English LCCC Newsbulletin For Le

English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 08/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.december08.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11/27-32: “A woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!’But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!’When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 07-08/2022
Berri schedules joint House committees' sessions for December 12-13
From Jordan, al-Rahi renews call for int'l conference for Lebanon
Lebanon arrests 185 suspected of spying for Israel
Rifts appear between Lebanon’s two political allies
FPM, Hezbollah to meet 'within a week' to review MoU
Next move: FPM might boycott legislative sessions
FPM: Hezbollah didn't keep its promise not to join cabinet session
Report: Qatar tells Iran, Bassil it wants army chief as president
Boujikian dismissed from Armenian bloc for attending Monday's session
Mikati chairs Food Security Committee meeting, meets Caretaker Education Minister, MPs Hashimi and Chehayeb, Arab Federation for Volunteering...
Berri schedules joint House committees' sessions for December 12-13, sends congratulatory cables to Jordan’s Al-Safadi and Al-Fayez, meets former...
Saydet El Jabal Gathering holds its periodic meeting online
Awareness campaign by the National Commission for Lebanese Women
Doing Synod is doing evangelisation

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 07-08/2022
10% of Detained Protesters in Iran Are Women
Sister of Iran’s Khamenei Condemns His Rule, Urges Revolutionary Guards to Disarm
US Congress Calls for Tightening Sanctions Against Iranian Regime
Khamenei Calls for Overhaul of Iran’s Cultural System
UN Team Accuses ISIS of Using Chemical Weapons in Iraq
Iran executions up more than 50% this year
Iranian ex-president lauds anti-regime protests
Iraq's Mosul healing slowly, five years after IS defeat
Jordanian, Egyptian and Iraqi foreign ministers discuss opportunities for trilateral cooperation
Italian far-right activists held for assault on Morocco soccer fans
Putin says Ukraine war 'lengthy', Russia won't initiate nuclear attack
Turkish missiles used in Syria include Europe-produced parts
EU cash injection boosts health care services for Syrian refugees in Turkiye
US warns of Chinese influence in Mideast as Xi visits KSA
China's Xi arrives in Saudi Arabia for energy-focused visit
Mazloum Abdi: US Barred Türkiye from Carrying Out Military Operation in Syria
Iraq's Mosul Healing Slowly, Five Years after ISIS Defeat

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 07-08/2022
An Instructive ‘Muslim’ vs ‘Christian’ Debate/Raymond Ibrahim/Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/December, 07/2022
Shamima Begum: 'Groomed' or 'Indoctrinated'?/Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/December 07, 2022
Iran: A Revolution to Import, A Revolution to Export/Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 07/2022
Iranians Are Protesting Despite Consequences/Amal Abdulaziz al-Hazzani/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 07/2022
The Turban, Not The Veil/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 07/2022

on December 07-08/2022
Berri schedules joint House committees' sessions for December 12-13
NNA/December 07, 2022
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled two sessions for the joint House committees to resume the discussion of the capital controls for December 12 and December 13.

From Jordan, al-Rahi renews call for int'l conference for Lebanon
Naharnet/December 07, 2022
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Wednesday noted that “Lebanon is suffering from the absence of an authority that can take decisive resolutions, which generated several authorities and influential figures.”“It is bearing a major economic burden, its identity is threatened and its demography is changing due to the presence on its soil of half a million Palestinians and 1.5 million Syrians,” al-Rahi said during an ongoing visit to Jordan. The patriarch also reiterated his call for “a U.N.-sponsored international conference that would tackle the implementation of the Taif Agreement in text and spirit and U.N. Security Council resolutions 1680, 1559 and 1701, in order to resolve the crisis of the displaced Syrians and the Palestinian cause and declare Lebanon’s neutrality.”

Lebanon arrests 185 suspected of spying for Israel
AFP/December 07, 2022
Lebanese security services say Israel is trying to recruit intelligence agents as part of its conflict with Hezbollah. Lebanon has arrested 185 people suspected of collaborating with Israel since Lebanon's economic collapse three years ago, which left many Lebanese desperate for cash, two security sources told AFP on Wednesday. That number has jumped significantly from a previous average of four or five arrests a year, one of the sources said. "This is the first time that so many people have been arrested on charges of collaborating with Israel, and it's because of the crisis," the other security source said. Lebanon has been battered by a severe financial and economic crisis since 2019 that has caused the national currency to crash, led banks to freeze deposits and plunged much of the population into poverty. "This was a boon for the Israelis, who targeted Lebanese on social media with job advertisements for phoney companies," the second source said. A recruiter would then call the applicants, some of whom did not know they had been contacted by an Israeli spy agency. Out of all those arrested since 2019, only three had been allegedly working with Israel prior to the crisis, one of the sources said. Of the 185, 165 have so far been prosecuted with 25 convicted and sentenced. Lebanon technically remains at war with Israel and forbids citizens from having any contact with Israel or travelling there. Of the suspects, two had directly approached Israel's Mossad intelligence agency for work via its website. Several detainees who suspected that they had been contacted by Israeli intelligence "carried on anyway because they did not have a problem with Israel and hated Hezbollah", the Iran-backed armed group with huge sway over political life in Lebanon, one source said. Israel and Hezbollah fought a 33-day war in Lebanon in 2006. Earlier this year Lebanon arrested 21 people suspected of being spies for Israel, a judicial source told AFP in January. Lebanese security services have arrested dozens over the years on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, with some receiving jail terms of up to 25 years. Between April 2009 and 2014, Lebanese authorities detained more than 100 people accused of spying for Israel, most of them members of the military or telecom employees, before the rate of arrests declined for several years.

Rifts appear between Lebanon’s two political allies
Najia Houssari/Arab News/December 07, 2022
BEIRUT: The Free Patriotic Movement’s anger over caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati convening a Cabinet session on Monday led to a shakeup in the relationship between the party and its ally, Hezbollah. FPM head Gebran Bassil, in a press conference on Tuesday, expressed anger over “expanded decentralization, even without laws.” Hezbollah and the Amal Movement provided political cover for Mikati to convene a Cabinet session to approve the process of securing medicines for dialysis and cancer patients, which Mikati deems an absolute necessity. The FPM refuses to hold any Cabinet session in light of the presidential vacuum in order to prevent Mikati from exercising the powers of the Christian president, especially since the movement believes the caretaker government has no right to play this role.
As the country experiences a devastating economic crisis, eight attempts by Lebanon’s divided parliament to elect a president have failed after the term of President Micael Aoun ended over a month ago. Aoun’s son-in-law Bassil has indirectly presented himself as a presidential candidate, given that his parliamentary bloc is the largest Christian bloc and has the right to nominate the future president. Bassil rejects the candidacy of former Minister Suleiman Frangieh for the post, who is supported by Hezbollah and Amal. In a press conference, Bassil said that the Cabinet session on Monday was “unconstitutional, illegal and unconventional,” describing it as “an execution of the constitution and a fatal blow to (the) Taif Agreement.”The FPM ministers boycotted the Cabinet session, with the exception of the Minister of Industry George Boushkian, who secured the quorum for the session. His behavior resulted in his party, the Tashnak, an ally of the FPM’s, renouncing him for not abiding by its decision to boycott the session. The FPM website stated that “Hezbollah contributes to the normalization of the vacuum and the assault on the president’s position.”Bassil indirectly addressed Hezbollah, saying: “If someone thinks that they are pressuring us on the presidential issue, we would like to tell them that it will not work. “We will not attend the parliament sessions if we do not find a great national need to do so, and we will seek to abandon the blank vote quicker and go for a presidential candidate.” MP Michel Moussa, a member of the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, downplayed the possibility of any change in the political map at the level of the presidential elections as a result of the tensions following the Cabinet session. “Not electing a new president contributes to deepening these conflicts,” he said. Moussa stressed the need to conduct a serious and effective dialogue between all parties to calm tensions and elect a president. Hezbollah avoided commenting on Bassil’s statements. MP Bilal Abdullah, a member of the Democratic Gathering bloc, said: “One party has unsuccessfully tried to raise the sectarian discourse. Hezbollah did not respond.” A political observer, preferring anonymity, said: “Hezbollah, by participating in the Cabinet session, tried to assure Bassil that it was not alone on the scene.” The Sovereign Front for Lebanon, which opposes Hezbollah, stressed that the MPs must remain in the parliament hall until a new president is elected for the sake of the country and the constitution.

FPM, Hezbollah to meet 'within a week' to review MoU
Naharnet/December 07, 2022
The memorandum of understanding between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement has suffered a blow but it has not collapsed, a highly informed political source said. “The mediations started immediately and a meeting will be held within a week by a joint Hezbollah-FPM committee to reevaluate, develop and agree to implement some of the MoU’s articles,” the source told ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. Moreover, ad-Diyar reported that Hezbollah has asked its MPs and officials not to respond to the fiery stances voiced Tuesday by FPM chief Jebran Bassil to prevent an aggravation of the political dispute with him. It has also called on its supporters to avoid responding to any FPM attacks on social media.

Next move: FPM might boycott legislative sessions
Naharnet/December 07, 2022
Hezbollah MPs are seriously leaning towards voting for Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh in the upcoming presidential vote session, a senior politician said. The source told al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that this is what sparked the Free Patriotic Movement's reaction to the caretaker cabinet session that took place on Monday despite being boycotted by the FPM. The FPM leader, Jebran Bassil responded by boycotting the session and lashing out at Hezbollah in a fiery statement. Bassil, after being informed about Hezbollah's inclination, is telling everyone that no settlement can bypass the FPM, the source said. But Hezbollah has given directions to all its members, MPs and ministers, not to escalate or respond, in order to protect the Mar Mikhail understanding, media reports said. The source added that the FPM will seek to subject the understanding to a comprehensive re-evaluation or else it will "rebel" against it. Another report in al-Akhbar newspaper said that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri considered that the situation can be contained, calling for calm. It added that Hezbollah will wait for things to cool down before trying to mend the rift with the FPM. The report said that the FPM might try to appeal against the decisions taken by the cabinet during Monday's session, and that it will mainly respond in parliament by joining the Christian forces who oppose legislative sessions before electing a president. By doing so, the FPM will paralyze parliament and send a message that it can suspend the work of both parliament and cabinet, whenever it wants to.

FPM: Hezbollah didn't keep its promise not to join cabinet session
Naharnet/December 07, 2022
Hezbollah had promised the Free Patriotic Movement that it would not take part in Monday’s cabinet session but it did not honor its pledge, MP Ghassan Atallah of the FPM said on Wednesday. “What happened violated the constitution,” Atallah lamented, in remarks to al-Jadeed TV.
“If Hezbollah believes that such type of sessions might press the FPM to endorse presidential candidates, this would be saddening, and the FPM’s rules do not change under pressure,” the MP added. “This period resembles the 1990 coup and today there was an attempt to do this but it failed,” Atallah went on to say, charging that caretaker PM Najib Mikati is “implementing what the Shiite Duo has tasked him with.”

Report: Qatar tells Iran, Bassil it wants army chief as president
Naharnet/December 07, 2022
Qatar has “strongly” waded into the Lebanese presidential file in terms of negotiating with Iran, sources involved in the file said. “It had told Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil during his recent presence in Doha that it supports the election as president of Army chief General Joseph Aoun,” the sources told ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. Qatar argued that Aoun “enjoys the support of most political parties in Lebanon, does not represent a provocation to anyone, and is accepted regionally and internationally,” the sources added.

Boujikian dismissed from Armenian bloc for attending Monday's session
Naharnet/December 07, 2022
Caretaker Industry Minister George Boujikian has been dismissed from the Armenian parliamentary bloc, following a cabinet session that he attended despite his bloc's decision to boycott. Boujikian had attended Monday a caretaker cabinet session, despite a declared Free Patriotic Movement boycott and a decision by the Tashnag party not to attend. By attending, Boujikian secured quorum for the session. The FPM-allied Tashnag said in a statement that from now on "Boujikian would only represent himself." Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati had called for an emergency session on Monday. The FPM considered that cabinet should not convene amid the ongoing presidential vacuum. Its leader MP Jebran Bassil blasted Hezbollah, Mikati and other parties over Monday's session, threatening to seek "broad administrative decentralization" should the other forces continue with the same course.

