-takes-all systems. However, the Progressive Socialist
Party is still insisting on rejecting proportional representation in any law
and on Tuesday the PSP announced that it “categorically rejects all the formats
that are being proposed for the electoral law.”The
PSP argues that proportional representation would “marginalize” the minority
Druze community whose presence is concentrated in the Chouf
and Aley districts.
PSP Flatly Rejects Proposed Electoral Law
as Talks Return to Square One
Naharnet/January 31/17/The Progressive Socialist
Party on Tuesday said it categorically rejects a hybrid electoral law proposed
by Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and all other proposals that contain proportional
representation, as media reports said consultations regarding the electoral law
“have returned to square one.”“We're here to inform
Prime Minister (Saad) Hariri of our categorical
rejection of all the formats that are being proposed for the electoral law,” MP
and ex-minister Wael Abu Faour
said after arriving at the Grand Serail with a
Democratic Gathering delegation. After the meeting, delegation member and
Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh
described the talks with Hariri as “excellent,” noting that the conferees
agreed that all discussions regarding the electoral law must conform with the
1989 Taef Accord. “That's why we didn't focus on
technicalities but rather on the general political framework of the draft laws,
which must ensure the rights of all parties,” Hamadeh
added. “We openly declare that we support the full rights of Christians, but we
are not insignificant and no one can infringe on our rights,” the minister
stressed. He reminded that the Taef Accord stipulates
“the formation of a national commission for the abolition of political sectarianism,
the creation of a senate and the re-demarcation of governorates prior to the
organization of the first (post-war) parliamentary elections, without
mentioning proportional representation.”“We are
showing openness and we'll continue our visits in search of a law that relieves
everyone,” Hamadeh added, stressing that the PSP
“will not accept to be eliminated.”“This will not
happen,” he underlined. Asked about the Free Patriotic Movement's remarks that
“keeping the 1960 law is a coup against the Taef Accord,”
Hamadeh said the PSP does not want to start an
exchange of tirades with any party or with President Michel Aoun.
He however noted that the FPM was behind “the tense remarks about taking to the
streets and imposing certain electoral laws.” “We want them to be relieved and
to take their full rights, but we won't allow anyone to usurp our rights,” Hamadeh emphasized. The Democratic Gathering delegation had
earlier on Tuesday held talks with ex-PM Najib Miqati. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Abu Faour said: “There is a constitutional contract, which is
the Taef Agreement, and it is binding for all the
Lebanese. It had cost a lot of sacrifices, losses, bloodshed, and wounds that
we have all shared as Lebanese. If anyone wishes to overthrow the Taef (accord), let them say it frankly.”“We
want to follow the path of Taef; the election law is
all about Taef and its mechanism is clear," he
added. For his part, Miqati underlined keenness on
reaching an election law that complies with Taef
Agreement. He also called for the establishment of a senate.
Hariri meets PSP delegation
Tue 31 Jan 2017 /NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Hariri
met on Tuesday night at the Grand Serail with a
delegation of PSP which included Minister Marwan Hmedeh and Deputy Wael Abou Faour. Education Minister, Marwan Hmedeh described the talks
with Hariri as "excellent," noting that they agreed that all
discussions regarding the electoral law must conform with
the Taef Accord. "We support the full rights of
Christians, but we are not unimportant and no one can overstep on our
rights," the minister stressed following the meeting. He indicated that
PSP members were open to all discussions and would continue their visits in
search of a law that would relieve everyone. "PSP will not accept to be
eliminated," Hmedeh concluded.
Sami Gemayel: Aoun, Berri, Hariri and Heads of
Parliamentary Blocs Must Hold Emergency Electoral Law Talks
Naharnet/January 31/17/Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel on Tuesday suggested a closed-door meeting at the Baabda Palace aimed at agreeing on a new electoral law. “We
put this initiative at the president's disposal and we hope it will receive
acceptance. We call for holding an emergency closed-door meeting in Baabda under the chairmanship of President Michel Aoun and in the presence of Speaker Nabih
Berri, Prime Minister Saad
Hariri and the heads of the parliamentary blocs to conduct in-depth and
extensive discussions,” Gemayel said after talks with
the head of the Maronite League. “We either reach an
agreement or else we head to parliament to vote on a new law,” Gemayel added. He also warned against drafting a law that
would be tailored to fit the interests of certain political parties. “All the
laws that had been tailored to fit the interests of some parties led to revolutions.
We all remember the law that was drafted in 1957 and led to the 1958
revolution, the 2000 law that was drafted to undermine ex-PM Rafik Hariri's representation and led to a revolution in
Mustaqbal Clings to Hyrbid Law,
Renews Rejection of Law Fully Based on Proportional Representation
Naharnet/January 31/17Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc
on Tuesday reiterated its rejection of an electoral law fully based on
proportional representation and renewed its insistence on a hybrid electoral
law that combines two systems. In a statement issued after its weekly meeting,
the bloc said it clings to “an electoral law format that mixes the
winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems, especially the draft
law on which it had agreed on with the Democratic Gathering and the Lebanese
Forces.” Mustaqbal also stressed that the elections “must be held on time and without
any delay.”“The
implementation of a system fully based on proportional representation amid the
presence, proliferation and hegemony of illegitimate arms is a step that would
disrupt all the balances, rules and foundations upon which
Lebanon
Aoun Promises Electricity, Water and Oil Projects,
Administrative and Military Appointments
Naharnet/January 31/17/President Michel Aoun on Tuesday pledged to eliminate all the obstacles that
are impeding the implementation of long-awaited projects to improve the
electricity, water and oil sectors in Lebanon, while promising that
administrative decentralization will also be launched soon. “The oil and gas
blocks that have been demarcated will be tendered with all due transparency and
openness and the revenues will be put in a sovereign fund,” Aoun
told a delegation from the Press Syndicate. “All administrative, military,
security and diplomatic sectors will witness appointments, which are now being
mulled while taking productivity into consideration,” the president added. “The
obstacles that were put in the past in the path of electricity and water
projects will be resolved in order to provide the Lebanese with water and
electricity as soon as possible,” Aoun vowed. He
added: “The new parliament will discuss administrative decentralization and a
specialized committee will be formed to achieve it.”Turning
to the issue of parliamentary elections, Aoun
stressed that the polls must be held on time “under a new law that enjoys the
consensus of the Lebanese and that would relect the
true political weight of each group.”“I personally
support a law based on proportional representation and I want representation to
be correct and fair,” the president added. “Eighty-seven percent of the
Lebanese want the elections to be held under a new law and I cannot overlook
this desire,” Aoun went on to say.
Report: Aoun-Hariri
Relations Firm in Spite of Election Law Debate
Naharnet/January 31/17/Relations between President
Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad
Hariri are firm and have not been affected by the ongoing debate over a new
election law for the upcoming parliamentary polls, al-Joumhouria
daily reported on Tuesday.
Sources close to al-Mustaqbal party expressed
astonishment at reports claiming that relations between the two men have
chilled lately over the thorny issue of agreeing on an election law that will
govern polls. “These reports are absolutely untrue. Relations between the two
men are excellent,” stressed the sources. “President Aoun
has said his word as for rejecting the 1960 law and we respect his position, mainly that we also agree with him in that regard,”
added the source. As for reports criticizing the latest four-party meetings and
describing them as a “waste of time,” the sources said: “On the contrary. The
committee is having serious discussions. There are a number of ideas, projects
and amendments being suggested by the parties. We support the committee's endeavors and hope it succeeds at finalizing a new election
law soon.”“The four-party committee incorporates
parties represented in the government,” they added “it discusses ideas and
formats. Presumably when it reaches and agrees on a common format, it will
raise the bill to the parliament for discussion.”Political
parties are bickering over amending the current 1960 majoritarian
election law which divides seats among the different religious sects.
Four-party meetings were held earlier this week between representatives of Hizbullah, AMAL Movement, al-Mustaqbal
Movement and the FPM. The parties had reported major progress after their last
meeting on Friday.Reports have said that odds are in favor of an amended version of a hybrid election law under
which 64 MPs would be elected under the proportional representation system, and 64 MPs under the winner-takes-all system.
However, some parties including the Kataeb,
Progressive Socialist Party and the Marada Movement
reject the proposal.
Abou Faour Says Future Election
Law Must Abide by Taef Accord
Naharnet/January 31/17/A Democratic Gathering
delegation held talks on Tuesday with ex-PM Najib Miqati where discussions touched on the controversial
parliamentary election law that will govern the upcoming parliamentary polls.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, former Minister Wael
Abou Faour said: “There is
a constitutional contract, which is the Taef
Agreement--and it is binding for all the Lebanese. It had cost a lot of
sacrifices, losses, bloodshed, and wounds that we have all shared as Lebanese.
If anyone wishes to overthrow the Taef (accord), let
them say it frankly.”“We want to follow the path of Taef; the election law is all about Taef
and its mechanism is clear," he added. For his part, Miqati
underlined keenness on reaching an election law that complies with Taef Agreement. He also called for the establishment of a
Senate.
Report: Sami Gemayel
Will Expand Meetings with Officials over Election Law
Naharnet/January 31/17/The latest meeting between the
Democratic Gathering bloc and the Kataeb party, is
but a message from MP Walid Jumblat
highlighting the need to involve all political parties in the efforts to find a
proper election law format for the upcoming parliamentary polls, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday. A prominent Kataeb source told the daily, the visit paid by a
delegation from Jumblat's bloc to the Kataeb headquarters in al-Saifi
“constitutes a clear message from Jumblat to all
parties concerned of the need to involve everyone in the search for the right
format for the election law.”In that regard, Head of
the Kataeb party MP Sami Gemayel,
is planning to expand his moves where party delegations will hold talks with
political and sectarian leaders about the law for the parliamentary polls, the
daily said. Gemeyal is in the process of putting the
final touches on a consultative mechanism to discuss a draft law, which he will
suggest to related parties in the next few days, it added. According to the
daily, the proposal combines respect for the constitutional positions,
particularly the presidency, and the expansion of political participation in
drafting the law. Political parties are bickering over amending the current
1960 majoritarian election law which divides seats
among the different religious sects. Four-party meetings were held earlier this
week between representatives of Hizbullah, AMAL
Movement, al-Mustaqbal Movement and the FPM.
Representatives from the Kataeb, PSP and Marada Movement were not invited to the talks.
Vehicles Vandalized in Akkar
Naharnet/January 31/17/Unknown assailants vandalized
a number of vehicles overnight in the Akkar town of
Judge Orders Permanent Closure of Costa
Brava Dump
Naharnet/January 31/17/Urgent Matters Judge of Baabda Hassan Hamdan ordered the
permanent closure of the controversial Costa Brava landfill effective in four
months, the National News Agency reported on Tuesday. The judge gave four
months time period for the closing date, to pave way for concerned
municipalities to find an alternative for the dump that receives the trash of
Kanaan: All factions should be represented according to
their size
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA - "Change and Reform" bloc Secretary, Deputy
Ibrahim Kanaan confirmed on Tuesday night that
"all factions should be represented according to their size."He
told the 'NTV' that the hybrid law was not the idea of his bloc. "We were
with the proportionality system because it represents the majority and the minority."He added that "those who have refused
the proportional representation and the Orthodox proposal are refusing the
hybrid law today."The lawmaker pointed out that
the quadrilateral meeting has discussed the ideas which have been tackled
during the bilateral meetings.
