LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
November 19/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For Today
Jesus said to them,
‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
08/56-59/:"Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw
it and was glad.’Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are
not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’Jesus
said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.’So they picked up stones to
throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple".
Since God is one;
and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the
uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this
faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Letter to the Romans 03/21-31/:"Apart from the law, the righteousness of
God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his
blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because
in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it
was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he
justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is
excluded. By what law? By that of
works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is
justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. Or is God the God of
Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God
is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the
ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then
overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the
law."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 18-19/16
European Union Orders British Press NOT to Report when Terrorists are
Muslims/ Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/November
18/16
Tactical deception? Iran warns and extends hand to Trump/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Asharq Al Awsat/November 18/16
Hillary Clinton – the ideal choice in normal circumstances/ Eyad
Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/November
18/16
Will the US review its political system/ Abdulrahman
al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/November
18/16
The world through non-leftist eyes/ Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Asharq Al Awsat/November
18/16
Taking responsibility for Yemen’s hunger/ Hamdan Alaly/Asharq Al Awsat/November
18/16
Muslim Aversion to Non-Muslim Rule and the Jakarta Riots/Mark Durie/The New English Review/November 18/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese
Related News published on on November 18-19/16
Maronite Patriarch warns media against
exaggerating political feuds
Lebanon: Political Vetoes Obstruct Birth of Cabinet before Independence Day
Lebanon bids Ghazi Aad last farewell
Rahi bound for Rome on pastoral tour: Relation with Berri, Qabalan excellent
Al-Rahi in Baabda:
Independence Day Regained Significance in Presence of President
Report: 'National Unity' Cabinet Difficult to Form Amid Fight over Shares
Report: President Suspends Hariri's 'Hopeful' Cabinet Line-Up
Gemayel Vows Support for Aoun,
Urges Him to Seek 'New Lebanon'
Man Accused of Spying for Israel Referred to Judiciary
Army Arrests Suspects in Syrian Encampments in Arsal
Kanaan: Demands of portfolios must comply with blocs
'size'
Military court forwards Abra events file to State
Prosecution
Siniora: Hezbollah parade in Qusayr
'painful' blow to government formation process
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on
November 18-19/16
Influential, experienced and erratic: Trump picks retired general to be
national security adviser
Syria Army Steps up Bombardment of Rebel East Aleppo
UN extends inquiry into toxic gas attacks in Syria
UN: Aleppo faces ‘bleak moment’ as aid blocked
Iraqi troops expand grip in Mosul
Iraqi Informant: ISIS’ Baghdadi sleeps with a suicide belt
Turkey in talks with Russia on air defense system
Gaza man shot dead in protest near border with Israel
Houthi attack on Makkah to
be referred to UN
Coalition targets Houthi posts in Saada,
22 killed
Sarkozy ducks debate question on Libya cash
200 British MPS and Peers call for independent investigation into Iran’s 1988
massacre
AEA: Iran Risks Nuclear Deal by Not Adhering to Limits
Arab Coalition Forces Seize Two Boats Carrying Weapons for Houthi
Militias From Iran
U.S. House votes to bar sales of commercial aircraft to Iran - report
Links From Jihad Watch Site
for on November 18-19/16
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: A Know-Nothing Narrative: ‘Trump Will Make
Terror Recruitment Easier’
Trump
adviser says he will ban Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots CAIR, ISNA
Hamas-linked
CAIR leader who called for overthrow of US government thrilled Romney could be
Trump’s Secretary of State
Robert
Spencer in FrontPage: Clueless Clapper Calls It Quits
Canada:
York University President urged to stop spread of Islamic misogynistic values
on campus
Geert Wilders: “We are slowly but surely losing our freedom
of speech”
Angry
Italian protesters chant against Muslim migrants: “Italy is for Italians”
“Muslim
housing project” planned for Montreal
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on November 18-19/16
Maronite Patriarch warns media against exaggerating political
feuds
The Daily Star/November 18, 2016/BEIRUT: Maronite
Patriarch Beshara Rai
Friday called on media outlets not to blow disagreements between politicians
out of proportion, one day after a charged exchange between Lebanese leaders. Rai urged journalists to avoid attempts to interpret
political stances as battles and disputes between political rivals, especially
"where there is no need."The patriarch
spoke after a meeting with President Michel Aoun at
Youssef Diab/Asharq Al Awsat/November 18/16/Beirut-Consultations led by Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri to form a new
government in
Fri 18 Nov 2016/NNA -
Rahi bound for Rome on pastoral tour: Relation with Berri, Qabalan excellent
Fri 18 Nov 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi left Beirut
on Friday evening, heading to Rome on a pastoral tour, which would include the
Vatican, Marseille and Lyon. Patriarch Rahi will
partake in the divine mass which will be headed by His Holiness Pope Francis at
St. Peter Basilica and will undergo pastoral visits. Bidding him farwell at International Rafic
Hariri airport has been Caretaker Labour Minister Sejaan
Azzi, representing President of the Republic Michel Aoun, and senior bishops. In reply to a question about government
formation, Rahi called on all concerned political and
parliamentary blocs to facilitate the mission of an imminent government
formation for the welfare of
Al-Rahi in Baabda: Independence Day Regained Significance in Presence
of President
Naharnet/November 18/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi held a meeting
with President Michel Aoun on Friday one day after
the latter paid him a protocol visit in Bkirki. “I am
here today to congratulate the President on the occasion of Independence Day
which regained its luster and meaning in the presence
of Aoun, the President, the basis of our dignity,
before I head to
Report: 'National Unity' Cabinet Difficult to Form Amid Fight over Shares
Naharnet/November 18/16/A national unity
government will be difficult to form in light of the objection of some
political parties to include other political components in the cabinet or
object to their share in the line-up, al-Akhbar daily
reported on Friday. “Minister Jebran Bassil rejects the share of the Marada
(Movement), and the Lebanese Forces object to Kataeb's,
which is not conducive to the formation of a national unity government,”
well-informed sources of al-Mustaqbal told the daily.
