LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
February 02/17
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins17/english.february02.17.htm
News Bulletin
Achieves Since 2006
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Bible Quotations For Today
This child is destined for the falling and the rising
of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner
thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 02/22-35/:"When the
time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him
up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the
Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they
offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair
of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’Now there was a
man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout,
looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on
him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into
the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what
was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God,
saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to
your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the
presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory
to your people Israel.’ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what
was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,
‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and
to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be
revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’"
For Christ is the end of the
law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes
Letter to the Romans 09/30-33//10/01-04/:"What then are we
to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that
is, righteousness through faith; but
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 01-02/17
Phares quoted on MTV Lebanon: "President
Trump's measures are not sectarian but security driven"
Berri Won't Endorse Electoral Law that 'Doesn't Enjoy
Consensus'
Geagea Assures, No Intentions to Manipulate Taef Accord
Hariri Says Ties Unmarred with Aoun
Kataeb, Geagea Discuss
Possible 'Improvements' to Proposed Hybrid Law
Jumblat: Stop Breaching the Constitution, Implement Taef Accord
PSP Flatly Rejects Proposed Electoral Law as Talks Return to Square One
Cabinet Convenes at Grand Serail, Electoral Law not
on Agenda
Report: Nasrallah to Deliver Speech on Election Law
Hariri welcomes Apostolic Nuncio
Hamadeh listens to demands of private school teachers
Lebanese, Palestinian meeting broaches situation in Ain el Helwe
French MP Bapt visits President Aoun
upcoming Friday
Riachy opens Information Ministry doors before
citizens
Sarraf, Estonian Defense
House Committee tackle current developments
Lebanon basketball team scores victory over Jordan team in West Asian
Basketball Championship
UCIP congratulates NNA for winning award for Best Arab News Agency concerned in
tourism
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News
published on February 01-02/17
Phares quoted on MTV Lebanon: "President
Trump's measures are not sectarian but security driven"
Berri Won't Endorse Electoral Law that 'Doesn't Enjoy
Consensus'
Geagea Assures, No Intentions to Manipulate Taef Accord
Hariri Says Ties Unmarred with Aoun
Kataeb, Geagea Discuss
Possible 'Improvements' to Proposed Hybrid Law
Jumblat: Stop Breaching the Constitution, Implement Taef Accord
PSP Flatly Rejects Proposed Electoral Law as Talks Return to Square One
Cabinet Convenes at Grand Serail, Electoral Law not
on Agenda
Report: Nasrallah to Deliver Speech on Election Law
Hariri welcomes Apostolic Nuncio
Hamadeh listens to demands of private school teachers
Lebanese, Palestinian meeting broaches situation in Ain el Helwe
French MP Bapt visits President Aoun
upcoming Friday
Riachy opens Information Ministry doors before
citizens
Sarraf, Estonian Defense
House Committee tackle current developments
Lebanon basketball team scores victory over Jordan team in West Asian
Basketball Championship
UCIP congratulates NNA for winning award for Best Arab News Agency concerned in
tourism
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on February 0102/17
Phares quoted on MTV Lebanon: "President Trump's
measures are not sectarian but security driven"
Face Book/February 01/17/
Dr Walid Phares explains to
the Arab world the reality of the executive order issued by President Trump
regarding the seven countries in the region, in response to a hostile campaign
of criticism mounted by the opposition. "
Berri Won't Endorse Electoral Law that 'Doesn't
Enjoy Consensus'
Naharnet/February 01/17/Speaker Nabih
Berri announced Wednesday that he will not endorse
any electoral law that “does not enjoy consensus.”“Contacts
and discussions are still ongoing in a bid to agree on a new electoral law and
new ideas are being discussed,” MPs quoted Berri as
saying during his weekly meeting with lawmakers in Ain el-Tineh.
“We are still in the phase of mulling proposals and we have not yet reached a
dead end,” Berri added. “We reiterate the need to
apply unified standards (in the electoral law format) and I will not endorse
any law that does not enjoy consensus,” the speaker went on to say. Berri's AMAL Movement, Hizbullah,
al-Mustaqbal Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement
are holding meetings aimed at agreeing on a new electoral law. The Progressive
Socialist Party has meanwhile raised the alarm over the representation of the
minority Druze community, warning that any electoral law containing the
proportional representation system would “marginalize” Druze in the political
system.
Geagea Assures, No Intentions to Manipulate Taef Accord
Naharnet/February 01/17/Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea stressed on
Wednesday that no one is trying to manipulate the Taef
accord, assuring that efforts exerted are merely focusing on finding a new
election law, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday. Geagea expressed astonishment at the “latest talk about the
Taef Accord. We like to remind that we were the first
to pay the price, and will not accept any tampering with Taef.
“But it is worth noting that no one has such an intention. There are strenuous
efforts to reach a new electoral law which in turn would reinstate the Taef Accord further,” said Geagea
during a celebration in Maarab. He called upon all
political parties to focus on approving a new electoral law to regulate
political work in
Hariri Says Ties Unmarred with Aoun
Naharnet/February 01/17/In light of the political
debate surrounding the controversial electoral law which brought differences between
Lebanon’s political parties, Prime Minister Saad
Hariri assured that his relations with President Michel Aoun
are firm and unwavering. “The President and I are on the same terms. I want to
appease those betting on sabotaging relations between the ruling sides, that an
understanding to protect political stability is firm and strong,” Hariri said
in comments he made at the beginning of a cabinet meeting he chaired at the
Grand Serail on Wednesday.“When the government affirmed in its ministerial
statement on the priority to stage the elections, it did not separate between
this end and the efforts to prepare for a new law, because they go in
parallel,” he said. “Differences in points of view between political parties does not necessarily mean we reached a dead end. On the
contrary, it indicates wellness.” “I emphasize here that political efforts must
continue, and standing at the view points of all political parties is the
responsibility of all, mainly the responsibility of parties participating in
the government.”He added: “We must not despair from
reaching a new law, we must have the ability to
sacrifice in order to reach a new law that does not raise the fears of
political parties and sects.”
Kataeb, Geagea Discuss Possible
'Improvements' to Proposed Hybrid Law
Naharnet/February 01/17/A Kataeb
Party delegation held talks Wednesday in Maarab with
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
The delegation comprised ex-minister Alain Hakim, politburo member Albert Kostanian and former secretary-general Michel Khoury. “We discussed the proposed (electoral) law and the
possibility of introducing amendments to it in order to improve parliamentary
representation,” Hakim said after the meeting, referring to a hybrid electoral
law that mixes the proportional representation and winner-takes-all systems.The proposed law was recently discussed in
four-party meetings between the Free Patriotic Movement, al-Mustaqbal
Movement, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement. It was
reportedly proposed by FPM chief Jebran Bassil. Asked whether Kataeb
would endorse the draft law should the demanded improvements be incorporated,
Hakim said: “Today we have a vision and a lot of remarks that we have put at
the disposal of the LF's leader and the president,
and we support amending and improving this law.” “There are a lot of points of
contention regarding the hybrid law but we're open to reaching a law that
allows better representation and pluralism,” Hakim added. The main political
parties are discussing several formats of the so-called hybrid law but the
Progressive Socialist Party has raised the alarm over the representation of the
minority Druze community, warning that any law containing proportional
representation would “marginalize” Druze in the political system.
Jumblat: Stop Breaching the Constitution, Implement Taef Accord
Naharnet/February 01/17/In light of the political
flurry over agreeing on an election law that meets approval of all parties,
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat voiced calls for the implementation of the Taef Agreement and slammed threats about vacuum at the
parliament as “unconstitutional.”“Enough putting
election draft laws that only divide instead of unite, and violate the
constitution,” said Jumblat in a tweet on Tuesday.
“Implement the Taef,” he said, voicing calls upon
political parties to endorse a law for the upcoming parliamentary polls in
conformity with the 1989 Taef Accord. The PSP
categorically rejects a hybrid electoral law proposed by Free Patriotic
Movement chief Jebran Bassil
and all other proposals that contain proportional representation. The
Democratic Gathering bloc of Jumblat, has been
touring officials lately to make their position clear, the most recent was a
meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday.
After the meeting the conferees agreed that all discussions regarding the
electoral law must conform with the 1989 Taef Accord. Jumblat added in his
tweet: “Threats about vacuum at the parliament,” shall officials fail to agree
on a new law are “unconstitutional.”He was referring
to a statement made by President Michel Aoun, who
said that if had to choose between extending the parliament’s term or vacuum,
he would choose vacuum. The political parties have intensified their efforts in
recent days in a bid to agree on a new electoral law before the expiry of the
deadlines. They are discussing several formats of a so-called “hybrid”
electoral law that combines the proportional representation and
winner-takes-all systems. But according to media reports, the consultations
regarding the law have returned to square one. One of the main obstacles is the
Progressive Socialist Party's rejection of proportional representation. The
party has warned that any law containing proportional representation would
“marginalize” the minority Druze community. Hizbullah
has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on proportional
representation but other political parties, especially Mustaqbal
and the PSP, have rejected the proposal, arguing that Hizbullah's
weapons would prevent serious competition in the Iran-backed party's
strongholds. The country has not voted for a parliament since 2009, with the
legislature instead twice extending its own mandate. The 2009 polls were held
under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next elections are
scheduled for May 2017.
