LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 03/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

Bible Quotations For Today
‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 02/41-52: "Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour."

‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’
Letter to the Hebrews 07/11-19: "If perfection had been attainable through the levitical priesthood for the people received the law under this priesthood what further need would there have been to speak of another priest arising according to the order of Melchizedek, rather than one according to the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. Now the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. It is even more obvious when another priest arises, resembling Melchizedek, one who has become a priest, not through a legal requirement concerning physical descent, but through the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of him, ‘You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’ There is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an earlier commandment because it was weak and ineffectual (for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope, through which we approach God.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on january02-03.16.htm
Patriarch Sako on Christian Persecution: ‘Is This Not a Crime Against Humanity/by Edward Pentin, National Catholic Register/January 02/16
Anger as Shiite cleric among 47 in mass Saudi terrorism execution/Reuters/January02/16
Saudi Arabia executes 47 terrorism convicts/Al Arabiya News/January 02/16
The Arab world is a house with no roof/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/January 02/16
America’s ‘retreat’ and Russia’s ‘expansion’/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/January 02/16
How the Internet is revolutionizing volunteering/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/January 02/16
A Smorgasbord of Swedish Anti-Semitism/Nima Gholam Ali Pour/ Gatestone Institute/January 2, 2016

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on january02-03.16.htm
Hizbullah Accuses U.S. for Riyadh's Execution of Nimr, Blames it for 'Covering up' Saudi Crimes
Report: Hizbullah's Recent Stances Prove it Does Not Want to End Presidential Vacuum
Report: Hariri, Geagea Dispute Has Not Affected Committee Devising Electoral Law
State Security Discovers Bag Containing Explosives in Tripoli
Report: Security Tightened at Palestinian Camps to Avert Violations
Report: Hariri Initiative Caused 'Confusion' among Change and Reform Bloc
Patriarch Sako on Christian Persecution: ‘Is This Not a Crime Against Humanity?

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on january02-03.16.htm
Anger as Shiite cleric among 47 in mass Saudi terrorism execution
Iran summons Saudi diplomat after execution of Shiite cleric
Iraq's Sadr calls for protests in Gulf, Iraq, after Nimr execution
Saudi Arabia executes 47 terrorism convicts
Anger as Shiite cleric among 47 in mass Saudi terrorism execution
Iran summons Saudi diplomat after execution of Shiite cleric
Iraq's Sadr calls for protests in Gulf, Iraq, after Nimr execution
Saudi Arabia executes 47 terrorism convicts
Saudi executions: Who were Nimr al-Nimr and Faris al-Shuwail?
Israel: Father of suspected shooter: 'I am a part of everyone's suffering'
Israel strikes Hamas military sites in Gaza
ISIS suicide car bombs target Iraqi troops in Ramadi
Turkey needs Israel, says Erdogan
Saudi-led coalition ends Yemen ceasefire
U.N. envoy urges Libya rivals to end bloodshed
Thousands of Palestinians in Hebron funeral for slain assailants
Operation to Secure Attack-Hit Indian Air Base over, Militants Dead

Links From Jihad Watch Site for january02-03.16.htm
Iran says Saudi Arabia will ‘pay a high price’ for execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr
Iran defies Obama, pledges to ramp up missile program
Jihad terror group uses Trump soundbite in propaganda video
Iraqi Christian leader on Muslim persecution of Christians: “Is this not a crime against humanity?”
India: Islamic jihadists in Indian military uniforms attack air force base
Tel Aviv jihad murderer had a copy of the Qur’an in his backpack
Afghanistan: Taliban jihadis bomb Kabul restaurant, tweet “#Hello2016‪#GoodTimesAhead”

Hizbullah Accuses U.S. for Riyadh's Execution of Nimr, Blames it for 'Covering up' Saudi Crimes
Naharnet/January 02/16/Hizbullah condemned on Saturday Saudi Arabia's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, holding the United States responsible for the development. It said in a statement: “We hold the U.S. and its allies, who are presenting direct protection to the Saudi regime, responsible for covering up the kingdom's crimes against it people and those of the region.”“We demand that the international community condemn the crime committed by Saudi Arabia,” it added. “It should ensure that the rights of a people ruled by oppression and ignorance be granted,” it continued. “Nimr's execution through weak excuses and empty verdicts cannot be accepted by reason or justice,” it added. “Nimr's adherence to his convictions to the point of his martyrdom will destroy the Saud dynasty's injustice,” declared Hizbullah. “This crime will remain a black mark that will plague the Saudi regime that has been committing massacres since its inception,” it stated. Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed 47 people convicted of "terrorism", including prominent Shiite cleric Nimr behind anti-government protests, the interior ministry said. The 56-year-old cleric was a driving force of the protests that broke out in 2011 in the Sunni-ruled kingdom's east, where the Shiite minority complains of marginalization. The list also includes Sunnis convicted of involvement in Al-Qaida attacks that killed Saudis and foreigners in the kingdom in 2003 and 2004. Nimr's execution also drew condemnations from the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, the AMAL movement, Iran, and Iraq.

Report: Hizbullah's Recent Stances Prove it Does Not Want to End Presidential Vacuum
Naharnet/January 02/16/The initiative launched by Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri to end the presidential impasse has not failed, contrary to various media reports, said the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah on Saturday. Mustaqbal sources blamed however Hizbullah and Iran's allies in Lebanon of thwarting the proposal. They said that the party's recent stances after holding talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi indicate that Hizbullah “does not want the election of a president.: “Why would they have therefore rejected the nomination of their ally Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as president?” they wondered. “This is a sign that Iran's agenda differs from that of some Lebanese parties who seek to end their country's crisis,” they noted. “This has therefore pushed Hizbullah towards rejecting Hariri's initiative under the excuse that it will continue on backing the nomination of Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun,” explained the sources. A Hizbullah delegation had held talks on Tuesday with al-Rahi after which it voiced its commitment to the nomination of Aoun as president. “We will not abandon our commitment to Aoun at any political crossroads,” it stressed. “We do not accept that others reach a political settlement and then ask us to persuade Aoun to abandon the presidential race,” it added. Franjieh's nomination was a product of a proposal spearheaded by Hariri. The move has sparked tensions between Aoun and Franjieh, with the latter describing his ties with the MP as “abnormal.”

Report: Hariri, Geagea Dispute Has Not Affected Committee Devising Electoral Law
Naharnet/January 02/16/The tensions between Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea over the presidential elections has not impacted the proceedings of the committee tasked with devising a new parliamentary electoral law, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday. Parliamentary sources added: “On the contrary, it appears that the two sides have agreed to keep the electoral law discussions away from the presidential elections.” The statements made by LF MP Georges Adwan, a member of the committee, have not indicated that the party would suspend its participation in the talks. In fact, the LF, Mustaqbal Movement, and Democratic Gathering are committed to devising an electoral law that would see Lebanon as one district, added the sources. The Kataeb Party is meanwhile pushing for an electoral law that would divide Lebanon into several small districts, they continued. The LF, Mustaqbal, and Democratic Gathering of MP Walid Jumblat are pushing for an electoral law that would see the election of 68 lawmakers through a majority of votes and 60 through a law based on proportionality, revealed al-Hayat. Speaker Nabih Berri has meanwhile been pushing for the election of 64 MPs through a majority vote and 64 through proportionality. Tensions emerged between Hariri and Geagea over the former's proposal of the election of Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, a member in of the rival March 8 camp, as president. Geagea, Hariri's ally in the March 14 coalition, is also a presidential candidate.

State Security Discovers Bag Containing Explosives in Tripoli
Naharnet/January 02/16/State security forces discovered a bag containing a belt of hand grenades in the northern city of Tripoli, reported the National News Agency on Saturday. It said that a state security patrol made the discovery over the holiday period, not specifying if it was on Saturday or an earlier date. The bag was tossed on the side of a road and an explosives expert dismantled the belt.

