LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
December 19/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.december19.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Let anyone
among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our
ancestors received approval.
Letter to the Hebrews 11/01-06/:"Faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received
approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of
God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. By faith
Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he
received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he
died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that
he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him.’
For it was attested before he was taken away that ‘he had pleased God.’ And
without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him
must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 18-19/16
On Aleppo and the world’s humanity/Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/December
28/16
Options for Palestinians in rapidly changing environment/Dr. Ghassan Khatib/Al Arabiya/December 28/16
The sky is crying for Aleppo/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/December 28/16
Should we start referring to refugees as migrants/Yara
al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/December
28/16
Europe: Christmas Shoppers in Jihadist Crosshairs/George Igler/Gatestone
Institute/December 18/16
The Crescent Must be Above the Cross/Muslim Persecution of Christians:
September, 2016/Raymond Ibrahim/December 18, 2016
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News
published on December 18-19/16
Hariri: Government of national consensus, to focus on solving crises as
much as possible
Lebanon Forms 30-Member Govt.: Kataeb Stays Out as
Five New Portfolios Created
Declaration of new Lebanese Cabinet: 30 Ministers, 5 innovative Ministries
Geagea commenting on the new Cabinet: We do not find
it ideal, but we will put all our weight to render it productive
Mikati: They divided the ministries, so the Cabinet
was formed!
Jumblatt via Twitter: After thorough, intense
examinations by Specialists, "Cabinet is Born"
Al-Rahi Urges Politicians Not to 'Repeat Presidential
Void Experience in Govt. Formation'
Qaouq: Lebanon Benefits the Most from Aleppo Victory
Lebanese State Security in Akkar Raid over Attack on
Sergeant
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on on December 18-19/16
Hariri: Government of
national consensus, to focus on solving crises as much as possible
Sun 18 Dec 2016/NNA - In a statement from Baabda
Presidential Palace following the new cabinet formation declaration, Prime
Minister Saad Hariri named his new cabinet as
"government of national consensus."Hariri
vowed that the new cabinet shall focus on solving as many as possible of the
prevailing crises.
Lebanon Forms 30-Member Govt.: Kataeb Stays Out as Five New Portfolios Created
Naharnet/December 18/16/The line-up of a 30-minister
cabinet was announced on Sunday at the Baabda Palace,
bringing together most of the political spectrum except for the Kataeb Party that refused to be represented by a state
minister. New portfolios include an anti-corruption post and, for the first
time, a minister of state for women. “This is a national unity government...
and it will immediately start to address as much issues as it can during its
term that will not exceed a few months, topped by the problems of waste,
electricity and water,” said Prime Minister Saad
Hariri in a speech at the
Declaration of new Lebanese Cabinet: 30
Ministers, 5 innovative Ministries
Sun 18 Dec 2016/NNA - Three decrees pertaining to accepting the resignation of
the Cabinet of PM Tammam Salam, designating Saad Hariri to form the new government and the new cabinet
formation were issued on Sunday. The first two decrees were signed by President
Michel Aoun, while the third decree was signed by
both Aoun and Hariri.
The decrees were announced by Premiership Secretary General Fouad
Fleifel, as outlined below:
- Decree of Accepting the Resignation
The content of the decree number 1 of accepting the resignation of Tammam Salam's Cabinet reads as follows:
"Based on item 53 of article 5 of the Constitution, and paragraph
(A) of article 1 item 69, and in reference to the tendered resignation of Prime
Minister Tammam Salam, the President of the Republic
decrees the following:
Item one: The Cabinet headed by Mr. Tammam
Salam has resigned
Item two: This article must be disseminated where needed and acted upon
immediately.
Baabda on Sunday, December 18, 2016
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun
- Decree of Designating Saad Hariri
Decree number 2 named Mr. Saad Hariri as Head
of Cabinet.
"Based on article 3 item 53 of the Constitution and decree number 1,
dated December 18, 2016, which considers the Cabinet headed by Mr. Tammam Salam as resigned, the President of the Republic
decrees the following:
Item one: Mr. Saad Hariri is designated as
Prime Minister
Item two: This decree must be published where needed and enacted upon
once issued.
Baabda on Sunday, December 18, 2016
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun
- Decree of Forming the Cabinet
Decree number 3 pertaining to forming the new government reads as
follows:
"In accordance with the Constitution, particularly article 4 item
53, and based on decree number 2 issued on December 18, 2016, which named Mr. Saad Hariri as Head of Cabinet, and upon the suggestion of
the Prime Minister, the President of the Republic decrees the following:
Item one: Appointing the following Messrs.:
Saad Hariri as Prime Minister
Ghassan Hasbani as
Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health
Marwan Hamadeh as
Minister of Education and Higher Learning
Talal Erslan as
Minister of Displaced
Ghazi Zeaiter as Minister of Agriculture
Michel Pharaon as State Minister for Planning
Affairs
Ali Qansou as State Minister for Parliament
Council Affairs
Ali Hassan Khalil as State Minister for
Financial Affairs
Mohamad Fneish as
Youth and Sports Minister
Jean Ogassapian as State Minister for Women
Affairs
Yaacoub Sarraf as
National Defense Minister
Gebran Bassil as
Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister
Hussein Hajj Hassan as Industry Minister
Selim Jreissaty as
Justice Minister
Nuhad el-Mashnouq as
Interior and Municipalities Minister
Mohamad Kabbara as Labor Minister
Ayman Shkeir as State
Minister for Human Rights Affairs
Jamal el-Jarrah as Tele-Communications Minister
Mou'een el-Merehbi as
State Minister for Refugees
Ghattas Khoury as
Culture Minister
Pierre Raffoul as State Minister for
Presidential Affairs
Ncoula Tueini as
State Minister for Combating Corruption
Tarek Khatib as
Environment Minister
Inaya Ezzeddine as
State Minister for Administrative Development Affairs
Youssef Finianos as
Public Works and Transportation Minister
Melhem Riachi as
Information Minister
Pierre Bou Assi as
Social Affairs Minister
Oadis Kadenian as
Tourism Minister
Cesar Abi Khalil as
Water and Energy Minister
Raed Khoury as
Economy and Trade Minister
Item two: This decree is to be published where needed and acted upon once
issued.
