LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 15/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.june15.16.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
But the one who
endures to the end will be saved
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Mark 13/09-13:"‘As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand
you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand
before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good
news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and
hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say
whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy
Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and
children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be
hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be
saved."
Peter Revives Tabitha and
brings her back to life
Acts of the Apostles 09/31-43:"Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee,
and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in
the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Now as Peter went here
and there among all the believers, he came down also to the saints living in
Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight
years, for he was paralysed. Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you;
get up and make your bed!’ And immediately he got up. And all the residents of
Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. Now in Joppa there was a
disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to
good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they
had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa,
the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the
request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them;
and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood
beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made
while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down
and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened
her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up.
Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known
throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa
for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on June 14-15/16
They can't risk the livelihood of their people on a very narrow piece of land just to satisfy self-guilted romantic Europeans/Rogers Bejjani/Face Book/June 13/16
How one Palestinian cafe in Lebanon
is breaking stereotypes, gender barriers/Gaja Pellegrini-Bettoli/Al-Monitor/June14/16
Backstage at Turkey's Shotgun Wedding with Israel/Burak Bekdil/ Gatestone
Institute./June 14/16
Saudi Arabia's New Oil Policy/Sabah Khadri/Gatestone Institute./June 14/16
The Orlando Massacre Is Just the Beginning/Raymond Ibrahim /FrontPage
Magazine/June 14/16
Why many Iranians are feeling the Bern/Masoud Lavasani/Al-Monitor/June14/16
Erdogan scores no points at Muhammad Ali's funeral/Fehim Taştekin/Al-Monitor/June14/16
What will happen to Britain if it exits the EU/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June
14/16
Foreign policy in focus as Saudi deputy crown prince visits US/Dr. John C.
Hulsman/Al Arabiya/June 14/16
How social media trends hold mirror to the society/Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/June
14/16
Donald Trump’s exploitation of Orlando benefits ISIS/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/June
14/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
June 14-15/16
They can't risk the livelihood of their people on a very narrow piece of land just to satisfy self-guilted romantic Europeans
Sami Gemayel Announces Resignation
of Kataeb Ministers from Govt.
Report: 2 Held near Verdun Blast Scene amid 'Confidence' Culprits Can be
Unveiled
Mustaqbal: Hizbullah Anti-Banks Campaign Paved Way for Verdun Blast
Hariri Urges 'Solidarity' with Salameh, Banking Sector after Verdun Blast
Hariri Reportedly Tells Geagea He Won't Back Down on Franjieh's Nomination
Report: Salameh Says CNBC Remarks Misinterpreted as BLOM Softens Stance
Salam meets EU Political and Security Committee at Serail
March 14 youth organizations stage sit in outside Central Bank in support of
banking sector
Bassil continues Norway visit, renews Lebanon rejection of refugees' integration
in host communities
Minister of Interior, Nohad Mashnouq confirms to EU security chief home security
under control
Geagea hopes Salam personally intervenes to appoint State Security Deputy Chief
Tohme: To spare banking sector ramifications of political disputes
Hakim says Cabinet's dealing methodology with State Security dossier destructive
Ghanem: Targeting BLOM bank continuation to sustainable strife against Lebanon
One wounded in traffic brawl in Bekaa
How one Palestinian cafe in Lebanon is breaking stereotypes, gender barriers
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 14-15/16
UN elects Israel as committee chair
for first time
Netanyahu Says Israel to Help NATO Anti-Terror Fight with Intelligence
Turkey, Russia Leaders in First Contact since Plane Crisis
ISIS counter-attack on Syria regime forces kills 28
US Apache helicopter strikes ISIS in Iraq
Saudi deputy crown prince meets Kerry
Gunman in Orlando gay club shooting was reportedly a regular
Obama: Orlando attacker was homegrown
Philippines confirms second Canadian hostage beheaded
France says police killer shot live video of attack
Who is French police killing suspect Larossi Abballa?
What will be the fate of the missing EgyptAir jet?
Yemen UN envoy halts submitting peace roadmap
Petra news agency hacked, attributes false comments to Saudi Prince
Bahrain suspends main opposition party al-Wefaq
UN to authorize EU to enforce Libya arms embargo
EU envoy to Turkey resigns after row with Ankara
VIDEO: Scene of public flogging in southern Iran city
Iran political prisoners support the hunger striking prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh
Iran: Prospects for change one year after the nuclear agreement
Over 270 MEPs denounce human rights abuses in Iran
Iranians in Norway protest Zarif’s presence
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
June 14-15/16
Video: Robert Spencer on the Pact of Umar
Wife of Orlando jihad mass murderer knew of his jihad plans
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: Law Enforcement ‘Never Guessed’ Gay Club Would Be
Targeted by Jihad
Omar Mateen was gay, was a regular at club where he committed jihad mass murder
Video: Robert Spencer on Fox’s Geraldo Rivera Reports on the Orlando jihad
massacre
France: Muslim stabs teenage girl as “sacrifice” during Ramadan
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Finally: A Realistic Plan for Fighting the Jihad
and Protecting Americans
Ramadan in Texas: SWAT team shoots Muslim who took hostages at Amarillo Walmart
Florida bishop blames Orlando jihad massacre on Catholic ‘contempt’ for
homosexuality
Video: Robert Spencer on Newsmax on the Orlando jihad massacre
Reading the Qur’an during Ramadan 10: Juz Wa Alamu
Robert Spencer in the Detroit News: Orlando reveals our willful ignorance about
jihad
Ramadan in Paris: Muslim screaming “Allahu akbar” murders policeman and wife
Orlando jihad attack highlights debate about acceptance of LGBT
people in Islam
June 14-15/16
They can't risk the livelihood of their people on a very narrow piece of land just to satisfy self-guilted romantic Europeans
Rogers Bejjani/Face Book/June 13/16
Israel a country surrounded by a "wanna
eat Jews alive" crowd is having much less victims of terrorism than France or
the US. They do what they have to do to protect their people. They used to have
a weekly suicide bombing in Tel Aviv (buses, Cafes etc...). They finally built a
wall to keep the infiltrated out and took serious anti-terror harsh punishment
measures + a deployment of multiple undercover agents in the West Bank strip. It
has nearly wiped out all suicide attacks. They did face lately the knife
tactical attack or the car rundown one. Surprisingly efficient but the victims'
toll is quite low. It seems that this phenomenon is now under control as well.
Of course many blame the occupation of the West Bank or the colonies and finger
point it as the motivation behind terrorist acts perpetrated against civilians.
Unfortunately, Palestinians had the opportunity to make a show case with Gaza
post withdrawal of Israeli forces from this strip. They showed the world that
their only concern was to rage a limitless war against Israel. It was not very
encouraging for Israelis to perpetrate the Gaza withdrawal with a similar one
from the WestBank; knowing that Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ben Gourion airport will
be in range of Palestinian shells. No sane government will grant freedom and
independence in this narrow piece of land to a people that only dreams of
cutting your throat. That's real politic stripped of useless and easy
melodramatic emotional emphasis. If I was in charge of the Israeli government, I
will never grant independence to a Palestinian state unless I am sure that those
people want to live in peace.Bottom line, what is happening in Europe, the US
but mainly in Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya clearly vindicates the tough and
uncompromising stance of Israelis. They can't risk the livelihood of their
people on a very narrow piece of land just to satisfy self-guilted romantic
Europeans.Just look around!
Sami Gemayel Announces Resignation
of Kataeb Ministers from Govt.
The Kataeb Party has decided to ask its two ministers Sejaan Qazzi and Alain
Hakim to resign from Prime Minister Tammam Salam's government, Kataeb chief MP
Sami Gemayel announced on Tuesday. "The Kataeb Party has decided to resign from
the government because Lebanon needs a 'positive shock',” said Gemayel at a
press conference. “For a while now, they have been trying to suppress us through
cabinet mechanisms that were created with the aim of stifling our opinion and
preventing us from stopping their deals,” Gemayel added. “They are not concerned
with protecting the banking sector against the verbal attacks and they did not
care about the economic plan that was submitted by the economy minister
(Hakim),” Gemayel went on to say. “They are only concerned with passing
suspicious deals,” he said. Earlier in the day, al-Jadeed television reported
that Kataeb had held a “stormy meeting” in which it decided to ask Economy
Minister Alain Hakim and Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi to “resign from the
government while leaving the choice for (Information Minsiter Ramzi)
Jreij.”Jreij told As Safir newspaper that he will not resign from the government
because he “is not a member of the Kataeb Party.”
“In my opinion, the situations in the country cannot withstand the resignation
of Qazzi and Hakim,” the minister said. On Thursday, Gemayel hinted that his
party's ministers might resign or suspend their participation in cabinet
sessions should their presence in the government cease to “serve the interest of
the Lebanese.”Gemayel voiced his remarks shortly after Kataeb's ministers walked
out of a cabinet session in protest at the government's handling of the waste
management file. At his press conference on Thursday, Gemayel also expressed
environmental concerns related to the controversial Janna dam project.
“The two issues are a disaster targeted against every citizen in Lebanon,” he
said. “I don't know if there's a relation between maintaining works at the Janna
dam and approving the waste management file. Some ministers said that they were
opposed to the approval of the plan, but when we asked them to turn our
opposition into a suspension of the plan they suddenly backpedaled on their
rejection and passed a resolution allowing the filling of the sea” with garbage,
Gemayel added. “They have chosen to destroy the largest forestland in the
country and we have proposed alternative solutions,” Kataeb's chief said of the
Janna dam project. He noted that two out of three environmental impact studies
had concluded that “the project is non-beneficial and non-environmental” while
the third had warned of potential risks. “We have found out that the contractor
had been put on trial in Brazil on charges of corruption. The Brazilian firm was
accused of bribing politicians to approve the contruction of useless dams,”
Gemayel revealed. He called for suspending construction works in the Janna area
“pending a probe into the integrity of the contractor.”As for the government's
plans to set up seaside garbage landfills in the Costa Brava and Bourj Hammoud
areas, Gemayel lamented that the government “has decided to fill the
Mediterranean Sea with garbage without conducting an environmental impact study
and without sorting or treating the waste.”“Our presence in the government is
useful when we manage to stop corruption and benefit the Lebanese, but should
our presence cease to serve the interest of the Lebanese then it would become
unnecessary,” Gemayel went on to say.
Report: 2 Held near Verdun Blast
Scene amid 'Confidence' Culprits Can be Unveiled
Naharnet/June 14/16/Two suspects were arrested near the scene of the blast that
targeted the headquarters of BLOM Bank in Verdun on Sunday evening, a media
report said. “The two suspects were close to the bombing scene and they are
still being interrogated,” al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing
security information it has obtained. Security agencies are also probing the
presence of “a car that stopped in the outer street that stretches from Tallet
al-Khayyat to the end of the Aisha Bakkar area,” the daily added. It also said
that the bomb was connected to a timer and that it weighed eight kilograms of
highly explosive TNT. “Sources close to the investigation have voiced confidence
about the possibility of identifying the party that plotted the bomb attack and
arresting the culprits who acted on the ground,” al-Liwaa added. The explosion
outside the Verdun headquarters of BLOM Bank, one of the country's largest,
wounded two people and caused extensive material damage to the building's glass
facade and the parked cars. BLOM bank has been criticized by some pro-Hizbullah
politicians for taking a hard-line position after Lebanese banks began abiding
by a U.S. law that sanctions doing business with the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
Authorities say dozens of bank accounts related to Hizbullah's organizations
have been closed in recent weeks.
Mustaqbal: Hizbullah
Anti-Banks Campaign Paved Way for Verdun Blast
Naharnet/June 14/16/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc announced Tuesday that it
will await the outcome of the investigations into the blast that rocked the
Verdun headquarters of BLOM Bank on Sunday, while noting that it cannot
disregard “the media and political campaign that Hizbullah waged and is still
waging against the Central Bank and the Lebanese banking sector.”“This terrorist
crime is one of the biggest and most dangerous terrorist crimes that have
targeted Lebanon in a long while and it is aimed at intimidating the Lebanese
banking sector and consequently the national and social security of Lebanon and
the Lebanese,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
“The bloc stresses the need for the Lebanese judicial authorities and security
agencies to quickly finalize the necessary investigations with all due
professionalism, seriousness and speed, in order to unveil all the perpetrators
who were behind this terrorist attack,” it added. Mustaqbal pointed out that
“ever since the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, compliance with the
international financial standards and regulations has become a binding issue
that no one can evade if they want to remain a part of the global economy and
the global financial system.”