Report: Security Tightened at Palestinian Camps to Avert Violations
Naharnet/January 02/16/Security measures have been tightened at various Palestinian refugee camps, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Saturday. Palestinian factions took a series of steps and procedures at the camps in order to prevent any internal violations, especially in the southern camp of Ain el-Hilweh. “The factions have received Lebanese messages urging the need to bolster the role of the joint security forces in order to confront any terrorist groups that seek to violate the security and stability that the camps have been enjoying for months,” added al-Anba. More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered in Lebanon with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. Most live in squalid conditions in 12 official refugee camps and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment.By long-standing convention, the army does not enter Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, leaving the factions themselves to handle security. That has created lawless areas in many camps, and Ain el-Hilweh has gained notoriety as a refuge for extremists and fugitives. But the camp is also home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees who have been joined in recent years by thousands of Palestinians fleeing the fighting in Syria. Clashes frequently erupt at the camp between rival factions. In October, a high-ranking Palestinian official of the Islamic State extremist group was arrested and he confessed to plotting a wave of attacks in the country. The militant confessed to being the religious official of the terrorist IS group in the Ain el-Hilweh camp. He also confessed to forming an IS cell along with his brother and another Palestinian refugee.

Report: Hariri Initiative Caused 'Confusion' among Change and Reform Bloc
Naharnet/January 02/16/Some members of the March 8 coalition, starting with the Change and Reform bloc, have voiced their “annoyance” with the proposal launched by Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri to end the presidential vacuum in the country, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday. Parliamentary sources told the daily that the meeting between Hariri and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh “created confusion” in the Change and Reform bloc, which has negatively affected the discussions at the committee tasked with devising a new parliamentary electoral law. Hariri has been pushing for the election of Franjieh as president as part of a greater settlement that would revitalize the political scene in Lebanon. “The camp that is opposing Franjieh's nomination is banking on gaining time in a hope that circumstances would change,” added the sources. “This stalling tactic will weigh heavily on the proceedings of the parliamentary electoral committee,” they explained. The sources clarified that the Change and Reform bloc's stalling in electing a president “would impose devising an electoral law that suits it.”“This will be followed by the parliamentary elections and later the election of a president,” they stated. The sources doubted however that such a goal would be achieved given the presidential vacuum and crippled parliament. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Patriarch Sako on Christian Persecution: ‘Is This Not a Crime Against Humanity?
by Edward Pentin, National Catholic Register/January 02/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/01/02/patriarch-sako-on-christian-persecution-is-this-not-a-crime-against-humanity/
ROME — “In one night, 120,000 Christians left their homes just with their clothes and have been living in camps for one and a half years. Is this not a crime against humanity?”
His Beatitude, Louis Raphael I Sako, Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, spoke of this and other serious hardships and persecutions against Christians, at a recent Rome conference on religious freedom….
So extensive and brutal has the persecution become that calls have been increasing in the U.S., the European Union and the U.K. to classify the atrocities taking place there as genocide.
As well as the humanitarian emergency and forced displacement caused primarily by the brutality of the jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS), Patriarch Sako also mentioned other facts regarding persecution in Iraq not widely known.
These included the approval in October of a law in the Iraqi parliament to forcibly convert to Islam children who are Christian, Yazidi and Sabean if one of the parents proclaims to be Muslim, and the advance of political Islam in which sharia (Islamic law) doesn’t allow non-Muslims to participate in politics and have equal constitutional rights as Muslims in administration.
ISIS leaders, he said, have established three “rules of trade” with non-Muslims: “forcing people to convert to Islam, to pay a tax (jizya) or leave their house, or be beheaded.”
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day, nor forbid what has been forbidden by Allah and his Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” — Qur’an 9:29
He further pointed out that the numbers of Christians in Iraq has collapsed, falling from 1.4 million before the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime to currently 500,000.
“Today, everything in Iraq has become sectarian,” said Archbishop Sako. “Daesh/ISIS and extremists attack Christians, Yazidis and Sabeans because of their belief. They destroy anything that does not fit into their vision of Islam.”
Moral Responsibility
At the same Dec. 10-12 conference, called “Under Caesar’s Sword” and hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Civil and Human Rights, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states (commonly referred to as the Vatican’s “foreign minister”), said a number of studies have suggested that Christians are the victims of 80% of all acts of religious discrimination in the world. “What’s more, for various reasons, it seems to go largely unreported.”
Why does it go largely unreported, even in the Church? Because of the prevailing attitude that McManus enunciated, quoted above. Gallagher and his colleagues should have addressed that.
But the archbishop noted “a much more important reason” why the Church should focus on Christian persecution: As Christians, he said, “we have a special duty in charity to our fellow Christians” to show them “solidarity” and come to their aid.
It’s true, said Bishop Anba Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the U.K., that as Christians we are called to “embrace and accept out persecution thankfully,” but all Christians also have a “moral responsibility to be advocates, speaking for those who cannot speak, to be a voice in the wilderness.”
Noting a gradual “pushing of boundaries” leading to what now amounts ethnic cleansing of Christians in the region, he warned that “our silence is a contributing factor” that “must be changed.”
“There is a growing disregard for the sanctity of life, and that must be what offends us,” he told the conference. “It is not about Christians or Muslims being killed, but about life and humanity as God’s creation, and that disregard is a violation that we cannot be silent about. In response we must realize that we have to respond together, collaboratively.”
Bishop Angaelos warned against Christians becoming “desensitized” to the suffering. “It’s not enough to empathize with them,” he said. “We must act. [We] should never let our conscience say: ‘It’s okay, they’re not dying.’ The sanctity of life is not a statistic but reality for each and every person.”
Remembering the ransacking of dozens of churches in Egypt in August 2013, which he believes was a coordinated attack, he resented the fact that in response Christians around the world “did absolutely nothing.” He recalled someone commenting at the time: “There was no memo from head office to say ‘don’t react.’”
Really? Are you sure there wasn’t?
What to Do?
So what should be done? Patriarch Sako listed several concrete proposals which included first of all destroying ISIS militarily with “troops on the ground.” ISIS must also be destroyed ideologically, he said, “drying up the funding, weaponry” of the jihadists and “condemning and eliminating” sectarianism and “all other forms of hatred and violence.”
He also advocated political reform underpinned by the principle of “citizenship and equality” that allows Christians and other religious minorities to be full citizens rather than “protected minority status”. He called for a separation of religion from the state, and the criminalizing and punishing contempt for religion and the spread “hatred and division.” Islamic religious authorities, he said, must dismantle jihadist ideology and replace it with promoting “a culture of harmonious social existence,” and the international community should “issue decrees” through the U.N. against those committing injustices against religious minorities….
Who and what is going to compel Islamic religious authorities to “dismantle jihadist ideology”?