Baabda on Sunday, December 18, 2016
Issued by President of the Republic Michel Aoun
and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Geagea commenting on the new Cabinet: We do not find it
ideal, but we will put all our weight to render it productive
Mon 19 Dec 2016/NNA - In a press conference at his Me'rab
residence following the new government formation on Sunday evening, Lebanese
Forces Party Head Samir Geagea
said: "Quite frankly, we do not find it ideal, starting with its size
far-reaching its several gaps; however, we shall put all our effort to make it
productive." Geagea added that "we will not
be within the government in a traditional manner nor as an additional
number," vowing to accomplish dreams and plans, while reiterating the need
for the cabinet to be a "homogenous, active body."
Mikati: They divided the ministries, so the Cabinet was
formed!
Sun 18 Dec 2016 /NNA - Commenting on the new government formation, former Prime
Minister Najib Mikati said,
on Sunday, that "they divided the cabinet ministries, so it saw the light!"He added: "The most important thing right
now is endorsing a new, long-awaited parliamentary electoral law, reflecting
the Lebanese people's aspirations."
Jumblatt via Twitter: After thorough, intense examinations by
Specialists, "Cabinet is Born"
Mon 19 Dec 2016/NNA - "Cabinet is Born" after thorough and
intense examinations by Specialists, Progressive Socialist Party, Deputy Walid Jumblatt, commented via
Twitter following cabinet formation.
Al-Rahi Urges
Politicians Not to 'Repeat Presidential Void Experience in Govt. Formation'
Naharnet/December 18/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday called
on political and parliamentary blocs to speed up the formation of the new
cabinet, warning against creating a deadlock similar to that persisted
throughout two and a half years of presidential vacuum. “We were hoping,
together with the Lebanese citizens who are loyal to
Qaouq:
Naharnet/December 18/16/A senior Hizbullah official announced Sunday that “
Naharnet/December 18/16/A State Security patrol
on Sunday carried out a raid in the Akkar town of
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on December 18-19/16.
10 Dead, including a
Canadian Tourist, Several Hurt in Armed Attacks in Jordan Touristic City
Agencies/December 18/16/
Gunmen killed seven people including a Canadian tourist and police
officers on Sunday in southern
The first attack took place when a police patrol went to check on a fire
that had broken out in a house in Karak, the
department said. "As soon as they reached the area, unknown gunmen who
were inside the house opened fire on the patrol, wounding a policeman, and then
fled by car," it said in a statement carried by the official
- 'Five, six gunmen' -
He said that the gunmen were on a higher level inside the fortress. The
Jordan Tourism Board described the Karak citadel,
which dates back to the 12th century and has withstood many sieges, as a
"maze of stone-vaulted halls and endless passageways."
The general security department statement said "five or six
gunmen" were thought to be involved in the shootings. However, Prime
Minister Hani al-Malki, who was addressing parliament
at the time of the shootings, said that "special forces and policemen are
surrounding 10 gunmen holed up inside the Karak citadel."It was not immediately clear who was behind
the shootings, but
It has carried out air strikes targeting IS, and also hosts coalition
troops on its territory. Maaz al-Kassasbeh,
a Jordanian fighter pilot, was captured by the jihadists when his plane went
down in
Karak is Kassasbeh's
home town. In June, a suicide bombing claimed by IS killed seven border guards
near the Syrian frontier. According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000
Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in
Putin Envoy Meets
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy to
Buses Enter Eastern Aleppo to Resume
Evacuations
Dozens of buses began entering the last rebel-held parts of
U.N. Security Council vote -
In New York, the U.N. Security Council was set to meet at 1600 GMT to
vote on French proposals to send monitors to
Damage assessment
Russia Says to Veto Aleppo Observers Move,
Circulates Own U.N. Resolution
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/Russia on Sunday circulated a draft resolution to address the
humanitarian crisis in Aleppo after warning it was prepared to veto a
French-drafted text on deploying U.N. observers to the Syrian city, diplomats
said. The Russian proposal calls on the United Nations to make
"arrangements" to "monitor the condition of civilians
remaining in
Gunmen Attack Buses Sent to Evacuate Syria
Pro-Regime Villages
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/Gunmen attacked buses sent to evacuate people from two pro-regime
villages in northwest Syria on Sunday but a senior military source said the
incident should not disrupt parallel evacuations from Aleppo. Thousands of
people were to leave the last rebel-held parts of the northern city of
NATO Chief Defends Decision to Stay Out of
Syrian War
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg Sunday defended the alliance's decision to
refrain from stepping into the war in Syria, saying doing so would only make
matters worse. All 28 NATO members belong to the U.S.-led coalition battling
the Islamic State group but they are not directly involved in the Syrian
conflict. "We are experiencing in
More than 100,000 Iraqis Displaced in
Mosul Op
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/More than 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of the massive
operation to recapture Iraq's second city Mosul, the International Organization
for Migration said on Sunday.Iraq launched the
operation to retake Mosul -- the last Iraqi city held by the Islamic State
jihadist group -- on October 17. Since the battle began, 103,872 people have
been displaced, the vast majority from
Iraqi Displacement and Migration Minister Jassem
Mohammed al-Jaff told AFP that 118,000 people had
been displaced since the operation started, a figure that includes those who
fled the IS-held Hawijah area in another province.