The Hizbullah International Financing Prevention Act was “unanimously approved
by the U.S. Congress and Lebanon did not have a role in it at all,” Mustaqbal
noted, adding that “no one has the ability to amend, change or revoke the
law.”“The fierce media and political campaign that was launched by Hizbullah and
some pro-Hizbullah journalists against the Central Bank and the Lebanese banking
sector is what paved the way and created the appropriate atmosphere for the
terrorist crime that targeted the headquarters of BLOM Bank,” the bloc added. It
also called on the government to “pay attention to the risks that Lebanon's
economic security and stability are facing due to Hizbullah's current dangerous
policies.” The explosion outside the Verdun headquarters of BLOM Bank, one of
the country's largest, wounded two people and caused extensive material damage
to the building's glass facade and the parked cars. BLOM bank has been
criticized by some pro-Hizbullah politicians for taking a hard-line position
after Lebanese banks began abiding by a U.S. law that sanctions doing business
with the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Authorities say dozens of bank accounts
related to Hizbullah's organizations have been closed in recent weeks.
Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc lashed out at Central Bank
Governor Salameh on Thursday, noting that his remarks about the suspension of
100 Hizbullah-linked bank accounts reflect an inclination to renounce “national
sovereignty.” Describing the statements as “ambiguous and suspicious,”
Hizbullah's bloc said that “everyone must realize that the resistance's
supporters and educational and health institutions are immune to any attempt to
target them by anyone.”
Hariri Urges 'Solidarity' with Salameh, Banking Sector after Verdun Blast
Naharnet/June 14/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on Monday
called for “solidarity” with Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, the baking
sector and “all the heroes who are defiant in the face of terrorism,” a day
after a blast rocked the Beirut headquarters of Lebanon's second largest bank.
“Yesterday, Lebanon and its economy and banking sector were subjected to a clear
terrorist message,” said Hariri at an iftar banquet he held at the Center House
for students from several Lebanese universities and children from the Khaled
Foundations. “Today, I call on you to stand for a 'minute of applause' rather
than a minute of silence, in salutation and solidarity with all those who are
still resilient in Lebanon and with the banking sector and Central Bank Governor
Riad Salameh,” Hariri added. “Let us clap for all the heroes who are defiant in
the face of terrorism,” Hariri went on to say.
On Sunday, Hariri reassured that Lebanon will emerge victorious from its “long
battle” with “terrorism and bombings.”“Terrorism will not intimidate the
Lebanese, we will all confront it and Lebanon will prevail in the end,” said
Hariri at a Mustaqbal iftar banquet in BIEL on Sunday that coincided with the
time of the blast. The explosion outside the Verdun headquarters of BLOM Bank,
one of the country's largest, wounded two people and caused extensive material
damage to the building's glass facade and the parked cars. BLOM bank has been
criticized by some pro-Hizbullah politicians for taking a hard-line position
after Lebanese banks began abiding by a U.S. law that sanctions doing business
with the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Authorities say dozens of bank accounts
related to Hizbullah's organizations have been closed in recent weeks.
Hariri Reportedly Tells
Geagea He Won't Back Down on Franjieh's Nomination
Naharnet/June 14/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri has informed
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea that he will not withdraw his support for the
presidential nomination of Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, a media
report said on Tuesday. “During his meeting with LF media officer Melhem Riachi
yesterday, Hariri asked Riachi to relay a message to Geagea, saying that he will
carry on with his support for MP Suleiman Franjieh's nomination and that he will
not back down on this decision,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported. Hariri has also
informed al-Mustaqbal's political bureau of his decision, the daily added. Media
reports had recently said that Hariri might give up Franjieh's nomination to
endorse that of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun.
Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Suleiman's term expired in May
2014 and Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Franjieh for the
presidency.
Hariri's move was however met with reservations from the country's main
Christian parties as well as Hizbullah, which is still insisting on the
nomination of Aoun, its main Christian ally who has recently forged an alliance
with his longtime Christian rival Geagea. The parliamentary blocs of Hizbullah
and Aoun and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral process in
parliament, stripping the sessions of the needed quorum. Aoun's supporters argue
that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president given the size of his
parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian political arena.
Report: Salameh Says CNBC
Remarks Misinterpreted as BLOM Softens Stance
Naharnet/June 14/16/Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has announced that his
latest remarks to CNBC TV were “taken out of context” as BLOM Bank has softened
its stance on the implementation of the anti-Hizbullah U.S. sanctions, a media
report said on Tuesday.
During a meeting at the Grand Serail with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil on Monday, Salameh clarified that his remarks
to CNBC were “taken out of context” and that the interview part attributed to
him did not contain an accusation to Hizbullah of being “an illegitimate group
that is corrupting the banking sector,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported.The report
comes two days after a bomb exploded outside the headquarters of BLOM Bank in
Beirut's Verdun area. Quoting informed sources, al-Akhbar said BLOM director
general Saad al-Azhari told Salameh during a Monday meeting that the bank will
“abide by the decisions of the Central Bank's Special Investigation Commission.”
The statement issued after the Grand Serail meeting also carried “concessions by
some bankers regarding their previous stances on the mechanism through which the
U.S. law should be implemented,” the newspaper added. “The statement reaffirmed
the mechanism that was announced by the Special Investigation Commission in its
Memo Number 20, which had been rejected by BLOM Bank,” al-Akhbar said. BLOM's
owners “had several times reiterated that the U.S. law necessitated commitment
to the requests of the U.S. banks” that deal with Lebanese banks, the daily
added. BLOM bank has been criticized by some pro-Hizbullah politicians for
taking a hard-line position after Lebanese banks began abiding by a U.S. law
that sanctions doing business with the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Authorities
say dozens of bank accounts related to Hizbullah's organizations have been
closed in recent weeks. The Association of Banks in Lebanon has meanwhile asked
Salameh to “establish a direct channel of communication with Hizbullah” after
bankers agreed during their meetings on Monday that “there can be no stability
without offering guarantees to Shiites,” al-Akhbar said. The daily also quoted
sources close to Hizbullah as saying that the party will soon submit a paper to
Salameh that is aimed at “clarifying any ambiguities regarding the
implementation of the Central Bank's memos.”"Our priority is to keep Lebanon on
the international financial map so we have taken a resolution that we will
implement that U.S. law in Lebanon and we have put in place a structure to do it
to satisfy the objectives of that law and at the same time preserve the rights
of the Shiites to have access to the banks," Salameh told CNBC on Wednesday, in
remarks published on the TV network's website. On a wider level, it was crucial
for Lebanon to adhere to international financial practices, he said, to improve
its credibility in international markets. "The more you improve your reputation
the more funds you get that are serious, we don't want illegal funds in our
system. We don't want a few Lebanese to spoil the image of the country or the
financial markets in Lebanon," Salameh said. Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance
parliamentary bloc lashed out at Salameh in the wake of the interview, noting
that his remarks about the suspension of 100 Hizbullah-linked bank accounts
reflect an inclination to renounce “national sovereignty.”And describing the
statements as “ambiguous and suspicious,” the bloc said that “everyone must
realize that the resistance's supporters and educational and health institutions
are immune to any attempt to target them by anyone.”U.S. President Barack Obama
signed the Hizbullah International Financing Prevention Act on December 18 and
the Act threatens to sanction anyone who finances the group. Hizbullah, which
has members in parliament and the cabinet, is considered a “terrorist
organization” by the United States.
Salam meets EU Political and
Security Committee at Serail
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Prime Minister, Tammam Salam, met on Tuesday at the Grand
Serail with the Political and Security Committee (PSC) of the European Union,
led by Committee Chairman Ambassador Walter Stevens, and membership of the 28
Ambassadors representing EU Member States at the PSC. The delegation also
included the Chairman of the EU Military Committee, the Representative of the
European Commission to the PSC, and the Deputy Director General of European
Commission Directorate for Neighborhood and Enlargement. Premier Salam stressed
before the delegation "the need to intensify the European Union's support to the
Lebanese developmental priorities, especially in light of the difficult economic
situation in the country and the need to assist Lebanon in the fight against
poverty and unemployment, as well as bear the burden of the Syrian refugees in
Lebanon." Salam also thanked the European Union for its support in security and
anti-terrorism issues, especially EU support to the Lebanese army. The Premier
also underlined the dire need to elect a president of the republic as "one of
the key pillars of the Lebanese entity," pointing out that "the roadmap for
cooperation between the EU and Lebanon has become underway, which will provide
an opportunity to launch development projects, either via grants or soft loans."
On the other hand, Premier Salam met with a delegation of the International
Byblos Festivals Committee, led by its head, Latifa Lakkis, who extended to him
an invitation to attend the opening ceremony of Byblos festivals upcoming July
15, 2016.
March 14 youth organizations
stage sit in outside Central Bank in support of banking sector
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Youth organizations affiliated to March 14 forces staged
on Tuesday a symbolic sit in outside Lebanon's Central bank, in support of the
banking sector and economy in the face of attacks entailing them.
Bassil continues Norway
visit, renews Lebanon rejection of refugees' integration in host communities
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Foreign Minister, Gebran Bassil, continued his state visit
to Norway, and met on Tuesday with his counterpart Borge Brende, as well as with
Norwegian Minister of Migration and Integration, Sylvi Listhaug. During the
meeting, Bassil thanked Norway for its humanitarian aids for refugees, demanding
that they be presented directly to the Lebanese state institutions and the host
communities. He also renewed Lebanon's "rejection of any international policy
and its financial consequences that encourage Syrians' integration in host
communities," highlighting the necessity of encouraging refugees to return to
their country. During his first day in Oslo, Bassil and Brende jointly signed an
agreement.
Minister of Interior, Nohad Mashnouq confirms to EU security chief home security
under control
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Minister of Interior, Nohad Mashnouq, told Chair of the
European Union's Political and Security Committee, Walter Stevens, that home
security in Lebanon was under control, and that banks could not be "held
hostages" for political reasons.
"The last explosion that targeted BLOM Bank is not like any other explosion that
has taken place in Lebanon. The Internal Security Forces and, the army, and the
General Security are working around the clock to confront any security danger
and face terrorist cells," Mashnouq told Stevens, who visited him alongside a
senior delegation. The Minister also reminded of the necessity to fill the
presidential vacuum, voicing concerns if the legislative polls were ever held
before the election of a new head of state. Separately, Mashnouq welcomed
Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Badreddine Zayed, with whom he
discussed the bilateral relations, in addition to the current situation in the
country and the broader Arab region. Mashnouq later met with a delegation of
Hamas Movement.
Geagea hopes Salam personally
intervenes to appoint State Security Deputy Chief
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces Leader, Samir Geagea, on Tuesday dismissed
the government's attitude towards the state security as unacceptable."The
government is currently readying itself for a new violation against the state
security, now that the deputy head of the state security will retire on the 26th
of June. Instead of seizing the opportunity and appointing a new deputy chief,
the state is readying itself to concoct a new illegal attempt tp extend the
mandate of the already existing member," Geagea said via twitter today. The
Lebanese Forces chief lashed out at such state reaction, saying it only
contributes to more disruption within an institution whose role is of paramount
importance, especially at the time being. "I hope the head of state [Prime
Minister Tammam Salam] personally intervenes to avert a likely deterioration of
the situation by means of appointing a new deputy chief replacing the old one,"
Geagea's tweet added.
Tohme: To spare banking
sector ramifications of political disputes
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Democratic Gathering MP, Nehme Tohme, called on political
leaders to set the banking sector apart from political wrangling and local and
regional conflicts. The MP praised the role played by the Governor of the
Lebanese Central Bank preserving the national currency during this difficult
stage. He also called on political forces to adopt a language of reason and
moderation and to rally around the Lebanese army and security forces.
Hakim says Cabinet's dealing
methodology with State Security dossier destructive
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Trade and Economy Minister, Alain Hakim said on Tuesday in
a statement "the methodology of Cabinet's addressing the State Security dossier
is a destructive method to one of the most important security institution in
Lebanon."
"Our stance is clear which is to implement the law and to facilitate the state
institutions issues," the statement added.
Ghanem: Targeting BLOM bank continuation to sustainable strife against Lebanon
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Deputy Robert Ghanem stressed in a statement on Tuesday
that "targeting BLOM bank is a continuation to sustainable strife against
Lebanon and its components, particularly at this period."The MP condemned the
blast which rocked Verdun on Sunday. The Deputy called on the judicial and
security authorities to swiftly uncover the side behind the blast.
One wounded in traffic brawl in Bekaa
Tue 14 Jun 2016/NNA - Citizen Ibrahim Haidar Hamza, born 1984, was shot and
wounded during a traffic brawl in the Bekaa town of Khodr, National News Agency
correspondent reported on Tuesday. The shooter, a member of Kanaan family from
Khraibe town, fled to an unknown destination.
