English LCCC Newsbulletin For Le

English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 17/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.january17.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man
John 01/47-51: “When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you. ’Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 15-16/2022
Our prayers & Supplications Goes For the Quick Recovery of our Dear Brother and Friend, Director &Writer Youssef El-Khoury/Elias Bejjani/January 16/2022
"we need a new Lebanon free from corruption, incompetence and traditional feudalism/"we need a new Lebanon free from corruption, incompetence and traditional feudalism/Martyr President Bashir Gemayel
Corona - Health Ministry: 5,539 new Corona cases, 16 deaths
Rahi stresses necessity of holding upcoming parliamentary elections
Al-Rahi Warns of Delaying Elections for Personal Gain, Regrets Cabinet Convening ‘Conditionally’
Presidency Press Office: News broadcasted by Al-Jadeed TV that the President of the Republic gave permission to raid some banks is false
No 'Pre-Agreement' on Bitar but Shiite Duo 'Hopes' Aoun, Miqati Will Act
Hezbollah, Amal to end boycott of Lebanon's cabinet after three-month deadlock
Bekaa Governor gives instructions to concerned apparatuses to face snow, frost wave
Nahas says state budget almost ready, elections will be on time
Aegean Airlines Suspends Beirut Flights after Plane Damage
Communications Outage in Half of Beirut as OGERO Runs Out of Diesel
OGERO Head Threatens to Quit after Lack of Diesel Causes Beirut Outage
Derian from the Bekaa Valley: Let no one think the Sunnis can be compromised
Abu Zeid: We hope there will be no disruption of state institutions
Project Watan: Cabinet sessions not to be linked to any judicial appointments
MP Fadlallah Says Return to Cabinet for Country’s Sake, Citizens Needs
Les entraves à la justice et les avanies d’une justice assujettie/Charles Elias Chartouni/January 16/2022

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 16-17/2022
Hostages Safe after Texas Synagogue Standoff, Captor Dead
Twitter Bans Account Linked to Iran's Supreme Leader over Video Threatening Trump
Iran, China Start Implementing Strategic Deal
Iran Jails Anew French Academic for 'Violating' House Arrest
Army pay increase | Tehran-backed militias raise combatants’ pay
Kazakhstan Raises Death Toll to 225 in Days of Protests
Egypt Calls for African Strategy to Eliminate Terrorism
Netanyahu Negotiating Plea Deal in Corruption Trial
Egypt Arrests Wanted Man after Plane's Emergency Landing

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 16-17/2022
Europe's Multicultural Volcano/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/January 16/ 2022
May Our Societies Remain Insular and Stagnant!/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/January 16/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 16-17/2022
Our prayers & Supplications Goes For the Quick Recovery of our Dear Brother and Friend, Director &Writer Youssef El-Khoury
Elias Bejjani/January 16/2022
Our dear friend and brother, the stubborn patriotic fighter, writer-director, Mr. Youssef El-Khoury is a special and distinguishable person, even in facing the evil Covid-19.
Youssef, the Lebanese knight and patriotic fighter has been battling Covid-19 for several days in the intensive care Unit.
Our prayers goes for his speedy recovery, because Occupied Lebanon is in a dire need for him and for all those patriotic knights who are from his patriotic caliber.
May Almighty God, His angles, Our Lady Of Lebanon, and all Saints be with our beloved Youssef to protect and safeguard him.

"we need a new Lebanon free from corruption, incompetence and traditional feudalism...
Martyr President Bashir Gemayel ( September 8, 1982 )
The Lebanese people shall learn to be loyal to Lebanon only and such loyalty shall be the basis of their relations with foreign countries...
Arab and non- Arab regimes will no longer be allowed to finance and buy the Lebanese media. However, this new Lebanon must be created by the Muslims and Christians alike; with love, trust and unity."

Corona - Health Ministry: 5,539 new Corona cases, 16 deaths
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
In its daily report on COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Sunday the registration of 5,539 new infections with the Corona virus, which raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 81,070.It added that 16 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Rahi stresses necessity of holding upcoming parliamentary elections
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, presided over Sunday Mass service in Bkirki this morning. In his sermon, the Patriarch urged the political and the revolting forces to contest the elections with the intention of change, not cancellation. He added: “We look forward to the urgent necessity of holding parliamentary elections next May to present new national elites and to hold presidential elections so that every Lebanese component feels that it is a partner in the country.”In this regard, Rahi warned against resorting to obstructing the parliamentary elections for suspicious private purposes.
He deemed that "the disruption, the increasing escalation, and the fabrication of diplomatic problems do not reassure people or friends."Finally, the Patriarch stressed that "there is no priority today but the cabinet meeting, but it was decided to hold a session conditioned on two items: the budget and economic recovery."

Al-Rahi Warns of Delaying Elections for Personal Gain, Regrets Cabinet Convening ‘Conditionally’
Naharnet/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi warned Sunday against disrupting the elections for “personal and suspicious” goals. He urged all Lebanese parties to prioritize Lebanon’s interest and to participate in the elections for change not for elimination. He stressed that the election is "a democratic occasion to hold accountable all those who have caused corruption, have disrupted the institutions, and destructed the state.""Beware of resorting to disrupting the parliamentary and presidential elections for suspicious private goals,” al-Rahi warned. He added that disrupting the government, increasing political and media escalation, provoking and using the judiciary to undermine opponents, "is not reassuring neither to the Lebanese nor to Lebanon’s friends." “Using these pretexts for postponing or canceling the elections would be a clear violation of the constitution,” al-Rahi added. Th Patriarch emphasized the priority for Cabinet to convene, adding that there is no excuse to disrupt or to fail to call for a session. He regretted that the Cabinet is only convening “in a conditional session,” and hoped this will pave the way for “continued unconditional sessions.”“In a democratic system, the executive authority operates according to its powers in the constitution, without any pressure or conditions imposed on it,” al-Rahi said.

Presidency Press Office: News broadcasted by Al-Jadeed TV that the President of the Republic gave permission to raid some banks is false
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
The Presidency Press Office denied the information broadcasted by Al-Jadeed TV, this evening, claiming that the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, “gave permission” to raid a number of banks in the context of investigations of bank lawsuits. "The Press Office asserts that that this news is fabricated and baseless," the statement said. Moreover, the Presidency Press Office stated that the meeting held by President Aoun with the Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oueidat, was aimed at examining the circumstances of what happened in some banks. The Press Office also denied what journalist Johnny Mounayar mentioned on "Al-Jadeed" TV about a meeting held at Baabda Palace after the decision issued by "Hezbollah" and "Amal Movement" to re-attend the cabinet sessions. ----- (Presidency Press Office)

No 'Pre-Agreement' on Bitar but Shiite Duo 'Hopes' Aoun, Miqati Will Act
Naharnet/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Hizbullah and Amal Movement’s announcement that they will return to Cabinet meetings was not preceded by any pre-agreement on the issue of Judge Tarek Bitar nor by a “package deal,” informed parliamentary sources said.
“The (Shiite) Duo have offered (Prime Minister Najib) Miqati and President Michel Aoun the stance of taking part in government meetings on the hope that Aoun and Miqati would resolve the Bitar crisis through prompting the executive authority to remove the obstacles blocking the formation of a parliamentary panel of inquiry, as stipulated by the constitution,” the sources added, in remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. “This stance will also prevent any attempts to postpone the parliamentary elections,” the sources noted, without ruling out the possibility of the presence of “international pressures” that necessitated the move. This might have manifested itself in the form of “French efforts and a U.S. endeavor to press for passing the 2022 state budget, which is considered an obligatory gateway to launch fruitful negotiations with the International Monetary Fund,” the sources went on to say. Hizbullah and Amal had announced their return to Cabinet in a surprising statement on Saturday, citing the dire economic situations in the country and the need to approve the state budget and the economic recovery plan.