However, they added that a meeting is expected to take place today between Bassil and Kataeb. The Lebanese
Forces argue that those who did not vote for President Michel Aoun should not be in the government. Kataeb
did not vote in favor of Aoun
during the October 31 parliamentary session that saw his election, but the
party pledged to support the President during his tenure. Mustaqbal's
comments intersect with rumors circulating in Ain el-Tineh, which said: “The Free Patriotic Movement and the LF
want to monopolize the Christians' shares based on a previous agreement between
them, forgetting that other parties have nothing to do with it. They are not
taking into consideration that others have allies too, and those are an essential
part of this combination.”The sources stressed the
necessity to involve all political parties and said: “If a national unity
government is what is required, then they must include everyone. But if the
formation of the government will be based on the mentality of winners against
losers then, let them form one and we will be out of it.” The political forces
are pushing for forming the new cabinet before Independence Day, which
Report: President Suspends Hariri's
'Hopeful' Cabinet Line-Up
Naharnet/November 18/16/President Michel Aoun did not approve the draft line-up of a new cabinet
submitted to him by Prime Minister-designate Saad
Hariri, contrary to claims that alleged otherwise, which spoils the hopes of a
near final agreement on the shape of the new government, media reports said
Friday. During their meeting on Wednesday, reports said that Hariri submitted
to Aoun a draft line-up that might be announced soon.
According to As Safir daily, Aoun
did not approve the draft, but asked to be given some time to study the details
related to the distribution of some ministerial portfolios. Hariri seemed
shocked with the reaction of the President who told Hariri to leave the papers
for him to study, “leave it here...I am grateful,” said Aoun
according to As Safir. Hariri was designated early in
November to form a new government with efforts pushing to conclude the mission
before Independence Day which
Gemayel Vows Support for Aoun,
Urges Him to Seek 'New Lebanon'
Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel
pledged Thursday to support President Michel Aoun in
the beginning of his presidential tenure while urging him to “improve the
political system.”e will not
bargain on our principles, neither for the presidential election nor for a
ministerial seat or a parliamentary vote,” Gemayel
said in an interview on LBCI television, explaining why Kataeb
did not vote for Aoun in the presidential election.
He reiterated that “what happened in the presidential elections gave Hizbullah the power to choose the president now and in the
future.” “All parties considered that they won after the presidential vote and
we're the only group in
Man Accused of Spying for
Naharnet/November 18/16/A Lebanese man was
referred to the judiciary on Thursday on charges of spying for
Army Arrests Suspects in Syrian Encampments
in Arsal
Naharnet/November 18/16/The Lebanese army
arrested on Friday at dawn, several suspects in the Syrian encampments in the northeastern border town of
Kanaan: Demands of portfolios must comply with blocs 'size'
Fri 18 Nov 2016/NNA - Secretary of the Change and Reform parliamentary
bloc, Ibrahim Kanaan, indicated on Friday that
demands related to the distribution of portfolios inside the new government
must comply with the "size" of the demanding sides, in reference to
their political weight."It is not logical that
the Free Patriotic Movement of Future Movement or the Lebanese Forces be
represented in the government like a lawmaker of a small bloc is," Kanaan told an intervention on LBCI. "Nobody wants to
bear the responsibility of hindering the course of the new tenure," he
said.
Siniora: Hezbollah parade in Qusayr
'painful' blow to government formation process
Fri 18 Nov 2016/NNA - Head of Future parliamentary bloc, MP Fouad Siniora, deprecated on
Friday the recent military parade held by Hezbollah in Syria's al-Qusayr as a "painful" blow dealt to the formation
process of Lebanon's new government. "The parade only indicates
Hezbollah's underestimation of the Lebanese state. It also addresses messages
to
Military court forwards Abra events file to State Prosecution
Fri 18 Nov 2016/NNA - The permanent military court forwarded today the
dossier of Abra events before the State military
Prosecution, National News Agency correspondent reported on Friday.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 18-19/16
Influential,
experienced and erratic: Trump picks retired general to be national security
adviser
Greg Miller, Washington Post | November 18, 2016/The most influential national
security job in the still-forming Trump administration will likely go to a
retired three-star general who helped dismantle insurgent networks in
Afghanistan and Iraq but then surprised – and sometimes dismayed – colleagues
by joining the political insurgency led by Donald Trump. As national security
adviser to Trump, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn would be responsible for
helping a president with no national security experience navigate complicated
global issues including the unfinished campaign against the Islamic State, the
expansionist agenda of
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
18/16/Syrian aircraft and artillery pounded rebel-held areas of
UN extends inquiry into toxic gas
attacks in
Reuters, United Nations Friday, 18 November 2016/The United Nations Security
Council approved on Thursday a one-year extension of an international inquiry
to determine blame for chemical weapons attacks in
Chlorine’s use as a weapon is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention,
which
UN: Aleppo faces ‘bleak moment’ as aid
blocked
Reuters, Geneva Friday, 18 November 2016/Around 250,000 civilians in Syria’s
besieged eastern Aleppo have run out of aid supplies and none of the warring
sides have agreed safe passage for a relief convoy, a senior UN humanitarian
official said on Friday.
Air strikes and shelling in the rebel-held east of
“My understanding is that virtually all warehouses are now empty and tens of
thousands of families are running out of food and all other supplies,” Egeland told Reuters. “So this is a very bleak moment, and
we are not talking about a tsunami here, we are talking about a manmade
catastrophe from A to Z.”The United Nations has
proposed a humanitarian relief plan, with medical workers, medical supplies and
food going into eastern
Why are dozens of countries slamming the UN over
The United Nations had hoped to send convoys with aid for 1 million Syrians in
besieged or hard-to-reach areas this month, but so far not one has reached its
destination.
“The needs are exploding and a killer winter is coming to the exhausted and
vulnerable Syrian civilians. We have the trucks, we have relief workers that
are willing to go, even though it’s dangerous, and we have very concrete
plans,” Egeland said, and he was angry and frustrated
at the “outrageous” situation.He blamed arbitrary
bureaucracy and the insistence of combatants that the convoys use roads known
to be insecure or mined. Although the Syrian government was doing most of the
besieging and was responsible for most of the obstacles, Egeland
said rebel groups also often did little or nothing to help.