Hmedeh receives from French Secular Mission invitation to
take part in international conference in New York
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA - Education Minister, Marwan Hmedeh, received on Tuesday at his office at the ministry
with a delegation of the French Secular Mission an invitation to partake in the
international conference which will be held on April 10 at the UN headquarters
in New York.Both sides tackled Lebanese - French
educational ties and the role of the Lycee schools
attached to the French Secular in the renaissance of education in Lebanon and
the world.
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA -
UNIFIL Head of Mission Major General Beary meets with Minister of Interior Nouhad
Machnouk
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA - UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General
Michael Beary today met with the Lebanese Minister of
Interior Nouhad Machnouk,
in
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
President arrives in Beirut
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA - President of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Statistics, Minister Ola Awad, arrived on
Tuesday evening at Beirut's International Rafik
Hariri Airport, accompanied by a delegation from the Ministry, on an official
visit where she will hold talks with a number of Lebanese officials on issues
related to the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Greeting her at the airport has
been Palestine Embassy Consul in Lebanon Ramzi Mansour.
Terror Suspect Involved in Ksara Bombing Held in Zahle
Naharnet/January 31/17/A terror suspect involved in
the August 2016 bombing in the Bekaa area of Ksara was arrested Tuesday in the Bekaa
region of Zahle, state-run National News Agency
reported. “M. H., who hails from the town of
Body of citizen found in Ras Nabeh
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA - The body of a citizen has been found inside his residence
in Ras Nabeh and a pistol
at his side, NNA field reporter said on Tuesday. ISF has rushed to the scene
and opened investigations into said case.
Syrian abducts minor in front of Amchit Secondary School
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA - A Syrian has kidnapped a minor (13 years old) in front of
Amchit Secondary School, NNA field reporter said on
Tuesday. The kidnapper has sent text messages to the mother of the minor and
informed her that her daughter was with him. It is worth to note that the
kidnapper used to work with the father of the minor. The parents of the minor
called on Interior Minister, Nuhad Mashnouk and the security apparatuses to intervene and safe
their daughter.
Tue 31 Jan 2017/NNA -
How Aoun’s
Presidency Is Already Realigning Lebanon’s Fractious Politics
Samya Kullab/World Politics
Review(WPR)/ Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/21041/how-aoun-s-presidency-is-already-realigning-lebanon-s-fractious-politics
On Oct. 31, Michel Aoun, a former Lebanese army
general, was elected president of Lebanon, ending a 29-month-long crisis in
which the country had no president, its institutions were paralyzed, and its
economy risked collapse. After being voted into office with the support of 83
lawmakers—well over the 65 needed to win—the Christian leader and founder of
the Free Patriotic Movement was shown smiling in his seat in televised
broadcasts of parliament, as fireworks crackled across Beirut in celebration.
But the significance of Aoun’s election was not
limited to the seat of the presidency. It marked the start of a new era in
Up until the election, Nabih Berri,
the speaker of parliament, had convened 45 sessions to elect a president, but
was forced to postpone every one due to a lack of a quorum. The fact that
lawmakers showed up at all on Oct. 31 meant Aoun’s
win had been secured long before they were ushered into parliament. In
Circumstances had turned sharply in Aoun’s favor earlier in October when Sunni leader Saad Hariri formally endorsed him, ending a decade-long
rivalry between the two men that had been the principal cause of the
presidential standoff. But the chain of events that ultimately led to Aoun’s rise was triggered nearly a year ago. In a surprise
move, his chief Christian opponent, Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces—a former militia
turned political party—announced he would support his adversary for the
presidency, effectively uniting the country’s main Christian parties that had
previously been divided by alliances with opposing Sunni and Shiite groups.
Aoun’s presidency has realigned rival political
blocs, paving the way for new dynamics that have strengthened the standing of
some parties while marginalizing others. Hariri, an opponent of Hezbollah and
its allies—which includes Aoun’s party—was named
prime minister in December. Hariri’s party, the Future Movement, represents
much of
Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri, Saad’s father, in 2005, Lebanese politics has
been split between two rival political coalitions that underscored the
Sunni-Shiite divide: the anti-Syrian and predominantly Sunni March 14 alliance,
led by the younger Hariri, and March 8, which is pro-Syrian and led by
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, the main Shiite
political party.
“We can’t speak of March 8 and March 14 as we once did,” says Imad Salamey, a professor of
political science at the
With Aoun taking the lead, greater Christian unity
has emerged as a third force in Lebanese politics, altering the sectarian
divide in dramatically new terms, according to several Lebanese officials and
analysts.
“I wouldn’t say it is outmoded to speak of a Shiite-Sunni divide. which is still part of the conversation,” says a lawmaker
from the Future Movement. “But the new alliances we are witnessing are shifting
the priorities of political parties. The influence of foreign players has
diminished; domestic issues are taking precedence.”
Despite public statements that Hariri’s endorsement of Aoun
was made in the interest of preserving stability, fading Saudi interests in
“The new alliances we are witnessing are shifting the priorities of political
parties. The influence of foreign players has diminished; domestic issues are
taking precedence.”
Hariri, who is a billionaire, also had his personal wealth at stake. His
options this time were limited: Either continue the confrontation with
Hezbollah and risk politics degenerating into violence, in which he undoubtedly
had the most to lose, or yield to Hezbollah’s choice for president, Aoun, and help revitalize the economy through a political
deal that would preserve some of Hariri’s power.
It is not unsurprising, then, that Aoun’s first
foreign policy priority was to try and restore economic ties with the
But Aoun faces plenty of other tests at home, such as
reforming
For his part, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt
has been hosting political leaders to curry support for the current law, knowing
his own party’s representation in parliament would be lessened under a
proportional scheme. Other parties are at odds over a complete overhaul of the
1960 system or the introduction of a hybrid electoral law that includes aspects
of proportional and winner-takes-all systems. Hariri’s statements have
implicitly backed Aoun, perhaps revealing his
weakened position in the new government.
However, now that power is concentrated in fewer hands—essentially the Free
Patriotic Movement, the Future Movement and Hezbollah—executive decision-making
will no longer be the protracted and complicated process it was under previous
governments. Smaller groups, such as the Kataeb or
Phalange party, the Marada Movement or Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party, will no longer be
able to upset consensus. Even Future Movement parliamentarians concede that
current political circumstances are in Aoun’s favor.
Understandably, these smaller parties are not satisfied with the new political
arrangement. Among Christians, Aoun and Geagea’s detente has pushed many minor political parties
that previously held sway to the sidelines. The Phalange has not reaped any
benefit from its alliance with the Future Movement and has been largely left
out of the new consensus between Aoun and Geagea’s parties. Jumblatt has
lost the role of kingmaker in Lebanese politics, though he still holds
significant influence among Sunni, Shiite and Christian camps.
Parties within the March 8 coalition are not entirely in support of Aoun, either. Marada and Amal continued to back Suleiman Frangieh,
the head of Marada, for the presidency even after Aoun’s victory was all but assured.
And what of Hezbollah? Despite rapprochement with the
Free Patriotic Movement, tensions between the Future Movement and Hezbollah have
carried on as before. Hezbollah looks suspiciously toward any emerging Sunni
leader who might threaten its regional military operations, whether in
When the dust settles, the politics of coalitions might be a thing of the past
in
***Samya Kullab is an
independent Canadian journalist based in the Middle East and a former reporter
for
When Lebanese Democracy Talks
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/January 31/17
The controversy surrounding the election of Donald Trump as US president
made many outside America have another look at how its electoral system works.
However, controversy is surely not limited to
Many pose questions about the logic behind the American political system
which values the electoral votes of individual states more than the direct
popular votes of the electorate. The fact is that the USA is a federal country,
thus its political representation needs to reflect two fundamental principles
without which no healthy democracy can survive:
-The first is simple direct democracy whereby the numerical majority has
the advantage over the numerical minority; and this is embodied in the House of
Representatives where each state is represented by a number of congressmen
relative to its population.
-The second is respect for national unity in a diverse society, where an
individual in a populous state must enjoy no advantage over another individual
from a less populous state before the federal law which must treat all
Americans equally. The principle of national unity is enshrined in the Senate where
all states, regardless of population, are equally represented by two senators
each.
This great vision has helped make the American political system as a
whole, one of the fairest and most advanced in the world. It has sustained an
ever growing and geographically expanding country since the 16th century,
attracting wave after wave of immigration; and through the years each American
state based on its topography, natural environment, and economic resources had
specific attributes and qualities despite free and smooth inter-state movement.
Of course
Still, size and global influence aside, there is another major difference
between the American and Lebanese examples, which is that the Americans have
learnt from their experiences, respected their institutions, and stopped
bluffing themselves, which is not the case with the Lebanese.
In the
Another interesting fact is that any Lebanese may spend his/her lifetime
within the confines of his/her sect without interacting with other sects,
beginning with birth, death, inheritance and marriage registries, and ending
with education, health and employment. Thus, religious sects in Lebanon are de
facto quasi-independent ‘states’, that have their own leaders, political
parties, schools, universities, hospitals, and even sport clubs!
Given this situation and bearing in mind the vestiges of the past, the
Lebanese have two living obsessions: the first is the ‘unfairness’ lamented by
the Muslims who believe they are the majority that is long prevented from
enjoying what it deserved under the French Mandate (1920-1943); and the second
is the ‘fear’ felt by the Christians towards the ‘sea of Muslims’ surrounding
them. The latter, led at first to separating Mount Lebanon from its surrounding
area in 1861 and giving it the status of an ‘autonomous district’, i.e. “Mutassarrifiyya”, under the joint rule of the Ottoman
Government and the European Powers, in order to ensure the ‘protection’ of the
Christians. Then in 1920, it led to the creation of the current Lebanon (Grand Liban) under a Christian president, and a 6 to 5
parliamentary representation in the Christians’ favour that lasted until the ‘Taif Agreement’ in 1989.
Now, after ending ‘the presidential vacuum’ and forming the new cabinet,
all that remains is electing a new parliament to replace the current one. The
latter ended its four year term in 2013, but due to ongoing disagreement the
scheduled elections were cancelled and its term extended. Still, disagreements
continue regarding under what electoral law the forthcoming elections should be
conducted, noting that almost all political parties and blocs refuse to carry
on under the current multiple seat constituency law, popularly known as ‘The
1960 Law’.
There are many alternatives being put forward by parties and blocs
ranging from full ‘proportional representation’ as preferred by Hezbollah and followers
– which is understandable given its virtual armed hegemony – to the ‘Greek
Orthodox Law’ whereby each sect elects its own members of parliament, including
different ‘mixed’ versions combining direct vote and PR.
One alternative, however, that seems to be intentionally and stubbornly
dismissed is the one calling for a bi-cameral parliament comprising: A Senate
or Upper House elected by each sect, whereby all religious sects are equally
represented and enjoy a ‘veto’ on issues adversely affecting their interests;
and a House of Deputies or Representative, elected with no sectarian quota,
with Lebanon as a single constituency, thus encouraging proper issue-based
political parties after ridding the country of the two obsessions, i.e. the
Muslims with ‘unfairness’ and the Christians with ‘fear’!
Why the idea of a Senate looks like being rejected out of hand, is not
really surprising, if one keeps in mind the Lebanese eternal gamble in external
forces and changes of regional and international balance of power. This remains
the case despite the fact that the Lebanese Constitution, as adopted in Taif, called clearly for ‘wide decentralization’ and a
‘senate’.