Anger as Shiite cleric among 47 in mass Saudi terrorism execution
Reuters/January v02/16/
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/01/02/anger-as-shiite-cleric-among-47-in-mass-saudi-terrorism-executioniran-summons-saudi-diplomatiraqs-sadr-calls-for-protests-in-gulf-iraq/
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric and dozens of al-Qaeda members Saturday, signalling it would not tolerate attacks by either Sunni extremists or minority Shiites seeking equality, but stirring sectarian anger across the region. Scores of Shiite Muslims marched through the Qatif district of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province in protest at the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr, an eyewitness said. They chanted "down with the Al-Saud", the name of the ruling Saudi royal family. But most of the 47 executed in the kingdom's biggest mass execution for decades were Sunnis convicted of al-Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago. Four, including Nimr, were Shiites accused of shooting policemen. The executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading. In December, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula threatened to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for any execution of its members. Riyadh's main regional rival Iran and its Shiite allies immediately reacted with vigorous condemnation of the execution of Nimr, and Saudi police raised security in a district where the sect is a majority in case of protests, residents said. However, the executions seemed mostly aimed at discouraging Saudis from extremism after bombings and shootings by Sunni militants in Saudi Arabia over the past year killed dozens and ISIS called on followers there to stage attacks. Saudi Arabia's ruling Al-Saud family has grown increasingly nervous in recent years as turmoil across the Middle East, especially Syria and Iraq, has empowered Sunni extremist groups that seek to bring it down and given opportunities to Shi'ite Iran to spread its influence. The simultaneous execution of 47 people - 45 Saudis, one Egytian and a man from Chad - was the biggest mass execution for security offences in Saudi Arabia since the 1980 killing of 63 extremist rebels who seized Mecca's Grand Mosque in 1979. The 43 Sunni extremists executed Saturday included several prominent al-Qaeda figures, including those convicted for attacks on Western compounds, government buildings and diplomatic missions that killed hundreds from 2003-06. The four Shiites were convicted of involvement in shootings and petrol bomb attacks that killed several police during anti-government protests from 2011-13 in which over 20 members of the minority sect were also shot dead by the authorities. Under Saudi Arabia's reading of Islamic Sharia, such attacks are interpreted as "banditry", which carries an automatic sentence of death followed by public display of bodies on gibbets. Justice Ministry spokesman Mansour Kafari said on television another four prisoners remained on death row for acts of terrorism.
EXTREMIST CRACKDOWN
Most extremist groups follow an extreme interpretation of the Salafi branch of Islam, the strict Sunni Muslim school that was developed in Saudi Arabia and is still followed by its clergy; but they have long regarded Riyadh as an enemy. Government-appointed clerics have for years denounced al-Qaeda and ISIS as religious "deviants", while the government has cracked down on extremists at home, squeezed their funding streams abroad and stopped them travelling to fight. However, critics of the Al-Saud ruling family say it has not done enough to tackle sectarian intolerance, hatred of infidels and praise for the principles of violent jihad propagated by Saudi clerics, which they see as contributing to militancy. Mustafa Alani, a security analyst close to the Interior Ministry, commented: "There is a huge popular pressure on the government to punish those people. It included all the leaders of al-Qaeda, all the ones responsible for shedding blood. It sends a message."Analysts have speculated that the execution of the four Shiites was partly to demonstrate to Saudi Arabia's majority Sunni Muslims that the government did not differentiate between political violence committed by members of the two sects. But a top Iranian cleric said the kingdom's Al-Saud ruling family would be "wiped from the pages of history", Yemen's Houthi group described Nimr as a "holy warrior" and Lebanese militia Hezbollah said Riyadh had made "a grave mistake". Saudi police increased security in Qatif district of Eastern Province, where the 2011-13 protests took place, residents said, and Bahrain police fired tear gas at several dozen people protesting against the execution of Nimr, a witness said.
ANGRY ACTIVISTS
Human rights groups have consistently attacked the kingdom's judicial process as unfair, pointing to accusations that confessions have been secured under torture and that defendants in court have been denied access to lawyers. Riyadh denies torture and says its judiciary is independent. Family members of the executed Shiites have vigorously denied they were involved in attacks and said they were only peaceful protesters against sectarian discrimination in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. The three other executed Shiites were Ali al-Rubh, who relatives said was a juvenile at the time of the crime for which he was convicted, Mohammed al-Shayoukh and Mohammed Suwaymil. The cleric's brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, said he hoped any response in Qatif would be peaceful, but activists said new protests were possible. "My mobile is getting non-stop messages from friends, all shocked and angry. We know four of the names on the list. The fear is for the children among those detained," an activist in Qatif told Reuters. The Interior Ministry statement began with Koranic verses justifying the use of execution and state television showed footage of the aftermath of al-Qaeda attacks in the last decade. Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh appeared on television soon after to describe the executions as just. The executions are Saudi Arabia's first in 2016. At least 157 people were put to death last year, a big increase from the 90 people killed in 2014.

Iran summons Saudi diplomat after execution of Shiite cleric
Reuters/Jan. 02, 2016 /DUBAI: Iran summoned Saudi Arabia's charge d'affaires in Tehran on Saturday to protest the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric in the kingdom, Iranian state television said. Nimr was executed alongside three other Shiites and dozens of alleged al-Qaeda members, sparking anger among Saudi Arabia's minority Shiites.

Iraq's Sadr calls for protests in Gulf, Iraq, after Nimr execution
Reuters/ Jan. 02, 2016/BAGHDAD: Prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Saturday for demonstrations in Gulf countries and in Iraq to protest the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia. "I ask that the Shiites of Saudi Arabia ... show courage in responding even through peaceful demonstrations, and the same for the Shiites in the Gulf, so as to deter injustice and government terrorism in the future," he said on his website. "I urge ... angry demonstrations in front of Saudi sites and interests, and I urge the government to refrain from opening the Saudi embassy," he said.
Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Iraq this week. It had been closed in 1990 after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia executes 47 terrorism convicts
Staff writer, Al Arabiya News Saturday, 2 January 2016
The Saudi interior ministry on Saturday said 47 people convicted of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks, targeting civilians and security forces, were executed.
The ministry statement, published on the official SPA news agency, said the 47 had been convicted of adopting the radical "takfiri" ideology, joining "terrorist organizations" and implementing various "criminal plots."
Read more: Saudi executions: Who were Nimr al-Nimr and Faris al-Shuwail?
Most of those executed were involved in a series of attacks carried out by al-Qaeda from 2003-06 that killed Saudis and foreigners in the kingdom, the interior ministry statement added.
45 of those executed were of Saudi nationality, alongside one Chadian and one Egyptian, according to a list of names and nationalities published by the Saudi Press Agency. The 47 men were based across 12 regions in the kingdom, the interior ministry statement added.
They were convicted of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security forces in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.
The Al Arabiya News Channel broadcast of the Saudi interior ministry statement
Al-Qaeda theorist Fares al-Shuwail and preacher Nimr al-Nimr was among those executed, the ministry said.
The Interior Ministry statement began with verses from the Quran and state television showed footage of the aftermath of al-Qaeda attacks in the last decade that killed hundreds.
The ministry confirmed that no minors were among Saturday’s executed convicts.
Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh appeared on television soon after to describe the executions as just.
The simultaneous execution of 47 people on security grounds was the biggest mass execution for such offences in Saudi Arabia since the 1980 killing of 63 militants who seized Makkah's Grand Mosque in 1979.
Saudi Arabia in 2015 suffered a series of further bombing and shooting attacks by militants sympathetic to ISIS. Those attacks killed dozens, increasing pressure on Riyadh to show it was taking strong action.
Below is a full list provided by SPA of people who were executed today:
1- Ameen Mohammed Abdullah Al Aqala - Saudi nationality.
2- Anwar Abdulrahman Khalil Al-Najjar - Saudi nationality.
3- Badr bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Badr- Saudi nationality.
4- Bandar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Ghaith - Saudi nationality.
5- Hassan Hadi bin Shuja'a Al-Masareer - Saudi nationality.
6- Hamad bin Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Humaidi- Saudi nationality
7- Khalid Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Jarallah - Saudi nationality
8- Ridha Abdulrahman Khalil Al-Najjar- Saudi nationality
9- Saad Salamah Hameer - Saudi nationality
10- Salah bin Saeed bin Abdulraheem Al-Najjar - Saudi nationality
11- Salah bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Hussain -Saudi nationality
12- Saleh bin Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Al-Shamsan - Saudi nationality
13- Saleh bin Ali bin Saleh Al-Juma'ah - Saudi nationality
14- Adel bin Saad bin Jaza' Al-Dhubaiti - Saudi nationality
15- Adel Mohammed Salem Abdullah Yamani - Saudi nationality
16- Abduljabbar bin Homood bin Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri - Saudi nationality
17- Abdulrahman Dhakheel Faleh Al-Faleh - Saudi nationality
18- Abdullah Sayer Moawadh Massad Al-Mohammadi - Saudi nationality
19- Abdullah bin Saad bin Mozher Shareef - Saudi nationality
20- Abdullah Saleh Abdulaziz Al-Ansari - Saudi nationality
21- Abdullah Abdulaziz Ahmed Al-Muqrin - Saudi nationality
22- Abdullah Musalem Hameed Al-Raheef - Saudi nationality
23- Abdullah bin Mua'ala bin A'li - Saudi nationality
24- Abdulaziz Rasheed bin Hamdan Al-Toaili'e - Saudi nationality
25- Abdulmohsen Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Yahya - Saudi nationality
26- Isam Khalaf Mohammed Al-Mothri'e - Saudi nationality
27- Ali Saeed Abdullah Al Ribeh - Saudi nationality
28- Ghazi Mohaisen Rashed - Saudi nationality
29- Faris Ahmed Jama'an Al Showail - Saudi nationality
30- Fikri Ali bin Yahya Faqih - Saudi nationality
31- Fahd bin Ahmed bin Hanash Al Zamel - Saudi nationality
32- Fahd Abdulrahman Ahmed Al-Buraidi - Saudi nationality
33- Fahd Ali Ayedh Al Jubran - Saudi nationality
34- Majed Ibrahim Ali Al-Mughainem - Saudi nationality
35- Majed Moeedh Rashed - Saudi nationality
36- Mishaal bin Homood bin Juwair Al-Farraj - Saudi nationality
37- Mohammed Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Muharib - Saudi nationality
38- Mohammed Ali Abdulkarim Suwaymil - Saudi nationality
39- Mohammed Fathi Abula'ti Al-Sayed - Egyptian nationality
40- Mohammed bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al-Shioukh - Saudi nationality
41- Mostafa Mohammed Altaher Abkar - Chadian nationality
42- Moaidh Mufreh Ali Al Shokr- Saudi nationality
43- Nasser Ali Ayedh Al Jubran - Saudi nationality
44- Naif Saad Abdullah Al-Buraidi - Saudi nationality
45- Najeeb bin abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Bohaiji - Saudi nationality
46- Nimr Baqer Ameen Al-Nimr- Saudi nationality
47- Nimr Sehaj Zeid Al-Kraizi - Saudi nationality
Reactions
Meanwhile, the kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates reaffirmed their support to all Saudi efforts to combat terrorism.
The UAE said Saudi Arabia's implementation of sentences reflects the kingdom’s determination to eradicate terrorism.
Bahrain said the implementation was necessary to maintain security in the region.
A scholar from Egypt's highest Sunni authority, Al-Azhar, has also welcomed the latest Saudi move saying it is in line with Islamic teachings against terrorists found guilty of murder and sabotage.
“Saudi Arabia has applied the law of God,” said Fawzi al-Zafzaf during an interview with Al Arabiya.net.
(With Reuters)