Iraqi troops expand grip in Mosul
Reuters, Mosul, Iraq Friday, 18 November 2016/US-backed Iraqi troops expanded
their foothold on the eastern side of ISIS’s
stronghold of Mosul on Friday, as the group pledged to mount more suicide
attacks on their offensive to take the city.The elite
Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed the Tahrir
district on the northeastern edge of Mosul, the last
major city under control of the extremist group in Iraq. Militants have been
steadily retreating from areas around
Iraqi Informant: ISIS’ Baghdadi sleeps
with a suicide belt
Reuters, Erbil Thursday, 17 November 2016/A few weeks ago, one
Retuers Friday, 18 November 2016/Turkey is in talks
with
Turkish NATO Officers Ask for Asylum
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
18/16/A number of Turkish officers posted to NATO have asked for asylum in the
member state countries in which they are serving, alliance chief
Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. "It is right that some Turkish officers
working in NATO command structure, some of them have requested asylum in the
countries where they are working," Stoltenberg said in
Reuters,
Houthi attack on Makkah to
be referred to UN
By Staff writer Al Arabiya News English Friday, 18
November 2016/Foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Member States have agreed to refer the case of Houthis’
attack against holy sites in
The Iranian government declined on Wednesday an official invitation to
participate in the OIC emergency meeting (DETAILS HERE). The meeting decided to
adopt a statement issued by the Executive Committee meeting at the ministerial
level held at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah on November 5, 2016, which called
member states for a collective stance against this vicious attack, and those
who stand behind it and consider those support the perpetrators by providing
weapons to them, as a partner of a firm in the assault on the sanctities of the
world Islamic and laying sectarian rift and essential support for terrorism.The meeting recommended the formation of a
working group of members of the Executive Committee to consider taking practical
steps, quickly to ensure non-recurrence of such heinous attacks as well as to
send a message from the Executive Committee, on behalf of member states of the
organization, to ask the United Nations to take the necessary international
procedures to ensure the non-recurrence of such outrageous attacks on Mecca,
and the rest of the Islamic holy land. In remarks during the meeting, Saudi
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar Madani condemned last month’s attempted missile attack on
the holy city. “All Muslims must take a clear and strict stance against this
attack to prevent Houthis from being encouraged to
repeat this attempt,”he said.
ALSO: Houthi militias targeting Makkah
an ‘insult to all Muslims’
Coalition targets Houthi
posts in Saada, 22 killed
Staff writer, Al Arabiya Friday, 18 November
2016/Military sources in the Saudi-led coalition told Al-Arabiya
that 22 members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed when the coalition
targeted one of their caves in Saada. Sources said on
Thursday that Moeen al-Harbi,
Chief of the Baqim Directorate was also killed in the
coalition’s shelling of a cave in Saada. Harbi is the nephew of Abdulmalik
al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi
militias. Houthi commander of the Rabuah
front Ali Hussein al-Gheili was injured by shrapnel
and suffered from serious bleeding and completely fainted, they added.
Meanwhile, the city of
Sarkozy ducks debate question on
AFP, Paris/Benghazi Friday, 18 November 2016/Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday ducked a debate question on fresh
claims he received millions in campaign funding from late Libyan leader Muammer Qaddafi’s regime, calling it “disgraceful”. “Aren’t
you ashamed to repeat claims by a man who has spent time in jail?” Sarkozy retorted during the final television debate among
seven right-wing presidential hopefuls ahead of the first round of their
primary Sunday. Sarkozy, who is bidding to recapture
the presidency in next year’s election, has for years been dogged by
allegations that he accepted millions from Qaddafi during his successful 2007
run for the top office. On Tuesday, Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine said he had
delivered three cash-stuffed suitcases from the Libyan regime toward the
Frenchman’s first presidential bid. Takieddine has
been convicted “countless times for defamation,” Sarkozy
fumed, calling him a “liar”. Declining to answer the question from a
Haftar claims victory
The armed forces led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar announced a “great victory” against fighters in
Libya’s second city of Benghazi on Thursday. “We now have total control of the Qawarsha sector,” 10 kilometers
west of the center of
200
British MPS and Peers call for independent investigation into Iran’s 1988
massacre
NCRI Iran News/Friday, 18 November 2016/
At a conference in the House of Commons on Thursday, 17 November, chaired by Rt Revd John Pritchard, former Bishop of Oxford, cross
party MPs, Lords and British religious leaders expressed their serious concerns
over the alarming rate of executions in Iran, including public hangings and
execution of juvenile offender and women.
Panellists welcomed the adopted resolution on human rights in
They also joined the call by nearly 200 MPs and Peers for an international and
independent investigation of massacre of political prisoners in
In the summer of 1988, based on a fatwa decreed by the Islamic Republic's
founder Ayatollah Khomeini, some 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in
the space of a few months and buried secretly in mass graves. The officials
responsible for the massacre currently hold some of the highest positions in
the regime.
Maryam Rajavi, the
President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), addressed
the conference in a video message.
Panellists concurred with Maryam Rajavi,
in condemning the Iranian regime’s restrictions on freedom of expression,
assembly and religion, its violent crackdown on popular protests, suppression
of women and youths as well as the institutionalised discrimination against
religious and ethnic minorities, especially the Christians and Baha’is.
In her remarks to the conference, Mrs Rajavi, said,
“The mullahs' regime preserves its power [by these atrocities] … [as] the
anti-government protests spread across the country.”
“On the opposite side, our people and Resistance have been advancing in their
quest for freedom. A major achievement has been the Justice Seeking Movement
launched to demand justice for the 30,000 political prisoners massacred in
summer 1988 in Iran”, she added, referring to the mass executions in Iranian
prisons in 1988, which Sir Geoffrey Robertson QC, the former UN tribunal chief
judge on Sierra Leone, described as one of the worst crimes against humanity
since World War II.
“The mullahs for long tried to conceal this horrific crime. The distribution of
an audio recording of the remarks made by Mr. Montazeri,
the ousted successor to Khomeini, revealed new dimensions of the massacre … If
the international community had not remained silent and passive in this regard,
letting the criminals evade justice, the wave of executions and repression in
Iran could not have continued to date”, she said.
The co-chairman of the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom, Sir
David Amess MP, presented the two initiatives
supported by some 200 MPs and Peers.
“The signatories urge the government to recognise and condemn this brutal
massacre as a crime against humanity and ask the UN Human Rights Commissioner,
Human Rights Council, the General Assembly and the Security Council to order an
investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice”, Sir David Amess MP said.