Aid organizations had warned that a million or more people could be displaced
by the
Iraqi Tribal Paramilitaries Executed
Prisoners, Says HRW
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/Iraqi pro-government tribal militiamen summarily executed four men
suspected of being members of the Islamic State group in the country's north,
Human Rights Watch said on Sunday. The rights group said that the killings took
place on November 29 near the
13 Killed in Indonesian Military Plane
Crash
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/Thirteen people have died after an Indonesian military transport plane
crashed in the east of the country on Sunday, officials said, marking yet
another air accident for the armed forces. The Hercules C-130 plane took off
from Timika city in Papua province carrying 12 crew
and one passenger, but came down in a remote mountainous region shortly before
its scheduled landing, officials said. "The operator on land saw the plane
at 06:08 am local time but at 06:09 am the plane had lost contact," air
force chief Agus Supriatna told AFP. The plane was expected to land at 06:13
am local time. Aboard the aircraft were three pilots, eight technicians, a
navigator and a military officer, as well as food and cement, Supriatna said. Weather around the area is known to be
unpredictable, and the plane went in and out of clouds before the crash, he
added. Rescuers located the plane debris soon after. All 13 bodies have been
recovered according to the air force. Supriatna said
a team was heading to the site to investigate.
The fatal incident is the latest for
U.N.
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/U.N.
Jubeir: Iran’s meddling in region must be stopped
Staff writer, Al Arabiya.net Sunday, 18 December 2016/Saudi Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir said at a joint press
conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry, that any agreement in Yemen
must be based on the Gulf initiative and the decision of the United Nations.
Jubeir added that
Prior to the conference, King Salman received
Kerry whose trip, come ahead of the inauguration of Republican President-elect
Donald Trump. Kerry held as well meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and other royalty in
“In turbulent times, it’s good to have solid friends,” Kerry told
journalists Sunday night. “That’s why the
Israeli Troops Kill Stone-Throwing
Palestinian Teenager
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
18/16/Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager early Sunday during a
confrontation in the occupied
Egypt court orders novelist Naji freed
AFP, Cairo Sunday, 18 December 2016/An Egyptian court ordered on Sunday the
release of jailed novelist Ahmed Naji as he appeals a
two-year sentence for writing a sexually explicit passage in a book. The
sentencing against Naji last February provoked
widespread criticism and an appeal by 120 international artists and journalists
for his acquittal. The court of cassation ruled to suspend his sentence while
it examines his appeal, setting a next court date for January 2.Naji, who has
written three novels and works at the literary review Akhbar
al-Adab, is an outspoken critic of the government.He went on trial after a reader of the literary
review complained that a passage in ‘The Guide for Using Life’ containing
explicit references to sex and drug use had caused them to feel physically ill.Naji was acquitted at first but prosecutors appealed
and won.
Egypt seizes Iranian ship loaded with drugs
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 18 December
2016/Egypt’s navy seized an Iranian boat on Saturday that was carrying drugs on
the Red Sea, attempting to smuggle the narcotics into the country, Kuwait News
Agency reported. During inspection, Egyptian authorities found 171 kilograms of
drugs, a number of cellular mobiles, as well as US, Iranian and Pakistani
currencies. All seven crewmen – whose nationalities were not revealed – were
arrested and await legal action against them.
Leader of Iraqi militia fighting in
Ahmed Fadel, Al-Arabiya.net Sunday, 18 December
2016/Akram al-Kaabi, the leader of the Iraqi Shiite
militia al-Nujaba which participated in the recent
The townspeople responded to his message via the Kefraya
and al-Fouaa news network page on Facebook
and said they await ‘his sacred march’ as Kaabi wrote in his message which was published on the
group’s website. The extremist Shiite militia al-Nujaba
is fighting in
AFP, Reuters,
Bill extending US sanctions
Meanwhile, the White House said on Thursday that
a bill extending US sanctions against
Salman meets Kerry, Pakistan army chief
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 18 December
2016/Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz
received US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his accompanying delegation in
his office in Yamamah Palace in Riyadh today. During
the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the region, and efforts
toward it, in addition to the review of the bilateral cooperation between the
two countries. Also King Salman received the Chief of
Pakistani Army General Qamar Javed
Bajwa and his accompanying delegation. During the
meeting, they reviewed the areas of the strategic partnership between the two
countries.