Saudi executions: Who were Nimr al-Nimr and Faris al-Shuwail?
Staff writer, Al Arabiya News Saturday, 2 January 2016/Prominent Shiite preacher Nimr al-Nimr and leading al-Qaeda ideologue Faris al-Shuwail were among the 47 men executed on terrorism charges, the Saudi interior ministry said on Saturday. 56-year-old Nimr was a driving force behind the protests that broke out in 2011 in the kingdom’s east. Full story: Saudi Arabia executes 47 terrorism convicts He was arrested in 2012 and did not deny the political charges against him. At the time, the Saudi interior ministry had described him at the time as an “instigator of sedition” during his arrest in the eastern village of Awamiya after being wounded. In October 2014, Nimr’s death sentence was confirmed after he had been found guilty of seeking "foreign meddling" in the kingdom, among other charges.
Meanwhile, Shuwail had been described by Saudi media outlets as the top al-Qaeda ideologue. He is believed to have been conducting research in support of the organization and its operations.He was arrested in August 2004 during a massive crackdown on the group following a series of deadly attacks.
Shuwail’s role as an al-Qaeda ideologue was seen in his writings, in which he attempted to justify the strategies and tactics employed by the militants. Most of the 47 men executed were involved in a series of attacks carried out by al-Qaeda from 2003-06 that killed Saudis and foreigners in the kingdom, the interior ministry said. 45 of those executed were of Saudi nationality, alongside one Chadian and one Egyptian, according to a list of names and nationalities published by the Saudi Press Agency. The 47 men were based across 12 regions in the kingdom, the interior ministry statement added.
They were convicted of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security forces in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. Saudi Arabia in 2015 suffered a series of further bombing and shooting attacks by militants sympathetic to ISIS. Those attacks killed dozens, increasing pressure on Riyadh to show it was taking strong action.(With Reuters and AFP)

Israel: Father of suspected shooter: 'I am a part of everyone's suffering'
Jerusalem Post/January 02/16/"I did not educate him in such a way," the suspect's father said, "and I am deeply sorry by what he has done." The father of the suspected perpetrator of Friday's shooting attack in Tel Aviv, which left two dead and eight others wounded, said in a press conference in front of his house on Saturday that he is deeply sorry for his son's actions and stands with Israel in this dark time. "I was born in Israel," he said. "I am a law abiding citizen. I heard my son was in Tel Aviv and I heard what happened and what he had done. I did not educate him in such a way, and I am deeply sorry by what he has done." The Shin Bet questioned the suspect's father, who reportedly contacted the police after recognizing his son in security footage broadcast on television following the attack. "When I heard what happened I felt personally responsible, I headed to the police station and I helped out with every matter of security." The father told police that he received an anonymous phone call from someone who told him to check if his licensed firearm, which he uses as a guard in a security firm, was in possession at his home. He checked and found his firearm but then realized that it may have been his son, the suspected shooter, who made the anonymous call. The father expressed deep sorrow over the situation and a genuine desire to help Israeli authorities. "Firstly I want to thank everyone. Second, I send well wishes to all the victims in hopes that they recover," said the suspect's father. "I am a part of everyone's suffering; it doesn't matter whether you are an Arab or a Jew," the father concluded, as his voice began to quiver. The manhunt for the suspected perpetrator of Friday's deadly shooting attack on Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Street continued on Saturday morning. The suspect was thought to be a 28-year-old native of the Israeli Arab village of Arara, who was known to the authorities for a previous offense. The suspect's name remained withheld from publication under a court gag order. Police swat teams and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Authority) conducted sweeps in the central Gush Dan region all through Friday night. At this stage, the possibility remained that the attacker has fled the metropolitan Tel Aviv area.A reevaluation of the situation was expected later Saturday. Police emphasized that all leads were being pursued.

Israel strikes Hamas military sites in Gaza
By AFP, Gaza City Saturday, 2 January 2016/The Israeli air force carried out attacks on Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip early Saturday, Palestinian security sources said, just hours after rockets from the enclave hit southern Israel. According to the sources, the Israeli strikes targeted four empty facilities ranging from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah in the south, causing damage but no casualties. The Israeli army said its "aircraft targeted two Hamas military training facilities and two military sites in the Gaza Strip". "The IDF holds Hamas responsible and accountable for all attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip," a statement read. Late Friday, two rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel, without causing casualties or damage. Since the end of the devastating war between Israel and Gaza militants in the summer of 2014, nearly 30 projectiles fired from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave have hit the Jewish state, according to military data. Militants claiming links to ISIS have said they were behind rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave in recent months, but Israel holds Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas responsible for all such incidents. Also on Friday, two Palestinians were slightly wounded by Israeli gunfire after they stormed the border fence in northern Gaza, the Israeli army and Gaza medics said.

ISIS suicide car bombs target Iraqi troops in Ramadi
AP | Baghdad Saturday, 2 January 2016/Iraq’s military says ISIS militants have launched suicide attacks in the western city of Ramadi days after troops drove them out of the city center. Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Belawi told The Associated Press on Saturday that the militants stuck security forces the day before with seven suicide car bombs in two areas on the city’s outskirts. Al-Belawi says there were casualties among the government troops, but could not provide a specific figure. He says the troops repelled the attacks and did not lose territory. Ramadi, the provincial capital of the sprawling Anbar province, fell to ISIS in May, marking a major setback for U.S.-backed Iraqi forces. Iraqi troops retook the city center on Monday, but insurgents are still holed up in parts of the city.

Turkey needs Israel, says Erdogan
AFP | Istanbul Saturday, 2 January 2016/Turkey must accept that it needs Israel, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday, as the two countries seek to thrash out a deal on normalising ties.NATO member Turkey was a key regional ally of Israel until the two countries fell out over the deadly storming by Israeli commandos in 2010 of a Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, bound for Gaza.Erdogan further raised hackles in Israel with his sometimes inflammatory rhetoric towards the Jewish State. But the atmosphere has transformed following the revelation last month the two sides were making progress in secret talks to seek a rapprochement. “Israel is in need of a country like Turkey in the region,” Erdogan said in remarks to Turkish reporters published in leading dailies Saturday. “And we too must accept that we need Israel. This is a reality in the region,” said Erdogan. “If mutual steps are implemented based on sincerity, then normalisation will follow.” Ambassadors were withdrawn in the wake of the 2010 crisis and Erdogan said Turkey’s three conditions for a normalisation were clear -- a lifting of the Gaza blockade, compensation for the Mavi Marmara victims and an apology for the incident.
Israel has already apologised and negotiations appear to have made progress on compensation, leaving the blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip the main hurdle. Indicating possible progress on the blockade, Erdogan said Israel had suggested it would allow goods and construction materials into Gaza if they came via Turkey. “We need to see a written text to ensure there is no deviation from the agreement,” he said. Analysts have suggested that Turkey’s rapprochement with Israel has been accelerated by the need for Ankara to make up for its crisis in ties with Moscow after the shooting down of a Russian warplane. Erdogan last month held closed-door talks with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal but it was never disclosed what the president discussed with the leader of the the Palestinian Islamist movement. Israel also wants Turkey to prevent senior Hamas operative Salah Aruri from entering its territory and acting from there. Ankara has never confirmed his presence in Turkey.