“The statement also recognises the 10-point democratic platform presented by
Mrs Maryam Rajavi as the
vital road map to abolish death penalty and torture and establish democracy,
gender equality and rule of law in a future Iran and urges the government to
back the efforts of Iranian people and the NCRI to make this platform a reality
in their country”, he added.
The Rt Revd John Pritchard, said, “following the
successful relocation of the Iranian refugees in Camp Liberty to safety in
Europe, we must now focus on human rights abuses that are taking place in Iran,
campaigning to raise awareness and to remind the International Community, and
our government, about their responsibility to turn words into action in order
to hold the Iranian regime and its senior officials accountable for growing
violations. This is particularly important because the Iranian judiciary is
today the major obstacle to any improvements of the human rights situation in
the country.”
Dr Matthew Offord MPs, said, “The current
Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE joined Dr Matthew Offord
MP and other panellists in urging “the government to make mending relations
with Tehran contingent on concrete and verifiable improvements of human rights,
in particular a halt to executions, torture and arbitrary arrests, without
which there are no real long term dividends.”
According to the UN and International NGOs like Amnesty International the
Iranian authorities carried out over1000 executions last year.
In a report published on 26 January 2016, Amnesty International listed 73
executions of juvenile offenders since 2005 and warned that “at least 160
juvenile offenders are currently on death row” in blatant violation of
international law and conventions that prohibits the execution of juveniles.
Other participants include, The Bishop of Stepney, The Rt
Revd Adrian Newman; The Bishop of Croydon, The Rt
Revd Jonathan Clark SCP; The Bishop of Salisbury, The Rt
Revd Nick Holtam; Christina Rees CBE, long-time
advocate for women’s ordination in the Church of England and a founder member
of the Archbishops’ Council; Bob Blackman MP; Jim Fitzpatrick MP; Lord Judd;
Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE; Prof. Lord Alton of Liverpool; Lord Cotter; Prof.
Sara Chandler QC (Hon), Vice President of the European Bars Federation; Linda
Lee, former President of the Law Society of England and Wales; Malcolm Fowler,
former member of the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society of England and
Wales; and Mr Hossein Abedini,
from the NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee.
British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom/17 November 2016
AEA: Iran Risks Nuclear Deal by Not
Adhering to Limits
Friday, 18 November 2016/NCRI - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
told Iran on Thursday that it was risking the nuclear deal with the West by yet
again exceeding the limit placed on a sensitive material, heavy water, Reuters
reported.
The Board of Governors meeting in
Arab Coalition Forces Seize Two Boats
Carrying Weapons for Houthi Militias From Iran
Friday, 18 November 2016 /NCRI - According to a report by Al-Arabiya Farsi on November 16, the patrol boats and
helicopters belonging to Arab coalition forces tracked down and stopped two
boats in the red sea, following the inspection of which they discovered and
seized a lot of weapons and modern telecommunication equipments. According to
the report, the operation was carried out two days after the coalition fighter
jets targeted and destroyed two other boats near Al-Salif
which were also smuggling weapons for the militias.
Media sources close to the Yemeni popular forces in Al-Hadida
province report that the crew of the two seized boats have told the coalition
forces that they were smuggling guns and ammunition for Houthi
militias from a port in Iran’s coastal waters. Earlier, it was found out during
a military tracking operation that the islands of Zuqar
and Hanish were used as the two main bases for
smuggling weapons.by Houthi
militias and their main supporting country
• Zebab, 30 km north of Bab-el-Mandeb
• Almakha port, 60 km north of Bab-el-Mandeb
in western Taiz province
• Along the coastlines of Al-Hadida province, like
the port of Al-Khaufe located 90 km from Bab-el-Mandeb
• And finally in the port of Al-Hudaydah
Recently, the militias have been using the port of Al-Salif
located 70 km north of the port of Al-Hudaydah.
The smuggled weapons include heat-seeking missiles, ammunition and spare parts.
The Iranian ships transfer the bigger missiles in the middle of the sea in the
Gulf of Aden to mid-size boats so as to be unloaded in western regions of
Friday, 18 November 2016 /NCRI/The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill
on Thursday that would block the sale of commercial aircraft to the Iranian
regime, a bid to stop sales by Boeing and Airbus that have already been
approved by President Barack Obama's administration. The bill passed the
Republican-led House by 243-174 largely along party lines. Eight Democrats
joined Republicans in favor. All 174 "no"
votes were from Democrats, Reuters reported. The measure would bar U.S.
Treasury Department from issuing licenses that
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 18-19/16
European Union
Orders British Press NOT to Report when Terrorists are Muslims
Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/November 18/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9190/media-censorship-muslims-terrorists
This is the moment where hate speech laws become a greater threat to
democracy and freedom of speech than hate speech itself.
In
To attack freedom of the press and freedom of speech is not anti-hate
speech; it is submission.
By following these recommendations, the British government would place
Muslim organizations in a kind of monopoly position: they would become the only
source of information about themselves. It is the perfect totalitarian
information order.
Created to guard against the kind of xenophobic and anti-Semitic
propaganda that gave rise to the Holocaust, national hate speech laws have
increasingly been invoked to criminalize speech that is merely deemed insulting
to one's race, ethnicity, religion, or nationality.
It is disturbing to wonder how long the EU will strongly engage its
experts and influence to cut through existing legal obstacles, in a quest to
criminalize any type of criticism of Islam, and to submit to the values of
jihad.
According the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)
-- part of the Council of Europe -- the British press is to blame for
increasing hate speech and racist violence. On October 4, 2016, the ECRI
released a report dedicated only to
some traditional media, particularly tabloids... are responsible for most
of the offensive, discriminatory and provocative terminology. The Sun, for
instance, published an article in April 2015 entitled "Rescue boats? I'd
use gunships to stop migrants", in which the columnist likened migrants to
"cockroaches"...
The Sun newspaper has also published inflammatory anti-Muslim headlines,
such as its front page of 23 November 2015 which read "1 in 5 Brit
Muslims' sympathy for jihadis", along with a
picture of a masked terrorist wielding a knife...
The ECRI report establishes a direct causal link between some tough
headlines in British tabloids and the security of the Muslims in the UK. In
other words, the British press is allegedly inciting readers to commit "Islamophobic" acts against Muslims.