Hezbollah, Amal to end boycott of Lebanon's cabinet after three-month deadlock
The Arab Weekly/January 16/2022
Lebanese pro-Iranian militant party Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement said Saturday they were ready to return to government meetings after three months of political deadlock that has exacerbated the country's economic crisis. The groups, which back several ministers in a government made up of members from across the political and sectarian spectrum, said the decision was driven by a desire to approve the 2022 budget and to discuss an economic recovery. "We announce our agreement to participate in cabinet meetings to approve the national budget and discuss the economic rescue plan and all that concerns improving the living conditions of the Lebanese," the two Shia movements said in a joint statement. Hezbollah and Amal said Saturday's decision was a "response to the needs of the citizens", citing "the collapse of the Lebanese pound's exchange rate, the decline of the public sector" and crumbling incomes and purchasing power. The country is in the throes of an economic meltdown that the World Bank has said is likely among the world's worst since the mid-19th century. About 80 percent of the population now lives in poverty and the local currency has shed more than 90 percent of its value on the black market.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun in late December called for an end to the government boycott, implicitly criticising his ally Hezbollah for blocking the cabinet meetings. The groups had been refusing to attend cabinet sessions as they tried to impose their will in the conduct of the judicial probe into the 2020 Beirut port blast, calling for the dismissal of the investigating judge. The failure to hold cabinet meetings has delayed talks on a recovery plan with the International Monetary Fund, seen as vital to unlocking international support to lift the country out of a crisis that has driven swathes of the nation into poverty. Hezbollah and Amal have sought the removal of a judge who has been overseeing the blast probe. They have accused Judge Tarek Bitar of bias after he sought to question two senior Amal figures charged over the blast. Bitar, who does not make public statements, has been quoted by the families of blast victims as saying he would press on with his investigation that has repeatedly been stalled by a slew of lawsuits filed by powerful suspects in the case. Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose post is held by a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon's sectarian political system, said in a statement he welcomed the decision to end the boycott and would call for a cabinet meeting as soon as he received a draft 2022 budget from the Finance Ministry. A government source said there was not expected to be a cabinet session in the coming week as budget preparations were still under way and figures for a financial recovery plan were being drawn up. Mikati has said his government was seeking to sign a preliminary agreement for an IMF support programme in February. An IMF spokesperson told Reuters that virtual talks would be held with Lebanese authorities in the last week of January.

Bekaa Governor gives instructions to concerned apparatuses to face snow, frost wave
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Governor of the Bekaa, Judge Kamal Abu Joudeh, contacted Sunday the Acting Commander of the Bekaa Regional District in the Internal Security Forces, Colonel Yasser Al-Mays, the Regional Director of Works in the Bekaa, Eng. Ahmed Al-Hajjar, and the Regional Director of Civil Defense in the Bekaa, Fayez Al-Shaqiyeh, asking them to remain fully prepared during the snow and frost wave that is hitting Lebanon, especially the Bekaa Valley, according to the forecasts of the Meteorological Department at Rafic Hariri International Airport - Beirut and the Department of Agricultural Scientific Research.
Similarly, the Governor’s instructions were circulated among all municipalities in the Bekaa Governorate, while urging citizens to take caution and abide by the guidelines of the security forces, and to avoid taking mountain roads except when necessary in order to preserve their safety.

Nahas says state budget almost ready, elections will be on time
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
MP Nicolas Nahas said that "the progress that has been made in the annual general budget, negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, and the electricity file, is what prompted the Amal-Hezbollah duo to take the decision to attend the cabinet sessions dedicated to approving the state budget."
Speaking in an interview with "Voice of All Lebanon" Radio Station this morning, Nahas indicated that "Prime Minister Najib Mikati is still adhering to his stance not to interfere in the work of the judiciary,” adding that “differences on this issue still exist.""The budget has become mature, and when it is referred to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, a cabinet session will be automatically summoned," he said. Nahas stressed that "the parliamentary elections will inevitably take place, and PM Mikati is adamant on holding them on time," noting that "this stage will reveal the capabilities of the various parties."
With regards to extracting Egyptian gas, he revealed that “the agreement was concluded with Egypt to this effect and all paths are open, pending an agreement with the World Bank on the loan that will cover the cost,” disclosing that PM Mikati received a promise from the World Bank during his presence at the Glasgow conference about its readiness to finance this project. As for the economic recovery plan, Nahas affirmed that "great effort is being exerted in this regard, with prime focus on preserving the depositor's funds, even if for several years."Nahas called for "a return to dealing with the Lebanese Lira, because dollarization is a scourge that has slaughtered Lebanon," expecting that "the dollar peg will drop to acceptable rates after the cabinet convenes and following agreement on difficult issues which may suggest a solution in the future." He also deemed it possible "that the International Monetary Fund will give money to Lebanon if the pace of work is accelerated, and it is not necessary to wait until after the elections."

Aegean Airlines Suspends Beirut Flights after Plane Damage
Associated Press/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Greece's dominant Aegean Airlines says it has suspended its flights to and from Lebanon's capital pending an investigation into the causes of damage to the fuselage of one of its aircraft discovered after it landed in Beirut.
The damage to the external fuselage of one of its aircraft was identified by ground staff after landing on Monday in Beirut's international airport, the airline said. It didn't identify the extent or type of damage and said the suspension of flights was announced the following day after informing authorities in both countries.Reports on social media, which were picked up by Lebanese media, suggested the aircraft may have been hit by flying bullets. Lebanese officials, including the minister of Public Works and Transport, vehemently denied gunfire was the cause of the damage. Beirut airport is in a busy residential area on the capital's edge, where celebratory gunfire is not uncommon. Ali Hamiyeh, the Lebanese minister, shared on his official Twitter account an email exchanged among Lebanese officials saying the hole in the left rear cockpit window was examined and it was determined that a bullet was not the cause of the damage. The examiners suggested the damage may have been caused by ground equipment before arriving in Beirut. The Greek airline said restarting flights will be announced in the coming weeks.