Saudi-led coalition ends Yemen ceasefire
By Staff writer Al Arabiya News Saturday, 2 January 2016/The Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen for nine months announced on Saturday the end to a ceasefire that began on Dec. 15, the Saudi state news agency SPA said."The leadership of the coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen announces the end of the truce in Yemen beginning at 1400 (1100 GMT) on Saturday," the agency said.(with Reuters)

U.N. envoy urges Libya rivals to end bloodshed
AFP, Tripoli Saturday, 2 January 2016/The U.N.’s envoy for Libya held talks in Tripoli Friday, seeking to encourage the administration there to commit to a national unity government that would end years of bloodshed. Martin Kobler, on a desperate diplomatic push to get Libya’s two separate administrations to sign a power-sharing agreement, met Thursday with representatives of the internationally-recognized government near its headquarters in the east of the country. “More discussions in Tripoli - I invite all to take responsibility for Libya’s future, take responsibility for next generations,” Kobler tweeted on Friday after meeting with the head of the rival parliament in Tripoli, Nouri Abusahmein. Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi and now has two governments and parliaments. Militant groups such as ISIS have taken advantage of the lawlessness to make gains along the coastline, and the U.N. estimates that fighting has forced 435,000 people from their homes. On December 17, under U.N. guidance, envoys from both sides and a number of independent political figures signed a deal to unify the government. Around 80 of 188 lawmakers from Libya’s internationally recognized parliament and 50 of 136 members of the rival Tripoli-based General National Congress signed the deal. It calls for a 17-member government, headed by businessman Fayez el-Sarraj as premier, based in Tripoli. But analysts have cast doubt on the viability of a deal that would seek to bring together two parliaments controlled by hardliners. Abusahmein asked Kobler to meet a number of leaders in the Tripoli-based administration, including senior military and intelligence officers and judiciary. “We believe that for any political agreement to be effective on the ground, all parties tasked with implementing it have to be present with us today,” he said. At a press conference in a VIP lounge at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport late Friday, Kobler said that in meetings with both administrations he put forward “five points.”Firstly, “the Libyan political agreement is the basis of all discussions. There is no alternative,” he said. Secondly, “there should be no parallel initiatives. All initiatives should be based under the umbrella of the United Nations,” Kobler added. The process must be “inclusive,” and also be guided by the principle of “the peaceful transfer of power from the old institutions to the new institutions,” he said. Finally, he said, there was “the principle of Libyan ownership. It must be a Libyan agreement and the Libyans must steer the process.”The press conference was cut short by Jamal Zoubia, head of the media department in the Tripoli-based government, who told Kobler that the event was “illegal” as he needed prior permission.

Thousands of Palestinians in Hebron funeral for slain assailants
AFP | Hebron, Palestinian Territories Saturday, 2 January 2016/Thousands of Palestinians gathered Saturday in Hebron to bury 14 men whose bodies had been held by Israel after being killed carrying out attacks. Israel handed over the bodies of 23 Palestinians Friday in an apparent bid to ease tensions, of which 14 were from the southern West Bank city. The Al-Hussein mosque was overflowing with people, where the 14 bodies were on display before prayers, wrapped in Palestinian flags. Relatives kissed the foreheads of the deceased, some of which were covered with flags of the Islamist Hamas and Islamic militant groups. Prayers were also held in Hebron’s only stadium next to Al-Hussein, while hundreds of others waited outside the mosque in the cold. Heavy rain began as the bodies were carried out of the mosque and those attending began chanting “There is no god but God”. Some could not hold back their tears, while others held up the flags of various Palestinian factions. Basel Sadr, 20, was among those buried. He had been shot dead on October 14 near Jerusalem’s Old City after police said he was about to stab security forces. Shortly before the funeral, women gathered at Sadr’s home to read verses from the Koran over his body wrapped in a Palestinian flag, while his mother and sister silently wept and hugged him. “Bassel was the first martyr (from Hebron) whose body was detained by Israel” for 80 days, his father Bassem told AFP outside his home. The funerals of the rest of the Palestinians handed over by Israel were to take place Saturday throughout the West Bank. Since a wave of violence erupted at the start of October, 138 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to an AFP count, most while carrying out attacks on Israelis. Israel does not always immediately return the bodies of slain attackers. A military spokeswoman said that, after Friday’s handovers, the army would have returned a total of 76 bodies and was still holding two. Police could also be holding more bodies, she said. Palestinian sources said the Israelis were still holding a total of 17 bodies, including at least 15 of Palestinians from East Jerusalem.

Operation to Secure Attack-Hit Indian Air Base over, Militants Dead
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 02/16/A major operation to secure an Indian air force base attacked by suspected Islamist militants has ended, police said Saturday, 14 hours after gunmen wearing army uniforms infiltrated the installation in northern Punjab state. "The operation is just over. All four terrorists are dead," Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, Deputy Inspector General of police for Pathankot region, told AFP. Singh did not confirm reports that up to three Indian security personnel had been killed carrying out the operation. The attackers, suspected to be from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed Islamist group, struck at Pathankot air base at around 3:30 am (2200 GMT) Saturday. "They are from Jaish, Jaish has claimed responsibility," Indian army Lieutenant General Satish Dua told reporters in televised remarks.