ECRI considers that, in light of the fact that Muslims are increasingly
under the spotlight as a result of recent ISIS-related terrorist acts around
the world, fueling prejudice against Muslims shows a
reckless disregard, not only for the dignity of the great majority of Muslims
in the United Kingdom, but also for their safety.
ECRI is basing its report on a recent study from Matthew Feldman,
Professor at
In the seven days prior to the Charlie Hebdo
massacre in
So, according to the ECRI and scholars of
For the ECRI, the biggest problem is:
"... where the media stress the Muslim background of perpetrators of
terrorist acts, and devote significant coverage to it, the violent backlash
against Muslims is likely to be greater than in cases where the perpetrators'
motivation is downplayed or rejected in favour of alternative
explanations."
The report does not explain what could be "alternative
explanations." But we can find examples in French press: when a Muslim
attacks a soldier and tries to take his gun, he is not an Islamist terrorist,
but a "lunatic." Such attacks by "lunatics" are very common
in
The French press downplays attacks by deciding not to name Muslim
perpetrators: incriminating a "Mohamed" could, in the minds of French
journalists, incite retaliations against Muslims. In another example, Muslim
gangs cannot be connected to any form of violence, so they become
"youths." In
But that is
The ECRI Report Marks a U-Turn in Free Speech
This is the moment where hate speech laws become
a greater threat to democracy and freedom of speech than the hate speech
itself. Prohibiting journalists from naming "Islamic terrorism," and
encouraging them to hide the association of Muslims with terrorism, is an
attempt to misrepresent the truth in the same way the former Soviet Union
censored the truth. Taking advantage of some real racist articles in tabloids
-- not many, because not many are quoted in the report -- to attack freedom of
the press and freedom of speech is not anti-hate speech; it is submission.
The proof of submission lies in ECRI's
recommendations to the British government:
"establish an independent press regulator";
"rigorous training for journalists to ensure better compliance with
ethical standards";
"review the provisions on incitement to hatred with a view to making
them more effective and usable";
"establish a real dialogue with Muslims in order to combat Islamophobia. They should consult them on all policies
which could affect Muslims";
amending the Editor's Code of Practice to ensure that members of groups
can submit complaints as victims against biased or prejudicial reporting
concerning their community"
By following these recommendations, the British government would place
Muslim organizations in a kind of monopoly position: they would become the only
source of information about themselves. It is the perfect totalitarian
information order. If a breach of that kind would open in the future, no doubt
all the lobbies would rush into the breach: political parties, Protestants,
Catholics, Jews, multinationals, everyone.
The British government did not fall into the trap, and firmly rebuffed ECRI's demands. It told the European council body:
"The Government is committed to a free and open press and does not
interfere with what the press does and does not publish, as long as the press
abides by the law."
In
These laws have also been invoked often by Islamists to sue against
anti-Islamist speech (cartoons of Muhammad, blasphemy against Islam, etc.) as
manifestations of "racism" -- fortunately with little success. Most
court cases that Islamists have initiated have failed because Islam is not a
race.
Agnes Callamard, expert on human rights, writes
in reference to the United Nations Charter:
"ARTICLE 19 recognises that reasonable restrictions on freedom of
expression may be necessary or legitimate to prevent advocacy of hatred based
on nationality, race, religion that constitutes incitement to discrimination,
hostility or violence. The organisation does not extend such legitimate
restrictions to offensive and blasphemous expressions."
It is disturbing to wonder how long the EU will strongly engage its
experts and influence to cut through existing legal obstacles, in a quest to
criminalize any type of criticism of Islam, and to submit to the values of
jihad.
*Yves Mamou, based in
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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.
Tactical deception?
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Asharq
Al Awsat/November 18/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/18/dr-majid-rafizadehasharq-al-awsat-tactical-deception-iran-warns-and-extends-hand-to-trump/
Feeling anxious and frightened from the presidency of Mr. Trump, Iranian
leaders are pursuing a carefully crafted tactic or classic political trick.
Objectives behind luring Trump
1. Preventing Trump from getting close to the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) countries.
2. Preventing the
3. Fending off any hurdles that might affect Iranian leaders’ rising
revenues, and continuing business and trade with the international community,
particularly the West.
4. Making
5. Finally tipping the regional balance of power in favor
of
Masterful shifts
This is not the first time that
The shift was implemented by
Being cognizant of the notion that President Obama was not going to take
any military action against
It is critical for Washington to realize that the words of the so-called
“moderates” in Iran, are simply empty words because they do not enjoy the final
say in Iran’s politics
Even though Iran is not sure whether Trump is going to be tougher than
Obama or not because he has not yet entered the White House and has not yet
implemented the actual policies, his words did create anxiety in Iran. Trump
warned that Iranian boats will be “shot out of the water” if they “make
gestures” at American sailors. President Obama did not threaten
Addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Trump outlined
his policy: “I will adopt a strategy that focuses on three things when it comes
to
Trump’s recent appointments of Chief of Staff (Republican National
Chairman Reince Priebus), and other key White House positions have also created
more fear in
Kharrazi told FT recently: “If Mr Trump
co-operates with us and shows us goodwill, we will do the same to allay our
mutual concerns in the region, such as Isis, the Taliban and the tensions
between
“Mr. Trump would be wise to look at
‘The Great Satan’
More fundamentally,
Finally, Iranian leaders’ political establishment survive on
anti-Americanism and on keeping the
Hillary Clinton – the ideal choice
in normal circumstances
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq
Al Awsat/November 18/16
In normal circumstances, and in an established
democracy like the
In an advanced and sophisticated institutions-based country, the
presidential primaries should have been enough to differentiate between a
serious politician and a maverick gate-crasher; between real programs and
protest posturing; and finally, between responsible and rational approaches
that put attainable choices and unadulterated solutions before the American
electorate and cheap populism that drags political discourse into the lowest
abyss of personal slander, contradictory promises, and sickening out-biddings.
Given all the above, a candidate like Donald Trump should not have been
picked as the official candidate of one of the two parties of government in
America, i.e. the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, in the first
place.