Indeed, it has become a habit of
Given such a mentality, any authority devised to curtail the ambitions of
the powerful and defended the rights of the weak, has no chance of being
accepted; as every faction hopes one day to be powerful enough to monopolize
the country, and obliterate the others. Even the one who may be weak today
would rather hope for an opportune moment to gamble again, and settle old
scores.
In short, this is ‘electoral democracy – Lebanese Style’!
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 01/17
5 Egyptian Coptic Christians Brutally Murdered, Their Bodies Found With Throats
Slashed
Hazel Torres 30 January 2017
مقتل 5 من
المصريين
المسيحيين
بوحشية/
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/31/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-5-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AD%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%A95-egyptian-coptic-c/
In a span of two weeks, five Coptic Christians in Egypt met exactly the same
horrible fate: brutally murdered with their throats slashed. The killing spree
started on Jan. 3 when a Coptic Christian store owner in
Trump Fires Top US Govt Lawyer over
Travel Ban
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
31/17/An embattled Donald Trump fired his government's chief lawyer for
refusing to defend his controversial immigration orders late Monday, deepening
a political crisis engulfing his presidency. In a caustic statement, Trump's
White House said acting attorney general Sally Yates "betrayed" the
Department of Justice in defying the president and had been relieved of her
duties with immediate effect. Yates -- a career prosecutor promoted by president Barack Obama and held over by Trump pending
confirmation of his own nominee, Senator Jeff Sessions -- had refused to defend
Trump's ban on immigration from seven Muslim nations. In a memo to Department
of Justice staff, she expressed doubts about the legality and morality of
Trump's decree. "My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the
Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our
best view of what the law is," Yates wrote. "I am not convinced that
the defense of the executive order is consistent with
these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the executive order is
lawful," she added.
"For as long as I am the acting attorney general, the Department of
Justice will not present arguments in defense of the
executive order, unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to
do so."In the end, her tenure lasted only a few more
hours.
The White House snapped back, accusing Yates of being "weak on borders and
very weak on illegal immigration."Trump has
replaced Yates with Federal prosecutor Dana Boente as
he awaits the Senate confirmation of Sessions. Boente
said he would defend Trump's directive, stating that it was "both lawful
on its face and properly drafted."
Trump's executive order suspends the arrival of all refugees for a minimum of
120 days, Syrian refugees indefinitely and bars citizens from
- 'Monday night massacre' -Trump's furious response may have lasting political
repercussions, not least complicating Sessions's
confirmation. He faces a vote Tuesday on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and
then has to be confirmed by the full Senate before taking up the post.
Congress's top Democrat, Senator Chuck Schumer said Yates's firing underscored
how important "it is to have an Attorney General who'll stand up to the
White House when they violate the law."The
firing came as Trump said he would announce late Tuesday his pick to fill a
Supreme Court opening. The unveiling was originally scheduled for Thursday.
Democratic lawmakers have vociferously opposed Trump's immigration order and
Republicans are privately seething over the way his White House has handled the
issue. In a separate decision announced without explanation by Homeland
Security Secretary John Kelly, Trump also replaced acting Immigration and
Customs Enforcement director Daniel Ragsdale. The two dismissals in one night has echoes of President Richard Nixon's 1973 "Saturday
night massacre" during the Watergate scandal. Then, Nixon fired the
special prosecutor investigating him, prompting the departures of his attorney
general and deputy attorney general.
The events catalyzed Nixon's impeachment. House Democrat John Conyers, Jr. said
that Trump's conduct "is Nixonian in its design
and execution," and threatens the justice department's independence.
"If dedicated government officials deem his directives to be unlawful and
unconstitutional, he will simply fire them as if government is a reality
show," Conyers said in a statement. - 'American values' -In remarks at the
White House and on Twitter, Trump tried to play down the order's impact and
defended the decision not to give advance warning to border guards, diplomats
and travelers."If the ban were announced with a
one week notice, the 'bad' would rush into our country during that week. A lot
of bad 'dudes' out there!" Trump claimed. Around 48 percent of Americans
support a freeze on immigration from "terror prone" regions, even if
it means turning refugees away, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Monday.
But after a weekend of chaos at airports, protests and a diplomatic outcry,
criticism even came from Trump's predecessor Obama, breaking a silence he had
held since leaving office. "President Obama is heartened by the level of
engagement taking place in communities around the country," spokesman
Kevin Lewis said, adding that "American values are at stake" and noting
Obama rejects faith-based discrimination. Senior national security officials
from the Obama and George W. Bush administrations warned in a letter to top
Trump cabinet members that the order "will do long-term damage to our
national security." Calling the measure a tragically
"unnecessary" move that will fuel violent extremist propaganda, they
said it "sent exactly the wrong message to the Muslim community here at
home and all over the world: that the
Priest tells anti-Trump protesters to
commit suicide
Caroll Alvarado and Billie Shears/New York
Times/January 30/17
The pastor of a largely immigrant Catholic church in Queens has a suggestion
for his anti-Trump parishioners: Go take a flying leap off the nearest
building. “Show your hate for Trump. Do it for social justice. #JumpAgainstTrump,” read a meme posted by the Rev. Philip Pizzo just hours after he celebrated Sunday Mass. The
message included an illustration of a man plummeting from a skyscraper. The
conservative priest, who oversees St. Benedict Joseph Labre
Roman Catholic Church in Richmond Hill, previously posted a photo of President
Obama with the words “He’s not my president’’ and another snapshot of Hillary
Clinton titled “Ugly Face’’ in Italian along with “Happy Halloween.’’Pizzo,
67, told The Post on Monday that he just thought the “Jump Against Trump’’ meme
was “funny.”“I do not promote suicide,’’ Pizzo insisted. “I’ve helped many people over the years,
and it does not promote suicide. It was funny.”But
some parishioners were outraged. “Suicide is not funny, plain and simple,” said
Carlos Coburn, a congregant who once sought counseling
from Pizzo because he was struggling with thoughts
about killing himself. Coburn said he has attended the church for 20 years but
will start worshiping elsewhere, given the controversial posting.
“It’s disturbing for someone in my situation,’’ Coburn said. “I know this man,
he baptized me, and I don’t want to go back to his church.”
Another parishioner said Pizzo “normally posts
about supporting Trump, but this was just taking it too far.’’ Alex Leston, who attended services at St. Benedict until three
years ago — when Pizzo axed funding for a youth
program he worked on — said he too was “appalled” by the meme. The priest’s
social-media politicking is particularly troubling given the area’s large
Hispanic immigrant population, according to Leston,
who feels that the tone-deaf post shows how disconnected Pizzo
is from his parishioners.
“The parish he is supposed to be serving is mainly Latin American and
“He says he intended it as satire only, regrets the offense it has caused and
has deleted it. This post does not, in any way, represent the view of the
church.”
On the day of President Trump’s inauguration, Pope Francis urged the new leader
of the free world to uphold “the advancement of human dignity.”
“At a time when our human family is beset by grave humanitarian crises
demanding far-sighted and united political responses, I pray that our decisions
will be guided by the rich spiritual and ethical values that have shaped the
history of the American people,’’ the pontiff said.
Quebec suspect seen as nerdy outcast,' fan
of France's right-wing Le Pen
By Kevin Dougherty, /January 31/17 /QUEBEC CITY (Reuters) - The French-Canadian
student charged in a shooting spree that killed six people at a Quebec City
mosque was known in online circles as a supporter of far-right French
politician Marine Le Pen and described by a former classmate as a "nerdy outcast."Alexandre Bissonnette,
27, the sole suspect in Sunday night's shooting, was charged on Monday with six
counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder with a
restricted weapon. Police said he acted alone.
He was not previously known to police, but a Facebook
post by the group "Welcome to Refugees –
The online profile for Bissonnette, who made a brief
court appearance on Monday, showed a wide variety of interests. On his Facebook page, he indicated he liked Le Pen, U.S. President
Donald Trump, the separatist Parti Quebecois as well
as Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party, the Israeli Defense
Forces, heavy metal band Megadeth and pop star Katy
Perry. "I wrote him off as a xenophobe. I didn’t even think of him as
totally racist, but he was enthralled by a borderline racist nationalist
movement," Vincent Boissoneault, a fellow
Bissonnette's lawyer, Jean Petit, declined to comment
at the courthouse on Monday. Université Laval
confirmed on Monday that Bissonnette was a social
science student there.
Bissonnette was a cerebral "nerdy outcast,"
said former high school classmate Simon de Billy, adding the suspect and his
twin brother were inseparable.
"He was an avid reader, knew a lot about history and about current issues,
current politics, those kinds of topics," de Billy said. "He was just
a bit of a loner, always with his twin brother, didn’t have any friends.
"He wasn’t physically strong or imposing, and probably got a bit of a hard
time, was probably not taken seriously. ... He would be kind of made fun of, the
butt of the jokes."
(Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny
and Alastair Sharp in
Iran will be a key topic when Netanyahu
visits Trump
By Daniel Halper/New York Post/January 30, 2017
/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Trump at
the White House in two weeks — and Iran will be a key topic. Press secretary
Sean Spicer disclosed the Feb. 15 meeting Monday. “Our relationship with the
only democracy in the
UNSC to hold urgent talks on Iran
missile test
AFP, United Nations Tuesday, 31 January 2017/The UN Security Council will hold
urgent talks Tuesday on Iran's test-firing of a medium-range missile, diplomats
said. The
UN peace talks on
AFP,
UN-led peace talks on
Invitations to attend the
Syrian militias see more US support for ISIS fight, plan new phase
Reuters, Beirut Tuesday, 31 January 2017
The US-led coalition against ISIS has boosted support for its Syrian allies
since President Donald Trump took office, supplying armored
vehicles for the first time as they prepare to launch a new phase in their
campaign for Raqqa, a spokesman for the militia said
on Tuesday. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, which is
dominated by the Kurdish YPG militia, is waging a campaign aimed at taking Raqqa city, ISIS’s base of
operations in
The YPG is the most powerful element of the SDF, and its growing sway in
northern
“The Department of Defense only provides training and
materiel support to the Syrian Arab Coalition,” Major Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway said in a statement. Euphrates dam still
in
Trump, who pledged in his inaugural address to eradicate ISIS and like-minded
groups “from the face of the Earth”, signed an executive order on Saturday
asking the Pentagon, the joint chiefs of staff and other agencies to submit a
preliminary plan on how to proceed within 30 days. ISIS is being fought in
The Kurdish military source said the third phase would focus on capturing
remaining areas, including the road between Raqqa
city and Deir al-Zor.
Cutting off Raqqa city from IS strongholds in Deir al-Zor would be a major blow
against the group.
“The coming phase of the campaign aims to isolate Raqqa
completely,” said the Kurdish military source, who
declined to be named. “Accomplishing this requires reaching the Raqqa-Deir al-Zor road,” the
source said.
“This mission will be difficult.”Silo of the SDF said
preparations were underway for “new action” starting in “a few days”, but
declined to give further details.