How one Palestinian cafe in Lebanon
is breaking stereotypes, gender barriers
Gaja Pellegrini-Bettoli/Al-Monitor/June14/16
BURJ EL-BARAJNEH, Lebanon — Nassar al-Tanji is sitting at the bar at Jafra cafe
talking to friends. He is a 20-year-old Palestinian refugee originally from the
Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, Syria. He became a refugee twice in 2011 when
he fled his war-torn home in Syria. For Tanji, Jafra cafe is a unique place in
the Burj el-Barajneh camp in Beirut, where he can meet with other men and women,
have discussions and not be harassed, breaking the existing gender barriers in
the camp. Here, he has a space where he can interact with others and not be
frowned upon by onlookers.Founded in April 2015 by Palestinian musician Ashraf
el-Chouli, who invested his life savings to open it, Jafra is the first mixed
meeting place in the camp. Here, young men and women can go to read in its small
library, listen to music or meet visiting guests from outside the camp, many of
them musicians, including Palestinian singer and international star Mohammed
Assaf who sang and played music with Chouli at Jafra for an evening.
Al-Monitor met with Chouli during preparations in a special kitchen set up for
food to be delivered in the coming days to 300 needy families in the camp for
Ramadan. The kitchen, located in a separate building, was recently completed.
"When I first opened Jafra, I thought I would be able to live off it. I soon
realized that was not the case. In fact, for some time, I had to sleep at the
cafe because I had invested all my savings in it and could not afford my own
rent. But I cannot close it. It is important for the community to have these
open meeting places. The youth in particular need it. I lose as a business, but
I win as an idea," he said.
What makes Jafra special is that it is entirely privately funded. It does not
belong nor is it sponsored by a nongovernmental organization (NGO) or
institution. Originally from the Palestinian camp of Rashidiya in southern
Lebanon, Chouli, 34, is a self-taught player of the oud (a Middle Eastern
stringed instrument) and a famous musician on Beirut's Hamra Street. Jafra cafe
is meant to provide Palestinians with exposure to the world outside the camp
and, at the same time, contribute to changing negative stereotypes about
Palestinian camps with the Lebanese community. The sign over the door reads "Al-Auda"
(Arabic for "The Return"), referring to the Palestinian right to return.
When Chantal Abboud first visited Jafra, her preconceived ideas about life in a
Palestinian camp were completely transformed. The 22-year-old film student from
Jounieh who studies at St. Joseph University in Beirut told Al-Monitor, "I come
from a Christian community north of Beirut, [so] when I decided to do a
documentary on the camps, my parents were sure that once I visited them I would
not like it and change my mind." Contrary to her parents' prediction, the
experience has changed and increased her understanding of life in the camps.
The change in perception worked both ways. While Abboud has decided to continue
going to the camp and postpone her documentary in order to do more extensive
work on it, the Palestinians at the camp have learned to trust her. This is
unusual in Lebanon, where the Lebanese tend to avoid going to the Palestinian
camps for various reasons, especially security concerns. On a smaller scale,
this was one of the objectives that Chouli had when opening Jafra cafe: breaking
the barrier between the camp's community and the Lebanese.
Chouli explained that he decided to open the meeting place in Beirut, and not in
his native Rashidiya camp in the south, because the former is easy to access for
outside visitors. For those who wish to visit Rashidiya, Lebanese army
intelligence needs to give permission for those who do not live at the camp.
Chouli said he chose the name Jafra for the meeting place because it is a
popular Palestinian tale and a symbol. The story narrates the displacement of a
beautiful young Palestinian girl from a village near Acre, currently Israel, to
the Lebanese camps and the romantic poems she inspired in the heart of a young
poet. Jafra is now a famous Palestinian folk music that is played at weddings,
parties and many other occasions.
Jafra cafe is a hub of ideas and cultural and social initiatives. Al-Monitor
visited a recording studio that Chouli is building next door. Supporting himself
now primarily from his work as a musician, Chouli sometimes receives offers and
donations from the community and friends for such initiatives.
"For young musicians in the camp, it is extremely difficult to afford the rates
of a recording studio outside the camp. Now that the negative stereotypes around
music making are slowly disappearing, I wanted to enable local musicians at the
camp to record their tracks," he said, while showing the technical equipment and
recording room.
Mohamad Abu el-Heja, 20, improvises a rap session in Arabic at the studio where
he soon hopes to record his track. Music can play an important role in the lives
of the camp's youth. In Chouli's words, "It helped me to diffuse my stress while
growing up in Rashidiya, and it can have a similar effect here."
As Al-Monitor met with Chouli and the youth, a fight broke out right across the
street from the cafe. The environment became volatile as some teenagers
exchanged words, though the tension was easily diffused and calm returned after
a few minutes. This highlights how important it is for youth and people of all
ages here to have a venue where they can step away from the difficulties of
everyday life at the camp. Jafra is a place to read, listen to music, hold
poetry events, learn English and exchange views with each other without the
usual gender barriers that are still prevalent in Burj el-Barajneh.
While Jafra's founder made it a point to keep the cafe privately funded without
affiliation to a specific political party or NGO, he has had to overcome
stereotypes in the conservative environment prevailing in Palestinian camps,
which are not accustomed to having public places where men and women can gather.
"It is a sensitive topic. The community has its rules," Chouli said. According
to Tanji, it is mostly the older generation that had difficulty seeing the
benefits of Jafra for the community.
Jafra often becomes a meeting place not just for individuals, but also for NGOs
and social groups that decide to hold meetings there. As Celine Akkary of the
Nawaya Network NGO explained to Al-Monitor, "We are preparing to launch a
program targeting youth in July and decided to meet at Jafra, which is
partnering with us in our training [for a] capacity-building program."Overcoming
preconceived notions is a challenge for any community, but Chouli is convinced
that initiatives like his can help to overcome them. “I am doing this for the
community, not for me,” he said while holding his oud.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 14-15/16
UN elects Israel as committee chair
for first time
The Associated Press, United Nations Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The UN General
Assembly elected Israel to chair one of its six major committees for the first
time on Monday, a decision denounced by the Palestinians and Arab nations. In
the secret ballot election in the 193-member world body, Israel received 109
“yes” votes. Nobody voted against Israel but there were 23 abstentions, 14
invalid ballots, and 43 votes for other countries in the Western European and
Others group which nominated Israel to chair the assembly committee dealing with
legal issues. “This is a historic achievement for Israel,” said Israel’s UN
Ambassador Danny Danon. “I am very proud to be the first Israeli to serve as the
chairman of a committee.”Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour strongly objected,
saying the group should have nominated “a very responsible qualified candidate,
not a big violator of international law.”Danon “represents occupation” and is
not qualified to chair the committee, Mansour said. “This is negative. This is
destructive. This is showing lack of sensitivity to our concerns.”The Israeli
ambassador said “it was a pitiful moment” to see some Arab countries trying to
block Israel. “As the chairman of the committee I will work with all member
states, including those who didn’t vote for me today, and they will have to
decide whether they will come to promote the real goals of the United Nations,”
Danon said. The legal committee deals with UN activities related to
international law and the Israeli ambassador said one of his first tasks will be
to advance the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Israel, the
United States and others have for years decried what they see as an entrenched
bias in United Nations institutions against Israel and an obsession with the
Palestinian issue at the expense of other crises around the globe. They point to
numerous resolutions targeting Israel in the Geneva-based Human Rights Council
and in the General Assembly. So Monday’s action in the assembly was seen as a
rare victory for Israel, though it won in a vote while the five other committee
chairs were elected by consensus.
Netanyahu Says Israel to Help NATO
Anti-Terror Fight with Intelligence
Agence France PresseNaharnet/June 14/16/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
Tuesday that Israel was ready to share intelligence with NATO to help fight
extremist violence, as he met with ambassadors from alliance nations ahead of a
summit. Netanyahu condemned the weekend massacre in Orlando in the United
States, last week's assault by Palestinian gunmen in Tel Aviv that killed four
Israelis and a list of other attacks as resulting from "the same evil." "Terror
knows no bounds, and that is why our cooperation in the battle against terrorism
must know no bounds as well," Netanyahu said in an address to the ambassadors
before a closed-door meeting. "One day ISIS kills gays, the next day Yazidis,
and then Jews, Muslims and Christians," he said, using an alternative name for
the Islamic State jihadist group.Netanyahu said "we stand ready to help NATO in
this collective struggle. We are prepared to share our intelligence and our
experience to help in this common effort." NATO will hold a summit in Warsaw on
July 8-9 and Tuesday's meeting in Jerusalem was meant to discuss issues related
to the meeting. Israel said last month it would upgrade its ties with the
28-member military alliance by opening a permanent mission to its Brussels
headquarters. Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel was working to open the office
as soon as possible. Israel already participates in military exercises with NATO
members other than Turkey, notably the United States. U.S. ambassador to Israel
Dan Shapiro told journalists on the sidelines of Tuesday's meeting that ongoing
joint training and intelligence sharing from Israel was "certainly relevant to
the threats that come out of this region.""We're quite encouraged by what's
possible between Israel and NATO in the months ahead," Shapiro said. With IS and
other jihadist organizations operating in neighboring Syria, the fight against
extremist violence represents a key area of cooperation for Israel and Western
nations. A number of those countries have however also criticized Netanyahu's
rightwing government over Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank
and the lack of progress in peace efforts with the Palestinians. Many analysts
say such factors have helped feed a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and
car-ramming attacks that began in October.
Turkey, Russia Leaders in
First Contact since Plane Crisis
Agence France PresseNaharnet/June 14/16/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
sent a letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin marking Russia's
national day, in their first contact since Ankara downed a Russian warplane in
November, an official said Tuesday. "We confirm media reports the president sent
a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the Russian
national day," the official said, referring to the Day of Russia marked on June
12. "I hope our relations will reach a level they deserve," Erdogan told Putin
in the letter, according to the private NTV television channel. In Moscow,
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Erdogan had sent Putin the
message, saying it was received "via diplomatic channels", the Ria-Novosti news
agency reported. Turkey's downing of the Russian jet on its border with Syria in
November sparked an unprecedented crisis in the two nations' relationship, which
was exacerbated by Moscow's role in the Syrian war. Turkey says the Russian
plane strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings, but Russia
insisted it did not cross the border and accused Ankara of a "planned
provocation." Erdogan wanted to meet with Putin for face-to-face talks on the
sidelines of a climate summit in Paris after the plane crisis, which was
rebuffed by the Russian leader. Turkish media reported that Prime Minister
Binali Yildirim also sent a letter to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on
the occasion of the Russian national day. Turkey did not participate at the
ministerial level in the national day reception at the Russian embassy in Ankara
last Friday. In recent months, Turkish authorities have struck a reconciliatory
tone to restore bilateral ties, with Erdogan hoping to get back to previous
robust ties with Moscow. Before the the plane crisis erupted, Turkey and Russia
had strong cooperation on many issues, putting disagreements on Syria and
Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine to one side. Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu has also suggested to form a working committee between the two
countries to address problems. The crisis in relations severely hit Turkey's
tourism industry, with the number of Russian tourists drastically declining in
southern holiday resorts along the Mediterranean coast.
ISIS counter-attack on Syria regime forces kills 28
AFP, Beirut Tuesday, 14 June 2016/An ISIS counter-attack on Syrian regime forces
advancing towards an extremist stronghold on Monday left 28 combatants dead, a
monitor said. Dozens of ISIS fighters early on Monday attacked government
positions south of the town of Tabqa, an ISIS stronghold on the Euphrates River,
said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman
said fierce clashes broke out, but that regime forces were able to maintain
their positions and were still 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the ISIS-held Tabqa
airport. “Eleven regime fighters and 17 Daesh fighters were killed in the
attack,” said Abdel Rahman, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Earlier this
month, government fighters backed by Russian air power began pushing north
towards Tabqa, held by ISIS since 2014. The town lies some 50 kilometers (31
miles) east of the extremist group’s Syrian de facto capital of Raqa city, and
recapturing it would sever the supply road from the west. Last week, ISIS
fighters had sent reinforcements of fighters and weapons into Tabqa in
anticipation of a fierce battle to defend the town. Abdel Rahman said a total of
37 government fighters and 101 ISIS militants have been killed since the regime
launched its offensive for Tabqa. The war in Syria -- which began with the
brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations in 2011 -- has killed more
than 280,000 people and displaced millions. It has evolved into a brutal,
complex civil war among the government, rebels, extremists, and Kurds, each
carving out zones of control. Watch: Syrian opposition spokesman: Syrian regime
was deliberately striking Aleppo
US Apache helicopter strikes
ISIS in Iraq
Reuters Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The United States carried out a strike in Iraq on
Monday against an ISIS target using an Apache attack helicopter for the first
time since President Barack Obama authorized its use in offensive operations
earlier this year. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter declined to disclose details
of the operation, saying only that it was to support Iraqi forces positioning
ahead of an operation to retake the city of Mosul from insurgents. A US
official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two helicopters flew the
mission but the strike was carried out by a single Apache firing at a vehicle on
the ground.