PSP Flatly Rejects Proposed Electoral Law
as Talks Return to Square One
Naharnet/February 01/17/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.
Cabinet Convenes at Grand Serail, Electoral Law not on Agenda
Naharnet/February 01/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday at the
Grand Serail where discussions tackled several items
on the agenda, amid reports saying the controversial electoral law was not the
focus of discussions.“The cabinet approved all the
items on the agenda,” said Information Minister Melhem
Riachi after the meeting. “Hariri stressed the
necessity to put into implementation a waste management plan that has been set
earlier to address the trash management crisis,” he added. “The ministerial
committee tasked with handling the file will meet. We won't permit that
Report: Nasrallah
to Deliver Speech on Election Law
Naharnet/February 01/17/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is
expected to make a “pivotal” statement in the next few days as for the
controversial election law for the upcoming parliamentary elections, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday. Everybody is
anxious to hear the stance of Nasrallah, which he
might declare in the next few days, said the daily. They are counting that he
takes a pivotal position about the future of the electoral law, based on an
earlier stance he made a few weeks ago when he said a law fully based on
proportional representation is a compulsory passage towards building the State.According to the daily, many speculations arise as
for Nasrallah’s position. He might either reaffirm
commitment to proportional representation based on large constituencies, or
voice calls to return back to a law project of ex-PM Najib
Miqati or even reject staging the elections in the
first place.
Hariri welcomes Apostolic Nuncio
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri
received this evening at the Grand Serail, in the
presence of his advisor Daoud al-Sayegh,
the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon Gabriele Caccia.
Hariri also chaired a meeting of the ministerial committee in charge of tax
provisions related to petroleum activities. It was attended by Minister of
Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, Minister of Energy and
Water Resources Cezar Abi Khalil, Chairman of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration Wissam Chbat and two of its
members, Wissam Dahabi and
Gaby Daaboul, and Secretary General of the Council of
Ministers Fouad Fleifel.
Hamadeh listens to demands of private school teachers
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - Higher Learning and National Education Minister, Marwan Hamadeh, welcomed on
Wednesday a delegation representing the Private School Teachers' Syndicate,
headed by Nehme Mahfouz. Mahfouz requested of
Minister Hamadeh to refer the salary scale project to
the House of Parliament before the end of February to be included in the new
public budget. "In case of failure to refer the project on time, then they
should opt for the salary scale project that's already present at the House of
Parliament," Mahfouz suggested. Moreover, the syndical delegation also
wished of Hamadeh to allow private school teachers to
benefit from the Social Security Fund after retirement. In turn, Hamadeh said that he was following up on all the
aforementioned projects. He also requested the establishment of a
"Teacher's House" with an administrative council.
Lebanese, Palestinian meeting broaches
situation in Ain el Helwe
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - A Lebanese-Palestinian security meeting was held at noon
on Wednesday between the head of the Army Intelligence branch in
French MP Bapt
visits President Aoun upcoming Friday
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - French Socialist MP Gerard Bapt
announced that he will visit President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, upcoming Friday at Baabda
Palace, to congratulate him on his assumption of presidency and to inquire
about the latest internal developments, notably the issue of the existence of
more than one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Bapt
is a physician and a member of the Parliamentary French Lebanese Friendship
Committee, and the Chairman of the French Syrian friendship Committee in the
National Assembly. Bapt said in a statement that he
"will participate in a medical mission to evaluate the tragic medical and
health needs endured in specific by the residents of
The French Lawmaker will meet along with his accompanying the delegation local
authorities, officials of the health sector, the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies, in addition to representatives of various groups and
communities.
Riachy opens Information Ministry doors before citizens
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - Information Minister, Melhem Riachy, on Wednesday opened his ministerial office doors
before Lebanese citizens, without prior appointments, and listened to their
demands and concerns. "The prime goal behind this meeting is to listen to
the demands and concerns of the citizens in an attempt to meet their needs as
much as possible," Riachy said before his
visitors. "These visits could be repeated once per month. Some people are
not here for requests but to make proposals or suggest ideas," the
Minister added. Responding to a question, Riachy said
that he had sensed huge support by the people concerning the changes that were
being introduced at the level of audio-visual media."Some
people voiced need for some services because they had no one to turn to. Of
course, I will try my best to meet their demands with the support of other
ministers and ministries," he added.
Sarraf, Estonian Defense House
Committee tackle current developments
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - National Defense Minister, Yacoub Riad Sarraf,
received on Wednesday at his ministerial office Chairman of the defense committee in the Estonian Parliament, Hannes Hanso, on top of a
high-level parliamentary delegation. Estonian Embassy Charge d'Affaire was also present. Talks reportedly touched on an
array of matters pertaining to the Middle East region, in general, and
Lebanon basketball team scores victory over Jordan team in West Asian
Basketball Championship
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - The Lebanese national basketball team scored victory
72-61 over its Jordanian counterpart in West Asian Basketball Championship
taking place in the Jordanian capital, Amman, qualified for Asia Championship
which shall be held upcoming August in Lebanon. It is to note that the Lebanese
national basketball team has reaped four consecutive times in its history the
West Asian Basketball championship, and will be competing with the Syrian
national team during tomorrow's last match at the conclusion of the
Championship at 3.00 p.m.
UCIP congratulates NNA for winning award
for Best Arab News Agency concerned in tourism
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - The International Catholic Union of the Press in Lebanon
(UCIP- Lebanon) congratulated the National News Agency (NNA) in a letter
addressed to NNA Director, Laure Sleiman Saab, for
winning award for best Arab News Agency concerned in local and Arab tourism.
This comes in the framework of a celebration of the
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 01-02/17
National security adviser
puts
Associated Press/WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's national
security adviser says the administration is putting
US, Western allies launch war games near
Iran waters
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 1
February 2017/The US and four other allied navies have begun a three-day
maritime exercise in international waters next to the Iranian shoreline. The
exercise includes navy participants from the
According to Sputnik News, it is expected that the HMS Daring, the HMS Ocean,
and US and French warships will simulate destroying Iranian combat jets, ships
and coastal missile launching facilities during the exercise. The exercise
comes after a series of brief encounters between US warships in the Gulf and
Iranian ships. There were 35 incidents in the first half of 2016, according to
the Pentagon, and earlier in January the USS Mahan fired flares and a warning shots on four Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
attack boats as they approached the US Navy ship. The head of the Iranian navy,
Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari,
has warned against any incursion of the participating ships into Iranian
territorial waters. But US officials have said there is no plan to enter
Iranian territorial waters, according to the military.com news site.
UAE Foreign Minister says Trump travel ban
an internal US affair
AFP/Reuters, Abu Dhabi Wednesday, 1 February 2017/President Donald Trump’s
travel ban imposed on citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries was a sovereign
decision for the United States and not directed at any religion, United Arab
Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdallah bin Zayed said on Wednesday. Also read: Trump defends travel
ban, says US needs ‘strong borders’Sheikh Abdullah
bin Zayed said most Muslims and Muslim countries were
not included in the ban and the named states faced “challenges” that they
needed to address. “The
Rex Tillerson confirmed as
REUTERS/01 February 2017/The tally was largely along
party lines, with every Republican favoring Tillerson.
U.N. Chief Backs Plan to Pick Syria
Delegates to Geneva Talks
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February
01/17/U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on
Wednesday backed his peace envoy's plan to pick representatives from the Syria
opposition to the Geneva talks if the groups fail to agree on their delegates.
U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura
came under sharp criticism from the
UN chief says Trump travel ban should
be 'removed sooner rather than later'
Wed 01 Feb 2017/NNA - The United Nations' Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's
travel restrictions on seven countries and freeze on refugee resettlement
should be lifted sooner than later."This is not
the way to best protect the
Lavrov Calls for
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February
01/17/Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called
Wednesday for
Staff writer, Al Arabiya.net Wednesday, 1 February 2017/Iran announced on
Wednesday that it will not negotiate over its controversial missiles program.
Iran’s announcement came in light of International positions refusing its
recent ballistic tests and demands within the US administration of President
Donald Trump, to review the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group
of powers to urge the Iranian regime to comply with the terms of the agreement,
prohibiting experiments on missiles carrying nuclear warheads. Iranian Fars
agency quoted Iranian Shura Council's national
security and foreign policy committee spokesman Hussein Husseini
saying that the Commission confirmed during its meeting on Wednesday that the defense and missiles programs are not negotiable, and that
he will not allow anyone’s intervention in this matter. Husseini
said that the Committee held an urgent meeting on Wednesday, in the presence of
the Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier
General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, deputy foreign minister
for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi, and officials
from the Intelligence Ministry. The meeting was to discuss the American
positions. He stressed that the participants agreed that “the defense and missiles issue is not negotiable and should
witness outstanding progress. He added that the Shura
Council should show its support in this matter.