SDF forces had advanced to within 1 km (half a mile) of the ISIS-held Euphrates
Dam to the west of Raqqa, but have yet to capture it,
Silo said, adding that air power could not be used there in case the dam was
damaged. ISIS has been fighting hard in recent weeks to try to capture the last
remaining pockets of Syrian government-held territory in Deir
al-Zor city, prompting
Palestinians sets delayed local elections for May 13
AFP Tuesday, 31 January 2017/The Palestinian Authority said Tuesday that local
elections delayed last October after a spat between political factions will now
take place in the West Bank and
ISIS Activates Terror Cells in
Waleed Abdul Rahman/Asharq
Al Awsat/January 31/17
Cairo- Egyptian experts said that ISIS has activated its cells in the Nile
valley away from the
Egyptian observers have highlighted the increase of ISIS attacks in and around
ISIS’ al-Haq News Agency published addresses of 5000
police officers in
It is worth noting that ISIS claimed responsibility for the biggest and most
dangerous attack that targeted the Coptic Church in
Back to “Takfir”
On another hand, a recent Egyptian study said that terrorist groups in the
country received huge funds, which highly contributed to the revival of Takfiri movements. Some old groups like “Al-Jihad” and “Jamaa Islamiya”, which used to
focus on preaching, announced that they have adopted violent approaches. They
have also resumed their speech of Takfir, and some of
their members have pledged allegiance to
For his part, Security Expert Alsayed Abdul Mohsen said that ISIS’ operations in Delta depend on small
groups that work discretely and intercommunicate through social media websites
like Facebook and twitter to launch new attacks that
would be adopted by
ISIS succeeds on the financial level
Back to the study conducted by Dar al-Iftaa, it said that
ISIS Amaq News Agency reported that terrorist
attacks launched by
Money laundering
The Egyptian study said that terrorist organizations cooperate with
businessmen, corruptive groups, and commercial companies in some countries to
cover their suspicious economy in money laundering. Groups use these discrete
operations aiming at investing these funds and securing their growth in order
to cover the war cost, and to deepen their investments through international
networks working in the global economy. The study also said that the
extremist groups’ economy depends on weakening economies of countries fighting
terrorism by hitting the sources of national income like tourism and oil.
Reports of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior
The Ministry of Interior announced the capture of many cells that
belong to
Security experts asserted that ISIS has sought to change its strategy in
Dubai police deputy backs Trump’s
travel ban
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 31 January
2017/ Deputy chairman of Dubai Police Dhahi Khalfan has spoken out in support of US President Donald
Trump’s immigrant and refugee ban from seven Muslim-majority countries. On
Twitter, Lieutenant General Khalfan said: "We
completely support Trump in his ban on entry to those who may cause a breach in
Yemen Rebel 'Suicide Boat' Attack Kills 2
Saudi Sailors
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
31/17/Yemeni rebel "suicide" boats attacked a Saudi warship on patrol
in the Red Sea, killing two sailors in a rare naval clash in the nearly
two-year-old war, the Saudi-led coalition said. The assault off the rebel-held
port city of
There have been heavy losses on both sides. Nearly 370 combatants have been
killed, according to medical sources. - Trapped in a minefield -Government
forces have also pushed south from a small pocket of territory they control
around the
Dr. Tariq al-Hashemi
reveals parts of Nouri al-Maleki’s
crimes
NCRI Iran News/Tuesday, 31 January 2017/In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV on January 27, former Iraqi vice president Dr.
Tariq al-Hashemi revealed that immediately after the
former Iraqi regime was collapsed following the US invasion in 2003, Nouri al-Maleki was seeking to
assassinate and purge the scientists, pilots and high-ranking officers of the
Iraqi army.He said that Maleki
took his orders from Ghasem Soleimani,
so much so that the lawsuit filed against Tariq al-Hashemi
was totally made up and dictated by the Iranian regime.
Former Iraqi vice president Dr. Tariq al-Hashemi:
When I asked Talabani about the fictitious cases Maleki had made up, Talabani said
that “following the overthrow of the former Iraqi regime in 2003, Nouri al-Maleki came to visit us
in
Mowafaq Rabiei former Iraqi
National Security Advisor once asked Maleki ‘why did
you target Tariq Hashemi?’ In response, Maleki says that “don’t ask me. Go ask Haji
Ghasem. Ask it from Ghasem Soleimani.” (Commander of
Political Prisoner Addresses
NCRI Iran News/Tuesday, 31 January 2017/The political prisoner Arjang Davoudi, now serving his
prison sentence at Zabol Prison in exile, has in a
letter reacted to Hasssan Rouhani’s
recent comments denouncing building walls between countries:
Lies and hypocrisy for how long?
Hassan Rouhani has always been the main accomplice in
countless crimes committed by the terrorist Iranian regime.
This deceitful Mullah has shamelessly claimed at the so-called tourist guides
convention on Saturday January 30 that the era of building walls between
nations is over, implicitly referring to a move by the new
Sadly, these two earthen and concrete walls have been built 15 kilometers away from the main border inside
Despite all this, how come the criminal Rouhani
hypocritically tells such big lies while looking the world in the eye?
Political prisoner Arjang Davoudi,
Zabol Central Prison/January 28, 2017
NCRI /Tuesday, 31 January 2017 /- It has been 11 days since the calamity of Plasco (the Iconic Highrise ) collapse happened in
The state-run Jahan Newspaper on of January 28th,
2017 presented shocking news about the atmosphere of intimidation and the
repression of firefighters at the workplace, even in time of Plasco operations.
The newspaper wrote that 20 minutes before the collapse of Plasco
the firefighters knew that the fire will cause the collapse but the Commander
had not given them permission to leave the building.
The author of the article "the World of Industry" quotes a professor
of the Structural Engineering Institute and writes:"1 hour after the fire,
the permission has been given to the firefighters to enter the building. Which
Incident Commander issues an order this much late? This is definitely a
disaster.
One hour after the fire, the people had to evacuate the building no matter if
the fire was extinguished or not. On the contrary, the firefighters entered the
building and went to the 10th floor at that time. Certainly, the building would
reach a temperature of 300 C and it would collapse then."
The author then refers to the atmosphere of intimidation and the repression of
those firefighters who survived and writes:"the
firefighters were forced not to talk or protest against the situation and the
incident of Plasco. They talked to us stealthily and
with murmurs so that they won't be reprimanded. They stopped talking to us or
tried not to be identified as soon as they saw people staring at them. Even one
of the firefighter told us that on the day of the incident, they were given a
sheet that was a request to the City Council in order to include the
firefighting as one of the hardest and most harmful jobs. The firefighters had
to sign the paper but some of them did not sign it in the fear of losing their
job. They cannot defend their rights and demands, as they claimed."
Jahan Newspaper in this report writes:"a
few firefighters that were busy in debris removal operations left the place of
incident. I was in front of the front door and I did not yet enter. I started
to speak with one of them about the debris removal. One of them who had a mask
on face called me. He asked if I am a reporter and I approved. He suddenly
began to slam recklessly. He softly whispered into my ears and stopped talking
as soon as an agent came. I even did not turn to see him. I could just hear his
exhausted voice."
This firefighter said:"the deputy of operations
and the director of the inspection put the firefighters to death." and I
suddenly become frozen." they did not let the firefighters leave the
building as the fire was reaching top floors." All of them were trained in
The firefighter continued:"our colleagues were
killed. You know how much is every firefighter worth? They make a lot of effort
in training in order to be professional firefighters.16 colleagues of mine were
killed. We have been asked that why we don't protest against our situation or
why we don't talk. Well, I must say that 300 of our firefighters protested in
front of the fire department as well as the City Council against the problems
and the low salaries in December 2015. Nevertheless, they were reprimanded by
the fire department one by one."
One of the firefighters who protested and got fired by the fire department in a
video clip revealed the facts about the repression in the fire department as
well as the incident of Plasco. He said:"they claimed that the gasoline tank exploded.
Which gasoline tank are they talking about? The gasoline does not have an
explosion point and even if it had, the irons should have been melted soon. Why
do you lie to people? If the firefighters had not gone to the upper floors,
they would have certainly been reprimanded. One of the firefighters named Safizadeh that got killed in the Plasco
incident was warning into the walkie-talkie that: "do not send anyone to
top floors and help us instead". All those poor young firefighters
remained under the rubbles because the stupid Supreme Leader of Iran does not
give flight permission in that area. Our colleagues went into the fire so that
they won't be reprimanded."
Current Mullahs Ruling Iran, the
Godfathers of ISIS
NCRI Iran News/Tuesday, 31 January 2017/
Iranian regime and the evolution of ISIS
This article has appeared in Al Arabiya English by Heshmat Alavi onTuesday,
31 January 2017
Support for international terrorism received a major boost the moment the
mullahs hijacked Iran’s 1979 revolution. After a very short-lived period of a
so-called open political atmosphere, their thugs organized in the Revolutionary
Guards (IRGC) and paramilitary Basij militia, launched a campaign of oppression, arrests, torture
and executions targeting not only dissidents, but anyone daring to raise a
voice.
Born was “the first ISIS” and through the past 38 years this entity has proven
to be more ruthless than anything resembled today in
As he established his crackdown apparatus, Khomeini began setting his sights
abroad, imposing his hegemonic desires through a doctrine of suicide attacks.
The IRGC began training numerous proxy groups to help spread the Khomeini’s
terror under the pretext of Islam.
Khomeini’s “ISIS” in Iran, more than three decades before ISIS’s
charge from Syria into northern Iraq, became the nesting ground for many
fledgling groups now wreaking havoc across the Middle East, Europe and as far
away as Argentina.
This is Khomeini’s ideology of “Islamic Revolution,” spreading his foul
interpretation of a divine religion. He dreamed of a Shiite empire and to this
end started targeting all potential countries beginning with
Lethal campaign
All this has been parallel to
While pursuing this onslaught, Khomeini’s successor, now Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,
has continuously maintained executions up at an atrocious rate. Understanding
the threat of any day passing without at least one execution somewhere in
Yet probably the most atrocious carnage of all launched was aimed at cleansing
an entire generation by massacring over 30,000 political prisoners in the
summer of 1988. Most of these victims were members and supporters of main
Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
The international community’s failure to adopt serious measures against the
mullahs has encouraged
Thanks to the Obama administration,
Rest assured one day the world will come to realize how ISIS considered
Khomeini, the founder of the first ever “
Is there a solution?
“The regime in
The administration of Donald Trump, as advised in a hand-delivered letter
written by 23 senior former American government officials, enjoys the
opportunity to adopt a policy supporting the Iranian people’s call for regime
change. This goes in line with President Trump’s first position against
“radical Islamic terrorism,” terrifying the Iranian regime from top to bottom.
“We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized
world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely
from the face of the Earth,” President Trump said.
Right Time for West to Correct Policy on
Iran
NCRI Iran News/Tuesday, 31 January 2017/
On Tuesday, January 17, I joined former US Assistant Secretary of State Lincoln
Bloomfield and a number of French Members of Parliament in addressing a
conference at the French National Assembly’s Victor Hugo Hall. The purpose of
the event was to discuss the direction in the near future for French and
broader European policies toward the
That conference has stood as one symbol of the widespread support among Western
policymakers for a different approach to Middle Eastern issues and political or
economic relations with the Iranian regime.
Dramatic missteps and miscalculations have defined
Time and again, it has been revealed that those moderate factions do not
actually exist, and yet the overall approach to
In reality, the entirety of the Middle East will remain mired in violence, instability
and backward thinking unless a genuinely free Iranian nation takes its place at
the center of that region, where it can provide a positive example for its neighbors, as well as bringing an end to the regional
interventions and support for terrorism that Iran, under the mullahs’ rule, has
been carrying on through nearly 40 years.