Communications Outage in Half of Beirut as OGERO Runs Out of Diesel
Naharnet/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Nearly half of the capital Beirut was plunged as of Sunday morning into a communications outage, as state-run telecom provider OGERO ran out of diesel needed to operate its power generators. OGERO Director-General Imad Kreidiyeh had tweeted overnight that the outage would be inevitable.
“This is a notification, not a warning… With the early morning hours, communications will be cut off in Beirut’s third district and the Mazraa station will stop operating, as we run out of our last liter of diesel,” he said.
He also apologized to Beirut and to “every city or village in Lebanon” over “what despicable bureaucracy has done to us.”

OGERO Head Threatens to Quit after Lack of Diesel Causes Beirut Outage
Naharnet/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Imad Kreidiyeh, the head of state-run telecom provider OGERO, on Sunday threatened to resign over the authority’s “lack of capabilities,” after a diesel shortage led to an hours-long communications outage in half of Beirut. “At 11:15 pm communications went down in Corniche al-Mazraa due to a silly reason, which is the delay of a Telecom Ministry accountant in signing a paper, because he was not present there,” Kreidiyeh told al-Jadeed TV, lamenting that “bureaucracy is killing our efforts to provide services to citizens in this country.”“There will be a meeting tomorrow morning at the Telecom Ministry and OGERO cannot work without capabilities,” the director general added, warning that he will not accept to remain in his post unless sufficient assets are secured. “If I cannot provide internet, it will be better to leave my post,” he added. Noting that the Ashrafieh station is also facing a possible outage “because it is operating on batteries,” Kreidiyeh revealed that “one of Beirut’s sons has donated” fuel. “Fuel has been secured for the Asrhafieh and Corniche al-Mazraa stations, and the Mazraa station is expected to return online within half an hour, but the quantity can only serve for three days after which we will return to the same dilemma,” the director general warned.

Derian from the Bekaa Valley: Let no one think the Sunnis can be compromised
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, inaugurated today the fourth general conference of the Arab Clans Union held in the town of Hosh El Harima in the western Bekaa region, at the home of the Union’s Chief, Sheikh Jassem al-Askar, in the presence of the Khaldah, North, Bekaa and Lebanon clans. In his word, Derian stressed the depth of the relationship between Dar Al-Fatwa and the Arab clans, saying: “We are patriots, Lebanese, Arabs, Muslims…These are the main addresses of Arab clans and their men.”
He added: "You are a basic fabric of this multinational nation, which I consider a jewel with its multiple affiliations that are keen on its unity, devotion, brotherhood, and coexistence among all its sons."
The Mufti stressed in his word that the Arab tribes are part of this pan-Arab ocean, adding, “Let no one think that he can consider us as third-class citizens…You are Lebanese who believe in coexistence and the diversity of this country and its role in its great Arab haven.”
“We live in a time when our country, Lebanon, is on the verge of collapse. Crises follow the nation and the citizens, and no one, no official, or institution has responded to these crises and these problems. How long will the disregard for the future of the nation and its advancement persist? I have reiterated over and over again, in politics you may differ as much as you like, but when it comes to the supreme interests you must unite, for there is no interest that takes precedence over the interest of the homeland, the love of the homeland, the people, their needs and their livelihood,” Derian underscored.
“Lebanon is the country in which we have chosen to live in brotherhood, coexistence and devotion for the nation. We have rights that we preserve, but many in this country do not preserve the rights of the homeland and the Lebanese. We are Arabs in depth and have a large Islamic grouping. We are not a sect. We are a large nation and part of a large nation. Muslims and Christians have participated in the establishment of this country since its foundation; we are part of the equation. For the survival of the country, no one can ignore us or marginalize us, for we are the basis of this country along with the rest of the loyalists. Let no one think that he can undermine the Sunni Muslims, they are patriotic Lebanese who preserve their coexistence before their remaining brothers in Lebanon. This is our Arab identity and Islam is our approach,” the Mufti emphasized. In reference to the parliamentary elections, Derian said: “Our firm position is that it is imperative that the elections take place on time, and this is a general demand of all the Lebanese…and in the ballot boxes we will resort to our conscience and our patriotism.”
It is to note that Mufti Derian had earlier began his Sunday Bekaa tour by visiting the residence of the late Mufti of Zahle and Bekaa, Sheikh Khalil al-Mays, where he was warmly welcomed by his family, some religious scholars, the mayor of Miskeh and several townsmen.
In his word during the visit, Derian said: "We are accustomed to starting any visit to the Bekaa from this noble home…Our visit today is to recall the achievements he left behind, entrusting them into our hands, and we will preserve this trust and work to develop it."In response to a question about appointing or electing a mufti for the Bekaa, he replied: "God willing, the procedures are going in full swing, and when appropriate conditions allow, we will hold elections with God's help,” expressing his readiness to welcome anyone chosen by the electoral body without discrimination.

Abu Zeid: We hope there will be no disruption of state institutions
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Adviser to the President of the Republic for Russian Affairs, former MP Amal Abu Zeid, commented today about the resumption of the work of the Council of Ministers, saying via Twitter: “The return of the ministers of Hezbollah and Amal Movement to participate in the work of the cabinet comes in response to the repeated calls of the President of the Republic to give priority to the sense of patriotism over anything else and to see the sufferings of the people...Our hope is that there will be no disruption to state institutions, that the budget will be approved as soon as possible, and that the economic and financial recovery plan will begin, which is the obligatory passageway for negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, and to implement reforms and obtain aid so as to enable the country to emerge from its inherited crises."

Project Watan: Cabinet sessions not to be linked to any judicial appointments
NNA/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
"Project Watan" tweeted Sunday on the cabinet's meeting issue, saying: "The Council of Ministers was created to convene...It was created to facilitate people's affairs, and had it not not been suspended for three months, many things would have been easier in the lives of suffering citizens...Hopefully, the government's work will not be tied later on to judicial appointments!"

MP Fadlallah Says Return to Cabinet for Country’s Sake, Citizens Needs
Naharnet/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Sunday that the Shiite Duo decided to return to Cabinet for the sake of Lebanon and the Lebanese. “We have decided to take this step to search for solutions,” Fadlallah said, adding that “if the boycott will worsen the financial and economic situation, we are ready to end it for the sake of the people.”He went on to say that Hizbullah and Amal reached this decision to “relieve the country, because the urgent financial and economic issues of the Lebanese are a priority to us.”Hizbullah and Amal had announced on Saturday the end of their three-months long boycott of Cabinet sessions. “This meets the repeated calls made by the premier for everyone’s participation in shouldering national responsibility, especially amid this critical situation, and in a manner that preserves the National Pact,” Prime Minister Najib Miqati said after the Shiite Duo’s announcement, welcoming their return to Cabinet.