Mikati chairs Food Security Committee meeting, meets Caretaker Education Minister, MPs Hashimi and Chehayeb, Arab Federation for Volunteering...
NNA/December 07, 2022
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Wednesday chaired a meeting by the Food Security Ministerial Committee at the Grand Serail, attended by Caretaker Ministers of National Defense Maurice Sleem, Finance Youssef Khalil, Industry Georges Bouchkian, Interior and Municipalities Judge Bassam Mawlawi, Agriculture Dr. Abbas Hajj Hassan, and Trade and Economy Amin Salam. Speaking on emerging, Caretaker Economy Minister Salam said that the meeting discussed urgent issues, most importantly the mechanism for distributing wheat and flour in the required quantities, affirming that the wheat and flour dossier is well controlled, and the quantities are available in the market. Separately, Premier Mikati met with Caretaker Minister of Education and Higher Education, Judge Abbas Al-Halabi, who said on emerging that he discussed with the Premier the issue of the payment of scholastic dues, arrears and transportation allowances, in a bid to ensure the requirements for a normal scholastic year. On another level, Mikati received MP Bilal Al-Hashimi and a delegation from the General Federation of Agriculture Syndicates in Lebanon, which included the Federation's President, Youssef Mohieldine, its Secretary-General Majed Seifan, and the President of the Wheat Farmers Syndicate in the Bekaa, Najib Fares. Discussions touched on the issue of the wheat crisis. Miakti also received MP Akram Chehayeb, who said after the meeting that they discussed vital dossiers related to education, Lebanese University, Naameh landfill and electricity, in addition to the political issue. Mikati later received the President of the Arab Federation for Volunteering in Bahrain, Hassan Abu Hazaa, in the presence of Caretaker Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. George Kallas.Premier Mikati also met with the Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council, Major General Staff Muhammad Al-Mustafa

Berri schedules joint House committees' sessions for December 12-13, sends congratulatory cables to Jordan’s Al-Safadi and Al-Fayez, meets former...
NNA/December 07, 2022
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, has scheduled two sessions for the joint House committees to resume the discussion of the capital controls for December 12 and December 13. On the other hand, Speaker Berri cabled Jordan's Parliament Speaker, Ahmed Al-Safadi, congratulating him on his election as Speaker of Jordan’s Parliament. Berri also cabled congratulations to the Speaker of the Jordanian Senate, Faisal Al-Fayez. Moreover, Berri received at the Second Presidency in Ai El-Tineh former MP Dr. Hussein Yateem, with whom he discussed the current general situation and the latest political developments.
Separately, Berri received Writer and Journalist Dr. Sami Kleib, who presented him with his new book. Among Speaker Berri’s itinerant visitors for today had been Journalist Writer and Journalist Hassan Al-Dor, who presented him with his new novel.

Saydet El Jabal Gathering holds its periodic meeting online
NNA/December 07, 2022
The "Saydet El Jabal" Gathering held its periodic meeting online and issued the following statement: "First: Lebanon is witnessing a new cycle of fictional conflict between sectarian leaders, which is affecting sectarians communities, due to conflicting views on the session of the caretaker government. The political powers that did not deliver the promises they made to the Lebanese during parliamentary elections, are inventing a new sectarian conflict to compensate their failures. Let us not forget that the government of former Prime Minister Hassan Diab did not convene for 15 months because all previous Prime Ministers considered that the session would be unconstitutional. While today, Christian parties, especially the Free Patriotic Movement, consider that it is unconstitutional for the government of President Najib Mikati to convene; so who should we believe? We shall believe no one as the true conflict is elsewhere, namely in refraining from electing a new President of the Republic after more than a month since the mandate of President Michel Aoun came to an end. The worst is that Christian powers that are against the participation to this session are on the other hand paralyzing the presidential election sessions. As for the remaining Christian parties, they declare they are opposed to this disruption, only for the sake of form, without taking the necessary parliamentary or political steps to find a solution or at least to hold the responsible accountable before the Lebanese, from a political and an ethical perspective. Paralyzing the election of a President is premeditated by Hezbollah and it's allies, the objective being clear: no President for the Lebanese Republic, even if we have to wait ten years, unless this President submits, as his predecessor, to the Iranian agenda in Lebanon and the region. The Iranian agenda means in practice a political, foreign and military dependency on Iran, and allowing the weaponization of Hezbollah in pursuit of all its military adventures in Lebanon, the region and the world. Secondly: Saydet El Jabal Gathering expresses its sympathy with the heroic Iranian people fighting the battle of freedom in Iran. The lesson one should learn from Beirut and Teheran revolutionaries is that this is the only path to stop the oppression of the people."

Awareness campaign by the National Commission for Lebanese Women
NNA/December 07, 2022
The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) launched an awareness campaign in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on violence in the law against women and girls entitled "Failing to amend the laws to recognize your rights is a violence against you”, #Stop_violence_in_the_law
This campaign sheds light on the unfair and discriminatory legal provisions to the rights of women and girls which remain unamended, and which require amending in order to protect and recognize women as full citizens, through a unified civil law for personal status, a law that prohibits the marriage of minors, in addition to a law that recognizes the right of Lebanese women to pass on their nationality to their children. This awareness campaign is implemented by the National Commission for Lebanese Women in partnership with GIZ and funded by the German government.

Doing Synod is doing evangelisation
Bishop Khalil Alwan/Vatican City, 28-29 November 2022
Meeting with the Presidents and Coordinators of the Continental Assemblies of the Synod.
The meeting of the Presidents and Coordinators of the Continental Assemblies gathered in Rome on 28-29 November to prepare together the Continental Assemblies, which are the culminating moment of the second stage of the Synod process 2021-2024, concludes this morning. The meeting took place at the offices of the General Secretariat of the Synod. "I feel gratitude and wonder. I have heard the testimony of a living Church!" was what Cardinal Mario Grech expressed at the end of the meeting, "The sharing of these days shows that the journey is already well underway and that we have much to learn from each other. I have great hope for our task, which is and remains first and foremost evangelisation: the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ. This is the synodal path. In this journey we must not be afraid of tensions, which can also be healthy. We must not exclude anyone and listen to everyone! Even those outside the Church's formal enclosure, because sometimes the Church is present where we did not think we would find it'. On the afternoon of Monday 28 November 2022, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the participants. After the initial greeting by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg and General Rapporteur of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Presidents or Coordinators of the Continental Assemblies presented the fruits of the process underway in their respective continents or regions, followed by a time of dialogue. The meeting, held in an atmosphere of great fraternity, lasted two hours.
Below is Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich's address of greeting.
Your Holiness, thank you for taking the time to receive us and to give us your advice for the synodal process. With the continental phase of the process we begin our missionary discernment. With this stage of the Synod we are, in fact, already experiencing a first universal dimension of the process. This stage says, in fact, that the different Churches must not be isolated in their journey and the circular dialogue of the continental assemblies will benefit the Churches of all continents. Your Holiness, a synodality that wants to be Catholic needs the care and advice of Peter. We need you, because we need a healthy indifference that bears witness to freedom in the Spirit, but then because we also notice some temptations on this road. And I would like to talk about a temptation we sometimes see in the media: it is the temptation of 'politicisation' in and of the Church, that is, living and thinking the Church with the logic of politics. Some have an agenda for the reform of the Church; they know very well what needs to be done and they want to use the synod for that purpose: this is instrumentalising the synod. This is politicising. On the opposite side are - to borrow your word - the 'indietrists' who do not understand that a true Catholic tradition evolves while remaining a tradition in its time. They too would like to put the brakes on the synod process. We, on the other hand - and we heard this morning in our work - we want to be able to enter into a true discernment, an apostolic, missionary discernment, so that the synodal Church can carry out its mission in the world. We want to walk together, with you and above all with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus, in order to mend our Church.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 07-08/2022
10% of Detained Protesters in Iran Are Women
Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 7 December, 2022
The Iranian regime said Tuesday that women make up 10% of people arrested during the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin, died on Sept. 16 in custody of the country’s morality police. She was detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women. Some foreign media have names some of the women as victims in the recent riots, but the available evidence clearly shows their cause of death, the Mehr News Agency quoted Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs Ensieh Khazali as saying. She added that the West “practices dictatorship in the name of women, but actually does not allow them to make their demands.” She recalled Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s Oct. 3 statements, when he stressed that the “morality police was just a pretext to spark chaos,” and that if there had been no such issue, they might have invented other excuses to riot. “They can’t tolerate seeing our progress in various fields,” Khazali said. She underscored the role of women in the country’s decision-making process, noting that the government had appointed several women in the supreme councils. Commenting on the hijab debate, Khazali said no country enjoys absolute freedom in terms of dress code.

Sister of Iran’s Khamenei Condemns His Rule, Urges Revolutionary Guards to Disarm
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 7 December, 2022
A sister of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has condemned his crackdown on nationwide protests and called on the widely-feared Revolutionary Guards to lay down their weapons, according to a letter published by her France-based son. Iran has been gripped by unrest since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody on Sept 16., and is facing a three-day general strike movement which started on Monday. Badri Hosseini Khamenei, who resides in Iran, criticized the clerical establishment starting from the time of the republic's late founder Khomeini to her brother's rule, the letter, dated "December 2022", said. "I think it is appropriate now to declare that I oppose my brother's actions and I express my sympathy with all mothers mourning the crimes of the Islamic Republic, from the time of Khomeini to the current era of the despotic caliphate of Ali Khamenei," she wrote in the letter which was shared on Wednesday by her son Mahmoud Moradkhani's Twitter account. "Ali Khamenei's Revolutionary Guards and mercenaries should lay down their weapons as soon as possible and join the people before it is too late," the letter said. The Revolutionary Guards are Iran's elite force which has helped the country's establish proxies across the Middle East, and runs a vast business empire. In November, Khamenei's activist daughter Farideh Moradkhani was arrested by authorities after calling on foreign governments to cut all ties with Tehran.

US Congress Calls for Tightening Sanctions Against Iranian Regime
Washington - Rana Abtar/Wednesday, 7 December, 2022
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee will discuss on Wednesday a draft law that condemns the Iranian regime’s repression of demonstrators and calls on the US administration to tighten sanctions on Tehran. The Committee Chairman, Bob Menendez, introduced a Senate resolution in September, reaffirming the United States’ support for the Iranian citizens who have taken to the streets in peaceful protest for their fundamental human rights, and condemning the Iranian security forces for their violent response. The bill, which was widely supported by bipartisan lawmakers, condemns the brutal beating and death of Mahsa Amini and the violent suppression by the Iranian regime of women and men participating in the current demonstrations, including children. It calls for transparent accountability for all killings of protesters by Iranian security forces. It further supports internet freedom programs that circumvent the regime and provide alternatives that can be used to bypass attempts by authoritarian governments to censor internet access during times of protest. It also commends private entities willing to provide programs to circumvent such censorship. While lawmakers encourage continued efforts by the Biden administration to respond to the protests, including the recent sanctioning of the Iranian morality police, they believe the White House can take additional steps in this regard. Among the suggested steps are immediately imposing additional human rights sanctions on officials and entities responsible for the repression of the current protests and prioritizing efforts to expand unrestricted internet access in Iran. In addition, they called for developing a strategy to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining and exploiting facial recognition data and software for the use of mass surveillance and enforcement of mandatory hijab. The bill, which is expected to be approved, encourages the private sector to work with the Biden administration to ensure protestors and activists have access to tools needed to circumvent government surveillance and repression. It also welcomes the efforts of the international community to support protests in Iran. The Republican and Democratic lawmakers called on the international community to publicly condemn violence by the Iranian regime against peaceful protesters, and speak out against violations by the regime of fundamental human rights, including the freedom of expression, assembly, and redress of grievances of the Iranian people. They also urged the international community to impose human rights sanctions on officials and entities that are responsible for the repression of current protests and involved in violating the human rights of the Iranian people.