US envoy to UN slams Iran missile test
By AFP, United Nations, United States Wednesday, 1 February 2017/Iran’s
test-firing of a medium-range ballistic missile is “absolutely unacceptable,”
US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday following a closed-door meeting of the
UN Security Council. The
Violence erupts during eviction of Israeli
settlers from illegal outpost
Reuters, West Bank Wednesday, 1 February 2017/Rightist protesters scuffled with
Israeli police carrying out a court order to evict settlers from an illegal
outpost in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, hours after the government
announced more construction in larger settlements. Around 330 Israeli settlers
live in Amona, the largest of scores of outposts
built in the
New settler homes
Earlier,
In 2006 Amona saw a violent partial eviction,
with nine shacks torn down by authorities. Police were confronted by thousands
of settlers and more than 200 people were injured. Most countries consider all
Israeli settlements to be illegal.
Israel authorizes 3,000 West Bank settler homes
By AFP, Jerusalem Wednesday, 1 February 2017/Israel announced Tuesday night the
construction of 3,000 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the fourth
such announcement in the less than two weeks since the inauguration of US
President Donald Trump. “Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
have decided to authorize the construction of 3,000 new housing units in
Judea-Samaria,” the defense ministry said in a
statement, using a term
Trump however has pledged strong support for
Middle East peace relies on firm action
vis-à-vis Iran violating UNSC resolution
NCRI Statements/Wednesday, 01 February 2017/
Missiles launched under Khamenei authorization & Rouhani's orders
The Iranian Resistance emphasizes the need for a firm reaction vis-à-vis Iran’s
mullahs for violating United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, and
continuing to build and test-launch ballistic missiles able to deliver nuclear
payloads. Such action is needed to establish peace and tranquility, and stand
against continued regional warmongering by
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/February 1,
2017
Regretful Decease of Thierry Levy, the
Prominent Lawyer, Humanist and Distinguished French Writer
NCRI/Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Mr. Thierry Levy, the prominent lawyer, authoritative author and steadfast
defender of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran, died
Monday in Paris. Thierry Levy’s works are among the best-selling books in France.Thierry Levy was an unwavering defender of the
Iranian Resistance and its members, after the violent attack to the offices of
the Iranian Resistance on June 17, 2003, and case fabrications of Iranian
regime against them, he courageously defended them counter to this injustice
and together with other prominent lawyers succeeded to impose a humiliating
defeat to the Iranian regime, and as such once again proved the legitimacy of
the Iranian resistance.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the
President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, expressed her profound grief and
condolences over the sorrowing decease of Thierry Levy to the community of
Lawyers and the French intellectuals and her most sincere empathies to the
families and survivors and wished them forbearance.
Levy was a kind person who always stood against injustice and represented the
genuine values of
The people and the Resistance of Iran will never forget, justice- seeking and
great men like him, who in the darkest of days, played an important role in the
victory of them against the clerical regime’s conspiratorial jurisdictive dossiers.
French President expressed his condolences and the Elyse presidential palace on
January 30, 2017 on the occasion of his death wrote: "Thierry Levy the
tireless defender of human rights for which, he not only as a lawyer but also
as the head of ‘International prisoner Watch’ between 2000 and 2004 was
fighting. In his absence, a capacity for resentment and an unforgettable voice
in the judicial world has left us. "
Over the decease of this noble French lawyer, Le Monde,
30 January 2017 wrote: “Thierry Levy along with his colleagues Robert Badinter, Henri Leclerc and
Philippe Lemaire participated in all the battles for
the abolition of death penalty. He was also a tireless campaigner for improving
the conditions of detainees, his intransigence, and his refraining from any
appeasement, made him a master of law, who lent influence over a generation of
lawyers."
In the judicial cases, which
On February 21, 2008, Levy said in
Win
Lord Corbett prevented a press conference from being held in a building
belonging to British Parliament in November 2005. The conference was organized
by Anne Singleton and participated by Alain Chevalérias.
We have Lord Corbett’s testimony. You can’t be more English than Lord Corbett. A testimony with Corbett’s own signature according to which Mrs.
Singleton has been identified as an agent. Also Sobhani
has been among the organizers of the press conference. He is the same person
who was arrested in
Thierry Levy was also the lawyer of Yves Bonnet, former head of
As part of his defense, Thierry Levy described Naraghi’s records in supporting and justifying torture and
killing by the Mullahs’ regime, saying that “Naraghi
writes a letter to Ahmadinejad, describing how he’s
been fighting against PMOI in the past forty years, due to which he has been favored by Khomeini and former Presidents, and that he’s
been praised by Khomeini for his services. He then suggests Ahmadinejad
to launch a costly trial and hire a prominent lawyer. He later requested Ahmadinejad in another letter for financial assistance.”
“Naraghi has even sent the invoices and fees
for Ahmadinejad! “, Levy continues, “There’s also a
recorded tape from Naraghi in which he once again
asks for money. Despite that, he says he’s been defamed, whereas he is the one
who introduces VAVAK agents to French Judiciary to testify against NCRI”
He added that “behind his cultured, intellectual and delicate mask, there
is a character that provokes disgust in the court. He has written in his book
as well as said in the court that torture is justifiable …”
Finally as the French Major daily newspaper ‘Le Monde’
described him: “Of all his contemporaries, he is undoubtedly the one who has
most thought the job of defending.”
A Letter From the Iranian- British Citizen
Who Is Jailed by the IRGC
NCRI/ Wednesday, 01 February 2017/The Iranian-British citizen Nazanin Zaghari, who has been
arrested by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and sentenced to five
years in jail, has in a letter to her daughter complained about being subjected
to such a ‘horrifying and painful fate’ in her own birthplace. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,
arrested on 3 April 2016 in
Following her arrest by the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence agents, Zaghari was taken to a prison in
Nazanin’s daughter Gabriella, 22-months old at
the time of her mother’s arrest, has been held by Nazanin’s
parents ever since. “The day when they, in all injustice an unfairness, took
you away from my arms, my breast from which you were feeding until a few days
before, while giving me the hope of a freedom morning, I didn’t know and didn’t
understand, either, by which religious, moral or humanitarian standards is such
cruelty to a mother and her child valid?”, writes Zaghari
in her letter to her daughter.
“Didn’t they hear a mother wailing overnight, those who for their own
purposes brought me to trial, reprimanded, charged and kept me in solitary
confinements and eventually issued a sentence?”, she asks. Prior to her arrest,
the Iranian-British citizen was the director of a number of projects belonging
to Thomson-Reuters Charity Foundation (linked to Thomson-Reuters news agency).
She has also been involved in some humanitarian activities in Bam following the
earthquake there.
EU Warns
NCRI Iran News/ Wednesday, 01 February 2017/The EU on Tuesday warned
NCRI Statements/ Wednesday, 01 February 2017
An annual $25 billion of contraband deals are struck in
Four Kurdish porters were arrested last week in the border area of Banneh (western
In the 8-month period between March and November 2016, at least 70
Kurdish porters lost their lives in the border areas as a result of the SSF
shootings. Dozens of others have become wounded.
Mr. Ahmad Shahid, the former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, noted the systematic
killing of porters in one of his reports and underlined the fact that the
regime's laws criminalize the activities of these porters and consider them
punishable by several months of imprisonment or cash fines which are equal to
the price of the items that are confiscated from them. The UNSR received
reports that border guards shoot the porters and in this way, dozens of porters
and their horses are killed or wounded every year.
These young destitute porters are gunned down or killed while the
clerical regime, namely Khamenei, the IRGC, as well
as the security and intelligence agencies, manipulate, facilitate and organize
contraband deals such as smuggling of narcotic drugs, contraband goods,
trafficking of young women and girls, etc. Habibollah
Haghighi, head of the Central Staff of Combatting Smuggling Goods and Foreign Exchange, said that
every porter receives between 30 to 50 thousand toumans
for every round of carrying loads.
Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, Majlis deputy, pointed
out that the volume of contraband deals in the country is $25 billion which is
three times the country's construction budget. According to Haji
Deligani, the smuggling of goods and foreign exchange
has led to the unemployment of 800,000 people. (The state-run media, June 19,
2016) The state-run Tabnak website also revealed two
years ago that the smuggling of goods and etc. eliminates 1.750.000 job
opportunities every year. (The state-run Tabnak
website – March 7, 2015)
So long as the anti-human and anti-Iranian clerical regime rules the country,
the people of
The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/February 1, 2017
Tens of Thousands of Yemenis Trapped in
Red Sea Fighting
Fighting between Yemeni government forces and rebels has trapped tens of
thousands of civilians in and around the port town of Mokha,
where over 30 fighters were killed Wednesday, residents and the U.N. said.