شارل الياس شرتوني : اعاقة العمل القضائي واذلال القضاء المستتبع
Les entraves à la justice et les avanies d’une justice assujettie
Charles Elias Chartouni/January 16/2022
مقالة للكاتب والناشط السيادي شارل الياس شرتوني تتناول قرار النائب العام التمييزي غسان عويدات منع القاضي جان طنوس من ملاحقة ستة بنوك متهمة بغسيل الأموال
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/105655/charles-elias-chartouni-les-entraves-a-la-justice-et-les-avanies-dune-justice-assujettie-%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a7/
Le juge Jean Tannous est sommée de renoncer à la perquisition de six banques liées à une affaire de blanchiment d’argent* sur ordre du procureur général Ghassan Ouaidate, lequel ne faisait que souscrire aux intimations du premier ministre Nagib Miqati. Le subterfuge juridique servant de prétexte est celui de la violation de la loi du secret bancaire (Motion avancée en 1956 par Raymond Eddé et votée par le parlement libanais suite à la vague des nationalisations dans les pays arabes), alors qu’il s’agit d’un dossier de criminalité financière typique du système bancaire libanais de l’ère Taef. Nous ne sommes pas là devant une démarche inédite ou accidentelle surtout que cette pratique ne fait qu’illustrer la trame des triangulations financières en cours, et le régime de fraude institutionnalisée qui s’organise entre les instances judiciaires cooptées et instrumentalisées par les oligarchies régnantes (procureurs général et financier-Ali Ibrahim, Ghassan Ouaidate, qui relèvent respectivement de Nabih Berri et Najib Miqati).
La question qui se pose suite à ce nouvel épisode d’obstruction à la justice tourne autour des axes suivants: A/ l’opportunité et la légalité de la loi sur le secret bancaire, suite à l’effondrement du système bancaire libanais miné par trois décennies de pratiques frauduleuses et de blanchiment d’argent sale (vol du trésor public, terrorisme, criminalité organisée….), B/ Les conflits de juridiction qui répercutent l’affaissement de l’État de droit, la mise à mort du principe de la séparation des pouvoirs,et l’instrumentalisation du pouvoir judiciaire par les oligarques; C/ la relégation du pouvoir réglementaire des lois au profit du pouvoir discrétionnaire des politiques et hauts fonctionnaires et leurs conciliabules mutants (le parlement vassal instrumentalisé par Nabih Berri et les coalitions oligarchiques successives, la banque centrale comme centre de coordination des fraudes financières qui se structurent au croisement des quatre entités que sont l’État/ministère des finances, le parlement, la banque centrale et le système bancaire). D/ le refus de toutes réformes se rapportant à la révocation de la loi sur le secret bancaire, alors qu’elle est non seulement dysfonctionnelle et criminelle mais elle contrevient aux normes de la nouvelle culture bancaire (les grands professionnels des banques suisses sont venus à dessein au Liban pour donner des conférences à ce sujet dans les dix dernières années). Cette ignorance délibérée des requêtes internationales de réforme manifeste la culture délictueuse qui prévaut dans ce milieu professionnel, et ses liens de consubstantialité avec les oligarchies politico-financières qui ont monté cette entreprise de pillage spectaculaire qui a détruit les équilibres homéostatiques du pays et propulsé les dynamiques de désintégration tous azimuts.
Cet épisode symptomatique met en relief la pugnacité des verrouillages oligarchiques, le refus intentionnel d’engager des réformes, les complicités transversales et les partenariats montés avec les alliés de circonstance. Il est impossible d’envisager des entreprises réformistes à moins de démonter ce conglomérat hybride qui s’est construit aux interstices d’un État en faillite, d’une souveraineté nationale remise sur la sellette de manière cyclique, d’une narrativité démocratique bafouée, d’un pacte national transgressé par des dynamiques factieuses qui projettent la reconfiguration géopolitique et normative du pays dans le cadre de la stratégie iranienne de déstabilisation régionale pilotée par le Hezbollah et ses relais. Comment venir à bout de ce fouillis, alors que le consensus minimal non seulement fait défaut, mais il est expressément rejeté.
*Dossiers de Ryad et Raja Salameh
*La caricature empruntée au dessinateur algérien Hic nous
interpelle et nous rappelle les similitudes algéro-libanaises…

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 16-17/2022
Hostages Safe after Texas Synagogue Standoff, Captor Dead
Associated Press/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Four hostages are safe and their captor is dead after an hourslong standoff that began when the man took over services at a Texas synagogue where he could be heard ranting on a livestream and demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan. One hostage held Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville was released during the standoff; three others got out about 9 p.m. when an FBI SWAT team entered the building, authorities said. The hostage taker was killed and FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno said a team would investigate "the shooting incident."Video from Dallas TV station WFAA shows people running out a door of the synagogue, and then a man holding a gun opening the same door just seconds later, before he turns around and closes the door. Moments later, several rounds of gunfire can be heard, followed by the sound of an explosion. FBI and police spokeswomen declined to answer questions about who shot the man. DeSarno said the hostage taker was specifically focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community, and there was no immediate indication that the man was part of any broader plan. But DeSarno said the agency's investigation "will have global reach."It wasn't clear why the attacker chose the synagogue. Law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity earlier said that the hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida. He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her, according to the officials. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas. DeSarno said Saturday night that the man had been identified "but we are not prepared to release his identity or confirm his identity at this time."A rabbi in New York City received a call from the rabbi believed to be held hostage in the synagogue to demand Siddiqui's release, a law enforcement official said. The New York rabbi then called 911. Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after that, FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont said.
Saturday's services were being livestreamed on the synagogue's Facebook page for a time. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion at times during the livestream, which didn't show what was happening inside the synagogue.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the man said, "You got to do something. I don't want to see this guy dead." Moments later, the feed cut out. A Meta company spokesperson later confirmed that Facebook removed the video.
Multiple people heard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his "sister" on the livestream. But John Floyd, board chair for the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, — the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group — said Siddiqui's brother, Mohammad Siddiqui, was not involved.
"This assailant has nothing to do with Dr. Aafia, her family, or the global campaign to get justice for Dr. Aafia. We want the assailant to know that his actions are wicked and directly undermine those of us who are seeking justice for Dr. Aafia," said Floyd, who also is legal counsel for Mohammad Siddiqui. "We have confirmed that the family member being wrongly accused of this heinous act is not near the DFW Metro area."Texas resident Victoria Francis told the AP that she watched about an hour of the livestream before it cut out. She said she heard the man rant against America and claim he had a bomb.
"He was just all over the map. He was pretty irritated and the more irritated he got, he'd make more threats, like 'I'm the guy with the bomb. If you make a mistake, this is all on you.' And he'd laugh at that," she said. "He was clearly in extreme distress." Francis, who grew up near Colleyville, tuned in after she read about the hostage situation. She said it sounded like the man was talking to the police department on the phone, with the rabbi and another person trying to help with the negotiations. Colleyville, a community of about 26,000 people, is about 15 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of Fort Worth. The synagogue is nestled among large houses in a leafy residential neighborhood that includes several churches, a middle and elementary school and a horse farm.
Congregation Beth Israel is led by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who has been there since 2006 as the synagogue's first full-time rabbi. He has worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion and learning to the community, according to his biography, and he loves welcoming everyone, including LGBT people, into the congregation. Anna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and Cytron-Walker has worked hard to build interfaith relationships in the community, including doing pulpit swaps and participating in a community peace walk. She described Saturday's events as "surreal." "This is unlike anything we've ever experienced. You know, it's a small town and it's a small congregation," Eisen said as the hostage situation was ongoing. "No matter how it turns out it's hard to fathom how we will all be changed by this, because surely we will be."
President Joe Biden issued a statement thanking law enforcement after the hostage situation ended. "There is more we will learn in the days ahead about the motivations of the hostage taker. But let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate—we will stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country," Biden said. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Twitter that he had been monitoring the situation closely. "This event is a stark reminder that antisemitism is still alive and we must continue to fight it worldwide," he wrote. He said he was "relieved and thankful" that the hostages were rescued. The standoff had prompted increased security in other places, including New York City, where police said that they had increased their presence "at key Jewish institutions" out of an abundance of caution. Siddiqui earned advanced degrees from Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before she was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison on charges that she assaulted and shot at U.S. Army officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years earlier. The punishment sparked outrage in Pakistan among political leaders and her supporters, who viewed her as victimized by the American criminal justice system. In the years since, Pakistan officials have expressed interest publicly in any sort of deal or swap that could result in her release from U.S. custody, and her case has continued to draw attention from supporters. In 2018, for instance, an Ohio man who prosecutors say planned to fly to Texas and attack the prison where Siddiqui is being held in an attempt to free her was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Twitter Bans Account Linked to Iran's Supreme Leader over Video Threatening Trump
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Twitter said Saturday it had permanently suspended an account linked to Iran's supreme leader that posted a video calling for revenge for a top general's assassination against former US president Donald Trump. "The account referenced has been permanently suspended for violating our ban evasion policy," a Twitter spokesperson told AFP. The account, @KhameneiSite, this week posted an animated video showing an unmanned aircraft targeting Trump, who ordered a drone strike in Baghdad two years ago that killed top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani. bSupreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's main accounts in various languages remain active. Last year, another similar account was suspended by Twitter over a post also appearing to reference revenge against Trump. The recent video, titled "Revenge is Definite", was also posted on Khamenei's official website. According to Twitter, the company's top priority is keeping people safe and protecting the health of the conversation on the platform. The social media giant says it has clear policies around abusive behavior and will take action when violations are identified. As head of the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Soleimani was the architect of its strategy in the Middle East. He and his Iraqi lieutenant were killed by a US drone strike outside Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020. Khamenei has repeatedly promised to avenge his death. On January 3, the second anniversary of the strike, the supreme leader and ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi once again threatened the US with revenge.Trump's supporters regularly denounce the banning of the Republican billionaire from Twitter, underscoring that accounts of several leaders considered authoritarian by the United States are allowed to post on the platform.