The Arab world is a house with no roof
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/January 02/16
Generations after political emancipation from direct colonial rule and overt western influence, the quest for genuine political independence, democratization and cultural authenticity in many majority Arab states is still unfulfilled. The abject failures of decades of experimentation with controlled liberalization, Arab and local nationalisms, and Arab socialism in the 1950’s and 60’s and with Political Islam in its various forms since the 1967 defeat in the war with Israel, were shockingly confirmed by the Arab uprisings of recent years. The end of colonial rule was the beginning of the era of strong men, usually lower ranking military officers (Nasser in Egypt, Qaddafi in Libya), and the rise of repressive, chauvinistic nationalisms (especially the Baath in Syria and Iraq). The Islamist movements, beginning with the oldest one, the Muslim Brotherhood (established in Egypt in 1928) and the movements it spawned in subsequent decades shared the same illiberal characteristics of the Arab Nationalists and Socialists. In fact illiberal governance is the thread that connects that amorphous universe we call the Arab world.
Illiberalism
The Arab world is a house of many mansions. But it is very difficult for most of its inhabitants to admit that they live in a house with no roof. The uprisings have shown that the walls of all the mansions have deep cracks. It took generations to bring the Arabs to this nadir, and it will take decades to fix the walls and build a new roof, assuming that the house can be saved from total collapse. In this house of many mansions, the mostly Sunni Islamists are, and will likely to remain in the foreseeable future the dominant political force. The Arab world is a house of many mansions. But it is very difficult for most of its inhabitants to admit that they live in a house with no roof
The Islamists, who claim that they are the only authentic political force in the Arab world, are of different stripes, but these differences are not profound. They have shaped the course of all the Arab uprisings; they showed most maturity through Ennahda Party in Tunisia, less so with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, (whose misrule did not warrant the bloody crackdown that befell them). The Islamists fielded the militias that violently toppled Qaddafi in Libya, and they constitute a huge spectrum of dizzying militant groups trying to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria, when they are not fighting among themselves. The Islamists are active above ground and underground throughout the Arab world. The dominant Islamists in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen are Shiites or off-shoot of Shiism, sponsored by Iran. The combatants in these majority Arab states are Islamists of all stripes. The illiberalism all of these Islamists share may not be identical, but most don’t tolerate liberal education, gender equality, full equal rights to minorities, and they usually reduce democracy to majoritarian rule.
Elusive reform
Judging by the constellation of Islamist movements and groups in the Middle East, and given that they find themselves engaged in life and death struggles, and the absence of institutional structures that allows scholars the freedom to debate Islamic themes and reforms, it is difficult to see any time soon, the emergence of a moderate political Islam reconciled with the imperatives of modernity and liberalism that we associate with modern civil states. But this should not be seen as a call to surrender. In the last few decades many Arab scholars and Muslim reformers challenged the dogmas of both the political and religious authorities pushing for reform and a different Muslim hermeneutics and some of them paid the ultimate price, or ended up in exile or in prison. Some had hoped that Muslim communities in Europe and North America would provide the intellectual vigor needed to spark serious critical self-examination in Muslim societies or Muslim communities in the west; but the terror acts committed in recent months and years by European born Muslims and the resulting backlash doomed such hopes. Such attacks revealed that European Muslims still have a long way to go to be fully integrated in European societies, assuming that they want such integration. European states such as France and Belgium are not helping their Muslim citizens feel fully at home when they enact illiberal laws against public displays of religiosity such as banning the hijab in public schools or try to appoint Imams at certain Mosques. On the other hand, even in the most multicultural societies in Europe such as Britain and Denmark integrating Muslim immigrants has become very problematic, with some Muslim youths resorting to terrorism. More than a 100 Danish jihadists may have joined ISIS in Syria, one of the highest rates per capita in Europe.
Eventually, European Muslims would be compelled to develop a European Islam that tries to respect the ethos of the countries the Muslim immigrants are adopting, and the very core values of Islam. The diversity of Islam in history can be explained by its phenomenal ability to adjust to the different cultural milieus it found itself confronting. The way Islam developed in the Levant, Egypt and North Africa, is different than the way it developed in Al-Andalus (Spain), or the Balkans, or South Asia and China. Puritan Islamists refuse to acknowledge this diversity and insist against history and facts that there is one uniform Islam. Islamic civilization prospered and evolved not when it was onto its own, but when it collaborated and learned and competed peacefully with other cultures and religions.
Yes to life
The Umayyad Dynasty in Damascus benefited tremendously from the Christian Arabs who were steeped in Byzantine culture and learned a lot from the more advanced Byzantine and Persian civilizations. In the eighth century, The Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid and his successor son al-Ma’mun established Baghdad’s reputation as the capital of learning and scientific endeavor in the world. The sprawling city, the largest outside China, was open and welcoming to diversity. Caliph al-Rashid established his famed House of Wisdom – a medieval version of a modern think tank- to translate the great works of Greek Philosophy and to have Muslim scholars comment and build on it. In those golden days, classic Arab poetry, including that unique Arab literary genre known as Khamriyat, (the glorification of wine making and wine drinking, with bold references to the realms of religion politics, and ethics) reached its zenith.
Other great Muslim cities, from Cordoba to Istanbul achieved greatness only because of their ‘liberal’ environment and because they embraced intellectual diversity and enjoyed and reveled in the material world. In all of these cities, the Political realm and not the religious was the dominant one. The German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who had strong negative views of Judaism and Christianity and contradictory views of Islam, nonetheless made a striking comment about the ‘wonderful world of the Moorish culture of Spain’, and he found it admirable that Islam ‘said Yes to life even with the rare and refined luxuries of Moorish life.’ From this perspective, there is no greatness is asceticism, or in fake religious puritanism or in fear of the material world. Yes to life.
Hard truths
After each terrorism act in Europe last year, people asked where are the moderate Muslims, or where the outrage in the Muslim world is, or why it is that many Arabs don’t admit that ISIS has deep roots in Arab-Muslim traditions? Arabs and Muslims, who live in denial, usually give the standard answers which dredge up western colonialism and discrimination, or support for Israel and Arab despotism, by way of putting things in ‘context.’Historic Western sins notwithstanding, Muslims should face some hard truths about most of their polities and societies. According to the State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2013, of the ten countries with the most terrorist attacks, seven were Muslim, and of the top ten groups that perpetrated terrorist attacks, seven were Muslim. According to a study by the Pew Research Center (2014), of the 24 most restrictive countries on the free exercise of religion 19 are Muslim-majority. Some of the bloodiest terrorist groups in the world wrap themselves with an Islamic garb, such as ISIS and Boko Haram. An arc of upheavals and violence in majority Muslim states stretching from North Africa, through Syria and Iraq, and all the way to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Beyond the violence, the status of women, children and minorities is very troubling. One cannot wish away these hard truths. It is true that there are no autonomous institutions in the Arab world where Muslim reformers can develop and defend their views, but the fact remains that there are Arab reformers in the Arab world and in the west. This is a battle the West cannot and should not fight for Arabs and Muslims. The fight against ISIS and other forms of religious repression and extremism requires sharp swords as well as sharp and honest words. The challenge of the reformers is enormous and dangerous. But first they have to say YES TO LIFE.

America’s ‘retreat’ and Russia’s ‘expansion’
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/January 02/16
The famous quote “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” attributed to Benjamin Disraeli and Mark Twain among others may not sound true now as it used to in the past; statistics, as a science, has advanced a lot since then. Thus, it may be beneficial to take seriously some predictions made based on surveys conducted by respectable organizations. Among such surveys is one presented as a report at the ‘Arab Strategy Forum’ in Dubai on Dec. 15, 2015 by Dr Gideon Rose of Foreign Affairs magazine under the title ‘State of the World 2016’. The ‘report’ gave impressive predictions of political, security and economic developments, regionally and globally, for 2016 complete with ratios and probabilities. Sure enough the world witnessed several changes in 2015, many of which may be related to political choices made by leaderships we – as observers – have grown to regard as influential and active players, rather than ‘influenced’ leaderships most of whose actions are largely ‘reactions’.The truth, however, is that even major global leaderships do not necessarily control everything around them. Thus, as powerful as it may be, a superpower may find itself from time to time forced to coexist with realities it may not like or would not freely choose. Furthermore, western democracies are always subject and answerable to constant and periodical popular accountability; which means that the concept of ‘leadership’ here is totally different from that we see in dictatorships where a ‘fuhrer’, a ‘tzar’ or a ‘vali e Faqih’ is above the accountability of people and institutions.
Bitter taste of defeat
Hence, if we look at the two former ‘superpowers’ of the ‘Cold War’ – which ended with the defeat and collapse of the former USSR, we realize that we are dealing with a new political situation. It is marked by an American ‘retreat’- unexpected from the victorious side in that ‘war’, and a vengeful Russian ‘expansion’ fueled by the bitter taste of defeat and a strong desire to turn the tables against those who have humiliated an empire that, although once claimed to be ‘internationalist’, has never forgotten its nationalist, religious and imperialist heritage. In fact, the predictions given by Dr Rose with regards to the Middle East, or the world as a whole, reflected America’s ‘retreat’ and Russia’s ‘expansion’ tactically supported by China and Iran. For example, they pointed to a 70% likelihood of Hilary Clinton standing in the U.S. presidential elections despite the policy of ‘retreat’ and withdrawal adopted by Barack Obama.
There was also a 65% likelihood that the tension between Washington and Moscow “should continue to fester but not escalate dramatically”, and a 75% likelihood that the Ukrainian crisis will remain ‘frozen’; all of which may mean that Washington is willing to adjust to a new ‘bi-polar world order’ with Moscow.
The overall picture of America’s ‘retreat’ is further enhanced by the following examples, and I quote:
1- China will continue in its current course of trying to impose dominance without provoking an all-out conflict (likelihood 70%).
2- Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Ukraine, South and East China Seas are going to continue to be the key conflict areas and geopolitical hotspots (likelihood 70%).
3- Iran will try to comply with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of action – the recent nuclear deal – but without opening up (likelihood 75%).
As we notice from the above, the maximum Obama’s Washington is doing at the moment is ‘deterrence’, although its preferred choice is ‘cooling’ the situation in most hotspots after losing initiative.
Almost in the same direction Dr Ghassan Salameh, the Lebanese academic and former cabinet minister and U.N. envoy to Iraq, presented inspired, concise but useful and pessimistic predictions of what 2016 might hold for the Arab world and its neighbouring countries; which were met with some reservations by some listeners. “The next 12 months” Salameh predicted “will bring us prohibited victories, frozen crises, unsavoury settlements and new conflicts”.Indeed, Salameh who lived through the Lebanese Crisis and understood its internal and external complexities is better qualified than many international envoys, such as Staffan de Mistura, to comprehend the root cause of the current situations in Syria and Iraq, as well as the inter-play between the internal problems and regional, international and religious influences. The same could be said about Dr Tareq Mitri, another Lebanese academic and former cabinet minister who was a U.N. envoy to Libya. I reckon Salameh is right in his predictions, at least during what is left of Barack Obama’s term in office given Russia’s expanding military presence in the Levant and the current tactical alliance between Moscow and Tehran in Syria.
More questions heard than answered
As for the ‘Arab Strategy Forum 2015’, it was held in a region where more and more questions are being heard than answered. The ‘one to one’ chats and discussions outside the main hall were more frank, expressive and courageous than some insincere ‘diplomatic’ speeches. Incidentally, a couple of speeches by international officials and experts, past and present, were not only lacking in objectivity, but far from the truth. As I was listening to one speaker, I was shocked by the fact that some senior western officials – like him – still refuse to understand that the audience they are talking to has passed the stage of naïve gullibility and bewilderment at the meaningless clichés thrown at it. This audience has now learnt to doubt, and desires to hear the truth, as bad as it may be. Thus, ‘numbing’ and reassuring pronouncements with regards to Iran – both in the nuclear and sectarian files – may be accepted at face value everywhere today except in the GCC countries. For a long time Washington has been trying ‘sell’ them its nuclear deal with Iran; but whether it is willing to admit it or not, President Obama’s words of reassurance as well as those uttered by his senior aides and European allies have failed to achieve their target.
The reason, simply put, is that the GCC leaders see Iranian actions every day, and “actions speak louder than words!”

