LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 30/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus Said: You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I
am, you cannot come.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 07/31-36/:”Many in
the crowd believed in him and were saying, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he do
more signs than this man has done?’The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such
things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to
arrest him. Jesus then said, ‘I will be with you a little while longer, and then
I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me;
and where I am, you cannot come.’The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this
man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the
Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying,
“You will search for me and you will not find me” and, “Where I am, you cannot
come”?
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News & Editorials published on March 29-30/2020
Our Father, Almighty God Is Our Sole Refuge/Elias Bejjani/March 29/2020
Lebanon Virus Cases Hit 438 as Two More Patients Die
Hariri Hospital: Number of recovered patients rises to 32, two cases released to
be home quarantined
Health Ministry: 438 lab-confirmed Coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Lebanese Gov’t to Return Expats Stranded Abroad
Lebanese security forces tear down Beirut protest camp as country imposes
coronavirus measures
Army Patrol Comes under Fire in Baalbek Town
Lebanese Helicopter Evacuates Army Officers from Egypt
Makiya: Test results reveal that there are no infected cases among Cabinet
members, despite extensive meetings
Jumblatt calls for establishing mutual funds in villages to help the
underprivileged
Fadlallah: Contacts yielded a kind of understanding over return of Lebanese from
abroad, within the framework of a sound health plan
African Continental Council Chairman in a letter to Diab: We propose an
evacuation plan from Africa without charging the state any cost
A new Lebanon will emerge after Corona,’ Frem says
Foreign Ministry places hotline numbers for embassies, consulates abroad
Abdel Samad: Communication door is open to anyone possessing information on
waste expenditure
Govt. to Adopt Expat Return Mechanism Tuesday after Berri Warning
Aswad Slams Calls for Bringing Home Expats as Farce
Lebanon may extend virus curbs as death rate rises/Najia Houssari/Arab
News/March 29, 2020
Lebanon hospitals 'discriminating against' undocumented workers seeking vital
coronavirus testing/The New Arab/March 29/2020
Stimulus billions can’t buy hospitals out of shortage crisis/Associated
Press/March 29/2020
Virus Measures Spark Lebanon, Mideast Fears of Liberties Setback/Agence France
Presse/Naharnet//March 29/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
March 29-30/2020
Turkish leaders mum on Iran’s suspected killing of dissident in Istanbul
Turkey Deploys US-Made Air Defense System in NW Syria
Top Scientist Says Coronavirus Could Claim Up to 200,000 U.S. Lives
Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says gay marriage caused coronavirus
Canada/Tenants, landlords face dilemma as rent comes due on April 1
Former Iran deputy speaker Mohammad Reza Khatami infected with coronavirus
Iran still accepts Shia pilgrims arriving to Qom despite coronavirus pandemic
Iran: 123 New Coronavirus Deaths, Rouhani Says It's Not Time For 'Politcal War'
Iran Warns of Lengthy 'New Way of Life' as Virus Deaths Rise
Record Virus Deaths in Spain as World Hunkers Down for Long Haul
UK Lockdown Will Last 'Significant' Period
Israel’s Netanyahu, Gantz make ‘significant progress’ toward unity govt
Palestinians Mourn Theresa Halsa, Hijacker of 1972 Flight to Tel Aviv
Palestinians Bid Farewell to Syria's Yarmouk Refugee Camp
Zurfi Discusses New Government’s Priorities With EU Ambassadors
Plane catches fire at Manila airport, killing all 8 aboard/JIM GOMEZ/Associated
PressMarch 29, 2020
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on March 29-30/2020
He Simply “Hates Christians”: The Persecution of Christians: January
2020/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/March 29/2020
Turkey: Pressures, Attacks, & Discrimination against Christians/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone
Institute/March 29/2020
Wars won’t wait for coronavirus threat to pass/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/March
29, 2020
Iran using virus to lobby for lifting of sanctions/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/March 29, 2020
Governments caught between their image and their citizens’ safety/Abdulrahman
Al-Rashed/Arab News/March 29, 2020
Sukuk, coronavirus, stimulus, deficits: How the sharia-compliant bond can help/Bashar
Al-Natoor/Al Arabiya/March 29/2020
Coronavirus pandemic is reshaping the geopolitical order/Sultan Althari/Al
Arabiya/March 29/2020
Iran campaign for sanctions relief seeks to cover up negligence over coronavirus/Jason
Brodsky/Al Arabiya/March 29/2020
The West Needs to Wake Up to China's Duplicity/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute
The messages behind Saudi Arabia's oil market moves/Khattar Abou Diab/The Arab
Weekly/March 29/2020
17 years ago, the US target was Iraq not its regime/Khairallah Khairallah/The
Arab Weekly/March 29/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on March 29-30/2020
Our Father, Almighty God Is Our Sole Refuge
Elias Bejjani/March 29/2020
أبانا السماوي هو ملجأنا الوحيد
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/84669/elias-bejjani-our-father-almighty-god-is-our-sole-refuge-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%8a-%d9%87%d9%88-%d9%85%d9%84%d8%ac%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d9%84/
In the midst of the Corona Virus spread and hazards we are ought to pray and
pray for the recovery of all those who are sick and specially for the ones who
are either unable to take care of themselves, or living in countries where the
health services are not good or unqualified to deal with the corona spread.
Currently, in the face of the Corona Virus attack the whole world is in state on
fear and confusion.
Yes it is very true and extremely wise to resort to science and scientists
hoping for a curing drug or a preventative vaccine, but at the same we have to
hold on to Jesus Christ and pray and pray that our Father, Almighty God Who
definitely shall come rescue us at the right tome, we His children.
It remains that faith is a very powerful means for hope when it is genuine and
solid.
John 09:39: “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may
see; and that those who see may become blind.”
The faithful all over the world strongly believe that Jesus is the holy and
blessed light through which believers can see God’s paths of righteousness.
There is no doubt that without Jesus’ light, evil darkness will prevail in
peoples’ hearts, souls and minds.
Without Jesus’ presence in our lives we definitely will become preys to all
kinds of evil temptations.
John 09:5: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world”.
In every community, there are individuals from all walks of life who are
spiritually blind, lacking faith, have no hope, and live in dim darkness because
they have distanced themselves from Almighty God and from His Gospel, although
their eyes are physically perfectly functional and healthy.
Meanwhile the actual blindness is not in the eyes that can not see because of
physical ailments, but in the hearts that are hardened, in the consciences that
are numbed and in the spirits that are defiled with sin.
Romans 8:26: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through
wordless groans”
Sadly our contemporary world hails atheism, brags about secularism and
persecutes those who have faith in God and believe in Him and belief strongly
that He is our only sanctuary and refuge in face of all kinds of evil
temptations.
Where ever we live, there are opportunists and hypocrites who advocate for the
denial of faith and all that is love, forgiveness, humbleness, sharing and
peace.
Meanwhile, Christian believers do suffer dire persecution in many countries on
the hands of ruthless oppressors, Jihadists and rulers who refuse to witness for
the truth.
But despite of all the dim spiritual darkness, thanks God, there are still too
many meek believers who hold strong to their faith no matters what the obstacles
or hurdles are.
In the midst of the Corona Virus plague we call on the loving and merciful Lord
to enlighten our minds and hearts with His light and open our eyes to realize
that He is our only refuge.
Lord Help us to solidify and strengthen our faith.
Lord help us to defeat all kinds of sin that might take us away from Your light,
and deliver us all from all evil temptations.
Lebanon Virus Cases Hit 438 as Two More Patients Die
Naharnet//March 29, 2020
Lebanon’s confirmed coronavirus cases surged 26 over the past 24 hours to reach
438, as two elderly virus patients passed away, the Health Ministry said on
Sunday. In a statement, the Ministry said the tally includes cases reported by
the state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital and private hospitals and
laboratories. It also said that the two patients who died were both in their
eighties and suffering from underlying chronic illnesses. “One of them died at
the Saint George Hospital University as the other died at the Hôtel-Dieu de
France hospital, which raises the death toll to 10,” the Hospital added. Lebanon
has imposed a four-week lockdown in a bid to contain the spread of the virus
while closing the country’s air, land and sea ports of entry. It upped the
measures on Friday by ordering grocery shops, supermarkets, and restaurants
offering delivery services to close at 5pm. It has also declared a curfew that
starts at 7:00 pm, asking citizens and residents not to leave their homes unless
it is extremely necessary. Pharmacies, bakeries, mills and medical factories
were meanwhile allowed to operate during the curfew.
Hariri Hospital: Number of recovered patients rises to 32,
two cases released to be home quarantined
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
Rafic Hariri University Hospital announced on Sunday, in its daily report on the
latest developments on the Corona Covid- 19 virus, that the total number of
laboratory-confirmed infected cases that were quarantined in the hospital's
health isolation section reached 65 cases, adding that 7 cases suspected to be
infected with the virus were transferred to the Hariri Hospital from other
hospitals. The hospital report also indicated that two infected cases have
recovered today after their PCR examination tests turned out negative in both
times, thus bringing the total number of complete recoveries to 32 cases.
"According to the directives of the World Health Organization and the Ministry
of Public Health, two cases of coronavirus were released from the hospital to be
home quarantined, after the attending physician confirmed the patients' clinical
recovery, and informed them of all measures and instructions related to their
home quarantine, in terms of dealing with others, personal hygiene, how to eat
and how to get rid of waste garbage, monitoring their daily temperature,
etc...," the report indicated. “All those infected with the coronavirus are
receiving the necessary care in the isolation unit, and their condition is
stable, except for 4 cases in critical condition," the report added. In
conclusion, the Hariri Hospital indicated that more information on the number of
infected cases on all Lebanese territories can be found in the daily report
issued by the Ministry of Public Health.
Health Ministry: 438 lab-confirmed Coronavirus cases in
Lebanon
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
The Ministry of Public Health announced, in a statement on Sunday, that
"twenty-six new laboratory-confirmed cases infected with the novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19) have been registered, including the cases diagnosed at the Rafic
Hariri Governmental Hospital, and those reported from other university hospitals
accredited by the Ministry.""The total number of confirmed Corona patients until
today, March 29, has reached 438 cases," the Ministry's statement added. In wake
of the increase in the number of infected cases, the Ministry reiterated the
crucial need to implement all preventive measures and reminded all citizens to
strictly remain at home.
Lebanese Gov’t to Return Expats Stranded Abroad
Beirut – Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 29 March, 2020
Threats made by the Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri worked in resolving
the issue of returning Lebanese expats home, as an emergency ministerial meeting
was held, headed by Prime Minister Hassan Diab to finalize the evacuation
mechanisms. Berri threatened on Saturday to suspend his support for Prime
Minister Hassan Diab's government if it did not act to bring home expatriates
stranded abroad during the coronavirus pandemic. Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat
that the decision on repatriating citizens to Lebanon on board was made Saturday
through arranged flights, but the execution mechanisms will be announced on
Tuesday after the cabinet meeting on the coronavirus crisis is concluded. Diab
had stressed that the government supports the return of all expats who wish to
do so, especially after it was proven that the measures taken by the government
have gained internal and foreign confidence, and have proven their
effectiveness. He reiterated his previous position by emphasizing on “safety”,
saying that the Health Minister alongside the designated emergency committee are
preparing for an appropriate mechanism for a safe return. He added that the
mechanism, which include screening those willing to return for COVID-19, will go
into effect as soon as the required equipment and materials are secured. Foreign
Minister Nassif Hitti said on Thursday that Lebanese citizens abroad must
undergo a test to make sure they are not carrying coronavirus before boarding a
flight home. Hitti told Asharq Al-Awsat that repatriating expats to Lebanon is
the prerogative of cabinet, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is simply
implementing the decisions taken by the cabinet, as is the case of other
ministries. He revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently
completing data collection on the situation of Lebanese expatriates in order to
take appropriate measures when cabinet decides on what to do. Hitti pointed out
that his ministry, through Lebanese missions abroad, is currently following up
the situation of expats stranded abroad, and providing assistance when needed,
especially to students.
Lebanese security forces tear down Beirut protest camp as
country imposes coronavirus measures
The New Arab/March 29/2020
A protest camp in Lebanon’s capital city was stripped away by security forces on
Saturday, as Beirut’s mocked roads began to open following months of
anti-government protests. The Martyrs’ Square protest camp, which had for weeks
been the epicentre of the country’s demonstrations against the the governing
elite, was cleared away as authorities imposed measures to stem the spread of
the novel coronavirus. Several dozen protesters who had remained at the camp
since it was first erected on October 17 resisted the move on Friday night, with
witnesses saying a demonstrator set himself on fire before being quickly
smothered in blankets by members of the security forces, Reuters reported. One
of the most indebted countries in the world, Lebanon is burdened by a public
debt equivalent to more than 170 percent of GDP. The unprecedented
anti-government protests quickly spread across the country and sought to
dislodge a ruling elite seen as incompetent and corrupt. The country is
embroiled in one of its worst economic crises since the 1975-1990 civil war, now
compounded by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. In a bid to halt the spread
of the illness, the government has ordered a lockdown until April 12 and ordered
all non-essential businesses to close. The finance ministry's director-general
Alain Bifani warned that the pandemic would only "exacerbate the deterioration
of social conditions". He said 45 percent of Lebanese already lived in poverty,
and 22 percent in extreme poverty.He predicted the economy would further
contract by around 12 percent this year, and inflation would reach up to 25
percent. Even before the coronavirus, prices had soared and many businesses had
been forced to slash salaries, fire staff or close.
Army Patrol Comes under Fire in Baalbek Town
Naharnet//March 29, 2020
An army patrol came under gunfire Sunday during a raid to arrest fugitives from
“the M. family” in the Baalbek district town of Maqneh, the National News Agency
said. “This prompted the patrol’s members to respond in kind, which resulted in
the wounding in the leg of A.A.M. before he was arrested with another person,”
NNA added.
Lebanese Helicopter Evacuates Army Officers from Egypt
Naharnet//March 29, 2020
A Lebanese Army helicopter has flown to Egypt and returned ten Lebanese officers
and a non-commissioned officer to Lebanon amid the coronavirus pandemic, the
army said on Sunday. The military noted that the eleven personnel had been on a
training mission. “Where duty requires us to be, we will be,” the army said,
referring to the evacuation mission. Lebanon closed its airport to all
commercial passenger flights on March 18 as part of a so-called state of general
mobilization against the coronavirus pandemic. The country has so far recorded
438 coronavirus cases among them 10 deaths and at least 30 recoveries.The
Cabinet will convene on Tuesday to approve a plan aimed at repatriating Lebanese
expats seeking to return home due to the global coronavirus crisis.
Makiya: Test results reveal that there are no infected
cases among Cabinet members, despite extensive meetings
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
The Press Office of Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced in a statement on
Sunday, that after conducting the PCR examination for Corona virus at the
Government Serail yesterday, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers,
Judge Mahmoud Makiya, said via his Twitter Account: “After saluting those who
risk their health and the health of their families to help the infected, we
salute those who believe in the continuity of the work of state
facilities…Prevention has resulted in the absence of any virus infection in the
ranks of the Cabinet as per the laboratory test results, despite the Cabinet’s
extensive meetings.”“Our only choice is to win, and we shall be
victorious…Council of Ministers - With our solidarity, we succeed!" vowed Makiya.
Jumblatt calls for establishing mutual funds in villages to
help the underprivileged
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
Progressive Socialist Party Chief, Walid Jumblatt, said Sunday via his Twitter
account: “I extend my gratitude to all the municipalities for their hard work in
the fight against the epidemic. I also thank those who are taking personal
initiatives in the field of sterilization, such as the designed innovations,
which I hope would be circulated. On another note, the villages are called upon
to establish mutual funds for the needy, while waiting for the state to carry
out its duties.”In an earlier tweet, Jumblatt had saluted “all comrades in the
Progressive Socialist Party and the people, in their tremendous effort to ensure
prevention and spread awareness at all levels in this existential and fateful
war in the face of the epidemic of death.” He also hailed “every individual or
party in the nation during this challenge,” adding, “We are at the beginning of
the road.”
Fadlallah: Contacts yielded a kind of understanding over return of Lebanese from
abroad, within the framework of a sound health plan
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
Member of the "Loyalty to the Resistance" Parliamentary Bloc, MP Hassan
Fadlallah, disclosed Sunday that the recently held contacts by Hezbollah over
the issue of the Lebanese expatriates wishing to return to their country, have
yielded a kind of understanding to ensure their safe return within the framework
of a sound health plan that ensures the safety of both the residents and
emigrants. He considered that what is required at this stage is that all sides
cooperate and join efforts to address the challenges and come up with the right
solutions. Fadlallah’s words came during an inspection visit to the Civil
Defense Center at the “Islamic Health Authority for Ambulance and Rescue” in
Bint Jbeil today, in addition to visiting new centers for quarantine in the
area, to see the readiness of these centers to deal with any emergency cases in
need of quarantine or infected with corona virus.
“There are great preparations at different levels, especially at the health and
medical levels, and we are awaiting the Bint Jbeil Governmental Hospital to be
equipped and ready to receive the infected cases or for quarantine purposes, as
well as other health institutions, whether public or private hospitals, which
are in a state of alert to protect the health of citizens and our people in this
region and throughout the south," Fadlallah assured. He stressed that "the
commitment rate in this region is high, whether at the level of quarantine or
the cancellation of all gatherings, or at the level of people staying at home,”
adding, “We renew our emphasis on this matter, and the need for more strictness
by municipalities to preserve the health and wellbeing of citizens.”
African Continental Council Chairman in a letter to Diab:
We propose an evacuation plan from Africa without charging the state any cost
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
The Chair of the African Continental Council at the Lebanese World Cultural
League, Consul Hassan Yahfoufi, has stressed the Council’s readiness "to assist
the government in evacuating the Lebanese who wish to return from Africa during
these health conditions resulting from the Corona virus, while the situation is
still under control and the number of infected is minimal among the Lebanese,
amidst the fear that the disease will spread." In a letter addressed to Prime
Minister Hassan Diab on Sunday, Yahfoufi outlined an integrated plan for the
return of expatriates who wish to leave the African continent, provided that all
those who will return pay the travel expenses, stressing that "further waiting
may lead to complicating matters."He explained that some expatriates were able
to obtain two offers to purchase PCR tests from two labs in South Korea and
China, and they promised to secure them in just two days. Therefore, every
Lebanese expatriate community will purchase its needs from these tests at its
own expense, and will also purchase part of these tests for the African
countries in an affirmed social solidarity and moral commitment with the
citizens of these countries.
Yahfoufi also indicated that some communities have conducted a comprehensive
survey of those wishing to return and can provide the Lebanese state with a list
of names before sending the planes for evacuation, after ensuring that the PCR
tests have been secured and provided that there are equipped medical teams on
board the aircraft. Furthermore, the test results must be negative before
boarding the plane, while those who test positive will remain aside until they
are later evacuated in a safer manner, after pledging to abide by all the
procedures required by the Ministry of Health upon their arrival in Lebanon, in
terms of quarantine and additional medical exams, etc. Meanwhile, Yahfoufi
commended PM Diab and the government's efforts in this regard, stressing "the
full readiness to cooperate with all state agencies and institutions according
to what the government deems appropriate in these circumstances."
A new Lebanon will emerge after Corona,’ Frem says
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
Head of the "Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning" Parliamentary Committee, MP
Neemat Frem, highlighted in an interview with "Al-Quds Al-Arabi" on Sunday, the
need "to allocate a 1.5 billion US dollars fund for the rapid support of
citizens due to the Corona crisis.”