The people of
It is not as though leading Western policymakers are unaware of any of this. As
recently as December 2016, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a
resolution specifically highlighting the abuses of human rights in
On the very day that the French National Assembly held this conference, UN
rights experts specifically called for a halt to the planned execution of Sajad Sanjari, who was only 15
years old when he killed a man in an incident that he described as self-defense against attempted rape. Unfortunately, we can guess
at what the response from the Islamic Republic will be. There have been
numerous such incidents of international outcry against
The situation is made much worse by the fact that the Constitution of the
Iranian theocracy specifically calls for the export of the Islamic Revolution,
something the regime is clearly pursuing through its involvement in regional
conflicts including the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars. These intrusions were the
main focus of the speech delivered at the conference by Maryam
Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council
of Resistance of Iran, which has opposed the theocracy since its inception but
has been marginalized by mainstream Western politics. Mrs Rajavi’s
speech described Iranian contributions to rampant human rights abuses in
It is long past time for Western governments to change their
About ISJ:
International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) was initially formed in 2008
as an informal group of EU parliamentarians to seek justice for the Iranian
democratic opposition. In 2014 it was registered as a non-profit NGO in
President: Alejo Vidal-Quadras,
Vice President of European Parliament (1999-2014)
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 01/17
The Gulf and
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/January 31/17
It’s indisputable that political negotiations and
dialogue among countries are an essential part of diplomatic work. Policies and
agreements are the product of discussions and the result of sitting together
and reaching understandings. However, the problem is not in the compliance of
dialogue as a value among the different countries but it’s whether dialogue is
part of the political approach adopted by the other camp. The message of
Iranian President Hassan Rowhani welcomed this initiative
and considered it a positive step to improve relations. All this is good and
agreeable and it paves way through a rough path. However, ideals are one thing
and reality is another.
Let’s recall the testimony of Hashemi Rafsanjani –
who played a role in establishing the Iranian regime and who was the godfather
that allowed Khamenei to become Supreme Leader – when
he spoke about how “the Iranian regime violated the agreement it sealed with
Saudi Arabia” through flagrant interferences in the Gulf’s internal affairs.
The Iranian regime refrains from discussing issues with its own rivals within
the country. The latter are spending unjust sentences that vary between house
arrest, detention and imprisonment. These rivals include prominent figures who
disagree with the regime, such as former president Mohammed Khatami
or some of Khomeini’s grandchildren and Rafsanjani’s
heirs.
If this is the mindset adopted to manage the country’s affairs, how can others
expect reactions or measures that include dialogue, control intervention and
respect countries’ sovereignty?
Yes, there are “reasonable” figures in
King Salman has specified Saudi Arabia’s policy and
has set what neighboring countries must respect as
they must “commit to pledges, agreements and international charters which
include respecting the principle of sovereignty
Political realism
What the Iranian regime lacks is political realism. This is what distinguished
Rafsanjani from Mahmoud Ahmedinejad
and Rowhani. In an interview with the Jamaran website, Rafsanjani’s
advisor Gholam Ali Rajai
said: “Rafsanjani had two characteristics.
He was aware of the Sunni and Shiite reality so if he called for rapprochement
and agreements with Sunnis, it was firstly based on considering them as
brothers and it was secondly based on the notion that Shiites are a minority in
the Muslim world in terms of number”.
“Rafsanjani was realistic, and it’s on this basis that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz responded to his call. He always repeated that we
reached agreements with King Abdullah and we formed committees with
I think this is almost impossible during the current phase. King Salman has specified
The article was first published in Al Sharq al-Awsat on January 31, 2016.
Islam amid France’s elections
Nahla Chahal/Al Arabiya/January 31/17
It is believed one of the reasons Allan Juppé was
unable to win the nomination of France’s political right in the upcoming May
election, was his yielding position on the issue of Islam in France, or at
least that’s what his competitors tried to convey to the public. Issues that
range from the hijab to the niqab,
from food at school cafeterias to building mosques always ended with open
discussions about homeland terrorism, broadcasted by the entire world. At the
time, critics named Alan ‘Ali’. Indeed, in French, the two names are very
similar at least vocally; posters of Allan or Ali Juppé
filled the streets. Manuel Valls, the former prime
minister and a Socialist Party nominee hopeful for the presidential elections
restored this fission in an effort to hurt his rival Benoit Hamon.
The latter was chosen, by a landslide, by the Socialists for the Elysee fight, causing a surprise that reminded some of the
victory of Francois Fillon in winning the nomination
of the political right.
The Internal division on the issue of Islam, remains less severe in right-wing
circles, with some very religious, while others are deeply conservative and
close to the church. But there is a broader spectrum of views within the
Socialist Party, which claims to have a bigger task, defending modernity and
secularity as French attributes and while protecting a progressive “Republic”.Benoit Hamon’s name was
also changed by critics who gave it a Muslim leaning; his opponents renamed him
Bilel. Although it doesn’t completely sound the same,
it is the end game that matters. During the second round in the epic debate
against Valls - where only one candidate could come
out victorious - Hamon responded saying he thought
the name Bilel was beautiful.
The Internal division on the issue of Islam, remains less severe in right-wing
circles, with some very religious, while others are deeply conservative and
close to the church
‘A leftist Islamist’
As a matter of fact, a minister of the current government who chose to remain
anonymous leaked to the newspaper Liberation that Hamon
“is the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood”, while Malek
Boutih (a deputy and leader of the Socialist Party of
Algerian and Muslim origin, who was commissioned to be the chairman of an
Organization against racism) publically called him “a leftist Islamist”. Hamon responded quietly that as a deputy for the region of Yvelines, known to have a strong Muslim population, with a
city that is described as dangerous, where the children of Immigrants who have
become French, rag (including the star Jamel Debbouze and a number of other successful figures) asserted
that these titles do not worry him.
He disclosed that he was not ashamed to receive veiled mothers of pupils who
had come to protest the decision of the Government of Valls,
which had banned them from accompanying their children on school trips. Nor, he
said, was he ashamed that his spokesman was a member of the “rally against Islamophobia in
During a television debate Manuel Valls attacked
Benoit Hamon’s “lenient” and “ambiguous” stance
toward radical Islam. Hamon responded by stressing
his views of co-existing and rebuffing the general political notion on the
issue, saying he defended secularism but also the right of individuals to
freely express their beliefs. He aptly explained the “laicite”
law that “solely permits believers and nonbelievers to be the way they want and
ensure the neutrality of the public force and the state”. Hamon’s
views totally contradict that of his competitor who urges for a strict
interpretation of “laicite” and calling in his
campaign to link the law with the constitution, in a gambit move for its
amendment.
Laicite law
Valls believes the 1950 law which palpably defines “laicite” – the French concept of secularism - and its
scope. He openly avowed adopting the views of the French philosopher Elizabeth Badinter and the writer Caroline Frouster,
who spearhead an anti-Islam campaign under the slogan of fighting terrorism,
extremism and religious ideology and the emancipation of women, implying that
Muslims are incapable of integration with the French values. On the other hand,
they have been accused by Hamon “they foresee the
good Muslim as the Muslim who is not Muslim”. He suggested creating an
investigative discrimination body, similar to the fraud committee, to probe
discrimination in government institutes and enforcing penalties. Valls’ stance, which involves going beyond the “laicite” to enact a law prohibit women covering (wearing hijabs) in universities, acknowledging at the same legal
hindrance to executing his vision, he quipped saying “we will find a way to
overcome obstacles. Previously the former French Minister defended a ban on burkinis in more than dozen coastal towns. During the
heated debate, Hamon, unlike his opponent, opted for
a fluid approach, he accused Valls of breaching laws
to fulfill his personal beliefs. He reminded him of the reply of 30 University
Deans in response to his plan to ban hijab in
university “Hijab is never a concern and causes no
disruption to public order”.Since the tenure of Sarkozy, Islam, as other grave crisis, has been the main
focus of political debates in
**This article is also available in Arabic.
Has Trump’s seven-nation ban been misunderstood?
Peter Harrison/Al Arabiya/January 31/17
Every country has a right to defend its borders, but there has to be a better
way than the approach Donald Trump has taken with his blanket ban of nationals
from the seven listed countries. It seems to me to be simple, if the
Causing more tensions
What’s more a ‘one size fits all’ approach could potentially cause more
problems in the long term. Last year I argued that the French ban on the burka was counterproductive – that if anything, it would
stir up tensions, perhaps even provoke further hostility towards the French.
The ban certainly didn’t lead to an end in attacks on French soil by
terrorists. Likewise, I would suggest that a blanket ban on every person from
the countries listed by Trump, can only lead to further tensions - not less.
What has been created, in my view, is an explanation for anti-American
rhetoric, which will not bring peace to the free world, but provide an excuse
for those already hostile towards the
My initial aim of that piece was to focus on how while the Gulf Arab nations –
not least Saudi Arabia – were making great advances to modernize, the Western
world was about to embark on a set of policies and actions that were more in
keeping with the 1960s and 1970s.
I was thinking at the time of
Four decades back while the GCC strides forward
Meanwhile Saudi Arabia seems to be striving to make itself a more open society,
with national companies being floated on the open market. These are bold
courageous steps that will only lead in my view, to good things happening for
the kingdom and the wider GCC community. I don’t think anyone quite imagined
Trump would go ahead with his ban on Muslims that he proposed during his
election campaign. Although he has been picking people up on a technicality on
this one - saying that it is not a ‘Muslim ban’. Apparently this is a ban on
countries that pose the most severe threat to the
And while there’s talk of expanding the ban to further countries – it still
seems that there is no logic behind the first seven countries that were chosen.
So far none of the seven have seen a single one of their citizens commit any
form of terror attack on mainland America
Meanwhile one hopes that sooner, rather than later, the majority of the law
abiding people caught up in the current strife will be released and allowed to
get on with their lives as they did before. But if Trump’s rhetoric is anything
to go by, I suspect it would be ill advised to hold your breath.
Trump's travel ban
polarizes America
By Chris Kahn | NEW YORK
Americans are sharply divided over President Donald Trump's order to
temporarily block U.S. entry for all refugees and citizens of seven Muslim
countries, with slightly more approving the measure than disapproving,
according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on
Tuesday. The Jan. 30-31 poll found that 49 percent of American adults said they
either "strongly" or "somewhat" agreed with Trump's order,
while 41 percent "strongly" or "somewhat" disagreed and
another 10 percent said they don't know.
But the responses were split almost entirely along party lines. Some 53 percent
of Democrats said they "strongly disagree" with Trump's action while
51 percent of Republicans said they "strongly agree."
Trump's executive order banned refugees from entering the
The president, who campaigned on a promise to bring what he called
"extreme vetting" to the nation's immigration system, said the order
he signed on Friday was meant to protect the country and its borders.
"This is not a Muslim ban," he said.
But confusion over who was covered by Trump's order left travelers, airlines
and foreign governments scrambling to get clarity from
The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 31 percent of Americans
feel "more safe" because of the ban, compared with 26 percent who
said they felt "less safe." Some 38 percent said they felt the
Democrats were more than three times as likely as Republicans to say that the
"
Most Americans, however, don't think the country should show a preference for
Christian refugees, as Trump has suggested. Some 56 percent, including 72
percent of Democrats and 45 percent of Republicans, disagreed that the country
should "welcome Christian refugees, but not Muslim ones."