Khamenei Calls for Overhaul of Iran’s Cultural System
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 7 December, 2022
Iran’s Supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday called for "revolutionary reconstruction of the country's cultural system", state media reported, as nationwide protests kept up pressure on the authorities. "It is necessary to revolutionize the country's cultural structure... the supreme council should observe the weaknesses of culture in different fields of the country," Khamenei said during his meeting with a state cultural council. Iran has been rocked by unrest since the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 in police custody after her arrest for “inappropriate Islamic attire”. The demonstrations have posed one of the strongest challenges to the republic since the 1979 revolution.

UN Team Accuses ISIS of Using Chemical Weapons in Iraq
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 7 December, 2022
The United Nations Investigative Team for Accountability of ISIS (UNITAD) revealed in a report that the terrorist group used chemical weapons in Iraq. According to the report, which was submitted to the UN Security Council on Tuesday for discussion, ISIS used chemical weapons in the areas it controlled in Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2019. Key lines of inquiry during this period concerned evidence of ISIS financial, procurement and logistical arrangements and linkages to command elements, as well as an expanded understanding of suspected sites of manufacturing, production and weapon use across Iraq.
“Evidence suggests that ISIS manufactured and produced chemical rockets and mortars, chemical ammunition for rocket-propelled grenades, chemical warheads and improvised explosive devices,” the report said. “Furthermore, the ISIS program involved the development, testing, weaponization and deployment of a range of agents, including aluminum phosphide, chlorine, clostridium botulinum, cyanide, nicotine, ricin and thallium sulfate.”The report said that evidence, including records, of ISIS training senior operatives on the use of chemical weapons, including chemical dispersion devices, were examined.
The Team affirmed that it attended incident sites, met with affected communities and Iraqi authorities and preserved substantial volumes of testimonial, digital and documentary evidence, noting that it focused its efforts on the attack against Tazah Khurmatu on March 8, 2016.
Dr. Moataz Mohieddine, strategic expert on armed groups, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the United States has repeatedly declared ISIS’s ability to manufacture chemical weapons and use them in its battles, especially in those to liberate Mosul.
He indicated that the US discovered sums of samples of these weapons that were seized by ISIS militants from the US and the Iraqi army’s weapons warehouses. “ISIS former leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi supervised the formation of cells that depended on the establishment of a chemical and biological arsenal,” Mohieddine explained. He pointed to a report by The Washington Post that underlined Iraqi Kurdish intelligence reports that shed new light on the role played by Salih al-Sabawi, a mysterious figure known within the terrorist group as Abu Malik, and the ambitious plan by ISIS leaders to develop and use weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and abroad. Sabawi was part of a former cell that worked in Iraqi chemical facilities and in the production of weapons of mass destruction that the former army used in its war against the Kurds and Iran, the strategist noted.
He affirmed that when arrested by the US forces, Sabawi said that ISIS collected a lot of chemical materials from the weapons left behind by the Iraqi army and the US in large areas of Anbar and Mosul. Mohieddine further stated that the Iraqi forces captured a very large cell that cooperated with ISIS after the liberation battles. “The cell explained the steps of the group’s development of the chemical weapons industry and how its materials were transported from central and northern Iraq to Syria as well.” He named an Iraqi engineer, Abrar al-Kubaisi, who helped ISIS manufacture the toxic substance, ricin, in simple laboratories. Caption: UNESCO Director Audrey Azoulay during her participation, Monday, in the unveiling of a bell specially designed for the “Al-Saa’a Church” in Mosul, which ISIS occupied for three years. (AFP)

Iran executions up more than 50% this year
Arab News/December 07, 2022
LONDON: Iranian authorities have executed more than 500 people this year, according to data released by Iran Human Rights. Up more than 50 percent on 2021’s figure of 333, the spike in executions marks a dramatic shift following years of decline, with numbers only likely to climb amidst the government’s brutal response to protests in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Five further death sentences were handed out to protesters yesterday, for killing a member of the security forces, bringing to 11 the total number arising from the protests. Meanwhile nine people have been charged over the killing of Iran’s nuclear weapons chief, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in November 2020. Israel’s security agency, Mossad, has been blamed for Fakhrizadeh’s death. Newly elected president and former prosecutor, Ebrahim Raisi, played a central role in the 1980s killing spree that resulted in the execution of thousands of opposition supporters. His election last year, combined with the surging number of death sentences, are considered reflective of the increasing dominance of hardliners over Iranian politics.

Iranian ex-president lauds anti-regime protests
Arab News/December 07, 2022
LONDON: Iran’s former President Mohammad Khatami has praised anti-regime protests and urged authorities to meet protesters’ demands “before it is too late,” the BBC reported. The two-term reformist president, who served between 1997 and 2005, described “woman, life, freedom” as a “beautiful slogan,” and said that it showed Iranian society was moving toward a better future. Khatami also criticized the security forces’ crackdown and arrest of students. “It should not be allowed that freedom and security are placed in opposition to one another, and that as a result freedom is trampled under the pretext of maintaining security, or that security is ignored in the name of freedom,” he said. “I advise officials to appreciate this presence and instead of dealing with it unjustly, extend a helping hand to them and, with their help, recognize the wrong aspects of governance and move toward good governance before it is too late.”Khatami’s comments came in a statement to mark Student Day on Wednesday, with students having been at the forefront of the wave of protests that are now into their fourth month. Protests were sparked by the September murder of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s notorious morality police. Her death ignited pent-up frustrations over falling living standards, and discrimination against women and minorities. Protests have spread to more than 150 cities and 140 universities in all 31 of Iran’s provinces, and are now considered the most serious challenge to the regime since it took power in the 1979 revolution. Iran’s leadership has sought to portray the protests as “riots” instigated by “foreign enemies.”Despite the brutal crackdown by security forces, which have led to the deaths of 473 protesters and the detention of more than 18,000 people, demonstrations show little sign of abating, with Khatami describing student involvement as “perhaps unprecedented.” Iran’s judiciary also sentenced five protesters to death on charges of “corruption of the Earth” on Tuesday, with 11 others, including three children” handed long prison sentences. Director of Iran Human Rights Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam told AFP News: “These people are sentenced after unfair processes and without due process. The aim is to spread fear and make people stop protesting.”A total of 11 protesters have now been sentenced to death, with the country’s judiciary chief saying on Monday that executions will be carried out “soon.”

Iraq's Mosul healing slowly, five years after IS defeat
Agence France Press/December 07, 2022
Five years after it emerged from the Islamic State group's jihadist rule, Iraq's once thriving cultural center of Mosul has regained a semblance of normalcy despite sluggish reconstruction efforts. However, like in much of oil-rich but war-ravaged Iraq, ramshackle public services and deep economic difficulties continue to hamper people's daily lives. Ghazwan Turki is just one of Mosul's many residents who struggle to make ends meet in the former IS stronghold, where the jihadists declared the establishment of a "caliphate" in 2014. Mosul urgently needs "job opportunities for families that have no income, to improve their living conditions," Turki said. The father of 12 and aged in his 40s, who lived for years in displacement camps, juggles shifts as a taxi driver and different odd jobs. "We have to borrow money and get into debt to cover half of our family's needs," said Turki, who shares a single-story house with his brother. While acknowledging "progress" in rebuilding efforts, he described "overcrowded schools, where there are 60 or 70 students to a classroom." Iraqi forces with the help of a US-led coalition wrested back Mosul in July 2017 after grueling street fighting, and Iraq claimed victory over IS on December 9 that year. Signs of reconstruction dot the city of 1.5 million, with workers constructing a new bridge, and cafes and restaurants buzzing. But many buildings and public hospitals are still in ruins, and in the Old City, some areas are still just piles of rubble.
'Lack of jobs'
Mosul, Iraq's second city, has historically been among the Arab world's most culturally significant settlements -- a hub for trade and home to mosques, churches, shrines, tombs and libraries. Today, in the wider Nineveh province, a third of people are estimated to be unemployed and 40 percent live in poverty, according to local authorities. The Norwegian Refugee Council, which has provided aid to some 100,000 Mosul residents, has noted "rising unemployment, high dropout rates (at schools), and limited economic opportunities across the city". NRC's communication coordinator Noor Taher said that although reconstruction continues, many people are particularly worried about "under-resourced schools, overstretched teachers and lack of jobs". The International Rescue Committee says that "economic conditions in Mosul remain dire for many families". An IRC survey of over 400 homes reported "an alarming spike" in child labor rates, with around 90 percent of families sending at least one minor to work and some three-quarters toiling in "informal and dangerous roles" such as construction, or litter and scrap metal collection. Mayor Amin al-Memari said the city was working on several "strategic projects", but funding remained a key obstacle. Despite the construction of about 350 schools in just two years, Mosul still needs 1,000 more to end the "chokehold" in education, Memari added. There is also "a significant shortage in the health sector," he said, with more hospitals needed, including with oncology and cardiovascular surgery departments."Before, we had all of this in Mosul," Memari said.
'Spirit of Old Mosul' -
In Mosul's war-damaged Old City -- only steps from the iconic Al-Nuri mosque, where former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only confirmed public appearance -- Bytna ("Our Home") cafe is busy. But when co-founder Bandar Ismail opened it in 2018, people were skeptical. "We tried to revive the spirit of Old Mosul by opening this cafe, to attract residents and draw them back to this neighborhood," 26-year-old Ismail said. "At first... people mocked us and said 'who will come here?' The whole area was destroyed, there must have been just two families here." Today, customers sip coffee and smoke their hookahs in the cafe, which also hosts musical performances and art events. Even French President Emmanuel Macron dropped by during a visit in 2021. Nearby, bakeries and restaurants have reopened. "There is more stability, more security," Ismail said.

Jordanian, Egyptian and Iraqi foreign ministers discuss opportunities for trilateral cooperation
Arab News/December 07, 2022
AMMAN: The foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, Ayman Safadi, Sameh Shoukry and Fuad Hussein, met on Wednesday to discuss ways in which the strategic integration of their countries might be boosted through a trilateral cooperation mechanism, the Jordan News Agency reported.
They reportedly identified potential areas for cooperation in politics, economics, security and industry, and recommended that efforts continue to move forward toward signing agreements. Safadi and Shoukry expressed the full support of their countries for stability and security in Iraq and congratulated the nation on the formation of its new government. The three ministers also discussed regional issues of mutual interest, including the Palestinian cause. In addition, they agreed to maintain institutional communications to facilitate upcoming projects and plans and overcome economic challenges that requiring systematic cooperation.

Italian far-right activists held for assault on Morocco soccer fans
Reuters/December 07, 2022
ROME: Italian police said on Wednesday they had detained 13 far-right activists in Verona for an assault on Moroccan soccer fans who were celebrating their historic qualification for the World Cup quarter-finals. The supporters were revelling in the center of the northern Italian city on Tuesday evening after Morocco’s victory over Spain when they were attacked by a group of men dressed in black with their faces covered, the police said in a statement. Those held “were identified by investigators as militants of far-right groups in the city,” it said. Morocco’s World Cup progress has seen vibrant celebrations by its supporters in cities with large Moroccan immigrant populations around the world, which have sometimes turned violent. Their victory over Belgium in the group stage sparked riots in Brussels, and on Tuesday evening video footage showed fans lighting flares and throwing furniture and other objects in the center of Milan. Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League party, tweeted the images of the Milan episodes, saying he hoped those responsible would be identified and made to pay for the damage to property. He did not comment on the incidents in Verona.

Putin says Ukraine war 'lengthy', Russia won't initiate nuclear attack
Agence France Presse/December 06, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Wednesday that the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine might have become a "lengthy process," noting that Moscow would not use nuclear arms unless it comes under an attack of the same type. Putin, however, praised Moscow's territorial gains.
"Of course, it might be a lengthy process," Putin told a meeting of the Kremlin's human rights council in response to a question. He added however that the new Ukrainian territory the Kremlin claims to have annexed was a "significant result" of the military campaign.
The Russian leader also warned that the risk of nuclear war is increasingly growing.