He explained that this can be funded from the money saved during this period, in
light of the saved energy production with a drop in the price of the oil barrel
and the lower cost of production, since people are staying at home, which has
led to a decrease in the cost between 300 to 400 million dollars a month.
On the possibility of isolating the regions of Keserwan and Jbeil, Frem
indicated that “this suggestion was a wrong and unofficial idea that has been
withdrawn, and it did not happen during the Lebanese civil war." He stressed on
staying away from “political trivialities" and adhering to the slogan of his
electoral campaign, "Human First", whilst expecting that "a new Lebanon will be
born after the Corona virus."He continued to note that "the government has acted
in a good manner so far, in terms of limiting the spread of the Corona
epidemic.” However, he considered that “it has started to make huge mistakes,
the first being its decision not to exclude factories from the curfew, but
rather to prevent factories from working at night."Over the state’s financial
situation, Frem pointed to Lebanon’s need for the International Monetary Fund,
and the international monetary community as a whole. “Cooperation is required to
change our economic system in order to be able to pay off the debt and restore
growth in the country, and this can only be achieved through a major
restructuring of sectors in the state, and through partnership with the Lebanese
and international private sector to attract more capitals to Lebanon,” he
emphasized.
“We encourage restructuring in the public sector, and improvement in services
for citizens," Frem added. “We have to support the productive sectors of
industry and agriculture, and we must realize that we cannot rely solely on
services and a ‘rentier’ economy,” the MP went on. He deemed that this crisis
has demonstrated the extent that the industrial sector can absorb the shocks and
act as an auxiliary and complementary component to the Lebanese national
security. “After Corona, we must know as a conscious people the extent of our
capabilities, and that through the dreams of our children we can influence the
Lebanese political class, the future of the new Lebanon and the new Lebanon that
will emerge,” Frem underlined. “In my opinion, I believe that we will benefit
greatly from the lessons of Corona, which are complementary to the revolution,
and I see that our Lord revolts with us to create a new Lebanon,” he concluded.
Foreign Ministry places hotline numbers for embassies,
consulates abroad
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants placed the numbers of the hotlines
of Lebanese embassies and consulates abroad at the disposal of Lebanese citizens
and expatriate communities for emergency cases, which are available at the
following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12e5M8rDy2WX9XDatSuoQXThQceC45jy0/viewm
Abdel Samad: Communication door is open to anyone
possessing information on waste expenditure
NNA/Sunday -March 29/2020
Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, said on Sunday via her
Twitter account: "I thank everyone who drew my attention to a consensual
contract that was stopped before my appointment."
She added: "Since I took over my duties, I requested the cancellation of
contracts by mutual consent that impose financial burdens on the state or
constitute a cover for waste expenditure, and include services provided therein
which can be obtained through tenders or solicitation of offers."
"The door to communicate with me is open to anyone who has information about
breaches or money waste," Abdel Samad concluded.
Govt. to Adopt Expat Return Mechanism Tuesday after Berri
Warning
Naharnet//March 29, 2020
It has been confirmed that the government will approve a mechanism for bringing
home expats during Tuesday’s cabinet session, after Speaker Nabih Berri
threatened to suspend his ministers’ participation in Hassan Diab’s
administration, media reports said. “After Berri escalated his stance against
the government over its reluctance to bring back the Lebanese who want to return
from abroad, the government responded by distributing invitations to ministers
to hold a cabinet session Tuesday afternoon to discuss the suggestions related
to the return of the Lebanese from abroad,” An-Nahar newspaper reported on
Sunday. Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil meanwhile criticized
“political and populist overbidding in this file,” in an apparent jab at Berri.
Urging a “safe mechanism” for returning willing expats amid the coronavirus
pandemic, Bassil called for “giving the government a limited grace period for
specifying this mechanism.”According to An-Nahar, discussions have started on
how embassies should prepare lists of those wanting to return before Lebanon
organizes flights via Middle East Airlines to capitals still allowing such
evacuation flights. “Medical checkups and quick tests will also be held for the
returnees and there are talks over finding them obligatory quarantine centers
through renting hotels or large complexes for a period of two weeks that follows
their arrival in Beirut," An-Nahar added.
Aswad Slams Calls for Bringing Home Expats as Farce
Naharnet//March 29, 2020
MP Ziad Aswad of the Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc on Sunday
slammed calls for bringing home Lebanese expats amid the coronavirus crisis as a
farce. “More than four weeks into the anti-coronavirus measures, specifically
abroad, and after everyone has coped with them and is taking precautions where
they are inside Lebanon, the calls and threats for opening the borders cannot
but have another reason that has nothing to do with the diaspora,” Aswad
tweeted. “This is a farce,” the firebrand and controversial lawmaker added.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah have
in recent days led the calls for bringing home the expats, with Berri
threatening to suspend his ministers’ participation in the government and
Nasrallah urging a “safe, calculated and quick” repatriation.
Lebanon may extend virus curbs as death rate rises
Najia Houssari/Arab News/March 29, 2020
Health ministry figures show that coronavirus infection extends across all age
groups and that Mount Lebanon area remains an infection “hotspot”
BEIRUT: Lebanon is facing at least another two weeks of lockdown to bring the
coronavirus crisis under control, a leading health official told Arab News.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Bizri, an infectious disease specialist and member of the
emergency committee on coronavirus, said that the Lebanese health system could
handle the outbreak “as long as people continue to practice preventive measures
seriously.”
His comments came as the number of virus fatalities in the country rose to 10 on
Sunday following the deaths of two patients, both in their 80s. Both victims
were suffering from chronic illnesses and died in separate Beirut hospitals.
According to the Ministry of Health, the number of confirmed virus cases climbed
to 438, an increase of 26 from Saturday, while the number of people in
quarantine increased to 1,074.
Health ministry figures show that coronavirus infection extends across all age
groups and that Mount Lebanon area remains an infection “hotspot.”
Al-Bizri urged people to follow curfew guidelines and self-isolate where
necessary.
“We have not been able yet, through epidemiological surveillance, to know where
10-15 percent of the cases caught their infection. But it is not frightening as
long as we still practice preventive measures seriously,” he said. Home
quarantine orders are in place around the country, while security services are
also monitoring a curfew at night following government moves to curb the spread
of the virus.
Meanwhile, the government is facing growing pressure to bring back Lebanese
expatriates stranded abroad after Lebanon closed its air, land and sea crossings
on Feb. 20 as part of measures to counter the pandemic. Most of those seeking to
return are in African countries where the outbreak was limited when Lebanon shut
down its airports. However, the Lebanese Ambassador to Rome, Mira Daher, said
that Lebanese students in Italy “do not want to return and none of them is
infected with the virus.”Students are remaining at home, but want banking
procedures eased to allow their families to send money, he said.
FASTFACT
The number of virus fatalities in Lebanon rose to 10 on Sunday following the
deaths of two patients, both in their 80s.
The campaign to help expatriates return has been led by Parliamentary Speaker
Nabih Berri, who warned that he may suspend participation in the government and
set a Tuesday deadline for Lebanese airspace to be opened to allow expatriates
to fly home. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab has refused to reopen the
airports, saying Lebanese abroad had been given a time limit to return before
the airspace was closed. The government is expected to make a final decision on
Tuesday regarding expatriates’ return, although it is unknown how many will want
to return at their own expense. Al-Bizri told Arab News that “if these Lebanese
are getting medical care where they reside, it is better that they do not come
to Lebanon, but if medical care is not available to them, no one should prevent
them from returning.”He ruled out a return of expatriates in under two weeks and
said that any repatriation should happen in stages to avoid overtaxing the
health system. The Amal Movement, headed by Berri, said that a hotel in
Marawaniya, in the south of the country, would be equipped as a health isolation
center for expatriates. MP Ziyad Aswad, from the Free Patriotic Movement,
criticized calls for expatriates to be returned. “After more than four weeks of
protection measures against coronavirus, everyone has got used to it,” he said.
Security forces joined Lebanese people to salute health staff and the Red Ross
on Sunday night, offering public applause for their work at Rafik Hariri
University Hospital in Beirut.
Lebanon hospitals 'discriminating against' undocumented
workers seeking vital coronavirus testing
The New Arab/March 29/2020
Undocumented migrant workers in Lebanon are afraid for their wellbeing during
the coronavirus pandemic as they are unable to access affordable healthcare.
Lebanese hospitals at the centre of the fight against the novel coronavirus have
turned away undocumented migrants in need of treatment, while others are
charging extortionate fees for COVID-19 testing, Al-Jazeera reported. Two
formeR domestic workers of Ethiopian origin told Al-Jazeera they were turned
away after requesting coronavirus testing at Beirut's Rafik Hariri University
Hospital (RHUH), the main COVID-19 testing and treatment centre in the country.
Both said they were turned away due to their lack of identification.
A source at RHUH said it was the hospital's policy to turn away anyone without
documents if they did not need urgent care. "We must provide the state with the
name of any person who we test, so that if it is positive we can inform both the
state and the person. We can't do that without a name," the source said.
"To be very clear, anyone who comes to us in an emergency condition and needs
treatment will be given treatment, but if they are not an emergency case we
can't," the hospital source added. Another hospital in the capital is charging
undocumented workers for testing at a prohibitively high cost.
A worker at the St George Hospital told Al-Jazeera undocumented people would
need to pay 750,000 Lebanese pounds (about $498) for coronavirus testing. Some
private clinics have paid the test available for the cost of 150,000 Lebanese
pounds (about $99).
An estimated 250,000 domestic workers from Africa and Asia live in Lebanon, most
of whom earned between $150 to $250 a month before the country slid further into
economic crisis last year.
The depreciation of the Lebanese currency has seen the value of these wages
slashed, while some employees have taken the opportunity to either pay domestic
workers late or not at all.
Under Lebanon's notorious kafala system, domestic workers cannot leave their job
without their employer's consent.
Many work under difficult and oppresive conditions, forcing some to flee and
effectively become illegal residents in the country. Tenteb, a former domestic
worker who has lived in the country for 10 years, told Al-Jazeera she lost her
job in March after developing coronavirus symptoms.
She immediately sought testing for the virus but was turned back by RHUH
employees and left to self-medicate with antibiotics, vitamins and
paracetemol."I got very scared, because I am living in a three-room apartment
with 14 people, all of them former domestic workers who either ran away from
abusive employers or were laid off during Lebanon's economic crisis," she said,
adding that none of her roommates had developed symptoms yet. Rosa, a
29-year-old Ethiopian, said: "How will Lebanon control this virus if they do
this? This is more important than anything: documents, nationality, black or
white. We all live here together in Lebanon. I don't know how they
think."Healthcare should be "available and accessible to everyone without
discrimination", added Diala Haider, a Lebanon campaigner at Amnesty
International. Lebanon has reported 438 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 10
fatalities.
Stimulus billions can’t buy hospitals out of shortage
crisis
Associated Press/March 29/2020
Shipments of medical gloves are down 23% so far this month compared with 2019,
and medical gown imports are down 64% for the same period
The billions of tax dollars headed for hospitals and states as part of the $2.2
trillion coronavirus response bill won’t fix the problem facing doctors and
nurses: a critical shortage of protective gowns, gloves and masks. The problem
isn’t a lack of money, experts say. It’s that there’s not enough of those
supplies available to buy. What’s more, the crisis has revealed a fragmented
procurement system now descending into chaos just as demand soars, The
Associated Press has found. Hospitals, state governments and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency are left bidding against each other and driving up
prices.
For more than a week, governors have pushed back against administration
assurances that supplies are available now, bitterly complaining to President
Donald Trump that there’s no coordination. It’s pretty much every state for
itself,” said Virginia’s secretary of finance, Aubrey Layne, who is deeply
involved with his state’s effort to buy medical supplies. Masks that were priced
at $2.50 a week ago are now being quoted as high as $9, he said, and suppliers
make clear that there are “plenty of people out here” looking to buy, even at
the high prices.
“There is a lot of opportunism going on,” Layne said.
Doctors and nurses in hot spots like New York and New Orleans are caring for
feverish, wheezing COVID-19 patients without adequate masks, gloves or gowns.
Can the $100 billion carved out for hospitals in the stimulus package solve
that? “It is not about throwing money at this problem,” said Lisa Ellram, a
professor of supply chain management at Miami University of Ohio. Just like
consumers who today wander past empty shelves in the toilet paper aisle, state
governments and hospitals are finding their suppliers’ warehouses are bare. The
AP reported last week that imports of critical medical supplies were plummeting
due to factory closures in China, where manufacturers had been required to sell
all or part of their goods internally rather than export to other countries. Now
that bottleneck has tightened as the pandemic sweeps through the world,
shuttering potential backup factories from one country to the next. Many
manufacturers have been ordered to shut down or limit production throughout
Southeast Asia and Latin America, including in India and Mexico. In Malaysia,
where 75 percent of the world’s medical gloves are made, AP found factories were
shut down and only allowed to reopen with half staff, who are now locked in
hostels at their workplaces.
Shipments of medical gloves are down 23% so far this month compared with 2019,
and medical gown imports are down 64% for the same period, according to trade
data compiled by Panjiva and ImportGenius, services that track imports and
exports. No medical-grade N95 masks, made almost entirely in China, have arrived
at U.S. ports so far this month. An Oregon Nurses Association member who spoke
on condition of anonymity out of concern for her job said she’s allowed one N95
mask a day to protect against tiny particulates. “Wearing the same mask from
patient to patient to patient, what are you doing? Are we taking care of them or
putting them at greater risk?” she said.
A colleague has already tested positive for COVID-19, she said. Her own test was
lost so she’s being retested. But she continues to work treating patients even
though she has minor symptoms. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild
or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three
weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health
problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. Six
weeks ago, the Center for Global Development warned that the U.S. should get
ready to rapidly scale-up medical supply manufacturing. Minnesota’s 3M Co. was
already ramping up, but only in the past week have many others followed. A
frenzied push to increase domestic production is too little and too late, said
Prashant Yadav, a visiting fellow at the center.
Trump on Friday announced that he was using his power under the Defense
Production Act to order General Motors to begin manufacturing ventilators — work
that had already been underway, AP reported.
Yadav said that in addition to more supplies, states and hospitals need a better
way to allocate medical supplies to the places they’re needed most.
“The real challenge is not having a clear dashboard-like function that can help
match demand and supply. Just infusing more cash doesn’t create that,” he said
Friday. Before the crisis, hospitals typically bought masks, gloves and other
equipment through independent purchasers that bargain with suppliers to keep
costs down. But those groups haven’t been able to fill orders. Soumi Saha,
director of advocacy at Premier, which purchases equipment for roughly 4,000
hospitals, said 56% of hospitals didn’t receive their orders for N95 masks in
February. She said traditional wholesale markets are depleted and hospitals are
turning to the gray market, rife with scams and counterfeit products. In a
72-hour period last week, Premier fielded more than 130 requests from hospitals
to evaluate unregulated suppliers, none of which were legitimate, Saha said.
“The short-term solutions are patchwork. We need to start implementing longer
term solutions now or I don’t know how much longer the Band Aid can hold on,.”
she said. The new nonprofit Project N95, launched by tech entrepreneurs, former
government officials and supply chain experts, is one of many new impromptu
clearinghouses for medical equipment trying to solve the crisis. Its website
says it has requests from more than 2,000 institutions needing more than 100
million items of personal protection equipment in the next 30 days. The $100
billion earmarked for hospitals in the stimulus package will help quickly
repurpose operating rooms into intensive care units, subsidize hospitals losing
revenue due to canceled procedures, and hire additional staff to replace
infected workers, said Ashley Thompson, the American Hospital Association’s
senior vice president for policy.
Hospitals will also receive an additional 20 percent Medicare reimbursement for
COVID-19 patients, whose providers can use up to two weeks of personal
protection equipment in a single day.
Leaders of both parties promise the money will give doctors and nurses the
resources they need. Lawmakers are “proud to have secured truly historic
investment of hundreds of billions of dollars in hospitals, health systems,
state and local governments, ensuring that they have the tools they need to
combat the virus,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Friday. But
even some in Congress are dubious. “If the administration has a list of critical
supplies it is providing, what’s on that list?” said Rep, Norma Torres, D-Calif.
“If they’ve conducted a nationwide needs assessment, what did they find? If
they’ve met with industry to encourage new manufacturing, who did they meet
with?”
Virus Measures Spark Lebanon, Mideast Fears of Liberties
Setback
Agence France Presse/Naharnet//March 29/2020
Armored vehicles in the streets, hundreds arrested, smartphone surveillance --
sweeping measures to fight the coronavirus have raised concerns in the Middle
East over the erosion of already threatened human rights.
As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, more than three billion people are
now living under lockdown and, in some cases, strict surveillance. While there
is widespread acceptance that robust measures are needed to slow the infection
rate, critics have voiced fears that authoritarian states will overreach and,
once the public health threat has passed, keep some of the tough new emergency
measures in their toolkits.
This concern is amplified in the Middle East and North Africa, with poorly
ranked human rights records, a cast of authoritarian regimes able to bulk up
security apparatuses largely unopposed and many states already reeling from
political turmoil and economic hardship.
The sight of military vehicles patrolling otherwise empty roads to enforce
curfews or lockdowns in countries such as Morocco and Jordan stands in stark
contrast to mass protests which last year brought down leaders in Algeria, Iraq,
Lebanon and Sudan.
The region had as of Saturday recorded 2,291 COVID-19 deaths out of 35,618
confirmed cases, according to figures collated from states and the World Health
Organization, which has urged "concrete action" from governments to contain the
virus.
Authorities have curtailed movement, clamped down on gatherings and arrested
those who disobey the confinement orders. In Jordan, where King Abdallah II
signed a decree giving the government exceptional powers, hundreds of people
have been arrested for breaking a curfew. While the government said the powers
would be used to the "narrowest extent," Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Amman
not to abuse fundamental rights for the cause of combatting the virus. In
Morocco, known for its muscular security policy, the arrests of offenders -- who
risk heavy fines and jail time -- have generated little protest and are even
praised on social media. Like many countries, Rabat has bolstered a campaign
against misinformation, but the adoption without debate of a law on social media
controls has elicited concern.
'Accelerate the repression'
Many are crying foul over surveillance in Israel, where domestic security agency
Shin Bet, usually focused on "anti-terrorist activities," is now authorized to
collect data on citizens as part of the fight against COVID-19. Embattled Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew criticism for imposing the measure with an
emergency decree as a parliamentary committee didn't have enough time to rule on
it. In an editorial published by the Financial Times, Israeli historian and
best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari warned that, "If we are not careful, the
epidemic might nevertheless mark an important watershed in the history of
surveillance.
"A big battle has been raging in recent years over our privacy. The coronavirus
crisis could be the battle's tipping point," he said.
In Algeria, more than a year into an unprecedented popular movement known as "Hirak",
it took the emergence of the pandemic to pause weekly protests. But rights
groups have accused Algerian authorities of using the health crisis to crack
down on dissent via the courts.
"The Hirak has suspended its marches but the #Algeria government has not
suspended its repression," HRW's Eric Goldstein wrote on Twitter after
journalist Khaled Drareni, who had been arrested several times for covering the
protests, was put in pre-trial detention on Thursday.