At the weekend, protesters swarmed major
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in
English in all 50 states. It gathered poll responses from 1,201 people
including 453 Democrats and 478 Republicans. It has a credibility interval, a
measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points for the entire sample and 5
percentage points for the Democrats and the Republicans.
(Reporting by Chris Kahn, editing by Ross Colvin)
No tears shed in Gulf Cooperation Council
over Obama's exit
By Mohammed Alkhereiji/he Arab Weekly/January 31/17
LONDON -- After eight years of disappointment, frustration and empty
rhetoric, Inauguration Day 2017 in the United States could not have come soon
enough for some in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Gulf Arab leaders counted the
seconds to see the end of the Obama administration, a presidency viewed by many
in the region as a stab in the back. Across the Gulf, official news agencies
carried congratulatory messages, highlighting historic ties to the
Relations turned for the worst after the "Arab spring" protests in
2011, when Gulf Arab leaders viewed the
Obama's lack of engagement in
During a Jan. 24 news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in
The optimistic assessment continued as Jubeir
lavished praise on some of the new
"These are very, very impressive individuals," Jubeir
said. "They're highly capable. They're highly experienced and they have a
very realistic and wise view of the world and
No tears were shed in the government-friendly GCC media over Obama's
departure; however the unpredictable nature of the new
Known for his staunch and sometimes overzealous defense
of
"Even if Trump calls a truce with
"At some point down the line something will happen in the world that will
require a careful response, a careful policy and Trump will react
emotionally," columnist Faisal al-Yafai wrote in
Abu Dhabi's the National, highlighting fears of Trump's unpredictable nature.
"That is always going to be the worry. But that's his attitude. That's who
he is. Those who like Trump like that aspect of his personality," he
added.
A
"I congratulate Your Excellency on the occasion of assuming the leadership
of the
"This is a normal situation in a world heaving with different opinions.
There are some who are against our goals, country and interests," Sobaie said.
Muslim Brotherhood Front Organizations,
U.S. and Canada
Thomas Quiggin/Gatestone Institute/January 31/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9770/muslim-brotherhood-front-organizations
The 2008 Holy Land Relief terrorism funding criminal trial resulted in multiple
convictions and was touted as the one of the largest terrorism financing trials
in American history. Expectations were high that the 2008 trial would be
followed by further trials involving the listed unindicted co-conspirators such
as CAIR
However, with the appointment of Eric Holder as the U.S. Attorney General in
2009, all further actions on this file appear to have been frozen. Holder would
later speak at a conference supporting one of the unindicted co-conspirators.
It is not clear if the ongoing criminal investigation focuses only on those
individuals leading IRFAN at the time of its delisting as a charity and listing
as a terrorism entity, or if the investigation also includes those who helped
found IRFAN. This may be an important distinction, as the Canada Revenue Agency
stated that IRFAN was deliberately created and designed to circumvent Canadian
terrorism-funding rules.
It appears possible that the Trump Administration will crack down on
Islamist extremist groups in the
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz last week submitted legislation to designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist
Organization.
Cruz (R-TX) earlier had a bill in the Senate which would not only ban the
Muslim Brotherhood in the
Muslim Brotherhood front organizations and their members have an ongoing
problem with criminal activity, terrorism-funding activities and overall
negative relations with legal authorities. These problems range from being
listed as terrorist groups, being charged for weapons possession and an even an
arrest for alleged sexual charges involving a 12-year-old girl. Several of the
charges are consistent with the extremist nature of the Muslim Brotherhood
itself, given its commitment to violent political change. Both criminal
investigations and terrorism listings in
The emblem of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its founder,
Hassan al-Banna.
The future is also uncertain for a variety of groups and individuals
related to the criminal trials surrounding the Holy Land Foundation for Relief
and Development, formerly known as the Occupied Land Fund. The 2008 criminal
trial resulted in multiple convictions and was touted as the one of the largest
terrorism financing trials in American history. Expectations were high that the
2008 trial would be followed by further trials involving the listed unindicted
co-conspirators such as CAIR
CAIR
In
IRFAN had its charitable status revoked for funding terrorism in 2011 and
was subsequently listed as a terrorism entity by the Government of Canada in
2014. It is not clear if the ongoing criminal investigation focuses only on
those individuals leading IRFAN at the time of its delisting as a charity and
listing as a terrorism entity, or if the investigation also includes those who
helped found IRFAN. This may be an important distinction, as the Canada Revenue
Agency stated that IRFAN was deliberately created and designed to circumvent
Canadian terrorism-funding rules.
Another of the four front groups, the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC),
also made the news in 2015. At that point, it was alleged that IRFAN continued
to received funding from the Muslim Association of
Canada even after IRFAN had its charitable status revoked for funding terrorism
in 2011. This information came from an RCMP search warrant that was used to
raid IRFAN premises in
The Islamic Society of North America (Canadian Chapter) has also had its
problems. Along with a variety of internal fraud issues, the ISNA Development
Fund had the charitable status of its "Development Fund" revoked for
terrorism funding. The terrorism-funding money in question was sent to the
Relief Organization for Kashmiri Muslims (ROKM) with the ultimate aim of
supporting Jamaat-e-Islami, widely known as the
Muslim Brotherhood's sister group in south
The Muslim Student Association
Another group, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) of the
The following individuals have all been identified as members of the MSA at a variety universities in
Ahmed Sayed Khadr
from the
Chiheb Esseghaier was
convicted in 2015 for his role in the attempted bombing of a cross-border VIA
Rail train.
Khadar Khalib has
been charged with terrorism-related offenses and is believed to have killed in
Awso Peshdary, born
in
John "Yahya" Maguire was also born in
the
Youssef Sakhir, Samir Halilovic and Zakria Habibi are/were from
Muhannad al-Farekh, Farid Imam and Maiwand Yar have all had charges laid against them for
terrorism-related offences. Their whereabouts are unknown, but they may be in
Chiheb Battikh and
the Muslim Association of Canada
In December 2012, Chiheb Battikh
of
The Trump Administration
Some of President-elect Donald J. Trump's advisors have strong views on
the Muslim Brotherhood. Included among these are Walid
Phares, who favors banning
the Muslim Brotherhood in the
Outlook
A variety of Muslim Brotherhood front groups have drawn attention to
themselves through terrorism funding and other forms of alleged criminal behavior. CAIR
It appears possible that a Trump Administration will crack down on
Islamist extremist groups in the
© 2017 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.
On Boycotting Radical Islamic Nations
Nonie Darwish/Gatestone Institute/January 31/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9869/immigration-ban-radical-islam
The interviewer seemed shocked to hear that I do not have any Arab or Muslim
friends who are protesting President Trump's ban, and that many immigrants of
Islamic origin support the ban and are fed up and embarrassed by what jihadists
are doing.
The lesson
Muslims need to know that the world does indeed have a justifiable and
legitimate concern about Islam and actions done in the name of Islam by
Muslims.
Muslims need to look at themselves in the mirror and see the world from
the point of view of their victims. Instead, the West is sacrificing its
culture, values, laws, pride and even self-respect.
It might compassion that leads the West to take in millions of Muslim
refugees but it is reckless compassion. Do Westerners question the motivation
of Islamic theocracies as to why ultra-rich Arab nations are sending us their
refugees but taking in none?
Some "tough love" is urgently needed if Muslims are to be
motivated to change and reform.
Early this morning an Arabic radio station in the
She then asked me if I knew any Arab American activist who was against
the ban because she wanted to interview someone against the ban. She seemed
shocked to hear that I do not have any Arab or Muslim friends who are
protesting the ban, and that many immigrants of Islamic and
She said that all she sees on CNN and other channels are riots that portray
almost all Americans supporting Muslims and against Trump. I am upset over the
success of the leftist propaganda all over the
What would Muslim countries do to the West, I asked, if 19 American
terrorists flew airplanes into Arab capitals and their government and military
headquarters? What did she think Arabs would do if every week or so American
terrorists would conduct synchronized killing sprees all over the Muslim world,
gunning Muslims down, blowing them up with homemade pressure cookers, ramming
into crowds with trucks? There was silence.
She then started calming down and said that of course she is against
terrorism, "but". I asked: "Do you see what jihad did to your
Christian community in the
I was sure she was going to hang up on me, but to my surprise she asked
me to please hold. Then she was back, live from the
studio, and started interviewing me and asked the same questions on air. I
poured my heart out in Arabic to the Arab listeners.
The lesson here is that Arabs are hungry to hear the truth; this Arab
station, instead of rejecting these ideas, ended up putting them on air. The
lesson
Muslims need to know that the world does indeed have a justifiable and
legitimate concern about Islam and actions done in the name of Islam by
Muslims. Muslims need to look at themselves in the mirror and see the world
from the point of view of their victims. Instead, the West is sacrificing its
culture, values, laws, pride and even self-respect. Muslim culture needs a
wake-up call telling them that, sooner or later, non-Muslim nations will close their
doors to any kind of Muslim immigration if the jihad culture continues. That
will also be a strong message to Muslims already in the West who still believe
in jihad.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order restricting immigration,
January 27, 2017. (Image source: Reuters video
screenshot)
The Muslim people are hungry for the truth: that their educational system
and mosque preaching are full of incitement, abhorrent, hate-filled and the
foundation upon which violent jihad is built. The Islamic commandment to do
jihad sacrifices Muslim men, women and children to kill and get killed.
As long as the West continues its appeasement of Islamic jihad, Islam
will never reform and the West will lose. So far, the West has continued to
extend a lifeline to the religion of Islam; a religion for which the number one
enemy is the truth, and which struggles to suppress the truth.
It might be compassion that leads the West to take in millions of Muslim
refugees, but it is reckless compassion. Why isn't
Who is really benefiting from the policy of appeasement, the acceptance
of Sharia-stricken theocracies and their jihadist,
hate-filled education? Some "tough love" is urgently needed if
Muslims are to be motivated to change and reform.
*Nonie Darwish, born and raised in
© 2017 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.
Muslim Ban..
Populism and Hypocrisy!
Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al Awsat/January
31/17
No sooner than U.S. President Donald Trump announced the Muslim Ban order and
chaos was everywhere with legal actions and international criticism. The ban of
citizens of seven Muslim countries from entering the U.S is technically a
suspension since it is temporary.
The truth is that you can’t defend the president’s decision, but this is not
the issue here.
What should concern us as Muslims, Arabs, journalists, and politicians is the
fact that Trump’s decision to ban citizens of certain Muslim countries from
entering the UززS,
including
Why are the followers of the radical Islam in the region, who promoted hate
against the U.S for decades, are now enraged by Trump’s order?
Isn’t Trump’s ban an indication that our region had
failed to become attractive, especially that they rush to enter the
The new president’s decision is surely populist, but
he recanted his campaign pledges and is now resorting to a temporary order that
only includes seven countries. This shows the chaotic and not racist state of
the coming
How will Trump fight ISIS in
This is not the issue. Our concern is what is being said in our region and the
west, especially from those who claim are human rights supporters and concerned
with fighting racism.
The matter in question here is about those who claim they are human rights
advocates and against racism in the media, the west and precisely those from
Are they defending principles? Declaring their rejection for racism? Or do they
simply hate
Did they forget that
It is evident that Trump’s order unveiled the gravity of populism, but it also
revealed the atrocious claims of resistance and rights activists, especially of
Iranians who declared once that U.S is the Satan.