How the Internet is revolutionizing volunteering
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/January 02/16
When refugees initially first starting arriving on the Greek island of Lesvos, they found very little help waiting. But when the international community reacted, Lesvos set up registration camps and provided basic amenities. Still, the numbers of incoming refugees fluctuate between 3,000 and 10,000 a day, making it difficult to plan. Eventually, island locals were helping the incoming refugees get to the registration sites. There was reportedly a 60km gap between the shores of Lesvos and the first point of registration. International aid organizations had experience in organizing static camps, as they do in Jordan and Lebanon, but Amnesty International described the situation in Greece as “chaos.”These camps come with bureaucracy and protocols, but when up to 10,000 refugees are arriving every day, there is no time for bureaucracy. Many online realized this and began to pave the way for hundreds of self-organized volunteers – mainly through a Facebook group.
No obstacles
Depending on technology and private volunteers take bureaucracy, egos, and the inefficiencies that come with large organizations out of the equation. While volunteering sometimes requires basic training on interaction, protocols and first-aid, there isn’t always time to provide it. Sometimes, it takes longer to train volunteers and register them than it does to solve the crisis, leading to even greater time inefficiencies. The ability to prioritize volunteering in a time of crisis can be the difference between life and death Using technology to facilitate and administrate volunteer efforts saves on the administration costs of NGOs. Depending on the size of the NGO, the cost of overheads ranges from 10-25% of the total charitable contributions and income to the charity. This is a problem because every dollar spent on administrative fees is a dollar taken away from people who are desperately in need. For this reason, some people choose to not donate their money, and go on volunteer trips instead. While individual volunteers struggle to bring donations to the island, they turn to crowd funding and online fundraising. This is how the Giving Food Truck manages to feed 2,000 refugees daily, with a capacity to feed up to 10,000 people if required, says Adil Izemrane, one of the organizers.
The Internet gave birth to the Giving Food Truck
The refugee crisis needs individuals who have experience in managing crowds, travelers, and a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. That is how The Giving Food Truck was born. A group of business-minded individuals with experience in music festival organization flew out and structured a shelter, a food truck, and a small medical care center between the registration points. The absence of bureaucracy, coupled with the right kind of experience – crowd management, organization, social skills, catering skills, are what made the project successful, and that is exactly what refugees arriving at Lesvos need.
Language is a barrier volunteers overcome from home. One of the biggest challenges arriving at the shores of Greece is the diversity of the refugees. On-the-ground volunteers tell a story of Arabic, Farsi, and Dari being spoken. There is little knowledge of these languages within continental Europe and most of the refugees struggle to communicate. This is where Rapid Response Refugees Translation comes in – another Facebook group. The volunteer translators work from their phones or laptops, providing life-saving translation efforts, such as telling refugees to not put their legs inside the boats so that the boat can continue to balance. The responses to these translation requests often come within minutes.
Refugees deserve another chance at life
Business and technology-savvy individuals have the vital skills required to provide fast response efforts. The ability to prioritize in a time of crisis can be the difference between life and death. Volunteering is becoming revolutionized. While not everyone may have the ability, time or money to volunteer, the use of social media to share positive news and fundraising websites is key to the longevity of these efforts.