Early release for ex-Israeli president
from prison rape term
AFP, Jerusalem Sunday, 18 December 2016/An Israeli parole board on Sunday
ordered ex-president Moshe Katsav freed from prison
after serving five years of a seven-year term for rape and other sexual
offences, his lawyer said. “It was a very long journey,” Tzion
Amir said in remarks broadcast on Israeli army radio. “Today that journey
reached its end with a reasoned decision by the parole committee.”Justice
officials could not be reached by AFP for further details, but media said Katsav’s release would be frozen for seven days for
prosecutors to decide if they should appeal against the decision. Amir said Katsav burst into tears on hearing the ruling.
Rejections
Katzav began his sentence in December 2011 and
has already been rejected twice by the parole board since he became eligible
for the customary one-third reduction for good behavior
behind bars.His previous applications were turned
down, in part because he had expressed no remorse over his crimes and undergone
no rehabilitative process.Katsav has always
maintained his innocence despite being convicted in December 2010 on two counts
of rape, sexual harassment, indecent acts and obstruction of justice.The Iranian-born bureaucrat, who rose from
impoverished origins as a child immigrant to the nation’s top job, resigned in
June 2007 and became a leper of the political establishment.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on
December 18-19/16
On Aleppo and the world’s humanity
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/December 28/16
Aleppo’s massacres have shown us the level of brutality we are living through
in this era of human history. Earlier generations lived through the massacres
of Hulagu Khan, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, who
killed tens of millions. Some estimates suggest that Stalin killed 50 million
people. In modern history, there are the massacres which Slobodan Milosevic
committed against the Bosnians and which Idi Amin committed against the Ugandans. We are now witnessing
the likes of revolutionary guards, Hezbollah and Bashar
al-Assad committing crimes against the Syrians, particularly in
Hawking’s abomination
Prominent physicist and scientist Stephen
Hawking feels “abomination” over what’s happening in
“We must work together to end this war and to protect the children of
What’s happening in
This article was first published in Okaz on
December 18 , 2016.
Options for Palestinians in rapidly
changing environment
Dr. Ghassan Khatib/Al Arabiya/December 28/16
It is no longer possible to overlook the impact
of some significant developments that have pushed the Palestinian cause into a
new political environment, which is less advantageous to them and more
challenging. These circumstances necessitate a drastic assessment of the
performance of the Palestinian political leaders. The first is the
disintegration or collapse of the Arab approach. The second is the radical
transformation that has taken place in
Undoubtedly, the
Changed Israel
As for Israel, it is no longer the same entity PLO started negotiations
with 25 years ago.
On the political level, resumption of negotiations can complement the
changed circumstances. Also needed is a strategy in international diplomacy and
making international laws and institutions the arena to wrestle with the
occupier.
All this should be integrated with diplomacy, which seeks to boycott
*This article can also be read at Al Arabiya.net.
The sky is crying for
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/December 28/16
Early in the week the inhabitants of
The end of
What makes these questions compelling, is that never before in the
history of conflicts and atrocities against civilians, have massacres,
sectarian and ethnic cleansings played out in real time before the eyes of a
wired world, on Facebook and Twitter, or streamed
live on television and YouTube. Many of the horrific mass killings that
occurred in the last century took place in relative obscurity, away from
neutral eyewitnesses and cameras.
The real time and “live” coverage of the Syrian carnage is the more
reason why one cannot fully explain the world’s relative indifference, to the worst
human made calamity in the new century.
It is true that most of the combatants are Syrians; however, the
involvement of foreign powers in Syria’s myriad wars is the most significant
factor six years after the peaceful uprising began against the Assad regime.The Iranian military intervention, directly or
through Shiite auxiliary sectarian militias from Lebanon, Iraq and beyond, and
the Russian expeditionary force, do constitute a military occupation of Syria.
The Assad regime owes its survival to these forces. The Obama administration,
whose different and sometimes contradictory approaches to
President Obama inherited a dysfunctional Arab world from President
George W. Bush. He will bequeath to his successor Donald Trump, a region in
slow motion collapse, with US influence and reputation there at its nadir
President Obama lectured Russia that it is not serving its national
security interest by sending its military units to prop up Assad, reminding the
Russians that their economy is weak, and that they will find themselves “in a
quagmire”, forcing them to permanently occupy Syria.
That was a classic Obama engaging in wishful thinking masquerading as
solid analysis. In his last press conference on Friday, President Obama
observed that
Eight years ago, President Obama inherited a dysfunctional and broken
Arab world from President George W. Bush. He will bequeath to his successor
Donald Trump, a region in slow motion collapse, with US influence and
reputation there at its nadir. One could say that we may be witnessing the
beginning of the end of
Moral vacuity not moral muddle
In the last few days, President Obama, his
secretary of state John Kerry and his ambassador to the United Nations Samantha
power addressed the calamity of
President Obama assured us that the world is “united in horror at the
savage assault by the Syrian regime and its
On Tuesday, ambassador Power unleashed a barrage of scathing assault on
Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies telling them “you bear responsibility
for these atrocities “in Aleppo. “Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there
literally nothing that can shame you?”.
Ambassador Power, who in her previous life as a reporter and a chronicler
of the atrocities of the twentieth century, was known for her harsh criticism
of the reluctance of American officials to actively work to stop atrocities,
was in denial of her administration’s moral and political failure to act
forcefully to end the mass killings in Syria. Her eloquent words rang hollow.