Ten Days that Shook the World
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/January 31/17
Most Probably, Russian President Vladimir Putin is jealous and anxious. He
spent years working on stealing the limelight and enhancing his country’s
image. Putin annexed Crimea, shook
Donald Trump does not hide his willingness to work with Putin, especially
against
Putin has been surely assured by his advisers that the storm unleashed by Trump
the moment he entered the White House will soon face the obstacles of
international relations and
Three days before Trump’s storm battered the
Since his inauguration, Trump has left the world in a state of anticipation,
and concern. Many had believed that Trump will not keep good on his promises . But, it seems they had misunderstood him.
Within a short time, the world discovered that it is facing an unprecedented
situation and that this president is not similar to any of his predecessors.
The same applies to the terminology he uses.
Saying that power will be transferred from Washington to the citizens and that
policies will be adopted based on “America first” is not an easy thing to do by
a president, who appeared to be declaring war although he reached the White
House via Twitter and not a military tank.
Through a series of executive orders, he delivered a strict message: The
president is committed to what the candidate had said and that he will not cave
in to media, elite’s reservations, human rights groups and previous trade
agreements. Trump will also deal with issues that had been sidestepped by
previous
Trump launched several battles –internal and global- starting with the wall at
the Mexican border, pulling the
The past days were disturbing internationally, trade wise and at the military
level. We are facing a new president and maybe a new
When Americans elect a president, the world is compelled to go with the flow. I
guess this is what Trump wanted. The only option for the world is to prepare
itself because something has changed in the White House and the world.
I thought of a title for this article, a title that suits the president’s style
and decisions. I found no better than that chosen by John Reed for his book on
the October revolution “Ten Days that Shook the World.”
Telephone Diplomacy Between
King Salman and Trump
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq
Al Awsat/January 31/17
Some inciting voices have condemned the fact that
What was made public about the conversation can be described as an important
shift in relations between the two countries. According to statements that both
sides made, the King and the President talked about establishing safe zones for
the Syrians, cooperating with regards to combating terrorism in the region and
counteracting
What confirms
Trump’s administration considered
Discussing the Muslim Brotherhood in a telephone conversation with President
Trump is no less important than considering
Meanwhile, the previous American administration adopted a policy in
Trump’s government said that it is ready and in a hurry to engage in a project
to stop the chaos and defeat terrorism. Trump, who has only been president for
ten days, is announcing his intention to establish a safe zone for Syrian
refugees after former President Obama refused to set up these zones for Syrians
who are displaced. There are more than 12 million displaced Syrians in
Finally, the stances of others towards Trump, his administration and his
foreign and domestic policies should not affect us, and we should not make
prejudgements. What is more important is that we form our vision based on the
issues and solutions that Trump’s administration proposes for our region and
its readiness to cooperate positively.
Trump’s Immigration Ban Is Illegal
DAVID J. BIER/The New York Times/January 31/17
President Trump signed an executive order on Friday that purports to bar for at
least 90 days almost all permanent immigration from seven majority-Muslim
countries, including
But the order is illegal. More than 50 years ago, Congress outlawed such
discrimination against immigrants based on national origin.
That decision came after a long and shameful history in this country of barring
immigrants based on where they came from. Starting in the late 19th century,
laws excluded all Chinese, almost all Japanese, then
all Asians in the so-called Asiatic Barred Zone. Finally, in 1924, Congress
created a comprehensive “national-origins system,” skewing immigration quotas
to benefit Western Europeans and to exclude most Eastern Europeans, almost all
Asians, and Africans.
Mr. Trump appears to want to reinstate a new type of Asiatic Barred Zone by
executive order, but there is just one problem: The Immigration and Nationality
Act of 1965 banned all discrimination against immigrants on the basis of
national origin, replacing the old prejudicial system and giving each country
an equal shot at the quotas. In signing the new law, President Lyndon B.
Johnson said that “the harsh injustice” of the national-origins quota system
had been “abolished.”
Nonetheless, Mr. Trump asserts that he still has the power to discriminate,
pointing to a 1952 law that allows the president the ability to “suspend the
entry” of “any class of aliens” that he finds are detrimental to the interest
of the United States.
But the president ignores the fact that Congress then restricted this power in
1965, stating plainly that no person could be “discriminated against in the
issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person’s race, sex, nationality, place of birth or place of residence.” The only
exceptions are those provided for by Congress (such as the preference for Cuban
asylum seekers).
When Congress passed the 1965 law, it wished to protect not just immigrants,
but also American citizens, who should have the right to sponsor their family
members or to marry a foreign-born spouse without being subject to pointless
discrimination.
Mr. Trump may want to revive discrimination based on national origin by
asserting a distinction between “the issuance of a visa” and the “entry” of the
immigrant. But this is nonsense. Immigrants cannot legally be issued a visa if
they are barred from entry. Thus, all orders under the 1952 law apply equally
to entry and visa issuance, as his executive order acknowledges.
Note that the discrimination ban applies only to immigrants. Legally speaking,
immigrants are those who are given permanent
While presidents have used their power dozens of times to keep out certain
groups of foreigners under the 1952 law, no president has ever barred an entire
nationality of immigrants without exception. In the most commonly cited case,
President Jimmy Carter barred certain Iranians during the 1980 hostage crisis,
but the targets were mainly students, tourists and temporary visitors. Even
then, the policy had many humanitarian exceptions. Immigrants continued to be
admitted in 1980.
While courts rarely interfere in immigration matters, they have affirmed the
discrimination ban. In the 1990s, for example, the government created a policy
that required Vietnamese who had fled to Hong Kong to return to
The government in that case did not even bother arguing that the 1952 law
permitted discrimination. The court rejected its defense
that a “rational link” with a temporary foreign policy measure could justify
ignoring the law — an argument the Trump administration is sure to make. The
court wrote, “We cannot rewrite a statutory provision which by its own terms
provides no exceptions or qualifications.”
To resolve this case, Congress amended the law in 1996 to state that
“procedures” and “locations” for processing immigration applications cannot
count as discrimination. While there is plenty of room for executive mischief
there, the amendment made clear that Congress still wanted the discrimination
ban to hold some force. A blanket immigration prohibition on a nationality by
the president would still be illegal.
Even if courts do find wiggle room here, discretion can be taken too far. If
Mr. Trump can legally ban an entire region of the world, he would render
Congress’s vision of unbiased legal immigration a dead letter. An appeals court
stopped President Barack Obama’s executive actions to spare millions of
undocumented immigrants from deportations for the similar reason that he was
circumventing Congress. Some discretion? Sure. Discretion to rewrite the law? Not in
Trump is his Administration’s Own Worst
Enemy on Foreign Policy
David Ignatius/The Washington Post/January 31/17
President Trump’s slash-and-burn actions in his first week have been dramatic,
but dangerously lacking in a consensus of support, even within his own
administration. The risks were evident in the collapse of a planned meeting
with
Trump’s “tweet from the hip” style produced its first real foreign rupture
Thursday, when Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto canceled a planned visit to
The Twitter grenade blew up what had been an attempt to finesse the issue with
a delayed Mexican financial contribution for the wall, an approach that Trump
himself had only hours before supported in an interview with ABC’s David Muir.
Now, Trump has an avoidable
The torture issue was another self-inflicted wound. The CIA doesn’t want to go
back into the secret detention and waterboarding
business. There’s a law banning torture, for the simple reason that it “shocks
the conscience” of many Americans. And some foreign intelligence services would
refuse to share information with a
The weird disconnect between Trump’s wrecking-ball comments and the more
delicate process of governing was illustrated by the flap over a draft
executive order to revive the CIA’s “black sites” for detention and
interrogation. After the memo surfaced Wednesday in the New York Times, Trump
spokesman Sean Spicer insisted that it was “not a White House document.”
But then a few hours later, Trump was raging in his interview with Muir that
torture “works . . . absolutely” and “we have to fight fire with fire.” Like so
many of Trump’s tweets, these comments are disruptive and destabilizing — but
mainly to his own administration. They make the job of new CIA Director Mike Pompeo harder.
If the first week of the Trump presidency showed us anything, it’s that he is
more determined to overturn the established trade, economic and
national-security order than even his critics feared. So far, there’s more
Stephen K. Bannon and less Reince
Priebus in this White House. The costs of Trump’s
impulsive, thin-skinned behavior have also become
clearer. He keeps proclaiming how well he’s doing, but his aides have seemingly
worked nonstop to put out fires ignited by their boss.
Whether Trump’s tweeting and his alt-right tilt can be tempered by James Mattis at Defense and Rex Tillerson at State looks more dubious. This will worry
foreign leaders who had found the Mattis and Tillerson nominations reassuring, and were prepared to
believe that Trump’s bark might be worse than his bite on issues that matter to
global allies.
Trump’s bombastic nature undermines his ability to address the problems he
cares most about. Take
Similarly, Trump’s public endorsement of torture undermines his deeper effort
to combat terrorism. Because of public revulsion over waterboarding,
and the CIA’s refusal to resume interrogation activities without clear,
sustainable legal authority, it’s now easier for the
“The
John McLaughlin, a former acting CIA director, speaks for a consensus in the
agency when he says “it would be a mistake to go back in that direction,” with
case officers tasked with running secret interrogation sites. But the larger
point is that “the issue is so politicized that you cannot have the sober
policy discussion” that’s needed on how to collect better intelligence through
interrogation.
During his first week in office, Trump has been his own loudest cheerleader. He
has also been his own worst enemy. As with any other form of self-destructive behavior, it’s time for an intervention by those closest to
him.
Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed: West Jerusalem Is Part Of Israel; Moving The U.S.
Embassy There As Part Of Overall Peace Agreement Could Herald The End Of The
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
MEMRI/January 31/17
In a January 25, 2017 article in the London-based daily Al-Sharq
Al-Awsat, prominent Saudi journalist 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, the daily's former editor and the former director
of Al-Arabiya TV, discussed the issue of the U.S.
moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He stated that the
Israeli sovereignty over West Jerusalem is a settled matter, and that moving
the
Al-Rashed also noted that, in the 2000 Camp David
talks, Yasser Arafat sadly missed an opportunity to restore
It should be noted that one day before Al-Rashed's
article was published, Saudi columnist Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh published an article in the official Saudi
daily Al-Jazirah titled "The Palestinians Have
No [Choice] But Peace." Like Al-Rashed, he
argued that the Arab world, currently preoccupied with civil wars and with
fighting home-grown terrorism, no longer regards the Palestinian cause as its
foremost concern, and called on the Palestinians to forgo armed resistance and
embrace the two-state solution – for that is the only solution that is feasible
and supported by the international community.[1]
Kuwaiti journalist 'Abdallah Al-Hadlaq
also expressed support for relocating the embassy, in a January 28, 2017 article
in the Al-Watan daily titled "Be Brave [Trump] –
Move [The Embassy] to Jerusalem and Trust in God." Quoting extensively
from an article by Robert Satloff, executive director
of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which presents arguments in favor of the embassy move,[2] Al-Hadlaq
argued the move could involve extensive benefits and not only dangers and
drawbacks. He concluded by saying: "Wise and intelligent diplomats,
politicians and pundits are telling Trump, who is reluctant to move the embassy
to
The following are excerpts from 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed's article in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat:[4]
"The decision of the
"I will discuss three aspects connected to the talk about moving the
embassy: the meaning of [the term] 'occupied
"Already in 1948, the year the state of
"Arabic political terms are [sometimes] used vaguely in [Arab] statements,
and this is the case with the term 'occupied
"Historically, the Palestinians had only one opportunity to regain control
of occupied
"[But] for some unknown reason, Arafat did not attend the final meeting
and [instead] sent a delegation to Washington on his behalf to inform Clinton
that they were rejecting the proposal – and the proposal collapsed. During that period, extremist Palestinian groups close to
"Due to the destruction and displacement that [now] plague the Middle
East, [especially]
"Finally, will moving the
[1] See MEMRI January 26, 2017 Special Dispatch, "Saudi Journalist: The
Palestinians' Reliance On Armed Resistance Is
Political Suicide; The Palestinian Cause Is No Longer The Arabs' Primary
Concern," No.6757.