Iran, China Start Implementing Strategic Deal
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
China and Iran began implementing a strategic agreement to enhance their economic and political cooperation. The two countries signed the deal last year, which will include several sectors, including energy, security, infrastructure, and communications. China's foreign ministry website published a summary of the meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday in Wuxi, in Jiangsu province. Few details of the secretive deal have been published, but The New York Times reported in 2020 that it would secure a regular supply of oil for China, citing a draft of the agreement leaked to the paper. China is Iran's leading trade partner and one of the largest buyers of this country's oil before former US President Donald Trump re-imposed sweeping unilateral sanctions on Iran in 2018. China has officially stopped importing oil from Iran, but analysts confirm that Iranian crude oil is still entering the country as imports from other countries. Wang told his Iranian counterpart that China would continue to "oppose the unilateral and illegal sanctions against Iran," the Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying. Beijing has long sought to boost its relations with Tehran.
Chinese President Xi Jinping described Iran as "China's major partner in the Middle East" on a rare visit in 2016. The meeting between Wang and Abdollahian comes as talks continue in Vienna to salvage the nuclear deal with Iran. The 2015 agreement between Iran, the US, China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany offered to lift sanctions on Tehran in return for curbing its nuclear program. But the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed harsh sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to backtrack on its commitments. Talks to revive the nuclear deal resumed in late November after being suspended in June, following the election of a hard-line conservative government in Tehran. The Foreign Ministry statement quoted Wang telling his Iranian counterpart that China considers the United States responsible for the outcome of the nuclear deal's situation. According to official Iranian media, top Iranian and European negotiators returned to their capitals for brief consultations, as talks in Vienna to revive the agreement reached a crucial stage. State-owned IRNA news agency reported that the negotiators would return to Vienna within two days, but expert-level discussions would continue through the weekend. It quoted an unnamed source saying that the number of issues of difference has decreased, and delegations are busy discussing a way of implementing any potential agreement. The teams are negotiating on complex issues and preparing the wordings of a future document. Tehran seeks to lift the sanctions that Washington re-imposed on it after its withdrawal from the agreement and obtain guarantees that the US withdrawal will not be repeated. "We are discussing the details," the source said, adding that "this is one of the most tedious, long and difficult parts of the negotiations, but is essential for achieving our goal."During the past few days, the statements of those involved in the negotiations reflected some progress while confirming disagreements on various issues. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday that a renewed deal with Iran on curtailing its nuclear program remained "possible" as talks in Vienna were advancing in a "better atmosphere." On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that efforts by "all parties" to revive the nuclear agreement resulted in "good progress."French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian recently noted progress in the talks but said it was "too slow." Western countries stress the need to reach an understanding quickly, especially in light of Iran's nuclear activities since it retreated from its commitments under the agreement. For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that there would be "a few weeks" left to save the nuclear agreement, stressing that Washington would consider "other options" if the negotiations fail.

Iran Jails Anew French Academic for 'Violating' House Arrest
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah was jailed anew for "violating" house arrest limits, an official from the Islamic republic's judiciary authority said on Sunday. "Ms Adelkhah... has unfortunately knowingly violated the limits of house arrest dozens of times," Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy head of the judiciary, was quoted as saying by Mizan Online, the authority's news agency. "She has insisted on doing so despite repeated warnings from judicial authorities. So now... she has been returned to prison," he added.

Army pay increase | Tehran-backed militias raise combatants’ pay
SOHR/January 16/2022
Reliable sources have informed SOHR that the militias, operating under the banner of “revolutionary guard” deployed across Syria in regime-controlled areas, have boosted the salaries of their fighters since the beginning of the new year. The salaries of Iran-backed Syrian militiamen have been raised to 108,000 Syrian lire equivalent to 30 USD, while the salaries of Iran-backed non-Syrian militiamen have been increased from 1000 Syrian lira to 135,000,000 Syrian lire, equivalent to 38 US dollars. On January 13, SOHR reported that Iran-backed militia from different non-Syrian nationalities had centered in one of the farms stationed between Deir Al-Asafeer and Bizaynah regions in east Ghouta Dimashiq. According to SOHR sources, the Iranian militia was working for months on preparing and fortifying the farm with ready-made rooms and soil barriers. The Iranian militia brought in “iron sheets” and some trees and put them on the farm to camouflage their moves against reconnaissance aircraft. They also deployed some checkpoints in the vicinity of the farm that was used as a former headquarters for the 4th Division after the regime controlled the southern part of east Al-Ghoutah in May 2016. Some farmers told SOHR sources that members speaking in Iraqi dialects and others who do not speak Arabic were touring the surroundings of the farm, which was taken as a post for Iranian factions, on daily bases. On the other hand, reliable sources informed SOHR that the Iranian factions based inside “Air defence Liwaa 22” in north Al-Otiybah lake in east Al-Ghoutah countryside in Damascus province, were bolstering the post largely via digging tunnels and shelters and covered the digging areas with trees to avoid being spotted by satellites and reconnaissance aircrafts.