However, we are most certainly not in normal times or circumstances. The
value system of
Accidental and controversial politicians have appeared during certain
periods in American history, but political life in the US has so far remained
covered by broad political and social consensus
At one stage in the mid – 20th century, there was a large group inside
the Democratic Party, namely in the states of the ‘Old South’, that was
ideologically more conservative than the Republicans of the North and
Northeast. This, however, began to gradually change as the North and Northeast
moved towards the Democrats, while the Southern states which gave
Indeed, Prof Paul Krugman, the noted academic,
writer and Nobel laureate, said something quite interesting in a lecture he
gave in
Complete polarization
Obviously, what he meant was that ideological polarization in America is
now complete; and each of the two main parties now had its clear-cut political
criteria: the Democrats are the social and religious liberals who respect
individual freedom as much as they cherish social rights, support state
intervention in one way or another, support public peace and collective
responsibility that insure safety nets for the underprivileged and minority
groups. They also tolerate racial, gender, religious and sectarian diversity.
In the opposite camp, the Republicans are now the religious, sectarian
and social conservatives who vigorously uphold absolute individual freedom even
at the expense of public good, view safety nets as restrictive to these
freedoms and regard government intervention as a hindrance to individual
ambition and detrimental to free enterprise, success and greatness. In fact,
hawkish Republicans go even further, preaching that America must go back to the
one built by the ‘founding fathers’, i.e. a white, Christian homeland closed
off to outsiders and foreigners.
The latter is exactly the choice that was recently put forward to
American voters; and due to the clear-cut difference between the Democrat and
Republican candidates, we are witnessing two noteworthy phenomena: The first is
that due to solidified political positions of the two parties’ support bases,
any movement or shift is becoming virtually impossible as are the chances of
listening, convincing and compromise. Such a situation has led to a nasty and
vicious campaign. The second is that the two partisan bases now reflect
contradictory ‘value systems’ that pose a real threat to social harmony, and
subsequently public peace.
Going back to “in normal circumstances”, I would say Hillary Clinton deserved
to win because she is a wise, rational, moderate and experienced politician.
Trump, on the other hand, is an unscrupulous ‘populist’, who is willing to
gamble anything, and say anything. It is truly unfortunate that Americans have
grown so hateful toward the ‘political establishment’ in
**This article was first published in Asharq
al-Awsat on November 17, 2016.
Will the
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Asharq
Al Awsat/November 18/16
The majority of the Americans voted for Hillary Clinton as she received
in excess of one million votes more than Donald Trump. But, Trump will still
win the elections according to the Electoral College. This has happened before
in 2000 and this is why many are demanding to reform the electoral system. It
seems the Congress has listened to these calls and is getting ready to review
it.
Despite the Americans’ criticism of this system and despite its many
defects, the American system is still considered one of the best democratic
systems when compared with parliamentary ones such as the French or the
British. Criticism increases following each election season as many complain of
major companies’ intervention in favoring certain
candidacies through donations, super PACs and
lobbyists. Trump himself criticized all this and promised to carry out reforms
but I doubt this will happen.
Despite all that, the American system is more transparent than others.
There is more balance among its authorities and accountability can be carried
out from within it in a much better manner than other western systems. The
president has major powers but they are not absolute. There are parallel powers
to the president in the legislative councils as they review and hold others accountable.
The president assigns his ministers but the Congress decides whether to approve
them or not following hearing sessions.
Ministerial count
The American government only has 15 ministers, unlike the case in much
smaller countries, such as
The case in
The recent American elections were strange and different because Trump
does not actually belong to the Republican Party and does not believe in all
its principles
It’s a reasonable system but it’s not perfect.
Active groups can influence the state’s activity while lazy ones can lose a lot
because the system does not automatically protect those with certain demands.
This is why there are groups for protecting the environment or minorities’
rights or vocations and so. Some of these lazy groups are the Arab Americans
and the Muslim Americans and they lose a lot because they are not involved as
groups in political work and just depend on the constitution to protect their
rights.
American Constitution
The constitution is the system’s highest rank. There are countries which
do not have a constitution such as
This, however, does not replace their need for political work according
to the political system which is available for everyone. The political system
is distinguished with flexibility and it gives minorities a loud voice
regardless of how small their numbers are. This distinguishes a country like the
Finally, although freedoms are protected and although political
participation is available for everyone, the political
system is dominated by two parties, the Republican and the Democrat.
Intellectual differences between the two are limited, unlike the case in
**This article was first published in Asharq
al-Awsat on Nov. 18, 2016.
The world through non-leftist eyes
Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Asharq
Al Awsat/November 18/16
Donald Trump’s victory may be considered the tip of the iceberg in terms
of social isolation, the rise of the centralized identity and the end of the
era of globalization which boomed during the last 25 years of the 20th century.
The political unrest in the
Trump’s arrival to the White House is just a theme to an era where the
effects will soon be revealed. This era’s signs can be seen in the retreat of
the western leftist ideas and the rise of right-wing parties as many of them
are working hard to rule especially in
The challenges posed by refugees and illegal migrants and the increase of
divided ideas in the society are why the leftists revival is difficult. The
revolutionary pressures in the region, the collapse of political institutions
and the authorities’ weakness empower isolationist parties that enhance
centralized identity and that distinguish native citizens from other citizens.
We can see that there is insistence on the leftists’ role in
revolutionary change. For example, in his review of Trouble in Paradise by Slavoj Žižek, literary theorist
Terry Eagleton writes: “Žižek argues in Trouble in
Have the leftists been defeated?
Some analyses state that the leftists have been defeated in several areas
including in South America, though it’s a mild retreat there and it cannot be
compared with what’s happening in Europe and the
The right-wing is rising due to a desire to impose power over what’s
rightful. Meanwhile, many are adamant on achieving certain aims regardless of
what the morals which lead to the aspired social pattern are. The goal is to
achieve a social pattern within the laws which are protected by the political
parties that want to decrease communication, shut down unifying spaces and curb
globalization that undermines identity and destroys borders and that decreases
conflicts between nations, civilizations, cultures and identities.
The rising conservative tendencies may be composed within a new formula
that unites the history and legacy of communication with creating isolationist
forms within specific liberal bases that are do not target what’s strange.