Lebanon faced similar accusations as the Internal Security Forces on Friday
night dismantled tents in the heart of the capital Beirut where protesters had
maintained a sit-in to keep up pressure on authorities. The authorities "are
taking advantage of the fact that people are preoccupied with their health and
confined to repress any dissenting voices," activist and film director Lucien
Bourjeily tweeted. In the fledgling democracy of Tunisia -- a former police
state where security apparatuses have seen little reform -- many have denounced
heavy-handed police enforcement of pandemic-related movement restrictions.
The Tunisian League for Human Rights has requested clarifications on social
distancing measures after people expressed frustration online over apparently
arbitrary police interventions.
Prisoners of conscience
In Egypt, authorities have targeted media questioning low official virus
infection figures. British newspaper The Guardian said its correspondent was
forced out of the country over an article that suggested authorities were
underreporting cases. With the number of cases rising, President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi's government imposed movement restrictions and threatened heavy fines
and prison sentences for non-compliance. In a country lacking an independent
media or judiciary, families of prisoners of conscience sounded the alarm over
the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak in overcrowded and unsanitary prisons.
Amnesty International has called for the "immediate and unconditional" release
of political prisoners, estimated by rights groups to number around 60,000, only
15 of which have so far been let out by Egyptian authorities. Jordan, Tunisia
and Sudan have ordered thousands of inmates to be freed to limit the risk of
contagion. Activists in the Gulf too have called for the release of political
prisoners held in what HRW researcher Hiba Zayadin said are often overcrowded
and unsanitary conditions with limited access to health care.Kuwaiti activist
Anwar al-Rasheed asked on Twitter, "In the midst of this pandemic, is it not yet
the time to release prisoners of conscience?"
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on March 29-30/2020
Turkish leaders mum on Iran’s suspected killing of dissident in Istanbul
Reuters/March 29/2020
Cyber expert and critic of Tehran killed in November.
Intelligence officers at Iran’s consulate in Turkey instigated the killing last
November of an Iranian dissident in Istanbul who had criticised the Islamic
Republic’s political and military leaders, reported the Reuters news agency.
Masoud Molavi Vardanjani was shot dead on an Istanbul street on November 14,
2019, a little over a year after the Turkish officials say he left Iran. The
information was confirmed by Turkish officials on the condition of remaining
anonymous but was not publicly discussed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or by
senior government officials who all have remained mum on the Iranian suspected
assassination of a dissident on Turkish soil.
Despite Ankara's uncharacteristic silence, since Erdogan is usually keen on
offering on-the-record comments on all foreign policy issues, Tehran's suspected
involvement in the killing could impact ties between Turkey and Iran, two
regional powers already at odds over the Syria war and mutually exclusive
expansionist agendas. A police report into the killing, published two weeks ago,
said Vardanjani had an “unusual profile.” It said he worked in cyber security at
Iran’s defence ministry buthad become a vocal critic of the Iranian authorities.
According to the report, Vardanjani had posted a message on social media
targeting Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards in August, three months before he
was shot dead. “I will root out the corrupt mafia commanders,” the post said.
“Pray that they don’t kill me before I do this.”Asked about possible Iranian
government involvement in the killing, a spokeswoman for Istanbul’s police said
the investigation was continuing and declined to comment further. Turkish
officials said prosecutors were following the case. A week after the killing,
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described it as “another tragic example in a
long string of suspected Iran-backed assassination attempts” of Iranian
dissidents. He did not elaborate further. The suspected gunman and several other
suspects, including Turks and Iranians detained in the weeks after the killing,
told authorities they had acted on orders from two intelligence officers at the
Iranian consulate, a Turkish official said.
“It was reflected in the testimonies of the arrested suspects that these two
Iranians, carrying diplomatic passports, had given the order for the
assassination,” he said. A Turkish official said evidence including the
suspects’ statements suggested “Iranian nationals played a serious role in both
instigating and coordinating” the killing.
Vardanjani was on the radar of the Iranian authorities. Talking to Reuters, two
Iranian security sources implicitly confirmed Tehrans' involvement saying he had
defied a warning from the Revolutionary Guards not to cooperate with Turkish
firms on drone projects, without giving details. They claimed he had also
approached the United States and European states to work for them. One of the
Iranian sources said he had published documents online that he had either hacked
or obtained from contacts in Iran and had ignored requests to contact the
Iranian embassy in Ankara, instead meeting Americans. The source gave no details
on the documents or his meetings. The second Iranian source also said that
Vardanjani had been warned about his contacts with foreign diplomats. Relations
between Turkey and Iran have been tested by the civil war in Syria, where they
back opposing sides. Experts believe Turkey was particularly frustrated by the
role of pro-Iran militias in support of the Russian-backed Syrian government
troops fighting Jihadist rebels backed by Turkey in Idlib. Iran and Turkey
both are pursuing aggressive policies aimed at expanding their influence in
North Africa and the Middle East, whether through direct military involvement or
through regional proxies. Iran has been using Shia militias among its
proxies while Turkey has relied on pro-Turkish militias mercenaries in Syria and
Libya.
Turkey Deploys US-Made Air Defense System in NW Syria
Ankara- Said Abdel Razek/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 29 March, 2020
The Turkish Army, for the second time since the death of 36 of its soldiers in
an airstrike on Idlib, Syria, on February 27, deployed a US-made air defense
system to the northwestern Syrian province. Citing “military news sites”,
Turkish media reported that Turkey deployed the US-made MIM-23 HAWK medium-range
surface-to-air system to Idlib, where tensions have been on the rise in the last
few weeks. Turkish media circulated video footage showing a convoy transferring
the system into Syria. Deploying the MIM-23 HAWK system, according to Turkish
media, means that the Turkish Army will no longer need to depend on fighter jets
and drones to down Syrian regime fighter jets. In details revealed by the
footage, on Friday noon, five convoys of Turkish forces entered the Syrian
territories from the Kafrlossen crossing, and one of them was transferring the
US-made MIM-23 HAWK air defense system. One convoy headed towards the western
countryside of Aleppo, while others continued on their way to southern and
eastern territories of Idlib. “The MIM-23 HAWK system is considered one of the
medium air defense systems, and it has the ability to destroy aircraft flying at
an altitude of up to 18 kilometers,” a local Syrian dissident told Asharq Al-Awsat,
adding that its delivery “was preceded last month by the transfer of
surface-to-air American Stinger missiles, tanks, and armored vehicles.” Turkey
established a de-facto no-fly-zone over the northwestern part of the Idlib
Governorate last month, as their aircraft shot down at least three Syrian Arab
Air Force jets that attempted to bomb areas near the Hatay Province’s border. As
a result of this move, the Syrian Air Force refrained from targeting sites near
the border, which later prompted the Russian military to increase their own
strikes over this area.
Top Scientist Says Coronavirus Could Claim Up to 200,000
U.S. Lives
Agence France Presse/Naharnet//March 29, 2020
A senior U.S. scientist issued a cautious prediction Sunday that the novel
coronavirus could claim 100,000 to 200,000 lives in the United States. Dr.
Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National
Institutes of Health, told CNN that models predicting a million or more deaths
were "almost certainly off the chart.""It's not impossible, but very, very
unlikely." He offered a rough estimate of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths and
"millions of cases." But Fauci, a leading member of President Donald Trump's
coronavirus task force, quickly added, "I don't want to be held to that ... It's
such a moving target that you can so easily be wrong and mislead people."Asked
about the persistent shortage of tests for the COVID-19 disease, he struck a
slightly more optimistic tone, saying, "If you compare a couple of weeks ago to
where we are right now, we have an amazingly larger number of tests than we
had."
Asked how soon the wider availability of testing might allow a lifting of travel
and work restrictions, Fauci said, "It's going to be a matter of weeks. It's not
going to be tomorrow and it's certainly not going to be next week. It's going to
be a little bit more than that."
Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says gay marriage caused coronavirus
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 28 March 2020
Iraqi Shia political leader Muqtada al-Sadr blamed the legalization of same-sex
marriage for causing the coronavirus pandemic.
“One of the most appalling things that have caused this epidemic is the
legalization of same-sex marriage,” al-Sadr said in a post on his Twitter
account on Saturday. “Hence, I call on all governments to repeal this law
immediately and without any hesitation,” he added. Followers of al-Sadr were
criticized after hundreds congregated inside a mosque and chanted “coronavirus
has terrified you,” despite government measures imposed to stop the spread of
the outbreak. Iraq imposed a nationwide lockdown last week that ends today as
part of measures to fight the coronavirus. Read more: Coronavirus: Iraqi Shia
ceremonial eulogists defying ban on public gatherings As of Saturday, 42 in Iraq
have died from coronavirus, and there are 506 confirmed cases, according to the
Iraqi health ministry. Thirty countries worldwide, most of them in Europe, have
allowed for same-sex marriage, according to research from Pew Research Center.
Canada/Tenants, landlords face dilemma as
rent comes due on April 1
The Canadian Press The Canadian PressMarch 25, 2020
Residential tenants, landlords face dilemma as rent comes due on April 1
As the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic ripples across Canada, another
wave may crest within the week as rent comes due for residential tenants.
April 1 is a pressing deadline for tenants and landlords alike as the novel
coronavirus keeps people at home and closes businesses, leaving tens of
thousands of Canadians out of work.
"It reminds me of a 'Mission: Impossible' movie, where tick, tick, tick, the
time is ticking down and someone has to try to save the day before everything
explodes," said William Blake, a landlord who spoke Tuesday on behalf of the
Ontario Landlords Association. "This is how a lot of tenants and landlords feel
about this April 1 rent deadline coming up." Advocacy groups for both landlords
and tenants are calling on the federal and provincial governments to offer some
kind of relief before April 1.
Geordie Dent, the executive director of Toronto's Federation of Metro Tenants
Associations, spoke on behalf of a group of six tenant associations from across
Canada that issued a joint statement on Wednesday asking for governments to ban
evictions due to lack of payment and to offer financial assistance to
renters."Tenants have basically had the legs cut out from under them," said
Dent, noting employment insurance applications are even higher than during the
2008 financial crisis. British Columbia's Premier John Horgan said Wednesday the
province would suspend evictions and offering a $500 monthly rebate to help
renters and landlords during the pandemic. B.C. joined Manitoba, Nova Scotia,
Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories in banning
any evictions resulting from non-payment of rent.
But other provinces and territories have moved to teleconference hearings, with
Saskatchewan's Office of Residential Tenancies noting on its website that rents
are still due.
Grassroots movements have sprung up in several cities in the past two weeks,
calling on tenants to withhold their rent payments — either out of necessity or
in solidarity with those who can't make ends meet.
"We definitely agree that the government should be making a rent freeze and
finding ways to support low-income people. But for now, we're focusing on just
organizing amongst ourselves because we can't really wait," said Paterson
Hodgson, a spokesperson for a Toronto-based neighbourhood group calling on
tenants to go on rent strike.Dent recommends that any tenant worried about
making their rent on April 1 should first check to see what steps their province
or territory has taken in regards to tribunals. "You don't want to see people
prioritizing their landlord's mortgage payments over their ability to feed
themselves and their families," said Dent. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
said Monday that federal officials are looking at ways to get money to community
housing providers and the nation's renters. Another government source, who was
not authorized to detail behind-the-scenes talks, said there is an ongoing push
with at least six provinces to sign up for a new rent supplement to avoid
evictions for hundreds of thousands of renters.
Blake, who owns small rental properties in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia
and Nova Scotia, said he sympathizes with his tenants and doesn't want to have
to evict any. But he said banning evictions or going about business as usual are
just delaying an inevitable wave of evictions as landlords will eventually need
the money to pay taxes, mortgages and maintenance fees.
"What we're pushing for, and we were hoping the tenant groups across Canada
would be pushing for, is for the government to give tenants ... something like
student loans, where you're in trouble, you need a loan, you can get it to pay
your rent," said Blake, who pointed to the City of Toronto's rent banks as a
model example.Landlords "don't want government handouts. We only want the legal
system that we use to continue to be efficient and run and operate, which means
that the tenants pay rent," he said.
— With files from Jordan Press in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2020.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
Former Iran deputy speaker Mohammad Reza Khatami infected with coronavirus
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 28 March 2020
Former Iranian deputy speaker of parliament Mohammad Reza Khatami has been
infected with coronavirus, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on
Saturday. Khatami has been hospitalized after contracting the virus, Tasnim
reported. A prominent figure in the reformist faction in Iran, Khatami was among
supporters of the Islamic Revolution who occupied the US embassy in Tehran and
took 52 US diplomats hostage in 1979. Khatami was the deputy speaker of
parliament from 2000 to 2004.He is the younger brother of former president
Mohammad Khatami. At least 17 Iranian regime figures have died from coronavirus
and 12 others have been infected since the beginning of the outbreak in the
Islamic Republic, according to reports by state media outlets. As of Saturday,
2,517 in Iran have died from the virus, and there are 35,408 confirmed cases.
Iran still accepts Shia pilgrims arriving to Qom despite
coronavirus pandemic
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 29 March 2020
Iran has not stopped accepting pilgrims to the Shia holy city of Qom despite the
coronavirus. outbreak in the country, according to a video circulating on social
media. Qom has been the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, which has
killed 2,640 and infected 38,309 people in the country as of Sunday. Visit our
dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates. A video from the
city shared on social media showed travellers getting off several coaches. “It
is unclear where these travellers have come from. They are wearing masks and
they are all foreigners,” a man is heard saying. The travellers are likely Shia
pilgrims from Pakistan and India coming to visit the Fatima Masumeh shrine in
Qom, according to the video. Iran closed the Fatima Masumeh shrine as part of
the country’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus almost a month
after acknowledging the outbreak in Qom. The closure of the shrine prompted
angry protests in the city.
Iran: 123 New Coronavirus Deaths, Rouhani Says It's Not Time For 'Politcal War'
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 29 March, 2020
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani lashed out Sunday at criticism of the country's
response to the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, saying he had to
weigh protecting the economy while tackling the pandemic. He said the government
had to consider the effect of mass quarantine efforts on Iran's beleaguered
economy, which is under heavy US sanctions. “Health is a principle for us, but
the production and security of society is also a principle for us," Rouhani said
at a Cabinet meeting, stressing that this is not the time "to gather followers."
“This is not a time for political war,” he added. Even before the pandemic,
Rouhani was under fire for the unraveling of the 2015 nuclear deal he concluded
with the US and other world powers, according to The Associated Press.
US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement and has imposed crippling
sanctions on Iran that prevent it from selling oil on international markets.
Iran has urged the international community to lift sanctions and is seeking a $5
billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. The country's death toll from
the new coronavirus has risen to 2,640 and the number of infected people has
reached 38,309, a health ministry official tweeted on Sunday. "In the past 24
hours we had 123 deaths and 2,901 people have been infected, bringing the total
number of infected people to 38,309," tweeted Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to
Iran's health minister. "12,391 people infected from the virus have recovered,"
he added, Reuters reported. Iran's Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur
told state TV that "some 3,467 of those infected are in critical condition". In
recent days, Iran has ordered the closure of nonessential businesses and banned
travel between cities. But those measures came long after other countries in the
region imposed more sweeping lockdowns.
Iran Warns of Lengthy 'New Way of Life' as Virus Deaths
Rise
Agence France Presse/Naharnet//March 29, 2020
President Hassan Rouhani warned Sunday that "the new way of life" in Iran was
likely to be prolonged, as its declared death toll from the novel coronavirus
rose to 2,640. The Islamic republic is one of the countries worst-hit by the
virus, which first originated in China. Iran announced its first infection cases
on February 19, but a senior health official has acknowledged that the virus was
likely to have already reached Iran in January. At his daily news briefing,
health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 123 more people in Iran had
died from the virus in the past 24 hours. He reported 2,901 new cases of
COVID-19 infection, bringing the overall number of officially confirmed cases to
38,309. According to the official, 12,391 of those hospitalized have recovered
and 3,467 are in "critical" condition. "We must prepare to live with this virus
until a treatment or vaccine is discovered, which has not yet happened to date,"
President Hassan Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting. "The new way of life we have
adopted" is to everyone's benefit, he said, adding that "these changes will
likely have to stay in place for some time". After weeks of refraining from
imposing lockdown or quarantine measures, Tehran decided Wednesday to ban all
intercity travel until at least April 8. Without an official lockdown in place,
the government has repeatedly urged Iranians to stay home "as much as possible."
Schools and universities in some provinces were closed in late February and the
measure was later extended to the whole country. After Rouhani's warning, the
reopening of schools following this year's Persian New Year holidays of March 19
to April 3 appears unlikely. On a positive note, Rouhani said he had been told
by top health experts and doctors that "in some provinces we have passed the
peak (of the epidemic) and are on a downward trajectory".
Several Iranian government officials and notable figures have been infected by
the new coronavirus, some of whom have died. The most recent case of infection
was Mohammad-Reza Khatami, brother of former president Mohammad Khatami and an
ex-deputy speaker of parliament. He is currently hospitalized, according to
state news agency IRNA. Iraj Harirchi, a deputy health minister who tested
positive for the virus in late February, has returned to public life and
appeared on state television to emphasize safety precautions.
Record Virus Deaths in Spain as World Hunkers Down for Long
Haul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29, 2020
Spain reported a national daily record of 838 coronavirus deaths on Sunday in a
fresh warning to the world that long-term lockdowns may be needed to halt the
deadly march of a disease that has claimed more than 31,000 lives. A deluge of
patients are overwhelming hospitals in Europe and the United States, now the
focal points of a pandemic that is upending the global economy in unprecedented
ways. In the U.S., an about-face by President Donald Trump on quarantining New
York highlighted the panic and confusion unfurling across many parts of the
world trying to contain the virus.
In Spain, where the 24-hour death toll rose for the third consecutive day,
lockdown measures have been tightened as officials cling to hope that slowing
growth rates mean they are nearing the peak of the crisis. COVID-19's relentless
spread has infected nearly every sphere of life, from wiping out millions of
jobs to postponing elections and putting a pause on the world's sporting scene.
It has also spurred a worldwide scramble for medical gear as exhausted doctors
and nurses in some of the world's wealthiest cities struggle to dole out limited
stocks of face masks and life-saving respirators. From snorkel masks to
3D-printed face shields, creative solutions have popped up around the globe in
efforts to plug the gap as factories rush to keep up with international demand.
But frontline medical workers in places like Italy, Spain and New York, where
the crisis is already-biting hard, don't have time to spare. "Everybody is
scared," said Diana Torres, a mother of three who works in a rehabilitation
center at New York's Mount Sinai hospital group, where a 48-year-old nurse
manager recently died from COVID-19. "I have nothing for my head, nothing for my
shoes," she said, explaining how it took significant effort to acquire one face
shield, one N-95 respirator mask and one gown -- all of which she said she must
reuse.
Long haul -
Cities around the world have fallen eerily quiet as a third of humanity adjusts
to life confined within the walls of their own homes.
Some leaders warn the worst is yet to come as governments roll out new
containment measures and rescue packages aimed a staunching the bloodletting of
economies everywhere. In Britain, deaths have now topped 1,000 as Prime Minister
Boris Johnson -- who tested positive for the virus last week -- warned that dark
days were on the horizon. "We know things will get worse before they get
better," Johnson, who said he has only mild symptoms, wrote in a leaflet sent to
all UK households explaining how to help limit the spread. While Johnson
initially said the shutdown would last three weeks, a leading expert warned it
could be in place until June. "We're going to have to keep these measures in
place, in my view, for a significant period of time -- probably until the end of
May, maybe even early June," Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London,
one of the epidemiologists advising the government, told the Sunday Times. The
carnage in worst-hit Italy and Spain suggests quarantine measures are unlikely
to be lifted anytime soon, despite their devastating impacts on the vulnerable.