"We fear the (Shiite) Huthi (rebel) snipers who
have taken up positions on rooftops but also the firing from the other
(government) side," said Majed Mukaibar, a 32-year-old fisherman and father in the Red Sea
town of southwest
EU Warns New Israeli Settlements Risk
Making 2-State Solution 'Impossible'
Israel's latest announcement of new settlements in the occupied Palestinian
territories risks making a two-state solution impossible, EU foreign policy
chief Federica Mogherini said Wednesday.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 01-02
Attacking Trump and the
immigration law
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/February 01/17
The Trump administration’s decision to temporarily ban citizens belonging to
seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States has stirred a
lot of controversy. The new American administration said the ban is not
permanent and it is not directed toward Muslims in general. If this was the case,
hundreds of millions of Muslims would have been banned and of course it is
impossible for this to happen. Yet, some of those who objected to the decision
voiced doubt over its fairness, adding that
The new administration said it selected these countries because of the chaos
prevailing there as it has become difficult to get reliable security
information about citizens wanting to immigrate to the
This is not the first time the citizens of a certain country are banned from
entering the
To fairly understand the motives behind all this, we must understand the
motives of those involved and understand their real positions. I am not talking
about the moral and humanitarian position taken by those who defend weak people
and who are threatened and seek refuge to escape horrible tragedies. Such
people adopt similar positions on all major causes and play important roles in
helping those persecuted.
However, they often also quickly become a tool at the hands of deceitful
politicians, partisan media figures and biased artists. These are the ones who
have fueled recent protests in an attempt to serve
their own aims.
Political gimmicks
In a democratic system, it is understandable for
politicians to fight to remain in power. We, who are far away from these
malicious activities, sometimes forget that politicians’ rhetoric and actions
are not for our sake but for the sake of fulfilling their partisan aims and
ambitions. Would there have been the same fuss if former President Barack Obama
had issued this ban. He is said to have secretly worked on such a thing and no
one objected? Trump opposes the traditional political institution in
This is why he came under heavy criticism and all means have been used in this
attack against him. It is humiliating when a competent competitor defeats you
but what’s more humiliating is to be defeated by a competitor who is a joke, as
the Democrats and even the Republicans allied with the Democrats see Trump as.
For them this as an opportunity to attack Trump during his
first days in power. However, they don’t care about morals and values
here, and this is understandable in politics. Former Secretary of State John
Kerry participated in a protest on the first day when Trump became president.
Former president Obama did not express sympathy for the horrific massacres in
Few days later, Obama criticized Trump to serve partisan and personal
interests. Although there are hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, only
few were allowed into the
Twitter battle
Susan Rice, who was Obama’s foreign policy adviser, wrote on Twitter that the
ban order was mad. Rice strongly opposed American intervention in
Terror battlefronts
In fact, the opposite seems to have happened. Countries which have been at the
forefront fighting terrorism, like
The truth remains that they associate Muslims with inferiority and view them as
immature. We don’t hear them making similar statements
about other people and followers of different religions. Some want to picture
the ban order as a war against Muslims. This is what Muslim extremists want to
do to deepen the culture of hate. In the west, they use Muslims to serve their
political and partisan aims in order to overthrow Trump. However, isn’t it in
our interest to pause for a while and stop repeating what is being said in
western media in terms of accusations of racism, fascism and even Nazism and
frankly tell ourselves: Let’s forget Trump for a while.
Why did we become a toy in the hands of extremists, who want to serve their terrorist
aims, and of western politicians who want to serve their partisan goals? Why
don’t we begin reforming our situation and fighting fanatics instead of
continuing to insult others? This is the only way to resolve matters. Even if
Trump goes, we will find another Trump to blame for all of our problems.
*This article is also available in Arabic.
Trump, Iran and mixing up the issues
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 01/17
We have wasted many years without differentiating between Iran’s interests and
our own interests and without differentiating between honest causes and fake
ones. The Iranian regime has succeeded in exploiting our causes, such as the
Palestinian cause, and other Arabs’ and Muslim causes, and has used them to
achieve its aims. Many could only comprehend this truth when it was too late
and realized it after they saw
So what’s the aim of all these loud confrontations which the
For instance, due to citizens’ complaints that foreigners are taking their jobs,
he decided to build a wall with the country’s neighbor
In order to convince those who criticize government contracts that he is against
corruption, he returned two major contracts for review. One of these contracts
is for building his presidential airplane. Since there are conservative people
who are against abortion, he ordered to suspend government spending on
abortions, and so on. We cannot say Trump is against Muslims. Proof to that is
he is building a wall to prevent the illegal immigration of Mexicans who are
mostly Christians. He promised he will deport illegal residents in the
Not against Muslims
We cannot say Trump is against Muslims. Proof to that
is he is building a wall to prevent the illegal immigration of Mexicans who are
mostly Christians. He promised he will deport illegal residents in the
The
**This article was first published in Asharq Al-Awsat on February 01 2017.
India is yours if you have lost most of
your possessions
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/February 01/17
“India is yours if you have lost most of your possessions.” This is a proverb
our grandparents and parents often said in the
An Emirati daily recently published a report about
“More than 150 years after British colonization,
However, the estimates of the Economic and Social Commission for
Engaging with
Burgeoning economy
If economic development is how we currently look at
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s visit enhanced trade ties
between the two countries. Abdullah al-Saleh, the
undersecretary for foreign trade and industry at the ministry of economy, said:
“There is an ambitious vision between the UAE and
**This article was first published in Al-Bayan on
Feb. 01, 2016.
Is
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/February 01/17
Was the Khomeini republic testing the will power of
the new
Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations, said he will work with other legislators and Trump’s government to
hold
Angering Trump?
Everyone wants to avoid angering Trump rather than looking into the essence of
the problem in the entire region’s context – something that the weak Obama
administration and the EU also failed to do. We face a new culture and
different standards and everyone is trying to test them today. Perhaps the
expectations which the Jordanian King voiced during his recent meeting with
members of parliament and officials about the dangerous situation in the
Everyone is in a state of alert and everyone wants to test the new American
determination and its limits.
*This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on February 01, 2016.
Russia freezes Syrian, Iranian military
movements
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 31, 2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/02/01/debkafile-russia-freezes-syrian-iranian-military-movements/
An order to remain stationary was issued Thursday night, Jan. 26, by the
Russian Commander in Syria Lt. Gen. Alexander Zhuravlev
to the high commands of the Syrian army and of the Iranian and Shiite forces
positioned in Aleppo, as well as Hizballah units in
all parts of Syria. Gen. Zhuravlev, acting on
instructions from
debkafile’s military and
intelligence sources report that the order banned the opening of new
battlefronts anywhere in
This order has been obeyed to date.
The ban came from
The decision was taken shortly after the Kremlin was notified that
Since then, the Trump administration has kept all dealings with
The Russian standstill order in Syria came shortly before the US presidential
decree that barred Iranians from entering the United States (along with the
nationals of six other terror-prone Muslim countries)
Iran can no longer doubt that the two powers, America and Russia, have ganged
up to push the Islamic Republic out of their way. Trepidation in
In his opening remarks, Foreign Minster Mohammed Zarif
Javad said: that
Welcome to the "Social Justice"
University
Philip Carl Salzman/Gatestone Institute/February
01/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9604/social-justice
Diversity becomes a moral end in itself. If all variations of human beings are
not present at an event or in an organization, it is seen as prejudiced and
discriminating. But this does not apply to members of the majority, who are
increasingly not welcome.
The
As capitalism is recognized as a cause of inequality, and thus oppression, it
must be replaced. These days, progressives do not usually specify what
capitalism is to be replaced by, but presumably they are impressed with [irony
alert] the great benefits socialism brought to the people of the USSR, Mao's
China, Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, North Korea, and Cuba.
Hurt feelings are the "social justice" criteria for what is and what
is not allowed. You may not say anything that would hurt someone's feelings; if
you do, you must be punished.
Finally, diversity of opinion in the social justice university is forbidden:
opposition to social justice is never reasonable opinion, but evil.
Disagreement with the principles of social justice identifies such critics as
sexist, racist, homo-lesbo-transphobes, xenophobes,
and fascists.
Universities used to be fonts of knowledge, charged with disseminating the
known and seeking new knowledge. But progressives have brought great progress
to the university: progressives know all the answers, and that the problem is
not to understand the world, but to change it.
Welcome to the "social justice" university. Its orientation is
expressed by the School of Social Work, at Ryerson University in Toronto:
School of Social Work is a leader in critical education, research and practice
with culturally and socially diverse students and communities in the
advancement of anti-oppression/anti-racism, anti-Black racism, anti-
colonialism/ decolonization, Aboriginal reconciliation, feminism,
anti-capitalism, queer and trans liberation struggles, issues in disability and
Madness, among other social justice struggles.
Many universities are not as candid as Ryerson, but often their positions are
much the same. Many have established "equity and inclusiveness"
committees to oversee "just practice," to disseminate
"correct" views through literature, posters, and re-education
workshops, in some cases mandatory. They also sanction faculty members who
express unacceptable views. Schools of education ensure that their graduates
will be inculcating their school pupils in the principles of "social
justice," and in identifying the deplorable "multiphobes"
in their families and communities. American schoolchildren have been taught by
teachers determined to discredit
What do progressives intend under the label of "social justice"? What
theories and policies have they made the central task of the university to
advance?
The first goal to be advanced is equality, by which they mean equality of
result, as opposed to equality of opportunity -- which is often inadequate and
needs to be addressed. Thus, to advance economic equality, progressives
advocate redistribution of wealth, taking money from those who have it and
giving it to preferred others. ("The problem with
socialism," as the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pointed
out, "is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money.")