Saudi deputy crown prince meets Kerry
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 14 June 2016/Saudi Deputy Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman kicked off his visit to the United States on Monday by
holding a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the latter’s
residence in Washington, and discussed boosting Saudi-US relations and regional
issues. Kerry hosted Prince Mohammed at his personal residence in the Georgetown
neighborhood of Washington. According to the State Department, the two shared an
iftar dinner – a meal that marks the end of the day’s fasting during the Islamic
holy month of Ramadan – and “reviewed the strong and enduring relationship”
between their countries. Kerry and Prince Mohammed also “discussed a broad range
of regional issues, including Yemen, Syria, Libya, and countering terrorism.”
Saudi’s plan to reform its economy, unveiled in April, was also discussed.
“Finally, the two discussed this weekend's shooting in Orlando and expressed
their shared commitment to continue their cooperation in combatting the spread
of violent extremism, both regionally and internationally,” spokesman John Kirby
said. Upon his arrival to Washington, the deputy crown prince announced that the
Saudi King Salman scholarship program will include 2,628 male and female
students, currently studying in the US. The Deputy Crown Prince’s visit to the
US will include other stops, during which he will meet with US officials to
discuss political and economic issues.
Gunman in Orlando gay club
shooting was reportedly a regular
AFP, Orlando Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The gunman who massacred 49 people at the
Pulse club in Orlando was himself a regular at the gay nightspot, four clubgoers
told the Orlando Sentinel. “Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and
drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk he was loud and
belligerent,” Ty Smith told the Sentinel, referring to slain shooter Omar Mateen,
29. Smith told the paper that he saw Mateen inside at least a dozen times. “We
didn’t really talk to him a lot, but I remember him saying things about his dad
at times,” Smith said. “He told us he had a wife and child.” Another Pulse
regular, Kevin West, told the Los Angeles Times that Mateen messaged him on and
off for a year using a gay chat app. And other clubgoers told local media and
MSNBC that Mateen had been using multiple gay apps, including Grindr, with
mutual acquaintances to “hook up.”Mateen also was at Walt Disney World in April,
said a Disney manager who requested anonymity. His wife, Noor Zahi Salman, was
not cooperating with authorities, according to a law enforcement official who
spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Sentinel said. Forty-nine people were
killed and 53 others wounded in the attack, which was also the deadliest mass
shooting in US history. FBI chief James Comey said his bureau was “highly
confident” Mateen had been “radicalized” while consuming online propaganda and
that he had claimed allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a series
of calls during the attack.
Obama: Orlando attacker was
homegrown
The Associated Press, Orlando, Florida Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The gunman whose
attack on a gay nightclub left 49 victims dead appears to have been a “homegrown
extremist” who espoused support for a jumble of often-conflicting Islamic
radical groups, the White House and the FBI said Monday. As Orlando mourned its
dead with flowers, candles and vigils, counter terrorism investigators dug into
the background of 29-year-old Omar Mateen, the American-born Muslim who carried
out the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. “So far, we see no
indication that this was a plot directed from outside the United States, and we
see no indication that he was part of any kind of network,” said FBI Director
James Comey. But he said Mateen was clearly “radicalized,” at least in part via
the internet. Comey said the bureau is also trying to determine whether Mateen
had recently scouted Disney World as a potential target, as reported by
People.com, which cited an unidentified federal law enforcement source.
“We’re still working through that,” Comey said.
The FBI chief defended the bureau’s handling of Mateen during two previous
investigations into his apparent terrorist sympathies. As for whether there was
anything the FBI should have done differently, “so far, the honest answer is, I
don’t think so,” Comey said. Despite Mateen’s pledge of fealty to ISIS, a murky
combination of other possible motives and explanations emerged, with his ex-wife
saying he suffered from mental illness and his Afghan-immigrant father
suggesting he may have acted out of anti-gay hatred. He said his son got angry
recently about seeing two men kiss. The Orlando Sentinel and other news
organizations quoted regular customers at the gay bar as saying they had seen
Mateen there a number of times. “Sometimes he would go over in the corner and
sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk he was loud and
belligerent,” said Ty Smith. Smith said he saw the killer inside at least a
dozen times. Wielding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a handgun, Mateen opened
fire at Pulse Orlando early Sunday in a three-hour shooting rampage and hostage
siege that ended with a SWAT team killing him. During the attack, he called 911
to profess allegiance to the ISIS. At the White House, President Barack Obama
said there is no clear evidence so far that Mateen was directed by the group,
calling the attack an apparent example of “homegrown extremism.”More details of
the bloodbath emerged, with Orlando Police Chief John Mina saying Mateen was
“cool and calm” during phone calls with police negotiators. But the chief said
he decided to send the SWAT team in and bash through a wall after Mateen holed
up with hostages in a bathroom and began to talk about bombs and an explosive
vest.
“We knew there would be an imminent loss of life,” Mina said. As it turned out,
Mateen had no explosives with him. Five of the wounded were reported in grave
condition, meaning the death toll could rise. A call went out for blood
donations. In Orlando, mourners piled bouquets around a makeshift memorial, and
people broke down in tears and held their hands to their faces while passing
through the growing collection of flowers, candles and signs about a mile from
the site of the massacre. Later Monday evening, thousands gathered near the site
for a vigil held on the lawn of the Dr. Phillips Center, the area’s main
performing arts venue. Many in the crowd said they were inspired to attend
because Pulse played a huge role in their lives as gays and lesbians.
“It was a place that a young 20-year-old who wasn’t openly gay felt safe for the
first time,” said Cathleen Daus, now 36. About 300 employees of the Red Lobster
restaurant chain — some in business suits, some in chef’s uniforms — emerged
from the company’s corporate headquarters and walked two-by-two across the
street to the memorial, each carrying a red or white carnation. “We will not be
defined by the act of a cowardly hater,” vowed Mayor Buddy Dyer, whose city of a
quarter-million people is known around the globe as the home of Walt Disney
World and other theme parks. The tragedy hit the city’s gay and Hispanic
communities especially hard. It was Latino Night at the club when the attack
occurred. “As the names come out, they are overwhelmingly Latino and Hispanic
names,” said Christina Hernandez, a Hispanic activist. “These were not just
victims of the LBGT community, but of the Hispanic community, as well. This was
senseless bloodshed.”Mateen’s grasp of the differences between Islamic extremist
groups appeared shaky.
During three calls with 911 dispatchers, Mateen not only professed allegiance to
ISIS but also expressed solidarity with a suicide bomber from the Syrian rebel
group Nusra Front, and a few years ago he claimed connections to Hezbollah, too
— both ISIS enemies, according to Comey. The FBI became aware of Mateen in 2013
when co-workers reported that the private security guard claimed to have family
connections to al-Qaida and to be a member of Hezbollah, too, Comey said. He was
also quoted as saying he hoped that law enforcement would raid his apartment and
assault his wife and child so that he could martyr himself. The FBI launched a
10-month preliminary investigation, following Mateen, reviewing his
communications and questioning him, the FBI chief said. Mateen claimed he made
the remarks in anger because co-workers were teasing him and discriminating
against him as a Muslim, and the FBI eventually closed the case, Comey said. His
name surfaced again as part of another investigation into the Nusra Front
bomber. The FBI found Mateen and the man had attended the same mosque and knew
each other casually, but the investigation turned up “no ties of any
consequence,” Comey said. Mateen was added to a terror watch list in 2013 when
he was investigated, but was taken off it soon after the matter was closed,
according to Comey. People who are in that database are not automatically barred
from buying guns, and in any case Mateen purchased his weapons in June, long
after he was removed from the list. On Sunday, the bloodshed started after
Mateen approached the club around 2 a.m., exchanged fire with an off-duty
officer working security, and then went inside and started gunning people down,
police said.
After two other officers arrived and exchanged gunfire with Mateen, the gunman
holed up in a restroom with about five club-goers. An additional 15 to 20 were
in another nearby bathroom, authorities said.
Hostage negotiators began talking to Mateen. After Mateen began to talk about
explosives, Mina made the decision around 5 a.m. to blow open a wall to the
bathroom. The explosives didn’t penetrate the wall completely, so an armored
vehicle was used to punch a 2-by-3-foot hole. Dozens of people escaped, and
Mateen was gunned down as he emerged through the hole, police said. The Islamic
State’s radio hailed the attack and called Mateen “one of the soldiers of the
caliphate in America.” But it gave no indication the group planned or knew of
the attack beforehand. Counterterrorism experts have been warning in the past
few years about the danger of so-called lone wolf attackers who act in sympathy
with extremist groups like ISIS but are not directed by them. Mateen’s father,
Seddique Mir Mateen, told reporters that the massacre was “the act of a
terrorist,” and added: “I apologize for what my son did. I am as sad and mad as
you guys are.”He wouldn’t go into details about any religious or political views
his son held, saying he didn’t know. Asked whether he missed his son, he said:
“I don’t miss anything about him. What he did was against humanity.”
Philippines confirms second
Canadian hostage beheaded
AFP, Manila Tuesday, 14 June 2016/Philippine authorities on Tuesday confirmed
that Muslim extremist guerrillas had beheaded a second Canadian hostage, as they
defended their inability to save him despite months of pursuit. “We strongly
condemn the brutal and senseless murder of Mr. Robert Hall, a Canadian national,
after being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu for the past nine
months,” presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma said in a statement. A military
statement also confirmed that a severed head, believed to be Hall’s, was found
near the Jolo island cathedral Monday night.
“The discovery confirmed the brutal beheading by the evil, criminal ASG (Abu
Sayyaf group) of a kidnap victim,” the statement added. Earlier, Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau declared that his government has “every reason to
believe” that Hall had been killed by the Abu Sayyaf, the second Canadian
captive to be slain this year. Members of the notorious kidnap-for-ransom Abu
Sayyaf gang had said they would murder Hall if they did not receive 300 million
pesos ($6.5 million) ransom by Monday afternoon. Hall was among four people
abducted in September last year from aboard yachts at a tourist resort on Samal
island in the southern Philippines. Another Canadian kidnapped at the same time,
John Ridsdel, was beheaded in April after a similar ransom demand of 300 million
pesos was not paid. The fates of the two other people abducted at the Samal
resort -- Hall’s Filipina girlfriend Marites Flor and Norwegian resort manager
Kjartan Sekkingstad -- were not known. The beheadings have taken place despite
the heavy deployment of military and police forces to locate them in the
strife-torn island of Jolo, the largest island in the Muslim-populated
archipelago of Sulu, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Manila.
Major Filemon Tan, spokesman of military forces in the south, said Tuesday that
the kidnappers were evading military pursuers with the help of the impoverished
Muslim residents of the island. “They have relatives in the community. They are
the ones that give them a warning when there are soldiers in the area,” he told
radio station DZMM. He also said the island’s forested, hilly terrain, a broad
coastline that allows for swift movement by boat and the kidnappers’ tactic of
breaking up into smaller groups, were all hindering pursuit. “But we are
studying this deeply and I can say we are adjusting and it will be a matter of
time that we will hit them also,” he added. Listed by the United States as a
terrorist organization, the Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of Islamic militants
that was founded in the early 1990s with money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda
network.
Its leaders have in recent years declared allegiance to ISIS which holds
territory in Iraq and Syria.
France says police killer
shot live video of attack
AFP Tuesday, 14 June 2016/Two French officials say a man with a past "terrorist"
conviction shot video during a lethal knife attack on two police officials. One
of the officials said the assailant posted the video on Facebook Live, the
social media site's live feed. His account has been suspended. A man who claimed
allegiance to ISIS stabbed a senior French police officer to death on Monday
night before he was killed in a dramatic police operation, officials have said.
The unidentified attacker killed the officer before taking his partner and their
son hostage in their home in Magnanville, near Paris. He was shot dead by
members of an elite police unit after negotiations failed. The partner was found
dead but the child was rescued. French government spokesman Le Foll says the
killing of policeman and his companion is being considered "terrorist attack." A
news agency linked to ISIS said the attack had been carried out by an “ISIS
fighter”, days after posting a similar claim following the massacre at a gay
club in Orlando, Florida. French prosecutors have launched an anti-terror probe.
Neither of the victims was named, but the slain policeman was known to be 42
years old and worked in nearby Les Mureaux. His partner was also a local police
official. Witnesses told investigators the man may have shouted “Allahu akbar”
(God is greatest) as he stabbed the policeman repeatedly outside his home before
holing up inside with the woman and the couple’s three-year-old son. Loud
detonations were heard at the scene as elite RAID police moved in following
failed negotiations with the attacker, who claimed allegiance to ISIS while
talking to officers, sources close to the inquiry told AFP. “The anti-terror
department of the Paris prosecution service is taking into account at this stage
the mode of operation, the target and the comments made during negotiations with
the RAID,” one source said. The SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based monitor,
cited the ISIS-linked Amaq News Agency as saying on its Telegram channels: “ISIS
fighter kills deputy chief of the police station in the city of Les Mureaux and
his wife with blade weapons near #Paris.
Who is French police killing
suspect Larossi Abballa?