On the Italian island of Sicily, police with batons and guns moved to protect
supermarkets after reports of looting by locals who could no longer afford food.
"We have no money to pay, we have to eat," someone reportedly shouted at the
cashiers in a Palermo supermarket, according to La Repubblica newspaper. Spain
has toughened an already tight nationwide lockdown by halting all non-essential
activities. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the country must prepare to
adjust to "the new way of life" for a long time, after 123 more deaths were
recorded.
Wuhan wakes up -
In the ground zero-city of Wuhan, however, life is creeping back to normal.
Officials say the biggest threat to public health is now imported cases.
"Initially we were more scared and maybe thought it was safer overseas," said
Han Li, who is helping process the flood of locals returning to Wuhan after
having been were stranded elsewhere during the more than two-month lockdown.
"But now it doesn't seem this way. It seems it might be safer within China."
Beijing, which is revising its role in the coronavirus saga by coming to the aid
of countries now on the frontlines, claims success in suppressing the virus at
home. Official figures now routinely showing no new domestic infections but
dozens of imported cases each day, shifting the country's prevention effort to
the external threat.
- U.S. confusion -
With the pandemic sweeping westward, the United States is home to the highest
number of confirmed COVID-19 infections globally with more than 124,000 cases,
according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. As states impose a patchwork of
measures, President Trump sowed confusion over the weekend by back-peddling on a
proposal to impose a broad lockdown on New York and its neighbors. "A quarantine
will not be necessary," Trump tweeted eight hours after he stunned the New York
metropolitan region -- the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak -- with a proposal to
place it under quarantine.
Trump's reversal came on the same day the US death toll topped 2,100, more than
doubling in just three days. More than a quarter of the fatalities were in New
York City. In Chicago, a less than one-year-old infant succumbed to the
respiratory disease on Saturday, an extremely rare case of juvenile death.
Around the world more than 667,090 cases of the novel coronavirus have been
officially declared since the outbreak began late last year, according to an AFP
tally. Variations in testing regimes -- and delays in some countries -- mean the
true number is likely far higher.
As even rich countries struggle, aid groups warn the toll could be in the
millions in low-income countries and war zones such as Syria and Yemen, where
healthcare systems are in tatters. Impoverished Mali headed to the polls with
trepidation on Sunday for a parliamentary election just hours after the country
reported its first coronavirus death.
UK Lockdown Will Last 'Significant' Period
Agence France Presse/Naharnet//March 29, 2020
The British government admitted on Sunday that the coronavirus lockdown could
last a "significant" time as a leading expert warned it could be in place until
June. "I can't make an accurate prediction but everyone I think does have to
prepare for a significant period when these measures are still in place,"
cabinet minister Michael Gove told the BBC. Britons have been told to stay
inside wherever possible to limit the spread of COVID-19, joining millions of
people on lockdown worldwide. The measure was introduced amid warnings that
infection rates were spiraling, and new figures Saturday revealed that more than
1,000 people with coronavirus have now died in Britain. Prime Minister Boris
Johnson initially said the shutdown would be for three weeks. Professor Neil
Ferguson of Imperial College London, one of the epidemiologists advising the
government, told the Sunday Times the lockdown could last months. "We're going
to have to keep these measures in place, in my view, for a significant period of
time -- probably until the end of May, maybe even early June. May is
optimistic," he said. In a leaflet being sent to more than 30 million British
households, the prime minister warned that "things will get worse before they
get better". "The more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and
the sooner life can return to normal," Johnson wrote. But he added: "We will not
hesitate to go further if that is what the scientific and medical advice tells
us we must do."The Conservative leader has himself tested positive for
coronavirus, as has health minister Matt Hancock, but Downing Street insists he
is still in charge. Separately, Gove also used his BBC interview to take a swipe
at China, where the first cases of COVID-19 emerged. "Some of the (early)
reporting from China was not clear about the scale, the nature, the
infectiousness of this," he said.
Israel’s Netanyahu, Gantz make ‘significant progress’
toward unity govt
AFP/Sunday 29 March 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz on Sunday
announced “significant progress” in talks towards forming an emergency unity
government amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Gantz, whose now fractured
centrist Blue and White alliance had positioned itself as the alternative to
Netanyahu in three inconclusive elections over the past year, was elected
parliament speaker on Thursday. The two men had held talks through the night
“aimed at establishing a national emergency government to deal with the corona
crisis and the additional challenges facing the State of Israel,” said a joint
statement from Blue and White and Netanyahu’s Likud. “Significant progress was
made during the meeting,” it added. “During the course of the day, an additional
meeting will be held in order to come to a finalized agreement.”Gantz was tasked
with forming a government following the March 2 vote - something he had been
unable to do after two elections last year. There was no guarantee he would
succeed this time, given a lack of cohesion within the anti-Netanyahu bloc. The
divided anti-Netanyahu forces, who held a narrow majority in the Knesset,
Israel’s parliament, forced the ouster this week of speaker Yuli Edelstein, a
member of Netanyahu’s Likud party. Gantz then put himself forward as speaker,
triggering the break-up of Blue and White, with two key partners - the Telem and
Yesh Atid parties - accusing Gantz of surrendering “without a fight” to
Netanyahu. Gantz and Netanyahu have both previously voiced support for a unity
government to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far seen over
3,800 Israelis infected, including 12 deaths. Read the latest updates in our
dedicated coronavirus section.On Friday, Gantz justified his move as being “what
my nation needs” given the coronavirus pandemic.
“I won’t be the one who categorically refuses to step in and pull my weight in a
state of emergency,” he wrote on Facebook. There were no official details of the
likely makeup of a future government, but Netanyahu has in past weeks proposed
18-month premiership terms - with him taking the first, to be followed by Gantz.
The veteran premier, in office since 2009, was in January charged with bribery,
fraud and breach of trust, with the start of his trial delayed due to the virus
pandemic.
Netanyahu denies the charges.
Palestinians Mourn Theresa Halsa, Hijacker of 1972 Flight to Tel Aviv
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 29 March, 2020
The Palestinian Authority, the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), Palestinian factions, and official and popular bodies
mourned the Jordanian Fatah member, Theresa Halsa, who died at age of 65 of
cancer. The Executive Committee issued a statement saying Halsa was the head of
the Association for the Affairs of the Wounded of the Palestinian Revolution and
continued her dedicated struggle since the early 1970’s while carrying Palestine
in her heart. Halsa also dedicated her life to serve the wounded and the
prisoners, after she was released from the occupation prisons, added the
statement. The Executive Committee offered its deepest condolences to the Halsa
family and the Jordanian and Palestinian people. Fatah movement also mourned its
member Halsa, dubbed Umm Salman, who joined the movement early in her youth, and
was member of the Black September group, describing her as “a role model for
female fighters.” Theresa became famous for her participation in hijacking an
Israeli plane in 1972, Sabena 571, which was headed from Brussels via Vienna to
Lod Airport. Halsa and her group detained 100 passengers during operation known
as Lod operation, demanding the release of Palestinian and Jordanian prisoners
in exchange. The Israeli special forces unit, Sayeret Matkal, went undercover as
the International Red Cross and attacked the plane, killing two of the members
of the group and arresting Halsa and Rima Tannous. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak were special operations soldiers
at the time and were both wounded in the operation which followed the hijacking.
Netanyahu was shot in the shoulder, according to unconfirmed sources. Reports
said that Halsa fired at him, while Israeli sources claim he was mistakenly shot
by another Israeli soldier.
Halasa was arrested and sentenced by an Israeli court to 220 years in prison,
but she was freed as part of a prisoner exchange deal after 12 years. Theresa
was born in 1955 in Akka, to a Jordanian father from Karak, Isaac, and mother,
Nadia Hanna from al-Ramah in Akka.
Years before her death, Halsa told the Israeli newspaper Maariv that she doesn’t
regret the operation.
Palestinians Bid Farewell to Syria's Yarmouk Refugee Camp
Damascus - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 29 March, 2020
Palestinian refugees lost all hopes to return to Yarmouk camp, south of
Damascus, which resembled a symbol for their "right of return." The Syrian
authorities revealed a plan that would change the developmental and demographic
conditions of the camp which already lost huge areas under war. Many
Palestinians displaced from the camp to neighboring areas believe their hopes to
return to the camp have been dashed. They have lived for decades in the camp and
turned it into an important commercial center in Damascus. The camp has also
seen the biggest protests against Israeli practices in Palestine.
The Yarmouk camp, seven kilometers south of the capital, has an area of about
two square kilometers and administratively follows the governorate of Damascus.
However, since the 1960s, it had administrative privileges to be managed by an
independent local committee.
The camp was first established in 1957 over a small area, before it expanded in
Damascus and became an essential part of its geographical and demographic
components, becoming the largest gathering of Palestinian refugees in Syria,
Lebanon, and Jordan.
It also became known as the capital of the Palestinian diaspora, as it includes
36 percent of Palestinian refugees in Syria, more than 450,000, knowing that in
Syria alone there are fifteen refugee camps distributed over six cities.
Earlier in the twentieth century, the urban development in the camp accelerated
and services were improved. Many governmental centers, institutions, and
commercial markets opened in the camp to the point where it became a very vital
area attracting many businesses who took advantage of the population's density.
The Yarmouk camp has become divided into three sections: old camp, West Yarmouk
area, and al-Qadm area.
Before the war broke in Syria 10 years ago, the camp was densely occupied and
there was no place to set a foot. However, the war caused a catastrophe in the
camp that exceeded the tragedies of 1984 Nakba and the 1967 Six-Day War.
Hundreds were killed and injured and most of its residents, estimated between
500 and 600 thousand people, were displaced. In May 2018, the government army
and loyal Palestinian factions launched a violent military operation in the
camp, which ended the control of opposition factions, ISIS, and al-Nusra Front
and damaged over 60 percent of its buildings.
Member of Damascus Executive Office in charge of Yarmouk issue, Samir Jazerli,
revealed earlier this month the organizational plans for the camp that will be
implemented. Jazerli, in his statements to a local radio station, explained that
the engineering company has developed three solutions to deal with camp
including: rehabilitating the most affected areas, or carrying out an
organizational plan for the most affected areas and keeping the old camp
according to the plan amended in 2013, or completely reorganize the 220-hectares
camp. The official indicated that the second option will most likely be
executed, given that it includes minor modifications in the main street of
Yarmouk. Later, they will initiate the process of bringing the residents back to
their homes after they prove their ownership. He pointed out that the most
damaged areas will be reorganized with standard specifications, including towers
in the 30th street which was a military confrontation area, provided that these
towers take the status of compensation and housing. The main Yarmouk Street will
be expanded to a width of 40 meters, with its current width reaching between 20
and 25 meters.
Jazerli pointed out that the Yarmouk region has become an organizational
affiliate of Damascus according to the decision of the Prime Minister, after it
was affiliated with the local committee of the Ministry of Local Administration.
Yarmouk Services Department has been established which monitors the maintenance
and rehabilitation of the camp, knowing that some buildings are inhabitable and
others are completely destroyed. A Palestinian refugee in his seventies was
displaced from Yarmouk after the armed opposition factions took control of it at
the end of 2012. He hoped to return to the camp, however, since Jazerli
announced the new plans, he believes that won’t be possible. He told Asharq Al-Awsat
that many neighborhoods will be replaced with tall buildings. Another
Palestinian refugee who had been displaced from West Yarmouk told Asharq Al-Awsat
that the area which Jazerli said will include towers, is about half the area of
the camp. He explained that many residents wonder who will be allowed to return
and whether there will be new residents. He indicated that a large number of the
residents who joined the opposition factions were displaced with their families
to northern Syria, and others immigrated outside Syria. The Palestinian refugee
believes that the situation in the camp is more than just an organizational
plan, and rather linked to the general political situation in the region and the
world.
Zurfi Discusses New Government’s Priorities With EU Ambassadors
Baghdad- Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 29 March, 2020
Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi has set his government's
priorities. Few days after meeting with ambassadors of the UN Security Council’s
permanent member states (P-5), Zurfi met with EU ambassadors in Iraq on
Saturday. The new government’s priorities are to “meet the demands of the
peaceful popular movements for free and fair early elections, address the
possible financial and economic crash, work to reduce the level of poverty,
restore civil peace, and extend the rule of law,” Zurfi told the ambassadors.
According to a statement issued by his media office, the ambassadors expressed
hope that Iraq would achieve the desired stability. hey also wished for the
PM-designate to accomplish his mission by meeting people’s aspirations and
boosting Iraq’s status in the region and the world. Meanwhile, political blocs
and forces remain indecisive regarding the possibility of granting Zurfi’s
government the parliament’s vote of confidence. Hadi al-Amiri’s Fatah Bloc
continues to reject his nomination, urging him to withdraw. While Muqtada al-Sadr’s
Sairoon parliamentary bloc has warned him from the consequences of responding to
“the blocs’ interests.”
Sairoon alliance MP Raad Hussein stated Saturday that Zurfi will lose the
alliance’s support once he starts abandoning national standards. “Most of the
political blocs, including those opposing Zurfi, seek attaining their own
interests in the upcoming government,” Hussein stressed.
Nasr coalition MP Nada Shaker, for her part, said the PM-designate’s position is
still tough in the face of political forces opposing his designation. Zurfi will
pay Erbil and Sulaymaniyah a visit similar to that he paid to Anbar province,
Shaker said in a statement, pointing out that these visits aim at mobilizing the
largest possible support to win the vote of confidence. Independent politician
Karim al-Nuri told Asharq Al-Awsat the Zurfi represents the best option for
Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds in Iraq. Iraq is currently facing great challenges on
different levels, Nuri noted, stressing that a consensual urgent decision shall
be taken among Iraqis, without delusions or misleading. The official explained
that Zurfi is capable of bridging the gap between politicians and people and
reassuring all Iraqi components that the coming period will lack all sorts of
hatred and rivalry.
احتراق طائرة في مطار مانيلا الفلبيني وهي تحاول الإقلاع ومقتل ركابها
الثمانية.احدهم كندي وأخر أميركي و6 فلبينيين
Plane catches fire at Manila airport, killing all 8 aboard
JIM GOMEZ/Associated PressMarch 29, 2020
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/plane-catches-fire-manila-airport-145754876.html
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A plane carrying eight people, including an American
and a Canadian, burst into flames Sunday while attempting to take off from
Manila’s airport on a flight bound for Japan, killing all those on board,
officials said. The plane, which was carrying six Filipino crew members and the
American and Canadian passengers, was bound for Tokyo on a medical mission when
it caught fire near the end of the main runway, Manila airport general manager
Ed Monreal said. Firetrucks and rescue personnel rushed and doused the aircraft
with foam to try to extinguish the flames, he said. "Unfortunately, there were
no survivors," Monreal told a late-night news conference. He declined to
identify the victims until their families were informed and said other details
about the flight and the passengers were unclear. The Civil Aviation Authority
of the Philippines said the Agusta WW24 aircraft apparently encountered an
unspecified “technical problem” as it rolled to take off. Video footage shows
the aircraft engulfed in bright-orange flames in the darkness as firefighters
scramble to put out the fire by spraying chemical foam while sirens blare.
Nearly three hours after the accident, the bodies of the victims were still
inside the wreckage. Airport authorities were waiting for police investigators
to examine the crash scene before retrieving the remains, Monreal said.
The airport's main runway was closed due to the accident. The airport had only
minimal staff due to air travel restrictions that are part of a monthlong
lockdown imposed by the government in the main northern Philippine region of
Luzon, where Manila, the capital, lies, to fight the coronavirus outbreak,
officials said.
A Korean Airlines flight bound for Manila was diverted to Clark International
Airport, north of Manila, due to the incident, Monreal said, adding that the
main runway would be reopened as soon as the wreckage was removed.
Donaldo Mendoza, the deputy chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of the
Philippines, said the aircraft was deemed “airworthy” based on records and its
pilots were properly certified to fly.
The plane had flown to central Iloilo province Saturday to deliver medical
supplies without any incident, Mendoza said.
Mendoza said airport tower personnel were horrified to see the plane still
rolling on the runway at a point when it should have already taken off, but
added it remains unclear what trouble the plane encountered.
“They were really alarmed so they already picked up the hotline just in case,
whatever happens, they can immediately call fire, crash and rescue,” Mendoza
said.
**Prayers go for the souls of the 8 victims. Our Condolences to their bereaved
families
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on March 29-30/2020
ريموند إبراهيم/معهد كايستون/تقرير مفضل عن
إضطهاد اللمسيحيين خلال شهر كانون الثاني/2020
He Simply “Hates Christians”: The Persecution of Christians: January 2020
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/March 29/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/84706/%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86%d8%af-%d8%a5%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%85-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%aa%d9%82%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%81%d8%b6/
Boko Haram… released another execution video. In it, a masked Muslim child
holding a pistol appears standing behind a bound and kneeling hostage, later
identified as Ropvil Daciya Dalep, a 22-year-old Christian… kidnapped on January
9 while traveling to his university, where he majored in biology. After chanting
in Arabic and launching into an anti-Christian diatribe, the Muslim child
proceeds to shoot Ropvil several times in the back of the head. — Independent
Catholic News, January 23, 2020; Nigeria.
On January 2, Islamic gunmen abducted Reverend Lawan Andimi, a pastor … in
Nigeria. After the terrorists demanded an exorbitant ransom for his release—two
million euros, which his church and family simply could not raise—they beheaded
the married father-of-nine…. — Morning Star News, January 21, 2020; Nigeria.
“Since the government and its apologists are claiming the killings have no
religious undertones, why are the terrorists and herdsmen targeting the
predominantly Christian communities and Christian leaders?” — The International
Center for Investigative Reporting, January 21, 2020; Nigeria.
After Muhammad ‘Awad, 32, was arrested and questioned as to why he tried to
murder Rafiq Karam, 56, he confessed that he did not know him, but that he
simply “hates Christians.” — Coptic Solidarity, January 21, 2020; Egypt.
On January 2, the Boko Haram terrorist group abducted Reverend Lawan Andimi, a
pastor and district chairman of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, who was
married with 9 children. After demanding two million euros ransom, which his
church and family could not raise, they beheaded Andimi on January 20. Pictured:
A screenshot from a video released by Boko Haram on January 5, with the abducted
Reverend Lawan Andimi speaking in front of the camera.
The Slaughter of Christians in Nigeria
During several separate incidents, militant Muslims—whether Fulani herdsmen,
Boko Haram, or generic terrorists—continued to attack and massacre several
Christians.
On Friday, January 17, for instance, Muslim Fulani tribesmen on motorbikes
raided a Christian village at a time they knew people were congregating in the
village square where Christian fellowship often took place. They then opened
fire. “As the people fled into nearby bushes to take cover, the attackers
retreated and left,” an area resident said. “We are sad about these attacks on
our people, which seem to be unending.” Two young Christian girls—Briget Philip,
18, and Priscilla David, 19—were killed, and at least three other teenagers were
seriously wounded.
In another incident, “[a]t least 32 people [including a pregnant woman] were
killed and a pastor’s house and church building were burned down in two nights
of attacks [on predominantly Christian regions] this week by Muslim Fulani
herdsmen in Plateau state,” noted a January 30 report.