Progressives also recognize that equality of result contradicts individual
freedom, and that individual freedom will have to be suppressed supposedly for
the collective good. Coercion is necessary to enforce social justice goals. A
social justice friend recently argued that cars should be replaced by public
transport, and that people should live in central cities rather than suburbs.
When it was pointed out that housing and transport choices indicated North
Americans seem to have a strong preference for suburbs, and that they prefer
driving cars to taking public transport, he replied that they will have to be
forced to live in cities and use public transport. This is an actual the plan
of the United Nations, known as Agenda 21.
Given the necessity of coercion to get people to do the "right"
thing, progressives favour a strong central government to direct citizens' --
or subjects' -- lives.
Second, equality among individuals is "insufficient," and must be
complemented by collective rights based on "category membership".
Each category -- of gender, sexual preference, national origin, culture, race,
religion, and so on must be considered equal and receive equal benefits. All
societal roles should therefore have an equal number of each category, either
at the same time or in rotation. Equality of result also mandates that members
of each category must have the same position and same benefits as all others:
an equal number of men and women in government offices and in business
administration. So too with members of different races,
religions, sexual preferences, and so on. To balance ethnic
representation in professions, Jews who want to become dentists must be forced
to become police officers, while Irish men and women who wish to become police
officers, must be forced to become dentists. Diversity becomes a moral end in
itself.
If all variations of human beings are not present at an event or in an
organization, it is seen as prejudiced and discriminating. But this does not
apply to members of the majority, who are increasingly not welcome; only
"diverse" members of minorities are now welcome. This applies even to
history. The University of Pennsylvania English
Department removed a portrait of Shakespeare, on the grounds that Shakespeare
is not sufficiently diverse, and replaced it with a portrait of the black
lesbian poet, Audre Lorde.
Third, all victims of inequality must unite under the principle of "intersectionality," to oppose their oppressors. Since
capitalism is recognized as a cause of inequality, and thus oppression, it must
be opposed and replaced. These days, progressives do not usually specify what
capitalism is to be replaced by, but presumably they are impressed with [irony
alert] the great benefits socialism brought to the people of the USSR, Mao's
China, Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, North Korea, and Cuba. Not only are
these outstanding examples of "social justice" actually versions of
"state-capitalism" where the leaders were "more equal than
others," but for the "others", they succeeded in avoiding the
corrupting prosperity of capitalism, the selfish freedom for individuals, and
the anti-social inequality of differences. And [irony alert] abolishing
capitalism would be pain-free; supposedly no one was "hurt" in the
socialist states of the 20th century. Or at the very least, everyone, except
for the dear leaders, were hurt equally, which
presumably made being hurt all right.
So, too, must imperialism and colonialism be abolished, which are recognized by
progressives as unique to the West -- never, of course, to the conquests by
Islamic empires, for example, of
No notice is also taken by progressives of empires of the past -- Phoenician,
Greek, Roman, Arab, Mongol, Turkish, Russian, to name a few -- or of the
present, among them, the Chinese, Iranian and Turkish empires, all of which
have shaped our world beyond the relatively short-lived British, French, Dutch,
Belgian, German, and Italian empires. No, social justice warriors can imagine
only an uninformed, simplistic good and evil. Evidently, no one teaches history
anymore, so everyone, such as UNESCO, can now make it up to suit his view.
Fourth, each culture must be viewed through the lens of cultural, ethical, and
total relativism between opinion and fact. Each culture must therefore be
considered as valuable as any other, ostensibly including ISIS and Boko Haram, and therefore have
equal representation in every society. This "just" multiculturalism
accepts all customs and practices, and installs all languages as official
languages. Although
Canadian cultural relativism would have to be seen by cultural justice warriors
as weak and flawed.
Multiculturalism, further, requires respect for other cultures, shown, for
example, by not imitating another culture in any way, and by not borrowing from
it. Unauthorized imitation, such as wearing a Halloween costume representing
another culture, such as an American wearing a sombrero, or participating in
activities, such as Indian yoga or Asian martial arts, is called "cultural
appropriation," and is banned by social justice warriors. This piece of
social engineering apparently exists because the feelings of people of other
cultures might be hurt, or they might feel ridiculed or demeaned.
Hurt feelings are the social justice criteria for what is and what is not
allowed. You may not say anything that would hurt someone's feelings, and, if
you do, you must be punished. Here is an illustration, reported by Margaret Wente in the Globe and Mail, from Queen's University in
At Queen's, a good-natured off-campus costume party blew up into a crisis over
racism. Queen's principal Daniel Woolf denounced the event on his blog as
"the unacceptable misappropriation and stereotyping of numerous
cultures," and solemnly vowed yet again to improve diversity and inclusion
on campus. In other news from Queen's, the head of a student theatre group was
forced to grovel after announcing a plan to cast a white female as the lead in
Othello. "There is absolutely no excuse for making a casting decision that
was oppressive and caused people of colour to feel as though they were
invalid," she apologized. The production was cancelled.
A further corollary of multiculturalism is that borders, blocking the inflow of
worthy immigrants, should be abolished, and a full open-borders policy should
be established. All immigrants are seen as benign, and the possibility that
some might be threats to the receiving population and its society is dismissed
out of hand. Opposition to such humanitarian uprightness could only exist if
its critics were supposedly xenophobes and racists.
Finally, diversity of opinion in the social justice university is forbidden:
opposition to social justice is never a reasonable opinion, but evil.
Disagreement with the principles of social justice identifies such critics as
sexist, racist, homo-lesbo-transphobes, xenophobes,
and fascists.
In our universities, social justice is reproduced through a variety of
techniques. One is special oversight committees, usually called "Equity
and Inclusiveness Committees", which police the socialization and speech
of new students, and the speech and actions of academic and other staff.
A second technique is that university administrators, no less than the
cutting-edge justice-warrior professors of the social sciences and humanities,
aim to improve, implement and defend social justice policies. Dissidents will
find no refuge or sanctuary in university administrations; quite the contrary.
A third techniques is in classes, where students are
indoctrinated with "Social Justice Truth," and those who resist are
penalized by low grades. Social justice professors must punish students who
refuse to learn the Social Justice Truth. On the other hand, students of
"victim categories" must be "encouraged" with good grades.
I have had the unpleasant experience of being pressured by colleagues to give a
good grade to a weak minority student.
A fourth technique is the well-known preference for admitting weaker students
of victim categories and turning away more capable students of other
categories. Thus, in the
The fifth technique is "Social Justice Reproduction": hiring academic
staff under close scrutiny to guarantee that they have the correct social
justice orientation. Heavens, would you want to put students and thus the
future into the hands of "multiphobes" and
fascists?! Selection for social justice is the only just path.
The illiberal social justice movement strikes at several important liberal
values: First, it undermines individual autonomy and freedom by reducing
individuals to being a member of one or another ethnic, racial, gender, sexual,
national, or religious "category." Second, it strives to undermine
individual autonomy and freedom by restricting outcomes of activity through
imposing arbitrary criteria of equality of result. Third, it undermines basic
human rights, such as freedom of speech, by forbidding any speech that
"offends" anyone. Fourth, it undermines the right to assemble
peaceably, because social justice warriors try to shut down any assembly where
incorrect views might be expressed. Fifth, it undermines understanding by
reducing all people to victims and oppressors, good versus bad, a gross
oversimplification of the complexities of history and human life.
For progressives, the social justice movement is progress on the move; to
others, it seems increasingly a movement of intolerant authoritarianism. Its
main victim, so far, is the idea of the open-minded, inquiring, liberal
university.
**Philip Carl Salzman is Professor of Anthropology at
© 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.
Germany: Angela Merkel Faces Challenge for
Chancellorship
Germany Heading for Four More Years of Pro-EU, Open-Door Migration Policies
Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/February 01/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9870/martin-schulz-angela-merkel
The policy positions of Schulz and Merkel on key issues are virtually
identical: Both candidates are committed to strengthening the EU, maintaining
open-door immigration policies, pursuing multiculturalism and quashing dissent
from the so-called far right.
Regardless of who wins,
Schulz has already called for tax increases on the wealthy and for fighting the
AfD party. He has also threatened financial
consequences for European countries that refuse to take in more migrants.
"The chancellor's office is worried." – Der
Spiegel.
Martin Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, has been chosen
to challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel in
The policy positions of Schulz and Merkel on key issues are virtually
identical: Both candidates are committed to strengthening the European Union,
maintaining open-door immigration policies, pursuing multiculturalism and
quashing dissent from the so-called far right.
Time for a changing of the guard? Pictured:
Then European Parliament President Martin Schulz meets with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel in
Polls show Merkel, who heads the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU),
slightly ahead of Schulz, the new leader of the center-left Social Democratic
Party (SPD). Regardless of who wins,
Schulz, who became a Member of the European Parliament in 1994, and has spent
most of his political career in
The SPD has been the junior partner in a Merkel-run "grand coalition"
(Große Koalition)
government since December 2013. SPD leaders say that if the party wins at least
30% of the national vote, Schulz will become the next chancellor.
In an interview with Der Spiegel, Schulz, 61, said he
was the best candidate to replace Merkel, who is 62. "I have worked with
Angela Merkel longer than almost anyone outside her party," he said.