The most important point amid these political developments and the
increased popularity of isolation and conservatism is that the globalized and
welcoming space will not be the same in the future
Dariush Shayegan, a
thinker and cultural theorist, has discussed this in his newly published book
“An identity with forty faces.” In the chapter entitled “How the world became a
ghost,” he wrote: “Due to the lack of harmony of torn worlds, we are witnessing
the emergence of completely new phenomena. There is a spiritual tendency that
is developing in parallel to the amazing technological developments. Beliefs
formulated by old civilizations - such as those which worshipped the sun and
different religious deities and predicted the future and believed in the end of
the world and the millennium secrets - have now emerged again. Chaos and
confusion in our era are exactly what we can describe as the loss of
coordinates.” All patterns are breaking and fixed forms are changing.
Isolation has caused a wind of change
The most important point amid these political
developments and the increased popularity of isolation and conservatism is that
the globalized and welcoming space will not be the same in the future.
Movements which are more capable of protecting original identities and which
have the tendency to discriminate and encourage inequality will emerge more.
Political unrest will enhance the connection of one’s right to authority. This
brings to mind Thomas Hobbes’ philosophy which links between authority and
rights and which makes the state, the society and the individual as components
of truth. His philosophy also stipulates that rights are only what result from
the emergence of authority.
This is all due to the disappearance of revolutionary feasibility and the
increase of burdens resulting from egalitarianism. One of the dismal things we
may witness is “rationing surplus of human emotions” in order to protect the
demographic structure. If this happens, it will be the result of migration due
to political disintegration like in
It’s a different time with new slogans and new names and it’s all due to
the increase of unrest in political, social, economic and cultural fields.
Everything we’re living through reflects withdrawal. The world is no longer
seen through leftist eyes, as Eagleton said about Žižek’s
vision.
**This article was first published in Asharq
al-Awsat on November 17, 2016.
Taking responsibility for Yemen’s
hunger
Hamdan Alaly/Asharq
Al Awsat/November 18/16
It is estimated that there are around twenty relief and international
agencies currently working in Yemen’s poorest regions that are worst affected
by the current war. Nevertheless, despite this concerted effort by the
agencies, one is still shocked by the recent footage of emaciated Yemeni
citizens. Children and women were the primary casualties due to malnourishment
and the outbreak of disease.
It is an appalling episode without precedence in
Despite the fact that international aid organizations were well aware
that the inhabitants of the coastal area in
Tihamah was impacted by these conditions and
consequently saw a rise in the number of fatalities, particularly among the
children, elderly and women despite the fact that that international aid and
commerce traverses through that part of Yemen on a daily basis en route to
other provinces.
We are talking today about some of the most renowned and established
agencies and NGOs, such as Oxfam, Islamic Relief Organization, UNICEF, FAO,
WFP, the Anti-Poverty French Agency, ACTAID International, Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development, International Organization for Migration,
WHO, UNHCR, Doctors without Borders, ICRC and a multitude of others.
The crucial question here is, how did so many different organizations
failed to secure the necessary aid to such a small population within Tihamah? Moreover, who should be held responsible for such
a crime? Had this occurred in any other country but
Resources being wasted
According to the UN, all these international and local agencies operating
within
Although some of these agencies are supposedly humanitarian, it seems
that they spent most of their efforts partaking in partisan political games and
utilizing a sum of the donations as “agitprop” and siding with some countries
against others whist ignoring the humanitarian crisis.
One of the transgressions the Yemenis should know about and challenge is, the big chunk of funds donated being wasted as operational
expenditures (reaching up to almost 40 percent of total donations pre-war)
wasted in exorbitant salaries and perks paid to international officials that
would have otherwise gone to relieving the conditions of the sick and famished.
Suffice to say, the average monthly salary of such an official can reach
to $12,000. According to a survey conducted by the World Bank, the total costs
of operations for the UNDP and Social Fund for Development (including,
salaries, travel, training, accommodation… etc) accounted for only 5 percent of
total revenue just a few years before the war, as opposed to the 40 percent
expended from the total international programme revenues.
The current scope of projects and total number of employees exceeds its
operational viability. In addition, these wasted funds that should have been
otherwise dedicated to feed the starving Yemenis, had detracted these agencies
from focusing on their primary objective and made them turn a blind eye to the Houthi violations which prevented them from operating in
some of the provinces, such as Hudaydah, Hajja and Taiz. Since the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni capital Sanaa
and its suburbs, these institutions and its workers had been subjected to
systematic provocation amid its total silence: either for political purposes or
so not to appear as incapable of delivering humanitarian assistance to disaster
areas, thus, risking losing donations and end of its assignments in
An example of such practices and provocations by the rebels was the case
of the office of Norwegian Refugee Council in Kasham,
Hijah province, which was closed by the abu Mishqal, a Houthi commander accompanied by ten armed men, who seized
the employees’ computers and satellite phones, some employees of the
humanitarian organization have fled after being accused of collaborating with
ISIS.
The Houthi militias were blackmailing a number
of organizations; in Tihamah a militia leader called
Ali Sharaf el Din demanded royalties to allow them to
distribute aid to the needy. Furthermore, in a separate incident he organized
and partook in the kidnapping of the Head of Oxfam operation in Shafar in Lahij province.
The militias are repeatedly looting the humanitarian aid in Tihamah, however, instead of condemning such
transgressions, these agencies opted for the path of least resistance by
distributing their rations to those with a less immediate need, purely due to
the fact that happen to be living in more safe areas. As long
as they fulfill their pre-determined quotas of delivering aid to the highest
number of food recipients (rather than the neediest). And in the very
few cases where some organizations such as UNICEF might insist on delivering
food aid to Tihamah, they are then coerced into
handing those over to local NGOs established by the Houthis, these in turn end
up being sold in the market instead, with the proceeds being spent to fortify
their war effort.
As a consequence, one can argue that these agencies, whether directly or
inadvertently are culpable in the current humanitarian crisis in which many
Yemenis are starving to death. That is why it must be demanded that they
embrace full transparency and acknowledge their failure to save Tihamah’s inhabitants. Moreover, they ought to submit
comprehensive reports detailing the amount of aid being distributed to the Yemenis
and further identifying its recipients.
After all, is it not within our right to ask such legitimate questions?
*This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Nov. 3, 2016.