Kazakhstan Raises Death Toll to 225 in Days of Protests
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
A top law-enforcement official in Kazakhstan said Saturday that 225 people died during the violent demonstrations that shook the country this month, a significantly higher number than previously announced. Serik Shalabayev, head of the criminal prosecution service in the general prosecutor’s office, said 19 police officers or servicemen were among the dead, news reports said. More than 4,300 people were injured, he said. The previous official death toll was 164. Demonstrations started on Jan. 2 in the oil and gas-rich Central Asian nation to protest a sharp rise in fuel prices. They quickly spread nationwide, widened into a general protest against the country's authoritarian government and descended into violence within several days, especially in Almaty, the country’s largest city. Protesters stormed government buildings and set them ablaze. At the request of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization sent a force of more than 2,000 soldiers, mostly Russians, to act as peacekeepers. The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that its troops had returned home, but it was unclear if forces from other alliance countries remained in Kazakhstan.

Egypt Calls for African Strategy to Eliminate Terrorism
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called for formulating a clear African strategy to eliminate terrorism and dry up its financing sources. Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Mabdouli delivered a speech on behalf of Sisi via videoconference during the African Union's Executive Council meeting.
President of Congo Felix Tshisekedi currently chairs the AU. The meeting addressed several issues of the African continent. Sisi expressed Egypt's appreciation for the efforts of Congo, led by President Tshisekedi, to advance the interests of the African continent. The Egyptian Cabinet issued a statement affirming that the President reviewed Egypt's position on peace and security in the African continent, calling for the formulation of a clear African strategy to eliminate the threat of extremism and terrorism and dry up its sources. Sisi highlighted Egypt's endeavor to assist the African countries by intensifying training courses for their people, combating terrorism, and participating in UN peacekeeping missions through the Sahel and Sahara Counter-terrorism Centre in Cairo, Madbouli said. President Sisi also affirmed "Egypt's readiness to provide more support at the bilateral level or through the AU mechanisms," Madbouli continued, adding that Cairo aims to contribute to the efforts of overcoming the challenges facing the African continent and achieve the goals and aspirations of the peoples towards a better future. Tshisekedi thanked Sisi for Egypt's readiness to enhance the capabilities of various African countries, mainly through training courses in the field of combating terrorism.

Netanyahu Negotiating Plea Deal in Corruption Trial
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a plea deal in his corruption case, a person involved in the talks said Sunday.
The deal, which could be signed as early as this week, could usher Netanyahu off the Israeli political stage for years, paving the way for a leadership race in his Likud party and shaking up Israel's political map. Any deal would also absolve Netanyahu of an embarrassing and protracted trial that has gripped the nation and risks tarnishing his legacy. A spokesman for Netanyahu declined to comment, The Associated Press reported. Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. The former premier, now opposition leader, denies wrongdoing.
The person involved in the negotiations said the plea deal would drop the bribery and fraud charges and scrap one case entirely. The person asked for anonymity because he wasn´t authorized to discuss the details of the talks. He said a plea deal would likely be announced in the coming days. The person said a number of elements remained unresolved, including the inclusion of the charge of "moral turpitude," which under Israeli law would ban Netanyahu from politics for seven years. They were also deliberating whether Netanyahu would be forced to do community service under the deal.
Including "moral turpitude" would challenge Netanyahu's vows to return to lead the country after his 12-year reign was ended last year by a coalition of ideologically disparate parties with little in common other than its opposition to his leadership. But Netanyahu, dubbed a political wizard for his ability to survive repeated attempts at ending his rule, could make a comeback when the ban expires. He would be nearly 80. His departure from the political scene would set off a leadership race in the Likud party, with several lawmakers already promising to run. Likud isn't expected to remain as dominant without Netanyahu, but would still be a major force under a new leader. With Netanyahu gone, the more nationalist elements of the coalition could decide to break off from the fragile union and opt to join forces with their ideological brethren. Netanyahu is charged in three separate cases. The first alleges that Netanyahu received gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy associates. In the second case, Netanyahu is accused of orchestrating positive coverage in a major Israeli paper in exchange for promoting legislation that would have harmed the news outlet´s chief rival, a free pro-Netanyahu daily.
The third, nicknamed Case 4000, alleges that Netanyahu promoted legislation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the owner of Israeli telecom giant Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage on its Walla news site.

Egypt Arrests Wanted Man after Plane's Emergency Landing
Associated Press/Sunday, 16 January, 2022
Egyptian authorities have announced the arrest of a prominent member of a U.S.-designated terrorist group. According to government media, the suspect was detained after a Turkey-bound flight from Sudan that he was on made an emergency landing in Egypt. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that a man, identified as Hossam Menoufy, had been arrested earlier in the week but did not provide further details. A man with that name is known to be a member of HASM, a group previously implicated in several deadly militant attacks in Egypt. Authorities also say that HASM was responsible for a car bombing outside an Egyptian hospital that killed 20 people in 2019. HASM, which the United States designated a terrorist group in 2018, is considered to be a splinter of the Muslim Brotherhood group. Egypt has long banned and declared the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
Egypt has been waging a campaign against the Brotherhood since the country's military in 2013 removed President Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the group, after massive protests against his rule. Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, thousands of Brotherhood members but also other Islamists and many secular dissidents have been jailed. Al-Sisi's government has also continued to fight Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula. Menoufy was sentenced in absentia in 2017 to life in prison, along with hundreds of others, for alleged involvement in the attempted assassination of a top judiciary official, according to the government-run Al-Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper. HASM also claimed responsibility for the attack that killed an Egyptian National Security Agency officer and an attack that attempted to kill Egypt's former top religious leader, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. A statement Friday from Badr Airlines, an airline based in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum which was operating the flight Wednesday to Istanbul, confirmed the arrest of a passenger upon landing in Egypt, without naming the person. The airline said a smoke alarm had gone off in error in the plane's cargo hold, forcing it to land in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor. Once, there, passengers got off the plane to wait for a replacement, and were subjected to Egyptian border control procedures, Badr Airlines said.