"I have studied her, gotten to know her." Schulz has eight months to
persuade Germans to vote for him.
The latest INSA poll shows the CDU (together with its Bavarian sister party,
the CSU) with 32.5% of the vote, the SPD with 26%, and the anti-establishment
party Alternative for
If the CDU/CSU or the SPD fail to win a majority, they may join forces to form
another grand coalition. Either party may also seek to form a coalition
government with other smaller parties, particularly the Greens, but all have
ruled out entering into a coalition with the eurosceptic
AfD.
The AfD, which is set to enter the Parliament
(Bundestag) for the first time, is uniquely placed to attract voters who are
angry about Merkel's decision to allow into Germany more than one million
mostly Muslim migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The party, which
polled as high as 15.5% in December 2016, has struggled to gain more traction
due to internal power struggles and accusations of anti-Semitism.
Schulz — a high school dropout whom The Economist magazine described as
"pugnacious" and "impulsive" — is campaigning on a platform
to unite an increasingly divided German polity. "
The SPD will not unveil its election platform until a party congress in May.
But Schulz has already called for tax increases on the wealthy and for fighting
the AfD. He has also threatened financial
consequences for European countries that refuse to take in more migrants.
When a television presenter confronted Schulz about his lack of governing
experience, he compared himself to Barack Obama: "I share the fate with
Barack Obama. He also had no government experience when he became President of
the
If elected, Schulz, an ardent Europhile who is committed to European
federalism, is sure to work to strengthen the European Union. "I know
what's going on in
"European politics is German domestic politics and German domestic
politics has a powerful effect in
Schulz has argued that the EU must be preserved at any cost:
"We are at a historical juncture: A growing number of people are declaring
what has been achieved over the past decades in
He has opposed the idea of holding national referendums on quitting the EU:
"Referendums have always posed a threat when it comes to EU policy,
because EU policy is complicated. They're an opportunity for those from all
political camps who like to oversimplify things."
Schulz has also said that the British decision to leave the European Union
would facilitate the creation of a European Army:
"In the fields of security and defense policy,
although the EU loses a key member state, paradoxically such a separation could
give the necessary impulse for a closer integration of the remaining member
states."
Playing the anti-Americanism card, Schulz has expressed his disdain for U.S.
President Donald J. Trump, calling him "an obviously irresponsible man
sitting in a position that requires the utmost sense of responsibility."
He added: "Trump is not just a problem for the EU, but for the whole
world."
Schulz described Trump's order to build a wall along the
"I'm sure when European politicians travel to Washington they will explain
to the U.S. government that international law and human rights also apply for
Donald Trump."
Schulz has reserved his worst vitriol for the anti-immigration AfD, whose leaders he has described as "rat
catchers" (Rattenfänger) who are "trying to
profit from the plight of refugees." He has also called them
"shameful and repulsive."
Merkel, who up until recently vowed to continue her open-door migration policy,
has now promised to consider an annual cap on the number of migrants allowed
into
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble admitted that the Merkel government made mistakes
with its open-door migration policy. "We have tried to improve what got
away from us in 2015," he said. "We politicians are human; we also
make mistakes. But one can at least learn from them."
Some in the German media are skeptical about Schulz.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
wrote:
"As a chancellor candidate, Schulz has announced an election campaign for
social justice and the EU. He will not allow 'bashing' of the EU. Can Schulz
score points? Like any other German politician, he stands for '
By contrast, Der Spiegel published a sensational
cover story entitled, "Saint Martin" which portrayed Schulz as a
supernatural figure — similar to its adulation of Barack Obama eight years ago.
The magazine added: "The chancellor's office is worried."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based
Gatestone Institute. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
© 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.
Turkish Jails: Packed with Kurds, Only
Seven Members of ISIS
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone
Institute/February 01/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/02/01/uzay-bulutgatestone-institute-turkish-jails-packed-with-kurds-only-seven-members-of-isis/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9871/turkish-jails-kurds
According to a recent public statement by the HDP party, 1,478 Kurdish
politicians -- including 78 democratically-elected mayors -- have been arrested
since July 2016.
The co-heads of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksektas, are also in jail. Prosecutors seek up to 142
years in jail for Demirtas and up to 83 years in jail
for Yuksekdag. One of the charges directed to Demirtas is "managing a terrorist organization."
According to a recent report by
In
According to the Turkish ministry of justice, only seven members of the Islamic
State (ISIS) have been convicted of crimes and jailed in
The data was made public when Bekir Bozdag, the Turkish justice minister, was asked in
One of the many ISIS members in
Abdulsamet C. confessed that he had travelled to
Abdulsamet C. said that he went to the Syrian town of
Seeking to benefit from the "Active Repentance Law," he was released
by a Turkish court on probation. Yet he continued to be in contact with ISIS
even after returning to the Umraniye neighborhood in
An indictment drafted for Abdulsamet C. by the
Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office includes evidence showing his
connections with
Despite all the evidence at hand, Abdulsamet C. was
released by an
Meanwhile, Turkish courts have arrested several deputies and politicians of the
pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), as well as Kurdish mayors from the
Democratic Regions' Party (DBP). The total number of HDP deputies under arrest
is 12. Trustees have been appointed by the government to replace the arrested
mayors in the country's predominantly Kurdish southeast.
According to a recent public statement by the HDP, 1,478 Kurdish politicians --
including 78 democratically-elected mayors -- have been arrested since July 2016.
The co-heads of the HDP party, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksektas, are also in jail. Prosecutors seek up to 142
years in jail for Demirtas and up to 83 years in jail
for Yuksekdag. One of the charges directed to Demirtas is "managing a terrorist organization."
The co-heads of the Peoples' Democratic Party of Turkey, Selahattin
Demirtas and Figen Yuksektas, have been jailed in
Journalists critical of the government are also under various pressures in
In the meantime, an Islamic State (ISIS) member who appeared in an ISIS
propaganda video threatening
According to Hurriyet, the recently identified
militant, Hasan Aydin, was
detained in 2012 in an operation targeting al-Qaeda in the southern
Military equipment and a drone were found in the minibus Aydin
was using, and he was summoned to court. He was later released on condition of
judicial control.
According to Kurdish politician Ayhan
Bilgen. the movement of Islamist terrorists
from Syria to Turkey has been escalating recently,
During the opening speech of the party assembly at the HDP headquarters in
Ankara on January 22, Bilgen, an HDP MP and
spokesman, said that members of ISIS, the al-Nusra
Front, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Free Syrian Army, which
have roots in al-Qaeda, have been moving in large numbers from Syria to Turkey.
"This is loud and clear. A market has been formed in
Following these remarks, Bilgen was arrested on
"terror charges," on January 31.
In
**Uzay Bulut, a journalist
born and raised a Muslim 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.
The KRG’s
Relationship with the Yazidi Minority and the Future
of the Yazidis in Shingal (Sinjar)
Matthew Barber/Syria Comment/February 01/17
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/krgs-relationship-yazidi-minority-future-yazidis-shingal-sinjar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Syriacomment+%28Syria+Comment%29
Following the closure of Yazda, a Yazidi
humanitarian and human rights organization, by the KDP asa’ish
(security police affiliated with Kurdistan’s largest political party, the
Kurdistan Democratic Party) on January 2, 2017 in Dohuk,
people have been asking many questions about why this took place. Fortunately,
the government has now reversed its position on the closure and Yazda has reopened. Nevertheless, this episode points to
some serious political issues that impact the status of the Yazidi
minority in
Having left the country last August after a year of leading Yazda’s
A Broken Relationship
Understanding the tension between KDP government and the Yazidis
requires investigating why the KDP generally has an adverse relationship with
the majority of the Yazidis. In fact, those Yazidis who become close to the KDP political establishment
usually lose favor and respect among much of their community.
This is because the agendas of the KDP often conflict with the welfare of the Yazidi people, and a number of crucial issues jeopardizing
the future of the Yazidis have come to a head this
past year.
What do I mean by a clash of interests between the Yazidis
and the KDP? Ever since the fall of Saddam, Kurdistan has worked hard to expand
the boundaries of what is hoped will be a future independent
The Sheikhan district in the Nineveh Plain used to be
a Yazidi-majority area, but just since the fall of
Saddam, it has been targeted with a program of demographic change that has
involved settling Sunni Kurds in the area in order to strengthen the claim that
it should be included within the Kurdistan Region. This program is similar to
the Arabization schemes to which Saddam subjected the
Kurds, and Yazidis call it “Kurdification.”
Sheikhan, a historic Yazidi
homeland, is now a Muslim-majority area, a change that occurred entirely
post-Saddam. Even the Mir, the highest Yazidi
religious authority, spoke to US officials about this problem.
In Shingal (“Sinjar” in
Arabic) after 2003, the KDP quickly became a powerful presence. Many Yazidis were open to pursuing a future for Shingal as part of
Because of this legacy, by 2014 the majority of the Yazidis
of Shingal already resented KDP control; the Peshmerga withdrawal the morning of the genocide was simply
the final straw, severing trust with the KDP forever. But because of KDP
policy, the Yazidi situation has become even worse
following the genocide, which is the main issue that this article will explore.