Muslim Aversion to Non-Muslim Rule and
the Jakarta Riots
Mark Durie/The New English Review/November 18/16
http://www.meforum.org/6365/muslim-aversion-to-nonmuslim-rule
Originally published under the title "Violent Protests in Indonesia Blow
an Ill Will for Religious Tolerance."
Hardline Islamists assemble around a poster reading
"Ahok should be jailed" at a protest in
Violence between protesters and police in
The crowd was calling for the arrest of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, the ethnic Chinese Christian governor of
A video had gone viral showing Ahok referring in a
speech to chapter 5, verse 51 of the Qur'an. He warned his listeners not to
give credence to those who might try to deceive them with this verse or others
like it.
Ahok has faced criticism before from hardline Muslims, who objected when he stood as deputy
governor of
Muslims opposed to Ahok had been citing verse 5:51
from the Qur'an to try to delegitimize his candidacy. The verse reads:
You who believe! Do not take the Jews and Christians as allies. They are allies
of each other. Whoever of you takes them as allies is already one of them.
Surely Allah does not guide the people who are evildoers. (5:51)
The word translated here as allies (Arabic) awliya,
is ambiguous. It can mean "allies," but also "patrons" or
"guardians." The rejection of dependence upon disbelievers is
emphasized repeatedly in the Qur'an (e.g. in verses 3:28 and 4:141, 144). In
Indonesian translations of the verse 5:51 is rendered "do not take Jews
and Christians as your leaders (pemimpin-pemimpinmu)."
Ibn Kathir, an
authoritative medieval commentator on the Qur'an, explained this verse as
follows:
Allah forbids his believing servants from having Jews and Christians as allies
or patrons, because they are the enemies of Islam and its people, may Allah
curse them.
The immediately preceding verse, 5:50, urges Muslims not to seek the
"judgment of the time of ignorance." In explaining this, Ibn Kathir denounces anyone who
follows man-made laws instead of laws revealed by Allah. Such a person:
is a disbeliever who deserves to be fought against (i.e. to be killed), until
he reverts to Allah's and His Messenger's decisions, so that no law, minor or
major, is referred to except by His Law.
Ibn Kathir is insisting
that the only valid form of legislation is the Islamic sharia,
that only Muslims can rule, and any Muslim who looks to non-Muslims for
political or legal direction is an infidel.
According to verse 5:51, such a person is already "one of them": in
other words, they have to be considered an infidel too, and have apostatized
from Islam, for which the penalty is death.
The admonition to Muslims not to take non-Muslims, and especially Christians or
Jews, as allies or leaders is orthodox, mainstream Islamic teaching.
In the light of this, it is disappointing that the Australian Age newspaper's
Indonesian correspondent, Jewel Topsfield, offers the following gloss:
Some interpret [verse 5:51] as prohibiting Muslims from living under the
leadership of a non-Muslim. Others say the scripture should be understood in
its context — a time of war — and not interpreted literally.
It may be true that a few contemporary moderate voices may say this verse
should not be taken literally, but this is certainly not the mainstream view of
centuries of Islamic jurisprudence.
The Muslim aversion to non-Muslim political leadership has many outworkings around the world.
In
Tens of thousands of Egyptians responded to a call by Islamist groups for a
rally in Qena against Christian governor Emad Mikhail in April 2011.
However, massive protests broke out after imams preached sermons in Qena mosques teaching that God does not permit Christians
to have authority over Muslims. Demonstrators marched the streets crying,
"A Muslim governor in a Muslim country" and "There is no god but
Allah and Christians are the enemies of Allah." The protests led to the
governor's appointment being temporarily suspended in order to reestablish the order.
Ahok's position is difficult. Since his opponents
were unable to discredit him politically for being a Christian, they are now
upping the ante by accusing him of blasphemy instead, demanding that the state
launch legal proceedings against him. In Ahok's
speech, he had brushed aside those who were citing 5:51 against him, saying
they were telling lies. In fact, he made no comment on the Qur'an itself, apart
from implying that a particular interpretation was false. His offense was to
criticize the misuse of the text by others for political purposes. Yet this
gave enough leeway for a vast crowd to be inflamed against him.
There is a famous hadith or tradition of Muhammad,
which states:
Whoever sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to
do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his
heart — and that is the weakest of faith.
This is interpreted by many to mean that a Muslim must use the highest level of
force available to remove something evil. The protesters in
Pakistani Imam Maulana Yusuf Qureshi
(left) offered $6,000 to anyone who would murder Asia Bibi
(right) for alleged blasphemy in 2010.
The phenomenon of Muslims taking political or legal processes into their own
hands is widespread. An example was the offer made by Pakistani Imam Maulana Yusuf Qureshi of a bounty
of $6,000 to anyone who would murder Asia Bibi, a
young Christian woman on death row for a trumped-up blasphemy offense. Recently
Muslim activists have been conducting mass public protests across
Another example comes from the
Muslims taking the law into their own hands to act against non-Muslims who rise
to high political office is not a new phenomenon.
An example from further back in history was the crucifixion of Joseph Ibn Naghrela, vizier of
Do not consider it a breach of faith to kill them — the breach would be to let
them carry on. They have violated our covenant with them, so how can you be
held guilty against the violators? How can they have any pact when we are
obscure and they are prominent.
This outbreak of intolerance bodes ill for
Ahok is being questioned this week by the police,
pending a possible charge of blasphemy. The thought that an Indonesian court
might find Ahok guilty of such a charge is troubling.
To do so would require proof that Ahok intended to
incite hatred against Muslims, defame Islam or incite apostasy. The prosecution
might argue that in pooh-poohing the legitimate and well-established Islamic
prohibition against non-Muslims taking authority over Muslims, he was
denigrating the religion. Even if no charges are laid, Ahok
will certainly come under very great political pressure to withdraw his
candidacy.
In
Does Islamic sharia permit non-Muslims to live
alongside Muslims as equals?
This is supremacist reasoning, which incites hatred while denying the object of
hatred any voice in the matter. If this intolerance is given credence by the
Indonesian police and courts, it bodes very ill indeed for the nation's future.
Yet the greater concern is a question for us all: Does the Islamic sharia permit non-Muslims to live alongside Muslims as
equals in one world? This is a crucial question, not just for
**Mark Durie is the pastor of an Anglican church, a Shillman-Ginsburg Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and
Founder of the Institute for Spiritual Awareness.