The smug Russian ambassador the UN, Vitaly Churkin dismissed her moralizing and accusing her of
“acting like Mother Teresa”.
On Thursday came Secretary Kerry’s turn at the lectern from the State
Department. He called the situation in
Kerry, whose diplomatic missions regarding
Following Kerry’s difficult to watch appeal, I tweeted the following:
“For 4 years #Kerry has been appealing, urging, begging,
The last man talking
President Obama had the final word. He volunteered that
For Obama there was nothing politically worth salvaging in
There was more than a whiff of naiveté in President Obama’s words that
“the Assad regime cannot slaughter its way to legitimacy”. Really
Mr. President? Is Assad interested in political legitimacy, or raw
power? Back to moralizing “the world must not avert our eyes to the terrible
events that are unfolding”.
The harsh reality is that President Obama, an accomplished wordsmith, has
spoken eloquently at times about Syria and human rights and democracy in the
Middle East, but he always acted as if his words carried the weight and impact
of actions. If for a carpenter every nail has a solution named hammer, for
Obama, every problem has a solution named words.
Once again President Obama framed a more robust American role in
And from the beginning, Obama was never convinced that the
No wonder Public opinion in America was not welcoming to the idea that a
limited American role in Syria will make a difference “unless we were all in
and willing to take over Syria, we were going to have problems, and that everything
else was tempting because we wanted to do something and it sounded like the
right thing to do, but it was going to be impossible to do this on the cheap”.Obama is determined to leave the White House not
willing to admit that he weakened considerably the rebellion by his half
measures, such as not providing the rebels with lethal weapons including
shoulder-held anti-aircraft missiles, or more importantly by his in-actions
such as bowing out of his decision to punish the Assad regime militarily after
the regime’s massive use of chemical weapons against civilians.
Words, however eloquent, will not protect President Obama from the harsh
judgement of history; that the leader of the only great power in the world in
the face of evil in Syria, and following the destruction of Aleppo, a jewel of
a city, has flinched and Obama opted only to bear witness, and to do nothing.After reading some heart wrenching accounts of life
and death in Aleppo, I wrote the following bitter tweet, quoting an eye witness
from hell: “Every hour, butcheries are carried out” in #Aleppo. Mr. #Obama, may
you live long and may
The sky is crying,
Look at the tears roll down the street.
When the hard rain visits
Should we start referring to refugees as
migrants?
Yara al-Wazir/Al
Arabiya/December 28/16
There are 247 million migrants in the world, but at what point does a
migrant become a refugee, an economic migrant, or an expatriate? More
importantly, should the world speed up the process of turning refugees to
migrants in order to improve the global economy?
Interpreting McKinsey’s latest report on global migration, and
considering a UNHCR statistic that refugees will remain in exile for an average
of 17 years of their life, perhaps that’s what the world should be doing toe
alleviate the stigmas associated with the refugee crisis. It is time to stop
treating the issue as a temporary situation and think of it as a long-term
issue, hence the need to adapt the terminology. As the world marks World
Migrant Day, this issue has never been more of a hot topic than it is today.
What do migrants actually do for the economy?
The McKinsey report highlights that 90 percent of the world’s migrants
have moved voluntarily, while the remaining 10 percent are classified as refugees, that is those who have been forcibly removed from
their countries. In hindsight when considering the argument that “refugees are
exploiting the system,” they are merely participants in an economic system that
has been around for decades, and that has been taken advantage of for just as
long. Even more so, migration is a key part of our interconnected world that
creates increasing opportunities. Migrants contribute roughly $6.7 trillion,
which equates to 9.4 percent of the global GDP in 2015. This figure is $3
trillion greater than what they would have produced in their countries of
origin. Academic evidence highlights that immigration does not harm native
employment or wages in the long term. It seems that the economy is far smarter
than the humans that built it at integrating and adapting to the influx of
refugees and migrants. The report also highlighted is that migrants of all
skill levels produce a net positive economic contribution through various
means, including innovation, entrepreneurship, or freeing up natives for
higher-value work.
For decades, refugees-turned-migrants have provided services to
government, public policy, education and healthcare systems around the world
Refugees represent an acute version of migrants – their immediate needs
for housing, shelter and healthcare outweigh the immediate contributions that
they are able to make to their host country. However, with time and assuming
that the immediate needs of refugees are met, the host countries will begin to
see the benefit of an influx of the young population, namely with their
monetary contributions through tax to the system. The generation of
baby-boomers is coming close to retirement and with that comes the need of the
population to contribute to the system that takes care of them.
Developed world can benefit from migration’s brain-drain effect
For decades, refugees turned migrants have
provided services to government, public policy, education and healthcare
systems around the world. A detailed essay by Sultan al-Qassemi
for Medium highlights the positive impact that dozens of Palestinians have
brought to the UAE. Many of the Palestinians featured in the piece moved to the
UAE after the Nakba of 1948. The piece highlights
what refugees and migrants can do when they are provided with opportunities to
give back to their host countries. If we look back 40 years ago, were these
people once referred to as refugees? The process of transforming them from
“refugees” to “migrants” and eventually to “citizens” of their host countries
was not quick, but it was doable. What the UAE has benefited from is the
concept of a brain drain. It is true that at any given point, these refugees
could have continued to fight to return to their own country, and they may have
succeeded and built a life elsewhere. By not doing so, however, they were able
to help shape the transformation of the UAE in to one of the strongest nations
in the region.