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The knife-wielding
assailant who killed two French police officers and was then himself killed was
a convicted jihadist long known to authorities, a senior police source told
French media outlets on Tuesday. Local daily Le Monde quoted a judicial source
as saying that the murderer is Larossi Abballa. He is 25 years old, was born in
Mantes-la-Jolie, single and a French national. He was known in the security
sector after multiple breachings of the law, including theft, receiving stolen
goods, and violence. Abballa had already been sentenced to three years of
imprisonment with six suspended months in 2013 for "conspiracy to prepare acts
of terrorism" in a trial of a network of recruiting jihadists to the Pakistan's
tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. He was also recently appeared as part of an
investigation on a man who travel to Syria. After several months of
investigations, Abballa appeared in the relations circle of the man, but was not
considered then, dangerous by the judicial police. The man who knifed to death
two police officials had a "hit list" of VIPs, police and rappers, the Paris
prosecutor said Tuesday. France-based terror expert David Thomson said through
his Twitter account that the attacker filmed his victims and posted images of
them to his Facebook page. He also posted a 15 minute video in which he claimed
responsibility for the attack, Thomson said. On Tuesday morning the Facebook
account was suspended. AFP reported that he was part of an investigation over a
French network that was involved in sending fighters out to Syria. Abballa was
also known to police for several other non-terrorist related criminal offences.
Sources in the intelligence services have told Le Parisien newspaper that
Abballa, who was killed in the police raid, did not appear to be a threat.
Parisian criminal lawyer Hervé Denis, who defended one of the other defendants
involved in the Pakistani militant network in 2013, told l’Express newspaper
that Abballa was “neither intelligent nor brilliant.”Abballa had claimed
allegiance to the ISIS group, sources close to the investigation said earlier.
What will be the fate of the
missing EgyptAir jet?
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The black boxes of
EgyptAir, which crashed in the Mediterranean on May 19, will stop emitting
signals in just 4 days, Egyptian investigators say. Without the black boxes,
which record critical flight data, investigators say there is not enough
information to explain why Flight MS804 crashed into the Mediterranean on May
19, killing all 66 people on board. The following question will be raised: as
time runs out, what can the crash investigators do? Hisham al-Halabi, a pilot,
told the Arabic website of Al Arabiya News Channel that the two black boxes emit
signals for around one month, and in case they are not found within that period,
the emission of the signals will stop. However, this does not mean that it would
become impossible to find the boxes, although it will be more difficult, with
the search process then needing specialized hi-tech devices.
Halabi adds that research apparatuses deployed all possible efforts in their
operations, especially that there is an Egyptian submarine that can reach a
depth of 3 km and a French submarine that can reach the depth of 2 km, both used
in the operations. However, the crash area is open and is expanding on a daily
basis due to sea currents and the scattering of victims’ body parts and
belongings. The search operations can reach a depth of 4 km in some areas. He
says that after the period of one month, when the boxes stop their emission of
signals, the search will continue, and the two black boxes will be handled like
the rest of the wreckage that cannot send signals. When found, they will be used
as they contain the secrets and details of the last moments in the plane and can
reveal the causes behind the crash. He adds that the reason for the delay in
finding the wreckage and victims’ body parts is because the area where the plane
has crashed is an open space and it is expanding due to the flow of water
currents. The operations were held under the supervision of the Egyptian navy,
and with the participation of six countries: Greece, Cyprus, France, Italy,
Britain and the US.
Yemen UN envoy halts submitting peace roadmap
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The UN's special envoy
for Yemeno n Tuesday halted the submitting a roadmap to resolve the war-torn
country's crisis. according to a source close to the Yemeni governmental
delegation in the Kuwait talks. The delay is due to “the [Houthi] rebels'
intransigent stance which their last statement has revealed and which took
negotiations back to square one,” a source said. The source added that the
“rebels' statement, which was issued two days ago and which came following the
return of their delegation head Mohammad Abdelsalam from Saada, reflects the
true stance of the rebellious Houthi movement as it shows it's not serious about
the consultations despite the efforts exerted by the U.N. and the countries
sponsoring the political settlement process.” Both rival delegations - on one
side the Iranian-backed Houthi militias, and on the other the internationally
recognized government of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi - had both received a
copy of the roadmap and discussed it with their leaders. On Monday, the UN's
envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, met with members from the delegations attending
the Kuwait peace talks to discuss security measures. Ahmed was to present a
three-point plan to the parties negotiating an end to the war, which began in
late March last year and has led to the deaths of thousands. The first component
of the proposal will reportedly involve preliminary procedures, most significant
of which is the annulment of the “Constitutional Declaration” enacted by the
Houthi militias in February 2015, and reverse every subsequent change in state
institutions as a result. The second component involves the setting up of an
internationally-backed military council consisting of military leaders who have
not been involved in the war. It will also include the withdrawal of forces from
Area A, which includes the capital Sanaa and the security belt around it, and
the return of the government to the capital within two months. According to the
terms of the deal, when the Houthi militias withdraw from Sanaa and handing over
their weapons, a national unity government will be formed, and it will issue a
general amnesty and start a process of reconciliation. The third component
foresees a two-year transition period which will see the resumption of a
political process.
Petra news agency hacked,
attributes false comments to Saudi Prince
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 14 June 2016/Hackers attacked
Jordan's state-owner news agency, Petra, late on Monday night and published
false statements which were attributed to the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince,
Mohammed bin Salman. Prince Mohammed bin Salman is currently visiting the United
States and the false news item, which was later removed by Petra, made it seem
as if he had endorsed a particular political candidate in the upcoming US
presidential elections. Jordanian sources told Al Arabiya News Channel that the
source of the hack was based in Iran and that a request has been sent to the
Interpol for further investigations. For its part, Petra has published an
explanation about the incident and this could be read here.
Bahrain suspends main
opposition party al-Wefaq
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 14 June 2016/Bahrain has suspended all
political and social activities by opposition political society al-Wefaq on
Tuesday after an order from the Justice Ministry. In a statement Tuesday on the
state-run Bahrain News Agency, the Justice Ministry says it has suspended the
Al-Wefaq opposition group and frozen its assets. The Justice Ministry also added
that it suspended the political society’s work for not following the
constitution and “activities that sow and divide the unity of citizens.” Al-Wefaq’s
main headquarters is also set to be closed while its financial assets will be
frozen by the state.
UN to authorize EU to enforce Libya arms embargo
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The UN Security Council
was on Tuesday set to authorize an EU naval force to enforce the arms embargo on
Libya by intercepting ships suspected of carrying weapons. The 15-member council
was to vote on a draft resolution that would expand the mission of Operation
Sophia, which has been combating migrant-smuggling. Last week, Britain has
circulated a draft UN resolution that would authorize the EU naval force in the
Mediterranean to intercept ships suspected of smuggling arms in waters off
Libya, in what would be a new attempt to tighten the noose aroundIslamic State
in its stronghold of Sirte. The enforcement is partly necessary because the UN
wants to send selected arms to the government of national accord. However, a
partial lifting of the arms embargo increases the threat of arms reaching either
Isis or militias that do not recognize the authority of the GNA. (With agencies)
EU envoy to Turkey resigns
after row with Ankara
AFP, Ankara Tuesday, 14 June 2016/The European Union’s top diplomat in Ankara
has stepped down after a row with Turkey over controversial comments he made on
a landmark refugee deal, a spokesperson from his office said on Tuesday. The
departure of Hansjoerg Haber is indicative of the increasingly fractious
relationship between Ankara and Brussels, even as both sides try and implement
the landmark deal to reduce to the flow of migrants to the EU. “We confirm that
the ambassador has resigned,” the spokesperson told AFP. Haber, a German
diplomat who headed the EU delegation to Ankara, stepped down after he
criticized in comments to media the Turkish government’s conduct over the
implementation of the landmark deal. He had only been in his post since October
last year. The foreign ministry said at the time his comments caused
“indignation” and were condemned by Turkey. Haber was bitterly critical of
Turkey’s conduct over the deal to reduce the number of refugees crossing the
Aegean Sea to EU territory, at a meeting with some reporters on May 13. Haber
said: “We have a saying ‘Start like a Turk and end like a German. But here it is
the other way rund’”, according to Turkish media reports.
His departure is indicative of the increasingly fractious relationship between
Ankara and Brussels, even as both sides try and implement the refugee deal.
Turkey has demanded visa-free travel for its citizens to most of the bloc in
return for curbing the refugee flow but the deal is now in limbo as Ankara
refuses to meet all the criteria laid down by Brussels. The European Commission
is due Wednesday to publish its second report on the implementation of the
EU-Turkey agreement, including elements on the progress regarding the fulfilment
of the conditions for visa liberalization.
VIDEO: Scene of public
flogging in southern Iran city
Tuesday, 14 June 2016/http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/human-rights/20531-video-scene-of-public-flogging-in-southern-iran-city
NCRI - This is a video clip recently smuggled out of Iran which shows a man
being flogged in public by the fundamentalist authorities. The clip was filmed
at Kouhpayeh Park in Shiraz, southern Iran. On May 25, the Iranian regime’s
suppressive forces raided a party following a graduation ceremony in Qazvin,
west of Tehran, and arrested 35 young men and women. On that same day, all of
the arrestees were condemned by the judiciary to 99 lashes and the sentences
were immediately carried out by “Moral Security Police”On May 31, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement saying: "We
condemn the outrageous flogging of up to 35 young men and women in Iran last
week, after they were caught holding a graduation party together in Qazvin,
north of Tehran."
Iran political prisoners support the hunger striking prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh
Tuesday, 14 June 2016/NCRI - According to the reports received from Iran, a
number of political prisoners have expressed support for the political prisoner
Jafar Azimzadeh, a labor activist who is on hunger strike in Evin Prison. On
Monday June 13, political prisoner Mohammad Jarrahi staged his own hunger in
solidarity with his fellow prisoner and in protest at the lack of attention to
Azimzadeh’s demands. Jarrahi is incarcerated in Tabriz Prison, north-west Iran,
as a result of his activism on behalf of workers’ rights. After he learned that
Azimzadeh’s demands had been ignored for for 44 days and that his physical
condition had become critical, Jarrahi announced that he would stage a hunger
strike for three days starting on Monday. A political prisoner and labor
activist, Jarrahi has spent five years in prison without furlough despite
suffering from thyroid cancer and requiring treatment outside the prison.
On Sunday, June 12, Alireza Golypour, a political prisoner incarcerated in
Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, expressed his sympathy and support for Jafar
Azimzadeh and other political prisoners who are on hunger strike. His message
was addressed to all political prisoners and read in part: “I am with you and
feel my hand in your hands. Be aware that illness and pain has made me so weak
that I cannot accompany you without using my medication. But I am on your side
with all my heart and I clench my fist in anger because of your pain and
suffering. But I have not remained silent and as a servant I support all of you
the political prisoners and stand with you to achieve your demands and to remove
oppression. I call on our dear people to stand with you and support you.” The
physical condition of political prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh on the 46th day of his
hunger strike has deteriorated to the point that he often loses consciousness
and falls on the floor due to physical weakness. Despite the seriousness of his
condition, he continues to protest against the inhumane conditions in prison and
the cruel and unjust verdict issued by the regime’s judiciary. That protest has
also received support from outside of the Iranian prison system. But a protest
outside of Evin Prison by workers and teachers along with Azimzadeh’s family was
forcibly dispersed on June 11 by the Iranian regime’s security forces. Mr.
Azimzadeh, who was arrested on November 8, 2015, is currently serving a six-year
prison sentence in Ward 8 of Evin Prison for engaging in peaceful and legitimate
trade union activities. On May 27, Mr. Azimzadeh sent an open letter to the
International Labor Organization (ILO) from prison in which he lambasted the
Iranian regime's mistreatment of workers. The Tehran bus drivers’ union, the
Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), in a
statement on May 24 warned about the deterioration of Mr. Azimzadeh’s health and
called for his release from prison. A key demand of Mr. Azimzadeh and other
workers’ union activists is for the authorities to drop the charge of “gathering
and colluding to commit crimes against national security” and other national
security charges in cases of union activities. Mr. Azimzadeh sent a statement
out of Evin Prison following the release on bail of fellow political prisoner
Ismail Abdi, Secretary General of Iran’s Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA),
vowing to continue his hunger strike until the "demands of millions of teachers
and workers" are met. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in a May
24 statement once again called on all defenders of human rights, particularly
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur on
torture and other cruel and inhumane punishments, the Special Rapporteur on the
right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of
physical and mental health, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights in Iran, and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, to take urgent and
effective action to secure the release of political prisoners on hunger strike
in Iran, including Mr. Azimzadeh.
Iran: Prospects for change one year
after the nuclear agreement
Tuesday, 14 June 2016/Middle East: Growing and immediate threat of Islamic
extremism
NCRI - Contrary to earlier assessments, a year after the nuclear deal between
the P5+1 countries and the clerical regime, Tehran’s belligerence in the region
has become more widespread, the human rights situation in Iran has deteriorated
and the regime has become ever more closed and introverted.