In the early hours of January 20, gunmen invaded the Lutheran Church of Christ,
where its pastor, the Rev. Dennis Bagauri, lived; they opened fire on “and shot
him dead at night when all persons in the area had gone to sleep,” a local
confirmed.
Boko Haram (whose name roughly means “Western education is a sin”) released
another execution video. In it, a masked Muslim child holding a pistol appears
standing behind a bound and kneeling hostage, later identified as Ropvil Daciya
Dalep, a 22-year-old Christian and member of the Church of Christ in Nations,
who was kidnapped on January 9 while traveling to his university, where he
majored in biology. After chanting in Arabic and launching into an
anti-Christian diatribe, the Muslim child proceeds to shoot Ropvil several times
in the back of the head.
On January 2, Islamic gunmen abducted Reverend Lawan Andimi, a pastor and
district chairman of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria. After the terrorists
demanded an exorbitant ransom for his release—two million euros, which his
church and family simply could not raise—they beheaded the married
father-of-nine on January 20. Earlier, in a January 5 video that his abductors
released, Pastor Lawan had said that he hoped to be reunited with his wife and
children; however, “[i]f the opportunity has not been granted, maybe it is the
will of God. I want all people close and far, colleagues, to be patient. Don’t
cry, don’t worry, but thank God for everything.”
In a statement prompted by all these unchecked murders of Christians, the
director of legal and public affairs of the Christian Association of Nigeria,
Kwamkur Vondip, blasted the Muslim-led government of Nigeria for “colluding”
with the Islamic terrorists:
“In the light of the current developments and the circumstantial facts
surrounding the prevailing upsurge of attacks against the church, it will be
difficult for us to believe that the federal government under President
Muhammadu Buhari is not colluding with the insurgents to exterminate Christians
in Nigeria, bearing in mind the very questionable leadership of the security
sector that has been skewed towards a religion and region. Is that lopsidedness
not a cover-up for the operation of the insurgency?…. Since the government and
its apologists are claiming the killings have no religious undertones, why are
the terrorists and herdsmen targeting the predominantly Christian communities
and Christian leaders?”
The nonstop massacres of Christians which are met with impunity from the
Nigerian government also prompted Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, in a
January 3 report, to express his disgust with the government: “The only
difference between the government and Boko Haram,” he said, “is that Boko Haram
is holding a bomb.” The Nigerian government is “using the levers of power to
secure the supremacy of Islam, which then gives more weight to the idea that it
can be achieved by violence.”
The Slaughter of Christians Elsewhere in Africa
Kenya: Armed Muslims connected with neighboring Somalia’s terrorist group, Al
Shabaab (“the youth”), murdered three Christian teachers during a raid on a
primary school in the early hours of January 13; a fourth victim managed to
survive.
Another local teacher said “We are sad and at the same time scared because we
are targeted for being non-local government workers that belong to the Christian
faith.” While discussing this incident, a separate report adds that
“Today’s attack comes against the backdrop of a series of attacks from the
terrorist group in the last five weeks, leading to the loss of 25 people total …
On December 6, 2019, four teachers were among the 11 non-local Christian
passengers killed … when al-Shabaab flagged down the bus they were traveling in.
The militants separated the passengers and killed those on the spot who failed
to recite the Islamic Shahada.”
Central African Republic: Militant Muslims shot and killed two Christian pastors
as they travelled together by car after having conducted a Christmas Day church
service. According to the January 6 report, after murdering the Christians, the
“jihadists” continued “shooting, preventing efforts to recover the bodies. The
men had to be buried later at the scene of the attack.” The report adds that the
“Christian-majority Central African Republic has been blighted by violence since
2013, when the Seleka Islamist armed group briefly overthrew the government….
Christian communities continue to be the targets of attacks…. In November 2018,
more than 40 people were killed and many were forced to flee when members of an
Islamist militia attacked a Christian mission in Alindao.
Cameroon: “Not a day passes without attacks on the villages on Cameroon’s
frontier with Nigeria,” lamented Bishop Bruno Ateba in a January 24 report,
referring to increased incursions into Christian villages by the Islamic terror
group, Boko Haram: “Boko Haram is like the beast of the Apocalypse, or a
many-headed Hydra—whenever you cut off one of its heads, it seems simply to grow
another…. Within my own diocese there have been 13 attacks in the last weeks.”
One of those attacks saw a church torched on the feast of the Epiphany. “We are
still investigating who was behind the incident, but everything points to the
fact that it was a terrorist attack.” Bishop Barthélemy also shared his
experiences: “My birthplace, the village of Blablim, no longer exists. The
terrorists have murdered a young man of my family and totally devastated the
entire village, including the house I was born in. Everybody, with the exception
of the sick and elderly, was forced to flee to Mora, 10 miles away. It will be
impossible now to gather in the cotton harvest.”
Egypt: On January 12, a Muslim man crept up behind a Christian woman walking
home with groceries, pulled her head back with a hand full of hair, and slit her
throat with a knife in the other hand. Nearby people restrained the man in al-Wariq,
Giza, where the incident took place. Catherine Ramzi was rushed to a nearby
medical center, where her throat was sewn with 63 stitches; despite initial
heavy bleeding, she managed to survive. The doctor told her that had the knife
penetrated one millimeter more—her now mangled sweatshirt had provided some
buffering against the knife—it would have reached her jugular vein and killed
her. During an interview, she said that she had never before seen the man. All
she heard him say during the assault is that she “deserved it” because her “hair
was exposed.” He may have also identified her as a Christian because, like many
Copts, Catherine bears a visible tattoo of the cross on her hand.
Separately, on January 14, 2020, in the region of al-Maraj, another Muslim man
tried to slaughter a Christian man with a sharp box-cutter in a public space. He
managed only to slice off a portion of the Copt’s ear. After Muhammad ‘Awad, 32,
was arrested and questioned as to why he tried to murder Rafiq Karam, 56, he
confessed that he did not know him, but that he simply “hates Christians.”
Attacks on Christian Churches
Sudan: Three churches—a Sudan Internal church, a Catholic church and an Orthodox
church—were simultaneously burnt down twice over the course of three weeks in
the Blue Nile state. The arsonists are suspected to be area Muslims. According
to a January 20 statement from a human rights group published in the Sudan
Tribune,
“On the evening of 28th December 2019, three churches in three different
neighbourhoods … were set on fire (burnt) at the same time by arsonists. The
worshipers quickly rebuild the three churches using the local materials as it
was before. However, for the second time, on the evening of 16th January…. [L]ocal
authorities did not take any measure to protect the churches or to investigate
the attacks.”
“This incident is true, the three churches were set on fire twice in less than a
month,” a local pastor confirmed, adding that “area Muslims were upset about the
presence of the churches there, and they are suspected in the fires.”
Philippines: On January 19, police arrested two Muslim men from the Islamic
terror group Abu Sayyaf (“the sword-forger”) before they could carry out a
planned bomb attack on a Catholic cathedral in Basilan, to which both men
confessed. Explosive materials—including more than 3 kilos (6.6 pounds) of
assorted nails, blasting caps, 1.5-volt batteries, and wires—were recovered from
their hideout. Abu Sayyaf earlier “masterminded a twin bombing at a church on
southern Jolo island in January 2019 that left more than 20 people dead.”
Egypt: “The security apparatus prevented Copts in Faw Bahri … from holding the
New Year’s Eve prayer on Tuesday, 31 December, in the home of a local Copt.
Several Copts gathered in the building and complained about being prohibited
from completing the prayer,” the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a
Cairo based think tank with an emphasis on human rights, said in a January 6
press release:
“The building that security shut down and prevented prayer inside of is owned by
a village Copt and has been used for worship services for four months [and
apparently set on fire before for this reason]. Security promised to rapidly
secure a building permit for a new church on a 460-meter tract of land purchased
by the church a while back. All the necessary surveys have been conducted by
official bodies and a wall was built around the plot. All that is needed to
start construction is the permits. The closest church to the village is 10 km
away…. 3,000 Christians live in the village and used to pray at the house that
was shuttered by security. They are all waiting for security to keep its promise
to issue permits for the construction of a new church.”
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) further criticized the
“glacial pace” of the Sisi-government’s hitherto much lauded church construction
law adopted in September 2016. More than “three years after its adoption, the
church construction law has failed to end violations of Christians’ right to
worship and address related sectarian tensions…. [T]he process to regularize the
legal status of churches is moving at a glacial pace and lacks transparency,”
the press release added:
“The EIPR has documented at least 36 cases of sectarian tension and violence
since the church construction law went into effect and through the end of 2019,
all of them associated with the worship practices. In the same period,
interventions by various state institutions led to the closure of 25 churches
and the prohibition of collective worship services in the areas in question. In
many of these cases, customary reconciliation sessions were convened that
concluded with agreements to shut down the church while promising to grant the
necessary permits when papers were officially filed. Yet, when church officials
applied for official permits, state agencies refused to grant permits or allow
them to organize religious services or mass.”
Indonesia: Construction of the Bethel Church of Indonesia (GBI) My Home church,
plans for which began in 2016, was “abruptly halted” after its building permit
was revoked. The church would have served 1,200 registered congregants. In
response, on January 16, Amnesty International Indonesia in a statement urged
the authorities to annul their decision to revoke the permit:
“This is a clear case of persecution and discrimination against a religious
minority. The authorities in Tanjungpinang have failed to provide any legal
justification for denying this permit and blatantly disregarded the Constitution
and their obligations to respect the right to religious freedom and ensure equal
enjoyment of human rights.”
In a separate case in the same in the region, Muslims halted construction of
another church. According to the January 24 report,
“Built in 1928, St Joseph’s Catholic Church needs to be renovated and enlarged.
Originally it could accommodate 100 people, but now it has more than 700
members. Despite having all the permits, the project is opposed by a small group
of young Muslims who threaten action against public order…. Local Catholics are
critical of Karimun district chief who, bowing to extremists, has turned against
the project even though it has all the required permits.”
Although area Christians had “explained to Karimun officials [that] there will
be no symbol or ornament outside the church; no cross, no statue, no image of
Mary will be displayed visible outside the church”; and although this decision
by the Christians was taken reluctantly, as it would make the building look like
“a gym or a conference hall”—Muslims still rejected the church.
France: A suspected Muslim man was arrested for desecrating a church, for
instance by writing Koran verses on its walls. According to the January 16
report,
“The arrest comes just under a year after another church in Toulouse, the
Notre-Dame du Taur, was vandalised by an individual who wrote ‘Allah u Akbar’ on
the doors of the building…. Church attacks in France have become a major issue
in the last several years, with a report from March of last year claiming that
there are as many as three attacks on churches or graveyards per day on average,
with a total of 1,063 cases in 2018.”
One recent attack “saw human faeces smeared into prayer books at a church in the
commune of Tarbes.”
Sweden: After a series of arson attacks on St. Maria Syrian Orthodox Church—one
of which was started by someone pouring and lighting gasoline to its
exterior—church members have begun to patrol its premises at night in the hopes
of preventing further attacks. The January 10 report adds that, “Church attacks
in Sweden are relatively uncommon in general but attacks on communities
targetted [sic] by radical Islamic Sunni extremists, such as Syrian Christians
and Shi’ite Muslims, are a concern in the country.”
Attacks on Apostates and Blasphemers
Iran: A court sentenced Ismaeil Maghrebinejad, 65, a Muslim convert to
Christianity, to three years imprisonment on the charge of “insulting Islamic
sacred beliefs,” said human rights group Middle East Concern in a January 22
report. The Christian was initially charged with “propaganda against the state
and insulting the sacred Iranian establishment,” but during “a hearing on 22
October, the judge further accused Ismaeil of apostasy [that is, turning away
from Islam, an act that is a capital crime according to some interpretations of
Islamic law] and increased bail demands from 10 million to 100 million tomans
(US$9000). Friends provided pledges to cover the bail demands. There were
further hearings in November (when the apostasy charge was dropped), December
and January.” On January 8, he was found guilty of “insulting Islamic sacred
beliefs in cyberspace”—a reference to the claim that “Ismaeil had forwarded a
message sent to his phone that was deemed to be insulting to the ruling Iranian
clerics”—and sentenced to three year imprisonment. According to a human rights
activist associated with the case, the sentence is “a disproportionate reaction
to something so ordinary. The other charges that Ismaeil is facing, as well as
the quashed charge of apostasy, (are) related to his conversion to Christianity.
This may reveal the real reason why he’s been charged with something that most
ordinary Iranians do on a daily basis.”
Pakistan: Muslims beat and falsely accused a Christian man, Shahbaz Masih, 40,
of blasphemy, which led to his and his friend’s arrest. According to the January
14 report,
“His [Muslim] accusers, Shahzaib and Ahmad, hold a grudge against him for being
a Christian. On 27 December the two surrounded him at the market, dragged him to
a nearby landfill where children collect paper, and beat [him there]. His
screams drew the attention of his friend Ishaq [a moderate Muslim], who came to
his aid. At that point, the attackers accused both of blasphemy, of burning
pages of the Qurʼān. A riot followed, with a nearby mosque calling on Muslims to
kill both men. When police arrived, it took the two friends to a police station,
questioned them and moved them to a prison, where they are still being held.
Human rights groups slam the cops for giving in to extremist pressure and
formally recording the case. For their part, radicals threatened to burn the
homes of Christians as well as that of the Muslim man, ‘guilty’ of being friends
with the Christian. For this reason, the families of the accused went into
hiding at an unknown location.”
Generic Hate for and Violence against Christians
Egypt: Muslim students at a Minya school “rejected” Mervat Seifein, a school
teacher, “for the explicit reason that she is Copt,” that is, a Christian, a
report noted. After “a routine promotion in which she replaced the previous
school director who is a Muslim,” both boy and girl “students protested and held
a sit-in in the school courtyard asking for her removal.” “We don’t want a
Copt!” they cried. Some Muslim teachers joined in the protests. Police were
unable to disperse the boys’ demonstration in the courtyard. “The girls who
demonstrated against me don’t know me,” Mervat responded, “so why the
antagonism? Simply because I am Coptic? The only explanation I can fathom is
there has been fanatic incitement going on against my promotion, possibly by
persons who are purely extremist or who have an interest in keeping me out of
that post.” Ezzat Ibrahim, a human rights activist, added that a prompt official
investigation should be conducted into the matter:
“This is flagrant religious discrimination. It brings to mind the incident in
the southern province of Qena when the Islamists rose against the appointment of
a Coptic governor in the past-Arab Spring weeks in 2011, and the State gave in
and went back on the appointment. It is catastrophic that some 50 or 100 teenage
girls or boys should impose their will on the State. And it is equally
disastrous that these students were pushed to do so by a group of fanatic
Islamists. The positive official response to their preposterous demands amounts
to an invitation for religious discrimination. The deputy minister who did that
must be dismissed.”
Bangladesh: Twelve Christian Rohingya refugees from Myanmar were attacked and
injured by Muslim Rohingya “due to their faith.” (Rohingya are overwhelmingly
Muslim). “[E]arly Monday [January 27, they] attacked us, the Christians. They
looted our houses, and beat up many Christian members. At least 12 Christians
have been undergoing treatment at different hospitals and clinics,” a Christian
named Saiful reported. “We came under attack due to our faith,” he insisted. “On
May 10, 11, and 13 last year, this same group of terrorists attacked us. They
want us to leave this camp. They have been attacking us systematically.”
Although official Bangladeshi reports denied or underplayed the religious
dimension of the attacks, other sources, such as the Rohingya Christian Assembly
from India, confirmed them: Muslim Rohingya “attacked the whole Christian
community in Kutupalong Camp,” the group said. “Approximately 25 Christian
families are displaced. It is winter and very cold, the victims have many minor
children with them.” The group added that mobs armed with machetes—”hundreds in
many groups”—invaded and destroyed every Christian home at night.
Iraq: Four Christian humanitarian aid workers—three French, one Iraqi—were
kidnapped in Baghdad on January 20. No ransom demands were made. According to
the report, “The four went missing during a time of heightened tensions in Iraq
after a U.S. drone strike on Baghdad airport that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem
Soleimani and a senior Iraqi militia commander, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The
attack has drawn anger from Iraqi officials from across the political divide ….
Iran-backed militia groups have also sworn to avenge the killings.”
Iran: Authorities demolished the grave of the only Christian to be officially
executed for apostasy in the Islamic Republic. Born a Muslim, Pastor Soodmand
converted to Christianity before the 1979 revolution. He was arrested, tortured,
and eventually executed for apostatizing from Islam to Christianity in December
1990. Now, thirty years later, “all that remains of the pastor’s unmarked grave
is the soil under which he was once buried.” His daughter, Rashin Soodmand, who
now lives in Europe, gave her reaction:
“As a member of the family of this martyred pastor, I can say that the recent
disrespect shown to our father’s grave wounded our hearts yet again. Our father
was killed cruelly and contrary to the law. They buried him in a place they
called la’anatabad [accursed place], without our knowledge, and did not even
give our family the opportunity to say goodbye to him, or to see his lifeless
body. For years we had to travel to this remote place to visit his unmarked
grave, and we were not even allowed to construct a gravestone bearing his name….
We will take our appeal to any relevant national or international institution
about this disrespect and cruelty.”
The report adds that,
Rev Soodmand remains the only Iranian Christian to have been executed for
apostasy following an official court order, although others have been sentenced
to death including Rev Mehdi Dibaj and Yousef Nadarkhani. Rev Dibaj was
eventually acquitted after nine years in prison but then killed in suspicious
circumstances five months later. His body was found days after his
disappearance, in a park in a suburb of Tehran, with multiple stab wounds to his
chest. Yousef Nadarkhani was also eventually acquitted of the charge but later
rearrested on the now much more common charge of ‘actions against national
security.’ He is now serving a ten-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison.”
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of the new book, Sword and Scimitar, Fourteen Centuries
of War between Islam and the West, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the
Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and
a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but
rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or
location.
© 2020 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.
Islam.Reverend Lawan Andimi.neheaded by Boko Haram
Picture Enclosed/On January 2, the Boko Haram terrorist group abducted Reverend
Lawan Andimi, a pastor and district chairman of the Church of the Brethren in
Nigeria, who was married with 9 children. After demanding two million euros
ransom, which his church and family could not raise, they beheaded Andimi on
January 20. Pictured: A screenshot from a video released by Boko Haram on
January 5, with the abducted Reverend Lawan Andimi speaking in front of the
camera.
اوزاي بولوت: تركيا تعرض المسيحيين من مواطنيها للكثير من الضغوطات والتعديات
والتمييز
Turkey: Pressures, Attacks, & Discrimination against Christians
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 29/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/84709/%d8%a7%d9%88%d8%b2%d8%a7%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%84%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%b6-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%88/
When Protestants introduce themselves to the authorities as a church, they
receive warnings that they are not legal and may be closed down.
In 2019, however, many members of the foreign clergy, as well as church members,
were deported, refused residence permits, or denied entry visas into Turkey — as
in previous years.
Some textbooks also target Christian communities. “Missionary Activity”
continues to be a heading under the section related to “National Threats” in the
eighth grade elementary school textbook entitled, Revolutionary History and
Kemalism. This teaching continues to be referenced in supplementary textbooks
and tests related to missionary activity being considered a “national threat”.
On September 6, in the Akçaabat district of Trabzon province, the fronts of
several buildings built for tourists were demolished as a result of complaints
that their design resembled a cross. Pictured: The shore at Akçaabat, Turkey.