The call for opportunities, integration and support for refugee
communities happens as often as there is a call to prayer in Muslim countries.
It’s time to stop calling and actually head to the institutions that are able
to deliver. Realizing the impact of migration, both in a historical context and
the opportunities it creates in the future is key to
overcoming the crisis at hand.
Europe: Christmas Shoppers in Jihadist
Crosshairs
George Igler/Gatestone Institute/December 18/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/18/george-iglergatestone-institute-europe-christmas-shoppers-in-jihadist-crosshairs/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9586/jihadists-christmas-shoppers
In Ludwigshafen, Germany, a "'strongly radicalized" 12-year-old boy
"of Iraqi heritage" planted a bomb at a Christmas market at the end
of November.
Previously, the festive shopping tradition of Christmas markets had become
"potent symbols of freedom," with
In
French security forces thwarted attacks planned for December 1, against
Disneyland Paris and the Christmas market on the main thoroughfare of the
French capital, the Champs-Elysée.
With a pro-Sharia (Islamic law) advocate now
secretary of state in the
As the winter nights lengthen, an even darker shadow is falling across the
run-up to the Christmas holidays in several European nations. Families in
markets and shopping districts across the continent are buying presents in the
knowledge that jihadists mean to target them.
On November 21, the U.S. Department of State cited a "heightened risk of
terror attacks" in an advisory statement set to expire only on February
20, 2017.
"Credible information," quotes Newsweek, prompted a warning to American
travellers to "exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor
markets," given planned attacks by Al-Qaeda and
Those attending "large holiday events, visiting tourist sites, using
public transportation, and frequenting places of worship, restaurants, hotels,
etc." were likewise urged to exercise vigilance.
On December 16, German media reported that:
"a 12-year-old boy was suspected of planning two different bomb attacks in
the western German city of
"The suspect was born in
This comes just two weeks after a December 2 report, Changes in Modus Operandi
of Islamic State Revisited, from the European policing agency, Europol, cited
the possibility of "several dozen" attacks against civilian soft
targets.
In
With terrorists claiming to act in the name of ISIS already able to plan
"relatively complex attacks -- including those on multiple targets --
quickly and effectively," according to the Europol report, the tactics of
the battlefields of the Middle East, "such as the use of car bombs,
extortion and kidnappings," may well be exported into Europe.
The credibility of such intelligence data has been further strengthened by a
wave of arrests and increased troop deployments in several European countries.
The strengthened security followed a credible bomb threat against an
international soccer match on November 17, 2015, which forced the lockdown of
the northern city of
On the basis of attacks in the country to date, the cities of
The festive shopping tradition across
In
Reports also suggest that this anti-terror operation may have come just in time
to intercept a weapons shipment.
As the Europol report explains:
"[A]utomatic firearms still seem to be the
weapons of choice of terrorist cells committing large scale attacks, because of
their relative ease of access, use and effectiveness. Firearms can be obtained
from criminal sources, in some cases from those the terrorists already know from
their own criminal pasts." (p.10)
The Daily Mirror reports: "It is feared that the current military
operation on
According to Jean-Charles Brisard, a leading French
security expert, despite the more rigorous measures introduced by the French
government as a consequence of the major attacks that have struck
Meanwhile, in
Under Operation Temperer, run by the British Army,
5,000 troops are covertly patrolling busy streets, with police in cities such
as
On December 11, officers armed with assault rifles raided locations in
A 32-year old woman from
In
"The risks at stake are profound and represent a fundamental threat to our
sovereignty," said the MI6 chief, Alex Younger, who also cited the extreme
dangers posed by "hybrid attacks," in which conventional terrorism is
combined with cyber-security breaches. Up to 3,000 Islamic extremists presently
reside in
The porosity of European borders has necessitated the need to ramp up
cooperation between domestic and transnational security agencies across the
continent. This makes the report issued by Europol instructive, issued as it
was under the auspices of its British-born director, Robin Wainwright, as it
goes to great lengths to play down the significance of cyber-attacks.
British security officers, however, have "never been under so much pressure, and the lack of agreement and effectiveness of
international cooperation may well be one cause why.
Last year, the sense of nervousness was "palpable" among Germans,
despite increased police deployed to Christmas markets in the states of
This of course came before the New Year's Eve wave of mass sexual assaults,
which targeted
Previously, the festive shopping tradition of Christmas markets had become
"potent symbols of freedom," with
With a pro-Sharia law advocate now secretary of state
in the
**George Igler, between 2010 and 2016, aided those facing
death across
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The
articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of
Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced,
copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone
Institute.
The Crescent Must be Above the
Cross/Muslim Persecution of Christians: September, 2016
Raymond Ibrahim/December 18, 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/18/raymond-ibrahimthe-crescent-must-be-above-the-crossmuslim-persecution-of-christians-september-2016/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9574/crescent-above-cross
Three Christians were sentenced to be flogged for sipping wine during a
communion Mass. “In a shock move,” however, “oppressive officials in Tehran
have charged the three with ‘acting against national security’ for taking part
in the Christian ritual.” — Iran.