Some facts are telling: The human rights situation in Iran is worsening, and
2015 witnessed the highest number of executions in the past 25 years. While
Islamic extremism and the terrorism emanating from it recognize no borders and
bounds, the Iranian regime is institutionally sowing discord in the region
especially in Syria and is continuing to export Islamic fundamentalism. Tehran
continues to test ballistic missiles in flagrant violation of UN Security
Council Resolution 2231.The harsh economic and social situation inside Iran has
not improved, and protests by various strata of society have increased. The
infighting among the ruling factions have reached unprecedented levels and
intensity. Following the selection of Ahmad Jannati, 90 - who already headed the
Guardian Council and is a staunch loyalist of the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei - as the head of the Assembly of Experts, he now heads two key bodies,
which shows that elections under this regime are meaningless and the regime’s
choices are evermore limited.The big question is what is the direction of the
turbulent situation in Iran and where is Iran heading? The outcome of these
developments and the future of the Iranian regime will have a huge strategic
impact on the entire region - a fact that has triggered serious debate in the
West. A major gathering of Iranians and their international supporters, which
will be attended by hundreds of senior political dignitaries, parliamentarians,
human rights and women's rights activists and religious leaders from the United
States, Europe, and Islamic countries, is scheduled to address this and other
pertinent questions and to offer solutions. Paris, July 9, 2016/"All for
Freedom"/Our message: Regime Change
Over 270 MEPs denounce human
rights abuses in Iran
Tuesday, 14 June 2016/NCRI - More than 270 Members of the European Parliament
have signed a joint statement on Iran, calling on the European Union to
“condition” its relations with Tehran to an improvement of human rights. The
MEPs who are from all 28 EU Member States and from all political groups in the
Parliament are concerned about the rising number of executions in Iran after
Hassan Rouhani took office as President three years ago. The following is a text
of a statement released on Tuesday by the Office of Gérard Deprez MEP, President
of the Friends of a Free Iran group in the European Parliament:
Brussels- 14 June 2016
European Lawmakers Call on EU to Condition Relations with Iran to a Halt of
Executions
Over 270 Members of the European Parliament have signed a joint statement on
Iran, calling on EU to “condition” its relations with Tehran to improvement of
human rights. The MEPs who are from all 28 EU Member States and from all
political groups in the European Parliament are concerned about the rising
number of executions in Iran after the so called “moderate” president Hassan
Rouhani took office three years ago. According to Amnesty International nearly
1000 people were hanged in Iran in 2015, calling the rate of executions as “a
horrific image of the planned state killing machine.”
Iran has currently the highest number of executions in the world per capita. It
is also the leading executioner of minors in the world. Repressive measures
against women and the religious minorities have continued to increase. Despite
high hopes that the nuclear agreement with Iran would bring improvements to
human rights, the situation has got worse day by day. The UN special rapporteur
on Iran recently announced that rate of hangings are now the highest in the past
27 years. The recent parliamentary elections were a sham. Opposition was banned.
Thousands of candidates were filtered by the ‘Guardian Council’ under orders of
Ayatollah Khamenei. Those who were permitted to run were the most loyal to the
state and many have been involved in human rights abuses. Iran’s support for the
Syrian dictator Bashar Assad who is responsible for the killing of half a
million of his own people and has paved the ground for the expansion of the so
called Islamic State or Daesh is also of enormous concern to MEPs. Speaking from
Brussels Gérard Deprez, Chair of the Friends of a Free Iran in the European
Parliament, said “It is a great contradiction that we in the EU are so proud
that all 28 Member states have abandoned death penalty but we seem to have no
problem doing business with the world’s leading executioner-state. If EU does
not insist publicly and seriously on improvement of human rights this would be a
great damage to our credibility.” The signatories of the statement include 6
Vice-Presidents of the Parliament as well as several committee chairs and heads
of delegations and some vice-presidents of the political groups. The statement
calls on the European Union and the EU Member States “to condition any further
relations with Iran to a clear progress on human rights and a halt to
executions.”
Office of Gérard Deprez, MEP
Ministre d'Etat, Belgique
Vice-President of the MR Party
President of Friends of a Free Iran in European Parliament
European Parliament , Brussels
Iranians in Norway protest
Zarif’s presence
Tuesday, 14 June 2016NCRI - Iranians in Norway on Tuesday held a rally in Oslo
to protest the trip by the Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to
Norway. The supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and
the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) urged European
countries to hold Zarif and other officials of the mullahs' regime accountable
for the atrocious human rights abuses committed in Iran. On Monday the Oslo
Times reported that former Norwegian MP Lars Rise has criticized the invitation
given to Zarif to speak at this year’s Oslo Forum.
"If the dialogue was about all the atrocities and all the terrorist acts planned
in Tehran that day, or putting the cards on the table on all the bad and evil
things they are executing from week to week, then of course it would be a
fruitful dialogue. But to invite them as a sort of expert on peacemaking is just
really shameful," he said. In light of Tehran's continued human rights
violations, Mr. Rise, a former member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe, was also critical that trade sanctions have been lifted on
Iran's regime. "I'm really sorry that the sanctions have been lifted. They
should never have been lifted. We need strong pre-conditions in order to have
anything to do with Iran, because, I mean, Iran is not even close to fulfill
anything when it comes to pre-conditions on human rights."Social media campaigns
are running with hashtags #OsloForum #No2Rouhani #FreeIran #Iran #Norway
condemning Zarif's visit to Norway, the Oslo Times reported.
Commenting on Zarif's trip to Norway, Amb. Perviz Khazai, the representative of
the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Nordic countries, on Monday
said: “The trip by the Iranian regime’s foreign minister Javad Zarif to Norway
takes place amid an unparalleled wave of executions in Iran. Close to 130 people
have been hanged in Iran in the past two months alone.During the period that
Zarif has been the foreign minister of the religious fascism ruling Iran at
least 2400 have been hanged. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights in Iran, in his latest report, expressed concern about the high number of
executions, torture, extracting confessions under torture, depriving prisoners
of lawyers, discrimination against women, execution of juveniles, pressures on
religious minorities, increasing suppression of free speech, and prohibition on
any political activity in Iran. He wrote that around one thousand people have
been executed in Iran in 2015 which is the highest number in the past 10 years.
According to this report, “At least 73 juvenile offenders were reportedly
executed between 2005 and 2015, and the number of juvenile offenders reportedly
executed in 2014-15 was actually higher than at any time during the past five
years.”Zarif is the representative of a regime that has immersed the region in
war and crisis through warmongering, export of terrorism, and extremism. On May
13, he described Mostafa Badreddin, a senior commander of the terrorist group
Hezbollah, as “a great and tireless man” and “full of love and emotion and epic
in defense of the just ideals of Islam” although Badreddin had been indicted by
the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon for his participation in the
assassination of Rafiq Hariri, former Prime Minister of Lebanon. In January
2014, Zarif paid his respects to Imad Mughniyah, former commander of Hezbollah,
by placing a wreath on his grave. Zarif ought to face justice for crimes against
humanity and war crimes as a senior representative of the most brutal
dictatorship after the Second World War for three decades. Three years after
Rouhani’s presidency, it is once again proven that moderation by the clerical
regime is only a mirage and the empty propaganda about moderation of factions
within this regime is solely meant to justify trade with this regime. The only
outcome of establishing relations and conducting trade with this regime and
receiving its leaders is to embolden it to intensify its suppression and export
of terrorism. Relations with the Iranian regime should be made contingent on a
halt to executions and an end to export of terrorism and warmongering. This is
the demand of the Iranian people and an imperative for peace and to fight
terrorism in the region and the world.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on
June 14-15/16
Backstage at Turkey's
Shotgun Wedding with Israel
Burak Bekdil/ Gatestone Institute./June 14/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8260/turkey-israel-shotgun-wedding
There are two major
problems that will probably block a genuine normalization of relations between
Turkey and Israel. One is Hamas, and the other is the seemingly irreversible
anti-Semitism that most Turks devour.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed more than once that Hamas is
not a terrorist group but a legitimate political party.
Erdogan came up with the idea that Zionism should be declared a "crime against
humanity."
There is every indication that Turkey and Israel are not far away from
normalizing their troubled diplomatic relations. According to Turkish Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, for instance, the former allies are "one or two
meetings" away from normalization.
If, however, Ankara and Jerusalem finally shake hands after six years of cold
war, it will be because Turkey feels increasingly isolated internationally, not
because it feels any genuine friendship for the Jewish nation.
In all probability, the "peace" between Turkey and Israel will look like the
definition of peace in Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary: "In
international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting" --
despite the backdrop for peace looking incredibly (but mischievously)
convenient. On May 29, a Jewish wedding ceremony was held in a historical
synagogue in the northwestern province of Edirne for the first time in 41 years.
A few months before that, in December, the Jewish year 5776 went down in history
possibly as the first time in which a public Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony
was held in Muslim Turkey in a state-sponsored event. All that is nice -- but
can be misleading.
There are two major problems that will probably block a genuine normalization.
One is Hamas, and the other is the seemingly irreversible anti-Semitism which
most Turks devour.
In a powerful article from this month, Jonathan Schanzer forcefully reminded the
world that although Saleh Arouri, a senior Hamas military leader, was expelled
from his safe base in Istanbul, "... many other senior Hamas officials remain
there. And their ejection from Turkey appears to be at the heart of Israel's
demands as rapprochement talks near completion."
Schanzer says that there are ten Hamas figures currently believed to be enjoying
refuge in Turkey, and he names half a dozen or so Hamas militants there,
including Mahmoud Attoun, who was found guilty of the kidnapping and murder of a
29-year-old Israeli. Also enjoying safe haven in Turkey are three members of the
Izzedine al-Qassam brigades. Schanzer adds that,
"There are a handful more that can be easily identified in the Arabic and
Turkish press, and nearly all of them maintain profiles on Facebook and Twitter,
where they regularly post updates on their lives in Turkey."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed more than once that Hamas is
not a terrorist group but a legitimate political party. He has held innumerable
meetings with senior Hamas officials including Khaled Mashaal, head of its
political bureau. In addition, Erdogan came up with the idea that Zionism should
be declared a "crime against humanity."
Turkish President (then Prime Minister) Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, meeting
with Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal (center) and Ismail Haniyeh on June 18, 2013,
in Ankara, Turkey. (Image source: Turkey Prime Minister's Press Office)
Anti-Semitism, as mentioned, is the other problem. Erdogan deliberately spread
anti-Semitic sentiments to an already xenophobic society until he decided to go
(relatively) silent when he recently realized that Turkey's cold war with Israel
was not sustainable. This does not mean that his or Turkish society's views
regarding Jews have changed.
Earlier this year, for instance, one of Erdogan's chief advisors appeared in
pro-government media to attack political rivals as "raising soldiers for the
Jews." This sentiment is not confined to government big guns.
The first Jewish wedding at Edirne synagogue after 41 years was, no doubt, a
merry event, both for the Turkish Jewish couple and politically, but it failed
to mask the ugly side of the coin. Unlike a normal Turkish wedding (or, say, a
Jewish wedding in the U.S.), unusually tight security measures were taken in the
neighborhood around the synagogue, including the closure of roads leading to the
synagogue and security searches of the wedding guests. The guests had to go
through a metal detector at the door of the synagogue. Road closures and a metal
detector for a wedding?!
There was more. Turks happily expressed their feelings in social media to
"celebrate" the Jewish wedding. "One of my biggest dreams is to kill a Jew,"
wrote one Twitter user. "[Hitler] did not do it in vain," wrote another. The
Hitler series went on with "He was a great man," "Where are you Hitler?" and "We
are all Hitler."This is the backstage scene in the country where a Jewish couple
happily married at a synagogue for the first time in 41 years -- the same
country supposedly to "normalize" its ties with Israel.
**Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily
and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 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.
Saudi Arabia's
New Oil Policy
Sabah Khadri/Gatestone Institute./June 14/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8255/saudi-oil-policy
Deputy Crown Prince
Mohammed's vision for Saudi Arabia, the way he puts it, is as a country no
longer dependent on oil; with a growing economy and transparent laws, which will
consequently give it a strong position in the world.
The prince has already received negative blowback from conservative members of
the Al Saud clan. They have been resistant to change in the past and may not
appreciate new reforms which might threaten their authority in the country.
The status quo is that Saudis are raised with the conviction that the state will
always provide for their needs, healthcare and security, in exchange for their
loyalty to the ruling Al Saud clan. However, the recent oil crisis has witnessed
many luxuries stripped away from the Saudi people, as the state prepared to deal
with a growing budget deficit. The move to impose taxes, a concept alien to the
country, is sure to create discontent among ordinary Saudi people.