(Image source: Sinan Şahin/Wikimedia Commons)
Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches has released its 2019 “Human Rights
Violations Report” detailing the state of religious freedom in the country.
The report sheds light on problems Protestant Christians faced in Turkey in
2019. These included barring foreign Protestants from entering Turkey for no
other reason than their faith, as well as the inability of Christians to train
their own religious workers.
One major difficulty for Protestant Christians in Turkey is that the Protestant
community is not recognized as a legal entity.
According to the report, the Protestant community has mostly tried to solve this
problem by establishing associations or becoming a representative of an already
existing association. Associations and foundations, however, are not accepted as
a “church” or a “place of worship.” The Protestants, therefore, cannot benefit
from the advantages given to officially recognized places of worship. When
Protestants introduce themselves to the authorities as a church, they receive
warnings that they are not legal and may be closed down. On March 21, in Bolu,
for example, a house church used by Iranian refugees was sealed off by the Bolu
Governorate.
The laws in Turkey also do not allow training religious leaders or opening
religious schools for the Protestant community. The Protestants were solving
this problem by providing training apprentices, giving seminars within Turkey,
sending students abroad or using support from a foreign clergy. In 2019,
however, many members of the foreign clergy, as well as church members, were
deported, refused residence permits or denied entry visas into Turkey — as in
previous years.
In addition, the report disclosed, at least 35 foreign Protestants — including
Americans, British, and Germans — were barred from entering Turkey. When family
members were counted, more than 100 people have been affected by these bans. The
report continued:
“These people have been resident in our country for many years, live here with
their families, many have made investments in our country and sent their
children to school, and all of them have no criminal record at all. This
situation represents a major humanitarian problem. These entry bans, imposed
with no forewarnings, destroy the unity of the family and create chaos for all
members of the individual’s family.
“In court cases opened to challenge this situation, the authorities have claimed
that these people are pursuing activities to the detriment of Turkey, have taken
part in missionary activities and that some of them had attended the annual
Family Conference which we have held for twenty years.”
In 2019, Christians across Turkey were exposed to hate crimes and hate speech,
as well as to verbal and physical attacks. Examples include:
On February 13, a sign erected by the Istanbul Cankurtaran Church Association
was dismantled by the Üsküdar Municipality without the knowledge of the Church
authorities, on the grounds that it was too large, attracted notice and made
those who passed by on the street uncomfortable when seeing it.
On July 14, in the Izmit province, two people broke a crucifix necklace worn by
a young Christian. After swearing, insulting and slapping the Christian, the
perpetrators ran off.
On July 19, a local court in Malatya ruled that the Malatya Governor and the
Ministry of the Interior were not at fault in the April 18, 2007 murder of three
Protestant Christians because of their faith, and that therefore the
compensation paid to the victims’ families had to be repaid to the government,
along with the interest.
On September 6, in the Akçaabat district of Trabzon province, the fronts of
several buildings built for tourists were demolished as a result of complaints
that their design resembled a cross.
On November 19, in Diyarbakır, a South Korean citizen and Protestant Christian,
Jinwook Kim, died from wounds sustained in a knife attack. Kim, a volunteer in
the church, had lived in Diyarbakır for six months and had a pregnant wife.
Members of the Protestant community became more reluctant to complain to the
security forces or report incidents due to hate-speech and the perpetrators
going unpunished, and also due to being unable to get satisfactory results from
investigations by authorities, and the perpetrators usually remaining
unidentified.
During the 2019 Christmas and New Year season, various anti-Christmas and
anti-New Year campaigns took place throughout Turkey. Hostile posters were hung
on the streets, brochures were distributed, social media campaigns were
conducted, and news was published in print and on social media. The
participation in these campaigns by various public institutions created an
intense atmosphere of hate. In particular, there was a significant increase in
abusive and insulting comments from users of social media and newspaper websites
towards Christianity and Christians.
In a photo widely shared on social media, as just one example, a bearded Muslim
man punches Santa Claus. The photo was also posted in an article, “Why should
the New Year not be celebrated?”, and published on the news website “Haber Vakti”.
Other widespread anti-Christmas messages and posters in print and social media
during the New Year’s celebrations, included posters that portray Santa Claus as
a monster or evil. Messages on posters also included:
December 31 is not Christmas. It marks the conquest of Mecca. “Whoever imitates
a people is one of them.”- The Prophet Mohammed.
There is a rush for Christmas everywhere. The Pope might make an announcement
any time and say: “We will not celebrate Christmas in order not to look like
Muslims”.
We do not celebrate Christmas. “Avoid celebrating the festivals of the enemies
of Allah.” – Caliph Omar
What happens if a Muslim celebrates the New Year (Christmas)? Our Prophet gives
the answer: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” If a Christian
celebrates the Ramadan festival or the beginning of the Mohammedan calendar, it
means that they have become Muslim and entered Islam.
In a poster Santa Claus holds a sign, asking: “Isn’t it a huge sin according to
your religion to celebrate our festivals? Don’t you have a brain at all?”
We are the ummah [nation] of Muhammad, who brought us Salah (Islamic daily
prayers) from Miraj [Mohammed’s alleged ascent into the heavens around the year
621], and not the nation of Santa Claus that brings gifts on the New Year.
Will we continue sacrificing our Islamic civilization for Western customs like
the New Year?
Hey Muslim! Just sleep on New Year’s night.
We are not celebrating the New Year because we are Muslim.
New Year celebrations are an invitation to sins.
I celebrate his New Year and then kick Santa Claus.
Such posters were not only published on social media; on January 1, an Islamist
group distributed anti-Christmas leaflets to passers-by in the Galata
neighborhood of Istanbul.
In the meantime, Christians in Turkey still face serious pressures, attacks and
bans when they attempt to share their faith.
On November 10, a stand in front of the Malatya Church that contained the New
Testament and other Christian books was overturned by youths; the Bibles and
books were thrown in the trash. The youths left a threatening note saying that
such publications should be removed or the books would be burned.
The Antalya Bible Church’s official request in December to open a stand in a
public area for Christmas was also rejected despite their often having opened a
stand there. Over the last three years, the authorities have refused permission,
giving “security/terrorism” as a reason. This year, the reason given for refusal
was an over-concentration of tourists in the area, according to the report.
Some textbooks also target Christian communities. “Missionary Activity”
continues to be a heading under the section related to “National Threats” in the
eighth grade elementary school textbook entitled, Revolutionary History and
Kemalism. This teaching continues to be referenced in supplementary textbooks
and tests related to missionary activity being considered a “national threat”.
In 21st century Turkey, whose constitution asserts that the state is officially
“secular”, Christians continue losing their jobs for their faith.
In the province of Aydın, for example, a Christian teacher was removed from her
post because her faith was reported in the media, and news outlets claimed that
the teacher had been involved in missionary activities. Despite a petition
signed by the students and colleagues of the teacher declaring that nothing of
this sort had taken place, an official investigation into the teacher was
carried out and she was removed from her post. At the time the report was
written, the teacher was transferred to a different school in Izmir. The result
of the official investigation, however, is as yet unknown.
Two Protestant Christians who worked as civil servants also had their employment
terminated — one from the State Theater in Ankara, and the other from the State
Opera and Ballet in Antalya — although there were no negative allegations made
about them.
Claire Evans, Regional Manager for the Middle East of International Christian
Concern (ICC), told Gatestone:
“The New Testament church was born in Asia Minor, which is now Turkey, and
Christianity has deep roots there. However, the entry bans of foreign
Protestants, employment discrimination, the inability of the churches to gain a
legal entity, and the restrictions on churches to train their own leaders are
all deepening barriers for religious freedom in Turkey.”
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the
Gatestone Institute.
© 2020 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.
Wars won’t wait for coronavirus threat to pass
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/March 29, 2020
Browsing the media, one could be forgiven for believing that, not only has the
whole world retreated into lockdown, but all conflicts, strife and injustices
have been put on hold for the duration of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
crisis.
Regrettably, however, conflicts and insurgencies continue apace in Afghanistan,
Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Iraq, Libya, Kashmir, sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.
The danger is that, if the international community is distracted by the epidemic
for the next 12 to 18 months, the resulting contagion of instability will have
far-reaching consequences for global security. With the most influential foreign
correspondents quarantining themselves in the safety of their homes, non-virus
international reporting has almost disappeared from many media outlets. Just as
philosophers agonize over the question of whether a tree falling in an empty
forest makes any sound, what happens to worldwide atrocities and injustices when
there are no investigative reporters to document and publicize them?
Belligerent parties in Libya have ignored calls for a “humanitarian pause,” with
fierce fighting continuing throughout Tripoli. The UN Support Mission in Libya
has warned that COVID-19 could indiscriminately cross front lines, calling on
all Libyans to unite to confront this overwhelming threat. It is conceivable
that a full outbreak could cause significantly more deaths than the many
thousands reaped by a decade of conflict.
The publications produced by Daesh have called on militants to exploit the fog
of pandemic to escalate attacks
Daesh has been especially entrepreneurial in capitalizing on the pandemic,
lauding it as a divine “plague” designed to force “crusader nations” into
retreat. A comparably bonkers conspiracy theory is being peddled by Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, who says the virus “is specifically built for Iran using the
genetic data of Iranians, which they have obtained through different means.” The
publications produced by Daesh have called on militants to exploit the fog of
pandemic to escalate attacks and break their supporters out of “camps where they
face subjugation and disease.” The group’s propagandists have it both ways:
Proclaiming that those following its extremist path will be immune, while
offering detailed hygiene advice for how clean-handed militants can remain
disease-free.
As well as attacks of growing intensity throughout Daesh’s Syrian and Iraqi
heartlands, extremists are stepping up activities in well over a dozen states
throughout Africa. Daesh claimed responsibility for a recent attack in Northern
Mozambique that killed and injured dozens of soldiers and police. Meanwhile, at
least 70 soldiers were killed in an ambush by militants (understood to be from a
Daesh offshoot) in northeastern Nigeria. Old enemies Daesh and Al-Qaeda, along
with numerous other extremist factions, are increasingly coordinating
activities, from Senegal, Mali, Libya, Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria to
Somalia, Egypt and Sudan — more of a desert-straddling “Ungodly Empire” than an
Islamic state.
Despite this escalating Daesh threat, the Trump administration has previously
signaled its intention to withdraw counterterrorism forces from throughout
sub-Saharan Africa. The disappearance of this stabilizing Western military
presence leaves the field wide open for Daesh to consolidate its dominance.
Any troops that remain overseas may be largely confined to their bases by
coronavirus and ultimately recalled home. Last week, at least 23 US sailors on
the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt tested positive for the virus,
highlighting the enhanced risks faced by troops deployed overseas in crowded
quarters. France last week announced the withdrawal of its forces from Iraq.
Throughout Iraq and Syria, the US and other parties are drawing down troops.
Washington has, meanwhile, effectively surrendered Afghanistan to the Taliban as
the price for extracting its forces, while slashing $1 billion in aid to the
country. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Afghan workers have been returning home
from virus-stricken Iran, arousing concerns that this will fan the flames of the
outbreak.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for a worldwide cease-fire. The
Red Cross has similarly called for a cessation of fighting in Syria and
elsewhere to enable precautionary measures to be mobilized ahead of the expected
major viral outbreaks. Various combatants paid lip service to this demand
without necessarily changing their behavior, while, on some occasions,
capitalizing on the reduced scrutiny of their activities.
Not only will vast refugee camps prove fertile incubators for the virus, but woe
betide the thousands of Syrians who disappeared into hellhole regime prisons,
with starvation-level nutrition and no medical care. In many crowded Syrian
camps, even basics like soap and clean water aren’t available, making it very
difficult for refugees to protect their families. In recent days, Saudi Arabia
has overseen a major airlift of medical supplies to Yemen in anticipation of the
rapid emergence of infection cases there. Riyadh also voiced its support for the
legitimate Yemeni government’s calls for a cease-fire. The Iran-backed Houthis
have been accused by the UN of diverting food and medical aid from civilians,
while engaging in serious human rights violations. These forces show little
intention of halting their offensives in the northwest and, on Saturday night,
fired at least two ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia.
As well as Daesh in Iraq, coronavirus has provided additional breathing space
for the Iran-backed militants of Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi to enhance their countrywide
dominance. The Hashd has been shrouding itself in new layers of opacity in
recent months, with additional entities like the “Free Revolutionaries Front”
emerging. These “resistance” elements would travel to Syria and stage operations
against America, Israel or Arab states, while longstanding Hashd factions can
claim to be acting within the established rules of engagement.
The Hashd is energetically translating military control into economic muscle —
in flagrant breach of then-Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s July 2019 executive
order that demanded the closure of “all economic offices” held by
paramilitaries. Militias are now engaged in a broad spectrum of legal and
illicit economic activities, including enriching themselves by appropriating the
vacated lands and property in areas with a large displaced population. As
highlighted by a new Washington Institute report, this has led to the
accumulation of enormous wealth by Hashd leaders like Shibl Al-Zaydi (of Kata’ib
Al-Imam Ali), who today boast sizable real-estate empires in the most opulent
districts of Baghdad.
Coronavirus renders far-reaching geopolitical threats almost invisible until it
is too late. It is right that governments impose strict measures to protect
their citizens from the ongoing pandemic. However, if this is at the expense of
coherent efforts to address the threats of terrorism, regionalized conflict and
instability, we may awaken after the coronavirus crisis has passed to find
ourselves confronting major challenges of a very different nature.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle
East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has
interviewed numerous heads of state.
Iran using virus to lobby for lifting of sanctions
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 29, 2020
Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, Iran’s leaders — particularly
President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif — appear to
be shrewdly investing significant political capital in a global campaign to have
all sanctions against the theocratic establishment lifted.
The Iranian leaders are desperate for the US to lift its sanctions and are
placing significant pressure on the international community to release financial
resources, including those which are frozen under the US sanctions. In a
televised speech, Rouhani said last week: “American leaders are lying… If they
want to help Iran, all they need to do is to lift sanctions... Then we can deal
with the coronavirus outbreak.”
Iran is also calling on other governments to break the US sanctions. Rouhani
wrote a letter to several heads of foreign governments, urging them to ignore
the sanctions because of the coronavirus epidemic. He insisted that “managing
such a great crisis and danger is not possible by any single country alone,”
particularly if that country is encountering difficulties “in access to
international financial markets.”
Zarif, meanwhile, has been lashing out more forcefully on social media. He
tweeted last week: “U.S. is NOT listening, impeding global fight against
#COVID19. The ONLY remedy: DEFY U.S. mass punishment. MORAL & PRAGMATIC
imperative.”
In addition, Zarif appears to be threatening the international community that,
if the sanctions against Iran are not lifted, the widespread coronavirus spread
there will endanger other countries’ national security interests. He tweeted:
“In letter to counterparts, @HassanRouhani informs how efforts to fight #COVID19
pandemic in Iran have been severely hampered by US sanctions, urging them to
cease observing them: It is IMMORAL to let a bully kill innocents. Viruses
recognize no politics or geography. Nor should we.”There are several
contradictions in the Iranian leaders’ argument that sanctions must be lifted to
fight COVID-19
The Iranian leaders’ campaign appears to be producing results. EU foreign policy
chief Josep Borrell said in a video news conference last week: “We agree in
supporting the request by Iran… to the International Monetary Fund to have
financial support.” The EU will also send €20 million in humanitarian aid to
Iran. Their efforts also seem to be working in the US, as nine members of
Congress — including Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep.
Ilhan Omar, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — last week
signed a letter calling on the Trump administration to remove the sanctions on
Iran amid the COVID-19 crisis. To Zarif’s credit, the letter appears to echo his
campaign. It states: “Rather than continue to pile on sanctions in the Iranian
people’s hour of need, we urge you to substantially suspend sanctions on Iran in
a humanitarian gesture to the Iranian people to better enable them to fight the
virus. Sanctions relief should encompass major sectors of the Iranian economy,
including those impacting civilian industries, Iran’s banking sector and exports
of oil, and should last for at least as long as health experts believe the
crisis will continue. Failure to do so risks inhibiting the delivery of key
humanitarian goods, and putting the Iranian people into further health and
economic peril.”
But there are several contradictions in the Iranian leaders’ argument that
sanctions must be lifted to fight the COVID-19 virus. First of all, if the
Iranian regime truly desires the sanctions relief for humanitarian purposes, why
did it refuse America’s offer of medical assistance? On March 12, President
Donald Trump offered to help the Iranian authorities fight the coronavirus, but
Tehran rejected the offer as “hypocritical” and “repulsive.” “We do not need
American doctors,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
In addition, if Zarif and Rouhani are genuinely concerned about the population’s
health, why did their regime revoke its approval for the emergency team that
Doctors Without Borders sent, along with the materials needed to build a 50-bed
inflatable treatment unit? In a statement last week, the group, also known as
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said it was “shocked by the statement made by
officials of the Iranian Ministry of Health (MoH) revoking its previous approval
for MSF’s intervention to manage severe COVID-19 cases in Isfahan. MoH officials
declared that the country does not need additional treatment capacity for the
management of severe cases.”
Finally, the US sanctions do not include medical or humanitarian restrictions,
which could impact the fight against COVID-19.
This shows that Rouhani and Zarif appear to be trying to cash in on the
coronavirus tragedy by pushing the US and the international community to lift
all sanctions against the Iranian regime.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading
expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the
International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Governments caught between their image and their citizens’
safety
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Arab News/March 29, 2020
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed a political crisis no
less serious than the disease itself. It has reached the stage where some
governments are presenting false statistics regarding the total number of cases
and deaths in their country, and have even filtered the information being issued
by hospitals. All this is being done in an attempt to preserve a positive image,
both internally and externally.
The disaster has been even greater in countries that not only kept silent but
also refrained from taking decisions that could tarnish their touristic or media
image, and instead issued statements of reassurance, denial and mockery, while
promoting conspiracy theories. These practices were not only harmful to the
population of the country concerned, but also to other countries, especially
those with a large number of citizens living in other parts of the world.
As the world seeks cooperation and puts differences aside, to prevent a greater
disaster that may further threaten mankind, the Americans and Chinese have
plunged themselves into a major propaganda war. Social media is full of news of
the huge medical achievements and successes from China, met by a smear campaign
from the US; even though President Donald Trump says that he called his Chinese
counterpart and agreed to cooperate. This cooperation came after last week’s G20
videoconference, which was chaired by King Salman and attended by both the
American and Chinese leaders. This summit was the major framework for collective
international action. Saudi Arabia requested to convene the meeting seven months
earlier than the official G20 summit due to the exceptional circumstances.
International cooperation is necessary because the pandemic is neither a Chinese
nor a Western plot, but a threat to the safety of humanity everywhere.
Cooperation is necessary because the pandemic is neither a Chinese nor a Western
plot, but a threat to the safety of humanity everywhere.
Many governments are now retreating from their original stance, after realizing
the high price of lying and obfuscation of the correct information. Most
countries have also taken decisive actions, such as closing their borders, after
initially refraining from doing so because they were afraid of appearing
besieged or as administrative failures in front of the world.
The result is that the pandemic is spreading more in the countries that were
less willing to come forward, although this does not mean that other countries
are immune. Iran, after two months of obfuscation and lies, is now amending its
decisions and official rhetoric, but it still refuses to stop its activities in
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. In the meantime, the Americans were quick to
withdraw their forces from several military bases and areas. They also withdrew
some of their diplomats from Iraq to reduce the risk of casualties.