Turkish missiles used in Syria include Europe-produced parts
AP/December 06, 2022
BEIRUT: Commercial brakes produced by a Dutch company to be used in ambulances in Turkiye instead ended up in missiles used by Turkiye in attacks in northeastern Syria, a report released Tuesday said. Between September 2021 and June 2022, field investigators with London-based Conflict Armament Research analyzed the remnants of 17 air-to-surface missiles used in strikes in northeast Syria, the report said. An analysis of the components of the wreckage found that the missiles were manufactured by Roketsan, a Turkish defense manufacturer. The missiles included components made by US, Chinese and European companies, among them electromagnetic brakes with “markings and characteristics consistent with production by (Netherlands-based company) Kendrion NV,” the report said. Representatives of Kendrion told researchers that the company had agreed in 2018 to supply 20-25,000 brakes to a Turkish company called FEMSAN, with the stated purpose of using them on blood analysis machines fitted to ambulances, the report said. After being notified that the brakes were being used in military applications, Kendrion said it had cut off its business relationship with the Turkish company, the report noted. FEMSAN did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while representatives of Roketsan could not be reached for comment. The research was carried out before the most recent round of Turkish airstrikes in northeast Syria, launched last month in response to a deadly Nov. 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on Kurdish groups based in Syria — an allegation that the groups deny. Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also threatened a ground incursion. The report did not allege that the sellers of the components used in the missiles had violated any laws, noting that “while the EU has had an arms embargo related to Syria itself since 2011, (Turkiye) has never been subject to sanctions at the multilateral level.” It added that the case “highlights both the critical importance and the relative complexity of commercial due diligence for material of these types” which “may serve multiple purposes, some of which the manufacturer may not even be aware, and which may be extremely sensitive.”

EU cash injection boosts health care services for Syrian refugees in Turkiye
Arab News/December 07, 2022
ANKARA: A new 400-bed hospital, built with €50 million ($52.5 million) of EU funding, opened to patients on Tuesday in the border city of Kilis in southeastern Turkiye. The project, one of the largest funded by the EU, is part of the bloc’s continuing investment in health infrastructure in the country to improve medical services for Syrian refugees and their host communities. It is managed by the Council of Europe Development Bank and the Turkish Ministry of Health. Kilis is just a few miles from the border with Syria and often witnesses exchanges of artillery fire in the civil war that has devastated its neighbor. It previously had only one public hospital, which opened in 2007, to serve the needs of both the native and refugee population. The city’s population massively expanded as a result of an influx of refugees when the war began in Syria in 2011. There are currently about 91,000 Syrians in Kilis, a community that is more than a third of the size of the local population of 237,000. This placed huge demands on the local health care system as the existing hospital struggled to cope. The new hospital, which is equipped with the latest medical technology, will help to ease the pressure. Kilis, like other Turkish provinces, lacked a proper mechanism for coping with refugees and distributing them more evenly when Syrians began to pour into the country more than a decade ago, said Omar Kadkoy, a migration-policy analyst at TEPAV, a think tank in Ankara. This created problems providing access to basic services and has caused social friction at times, he added. “Therefore the new hospital in Kilis is a big relief,” Kadkoy told Arab News. “In parallel, those funding it and implementing the project should loudly communicate the overall inclusive benefits of the new hospital.”
The hospital has 24 operating rooms and offers round-the-clock emergency services. It can accommodate more than 3,000 patients at any given time and treat then using state-of-the-art health equipment, including imaging systems, an MRI facility, two dialysis rooms, 10 X-ray rooms, mammography and tomography facilities, and intensive care units. It is thought to be the biggest and most modern hospital in the region. The existing hospital, which has 200 beds, will now used as a maternity and children’s facility for locals and refugees. In addition there are four health centers for migrants in Kilis. In a speech at the official opening of the hospital, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, head of the EU delegation to Turkiye, described it as “one more EU-funded project that will have a huge impact on the growing community of Kilis.”
Kadkoy said that in addition to the health benefits, the new hospital will also provide much-needed employment opportunities. “Taking into account the population composition in Kilis, the hospital should welcome Turkish and Syrian health care professionals,” he said. “Doing so contributes to the integration of Syrians in the labor market and pushes social cohesion forward in a practical way.” The EU said it has provided more than €10 billion in funding for Syrian refugees and their host communities since 2014, €1 billion of which was earmarked for health care. Under the flagship SIHHAT project, worth €720 million, the EU and the Turkish Ministry of Health worked together to set up several mental and physical health facilities in areas across the country with high concentrations of refugee. They employ more than 4,000 health workers and support staff, including Syrian nurses and doctors, as well as bilingual guides to assist refugees during medical consultations. The EU said more than 300,000 refugees have so far benefited from these facilities. The EU also provided €40 million of funding for a 250-bed hospital in the southern province of Hatay-Dortyol, where there are large numbers of Syrian refugees. It opened last summer. Brussels invested €90 million in a project called “Strengthening Healthcare Infrastructure for All,” which included the construction of dozens of health centers for migrants, the renovation of existing centers and hospitals, and the provision of equipment for new physiotherapy and rehabilitation units in existing facilities.The EU said its support for Turkiye’s health sector will continue next year, with a particular focus on cancer treatment and mitigating the effects of climate change on health.

US warns of Chinese influence in Mideast as Xi visits KSA
Agence France Presse/December 07, 2022
The White House on Wednesday responded to the visit of President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia by warning that China's attempt to spread influence worldwide is "not conducive" to international order. Asked about the Xi visit, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Saudi Arabia remains a crucial U.S. ally, but he issued a warning over China. "We are mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world. The Middle East is certainly one of those regions where they want to deepen their level of influence," he said. "We believe that many of the things they’re trying to pursue and the manner in which they’re trying to pursue it are not conducive to preserving the international rules-based order."President Joe Biden has made what he identifies as a global competition between democracies and autocracies a central theme of his presidency. "We are not asking nations to choose between the United States and China, but as the president has said many times we believe that in this strategic competition the United States is certainly well poised to lead," Kirby said. Washington has close commercial, diplomatic and military relations with Saudi Arabia, an Islamic, absolute monarchy. Ties were badly strained by the 2018 murder, blamed by the United States on Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman, of dissident Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident. New tensions erupted over a decision by the Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel to cut production in a bid to raise oil prices -- a move seen by the Biden administration as potentially harming his Democratic party in this November's midterm legislative elections. Kirby said Saudi Arabia had been a strategic U.S. partner for some 80 years but noted that Biden has ordered a review of the ties. "Yes in the wake of the OPEC+ decision a couple months ago we are reviewing that bilateral relationship and make sure that it best suits American national security interests. That work’s ongoing," Kirby said.

China's Xi arrives in Saudi Arabia for energy-focused visit
Agence France Presse/December 07, 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit that is likely to focus on energy ties but also follows months of tensions with the United States. Xi, recently reanointed as leader of the world's second biggest economy, arrived in the capital Riyadh, Chinese state media said, for a three-day visit that will include talks with the Saudi rulers and other Arab leaders. He can expect a warm welcome in Riyadh, where the Chinese flag alternated with the Saudi emblem on major routes. The Chinese leader was pictured on the front pages of newspapers that highlighted the trip's potential economic benefits. China is the top customer for oil from Saudi Arabia, the leading exporter of crude, and both sides appear keen to expand their relationship at a time of economic turmoil and geopolitical realignment. The trip -- only Xi's third overseas journey since the coronavirus pandemic began, and his first to Saudi Arabia since 2016 -- comes after US President Joe Biden's visit in July, when he pleaded in vain for higher oil production. It will feature bilateral meetings with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, as well as a summit with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and a wider China-Arab summit. The program represents the "largest-scale diplomatic activity between China and the Arab world since the founding of the PRC", or People's Republic of China, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday. The official Saudi Press Agency said the kingdom accounted for more than 20 percent of Chinese investment in the Arab world between 2005 and 2020, "making it the biggest Arab country to receive Chinese investments during that period". Oil markets are expected to be a top agenda item for talks between China and Saudi Arabia, especially given the turbulence the markets have experienced since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The G7 and European Union on Friday agreed to a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil in an attempt to deny the Kremlin war resources, injecting further uncertainty into the markets. On Sunday, the OPEC+ oil cartel led jointly by Saudi Arabia and Russia opted to keep in place production cuts of two million barrels per day approved in October. Saudi and Chinese officials have provided scant information about the agenda, though Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, said he expected "a number of agreements to be signed". Beyond energy, analysts say leaders from the two countries will likely discuss potential deals that could see Chinese firms become more deeply involved in mega-projects that are central to Prince Mohammed's vision of diversifying the Saudi economy away from oil. They include a futuristic $500 billion megacity known as NEOM, a so-called cognitive city that will depend heavily on facial recognition and surveillance technology.
Tensions with Washington
The OPEC+ production cuts approved in October represented the latest blow to the longtime partnership between Saudi Arabia and the United States, which said they amounted to "aligning with Russia" on the war in Ukraine. Xi's visit is expected to be closely watched in Washington, which entered into what is often described as an oil-for-security partnership with Saudi Arabia towards the end of World War II. While the Biden administration has smarted over the production cuts, Riyadh has at times accused the United States of failing to hold up the security end of the bargain, notably after strikes in September 2019 claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels temporarily halved the kingdom's crude output. China and Saudi Arabia already work together on arms sales and production. Yet analysts say Beijing cannot provide the same security assurances Washington does -- nor does it wish to. Nevertheless, if the Saudis are "looking to extract more security guarantees from the US... signalling that they have the opportunity of strengthening ties with China is something that suits them well," said Torbjorn Soltvedt, of the risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft. The GCC-China summit will be held in Riyadh on Friday, the bloc said in a statement.