“One begins to wonder if Catholic priests have become an endangered species.” Clergyman discussing latest murder of priest. —
“We are at a breaking point. People can’t put up with any more of this.” —
Christian bishop,
“They said all Christians should be killed. They said we were evil demons and
made
Officials arrested 27 Christians — including several women and children — for
the crime of “conducting Christian prayers” and being “in possession of
Bibles.” —
In September 2016, a group of escaped ISIS sex slaves finally revealed the true
fate of Kayla Mueller — the 26-year-old American aid worker in
Kayla Mueller was a 26-year-old American Christian aid worker in
An ISIS-related plot to butcher Christians with chainsaws in a Belgian shopping
center was exposed in September after authorities interrogated a Muslim youth.
The teen — the son of a man being described as a “radical imam” — was arrested
for calling for the execution of Christians while walking down a street. Theo Francken, a Belgian official, said:
“I already signed the order to remove the Imam from Belgian soil. But he
appealed the decision, so I can only hope for a quick sentence. Clearly
radicalism runs in the family.”
Speaking for the first time about the slaughter of the 86-year-old French
priest Jacques Hamel, eyewitness Guy Coponet — who
was himself stabbed several times, including in the neck, and was not expected
to survive — revealed how the jihadi murderers also
forced him to hold a camera and record them slitting the throat of the elderly
priest: “They even checked the quality of the image and that I wasn’t trembling
too much. I had to film the assassination of my friend Father Jacques!” He said
the assailants planned on using the video as propaganda, “which would allow
them to earn their fame as a ‘martyr’ of Allah.”Meanwhile,
“Today, Christianity has become the most persecuted religion, where out of five
people killed [for] religious reasons, four… are Christians. In 81 countries
around the world, Christians are persecuted, and 200 million Christians live in
areas where they are discriminated against. Millions of Christian lives are
threatened by followers of radical religious ideologies.”
This move came weeks after Prime Minister Victor Orban
drew criticism in the EU by saying, “If we really want to help, we should help
where the real problem is…. We should first help the Christian people before
Islamic people.”Around the same time — and despite
the many instances of Muslim migrants raping, murdering, and terrorizing
Europeans — Pope Francis urged Europeans to take in more Muslim refugees,
including into their homes. He explained that the best way to combat terrorism
is by warmly welcoming migrants and helping them integrate into the “European context.”The rest of the bloody month of September’s
worldwide Muslim persecution of Christians includes, but is not limited to, the
following:Muslim Attacks on Christian ChurchesKosovo: On September 10, Albanian Muslims in Pristina set fire to Christ the Savior
Cathedral, “Immediately after the fire,” notes the report, they “started using
it [the church] as a toilet…. Since the Albanian Muslims took possession of
this Orthodox land, hundreds of churches and monasteries have been burnt to the
ground.”
“Approximately 70 percent of Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and
Uganda: A Muslim convert to Christianity was killed, and two others beaten, in
three separate incidents:1) The blood-stained body of 32-year-old Enoch Shaban — a Muslim convert to Christianity and member of the
Church of Uganda — was found hanging from a tree. A local resident of the
village said he heard Shaban shouting for help after
another man said, “We have warned you several times of being a disgrace to our
religion, and you have not taken seriously our warnings.” The witness added:
“Two weeks before meeting his death, he had mentioned several messages on his
phone warning him to recant the Christian faith and return to Islam.” The slain
apostate appeared to have been struck on the head with a metallic object. The
morning before his death, Muslims were reportedly seen loitering around his
workshop, a mile away from the murder scene. Although
“Reaching home, I started feeling stomach upset that continued… Soon the pain
intensified, and my husband rushed me to Mbale
hospital, then I was taken to Pallisa, where
poisoning was discovered after several tests. I never expected my parents to do
such a thing to me, but I thank God for saving me.”
3) A Muslim husband savagely beat his wife after she attended church. Neighbors found Fatuma Baluka, 21, unconscious and rushed her to a hospital: “When
I arrived home, my husband shouted at me as an ‘infidel,’ and then and there
started hitting me with a metallic object. I fell down, only to find myself in
a hospital bed.” She has since been abandoned by her husband and extended
Muslim family.Ethiopia: Six weeks after a Muslim man
discovered that his wife, who is mother to his three children, had converted to
Christianity, he locked her in the house and beat her with sticks; during her
ordeal, neighbors heard him shouting — including that
she “should die for forsaking Islam.” Neighbors found
her soaked in blood from a deep gash in her forehead and rushed her to the hospital.Pakistan: A 16-year-old Christian youth was
arrested and could be executed for the crime of “blasphemy.” He allegedly
posted or liked on Facebook a picture of the Kaaba, Islam’s sacred temple in
At least eight Christians were randomly shot dead by militants on motorbikes as
they were exiting Sunday church service. A couple of weeks earlier, Boko Haram had said it would
begin “booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach,
and killing all of those who we find from the citizens of the cross.”
Another senior priest was kidnapped after his car was ambushed by Muslim
herdsmen; during the attack they violently beat and tried to kill two other members
of the clergy in the car; one was shot in the head. On the same day, a
Vincentian priest was kidnapped along with his brother. Discussing these and
other attacks on Christian clergy in recent weeks and months, several fatal,
the communications director of the local diocese said: “One begins to wonder if
Catholic priests have become an endangered species.”
Boko Haram insurgents
killed at least two people during raids on Christian villages. They tied up one
man with a rope and slaughtered him in front of his wife and children. They
also burned homes and set the market square of one village ablaze.