In January, the American administration also took the pandemic lightly, before
realizing that it posed a real threat, and so moved to remedy the situation. The
decisions in the US are complicated by the limited power of the federal state.
Nevertheless, in a rare move, the two competing political parties, the Democrats
and the Republicans, have agreed to put their differences aside and work
together under the dome of Congress, issuing a set of decisions to save the
country’s health and economic situation. This is not a time for narrow
competition.
Governments that still hide the correct figures, and refrain from making
difficult decisions, will pay a high price because we do not yet know the depth
of the crisis or how long it is going to stay. It is possible that the pandemic
will continue for a long time or return in subsequent waves.
Thus, honesty is not only a virtue, but also a necessity. Due to the fact that
available medical equipment is limited, the World Health Organization and other
international organizations will give priority to the countries that declare
that they are more affected than others. This has prompted some of these
countries to open up and choose to protect their citizens, rather than their own
image.
*Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager
of Al Arabiya news channel, and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.
Twitter: @aalrashed
Sukuk, coronavirus, stimulus, deficits: How the sharia-compliant
bond can help
Bashar Al-Natoor/Al Arabiya/March 29/2020
While the coronavirus pandemic has triggered major uncertainties in markets and
everyday life, sharia-compliant bonds, or sukuk, are set for a renaissance once
the financial landscape has settled and issuers and investors have readjusted.
Falling oil prices will significantly widen fiscal deficits in sukuk issuing
countries like the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Malaysia, which
are net oil exporters.
While other sukuk issuers like Indonesia could benefit from lower oil prices as
they are net oil importers, the negative effects of lower commodity export
prices and reduced tourism revenues caused by the global outbreak will deter
growth. The risks to Turkey come mainly through deterioration in global
financial conditions; banks face increased risks to their credit profiles.
These developments, among other measures, are expected to accelerate debt
issuances to fill the budget deficits, including sukuk.
The market is at a standstill right now. But countries with a good credit story,
followed by financial institutions and corporates will lead the renaissance of
sukuk, a sharia-compliant bond, while borrowing needs balloon as central banks
seek to provide large economic stimulus packages to mitigate the economic
fallout of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.
In the latest quarterly Global Economic Outlook (GEO), Fitch Ratings has
drastically lowered the baseline global economic forecasts with oil price
forecast being lowered to an annual average of $41 per barrel (bbl) of Brent
crude for 2020, compared to our previous forecast of $62.5/bbl in December 2019.
The move was due to the collapse of OPEC+ co-operation and the prospects of
excess global oil supply. Furthermore, oil prices are forecast to average
$48/bbl in 2021, compared to our previous forecast of $60/bbl.
Policymakers have been using every tool in their arsenal, both fiscal and
monetary, to soften the economic and financial impact of COVID-19 outbreak.
In line with the US Federal Reserve’s move to lower its benchmark to near-zero
rate, central banks across many sukuk active markets also followed by cutting
their interest rates. Many central banks of oil-exporting countries have
launched stimulus packages and instructed banks to grant grace periods on loan
repayments for private sector firms.
During the first two months of 2020, the sukuk market witnessed strong market
activity; however, at present, new international sukuk issuance is almost at a
standstill. With many of the usual issuing jurisdictions facing an unprecedented
combination of challenges, including health issues, reduced oil revenues,
economic disruption, severe financial market dislocation and changes in
liquidity and investor sentiment.
These developments are negatively impacting new sukuk issuances (and bonds).
Active sukuk issuers and investors continue to evade new issuance in the
international fixed income markets, major volatilities include interest rates,
oil prices, credit-spreads, currency valuation, that are affecting sukuk
investment and issuing decisions.
Additionally, about $18 billion of Fitch-rated sukuk will be due in 2020 and
2021, 79 percent of which being investment grade and 21 percent speculative
grade.
For the corporate sector, sukuk issuance in key Islamic finance markets, have
been historically small relative to its potential, with Malaysia being the
exception (but with local sukuk issuance rather than international).
International sukuk and bonds markets, together with the domestic markets,
provide the additional access necessary to safeguard that capital flows,
although it is one component in the funding mix (which includes equity, bank
loans, syndicated loans, and other forms of borrowing).
Banks continue to be the primary source of funding for corporates in the GCC due
to a number of factors, including financial and economic regulations, and the
size and development of the domestic corporate base.
Banks are primarily funded by deposits from customers and the government rather
than capital markets and we do not expect this to change at least in the short
term. However, recent developments could trigger sizable corporate sukuk
issuances in the medium term, as corporates try to seek alternative forms of
long-term funding, due to pressured liquidity and challenging operating
environment.
Once the coronavirus crisis starts to settle, the opportunity for sukuk over the
horizon is still positive.
Coronavirus pandemic is reshaping the geopolitical order
Sultan Althari/Al Arabiya/March 29/2020
The novel coronavirus has created pervasive uncertainty across human society and
there is no doubt that it will also have paradigm-shifting geopolitical
implications.
While lockdowns, supply chain disruptions and market volatility take center
stage, states are being forced to reevaluate central tenets of international
order. We are headed for a world where selective self-sufficiency overrides
regional and global interdependence; where realism takes precedence over
abstract idealism. Conceptually, states will likely address the world as it is,
and not how it ought to be. Mild symptoms – such as nations hoarding medical
supplies – are indicative of a broader, more far-reaching geopolitical
diagnosis.
COVID-19 – a transnational threat – will strengthen the case for nationalism
because its socio-economic consequences expose the vulnerabilities of global
interdependence. States – like individuals in quarantine – are now forced to
confront and continually navigate the potential perils of sustained isolation.
Withering trust in long-distance supply chains means that states are likely to
strengthen national self-sufficiency, posing severe challenges to developing
countries in the process.
The intrinsic value of global supply chains is now brought into question:
globalization allowed specialized companies to supply products on a just-in-time
basis, attuning production capacity to subtle shifts in global demand. Efforts
to maximize profitability and eliminate redundancy deemed inventory unimportant.
However, the COVID-induced demand shock exposed the fragility of globalization –
with greater interdependence comes greater vulnerability. Critical medical
supplies sustained by single-source providers have failed to keep up with the
surge in global demand, yielding lethal consequences. States will therefore
place a greater emphasis on domestic supply stability, particularly as it
pertains to strategic industries.
These new realities will amplify existing trends of deglobalizaiton and
deregionalization. For example, the formation of the European Union (EU) was
premised on ending regional conflict through economic integration, granting
member states access to a single market. COVID-19 is aggressively challenging
the EU’s efficacy: Italy – the epicenter COVID-19’s European outbreak –
desperately called on fellow EU member-states for financial support through a
“corona bonds” scheme this week, but Germany and the Netherlands bluntly
refused. In fact, France and Germany implemented measures to restrict the free
circulation of protective medical equipment. The EU condemned unilateral
hoarding, but states did little to acknowledge regional concerns.
These realities embolden the appeal of populist movements, while eroding
confidence in an already fickle European Union. Resource-centric competition
coupled with an inward focus on self-sufficiency will force states to redefine
multilateralism – explicit self-interest will likely play a larger role in
future definitions. A more interest-driven world order will deepen cleavages
between global spheres of influence, ultimately intensifying great-power
competition. For instance, although COVID-19 originated in the Chinese city of
Wuhan, Beijing is already leveraging its recovery as a soft power tool to expand
geopolitical clout.
The universal longing for normalcy also entails geopolitical consequences. The
revolutionary-progressive appeal set forth by the likes of Bernie Sanders will
lose momentum because campaigns that promise to topple the status quo are
riddled with uncertainty. COVID-19’s existential challenge created a visceral
yearning for stability and normalcy far stronger than
revolutionary-progressivism. In addition, support for immigration will probably
lose its appeal as a mobilizing tool for the global left given the perceived
priority to ensure long-term self-sufficiency.
The pandemic shed a telling light on the citizen-state relationship,
particularly in the Middle East. Iran – the epicenter of the region’s outbreak –
has made its priorities clear: regime preservation over Iranian lives; ideology
over public health; obfuscation over transparency. The death-toll in Iran
recently exceeded 2,500 – this is due to the fact that the regime suppressed the
virus’s initial outbreak and systematically failed to implement precautionary
measures (i.e. quarantining the religious city of Qom, halting flights to and
from China). Today, Tehran is doing little to contain the virus’s spread,
recently denying humanitarian assistance for radical ideological commitments,
while propagating conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns attempting to
link the origins of COVID-19 to the US.
In stark contrast, Saudi Arabia has taken decisive, science-based action to
contain COVID-19’s spread, placing the Saudi citizen at the helm of national
priorities. Before a single case of coronavirus was identified in the Kingdom,
the government implemented swift precautionary measures: international flights
were suspended, entry to holy sites in Mecca and Medina was put to a halt, and
open channels of communication increased public awareness. Containment efforts
have been equally decisive: supermarkets are consistently well-stocked,
science-based quarantine and testing procedures have been implemented, and
financial mitigation initiatives are helping the private sector absorb the
shock. Unprecedented national unity and solidarity are unsurprising byproducts
of the Kingdom’s swift response to protect and consistently support its
citizens. On the other hand, Iranian citizens will be forced to dramatically
reevaluate their relationship with a regime committed to corruption, obfuscation
and regional destabilization.
COVID-19 is rapidly reshaping the future of geopolitics. While the outcome
remains in flux, conjectures can soon turn into tangible realities. The onus is
on states, citizens and international organizations to navigate the perils of
this pandemic, and in the process, redefine geopolitical order. Will states
aggressively retreat from globalization and economic interdependence? If so, how
will that retreat manifest itself? Will states embrace new forms of
protectionism? Conversely, will the transitional threat of COVID-19 weaken the
case for state-centric nationalism, ushering a new era of international
cooperation and multilateral dialogue? Questions like these animate a future
geopolitical landscape riddled with uncertainty. As events unfold, nimble
leadership and robust science-based policy interventions are imperative. It is a
testing period for states, one where threat and opportunity look each other in
the eye.
*Sultan Althari is a Masters Candidate in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard
University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Student-Affiliate at the
Kennedy School's Middle East Initiative.
Iran campaign for sanctions relief seeks to cover up
negligence over coronavirus
Jason Brodsky/Al Arabiya/March 29/2020
Iran has been mounting a full-court press in recent weeks over the need for
sanctions relief. This global campaign has consisted of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs lobbying allies around the world to publicly and privately press the US
government to ease its economic pressure. Such an effort has deflected attention
away from the regime’s own mismanagement of the coronavirus outbreak –
specifically, prioritizing conspiracy theories and ideology over science and the
welfare of the Iranian people; creating a hydra-headed, dysfunctional management
structure to combat the coronavirus; and haphazard decision-making.
The coronavirus is rapidly spreading among the general population of Iran.
According to a Health Ministry official, one Iranian is killed every 10 minutes.
It’s not just ordinary Iranians who are being afflicted with the disease – the
heart of the Islamic Republic’s Establishment has also been affected. At least
two extended family members of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have
contracted the coronavirus – the brother-in-law of his influential son Mojtaba
and the mother-in-law of another son, Meysam, also died from the disease. That’s
not to mention that at least two members of the Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader
have contracted the coronavirus – his foreign policy adviser Ali Akbar Velayati
and his deputy for supervision and auditing Mohammad-Javad Iravani.
The Rouhani administration has fared no better. The first vice president, the
vice president for family and women’s affairs, the minister of industry, the
tourism minister, and a deputy health minister have all suffered from the
outbreak. The situation has become so dire that President Rouhani announced
around half of all government employees are staying at home or limiting their
work activities. Such a dynamic is dangerous, as in recent days the head of US
Central Command assessed that Iran is slower in its decision-making as a result
of the coronavirus.
Prioritizing ideology over welfare
Despite all these trend lines, the regime has continued to prioritize conspiracy
theories and ideological purity over tangible assistance. Just days ago, Iran’s
supreme leader repeated the outlandish and outrageous claim that the United
State is “accused of having created this virus.” Khamenei’s willingness to
entertain these baseless claims has filtered down to the Islamic Republic’s top
brass, with the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein
Salami, members of parliament, and the secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council
Mohsen Rezaei employing this messaging. Rezaei recently accused the United
States and Israel of using the coronavirus to launch World War III.
This is not mere rhetoric. Such dangerous thinking has had devastating effects
for the Iranian people. On February 28, the US government made an offer to
provide humanitarian assistance to Iran to help with the coronavirus pandemic.
But the US State Department indicated that the approach was “quickly” and
clearly rejected by the regime.
It’s not only the United States that has seen its efforts rebuffed. France’s
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) shipped an inflatable hospital to be deployed in
Isfahan, along with nine doctors and specialists. But an official from the
Health Ministry later announced “Iran did not need hospitals established by
foreigners.” In justifying the ban on MSF operating a hospital, Khamenei ally
and editor of Kayhan Hossein Shariatmadari quipped “is it not true that France
has always cooperated with the US conspiracies against Iran?” He also accused
MSF’s presence in Iran as being “a cover for non-humanitarian activities.”
Iran’s officials have made similar decisions in the past. Ayatollah Khamenei and
his allies routinely rail against Western infiltration. In 1992, the regime
expelled all of the Red Cross’ staff matters after allegations they had assisted
in the compilation of a United Nations report on the human rights situation in
the country. There have been times when the regime has accepted US assistance,
such as after the 2003 Bam earthquake. But in the current situation, the regime
is prioritizing its revolutionary dogma over real-time, tangible assistance for
the welfare of the Iranian people.
Chaos, confusion, and competition
Iran’s management structure of the coronavirus has also hobbled the response.
There are three competing entities which have been established to confront the
crisis – the National Coronavirus Headquarters, chaired by the Rouhani
administration; the Imam Reza Headquarters, chaired by the chief of staff of
Iran’s Armed Forces; and the IRGC’s Shafa Headquarters. The New York Times also
reported of a clash between Rouhani and Bagheri over command – with Bagheri
insisting Khamenei gave him the authority “to act independently” of the
president.
Such a collection of colliding entities has resulted in conflicting messages and
erratic decision-making. When the supreme leader tasked the chief of staff of
the Armed Forces General Staff Mohammad Bagheri to establish the Imam Reza
Headquarters, Bagheri announced his forces would be “emptying shops, streets,
and roads” within 24 hours. But a few days later during Nowruz, Iranian police
announced that over 1.2 million traveled for the holiday. Only this week, after
the initial traffic, did the Rouhani administration come around to forbidding
travel.
There has also been internal confusion and dissent within the Rouhani
administration over the handling of the pandemic. Intelligence Minister Mahmoud
Alavi indicated that it was his ministry which approved the arrival of MSF in
Iran, only to see MSF later forbidden from erecting a mobile hospital. To add to
the turmoil, the government’s spokesman later said Iran would accept assistance
from MSF, with little clarity over next steps. Deputy Health Minister Reza
Malekzadeh, himself a former health minister, recently admitted publicly that
Iran did not restrict travel to and from China “in a timely manner” because of
the “economic ties with China as well as the large number of Iranians in China.”
He also regretted the “delay in informing the public” about coronavirus.
In recent days, Iran and its allies have been lobbying for sanctions relief
given the public health emergency. But the rationale for this campaign raises
serious questions, given the regime’s rejection of tangible offers of
assistance, the existence of a Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement in which 50
companies have expressed interest in participating, and the government’s
helter-skelter management of the crisis.
*Jason Brodsky is currently the Policy Director of United Against Nuclear Iran.
The West Needs to Wake Up to China's Duplicity
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute
In an article in Xinhua, one of the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpieces,
Beijing threatened to halt pharmaceutical exports, after which America would be
"plunged into the mighty sea of coronavirus... — Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow
for global health, Council on Foreign Relations, Twitter, March 4, 2020.
China's leaders are probably hoping that you cannot challenge a powerhouse that
is selling you most of your vital medications.
"Hidden behind declarations of solidarity, China plans to buy out our troubled
companies and infrastructure" — Bild, March 19, 2020.
Italy, a country hit hard by China's coronavirus pandemic, is now at the center
of a strategic Chinese propaganda campaign. Beijing has sent doctors and
supplies to Italy and is doing the same all over Europe. In Italy you can see
posters saying, "Go, China!" China is trying to buy our silence and complicity.
Sadly, that is already taking place.
China is not helping at this point out of "solidarity". The Chinese regime is
now seeking to portray itself as the world's savior. Beijing, at the beginning
of the pandemic, did not care about the lives of even its own people: it was
busy censoring the news.
"The West is so tolerant, passive, accommodating and naive towards Beijing.
Westerners... are seduced like an old man in front of a young girl.... Europe
shows all its weakness. It does not realize that the Chinese offensive threatens
its freedom and values". — Liao Yiwu, Chinese writer exiled in Berlin, Le Point
International, April 6, 2019.
China is waging a double information war: one abroad and one for its own public,
both led by the Chinese authorities with President Xi Jinping at its head. They
apparently see the West as weak and submissive. We have been. (Photo by Naohiko
Hatta - Pool/Getty Images)
The Chinese Communist Party is the "central threat of our times", US Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo astutely said in January. Back then, coronavirus was
already spreading throughout China and over the world; the Communist Party's
attempt to hide the epidemic proved that Pompeo was more than right. "My concern
is that this cover-up, this disinformation that the Chinese Communist Party is
engaged in, is still denying the world the information it needs so that we can
prevent further cases or something like this from recurring again", Pompeo added
this week.
Had China responded to the outbreak three weeks earlier than it did, cases of
coronavirus could have been reduced by 95%, according to a study by the
University of Southampton. In those three weeks, China was busy hiding the
truth. According to Steve Tsang, director of the University of London's SOAS
China Institute, "It is the cover-up of the Communist Party for the first two
months or so which created conditions to generate a global pandemic".
Chinese leaders, however, seemed obsessed only with the sustainability of their
totalitarian regime, and as eager to silence any criticism as they have been in
the past. Since January, the evidence of China's deliberate cover-up of the
coronavirus in Wuhan has become a matter of public record. The Chinese
government censored and detained brave doctors and whistleblowers who attempted
to sound the alarm. One of China's richest entrepreneurs, Jack Ma, recently
disclosed that China hid at least one-third of the coronavirus cases.
China has been able to grow into a superpower because it adopted economic
practices from the West. No other country ever achieved such rapid economic and
social progress for such a sustained period of time. However, hopes placed by
the West in the Chinese market also nourished a dangerous mirage. We in the West
thought that a modernizing China with a rising GDP would also democratize and
come to respect transparency, pluralism and human rights. Instead, the mirage
turned into a disaster as we watched China become even more of a "totalitarian
state".
The nature of the Chinese regime -- its ban on the free press and all critical
voices; the absolute domination of the Communist Party over social, spiritual
and economic actors; imprisoning minorities and crushing freedom of conscience
-- is also contributing to the emergence of this public health disaster. The
cost, in terms of human lives and world's GDP, is immense.
The Chinese government's complicity in the pandemic is now an opportunity for
the West to reevaluate its ties to Beijing. According to Guy Sorman, a
French-American expert on China:
"Like useful idiots, we have not only helped the Party prosper but, even worse,
we have given up on our humanitarian, democratic, and spiritual values in doing
so."
"It is time", stated the American columnist, Marc A. Thiessen, "to immunize our
economy and national security from our dependence on a deceitful regime".