Mazloum Abdi: US Barred Türkiye from Carrying Out Military Operation in Syria
London - Ibrahim Hamidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 7 December, 2022
SDF Commander tells Asharq Al-Awsat he won’t visit Damascus before conditions for political solution are available.
Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi said the American administration of former President Donald Trump “betrayed” its allies in the SDF when it did not oppose the Turkish infiltration in Syria in late 2019. In an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, he revealed that the current administration has prevented Türkiye from carrying out a new operation in Syria.
Asked if he was concerned that his forces would be “betrayed” again, he replied that “we are always worried but hope that the new American administration would fulfill its pledges and commitments and prevent Türkiye from carrying out any operation.”
He noted that Turkish fighter jets had targeted the al-Hol camp for the displaced 80 kilometers deep into Syrian territory. “All Syrian skies were open to them and the US did nothing but make statements,” he stressed.
Abdi spoke of the discussions he held with commander of the Russian forces in Syria Aleksandr Chaiko, who visited him at his headquarters east of the Euphrates River. They addressed Chaiko’s mediation with Ankara. “We can say that Russia is now standing in a neutral position between us and Türkiye,” said Abdi.
Russia is trying to ensure that the 2019 Sochi agreement is being implemented and it is tackling violations when they happen.
“On our end, we have many reservations over Türkiye and the many violations it is committing,” Abdi added.
On the SDF’s role in Syria’s future, he stated that the force is generally part of the military’s defense organization. “But we have our conditions,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat over Zoom on Monday. “We have dispatched delegations to hold negotiations in Damascus. I want to go to Damascus when the conditions for a solution are right.”
The SDF officially announced that it has stopped cooperation with the international anti-ISIS coalition. At the same time, we noticed that coalition and American forces deployed patrols in cooperation with the SDF. Can you explain this?
Just so matters can be understood accurately, we had stated that the Turkish attacks were ongoing. The targeting of forces that were deploying these patrols led to the halt of these operations. The patrols were reduced to a minimum when the strikes were happening. Now, joint work has resumed.
The issue was related to the security situation. Now that it has improved somewhat, the joint cooperation resumed.
So cooperation between the SDF and coalition has returned to the way it was, whether related to fighting ISIS or in deploying patrols.
Exactly. It has returned to the way it was 20 months ago.
We noticed in recent days that the intense Turkish strikes had eased. Why? Was American pressure on Ankara truly behind this?
I believe the American pressure on Ankara played a hand to an extent. With time, international pressure also mounted on Ankara. Ankara violated understandings that it had reached with Russia and the US alike. This prompted the major pressure that in turn led to a drop in strikes.
The second factor, frankly, is that we, as a military force, had been well prepared. For example, the Kobani (Ain al-Arab) region, Manbij and Tal Rifaat were heavily attacked by Turkish jets and artillery, and yet, the SDF did not lose a single member. The Turks did not achieve their desired result.
There is a belief that the US had granted Türkiye an undeclared green light to carry out its attacks over ten days. We have seen massive destruction of gas and oil infrastructure and attacks close to American military bases. Do you have any information about these claims?
We can’t speak of a green light or coordination between the forces on the ground. But we have been very critical of the coalition forces because they are on the ground and had they fulfilled their pledges properly, the attacks would not have been this destructive. They had a very weak position towards the attacks. The Turks, just as the US Defense Department said, put the lives of American troops at risk.
Did Turkish jets really fly over Syrian territory?
They entered through Deir Ezzor. They struck the al-Hol camp, some 80 kilometers deep in Syrian territories. All Syrian skies were open to them.
And the US did nothing to stop them?
Nothing, but make statements to the media.
The US or the West betrayed the Kurds seven times in the past 100 years Are you worried that another betrayal will happen or that Washington would abandon the Kurds in spite of the great sacrifices made in fighting ISIS? The last Turkish operation took place in 2019. At the time, coordination was ongoing between the Trump administration and the Turks, which led to the operation that we deemed a betrayal at the time. to take place. And to be honest, the American administration has since 2019 been exerting the greatest pressure to prevent Türkiye from carrying out a new ground operation. They have not allowed it Now, they have stated that the Biden administration will not allow a destructive ground operation to happen.
We are always worried, but we hope the new American administration would fulfill its pledges and past commitments with Türkiye. We hope it would keep its word and prevent Türkiye from carrying out any operation. Days ago, you said that the Turkish escalation was a test to the Biden administration. Are you satisfied with the result of this test? Have you been reassured that the US is not plotting a betrayal?
So far, we have seen that the Americans have been in direct contact with the Turks. We have asked them to keep up the pressure so that the Turks, specifically [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, would realize that they cannot launch any operation if they wanted to remain in power and continue to rule after the upcoming elections.
So you are not worried about the betrayal?
Let us be clear, that hasn’t happened yet. We are worried, and frankly, we believe the American position is not enough, but we will let things unfold over time. Agreements were reached between Russia, Türkiye and the US in 2019. Türkiye says that the SDF did not fulfill its pledges by withdrawing 30 or 32 kms from the border. Is it true that the SDF did not meet its pledges?
Everyone knows that we fulfilled all agreements in full. The Russian guarantors have been around since 2019 and they are responsible for the agreement. As for the Americans, they have a deal with the Turks.
What measures have you taken on the ground to carry out the agreement? First and foremost, the Turks’ main excuse was that there was a threat to their national security. Setting aside some extraordinary issues, we, as the SDF have repeatedly said that we have never carried out an operation that threatens Türkiye’s national security. No military operation directly aimed at Türkiye have been carried out from these regions.
They have demanded the withdrawal of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the removal of all heavy weapons. Is this true?
These forces are not deployed in these regions. Officially, the forces deployed on the border are the Syrian military. They are fully deployed along the border. You have said that you have not threatened Türkiye’s security. Of course, Türkiye says that the Istanbul bombing was carried out by people affiliated with the SDF and YPG and that it has evidence to back this claim. But the US, Britain, and European countries say that they don’t have such evidence and Türkiye never presented it. Has Türkiye presented its evidence to you?
The main problem is that the Turks don’t cooperate with anyone. They haven’t provided the Americans with information. They only provide information through the media. They want the world to believe their information. We have stated that we view the attack as terrorist but we had nothing to do with it.
I’ll give you new information: We are relying on the information that Türkiye is providing to the media and not officially. Today, we completed the first part of the probe in all the information that Türkiye has provided and we have submitted the findings to the relevant parties, including the Americans.
We have proven that we have nothing to do with the operation. We concluded that some of the people who were identified by Türkiye were living in cities that were controlled by ISIS. We gave them our detailed information. The woman who carried out the attack had previously carried out several visits to Afrin where her relatives live.
Afrin is controlled by Türkiye?
Yes. Leaders of the so-called Syrian National Army and others were stationed there before we drove them out of the region before 2018.
The names Türkiye presented were affiliated with armed factions in Jarablus and other regions. We presented the names of the people from Jarablus and Afrin along with the evidence. We will complete the second phase of the probe in the coming days.
Who do you think is behind the attack?
We don’t want to accuse anyone, but we know that it has something to do with the regions that are occupied by Türkiye. We have evidence that some of the explosives were obtained from those regions. The suspects came from those areas as well. They are present in Afrin and Jarablus. The probe must prove that the SDF had nothing to do with the operation.
What about the talks with Russia? Turkish media has leaked a lot of information. The commander of the Russian forces was in Qamishli. What have the Russians offered you after the Turkish escalation?
Let us correct this information first. They said he came from Qamishli airport. When they visit us, they come to our bases.
Do they pass through American checkpoints to visit you?
They come to our bases.
The Russian command came to us. We completed meetings with the Russian forces commander Chaiko not too long ago. Türkiye accuses Russia of not forcing us to commit to the 2019 Sochi agreement. For its part, Russia is trying to make the Turks commit to the agreement.
We can say that Russia is now standing in a neutral position between us and Türkiye. It is trying to apply the agreement and tackle violations when they happen. For our part, we have several reservations against Türkiye and the many violations it is committing.
For instance, they speak of a 30km buffer zone, while they recently infiltrated it 70 – 80 kms deep. They have established infrastructure and boast a military force. These are all violations.
On our end, we have been asking them to play their role and make Türkiye commit to the agreement. Of course, Türkiye has reservations against us, including claims that we are threatening its national security.
We are committed to the agreement, in spite of individual violations that are acts of retaliation. We will commit to the 2019 agreements.
Officially, we are not present on the border, so their demand that we pull out 30kms deep is not valid. The security forces (Asayish) are there, but they are not part of the deal. The Asayish will be present in all areas. They were not part of the withdrawal deal. The SDF is committed to the agreements. Our meetings with the Russians were primarily aimed at addressing the violations.
It was said that Russia offered the withdrawal of the SDF from Kobani and Manbij in return for the deployment of the regime forces.
Let me tell you something, the regime has more forces there than we do, nearly double ours. The regime is deployed in Kobani, Manbij and Tal Rifaat. The regime has enough forces in these regions.
An attack on Kobani and Manbij will be more of a problem for the regime than us. The regime is present on the border and they will be targeted. The regime may then take the decision to withdraw and refrain from fighting. It may choose to leave the area to the Turkish army or to fight. Is it true that Iran mobilized its forces in the Aleppo countryside and is now presenting itself as a partner on the ground?
The Iranians are present in Tal Rifaat and al-Shahba, and Nobl and al-Zahraa in the Aleppo countryside. East of the Euphrates and al-Jazira, they are not deployed in an official capacity, but stationed there with the regime. What about the talks with Damascus? We know that you signed a document with Syria’s national security chief Ali Mamlouk in 2019. An agreement was reached on the deployment of forces in specific regions. Was this deal carried out in full?
We consider that it was carried out fully, whether with the regime or Russia, which in turn had reached deals with Türkiye and others. We did not agree to the return of regime institutions. We only agreed on the border guard and the presence of the regime on the border. We committed to this and assisted in the army’s deployment in full on the border. Currently, we have no need for more agreements.
We are in agreement with the regime over main issues related to maintaining Syria’s territorial integrity. Problems lie in other areas, such as administrative affairs and issues related to education, for example.
There are, however, disagreements over the Kurdish language, the future of the SDF and the autonomous Kurdish administration.
Overall, for example, we are not opposed to the SDF becoming part of the defense organization of the Syrian army. We have conditions, however. We boast over 100,000 fighters, who have spent the past ten years in combat. They need a constitutional and legal resolution. The SDF must have a role and specific distinction in the military. We are in agreement over general issues, but the problems lie in the details.
It appears that Damascus is demanding that you send a greater amount of oil. You are sending greater amounts to al-Sheikh Masoud in Aleppo, while government-held regions are suffering from a major fuel and energy crisis. Let me tell you something, Türkiye is threatening Tal Rifaat and al-Sheikh Masoud. Moreover, the regime has imposed a stifling siege on these regions. It is blocking diesel fuel, flour and food shipments. The people are hungry and suffering in the cold and are living without electricity. This has been going on since the Turks began making their threats. This is unacceptable. We may be forced to reply in kind if the situation persists.
What was the extent of the destruction to the gas and oil infrastructure by Türkiye’s attacks?
The attacks were aimed at taking institutions out of service, including the lone home gas company. It was taken out of service after being directly targeted. Several refineries were also hit. Over 50 percent of the sectors were damaged. Repairs and reconstruction are underway.
Mamlouk and Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan met in Moscow in July. Syrian and Turkish security officers met in Kasab later. Are you worried about the Syrian-Turkish security cooperation? Do you believe Ankara and Damascus have set up security coordination, especially on how to confront the SDF? Let us be more accurate. We know that the Syrian state opposes the Turkish occupation of more Syrian territories. This is a general national stance. But we have our concerns.
When Türkiye carries out its threats, our priority should lie in resisting the occupation and standing together against the attempted occupation.
In the end, Türkiye is trying to occupy Syrian territories, such as Kobani, Tal Rifaat and others. We believe that Damascus has voiced a weak position against this threat. It is trying to benefit from it rather than stand with us against the Turkish occupation.
They want to exploit the situation to pressure the regions that we may hold dialogue about in the future, such as Manbij, Deir Ezzor, Raqqa and others. I wanted to bring this up because a national stance has not been taken over it. Generally, we know that several meetings have been held and they aren’t denying it. We have heard claims that Türkiye sometimes asks to coordinate attacks with the regime against certain targets and that Damascus had turned it down. We hope this is true and that they would not coordinate to attack us in these regions. Moreover, we have heard through the media that Syrian President Bashar Assad is refusing to meet with Erdogan until after elections are held in Türkiye. We believe this is the right position and will help resolve the Syrian problem.
Erdogan wants to be victorious in the elections and eliminate the Kurds. He has two options: Either carry out a military operation and later declare victory that he will invest for electoral gain, or reach an agreement with Damascus at the expense of the Kurds. He will also invest this in the elections. I have learned that you refuse to visit Damascus. Why so? What are your conditions for negotiations?
We dispatch delegations to Damascus. I want to go when the conditions for the solution are available. I want my trip to Damascus to help in reaching a peaceful solution to the current crisis.