[2] Washingtoninstitute.org, January 2017.
[3] Al-Watan (
[4] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (
[5] The Clinton proposal spoke of establishing an independent Palestinian state
that would include the Gaza Strip and the vast majority of the West Bank, while
settlement blocks would be incorporated into Israel with the goal of maximizing
the number of settlers in Israel while minimizing the land annex; in Jerusalem
Arab areas would be under Palestinian sovereignty and Jewish ones under Israeli
sovereignty; Palestinian refugees would be allowed to return to the Palestinian
State (unispal.un.org, January 7, 2001).
The Latest Applicant to be "The
Muslim Voice"
Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/January 31/17
Secularism may be accepted in a Christian society but it can never enjoy a
general acceptance in an Islamic society." — Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
The acceptance of a legislation formulated by humans means a preference of the
humans' limited knowledge and experiences to the divine guidance: "Say! Do
you know better than Allah?" (2:140).... For this reason, the call for
secularism among Muslims is atheism and a rejection of Islam. Its acceptance as a basis for rule in place of Shari'ah
is downright riddah [apostasy]...." — Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
We Muslims believe that Allah is the sole Creator and Sustainer
of the Worlds.... If they do not [observe His injunctions and to judge
according to them], then they commit kufr [unbelief],
aggression, and transgression." — Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
There have never been any effective democracies in the Islamic world.
The idea that human beings can replace God as legislators is obnoxious to
classical Islamic thought and to modern Islamist convictions. Men and women do
not choose how to live: God has been there first.
Several of the ECFR's own pronouncements indicate an unwillingness to compromise with European norms.
"The Shari'ah is for all times to come, equally
valid under all circumstances. The Muslim insistence on the immutability of the
Shari'ah is highly puzzling to many people, but any
other view would be inconsistent with its basic concept." — Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
The European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) plays an important role in
the Fiqh al-'Aqalliyyat
("Jurisprudence for Minorities") world. It is now based in
Despite the claim of the ECFR and other bodies involved in guidance for Muslims
living outside Islamic jurisdiction to work towards a modus vivendi
with Western governments, laws and cultural norms, the members of the ECFR
nevertheless tend to approach this challenge in a way that can make the
rapprochement problematic. Two matters engage much of their attention, namely
secularism and democracy. Al-Qaradawi has spoken and written
clearly on these. In one of his books, he separates Christian and Muslim
beliefs:
Secularism may be accepted in a Christian society but it can never enjoy a
general acceptance in an Islamic society. Christianity is devoid of a shari'ah or a comprehensive system of life to which its
adherents should be committed. The New Testament itself divides life into two
parts: one for God, or religion, the other for Caesar, or the state:
"Render unto Caesar things which belong to Caesar, and render unto God things
which belong to God" (Matthew 22:21). As such, a Christian could accept
secularism without any qualms of conscience....
The acceptance of a legislation formulated by humans means a preference of the
humans' limited knowledge and experiences to the divine guidance: "Say! Do
you know better than Allah?" (2:140).... For this reason, the call for
secularism among Muslims is atheism and a rejection of Islam. Its acceptance as
a basis for rule in place of Shari'ah is downright riddah [apostasy].... This concept is totally different
from that of Muslims. We Muslims believe that Allah is the sole Creator and Sustainer of the Worlds. One Who
"...takes account of every single thing" (72:28); that He is
omnipotent and omniscient; that His mercy and bounties encompasses everyone and
suffice for all. In that capacity, Allah revealed His divine guidance to
humanity, made certain things permissible and others prohibited, commanded
people observe His injunctions and to judge according to them. If they do not
do so, then they commit kufr [unbelief], aggression,
and transgression." [1]
Al-Qaradawi considers himself to be a moderate, but
that is not always obvious from the positions he takes. He originally rejected
democracy, but later advanced the proposition that liberal democracy functions
in majority Islamic countries as an alternative to dictatorship and tyranny.
The problem with this should be obvious. There have never been any effective
democracies in the Islamic world. Democracies require a secular approach that
involves the separation of church and state even where religion is given an
important role to play.
The idea that human beings can replace God as legislators is obnoxious to
classical Islamic thought and to modern Islamist convictions. Men and women do
not choose how to live: God has been there first. He has sent down his laws
through the Qur'an, the utterances of the Prophet, or the deliberations of the
law schools. Since shari'a is all-embracing, only the
most emboldened reformers dare to limit it to devotional or personal issues, to
go so far as to make observance of its rulings a matter for individual choice,
or even to relegate the bulk of it to history.
Several of the ECFR's own pronouncements indicate an unwillingness to compromise with European norms. One
fatwa issued by al-Qaradawi tackles the question of
challenges to the applicability of shari'a, in answer
to which he says, among other things:
The Shari'ah is for all times to come, equally valid
under all circumstances. The Muslim insistence on the immutability of the Shari'ah is highly puzzling to many people, but any other
view would be inconsistent with its basic concept. Those who advise bringing it
into line with current thinking recognize this difficulty. Hence they recommend
to Muslims that the legal provisions in the Qur'an and the concept of the
Prophet as law-giver and ruler should be "downgraded".
But, as the manifestation of Allah's infinite mercy, knowledge and wisdom, the Shari'ah cannot be amended to conform to changing human
values and standards, rather, it is the absolute norm to which all human values
and conduct must conform; it is the frame to which they must be referred; it is
the scale on which they must be weighed.
The ECFR is not the only body determined to insist on the immutability and
absolutism of shari'a law. According to Soeren Kern:
"the Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF), a large Muslim umbrella
group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, has issued fatwas
that encourage French Muslims to reject all authority (namely, secular) that
does not have a basis in Sharia law."
References to several other European Islamic bodies may be found in the
remainder of Kern's article.
*Dr. Denis MacEoin is the author of Sharia Law or One Law for All as well as many academic
books, reports, and hundreds of academic and popular articles about Islam in
many dimensions. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone
Institute.
[1] For a wide discussion of this issue, see Gabriele Marranci
(ed.), Muslim Societies and the Challenge of Secularization: An
Interdisciplinary Approach,
© 2017 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.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9434/qaradawi-muslim-voice
Egyptian Researcher Tareq
Abu Al-Saad: Official Islamic Institutions Throughout
Arab And Islamic World Create Fertile Ground For Extremism, ISIS Does The
Harvesting
MEMRI/January 31/17
Egyptian researcher Tareq Abu Al-Saad
said that the official Islamic institutions in Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia,
Sudan, Mauritania, and elsewhere "create fertile ground" and the
Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis plant the
"ideological seeds" of extremism. "And the ones who do the
harvesting are
Tareq Abu Al-Saad:
"The ideas that are being taught at schools - government schools, private
schools, kindergardens, and even Al-Azhar... I'm not talking just about
Interviewer: "Intentionally or inadvertently..."
Tareq Abu Al-Saad:
"These (institutions) should be asked whether or not it is intentional. I
am talking from a scientific and practical perspective. These people prepare
the individual to accept these ideas without reservation. If you ask the man on
the street, if you conduct a simple survey, in
"The official Islamic institutions have paved the way for this. After the
official Islamic institutions create fertile ground, along come the people who
sow the seeds... Since
"There are also those who cultivate the seeds, like the Muslim
Brotherhood. The Salafis and (their) preachers are
the ones who planted the seeds, which give rise to these notions."
Interviewer: "Along with the countries that do it for political and
religious purposes..."
Tareq Abu Al-Saad:
"And the ones who do the harvesting are
Fmr. Jordanian FM Marwan Al-Muasher: We Must Vanquish Terror Groups Ideologically, Not
Just Militarily
MEMRI/January 31/17
Former Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Al-Muasher said, in a recent TV interview, that the education
systems in the Arab world had "failed miserably," and that the focus
on rote learning, rather than learning to think critically, has given rise to
frustrated people who ultimately take to the streets. Speaking on Sky News
Arabia on January 13, he said that he was concerned that continuing to take a
purely security-military approach to the fight against ISIS and other terror
groups would give rise to a movement more dangerous and savage than
Marwan Al-Muasher: "We
are still at the beginning of the road. Any historical change takes decades, if
not centuries. Allah willing, it will not take us centuries. But no process of
historical change takes only five years. So if we look at only the past five
years - or six - we can say - as indeed, many do - that this is not an 'Arab
Spring,' but an 'Arab Fall' or an 'Arab Winter.' But if we look at the process
from an historical perspective, we realized that the situation that that had
existed before in the Arab countries could not have continued. One cannot turn
the clock back in time. Some say: 'We don't want the Arab Spring anymore. We'd
like to go back to what things were like before 2010.' This is impossible.
However, democracy cannot be achieved only through the passage of time. We need
to work to achieve it. We need to build (democratic) institutions.
"We have begun to have popular protests, but they have not yet grown into
a clear ideological framework, which would enable us to know exactly what we
want. The Arab youth have said loud and clear what it is that they don't want,
but they have not yet succeeded in formulating the necessary ideological framework.
We are in need of a comprehensive cultural revolution, and it must be started
in our educational systems, which have failed miserably. Many Islamic thinkers
have been eliminated from our curricula. Averroes is not taught in our schools,
and nor is Ibn Khaldun. The
entire field of philosophy is not taught in our schools today, and if it is
taught, it is presented in a negative light. It is said that the philosophers
'do not understand' and so on.
"There is no critical thinking when it comes to our curricula. You are
required to accept the facts, as conveyed by the teacher, as axioms, without
debate, without the opportunity to read other texts, and without any probing.
The mindset in the Arab world was that by adhering to rote learning, we would
give rise to people who are peaceful and placid, who would not demand any
accountability from the authorities. But in fact, we have given rise to people
who are frustrated, incapable of joining the workforce, incapable of developing
the basic skills necessary in the workforce, and ultimately, they take to the
streets.
"I'm sad to say that I believe that all the Arab governments, as well as
the entire international community - let's not blame the Arab governments alone
- have adopted a purely military approach to defeat ISIS. They are trying to
defeat ISIS militarily, and they will succeed in doing so - just as we
succeeded in defeating Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi's
organization in 2007-2008, and just as the Americans succeeded in defeating
Al-Qaeda in
"It is imperative that we develop an ideological plan.
"We must realize that many of the people who join
"If you consider the opinion polls in the Arab countries, 80% of the Arab
population does not want American intervention in the region. However, if it
does not intervene in the region, along come the others and say: 'But it needs
to intervene.' Then, when it intervenes, people say that it wreaks destruction.
When George Bush intervened in the region, we all said that he destroyed the
region - which he actually did. When Obama said: 'I don't want to intervene in
the region,' people ask why not. Obama has destroyed the region through
non-intervention."
Marwan Al-Muasher:
"Enough. It is time that we took responsibility for our actions. We have a
lot to do. I don't think we should be waiting for the Americans to determine
our future for us."