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 16-17/2022
Europe's Multicultural Volcano
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/January 16/ 2022
"[E]nclaves, mini-states and neighborhoods in large European cities will begin to appear. Yes, they will always be a minority. But they are more united and threaten violence. And the state will have to obey their instructions". — Sergei Markov, Russian political scientist, interview in Lenta.ru, January 3, 2022.
Many of the migrants already live on the generosity of European welfare, even as the police, social workers and ambulances do not enter these areas or must be protected when they do.
In these lost areas, we are no longer in Europe.
On December 8, 2021, during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 30 of the Catholic faithful were attacked in the street and threatened with death. The attackers shouted, "kuffars" ("infidels") and "it is not your home", Le Figaro reported. "Wallah [I swear] on the Koran, we will cut your throat", attackers told the priest who opened the procession. This took place not in Pakistan, but in Nanterre, France.
In Brussels, according to former Secretary of State Bianca Debaets, "there are too many areas where it is difficult for women and homosexuals to walk".
Although women of foreign nationality are only one-sixth of all women of childbearing age in Belgium, half of all children in Belgium are now born to foreign women.... This is the picture that just emerged from the National Institute of Statistics.
One-third of Belgium's population is of foreign origin; Belgians are already in the minority in Brussels....
But as everyone knows, the "Great Replacement" is just a far-right fantasy....
This multicultural volcano is not a threat only in the distant future of Europe; it is already in place. The big question is: why is it not stopped?
This transformation is the single most important event in Europe. That anyone who reports about it is accused of "racism" and "Islamophobia" suggests that it is a secret too huge and important to be freely discussed.
"We in the West are used to seeing women everywhere around us," Ayaan Hirsi Ali (pictured) writes in her new book, Prey, before describing that in certain parts of Brussels, London, Paris and Stockholm, "you suddenly notice that only men are visible," as women "erase themselves" from public spaces. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
"If Europe does not regain control, Islamized mini-states could soon appear ". The prediction comes from the Russian political scientist Sergei Markov. In an interview published by Lenta.ru, Markov notes that European institutions are adapting to the Islamic way of life, values and traditions (the recent campaigns of the Council of Europe in favor of the Muslim veil is an example), and adds:
"Fully Islamized Islamic enclaves, mini-states and neighborhoods in large European cities will begin to appear. Yes, they will always be a minority. But they are more united and threaten violence. And the state will have to obey their instructions".
Europe should pay attention to what Markov says. It is not even a warning. It is already here. In 2021, 35,000 migrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa -- five times the number of inhabitants on the island (6,500), according to InfoMigrants. Imagine if the same demographic process took place in a city -- and then more cities.
The most complete picture of Europe's so-called "no-go zones" was created by the Migration Research Institute of Budapest, linked to the prestigious Mattias Corvinus College, which reported that in Europe there are more than 900 areas of this type.
Many of the migrants already live on the generosity of European welfare, even as the police, social workers and ambulances do not enter these areas or must be protected when they do. Gangs and organized crime dominate the street, high birth rates guarantee demographic expansion and Islamic sharia law is de facto respected by the inhabitants; butchers are only halal, "mixed" hairdressers disappear, Islamic bookshops proliferate, Jews leave, churches are often converted to mosques and women are pressured to comply with sharia law.
"We in the West are used to seeing women everywhere around us," Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes in her new book, Prey, before describing that in certain parts of Brussels, London, Paris and Stockholm, "you suddenly notice that only men are visible," as women "erase themselves" from public spaces.
Forced marriages are booming. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo recently reported that forced marriages in Spain "have increased by 60 percent since 2015", the year of the arrival of a massive wave of migrants. 14% of these forced marriages take place with girls under the age of 15 and "only one in three has reached the age of 18".
In Trappes, France, "there are hardly any mixed hairdressers left". A France 2 report denounced the disappearance of women from bars in Muslim-majority neighborhoods. In many municipalities, swimming pools set aside separate times for women and men. On the BFMTV channel, Fewzi Benhabib, residing in Saint-Denis since his arrival from Algeria 25 years ago, tells of toy stores where you can find "perfectly veiled dolls" and eyeless teddy bears. "In Islam, the [human] image is taboo," Benhabib explains. "Today," said the philosopher Alain Finkielkraut, "there are 145 mosques in Seine-Saint-Denis, to 117 churches..."
In these lost areas, we are no longer in Europe.
France's General Directorate for Internal Security has mapped 150 districts "in possession" of a group: neighborhoods and enclaves now in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists who shape them according to their ideology of submission. "More than 500 districts in France are declared 'sensitive'", historian Georges Bensoussan told Le Figaro. "To put it bluntly, we are talking about several million people who are subject to Islamist law". There are 150 such districts according to official estimates published by newspapers, but 500 are the areas considered districts at risk.
There are 25 cities in France where the percentage of young non-Europeans is between 70% and 79%. In four cities of Seine-Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris, it is more than 70%: La Courneuve (75% in 2017 versus 47% in 1990), Villetaneuse (73% versus 45%), Clichy-sous-Bois (72% versus 51%), Aubervilliers (70% against 39%).
With numbers such as these, it is easy to have entire cities with a Muslim majority. Le Monde Diplomatique writes about Roubaix that there are 96,000 inhabitants who form a Muslim majority. Then Trappes: "32,000 inhabitants, of which 70 percent are Muslims...." and 40-50 different nationalities.
On December 8, 2021, during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 30 of the Catholic faithful were attacked in the street and threatened with death. The attackers shouted, "kuffars" ("infidels") and "it is not your home", Le Figaro reported. "Wallah [I swear] on the Koran, we will cut your throat", attackers told the priest who opened the procession. This took place not in Pakistan, but in Nanterre, France. Jean-Marc Sertillange, deacon of the local parish, said: "The route of just one kilometer was authorized by the prefecture".
"In Sweden there are 60 'risk areas'", the Swedish journalist Paulina Neuding wrote in The Spectator. As in Alby, a suburb of Stockholm known as "little Baghdad", only one in ten inhabitants is native Swedish. Neuding's findings were confirmed by the last list from the Swedish government. The result is what the German newspaper Bild called "the most dangerous country in Europe". "Sweden," The Economist noted, "has had the highest death rate from shootings in Europe in the last 15 years." Between 2012 and 2020, gunshot deaths tripled.
Why should Sweden be of interest? Because it is the country that has gone further than any other in establishing multicultural politics. It has built a system designed to provide migrants and refugees with the same social welfare benefits that Swedes have given to themselves and has the highest percentage of people who have obtained asylum. In 2016 alone, Sweden welcomed 163,000 people, the equivalent of 1.6% of its total population. Combined with other years, it is a demographic tsunami: 28% of the population are foreign-born.
In Sweden's Social Democratic newspaper Folkbladet, Kyösti Tarvainen, a professor at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, who studies demographic changes, stated that "with immigration unchanged, ethnic Swedes will be a minority by 2065". By 2100, there will be as many Muslims as there are ethnic Swedes. In 2019, Tarvainen revealed, 88% of immigrants residing in Sweden were of non-European origin and half were of the Muslim faith.
Denmark announced that it will limit the number of "non-Western" residents to 30% in high-density neighborhoods, because too many non-Western foreigners in an area "increase the risk of parallel religious and cultural societies". According to a government list, there are at least 15 of these areas.
In the UK -- where the esteemed Oxford demographer David Coleman predicted that in 50 years whites will be a minority -- immigration now represents 90% of the country's population growth. In many cities, Muslims make up a large proportion of the population: Hodge Hill in Birmingham (52.1%), Bradford West (51.3%), East Ham (37.4%), Blackburn (36.3%), Bethnal Green & Bow (35.4%), Leicester South (27.8%), Luton North (22.4%).
By 2031, according to the census, "several areas of Bradford, Blackburn, Birmingham, Leicester, Slough, Luton and some boroughs of London will be predominantly Muslim," wrote former consultant to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Ed Husain, in his book Among the Mosques. "The Tower Hamlets district, which includes most of the in East London and Canary Wharf... has the highest percentage of Muslim residents in the UK, with 38 per cent". It is the "parallel society" denounced by the weekly The Economist and brought as a gift by multiculturalism, the grave of Western illusions.
In Brussels, according to former Secretary of State Bianca Debaets, "there are too many areas where it is difficult for women and homosexuals to walk". Although women of foreign nationality are only one-sixth of all women of childbearing age in Belgium, half of all children in Belgium are now born to foreign women. This is the picture that recently emerged from the National Institute of Statistics. One-third of Belgium's population is of foreign origin and Belgians are already in the minority in Brussels. But as everyone knows, the "Great Replacement" is just a far-right fantasy....
The city of Antwerp, the second largest in Belgium, now has more immigrants than natives. As the MP Herman De Croo revealed, "78 per cent of Antwerp's children aged 1 to 6 are foreigners". The result? "Belgium will become Arab". This prediction does not come from a dangerous right-wing conspirator, but from a journalist, Fawzia Zouari, writing in the newspaper Jeune Afrique.
"There are neighborhoods in Essen, Duisburg and Berlin," said Jens Spahn, the outgoing German health minister, "where one gets the impression that the state is no longer capable of enforcing the law."
The German daily Bild identified 40 "problem areas" throughout Germany. It was Angela Merkel herself in 2015 who admitted that multiculturalism had led to the birth of "parallel societies". Why? "The importance of Islam in Germany will increase," stated the renowned sociologist Detlef Pollack, the country's foremost expert on religious trends, in Switzerland's Neue Zürcher Zeitung, "and that of Christianity will decrease...". In 2022, for the first time, fewer than half of the Germans will belong to one of the big churches.
A University of Freiburg study predicts that half of all Christians in the country will disappear.
Within thirty years, according to the Pew Forum, the Muslim faithful who settled in Germany will equal the total number of Catholics and Protestants, many of whom will be only nominally religious.
"Muslims, the Winners of Demographic Change," headlined Germany's daily Die Welt. "US researchers predict that for the first time in history there will be more Muslims than Christians. Societies change. Even the German one".
The list could go on and on.
This multicultural volcano forecast by Sergei Markov -- or by former French president François Hollande if we distrust the Russians -- is not a threat only in the distant future of Europe; it is already in place. The big question is: why is it not stopped?
This transformation is the single most important event in Europe. That anyone who reports about it is accused of "racism" and "Islamophobia" suggests that it is a secret too huge and important to be freely discussed.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 2022 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.