Iraq's Mosul Healing Slowly, Five Years after ISIS Defeat
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, December,07/2022
Five years after it emerged from the ISIS group's extremist rule, Iraq's once thriving cultural center of Mosul has regained a semblance of normalcy despite sluggish reconstruction efforts. However, like in much of oil-rich but war-ravaged Iraq, ramshackle public services and deep economic difficulties continue to hamper people's daily lives, AFP said. Ghazwan Turki is just one of Mosul's many residents who struggle to make ends meet in the former ISIS stronghold, where the extremists declared the establishment of a "caliphate" in 2014. Mosul urgently needs "job opportunities for families that have no income, to improve their living conditions", Turki said. The father of 12 and aged in his 40s, who lived for years in displacement camps, juggles shifts as a taxi driver and different odd jobs. "We have to borrow money and get into debt to cover half of our family's needs," said Turki, who shares a single-storey house with his brother. While acknowledging "progress" in rebuilding efforts, he described "overcrowded schools, where there are 60 or 70 students in a classroom". Iraqi forces with the help of a US-led coalition wrested back Mosul in July 2017 after grueling street fighting, and Iraq claimed victory over ISIS on December 9 that year. Signs of reconstruction dot the city of 1.5 million, with workers constructing a new bridge, and cafes and restaurants buzzing. But many buildings and public hospitals are still in ruins, and in the Old City, some areas are still just piles of rubble.
'Lack of jobs'
Mosul, Iraq's second city, has historically been among the Arab world's most culturally significant settlements -- a hub for trade and home to mosques, churches, shrines, tombs and libraries.
Today, in the wider Nineveh province, a third of people are estimated to be unemployed and 40 percent live in poverty, according to local authorities. The Norwegian Refugee Council, which has provided aid to some 100,000 Mosul residents, has noted "rising unemployment, high dropout rates (at schools), and limited economic opportunities across the city". NRC's communication coordinator Noor Taher said that although reconstruction continues, many people are particularly worried about "under-resourced schools, overstretched teachers and lack of jobs". The International Rescue Committee says that "economic conditions in Mosul remain dire for many families". An IRC survey of over 400 homes reported "an alarming spike" in child labor rates, with around 90 percent of families sending at least one minor to work and some three-quarters toiling in "informal and dangerous roles" such as construction, or litter and scrap metal collection.
Mayor Amin al-Memari said the city was working on several "strategic projects", but funding remained a key obstacle.Despite the construction of about 350 schools in just two years, Mosul still needs 1,000 more to end the "chokehold" in education, Memari added. There is also "a significant shortage in the health sector," he said, with more hospitals needed, including with oncology and cardiovascular surgery departments. "Before, we had all of this in Mosul," Memari said.
'Spirit of Old Mosul'
In Mosul's war-damaged Old City -- only steps from the iconic Al-Nuri mosque, where former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only confirmed public appearance -- Bytna ("Our Home") café is busy. But when co-founder Bandar Ismail opened it in 2018, people were skeptical. "We tried to revive the spirit of Old Mosul by opening this café, to attract residents and draw them back to this neighborhood," 26-year-old Ismail said. "At first... people mocked us and said 'who will come here?' The whole area was destroyed, there must have been just two families here." Today, customers sip coffee and smoke their hookahs in the café, which also hosts musical performances and art events. Even French President Emmanuel Macron dropped by during a visit in 2021. Nearby, bakeries and restaurants have reopened. "There is more stability, more security," Ismail said.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 07-08/2022
An Instructive ‘Muslim’ vs ‘Christian’ Debate
Raymond Ibrahim/Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/December,07/2022
Although somewhat dated, a televised debate from 2019 is instructive of all the “games” certain Muslims play to exonerate their religion while projecting Islam’s shortcomings onto the other, in this case, Christian Europeans.
Broadcast by Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, the debate was supposed to be an interview, but the show’s Muslim host, Imran Garda, immediately launched into a diatribe against Dominik Tarczynski, a member of Poland’s parliament, for that nation’s refusal to take in Muslim migrants.
To his credit, Tarczynski stood his ground, including when Garda introduced the “relativism” card via the 2019 New Zealand mosque massacre of 51 Muslims: he implied that the shooter, Brenton Tarrant, was motivated by Christianity no less than Muslim terrorists are motivated by Islam, so why mention religion? To this, Tarczynski replied with the obvious:
Okay, but how many terror attacks were committed by Christians in the name of the religion? How many of them shout “Christ is the Lord”? None, zero. And every single [terrorist attack] committed by Muslims is followed by “Allahu Akbar.” That’s just a fact!
That said, and because Tarczynski is still, after all, a Westerner—meaning he instinctively fears the dreaded label of “Islamophobe”—his defense was somewhat incoherent. For example, while insisting that Poland will not take in any Muslim migrants, he repeatedly insisted that “We [Poles] have no problems with Muslims” and “This is not about religion.”He also missed a great opportunity to humiliate his otherwise smug opponent. According to Garda, the aforementioned New Zealand mosque massacre—which he continuously harped on—is the “biggest terrorist attack that has captured the international imagination in recent times.” Here, the adroit Muslim managed to promulgate a lie while covering his back: anyone listening to him would think that the New Zealand mosque attack is the “biggest terrorist attack … in recent times.” In fact, it is only the “biggest terrorist attack,” due precisely to “international imagination,” meaning, how the media has spun it.
After all, and as documented here, there have been countless attacks on Christian churches by “Allahu Akbar” screaming Muslims that have claimed, not 51 lives, as was the case with the New Zealand mosque attack, but over a thousand lives of Christians who were otherwise peacefully worshipping in their churches. And yet, the “international imagination”—which is another way of saying the “mainstream media,” as well as international organizations like the UN—have completely ignored this inconvenient fact, while continuously harping on and presenting the mosque attack as the “biggest terrorist attack” on a house of worship. At one point, Garda asked Tarczynski a straightforward question: “Has Poland had a history of problems with Muslims? Yes or no?” The Muslim inquisitor was fishing for a positive response so he could warp it into meaning that, from of old, Poland has been “Islamophobic.”Sensing this, the defensive Pole emphatically responded: “No; no. Not at all; not at all.”However, when Garda kept pestering Tarczynski about history—claiming that “historically, Poland has had far more problems from Christians than Muslims, haven’t they?”—the hitherto cautious but frustrated Pole snapped: “As you know, our king Sobieski stopped Muslims in Vienna… If not for king Sobieski, Muslims would have taken over Europe.”
This is a reference to the Muslim siege of Vienna in 1683, which, indeed, featured some 200,000 jihadists, who sought to conquer all of Europe by breaking through Vienna. Not one to be outdone by inconvenient facts, Garda argued, “Since you bring up Vienna, Poland was partitioned three times. Was it done by Muslims?”This, of course, is a classic red herring: even if Poland and secular European states warred in the eighteenth century, what does that have to do with the fact that Muslims had repeatedly tried—and are apparently still trying—to conquer Poland and all of Europe, one way or the other?
Though dated, the debate is well worth watching, as it features an especially adroit apologist for Islam, and a relatively staunch defender of European civilization. The main difference is that, whereas the Muslim unrestrainedly misrepresents and twists the facts, the European holds back, lest the Islamophobic charge stick. If the gloves had come off for both contestants, it is clear who would have won the debate, and perhaps that is the main lesson: the unvarnished truth always prevails over falsehoods and even sophistry—but only if allowed to be uttered.