A Smorgasbord of Swedish Anti-Semitism
Nima Gholam Ali Pour/ Gatestone Institute/January 2, 2016
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7163/swedish-antisemitism
Sweden is a country where using the word "mass immigration" usually gets criticized just for sounding racist. Only anti-Semitism does not get criticized. In Sweden, all other forms of racism -- even things that some say could be classified as racism -- are criticized, and ruthlessly.
TV4, one of the most important Swedish media outlets, in 2015 described anti-Semitism as simply a "different opinion."
"What is history for us is not the history of others. ... When we have other students who have studied other history books, there is no point in discussing facts against facts." — The administration of an adult-education school, in a reprimand to a teacher who said the Holocaust actually took place.
"The Jews are campaigning against me." — Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström.
There are fewer than 20,000 Jews in Sweden; more than 20,000 Syrians received asylum in 2014 alone. That is why so few politicians -- who are eager to win the votes of immigrants -- talk about Arab anti-Semitism.
On November 9, an anti-racism demonstration was going to be held in Umeå, Sweden, in commemoration of Kristallnacht (the night in 1938 in which 400 Jews were murdered in Germany, and 30,000 Jewish men arrested and sent to concentration camps). There was just one catch: the Jews in Umeå were not invited to the demonstration. The reason given, according to one of the organizers, Jan Hägglund, was that the demonstration would be "perceived as an unwelcoming or unsafe situation for them."
The path to this surreal situation, in which an anti-racism demonstration in Sweden in commemoration of Kristallnacht could be perceived by Jews as a threat, has long been in the making. This demonstration was of some significance. The people behind it were not extremists. Four of the Swedish Parliament's eight parties were involved in organizing it.
This anti-racist demonstration and the strange events surrounding it represent a process that, sadly, has been going on in Sweden for a long time. A new kind of Swedish anti-Semitism has been growing strong; the city of Malmö has been its flagship.
In January 2009, a pro-Israel demonstration in Malmö was attacked by Arabs who were shouting "f-cking Jews." The police could not protect the pro-Israel demonstrators from the eggs and the bottles being thrown at them. The event had to be temporarily stopped when the Arabs began to shoot fireworks at the pro-Israel demonstrators.
In January 2009, an Arab mob in Malmö pelted a peaceful Jewish demonstration with bottles, eggs and smoke bombs. The police pushed the Jews, who had a permit for their gathering, into an alley.
In 2010, for the first time -- but not the last -- the synagogue in Malmö was attacked. The same year, the Simon Wiesenthal Center began warning Jews to not visit Malmö, "due to harassment of Jewish citizens,".
Today, Malmö is a city well known for anti-Semitism and characterized by it. Jews in Malmö cannot publicly show that they are Jews without being subjected to harassment. Many Jewish families, there for centuries, have fled. In October 2015, two members of the Swedish parliament were involved in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Malmö, in which people shouted anti-Semitic slogans and praised the current Palestinian knife attacks against Israeli Jews.
The reason a country such as Sweden has suddenly become struck by extreme anti-Semitism is largely due to immigration from the Middle East. The Arab and Muslim world -- and, since 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has repeatedly threatened genocide -- continues in its state-run media to demonize the Jews. The Arab and Muslim world probably wants, in part, to justify its conflict with Israel. Also in part, many members of the establishment and citizens in those countries probably believe these anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, calumnies repeated every day in their media and mosques.
Many newcomers keep their Middle East background even after they have settled in Sweden. Many, especially in immigrant areas such as Rosengård in Malmö, regularly watch the Arabic media, which convey anti-Semitic messages non-stop.
At the same time, members of this population are welcome to vote in Swedish elections, so Swedish parties focus on the Arab vote. This courtship is merely a matter of demographics. There are fewer than 20,000 Jews in Sweden; more than 20,000 Syrians received asylum in 2014 alone.
In addition, to vote in the important municipal elections, you do not even need to be a citizen of Sweden. This peculiarity is why so few politicians in Sweden even talk about the Arab anti-Semitism, despite several Swedish reports and documentaries showing that the growing anti-Semitism in Sweden has been largely imported from the Middle East.
That is also why most anti-racism organizations in Sweden would rather discuss "Islamophobia." Almost all Swedish anti-racism organizations are funded by taxpayers or are somehow connected to political parties -- meaning there is an all-too-businesslike "understanding" between political parties and anti-racism organizations. Most of the political parties do not exactly favor anti-racism organizations that talk about Arab anti-Semitism. Such organizations will have trouble getting funds, or are defunded, or else see their board members start to resign.
Despite more Muslims coming to Sweden and more Jews fleeing Sweden -- or perhaps because of it -- the majority of the anti-racism activists in Sweden consider "Islamophobia" the more serious problem. The influential anti-racism organization, Expo, has done several mappings of "Islamophobia," but, despite the bigotry, not a single mapping of anti-Semitism.
If you do a mapping of anti-Semitism in Sweden, you see, you also have to discuss immigration from the Middle East. Not many people in Sweden want to do that: those who discuss Arab anti-Semitism are called racists.
Instead of a discussion about the new Swedish anti-Semitism, you get mind-numbing op-ed columns appearing with the message that people should talk less about the Holocaust in Swedish schools, so that Arab youths will not be offended. In criticizing a government proposal to combat anti-Semitism by increasing Holocaust education, Helena Mechlaoui, a high school teacher of history, religion and philosophy, wrote:
"If we talk about students from the Middle East, it may be because many of them bear the traumatic experiences that are related to either Israeli or American policies. And the two states are often seen as one, which is not entirely wrong. They may have lost one or more siblings, cousins, parents or peers in an Israeli or American bombing. A large proportion are here in Sweden because they have been forced to leave their homes because of occupation, war or the misery in some refugee camp. They may have injured parents who cannot really cope with life, and they may still have family in conflict areas. It is likely that they have encountered hostility in Sweden. In this context, it is perhaps not desirable to start talking about the Holocaust."
Immigration from Arab countries has thoroughly affected the way the majority of Swedes view anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is no longer something Swedish society condemns. Several Swedish celebrities have recently made anti-Semitic statements, and their careers have not suffered at all. The Swedish rapper Dani M spreads anti-Semitic conspiracy theories both on social media and in his songs. After several media outlets in Sweden, at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015, reported in detail how Dani M spreads anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, he appeared on a reality TV show in September on one of the biggest and most established Swedish channels, TV4. When TV4 was criticized, the show's executive producer, Christer Andersson, responded:
"TV4's core values are Zero Racism and has always been, as long as I can remember, but we cannot cut off people who do not feel the same way. TV4 is a portal where people with different opinions pass and we must have a broad level of acceptance."
Here you have one of the most important Swedish media outlets describing anti-Semitism as simply a "different opinion." During the same period, another of TV4's employees used the "N-word" in a YouTube clip, and she was fired within two months. So, anti-Semitism is acceptable, but not racism against Afro-Swedes. In another example, the Swedish TV celebrity Gina Dirawi, of Palestinian origin, wrote in her blog in 2010 that Israel's actions could be compared to Hitler's. Then, in 2012, she advised people, again on her blog, to read a book that questioned the Holocaust. The book's message was that when the Nazis persecuted the Jews, they were acting in self-defense. These were just two of the many anti-Semitic statements she made on her blog. Today, Gina Dirawi hosts several shows on SVT -- the Swedish public broadcasting company -- and she hosted SVT's Christmas show in 2015. As Dirawi is a Muslim, this choice has raised some eyebrows. She is also going to host the 2016 Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen, one of Sweden's most popular music events.
It is, unfortunately, clear that in Sweden, anti-Semitism is not something that harms one's career. The Swedish media, like the government, also is not so interested in Sweden's problems with anti-Semitism. When the Swedish think tank Perspektiv På Israel presented evidence in May 2015 that Islamic Relief's country director in Sweden was spreading anti-Semitic posts on Facebook, no one in the media was interested in writing about it, despite the fact that Islamic Relief is supported by Sida, the Swedish government agency responsible for Sweden's official aid to developing countries.
The Swedish media did not even allow an opinion piece from Perspektiv På Israel to be published on the subject. Nyheter24, one of the Swedish media outlets that did not publish Perspektiv På Israel's information about this scandal, wrote in an email to Perspektiv På Israel that their "readers are, to say the least, not interested in this particular issue."As a columnist for the newspaper Samtiden, I mentioned Islamic Relief's racist statements in an op-ed, and the information was also presented in The Jewish Press. Swedish media showed no interest, even though there was evidence that an organization receiving Swedish tax funds was publishing anti-Semitic statements in social media. It is important to note that all these incidents happened in a country where using the word "mass immigration" usually gets criticized just for sounding racist. It is only anti-Semitism that does not get criticized in Sweden. All other forms of racism -- even things that some say could be classified as racism -- are criticized, and ruthlessly. Although the new anti-Semitism in Sweden has its origin in Arab or Islamic anti-Semitism, to think that anti-Semitism in Sweden today is only Middle Eastern in its nature is a simplification. Anti-Semitism in Sweden has become a smorgasbord consisting of several factors that reinforce each other. Some of these are:
Large-scale immigration from countries where anti-Semitism is normalized.
A strong pro-Palestinian engagement among Swedish politicians that has resulted in a totally surreal debate about the Israel-Palestine debate, in which Israel is unjustly demonized.
A desire among political parties in Sweden to win the votes of immigrants.
A Swedish multiculturalism that is so uncritical of foreign cultures that it cannot differentiate between culture and racism.
A fear of sounding critical of immigration.
Important Swedish institutions, such as the Church of Sweden, legitimizing anti-Semitism by endorsing Kairos Palestine document. A combination of these factors creates a situation in which anti-Semitism can grow without meeting any real resistance or criticism. The following happened at Komvux, an education program for adults in Sweden, in the city of Helsingborg: A substitute teacher was defending facts surrounding the Holocaust during a class, after a student questioned if the Holocaust had actually happened. The school administration criticized the substitute teacher with the following arguments: "What is history for us is not the history of others. ... When we have other students who have studied other history books, there is no point in discussing facts against facts."
This is an event that occurred in February 2015, in a major Swedish city. It could have happened in any Swedish city where the new Swedish anti-Semitism is rising. A Swedish school no longer knows if the fact that Holocaust actually happened is a fact worth defending. The anti-Semitic smorgasbord normalizes anti-Semitism in Sweden. When it was reported in mid-November that the Swedish Foreign Minister, Margot Wallström, said "the Jews are campaigning against me," it did not become major news in Sweden. It was not the first time a famous Swedish politician made anti-Semitic statements and got away with it, and it will not be the last. So, we return to November 9, 2015 in Umeå, and the anti-racism march for the commemoration of Kristallnacht, to which the Jews were not invited, and to this year's Muslim Christmas hostess, who has several times expressed anti-Semitic views, and to the schools that are not sure whether to say that the Holocaust actually happened or not, and to a country where in general it is business-as-usual not to invite the Jews. The media does not report it. The politicians do not care. And everyone knows that in Sweden, the anti-Semites get away with anything they like.
**Nima Gholam Ali Pour is a member of the board of education in the Swedish city of Malmö and is engaged in several Swedish think tanks concerned with the Middle East. Gholam Ali Pour is also editor for the social conservative website Situation Malmö.
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