China is waging a double information war: one abroad and one for its own public,
both led by the Chinese authorities with President Xi Jinping at its head. They
apparently see the West as weak and submissive. We have been.
China seems to believe that it is rising, while the West is in decline. "We find
ourselves in what Germans call a Systemwettbewerb, a 'competition of systems'
between liberal democracies and China's authoritarian state capitalism, which is
increasingly projecting its absolute claim to power beyond its borders", said
Thorsten Benner, co-founder and director of the Global Public Policy Institute
in Berlin. The Cold War with Russia was clearer.
"We had an ideological and security antagonist who was not an economic
competitor. There was a Chinese wall between the economies of the West and the
Soviet Union. Today, we are confronted with an opponent who is a powerful
economic competitor and intricately involved in the political economy of the
West. At the same time, we also depend on cooperation with China on
transnational issues such as climate change and pandemics. China's authoritarian
state capitalist system with its hegemonic ambitions is by far the most
difficult strategic challenge the West has faced to date".
According to historian Niall Ferguson, "China today poses a bigger economic
challenge than the Soviet Union ever did". The Soviet Union could never rely on
a dynamic private sector, as China is doing. In some markets -- such as
technology -- China is already ahead of the United States. Not only that; the
Chinese economy, the world's second-largest, is more closely integrated with the
West than the Soviet one ever was. China's totalitarian one-party rule allows
greater personal freedoms, at least at the moment, than the Soviet Union did.
The coronavirus epidemic is, in fact, partly a consequence of the freedom of
movement Chinese citizens enjoy.
China has also been able to convince much of the West that it is not an enemy.
Beijing's goal has appeared to be to try to draw the West -- and the rest of the
world -- into its economic and ideological orbit. China opened markets in the
West while it offered to its own people a kind of devil's bargain: give up your
ideas and principles and you will enjoy material improvement and societal
security. Meanwhile, China became an industrial and technological behemoth, a
feat the Soviet Union could only dream about.
Consider, for instance, pharmaceuticals. According to Yanzhong Huang, a senior
fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, Chinese companies
supply the US with more than 90% of its antibiotics, vitamin C and ibuprofen, as
well as 70% of acetaminophen and 40-45% of heparin. The US was never dependent
on the Soviet Union for that.
In an article in Xinhua, one of the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpieces,
Beijing threatened to halt pharmaceutical exports, after which the US would be
"plunged into the mighty sea of coronavirus". The Xinhua article was actually
entitled, "Be bold: the world owes China a thank you."
Fox News host Tucker Carlson was right to blast members of the American elite
for selling out their country to Chinese economic interests.
China's leaders are probably hoping that you cannot challenge a powerhouse that
is selling you most of your vital medications.
Italy, a country hit hard by China's coronavirus pandemic, is now at the center
of a strategic Chinese propaganda campaign. Beijing has sent doctors and
supplies to Italy and is doing the same all over Europe. In Italy, you can see
posters saying, "Go, China!" ["Forza China!"] China is trying to buy our silence
and complicity. Sadly, that is already taking place. In February, while some
Italian officials (on the political right) were urging Prime Minister Giuseppe
Conte to quarantine schoolchildren in the north who were just returning from
holidays in China, Italy's highest officials were busy trying to please Beijing.
Italy's President, Sergio Mattarella; Minister for Culture, Dario Franceschini,
and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, hosted a concert in Rome for
"Italian-Chinese friendship". China's President Xi Jinping warmly thanked them.
China is not helping at this point out of "solidarity". The Chinese regime is
now seeking to portray itself as the world's savior. Beijing, at the beginning
of the pandemic, did not care about the lives of even its own people: it was
busy censoring the news.
"Hidden behind declarations of solidarity, China plans to buy out our troubled
companies and infrastructure", according to Germany's leading newspaper, Bild.
Italy was the first G-7 country to sign up for China's global investment
program, a deal that rightly raised concerns in the US. China seems to be ready
to continue its expansion into the Italy's economy and strategic interests.
China's Communist Party also seems to be at war with the free flow of
information internationally. The regime, in the most sweeping media ejection
from China since the death of Mao Zedong, recently expelled US journalists.
Beijing has also tried to shift the blame for the pandemic to the US by saying
that coronavirus originated with US military personnel in Wuhan. Lijian Zhao,
spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, posted statements to that effect on
Chinese social media and Twitter. The coronavirus crisis is now a battleground
for Chinese propaganda.
The paradox is that the Global Times, a media outlet of the Chinese Communist
Party, spreads false anti-US propaganda on Twitter, which is banned in China.
Twitter, meanwhile, banned the website Zero Hedge, for publishing an article
linking a Chinese scientist to the outbreak of coronavirus. Twitter also
unfortunately decided that China's Communist Party does not violate the rules of
social media by spreading lies against the US.
Already a few years ago, in 2013, a secret Chinese Communist Party directive
known as Document No. 9 called for the rejection of seven Western ideas, such as
"Western constitutional democracy", "universal values" of human rights,
Western-inspired notions of media independence and civic participation, ardently
pro-market "neo-liberalism," and "nihilist" criticisms of the Party's
questionable past. Targets to combat included "Western embassies, consulates,
media operations and nongovernmental organizations". Huang Kunming, the Party's
propaganda chief, attacks "some Western countries who use their technological
advantages and dominance of discourse that they have accumulated over a long
period to peddle so-called 'universal values'". China's Education Minister Yuan
Guiren, a former president of Beijing Normal University, threw in: "Never let
textbooks promoting Western values appear in our classes".
In speeches and official documents, the President Xi talks about a struggle
between "socialism with Chinese characteristics" and "Western anti-China forces"
with their "extremely malicious" ideas of freedom, democracy and human rights.
The West seems to be their target. According to a new study by the International
Republican Institute:
"The Chinese Communist Party... is employing a unique set of tactics in the
economic and information domains that undermines many developing countries'
democratic institutions and future prosperity as their dependence on China
grows."
China evidently understands how to use Western media for its own propaganda.
"The Vatican and the Western business elite", wrote Michael Brendan Dougherty,
"once instrumental in the West's winning the Cold War, have been brought to heel
by the Chinese Communist party". The Chinese regime has succeeded where the
Soviet regime failed. Last December, a six-year-old girl in London preparing
Christmas cards found a message inside: "We are foreign prisoners in Shanghai
Qingpu Prison China, forced to work against our will", read the handwritten
note. "Please help us and notify human rights organization". Western capitalism
has even become complicit with Chinese slavery.
Western brands are not alone in caving in out of fear of "offending" the
Communist Party. Western culture has been eagerly submitting itself to
self-censorship about China. "The West is so tolerant, passive, accommodating
and naive towards Beijing," said Liao Yiwu, a Chinese writer exiled in Berlin.
"Westerners look at China with incredulous eyes, they are seduced like an old
man in front of a young girl. Everyone trembles before Chinese omnipotence.
Europe shows all its weakness. It does not realize that the Chinese offensive
threatens its freedom and values".
China's embassy in the Czech Republic is now financing a study course at Charles
University, the most prestigious in the country. British universities are today
largely dependent on Chinese students; conservative estimates put their combined
tuition fees at about $1.75 billion. Australia is now even more reliant, with
200,000 Chinese students. If they go back to China or if Chinese donations stop
coming to these faculties, they stand to lose about $4 billion.
The 1,500 branches of the Confucius Institute that China's regime has
established in 140 countries offer language and "cultural" programs. However,
according to Matt Schrader, a China analyst with the Alliance for Securing
Democracy, these institutes are "propaganda tools". Last October, Belgium banned
the head of Confucius Institute in Brussels, Xinning Song, after security
services accused him of spying for Beijing.
In 2013, when the University of Sydney shut down a talk by Tibet's Dalai Lama on
campus, many saw the university's links to Chinese interests as being involved
in the lobbying efforts to stop the previously approved event. Topics such as
Tibet, Taiwan independence, or the dissident Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu
Xiaobo, are taboo.
According to a Bloomberg report, China is also infiltrating Europe's political
landscape by supporting political parties and inviting politicians to China.
President Xi, taking his ideological battle abroad, even donated a statue of
Karl Marx to his German hometown Trier on the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth.
Beijing, unsurprisingly, has been using Western multilateral institutions to its
own advantage. As Michael Collins detailed in a report for the Council on
Foreign Relations, Beijing has expanded its presence in the World Health
Organization. "China's WHO contributions have grown by 52% since 2014 to
approximately $86 million", Collins states.
"This is largely due to China's increase in assessed contributions which are
based on a country's economic development and population. However, China has
also slightly increased voluntary contributions from $8.7 million in 2014 to
approximately $10.2 million in 2019".
Like the former Soviet Union, China now seems to be building a giant apparatus
of control. They call it the "Internet police". Try to imagine the former East
Germany's secret police, the Stasi, using the most advanced surveillance system
in the world: This is China in 2020.
Communist dictatorships always end up following the same script. The Soviet
writer Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature but the
communist regime prevented him from receiving it. In China, literary critic,
writer, poet, and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo was awarded Nobel Prize for
Peace but was never able to receive it: he died under guard in a Chinese
hospital. The Soviet Union had forced-labor camps just as China does. Chinese
dissident Harry Wu, who endured 19 years in jail, compared the Chinese camps (laogai)
to the Soviet gulag and Nazi concentration camps.
In the Soviet Union, writers, politicians, generals and doctors who were
silenced and executed under Stalin, were later "rehabilitated" by the Soviet
leaders after Stalin's death. The Chinese Communist Party just "exonerated" Dr.
Li Wenliang who warned about the coronavirus outbreak. He was accused of "making
false comments and disturbing the social order", then forced to recant, and soon
after, at the age of 33, died of the disease. It is a shameful attempt by the
Chinese officials to whitewash their own image.
In a column last week for the Spanish daily El Pais, the Nobel Laureate Mario
Vargas Llosa wrote about coronavirus:
"Nobody seems to be warning that none of this could have happened in the world
if popular China were a free country and democratic rather than a dictatorship".
Vargas Llosa then likened the epidemic outbreak to Russia's Chernobyl disaster
during the Soviet era. Both dictatorships censored and silenced information
about the crises. In response, Beijing's regime not only called Vargas Llosa
"irresponsible", but also banned his books from Chinese e-book platforms. Vargas
Llosa has warned Western "fools" not to believe in China, "the free market with
a political dictatorship", and that "what happened with the coronavirus should
open the eyes of the blind".
The risk now is that, instead of Chernobyl which led, in part, to Soviet Union's
downfall, China's communist regime will enjoy reinforcement -- especially if,
due to the coronavirus crisis, the American people in November fail to support
the first president in the last 40 years who has openly challenged China.
The Western dream of a "renaissance of the Chinese nation" has now turned into a
globalized nightmare. Hundreds of millions across the world are in lockdown;
thousands are dead; the economies of Western countries are paralyzed, with some
on the verge of collapse. Empty shops and streets are commonplace.
This might be what analysts call "the end of liberal order". China's communists
today are more capitalist than Marxist, at least at the state level. President
Xi has adopted "market Leninism" -- mixing a state-run economy with a
"terrifying form of totalitarianism". The West needs to wake up to China's
duplicity.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and
author.
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The messages behind Saudi Arabia's oil market moves
Khattar Abou Diab/The Arab Weekly/March 29/2020
The shift in Saudi oil strategy from working in silence and through diplomatic
messages to reacting openly and swiftly to Russia's moves serves Saudi national
interests in view of the intense competition with Moscow and Washington and the
threat to Riyadh’s position in the global energy market as the original oil
source in the Gulf.
Under former US President Barack Obama, Washington tried to dispense with its
reliance on Saudi oil and limit Riyadh’s global role by encouraging shale oil
operations in the United States.
Moscow focused its attention on encroaching on Asian markets by increasing
production and threatening Saudi exports to China, India and other countries in
that region.
However, the recent reaction from Riyadh was to remind the world of Saudi
Arabia’s oil potential and of its historical role in supplying the world with
oil when others were unable to do so, by keeping prices low so as not to affect
economic growth in importing countries and by preventing prices from falling to
dangerous levels so as not to affect the economies of exporting countries.
Riyadh's action was also meant to remind consuming countries that by reducing
oil production and raising prices, Saudi Arabia and its allies were proactively
helping them to stop wasting oil products resulting from the oil glut,
rationalise energy use and mitigate environmental effects.
However, the most important Saudi message was addressed to producing countries.
It reminded them that, even if the United States becomes the first oil producer
globally, followed by Russia, Saudi Arabia remains a key player because of its
huge reserves and low extraction costs, features it shares with the other
oil-producing Gulf countries.
This is why a New York oil market expert said that even in the event of a total
collapse of oil prices, “the Gulf countries are the only ones that can afford
these prices and that, in the event of a significant drop in oil demand, the
Gulf countries are the only ones that will remain on the market and that, in the
event of oil depletion around the world, Gulf oil will be the last one to go.”
By creating this new situation, Saudi Arabia aims to force Russia and other
countries to reduce production as required to achieve a balance in the markets.
It is clear that its goal is not to immediately return to the negotiating table.
A source in London said Saudi Arabia is targeting Russia's oil markets wherever
they are but especially in Europe.
Most additional Saudi shipments are to go to Europe as well. While media reports
suggest the existence of Saudi-US coordination on price cuts, the uproar in the
Texas shale oil sector seems to indicate the opposite.
As for US President Donald Trump, who is comfortable with lowering gasoline
prices in the United States because it helps his re-election campaign, he does
not want to risk antagonising the powerful US oil industry lobby. He is trying
to build a balanced position that would allow him to take advantage of the price
cuts to increase the United States’ oil reserves and maintain pressure on
Moscow.
Saudi Arabia’s oil war is reminiscent of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz’s actions
during OPEC’s golden era. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz are seeking to lead the kingdom out of the
current war with the least damage possible in the short term while betting on
the advantages of preserving Saudi Arabia’s historic position and role in the
global market and in a competition that some players wanted to be without rules.
Despite Russian pressure and calls by some in the US Congress to punish Saudi
Arabia, Riyadh appears serene with its choices at this delicate stage, which
guarantee its rights and the rights of its allies while sending messages to
Trump, the US Democratic Party and anyone intent on blackmailing it or
endangering its interests that it is truly the pluralistic world in which we
live and the needs of global markets that cwill determine the direction of the
oil market.
*Khattar Abou Diab is director of the Council on Geopolitics and Perspectives in
Paris.
17 years ago, the US target was Iraq not its regime
Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/March 29/2020
Seventeen years ago — almost to the day — US-led coalition forces were advancing
from the south towards Baghdad. They took the city on April 9, 2003.
That date marked the beginning of a new era for the region. It was a virtual
earthquake whose aftershocks are still being felt on more than one level,
especially in Iraq, the Gulf and the region of the Fertile Crescent that extends
from Iraq to the Palestinian territories, via Syria and Lebanon.
The world stood witness to the changes occurring since 2003 and became convinced
that Iran was the United States’ real partner in its war on Iraq. In fact, Iran
was the real victor of that war, a war that had cost the United States thousands
of lives and trillions of dollars.
What is confusing is why and how the Americans decided to invade Iraq after
al-Qaeda’s “holy attacks” on September 11, 2001, on the Pentagon and New York,
commissioned by Osama bin Laden.
Besieged by severe international sanctions for its foolish invasion of Kuwait in
1990, Iraq had no relationship with al-Qaeda or bin Laden, who was hiding in
Afghanistan.
Among the 19 terrorists who executed the attacks was a Lebanese citizen named
Ziad Jarrah belonging to the Fatah Revolutionary Council group headed by Sabri
al-Banna, aka Abu Nidal. Banna was a defector from Fatah and had suspected links
to various terrorist organisations, including al-Qaeda.
Banna was living in Baghdad. To preclude any misinterpretations, the Iraqi
regime of the time disposed of the man. It was said he “committed suicide” at
his home in Baghdad.
Despite these preventive moves, there were some people in Washington who
insisted on finding a link, no matter how thin, between the Iraqi regime headed
by Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, knowing that evidence corroborating the
existence of a relationship between al-Qaeda and groups affiliated with the
Iranian regime, not Iraq, was overwhelming.
Since September 11, 2001, officials in the George W. Bush administration
volunteered Iraq as partially responsible for the attacks. During the first
high-level meeting following the attacks, US Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul
Wolfowitz demanded that a response take place in Iraq.
That meeting was at Camp David. Colin Powell, then-Secretary of State, silenced
Wolfowitz, assuring him that the US administration had no information linking
Saddam to al-Qaeda but Wolfowitz refused to back off.
Wolfowitz, a neoconservative, was later asked why he had focused on Iraq, while
everybody knew al-Qaeda’s leadership was protected by the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan. He answered: “The seeds have been planted.” In other words, he laid
the foundation for the military invasion of Iraq. This information was published
in Vanity Fair and the decisions taken at that stage that changed the face of
the world, including travel procedures inside and outside the United States.
Still, the mystery remains: Why invade Iraq? The answer at that time was to
bring freedom and democracy to the oppressed Iraqi people.
There is no question that the Saddam regime was dictatorial but why it and not
the Syrian regime, for example, which was equally oppressive? More important,
what was the difference between it and the government in Iran, especially the
Khomeini regime that had American blood on its hands? It ordered the bombing of
the US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, followed by the bombing of the US Marine
Corps headquarters near Beirut airport in October the same year.
It is still a mystery why the United States started a war on Iraq under the
pretext of going after al-Qaeda while its troops were all over Afghanistan
searching for al-Qaeda and bin Laden.
To this day, the United States has been suffering from its war in Afghanistan.
It couldn’t end it, such that, in 2020, it had no choice by to sign an agreement
with the Taliban, an accord with a taste of defeat. It was the Taliban regime
and Afghanistan that gave shelter and protection to bin Laden and enabled him to
plan and execute the September 11 attacks and yet US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo found himself compelled to go to Kabul to save what he could of the
agreement with the Taliban.
The invasion of Iraq is a bewildering American decision but the conclusion that
can be drawn after all those years is that the announced US goal of establishing
a democratic regime in Iraq turned out to be an impossible task and that the
real target then was Iraq, not the regime.
How else can we explain that a mighty country such as the United States, which
was the only superpower in the world, could embark on the adventure of invading
and occupying a country without preparing itself for the post-occupation phase?
Even a child could guess that occupying Iraq in the way it happened meant
offering it to Iran on a silver platter and creating a lasting regional
imbalance at every level.
What was birthed in Iraq by the US occupation was a non-viable, unsustainable
regime, especially after the intentional marginalisation of the Sunni Arabs of
Iraq and of offering the Kurds inapplicable promises.
With the passage of time, that is, 17 years since the fall of the statue of
Saddam in Baghdad, events confirm that the intention was to finish off Iraq. The
old regime and its alleged weapons of mass destruction were nothing more than
flimsy arguments for achieving the specific goal of destroying Iraq. In 2020,
the United States rediscovered its need for Iraq. This is the Iraq that is
resisting Iranian hegemony on the grounds that Arab nationalism still binds
together most Iraqis, including Shias.
Does Washington have a clearer vision of what it must do in Iraq to avoid the
continuation of the Iranian expansionist project, a project motivated by
fighting American belligerence in the first place?
Most important, is it possible to restructure Iraq after all these years of
efforts to disintegrate it, unravel its social fabric and send it back to the
Middle Ages? We know what happened in Iraq and what was the goal of occupying
it, but why?
*Khairallah Khairallah is a Lebanese writer.