Shamima Begum: 'Groomed' or 'Indoctrinated'?
Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/December 07, 2022
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) seems to have a short memory. Although it has only been a few years since the brutal Islamic State (ISIS) was defeated, from the tone of the BBC's recent articles -- featuring a female jihadi's returning to Europe from Syria -- you could be forgiven for thinking that the ISIS bloodbath was just another government-run women's empowerment initiative.
Take the sympathetic account of Shamima Begum, the Bangladeshi-British schoolgirl who felt compelled to make the hazardous journey from the British Midlands to the "ISIS capital", Raqqa, to marry a jihadist and join in the fun. By her own admission, within weeks she was used to, and evidently unfazed by, the sight of headless corpses and public executions.
Perhaps if ISIS had not been defeated, Begum would have given a plum role by now, maybe even in the ISIS "morality police". Instead of continuing her climb to the Islamist group's topmost echelons, however, she was arrested and incarcerated in a Syrian detention camp. After several attempts by lawyers to reverse the British government's decision to revoke her British passport, she is now claiming to have been "trafficked". She would like us to forget about her apparent enthusiasm for immersing herself in the most brutal forms of Sharia law, and instead is demanding sympathy and to be treated as a victim herself.
It certainly didn't take long for the BBC to set aside any revulsion for Begum's actions, and instead focus on the "human rights" of this otherwise fully paid-up box-ticker: Muslim, check. Female, check. "Of colour", check. Feminist? Perhaps not.
Although forgiveness is not high on the BBC's to-do list when it comes to trashing figures whose politics they oppose, female jihadis are apparently another matter altogether. Essentially, people at the BBC and other outlets would like the British public to join them in rebranding her as a victim as opposed to her actual role as an oppressor.
Being "granted innocence" as a child, they fail to point out, is intrinsically linked to certain criteria, such as coercion by one's parents to commit murder; but at what age is that excuse no longer credible? To suggest that it is the "system of oppression" and the "Islamophobia" of Begum's "Muslim-ness" that turned her into a figure of hate, is not only to excuse her behaviour, but tacitly emboldens a twisted ideology, in which this author was raised, whose ultimate goal is to rid the world of "unbelievers".
As far as indoctrination is concerned, there are no age limits. Indoctrinated children will most likely grow up into indoctrinated adults. The problem, therefore, is not the "manipulation of innocent children", but the ideology itself.
A malleable child at the hands of a fundamentalist parent, for example, will likely find it easier to accept the extremities of "Allah's will", or concepts such as martyrdom, than those who have not been offered those thoughts. The same goes for a disenfranchised Muslim, who, in the West, might feel persecuted or pushed into a corner, rather than praised for his "commitment".
Many of them, however, will already have been radicalised, and -- like "sleeper cells" -- are perhaps even unconsciously biding their time. They are not under direct orders from any human authority. Allah holds dominion over them. Should they fail to flourish within the alien "kuffar" society with which they have become entangled, or should they misread or excuse their lack of success as "oppression", this is when their indoctrination -- seeded as a child -- has a chance of re-emerging.
This changeability is part of the reason that Islam is so problematic: its chameleon-like tendency to adapt when necessary, and appear "moderate" if circumstances dictate. There is even a term for it, "taqiyya," meaning to dissemble, including the degree of one's religious identity when "in fear of persecution".
Of course, the perception of "persecution" is almost impossible to measure: it is often totally subjective. People with a tendency to feel offended can see it even if it may not actually be there. Feelings of being persecuted, sometimes referred to as paranoia, can be as just adaptable or acrobatic as the mind of any man, woman or child. In Islam, it often seems that the only requirement for perceiving persecution is if one can successfully make the argument to oneself.
All these people in ivory towers or at the BBC have one thing in common: they appear to have little idea of what Islam actually is.
Campaigning to bring jihadis back to Britain is a really bad, terrible idea. The situation is dour enough as it is, with the risk that refugees from the war-torn Middle East -- they and their terrorist cohorts displaced -- may one day "revert" to the fundamentalist Islam in which many of them were raised, as was demonstrated by 22-year-old Libyan, Salman Abedi, a who massacred scores of pop fans at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017.
"We will not tolerate hate towards any part of our community", declared the authorities after the Manchester bombing, demonstrating just how out of touch they are by issuing the warning -- not to terrorists -- but to the understandably outraged people of Britain.
The lack of awareness in delivering such a bizarre statement -- equating Islam with "equality" and "justice" -- is not surprising to me, having heard it all before, countless times from my religious siblings. The assumption that Begum and her friends were "targeted" however, is as laughable as the suggestion that my Muslim siblings were "targeted". Indeed, my sisters would be hugely insulted at it being inferred that they were targeted, and not "chosen" by Allah Himself. To misunderstand this point is to misunderstand what Islam is. The prism through which the West sees the world simply cannot be applied to Islam.
Similarly, the BBC's concept of "feminism" also sits awry next to "Islamic feminism", in that in Islam there is no higher authority than Allah -- very much a "male" entity, steeped in medieval traditions. All Muslims understand that their Creator's sensibilities and desires come before theirs, and if those sensibilities rub Western feminism the wrong way, then that is where their paths diverge.
Believing that the violence associated with Islam in the 20th and 21st centuries is unfairly depicted, is to stick one's head in the sand. Claiming that female jihadis, from Leila Khaled in the 1960s to Shamim Begum in 2015, are being "disrespected" for being "Muslim" -- rather than being disrespected for planning to massacre non-Muslims, "wrong" Muslims, or anyone-that-gets-in-their-way Muslims, is to be in denial.
What is the difference between "grooming" and "indoctrination"? One offers you "victim" status, the other does not. If it sounds oblique, it is probably meant to.
Despite a glut of recent cases, the police, working with counter- terrorism officers, are keen to make the point that there is nothing to worry about.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) seems to have a short memory. Although it has only been a few years since the brutal Islamic State (ISIS) was defeated, from the tone of the BBC's recent articles, you could be forgiven for thinking that the ISIS bloodbath was just another government-run women's empowerment initiative. (Image source: Screenshot from ISIS propaganda video)
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) seems to have a short memory. Although it has only been a few years since the brutal Islamic State (ISIS) was defeated, from the tone of the BBC's recent articles -- featuring a female jihadi's returning to Europe from Syria -- you could be forgiven for thinking that the ISIS bloodbath was just another government-run women's empowerment initiative.
Depending on the context or agenda of the day, the BBC seems unsure whether "radical" Islam, or "normal" Islam -- presuming the distinction can be made -- offers a path to the emancipation of women, or to their enslavement. The hijab, for example, may well act as a shield against the prying eyes of men, or a kind of "wife-branding" by husbands who treat their women as chattel, but to the BBC, it is also a "fashionable" symbol of "freedom" and "self-expression".
This muddled perception probably has more to do with how the BBC would like the world to be when it comes to Islam, rather than how things actually are. Take the sympathetic account of Shamima Begum, the Bangladeshi-British schoolgirl who felt compelled to make the hazardous journey from the British Midlands to the "ISIS capital", Raqqa, to marry a jihadist and join in the fun. By her own admission, within weeks she was used to, and evidently unfazed by, the sight of headless corpses and public executions.
Perhaps if ISIS had not been defeated, Begum would have given a plum role by now, perhaps even in the ISIS "morality police". Instead of continuing her climb to the Islamist group's topmost echelons, however, she was arrested and incarcerated in a Syrian detention camp. After several attempts by lawyers to reverse the British government's decision to revoke her British passport, she is now claiming to have been "trafficked". She would like us to forget about her apparent enthusiasm for immersing herself in the most brutal forms of Sharia law, and instead is demanding sympathy and to be treated as a victim herself.
Numerous sympathetic articles have appeared on the BBC's website, suggesting that they seem prepared to re-appraise the public's perception of her as a "black widow", stitching together suicide vests, and hunting down and punishing "bad Muslims". Conversely, she is pictured hijab-less, wearing "Western clothes", looking as fresh faced as the girl next door. Who could possibly object to her return?
It certainly didn't take long for the BBC to set aside any revulsion for Begum's actions, and instead focus on the "human rights" of this otherwise fully paid-up box-ticker: Muslim, check. Female, check. "Of colour", check. Feminist? Perhaps not.
Although forgiveness is not high on the BBC's to-do list when it comes to trashing figures whose politics they oppose, female jihadis are apparently another matter altogether. Yes, she might have aided and abetted the bloodbath in Raqqa, but now that her "mental health" is at risk after the collapse of "the caliphate'" and her confinement in a Kurdish detention camp, we are urged to re-appraise her "plight".
Essentially, people at the BBC and other outlets would like the British public to join them in rebranding Begum as a victim, as opposed to her actual role as an oppressor.
"Being a child usually means we are granted innocence," wrote Hanna Naima McCloskey, defending Begum.
"But that innocence is denied when children belong to marginalised groups -- in this case Begum's 'Muslim-ness' – under the system of oppression, Islamophobia – has her as a threat and a danger above all else".
Being "granted innocence" as a child, McCloskey fails to point out, is intrinsically linked to certain criteria, such as coercion by one's parents to commit murder; but at what age is that excuse no longer credible? To suggest that it is the "system of oppression" and the "Islamophobia" of Begum's "Muslim-ness" that turned her into a figure of hate, is not only to excuse her behaviour, but tacitly emboldens a twisted ideology, in which this author was raised, whose ultimate goal is to rid the world of "unbelievers".
While it is probably easier to indoctrinate a child than an adult, it probably made not the slightest bit of difference to any one of the five killed and 40 maimed by an "innocent" child in Afghanistan in 2019.
Or the nine people slaughtered in a Nigerian restaurant, when three children between the ages of 10 and 15 (Shamima Begum's age when she arrived in Raqqa) detonated their explosive vests.
Or the 10-year-old girl -- also in Nigeria -- who killed 16 men, women and children on market day, on behalf of her Islamist "handlers", Boko Haram.
Or the 16-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber, who, in 2004, blew himself up in a Tel Aviv market in Israel, in the wake of ten other children under the age of 18, whose attacks preceded his.
The list goes on. As far as indoctrination is concerned, there are no age limits. Indoctrinated children will most likely grow up into indoctrinated adults. The problem, therefore, is not the "manipulation of innocent children", but the ideology itself. The ideology drives a suicide bomber not to differentiate between maturity and immaturity. Any mind can be poisoned, no matter its age. The more discontented the person, the more likely a candidate; and at some point, probably, most people may not feel satisfied with everything. Thanks to the West's misadventures in the Middle East, resulting in a never-ending flow of migrants to Europe, the number of discontented people may constantly be on the rise.
Of course, people can tone down -- or at least claim to have toned down -- their views, as is Begum's current position, and many Muslims in the West find it easier to present themselves as "moderate" -- even if they are not.
Circumstances will often dictate how to "present" one's religiosity. A malleable child at the hands of a fundamentalist parent, for example, will likely find it easier to accept the extremities of "Allah's will", or concepts such as martyrdom, than those who have not been offered those thoughts. The same goes for a disenfranchised Muslim, who, in the West, might feel persecuted or pushed into a corner, rather than praised for his "commitment". Many of them, however, will have already been radicalised, and -- like "sleeper cells" -- are perhaps even unconsciously biding their time. They are not under direct orders from any human authority. Allah holds dominion over them. Should they fail to flourish within the alien "kuffar" society with which they have become entangled, or should they misread or excuse their lack of success as "oppression", this is when their indoctrination -- seeded as a child -- has a chance of re-emerging.
This changeability is part of the reason that Islam is so problematic: its chameleon-like tendency to adapt when necessary, and appear "moderate" if circumstances dictate. There is even a term for it, "taqiyya," meaning to dissemble, including the degree of one's religious identity when "in fear of persecution".
Of course, the perception of "persecution" is almost impossible to measure: it is often totally subjective. People with a tendency to feel offended can see it even if it may not actually be there. Feelings of being persecuted, sometimes referred to as paranoia, can be as just adaptable or acrobatic as the mind of any man, woman or child. In Islam, it often seems that the only requirement for perceiving persecution is if one can successfully make the argument to oneself. Indeed, Islamic scholars often depict taqiyya as being equal to, or even superior to, other virtues such as courage, fortitude or even martyrdom.
Which brings us back to returning jihadis and their supporters, whose "progressive" outlook matches that of many politicians who seem to dwell in ivory towers and BBC executives who have seemingly decided to back Begum's bid to return to the UK. All these people have one thing in common: they appear to have little idea of what Islam actually is, or worse -- how hardy and insidious an ideology it really is.
Campaigning to bring jihadis back to Britain is a really bad, terrible idea. The situation is dour enough as it is, with the risk that the refugees from the war-torn Middle East -- they and their terrorist cohorts displaced -- may one day "revert" to the fundamentalist Islam in which many of them were raised, as was demonstrated by 22-year-old Libyan, Salman Abedi, a who massacred scores of pop fans at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017.
"We will not tolerate hate towards any part of our community", declared the authorities, demonstrating just how out of touch they are by issuing the warning -- not to terrorists -- but to the understandably outraged people of Britain.
It was an apparently irony-free statement, whose implication appears to be that they care more about political correctness than the people they are supposed to serve.
One can sense the frustration of those faced with what must be this dismaying contradiction to the preferred narrative. If only a case could be made for Muslim female empowerment! You can almost hear the cogs turning: how to reconcile Islam with feminism -- despite the inconvenient polarities? How to align a "democracy-loving" public broadcaster with the values of a dictatorial 7th century belief system? Easy -- contrive it by interviewing an outspoken, self-appointed female Muslim spokeswoman who shares the same fondness as the BBC for self-contradicting psychobabble.
"What struck me was the extent to which religious tradition can be used to excuse violence or challenge it", said a UK-based Iraqi migrant, Huda Jawad, upon hearing about female jihadis travelling to war-torn Syria.
"I was enraged to hear that Islam was used in the most perverse ways to maintain women's vulnerability and persecution and enable the perpetrators, who are usually men, to coerce and control them."
Begum's decisions, in other words, were ostensibly not her own. She was groomed, not by extremists she had met online, but by the patriarchy of coercive men -- probably including her father -- who over time presented her with a version of Islam that seeks to persecute and control "vulnerable women". She and her friends' misadventure, we are to believe, had less to do with their determined actions or quest for excitement, than it did with men's dominion over women. I wonder if Begum pondered this revelation as she sewed explosives and nails into suicide vests that would kill and maim both sexes indiscriminately.
"I share their [female jihadis'] hunger for wanting to learn and their confusion about Islam", Jawad continued.
"Like the young women who are targeted to make the journey to Isis-controlled territory, I sincerely believe in my faith, in the innate way it seems to call for justice and equality and for collective territory... for seeking the fairest & most just solution to problems – for the value it places on human life, whether human or animal. On reason, on learning and on equality."
The lack of awareness in delivering such a bizarre statement -- equating Islam with "equality" and "justice" -- is not surprising to me, having heard it all before, countless times from my religious siblings. The assumption that Begum and her friends were "targeted" however, is as laughable as the suggestion that my Muslim siblings were "targeted". Indeed, my sisters would be hugely insulted at it being inferred that they were targeted, and not "chosen" by Allah Himself. To misunderstand this point, is to misunderstand what Islam is. The prism through which the West sees the world simply cannot be applied to Islam.
Similarly, the BBC's concept of "feminism" also sits awry next to the "Islamic feminism", in that in Islam there is no higher authority than Allah -- very much a "male" entity, steeped in medieval traditions. All Muslims understand that their Creator's sensibilities and desires come before theirs, and if those sensibilities rub Western feminism the wrong way, then that is where their paths diverge.
"Islamic feminism can provide [potential female jihadis] with the intellectual and religious tools they seek", said Jawad, whose "passion" for it did not prevent her from moving to the West.
"I share their rejection of the media's portrayal of Islam and Muslims as inherently violent. I share their frustration at experiencing prejudice and disrespect for being a Muslim. And for being a woman and a Muslim woman, whether by mainstream society or their own religious communities. "
Believing that the violence associated with Islam in the 20th and 21st centuries is unfairly depicted is to stick one's head in the sand. Claiming that female jihadis, from Leila Khaled in the 1960s to Begum in 2015, are being "disrespected" for being "Muslim" – rather than being disrespected for planning to massacre non-Muslims, "wrong" Muslims, or anyone-that-gets-in-their-way Muslims, is to be in denial.
Another British schoolgirl turned wannabe-terrorist, after being arrested in 2020, had all of her charges dropped. A Home Office "expert" concluded that she had been "groomed" online by an "extremist" in the US. She was 14-years-old at the time of the offence, only a year younger than Begum. The distinction between the two is that while Begum was presumably indoctrinated by her parents' devotion to Islam, the unnamed girl was "groomed". What is the difference between "grooming" and "indoctrination"? One offers you "victim" status, the other does not. If it sounds oblique, it is probably meant to.
In 2020, a 14-year-old boy who had recently converted to Islam was charged with plotting a terror attack. Within a month of converting, he was alleged to have "developed an extremist jihadist mindset". After learning online how to make explosives out of bleach, tin foil and screws, he also filmed himself in his own "martyrdom" video.
Despite a glut of recent cases, the police, working with counter- terrorism officers, are keen to make the point that there is nothing to worry about. The Hampshire Constabulary issued a statement reassuring the public that they believe the investigation to be an isolated one – "with no known wider risk to the community". Local MP Paul Holmes tweeted:
"I was briefed on this issue this afternoon and thank the police for their informative release. As they've said they believe this to be an isolated incident and speculation on social media is not helpful. Thank you to our police force."
The "speculation on social media", we can safely assume, counters this bright and breezy upbeat take on what could have been yet another terrorist outrage.
Meanwhile, the case against "the youngest girl" charged with terrorism offences in the UK has been dropped: the Home Office decided she was a victim of trafficking. The British schoolgirl, now 16, was accused of possessing instructions for homemade firearms and explosives. But "experts" decided she had been groomed online by a US-based extremist. The Derbyshire teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was arrested in October 2020 and was alleged to hold extreme right-wing beliefs.
This is the first time a terrorism prosecution has been halted after a decision of this kind.
Then there is the US case of Alison Fluke-Ekren, a convert to Islam, charged with organising and "leading an all-female battalion". She is also accused of teaching children to use assault weapons; and in the FBI affidavit, a witness is quoted as saying that one of Fluke-Ekren's sons was seen holding a machine gun. He was 5 or 6 years old at the time.
Fluke-Ekren allegedly trained women and children to use AK-47 assault rifles and suicide vests in Syria. She is also suspected of recruiting operatives for a potential future attack on a US college campus.
She also allegedly told a witness of her desire to carry out an attack on a shopping mall using explosives, and reportedly said that it would be a waste of resources if it did not kill a lot of people. She is charged with providing and conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Details of the complaint were given in an FBI affidavit from 2019, which was released on January 29, 2022, after she was returned to the US to face charges. It alleges that in 2016, an all-female ISIS battalion, known as Khatiba Nusaybah, was set up in Raqqa, Syria. At the time, the city was the de facto capital of the Islamic State group. The battalion was said to be comprised solely of women who were married to male ISIS fighters.
The UK government now says it is targeting "terrorists, war criminals and spies" as part of a "shake up" of immigration law. If a new bill being debated in the House of Lords is passed, they will be able to remove someone's citizenship without telling them. This may be so, but that will not prevent the inevitable legal challenges that Begum's lawyers, and her acquiescent advocates, deem appropriate -- challenges that not only undermine the powers of a sovereign state, its legal processes and the will of its citizens, but fail completely to comprehend the actual problem with Islam, which unfortunately is that it is not compatible with Western sensibilities. If the media were to consider this thought and spent less time demonising matters that are not serious threats, they might have understood that by now.
*Andrew Ash, born in Great Britain to Anglo-Egyptian, Muslim parents, is based in London, England.
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Iran: A Revolution to Import, A Revolution to Export
Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 07/2022
Iran’s decision to abolish the so-called morality police - which we have no way of verifying - and a few state agencies reviewing the mandatory veil law represent a hopeless attempt similar to what many other regimes have taken before falling. It is too little too late.
Neither the scale of the changes, if the reports about them are true, nor the timing - after hundreds were killed and the demands of the protesters began making a radical turn- tell us that this step will be enough. The two decisions are likely to strengthen the conviction of the insurgent forces in the righteousness of their cause and the correctness of their position. They will likely ramp up the pressure on the doubters and those who have bought into the propaganda of the regime.
These late steps, if they indicate anything, reveal just how dumbfounded the regime is. Its narrative is losing sway, weakening the prestige of state apparatuses and the legitimacy of major state officials.
In the beginning, the Iranian authorities denied that violence by the “morality police” had led to the death of Mahsa Amini, the young woman in her twenties whose murder sparked the latest wave of protests, with some claiming that prior illness lead to her death while others went qw far as to say that she had committed suicide to precipitate the events unfolding today.
The authorities also consistently denied that the mandatory veil had been a genuine grievance, conjuring up imaginative conspiracy theories to explain the protests and their motives. If these claims were true, why would the Iranian authorities resolve issues that it had denied were a factor? If the veil and the morality police are the reason for the popular uprising, then how can it claim that the protesters deserved to be killed for posing threat to national security instead of having their voices heard?
The doubters, because of how the government has handled the situation, now know that mandating the veil is a problem, that the morality police is a problem, and that this problem cannot be isolated from the mother of all problems. We are looking at a state that is no longer able to meet the ambitions of the new generation or major segments of previous generations. The avenues for a divorce between them and the regime of the revolution are broad and open.
The fact of the matter is that there are two Iranian revolutions, and they are in conflict in every sense of the word. A backward revolution that wants to maintain a return to the past that began in 1979, and a second that wants to break with everything that 1979 has created. One revolution continues to insist on exporting its values and its vision of the world, justice, and state relations. The other wants to import what it sees as the world, its relation, values, and everything it produces.
Those who took to the streets after the death of Mahasa Amini are not concerned with Iran’s foreign victories, the destructive successes it has achieved through militias, mercenaries, weapons, and drones. What the Iranian people want is to replicate the images they receive from the sizeable and vigorous Iranian communities in Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai, Tel Aviv, or any capital and city that embodies modernity around the globe.
As they see the conditions of women in neighboring Saudi Arabia, they are shocked by the cultural, moral, and religious revolution underway in a society that they openly look down on for historical and nationalistic reasons tied to the Iranian national character. A blend of jealousy and anger that has a strong impact on the public social space is flipping relations between Riyadh and Tehran on their head.
After the Khomeinist revolution, its first export was the Hezbollah al-Hejaz, whose goal had been the overthrow of the regime in Saudi Arabia. Today’s revolution, without a conscious decision to do so having been taken beforehand, is moving in the opposite direction. The developments unfolding in Saudi Arabia are the talk of the town in the heart of Iran, and this mass fascination with Kingdom explains the recent threats against Riyadh and its media.
Everything that is happening in Iran is, at its core, part of this struggle between those who want to export a revolution and those who want to import one.
The word revolution is not used hyperbolically or unfoundedly here. This word has become commonplace in coverage and commentary on the events that began unfolding around three months ago. Indeed, the slogans no longer call for reform or adjustments. Rather, they have gone as far as contradicting the fundamentals of the Iranian regime and raising doubts about its legitimacy and nature.
Most importantly, the current revolution is not led by a figure from within Khomeini’s institutions like the Green Movement of 2009, which was led by the trio of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mohammad Khatami. If one adopts the most optimistic possible view, one would conclude that it was a movement that strove to correct course within the confines of the regime and at the hand of one of its most prominent sons. Today, on the other hand, we are looking at a direct clash between the regime in its entirety and youths who want something totally different.
It is no coincidence that the veil is at the heart of this split. The veil, in the final analysis, is an image of the Khomeinist revolution, what it stands for, and its core social dynamic as a value system. Because the veil is the regime in the eyes of the people of Iran, the insurgents have turned it opposing it into a rallying cry in their battle to bring down the regime in its entirety. Yes, the matter is bigger than the veil in terms of its direct, material impact on people’s lives or as a demand for greater individual freedoms, the demand for which is broadening. The veil is euphemism for Khomeinism in the message the new generation of Iran is sending, with a lot of blood, to the shelves of history.