Today there is a bitter political standoff in Shingal
that is exacerbating the already poor relations between the Shingali
Yazidis and the KDP. In order to understand the
development of this conflict, we must first clarify some key aspects of how the
genocide unfolded, and also debunk several myths propagated by government
officials regarding the day of the genocide.
Setting the Record Straight on Shingal
Though everyone is familiar with the Peshmerga
withdrawal on August 3, 2014, the day the Yazidi
Genocide began, many citizens of Kurdistan and Iraq have been led to accept
three key excuses advanced by KDP officials trying to justify the withdrawal:
1) that the IS (Islamic State) invasion of Shingal
was a surprise attack; 2) that the Peshmerga lacked
adequate weaponry to defend local Yazidis from IS;
and 3) that the Peshmerga defended but IS was just
too powerful and the front line collapsed.
The first claim is obviously false since everyone knows that
The second claim is an attempt to side-step responsibility for the failure to
defend the Yazidis. It ignores the fact that after
the Iraqi military dissolved in the areas near
But most important is the third claim, that the Peshmerga’s
lines were overwhelmed by the might of the IS jihadists. This claim is
demonstrably false in light of the way that the withdrawal was conducted. The
withdrawal was not a chaotic, haphazard fleeing after engaging the enemy;
The facts presented above become even more painful when considering that the
day before the genocide, August 2, 2014, local people in Shingal
knew that IS was mobilizing. They could sense that an attack might be imminent.
Yazidis asked those responsible for security if the
people should evacuate. Peshmerga leaders gave assurances
to the people that they would be protected, and told them to stay in their
villages. In some cases, asa’ish even prevented
families from evacuating; some families had loaded up their cars and were
attempting to drive to
I have presented this background to make it perfectly clear why the trust of
the Shingali Yazidis in the
KDP was irreparably shattered on August 3. This should also explain why the YPG
and PKK forces that entered Shingal to defend the Yazidis won so many hearts and minds. Not only did those
forces save the lives of tens of thousands of Yazidis
that had been left to die, but they enabled the local Yazidis
to hold the front line against IS for the next 15 months, killing more
jihadists than any other militia.
Preventing Yazidis from Returning and Rebuilding: The
Economic Blockade
This brings us to the present political conflict that
is victimizing the Yazidis. As is common knowledge,
after the PKK-affiliated forces rescued the Yazidis
in the absence of the Peshmerga, they helped the Yazidis form a local militia known as the YBŞ. This
force is affiliated with the PKK but is primarily comprised of local Shingali Yazidis who came
together to defend their own families and homes.
The KDP wants the YBŞ to disappear. They want all non-KDP militias to
dissolve so that the KDP Peshmerga can again enjoy
full control of Shingal and return to business as
usual. But the KDP knows that if the displaced Yazidis
now living in the camps in Dohuk return to Shingal, they will be more likely to support a rival militia,
like the YBŞ, because they have no loyalty for the KDP.
And that brings us to the most discouraging of facts, the economic blockade of Shingal, which is the KDP’s
disgraceful strategy to keep Yazidi families, who
survived a genocide, trapped in camps that they have lived in for over two and
a half years, rather than allowing them to return to Shingal.
The north side of
Auto mechanics are not allowed to bring in spare parts for vehicles, including
parts for pickup trucks and tractors, both depended upon by farmers.
Small amounts of bulk food items for the use of a single family (such as a
single bag of sugar, flour, or rice) are generally not allowed through.
Farmers report not being allowed to bring motor oil through which is needed for
their harvester machines (Shingal depends on wheat
and barley farming). Fuel (for gas stations) is also occasionally restricted.
Cement and cinderblocks needed for the rebuilding of homes destroyed by IS are
often not allowed through.
Many families have been prevented from bringing a single sheep or lamb through
the checkpoint.
Fertilizer is not allowed through. The asa’ish claim that it is to prevent terrorists from making bombs;
this is not a risk among poor Yazidi farmers. Without
fertilizer, farmers lose 50% to 70% of their yield.
Farmers are not being allowed to being ordinary farming equipment, such as
irrigation supplies, to Shingal.
The headmasters of schools in Shingal have not been
allowed to bring basic school supplies (such as paper, a single printer, or a
single laptop) through the checkpoint, and have also been prevented from
bringing fixtures for the schools, such as well pumps for the schools’ water
systems.
Displaced families trying to return have been turned back to the camps when
attempting to transport their own furniture or tents in which they need to live
while rebuilding their destroyed homes.
Veterinary medicine has not been allowed through. Shingal’s
families live off of herds but shop owners who sell veterinary medicine are not
able to reopen their shops in Snune or the other
collective villages because of the restrictions.
As an unannounced and therefore “unofficial” blockade, it is selectively
enforced. Those with close ties to the government, asa’ish,
or Peshmerga are sometimes allowed to bring some
goods through. A few basic retail items are allowed through for the shops in Snune. This allows government officials to deny the
existence of the blockade when challenged about it. But even when certain goods
are allowed through, drivers are often treated roughly and humiliated by the asa’ish, being forced to unload their entire delivery
(crates of vegetables, for example) in the sun. Many drivers for hire have
simply given up trying to transport goods to Shingal.
When some farmers complained about the restrictions on moving ordinary goods,
government officials told them that they must apply for certain permits in
order to bring goods to Shingal (permits that never
existed before and that no one had heard of). Farmers that have tried to
navigate this process are given a runaround, being
sent from office to office, and the process—just to get official authorization
to take farming supplies to one’s small farm—can take months. This can mean
missing a planting or harvesting season. Most people simply give up trying. One
farmer who finally succeeded in securing a permission document from the Dohuk governorate was still blocked from transporting the
goods to Shingal by the asa’ish
at the checkpoint: there’s no guarantee that the asa’ish
will respect government documents.
Human Rights Watch investigated this blockade and recently issued a report,
condemning the government for actively preventing reconstruction. I have
personally always been in favor of reconstruction so
that Yazidis can have a future in their homeland
instead of being forced to emigrate. Emigration destroys the traditional
diversity of the local society and puts the heritage of small minorities at
risk. However, current policies actively prevent Yazidi
families from returning and rebuilding, which produces hopelessness and prompts
greater emigration from the country.
Political Violence toward Yazidis
This situation becomes even worse. Not only are families who were targeted with
genocide and are now in their third year of living in camps prevented from
returning home to resume normal lives, they are also punished severely if they
complain about this situation. The asa’ish maintain strict control of Yazidi
activities in the camps. Yazidis in the camps are
generally not allowed to organize a public meeting unless it is for an activity
related to an official political party. This included memorial gatherings to
commemorate the anniversary of the genocide, last August, which asa’ish feared could turn into opportunities where dissent
would be expressed. Yazidis in the camps holding
peaceful demonstrations or speaking out on social media to protest the
political policies that harm them have often been arrested, beaten, or
threatened. In general, the asa’ish have succeeding in suppressing the voices of Yazidis who are broken and frustrated about their
situation.
Worst of all is the political violence targeting Yazidis
who join rival militias. These young people—and their families—can be
persecuted through arrests, jailing, interrogations, and beatings. Young Yazidi men and women who join the YBŞ cannot visit
their displaced relatives in the IDP camps in Dohuk,
or else they will be arrested. In fact, KDP asa’ish
have arrested poor taxi drivers accused of carrying YBŞ-affiliated
passengers as customers in their taxis. Some taxi drivers have no knowledge of
the identities of their paying customers, but have been arrested and jailed all
the same. Some young men and women have not seen their families in the
camps—only a three-hour drive away—for over two years for fear of being
arrested.
One of my employees when I was leading Yazda in
The political persecution of Yazidis who voice
criticism of the government is so severe that it has prompted many families to
immigrate to
Yazda
While working in the KRI, I was frequently attacked by Kurdish officials if I
voiced even the smallest concern about the situation and how it was affecting
the survivors of the genocide. If I mentioned in a UN cluster meeting that the asa’ish were preventing certain goods from being
transported to Shingal, I was ridiculed publicly by
the government representative and accused of being a “troublemaker.” Of course,
it was the government that was making trouble for the victims of the genocide.
Individuals or organizations expressing any criticism of KDP policy in Shingal were often accused of “supporting the PKK.” This is
a strange allegation; critiquing harmful KDP policy does not constitute support
for the PKK.
Aside from the competition in Shingal, the political
dynamics inside the Kurdistan Region were also unhealthy. In the spring of
2016, I was visited by a PUK Peshmerga captain who
commanded the small contingent of PUK Peshmerga in Shingal. He described to me how he had a large shipment of
medicine that he was trying to bring to Shingal but
was being prevented from doing so by the KDP asa’ish,
despite being a Peshmerga leader. During my period of
work in the country, the primary health centers in the Shingal
region suffered from a lack of medicine. I am not speaking of the health
centers created by the PKK to serve displaced Yazidis
on top of the mountain; I am referring to the established, government-run
health centers serving the collective villages on the north side of the
mountain. These health centers are part of
The Risk of Demographic Change
Like the program to change the demographics in Sheikhan,
Shingal is at risk of being targeted with a similar
project. Yazidis are very afraid that the KRG may
inhibit them from returning home and instead try to settle them within the
Kurdistan Region where they will be easier to rule, leaving Shingal
open for settlement by KDP loyalists, making the district easier for the KDP to
control. As a disputed territory that still officially belongs to the central
government, it would be far easier for
Of course, if the Kurdish government continues to prevent the Yazidis from returning to Shingal,
the real tragedy will be for the Yazidis to lose
their historic homeland, with all of its sacred religious and cultural sites.