Saudi Arabia, long associated with oil wealth and extravagance, has decided that
time has come for it to revamp its image. Last year, King Salman, 80, ascended
the Saudi throne, and since then has unleashed major reforms, introduced a more
assertive domestic and foreign policy, and handed over the reins of some of the
most significant posts of the Saudi leadership to a younger group of Saudi
leaders.
The driving force behind these reforms is the 30-year-old deputy crown prince,
Mohammed bin Salman, otherwise known as MBS. Prince Mohammed's vision for Saudi
Arabia, the way he puts it, is as a country no longer dependent on oil; with a
growing economy and transparent laws, which will consequently give it a strong
position in the world. All of this may come across as appealing, but the ability
of Prince Mohammed to deliver these reforms depends on several variables. To
succeed, Prince Mohammed, although he enjoys a broad mandate, still needs the
support of the rest of the country.
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 7, 2015. (Image source: U.S. State Department)
Mohammed's economic vision for Saudi Arabia, more commonly referred to in Saudi
Arabia as "Vision 2030," essentially intends to introduce major policy and
economic reforms by turning its focus towards investments; creating more jobs;
privatization; increased exports and creating a sustainable business
environment.
Coming amid the oil price crunch in the region, Vision 2030 aims to move away
from a dependence on oil and increasing private sector contribution towards the
GDP from a current 40% to 65% by 2030, by investing more in sectors such as
tourism, healthcare, education and manufacturing; increasing women's
participation in the workforce; reducing the youth unemployment rate, and
privatizing major industries, such as the state owned oil company, Aramco.
The Saudi leadership apparently now wishes to turn Aramco into a conglomerate
and sell 5% of its share in 2017 simultaneously in the London, Hong Kong and New
York stock exchanges. The kingdom has also announced plans to cut subsidies on
basic commodities such as water and electricity, in addition to introducing
sales and transportation taxes.
As a part of these reforms, King Salman has also reshuffled various ministries,
announced new ministers and ousted older ministers. A recent, much talked-about
change has been the dismissal as Oil Minister of Ali Al-Naimi, whose name is
synonymous with the Saudi oil economy, and who drove the country's oil policy
for the last two decades. He was replaced by the head of Aramco, Khalid Al Falih,
who happens to be a close ally of the Crown Prince and relatively new to oil
diplomacy.
These reforms are a clear indication that the Saudi government is coming to
terms with the reality that, although oil revenues have been a great source of
wealth, they have restricted Saudi economic growth and development in other
sectors, while turning the country state into a rentier state -- a condition
that induced systemic and institutional problems in the country, such as lack of
transparency, ingrained bureaucracy and growing corruption.
Is it possible, however, for Saudi Arabia, which derives 80% of its revenue from
oil income, to break the dependence on oil?
The Saudi manufacturing sector has remained relatively small, with demand driven
by limited domestic needs. Furthermore, the lack of an established prominent
Saudi industry or alternative manufactured products that could appeal to foreign
markets only makes it harder to consider venturing into other manufacturing.
Despite all the developments promised by Prince Mohammed, one question that
lingers is the possibility of any of these reforms actually seeing the light of
the day. Their success depends on support from Saudi society, which has
heretofore provided strong allegiance to the leadership -- royals, elites, the
Wahhabi religious sect -- and most importantly, the Saudi youth. Vision 2030 may
call for comprehensive economic reforms, but might be perceived as insensitively
turning a blind eye to the political, social, cultural and legal traditions with
which it would be tampering. Prince Mohammed has already received negative
blowback from conservative members of the Al Saud clan. They have been resistant
to change in the past and may not appreciate new reforms which might threaten
their authority in the country.
Another concern is how these reforms would be received by the ordinary Saudis.
The status quo is that Saudis are raised with the conviction that the state will
always provide for their needs, healthcare and security, in exchange for their
loyalty to the ruling Al Saud clan. However, the recent oil crisis has witnessed
many luxuries stripped away from the Saudi people, as the state prepared to deal
with a growing budget deficit. The move to impose taxes, a concept alien to the
country, is sure to create discontent among ordinary Saudi people. It is still
unclear how reforms might affect and perhaps reinvent the social contract in the
country.
Reforms to diversify the economy while an environment for growth, development
and transparency, are much needed. Yet, while Prince Mohammed's vision seems
ambitious, it seems to lack concrete plans to achieve that vision. It may
require years for change on the social, economic, cultural and political fronts.
Until then, new reforms will be pitted against age-old partnerships, as Saudi
Arabia rebuilds itself from scratch.
**Sabah Khadri, a specialist in international economics, is based in Doha,
Qatar.
© 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 Orlando Massacre
Is Just the Beginning
Raymond Ibrahim /FrontPage Magazine/June 14/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/06/14/raymond-ibrahimfrontpage-magazine-the-orlando-massacre-is-just-the-beginning/
What is the greatest lesson of the Orlando massacre, where a Muslim shooter
killed at least 50 people at a homosexual night club—an event that is now
considered the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the September 11
attacks of 2001? It’s that such an attack had to happen—and is destined to
happen again. Why? Because the surest way of seeing an act occur repeatedly—say
a terrorist attack—is to repeat all the same steps that precipitated and paved
the way for it in the first place.
Consider: the shooter, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, was “quite religious” and a
pious Muslim (he attended mosque and prayed regularly); he clearly saw himself
as a jihadi killing evildoers—he “recited prayers to Allah during the attack,”
pledged this sacrifice to the Islamic State, and the latter claimed it.
Yet, as usual, officialdom, is trying to obfuscate the Islamic role. Thus,
despite all of the above—and the fact that ISIS has repeatedly executed
homosexuals, often videotaping it (see here)—“FBI Special Agent Ron Hopper said
the bureau was still working to determine whether sexual orientation was a
motive in the Orlando attack.”
President Obama said what he often says after a Muslim goes on a rampage in the
name of Islam: it’s still too early to know the “precise motivations of the
killer.” Instead, Obama exploited the jihadi massacre as a springboard for his
own gun-ban agenda, saying that access to “very powerful weapons very quickly”
is “a problem regardless of their motivations.”
Still others are going as far as to blame this jihadi attack on American
Christians and conservatives: “You know what is gross — your thoughts and
prayers and Islamophobia after you created this anti-queer climate,” ACLU staff
attorney Chase Strangio tweeted.
Then there’s the deliberate incompetence: Obama’s own purge of training
materials and language deemed “hurtful” to Muslims is being cited as partially
responsible for the FBI dropping the ball—to the point that the FBI would never
“ever have guessed a LGBT club [would] be a target of an terrorist attack.”
Mateen was even on the FBI’s radar as a “person of interest” in 2013 and
2014—yet was free to buy guns and go on a murderous rampage in 2016.
Indeed, in this case at least, it appears that Islamophobia trumped homophobia:
“Gilroy, a former Fort Pierce police officer, said Mateen frequently made
homophobic and racial comments. Gilroy said he complained to his employer
several times but it did nothing because he was Muslim.”
Finally, as with every Islamic terror attack on U.S. soil, the media is again
warning against that notorious wave of “reprisals” against the Muslim community
that never manifests. (For an idea of what “reprisals” against non-Muslims in
Muslim majority nations look like, click here and here). Florida officials were
quick to invite a Muslim cleric to address the media and “preempt a possible
backlash against the Muslim community” (as opposed to the other Muslim cleric
who openly taught in Orlando that Islam commands the execution of homosexuals).
The Guardian “courageously” proclaimed, “Let’s not give in to fear after the
Orlando shooting.”
Similarly, the head of the Jewish LGBTQ group, who expressed fears of a backlash
against Muslims, redundantly pointed out that “We should remember not to blame
all members of any other religion or political ideology for what one person
does”—an admonition that fails to address who or what we should blame when
countless upon countless members of one religion constantly and always engage in
violent behavior.
To the careful observer, all of these reactions from liberals, leftist media,
and the Obama administration are par for the course whenever a jihadi terror
attack occurs on American soil: stout denial of any connection between the
attack in question and Islamic teachings; cynically exploiting the attack to
demonize conservatives, gun advocates, and “homophobic” Christians; and cries
that any scrutiny into Islam is tantamount to a “backlash” against Muslims.
And it’s because all these reactions are standard that many more Islamic
terrorist attacks are destined to occur on American soil.
Why many
Iranians are feeling the Bern
Masoud Lavasani/Al-Monitor/June14/16
Foad Shams is an Iranian journalist who supports US presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders and has written about him in the Iranian press. When asked what
is it about the Democratic hopeful that interests him, Shams told Al-Monitor,
“The image of an alternative America is the most attractive feature of the
Sanders campaign. Sanders is an alternative voice. In fact, he has managed to
change the general narrative about the United States. We Iranians have two
different — but equally wrong — images in our heads regarding the United
States.” Shams explained, “On the one hand, we have the image that is propagated
by Iranian state television and other official media outlets inside Iran that
depicts the United States as the absolute evil. The other image is the one
propagated by Hollywood and some foreign media outlets that present America as
heaven on earth and a place where everyone is happy.” He added, “However, the
image that Sanders presents of the United States — its people and their demands
— is real.”
Al-Monitor spoke about the upcoming US presidential election with an adviser to
President Hassan Rouhani. He said on condition of anonymity, “[Hillary] Clinton
is the candidate who has a real chance of getting elected. Sanders is unlikely
to succeed. However, we have an old saying in Iran which goes, ‘If it does turn
into doogh [an Iranian yogurt drink], it will be great!’” referring to an
impossible scenario that can only be realized in a dream.
The Iranian presidential adviser added, “We are closely monitoring the
presidential election in the United States. We have spent many sessions at
research centers discussing the election and its possible outcomes with the
experts. At this point, the administration is not planning to make any comments
about any of the candidates, considering that we are still in the primaries.
However, we have made our own predictions.” In regard to Sanders, the senior
Iranian official told Al-Monitor that while Sanders is “of course a long shot …
we had predicted that if he ever makes it to the White House, he could perhaps
solve many of the problems between Iran and the United States the same way
[President Barack] Obama has managed to solve some of the United States’
problems with Cuba, and that he could help tear down the wall of distrust in
Iran-US relations that the supreme leader had talked about. His presidency could
have been a historic opportunity for peace in the world.”
With regard to the Republican front-runner, the adviser said, “Compared to
Clinton, [Donald] Trump is less problematic for Iran since he is for the most
part an isolationist. Of course, Clinton has softened her tone on Iran during
the past few weeks, something that we attribute to the news we have recently
received regarding a few pragmatic advisers joining her campaign. Nonetheless,
we believe that the nuclear deal might not have gone through if she had remained
as secretary of state.”
Al-Monitor also spoke with Ali Abdi, an Iranian journalist residing in the
United States who has volunteered for the Sanders campaign. He said, “Sanders’
and Trump’s campaigns have had the highest number of volunteers, mobilization
and citizen engagement. As part of Sanders’ campaign, some of the most important
things we've done was calling voters, going to the voters' doors and being
active on social media networks.”
Abdi added, “Sanders is the best option for the Iranian-American community and
the immigrant population in general. Sanders has a much better position toward
Iran. He is less of a warmonger. He has been fighting for freedom and justice
for the past 40 years. A person with such a vision can capture the interest of
the immigrant population. It is this vision that engages Iranians’ interest and
draws them toward Sanders.”
Among the Persian-language materials of the Sanders campaign is a poster with
the slogan “A Future to Believe in” in Persian. Prior to the June 7 California
Democratic primary, 3,000 Iranians residing in California were invited to a
Facebook event encouraging them to vote for Sanders.Karim Yavari is a leftist
student activist in Tehran who supports Sanders. Al-Monitor asked him whether he
backs Sanders because he sees similarities between the Democratic hopeful and
the head of Iran’s Green Movement, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been under house
arrest since 2011, and whether the Sanders campaign is similar to the Green
Movement.
“Sanders’ campaign managed to attract millions of youths in a period of only a
few months. He shares many similarities with Mousavi, and therefore we are
interested in his campaign and his plans. He talks about people’s social and
economic demands in one of the most advanced societies in the world. His
campaign showed the democratic, fresh and happy side of socialism as opposed to
the angry, undemocratic and brutal images that have been associated with
socialism in the past."
Al-Monitor asked Shams whether Sanders' supporters in Iran are realistic about
what they can achieve.
“Of course I know that as an Iranian journalist living in Iran, my support for
Bernie Sanders has no bearing on the outcome of the US election. We do not have
any illusions in this regard. However, introducing Bernie Sanders to Iranian
readers is certainly a positive thing to do. We cannot remain indifferent to a
campaign that has sparked the interest of millions of Americans. There are
Iranians who have US citizenship and thus the right to vote in the US election.
Although their number is not large enough to have any meaningful impact on the
election, they can play a more active role in Sanders’ campaign,” he said.