Iranians Are Protesting Despite Consequences
Amal Abdulaziz al-Hazzani/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 07/2022
The problem is not Mahsa Amini, and the solution is not abolishing the morality police that killed her. The regime currently in power in Iran has faced several difficult economic and political challenges since Khomeini’s coup in the seventies. However, it overcame them. Its principal institutions remain intact, and they continue to have a strong influence. Its representatives and militias abroad remain cohesive despite some popular movements going against them.
This capacity to overcome all of these sanctions and hurdles has led the regime to conclude that it cannot collapse and that every cry in the streets will go quiet sooner or later. This is the most prominent sign that it has begun misreading the situation.
Does Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri’s announcement that the morality police will be abolished reflect a genuine shift in the regime’s position, or was it made to offer the regime some temporary relief from its pain? Does this announcement imply that women are free to wear what they want, whether veiled or not? If the answer is no, then there is no point in abolishing it because it is nothing more than an institution. Individuals can replace it, or other institutions could be tasked with playing the same role. And if the answer is yes, then women are now free, and no turbaned hammer-wielding men will scrutinize their every move and threaten their lives. This would mean that the most important pillar of the regime’s social control has been broken, an outcome it will never accept.
Abolishing the institution that monitors and chases after women will not be enough to quell the streets and absorb all the pent-up anger. Indeed, it is not a revolution over the death of an individual but the accumulation of previous revolutions. It is against all of the ills that have racked up over the years and disrupted people’s lives. Otherwise, what does it mean for the regime to imprison and execute a rapper, actors, directors, and others?
When the Iran national team refused to sing the national anthem in the Word Cup in Qatar, it was a decision the players had all agreed to. They united around a single position and act meant to peacefully express their opinion and send a heartfelt message to the world that they are despondent people whose desperation is different even to that of the poor countries taking part. They did so fully aware of the grave repercussions this could have on them, their families, and their friends.
No one feels the bitterness that the Iranian people feel after watching what they are going through, regardless of the number of clips, images, and commentary we see in the media. The Iranian people are undergoing a genuine humanitarian tragedy in which no ethnicity or sect has been spared. This country of horror is wobbling on the inside, and we say it is shaking at the expense of the souls of peaceful protesters who refuse to be stale ideological victims with no ties to modern life. The institutions of the state remain despite the deaths of its early theorists, and only regime and IRGC (whose companies invest vast sums abroad, launder money, trade in arms and illicit drugs, and run prostitution networks) beneficiaries remain.
None of these emperors within the regime are willing to give up his luxuries, the lavish life of his children, or the money he has stored in foreign bank accounts. However, one thing that cannot be overlooked is that the current revolution, the ones that preceded it, and the ones that will follow, indicate that the regime is weaker than it had been. Khomeini’s regime, like all the fascist regimes that came before it, will come to an end.

The Turban, Not The Veil
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 07/2022
Contradictory reports have been coming out of Iran over the past 48 hours. On the one hand, we saw reports claiming that the Mullah regime has dissolved the so-called morality police and will make recommendations on making changes to the law mandating the veil within two weeks. On the other hand, we saw the IRGC release a statement saying it “will not have mercy on the rioters, vandals, and terrorists.”
What does this mean? The Iranians in the opposition have strongly criticized the reports claiming the “dissolution of the morality police” and the review of the law mandating the veil, stressing that it is fake news. It is clear that the Mullah regime is dazed and anxious.
It also seems divided, as it has not conclusively settled the question of how to deal with what can now be called a real revolution. Indeed, it is a revolution in the sense that the regime has no clear strategy for dealing with it after having used only violence and repression to quell those that had preceded it.
The contradictory reports tell us that the regime is trying to split the ranks of the opposition with “empty promises” and threats of violence, as seen in the IRGC statement issued after the prosecutor general talked about “dissolving the morality police” and reviewing the veil law.
It also indicates a divergence of opinion among the various pillars of the regime over how to deal with the protests and the recent successful call for a three-day general strike.
Tweeting about the matter, Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian-American researcher, wrote that when dictatorships know they’re in trouble they begin promising their citizens they will change who they are. These empty promises tend to embolden, rather than quell, popular demands for fundamental change. The Iranian regime appears to be entering this stage of its life cycle.
This is precisely what we saw with some Arab regimes during what became known as the Arab Spring. Decisions came too late after demands had already raised the bar too high, thus rendering the measures insufficient. They also gave the protesters the impression that the regime is weak and dazed, leading them to raise the bar even higher.
What Mullahs have yet to comprehend is that the demands have gone beyond removing the veil. The protesters want to remove the turban, to bring down the regime. For this reason, talk of reconsidering the head veil law, be it true or not, speaks volumes because this law is at the core of the regime’s ideology.
In a previous article for the Washington Post, Sadjadpour explained that the system of institutionalized violence has little to do with presumed Iranian religious traditions. He then adds that mandating veiling is one of the three remaining ideological pillars of the Iranian theocracy, citing the slogans of death to America and death to Israel as the other two.
Sajadpour then goes on to say that this helps explain the regime’s hatred of taking a less stringent position on the question of mandatory clothing. The Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, believes that compromising on the pillars of the regime’s ideology, including the veil, will only accelerate its downfall. And so, we are looking at a confused Mullah regime trying to rally around the demands of the Iranian people, who have smelled confusion and can see that the regime has gone weak. They are now no longer demanding the removal of the veil; they want the turban, the regime, gone. There is no easy way of achieving this. I believe that we will see unprecedented escalation on the part of the regime. This will leave it in an even tighter spot- if not divided.