The Future That the Yazidis Need
Recently, Kurdish officials have intensified calls for the PKK to “leave” Shingal. The PKK itself has only a minimal presence in Shingal. What they mean is that they want PKK support for
the Yazidi YBŞ forces to be eliminated so that
the YBŞ will dissolve. Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan
Barzani is presenting this as a prerequisite for the
ending of the blockade.
By saying that the PKK presence prevents peace from returning to Shingal, Nechirvan Barzani is pretending that the KDP has no choice in its
implementation of the blockade. He is effectively saying, “We are helpless in
victimizing the Yazidis unless we get the political
outcome we want.” But of course the KDP has control over its actions and could
lift the blockade today, whether or not it gets its way.
Nechirvan Barzani’s remarks
do not acknowledge that the YBŞ’s forces are
primarily local, consisting of Yazidis from Shingal—not a foreign force that has invaded the country.
(The largest foreign force in the area is actually the Peshmerga
Rojava, a KDP-affiliated militia created by the KDP
by recruiting from the Syrian refugee camps inside the Kurdistan Region.)
Though I do not support the YBŞ or any other partisan militia, or any of
the parties with which these militias are affiliated, I nevertheless firmly
believe in the Yazidis’ freedom to choose their
political affiliation—this is democracy. But this issue is about much more than
the right to choose a party. What most Yazidis want
now is not to choose a party, but to build their own administrative infrastructure,
independently of any major party.
Most Yazidis from Shingal
are worried about the PKK becoming the next KDP in Shingal.
They do not want to see the PKK replace the KDP as a new hegemon
in Shingal—the next chapter in single-party
authoritarianism maintaining complete control over a population. But Yazidis are even more fearful about an end to PKK support
for Yazidi militias, because this will result in the
return of KDP hegemony, which is viewed as the worst-case scenario. Yazidis therefore recognize that PKK influence is creating
balance for the moment; neither the KDP nor the PKK are strong enough to gain
full control of Shingal. This deferment of an outside
force again taking complete control of Shingal is
allowing the Yazidis time to plan their own form of
local administration, security, and governance, but they need better support
and guidance from the
Therefore, the desire of most of the Yazidis who join
the YBŞ is not to support the pan-Kurdish ideology of the PKK, but rather
to protect their own homeland and strengthen their capacity for local
governance. They simply do not see an alternative sponsor qualified to defend Yazidi interests at the moment. For the Yazidis,
the issue is not a choice of loyalty between Erbil versus
The KDP had a decade to convince the Yazidis to join
with them instead of seeking their own administration under
Today should mark the end of these abuses. The desire of the Yazidis for self-administration within
A New Message from
At this stage, the KDP has lost the contest for Yazidi
loyalty. The best thing for the KRG to do now is to approach the Yazidi community with a new message. Here is the message
that President Barzani, the KDP, and all of
First, we would like to take responsibility for abandoning you in your hour of
need, and for allowing the genocide of the Yazidis to
take place. We want to apologize in humility for the terrible negligence that
left your people defenseless. We should have
apologized to you directly, long ago, and we are sorry for the long delay in
giving you this honest message. Apologies are painful, but the pain of humility
is worth the chance to rebuild trust and good faith with you.
Second, we recognize that it was not a genocide targeting all Kurds for their
ethnicity, but rather targeting Yazidis specifically,
for their religious identity. As your brothers and sisters, we stand with you,
and we recognize that you alone were targeted with a special project of
extermination and enslavement.
Third, we recognize that no one has the right to choose your leaders for you,
except you. Shingal has always been your historic
homeland, and you have the right to shape its future. Even after the way that
we have broken trust with you, we hope that you will still want seek a future
with Kurdistan, but we recognize that the choice is yours, and we will respect
whatever decision you make, and will always seek to maintain friendship with
you.
Fourth, we will immediately lift the economic blockade that we have levied
against your homeland, Shingal, for the entire past
year. We recognize that our actions have further victimized you and inhibited
your recovery, even after the terrible trauma of the genocide that you have
endured. We do not have the right to tell you not to return to your homeland,
or to keep your population in camps for years at a time, while your children
grow up hopeless about their lack of a future.
Fifth, regardless of what political loyalties you democratically choose within
your homeland, we pledge to not only allow you free passage with your personal
goods from the Kurdistan Region to Shingal, but we
also pledge to assist your reconstruction in whatever way we are able,
recognizing that after our own negligence, we are now responsible to do what we
can to help you rebuild, regardless of whether you place your political
loyalties with our parties or not.
These positions represent the goodwill of the Kurdish people who believe in
democracy and justice and this statement represents the Kurdish values of
fairness, equality, and integrity.
The purpose of this article has not been to attack Kurdistan, but to address
some problems that are weakening social cohesion among communities in Kurdistan
and northern
**Matthew Barber is a PhD student studying Islamic thought and history in the
Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the
One Muslim Country Seems Well Positioned
To 'Graduate' Off The Visa Ban
Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/February 01/17
https://www.memri.org/reports/one-muslim-country-seems-well-positioned-graduate-visa-ban
I recently saw a small but noisy demonstration in a Spanish city. The young
demonstrators, pierced, tattooed, and well dressed, were Communists with hammer
and sickle flags, and they called for "an end to borders and to
walls." But they were not demonstrating against Donald Trump – rather,
against the seemingly sieve-like borders and barriers of the European Union.
Today it seems that there are those that want only walls and those that want to
tear them all down, and uneasy populations in between.
The January 27, 2017 White House Executive Order "Protecting the Nation
from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the
One of the more specious lines of argument has been that the new Executive
Order is a "boon for ISIS recruitment" – the idea being that somehow
Muslims will now be more easily swayed by the
And it is hard to see how much a (seemingly mostly temporary) visa ban would
help an ISIS narrative that makes much of ancient events like the Crusades and
the Reconquista and threatens to "conquer
One
And while much ink has been spilled on the emotions of the moment and on
criticizing the new American administration, less has been said on how will the
seven governments on the temporary visa ban list seek to come to terms with it.
It is entirely possible that the administration will decide, after a
comprehensive review, that safeguards are mostly in place and that most visa
operations can resume. But in my view, five of the listed countries –
It is quite probable that plausible and logical reasons will be found for Iraq,
given its centrality in the fight against the Islamic State, to be removed from
this blacklist.[3] The one country most likely to be
able to take steps on its own to satisfy the Americans, and that is quite
motivated to do so is, ironically, the Islamist government of Sudan.
A serial human rights violator and long-time international pariah, the
NCP-ruled Sudan is, in terms of its own survival, the most successful Sudanese
state in history, in power now for almost 28 years (1989-2017). The independent
Mahdiyya state in
Conflict in all of those places has not disappeared, of course, especially in
South Kordofan and
Author with US Special Envoy Scott Gration in SLA
rebel-held Jebel Marra in 2009
The Sudanese regime has constantly reinvented itself through the years, from a
promoter of regional Islamic terrorism and safe-haven for Bin Laden to
peacemaker with the SPLM and valuable cooperator on
counterterrorism with the U.S. More recently, it shifted from a cozy
relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran to a cementing of improved
relations with
A recent, much publicized State Department Dissent Channel message warned that
the new travel ban "can only be lifted under conditions which will be
difficult or impossible for countries to meet."[5]
The Obama administration's January 13, 2017 announcement of the removal of a
trade embargo and sanctions was supposedly done with the approval of the
incoming Trump administration but kicks in 180 days after that announcement.
Unlike Iran, Sudan is not a major regional menace, and an improvement of
relations with the United States could be an early diplomatic win for the Trump
Administration and possibly could improve life for ordinary Sudanese.[6]
Certainly many fierce Sudanese critics of the current regime are in favor of an early improvement of relations with the United
States.[7]
Sudan is also benefiting from an improvement of relations with a European Union
concerned about rampant unmanaged migration flows from Africa to Europe, and is
indirectly receiving money to help stem that flow and to improve life in the
country's marginalized peripheries.[8]
The situation in Sudan is not that stable. There is considerable unrest and
growing unhappiness about economic conditions and continued repression. The
succession to an aging President Al-Bashir is murky.
But
Endnotes:
[1]Thehill.com, January 31, 2017.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS Supporters React To
President Trump's Immigration Policy On Facebook, Instagram, January 30, 2017.
[3] Foreignpolicy.com, January 30, 2017.
[4] Theguardian.com, January 12, 2016.
[5] Huffingtonpost.com, January 30, 2017.
[6] Forbes.com, January 23, 2017.
[7] Africanarguments.org, October 17, 2007.
[8] Irinnews.org, May 26, 2016.
[9] Africanarguments.org, October 17, 2007.