A group of Fulani Muslim tribesmen attacked a 60-year-old Christian farmer
while he was working his land and hacked him to death with machetes. He is “the
latest victim of attacks by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Nasarawa
State who have burned church buildings and homes and destroyed crops in the
past four years,” said the report.
According to a separate report, Muslim Fulani tribesmen also killed another
Christian pastor; raided Ningon village– murdering
two Christians as they slept in their homes, and seriously wounding a girl with
gunshots; and raided the Christian
Muslim Contempt for and Abuse of ChristiansSaudi
Arabia: Officials arrested 27 Christians — including several women and children
— for the crime of “conducting Christian prayers” and being “in possession of
Bibles.” The group of Christians, most if not all of whom were Lebanese
nationals, were celebrating a feast day for the Virgin Mary when authorities
stormed their residence and arrested them. Authorities, the dreaded “religious
police,” proceeded to strip them of their visas and deport them back to
“The novel from which this movie is adapted is Ben-Hur:
A Tale of Christ. It means Jesus is central to the plot. It was censored so
much the storyline made no sense! How did
Such anti-Christian edits are consisted with the government’s ban on and
confiscation of Bibles in the majority Muslim nation.Separately,
three Muslims who sought legally to convert to Christianity were denied
conversion by the court system, due to the implementation of sharia (Islamic law), which maintains that anyone born into
Islam — namely, whose father was Muslim — must remain Muslim. According to a
source discussing this report, those trying to convert are often sent to a
“purification center,” where they are made to recite different Islamic creeds
so they are again considered Muslim: “This purification center utilizes
torture, beatings, and psychological attacks to terrify new believers into
recanting their faith in Jesus Christ.”Egypt: After
weeks of attacks more frequent than usual on the Christian minority in Minya, Upper Egypt, the government responded by appointing
a Muslim cleric, Mahmoud Gomaa,
to investigate the situation. Gomaa then appeared in
a televised interview insisting that “Everything was good…. No one has been
killed. No one has even been wounded. There’s no conflict. The problem is
really with the journalists writing about it.”Bishop Makarios of Minya responded by
saying, “I have nothing to do with Mahmoud Gomaa. We are at a breaking point. People can’t put up with
any more of this.” He explained how in recent weeks Christians have indeed been
killed — including a priest who was gunned down at the entrance of his church
and a man who was stabbed to death by an angry mob — as well as numerous
incidents of mob violence on Christians which left many injured and their
properties looted and burned.United States: In
September, when Coptic Christians were suffering abuses “every two or three
days” in Egypt, an Egyptian Muslim woman living in America made a video calling
for more Muslim hostility against Egypt’s Christian minority, in the guise of
an economic boycott. In a video, Ayat Oraby — a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer who has nearly 1.5
million followers on Facebook — called the Coptic
Church a “bunch of gangsters,” a “total mafia” that “rules [
“But as far as the Pakistani police and government are concerned, this is not
happening. They are claiming that the more than 1,000 children reported missing
last year in just one province alone, in
Some of the missing children are boys. Christian leaders in
We now know that other children are complaining about sexual abuse and it is
believed that Zeeshan was killed for threatening to
tell his parents…. The manner in which police officers have attempted to
camouflage this crime has hurt and angered them. They are calling for an
independent inquiry into the handling of their son’s death… The (incidence) of
rape, sodomy and murder in
In a separate incident, because he refused to drop charges against them,
Muslims shot and critically injured the father of a 27-year-old Christian woman
they had earlier kidnapped, raped, and held for four months until she escaped.
This happened three days after police refused to comply with a court order to
arrest the four guilty Muslim men. Gulzar Masih, the father, was in an empty plot of land when the
attack occurred:
“I was immersed in thoughts regarding the case when I saw Ghulam
Hussain and Akram [two of
the rapists] running towards me, hurling threats and abuses. As soon as they
came near me, Hussain whipped out a pistol and fired
a shot aimed at my chest. He then fired two more bullets at my legs, after
which I fell down on the road. He then asked Akram to
break my skull with a metal object that he was carrying. I was hit in the head,
after which I lost consciousness…. They may try again to kill me, but I will
not stop from knocking on the doors of justice to avenge my daughter’s dishonor. Hussain and his friends
are also threatening my three sons with dire consequences, but we have resolved
not to sit quiet and let them get away with such a heinous crime.”
Separately, a drunken Muslim mob stormed the homes of Christians and savagely
beat their residents after a Christian woman asked the drunken revelers — who were shouting loudly and saying lewd things
to young girls passing by — to quiet down. The Muslims instantly became enraged
at “the audacity of ‘ritually impure’ Christians making demands on them,” said
the report: “The drunk Muslim men gathered up at least a dozen of their friends
and grabbed sticks, metal rods and other assorted weapons.” The mob stormed
Christian homes and indiscriminately attacked men, women, and children.
According to a Christian witness:
“They said all Christians should be killed. They said we were evil demons and
made
Seven Christians were injured, five of whom had to go to the hospital to
receive treatment for their injuries.About this SeriesWhile not all, or even most, Muslims are involved,
persecution of Christians by Muslims is growing.The
report posits that such Muslim persecution is not random but rather systematic,
and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location.
Raymond Ibrahim is the author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on
Christians (published by Regnery with Gatestone Institute, April 2013).
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© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The
articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of
Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced,
copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone
Institute.