May Our Societies Remain Insular and Stagnant!
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/January 16/2022
With the US war on Iraq in 2003, an argument opposed to the war out of concern for Iraq, democracy and international law emerged. Democracy is not something illegally imposed by force. Doing so undermines both democracy and the law, as well as harming the Iraqis themselves.
The argument was valid, and subsequent years and experiences made it more so. Its weakness stemmed from the fact that most of those who reiterated it care about neither Iraq, democracy nor international law. Imagine a regime like the Syrian regime, one among other examples, reiterating this argument as it sent tools of death to Iraq.
Today, in the axis of resistance circles, a campaign has been waged against international organizations and George Soros in particular: they are pushing values different to our own. They are a fifth column, a Trojan horse!
Of course, it would be ridiculous if the critics from this axis had talked about those organizations using force to impose their values or claimed that these organizations undermine democracy or violate international law. With that, the acrimony with which they are being confronted is akin to that which faced the US war, with its army, planes and tanks.
Where does the actual problem lie then?
In all likelihood, it is any intervention altering our status quo that the axis of resistance hates, whether that intervention is violent or nonviolent, legal or illegal, and regardless of the degree to which it manages to change things. As for interventions that solidify the status quo and entrench it, they are always welcome, as shown by the constant and boisterous celebrations of the Russians and Iranians’ barbarous intervention to support a regime whose origins go back to 1963.
This behavior stems from a broad worldview: We want things to remain as they are and to stifle freedoms that subvert the status quo. Because this worldview is universal, praise is lavished at the policy Russia has pursued in its immediate geographical vicinity, which is to crush any desire the peoples in that vicinity may have. China is also praised for threatening the will of the Taiwanese to maintain their independence and that of the Tibetans to become independent, while silence looms over China’s extremely cruel persecution of its Muslim population.
The so-called policies of resistance can thus be unequivocally categorized as reactionary in the accurate sense of the word, that is, policies only concerned with perpetuating the status quo and putting an end to the transformations that were brought up by the end of the Cold War. Of course, these proclivities go beyond the axis of resistance and characterize other groups and regimes as well. Nonetheless, the axis and its international allies have taken on the task of framing these tendencies ideologically and justifying the stances that stem from them. Those outside this axis who hate all interventions are vulnerable to feeling embarrassed and sometimes even becoming mute.
As for the eternal radical agenda that should never change, it can be summed up in three successive shifts: war- loss- war or resistance- occupation- resistance… that has been the formula since the days of Ahmad Arabi in the late nineteenth century, and it will remain so until the end of times. All that has changed is that the faction that has come to sponsor the implementation of this agenda is no longer spontaneous, grassroots communities; it is despotic regimes whose relationship with their people is not questioned and should not be disputed.
The problem is that this world that the axis of resistance is defending is extremely fragile: it is threatened by trade, tourism, and a channel or bridge being built. It is threatened by life in democratic society, and by its people becoming familiar, through social media or television, with what is happening in the outside world. It is threatened by us comparing themselves with those we are snooping on as they live better lives. It is threatened by cinema and books, “which should be monitored closely” and should “not be allowed to infiltrate us.”
Certainly and unfortunately, this is not the only trend in the world, and it can coexist with weak, populist, nationalist and perhaps racist worldviews. It is, however, powerful enough to raise fears. The countries withdrawn from the world are escaping their isolation through various means. This, for example, is the case for Vietnam, whose experience Laos is trying to replicate. It also would have been the case for Cuba had Donald Trump not reinstated, in 2017, many of the restrictions on dealing with it that Barack Obama had removed. North Korea will likely be the last country to remain isolated and continue to rot from that isolation.
Here, we find some explanation for the pain apparent in the tone of some axis of resistance writers and media outlets, which neighbors an inflated, triumphant tone which fewer and fewer people believe: constantly dwelling on a time gone by and leaders who are long gone and constantly complaining about an epoch in which the old slogans are no longer “in fashion,” as people have become more preoccupied with new concerns and are more reliant on other ways of seeing things and thinking about them.
Indeed, times change, and their changes are precisely what turn them into history. As for not recognizing change, moving like a train whose path nothing can change, and living on the basis of one simple idea that was passed onto us from fathers and grandfathers whom it is not evident had been sufficiently wise… all of that removes one from history altogether.
Leave our societies stagnant and insular so that we can continue to rule and impoverish them. That is the axis of resistance’s motto today.