Shams also brought up the American Studies Program of Tehran University, saying,
“At Tehran University, the United States’ political developments are being
academically studied. In addition, there are research centers and institutes
that are monitoring the election process. A while back, at a convention in Iran
called 'Branding the Elections,' Donald Trump’s campaign model was studied.”
Erdogan scores no
points at Muhammad Ali's funeral
Fehim Taştekin/Al-Monitor/June14/16
The efforts of Turkey to prove itself capable of leading the Islamic world are
frequently knocked down by punishing blows. One of these was struck at Muhammad
Ali’s funeral last week.
It all started when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sought to give a eulogy June
10 at Ali's funeral in Louisville, Ky. His request initially was accepted, but
later declined in a strike to Erdogan’s reputation. King Abdullah of Jordan,
whose request to deliver a speech was also accepted and then turned down —
probably to discourage Erdogan — called off his trip to the United States.
Erdogan, however, did not change his plan, though his request to have Turkish
Director of Religious Affairs Mehmet Gormez recite the Quran by Ali’s casket was
also declined. Erdogan also brought with him a piece of cloth from the holy
Kaaba Mausoleum to place on the casket, but Imam Zaid Shakir, who was leading
the prayers, rejected the request, saying it would violate the sanctity of the
ceremony.
That wasn’t all. Erdogan was unable to deliver the gifts he had brought for
Ali’s family. Erdogan waited for 15 minutes in a room at the Muhammad Ali Center
to deliver his gifts before the center's director Donald Lassere stopped Ali's
daughter Jamillah by his second wife, saying she could not represent the family
in receiving Erdogan’s gifts. The confusion was attributed to Ali's fourth and
last wife, Yolanda Williams.
Rumors circulated wildly that Erdogan’s eulogy was canceled because of the
Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to all licensed Muhammad Ali
products. According to daily Hurriyet’s Washington correspondent Tolga Tanis,
the company did not want Ali’s Muslim identity to dominate the funeral and made
it clear it did not consider Erdogan a world leader, but a Turkish leader with a
problematic image. As a result, Erdogan apparently did not appear in a single
photo with anyone from Ali’s family.
There was a scuffle between Erdogan’s bodyguards and local security personnel,
now a tradition of Erdogan’s foreign travels. After all these developments,
Erdogan decided to cut his visit short and returned to Turkey.
In Rabbi Michael Lerner’s speech at Louisville's arena, he called on Turkey’s
leaders to stop killing Kurds and on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
to end the occupation of the West Bank. The pro-government Turkish media branded
the rabbi’s choice of words about Erdogan "impertinence."
Unusually for him, Erdogan preferred to keep quiet about what led him to cut his
trip short, saying only, "Our first reason for coming here was to perform our
religious duty." He said it wasn't clear what subsequent ceremonies would
involve, and "that is why we decided not to stay any longer.”
Erdogan had thought Ali’s funeral was an attractive opportunity to deliver his
messages. Instead, Erdogan became Ali's last knockout.
There is no question that Ali was an athlete whose exciting bouts had kept Turks
up late many nights. Many officials, including Erdogan, recalled how they had
spent long nights in front of their TVs to watch Ali’s matches. Erdogan said,
"We used to watch at 4 o’clock in the morning. His punches knocked out the
oppressors. He was the fist of the deprived.”
That Ali’s strongest opponents were sometimes themselves "deprived blacks" did
not matter because Ali was a Muslim and had declared war against racism.
The political Islam movement that Erdogan belongs to made use of Ali's fame 40
years ago. On Oct. 1, 1976, when Ali was at the zenith of his career, he became
an instrument of Turkish politics. According to newspaper reports, Ali was
invited to Istanbul by the deputy prime minister, National Salvation Party
leader Necmettin Erbakan. Political posters announced Ali’s coming. People
poured into Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul. Erbakan received Ali at the airport
and prayed with him at Sultanahmet Mosque. The famous boxer’s first meeting with
the people of Istanbul turned into a political rally.
It was later understood that Ali was invited to Turkey not by Erbakan’s party
but by the Culture Ministry's Deputy Undersecretary Kemal Baytas.
Baytas was introduced to Ali by Adil Ozkaptan, who was cooperating with Saudi
weapons trader Adnan Khashoggi and working as a producer in Hollywood. The visit
was not organized by the National Salvation Party, but by the Ministry of
Tourism. Erbakan, who was a partner of the coalition government, seized the
opportunity and turned it to a political affair. The trip lasted 24 hours.
There are many others who have tried to grab a snippet of glory from Ali’s life.
Nevzat Yalcintas, a former Justice and Development Party deputy, claims he is
the one who taught Ali how to pray like a Muslim. Ali, then known as Cassius
Clay, went to London in 1963 to fight Henry Cooper. According to Yalcintas, Ali
visited the London Islamic Center and announced he had decided to become a
Muslim. Yalcintas then taught him how to pray, according to the story. While Ali
did not formally announce his conversion to Islam until 1964, he had been
attending Nation of Islam meetings for some time.
Yalcintas was indeed instrumental in Ali’s second trip to Istanbul in 1993, when
he came for the opening of TGRT-TV. That was the last time Turkish leaders
crossed paths with Ali, who was by then suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Erdogan never misses a platform to make his case, and his wish to speak at the
funeral was seen as exploitative. Erdogan's associates declared him the true
heir of Ali's efforts to champion the cause of the oppressed.
Nuh Albayrak, the Star editor-in-chief who accompanied Erdogan on the Louisville
trip, said, “Muhammad Ali changed many things in the United States. Now Erdogan,
who has taken up Ali's mantle, will be joined by millions of the oppressed to
reject the exploitation they are subjected to.”
Ali had refused to fight in the Vietnam War, something Turkey’s dominant
political and social culture cannot identify with. Opposing war is very costly
in Turkey. Erdogan is a part of the culture that considers avoiding war
treasonous. Remember, Erdogan made life miserable for scores of academics for
signing a communique calling for peace. Ali might have readily endorsed Lerner's
sermon instead, a message well-received by peace-loving people. This is the
reality, but those who try to promote Erdogan as Ali’s successor cannot see it.
What will
happen to Britain if it exits the EU?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June 14/16
Not many expected that the referendum that will be held in 10 days to decide
whether Britain should leave the European Union (EU) would turn into a
nightmare. Previous expectations were that a massive majority supported
remaining in the union. However, recent polls reveal a larger tendency to reject
British membership.The EU is a complicated model of regional cooperation. It
consists of 28 countries whose peoples speak 24 languages. This makes
translation in the EU capital Brussels a popular profession, as everything that
happens must be translated. The number of EU citizens is 500 million, and its
size - slightly more than 4 million kilometers squared - is almost that of
Algeria and Saudi Arabia combined. The EU is one of the richest economies in the
world, as per-capita income is high. Britain’s relation with it has been
unstable from the start. A look at a map is enough to explain why. Britain is an
island off mainland Europe. In 1963, then-French President Charles De Gaulle
vetoed British membership, angering Britons because when he was wanted by the
Germans during their occupation of France, Britain provided him with all the
help needed to liberate his country. Ten years after his veto, Britain entered
the EU. Despite that, however, British governments did not want all the
membership benefits, and refused to comply with all its conditions. Britain
requested certain exceptions for itself, such as not giving up sterling as its
currency. It also has an opt-out from the Schengen border-free area. Despite
these exceptions, some in Britain do not feel comfortable being in the
EU.Britain’s exit, if it does not destroy the EU, will encourage other countries
to leave
Underestimation
When the British government decided to hold a referendum on the issue, it may
not have imagined that the movement against remaining would reach a majority.
Those who oppose membership have gone far in intimidating people over issues
such as immigration, the government’s financial commitments toward the EU, and
taxes, just like U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump does by exploiting
fears about Latino and Muslim immigrants. Now that exiting the EU is a real
possibility, the talk is about analyzing the consequences. Will the British
economy - the eighth largest in the world - decline? Will the sterling
depreciate? Will the country become less important internationally? Britain
plays an important role in the EU, which it will lose the second it leaves. This
will weaken its global status. Those who support leaving, however, say Britain’s
situation will be better because it will not have to spend on the EU and will
not be inundated with refugees, thus allowing the country to seal bilateral
deals that suit it. These promises seem unrealistic in a world that depends a
lot on economic blocs. There will be negative repercussions, political and
economic. Britain’s exit, if it does not destroy the EU, will encourage other
countries to leave. The union, as a conglomerate of people and a united market,
is very important. However, it remains a group of countries whose domestic
circumstances will influence them politically and economically. This will
negatively affect the EU, like what happened with Spain and Greece. Not all
countries want to be in the union. Denmark withdrew, and Iceland decided to
suspend membership negotiations. Several countries have not been allowed to
join. Turkey, a small part of which is in Europe, has repeatedly demanded
membership, but the EU thinks it is democratically immature. Britain’s exit, if
it happens, will change the path of the continent and the country’s future. This
article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Jun. 14, 2016.
Foreign policy in focus as
Saudi deputy crown prince visits US
Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/June 14/16
In time-honored tradition, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is
making the rounds in Washington this week, introducing himself to the great and
the good of the capital’s foreign policy elite. He has just met with Secretary
of State John Kerry at his private residence, a signal mark of respect. The
discussion was also very wide-ranging, as befits long-time allies, with the
Yemen war, the Syrian crisis, and the fight against ISIS all being gone over.
This trip matters more than most in that – unlike his well-regarded uncle, Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Nayef – the Deputy Crown Prince is not a man Washington
knows nearly enough about. If the deputy crown prince is seen as an important,
if enigmatic, new force in Saudi politics by Washington, there can be little
doubt that he has come to preside over the practical fraying of longstanding
US-Saudi ties. For on both the economic and foreign policy fronts, Mohammed bin
Salman has been the leading proponent in policy terms of Riyadh’s newfound
efforts to carve out a more autonomous foreign and economic policy, limiting
Saudi Arabia’s long-time dependence on both oil and the United States.
Gargantuan efforts. These gargantuan reform efforts will largely tell the tale
of the sort of Saudi Arabia that emerges in the new multi-polar era.
In both instances, the Deputy Crown Prince is making a virtue out of a policy
necessity. In the case of oil, Riyadh wants to avoid the resource curse that has
plagued so many countries seemingly blessed with abundant mineral wealth, who
instead never use this innate bounty to sustainably grow their economies. In the
case of the United States, as the Obama pivot to Asia (and corresponding lesser
role in the Middle East) has become clearer, the only sensible Saudi foreign
policy strategy is to move away from dependence on America, charting a more
activist and autonomous role. While all this follows, it is a great departure –
in both economic and foreign policy terms – from what the country has been used
to for decades. Mohammed bin Salman is the embodiment of these tectonic shifts.
Moving away from oil While Riyadh’s rapidly changing foreign policy orientation
will get the lion’s share of the American press coverage of the visit, it is
perhaps his economic reforms that, more than anything, will determine the
success or failure of his overall reformist program. The only sensible Saudi
foreign policy strategy is to move away from dependence on America, charting a
more activist and autonomous role
Mohammed bin Salman, as is set out in the Vision 2030 economic plan, wants to
follow in the footsteps of prosperous Norway, rather than venal Venezuela, using
the country’s vast oil wealth to establish the largest public investment fund in
the world, which will be used to dramatically diversify the Saudi economy away
from its oil dependence over the long run. While Vision 2030 is remarkably
detailed, it remains an open question as to whether the young Deputy Crown
Prince can make Saudi society stakeholders in his reformist drive, as
conservative elements in both the Saudi bureaucracy and the religious leadership
will have to be won round over time if the economic program is to succeed. The
US Treasury Department will be fascinated to try to fathom how committed the
young Prince is to this central plank of his agenda.
Taking relations to another level
Complementing the economic drive, the new Saudi foreign policy also aims to
enhance the country’s self-sufficiency. While the United States is in theory
delighted that Riyadh is doing more on its own, in practice this has made it
very clear that a more assertive Saudi Arabia’s interests in the region
increasingly diverge from those of the United States. Whereas the Iranian
nuclear deal sought to bring Tehran in from the cold, the Saudis look upon Iran
as its primary regional opponent. Whereas America (though helpful) worries about
the Yemen war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels turning into a quagmire,
Riyadh sees it as a bold counter-move, designed to check Iran’s drive toward
regional dominance. The Saudis want America to redouble its efforts to oust
Assad in Syria, the US wants to stay as far away from the whole appalling mess
as possible. On all these fundamental issues, the two old allies simply no
longer see eye to eye. In a multipolar world, it inevitably follows that the
declining, preoccupied superpower cedes a great deal of control to regional
powers, much as happened in the time of Lord Salisbury’s Britain, with the rise
of the US and Japan. A Washington doing less in the Middle East means a Saudi
Arabia likely to do a great deal more. What has been missing from this natural
process is a recognition by both sides that US-Saudi interests are simply not
the same. Managing these differences matters far more now, as the Saudis adopt a
greatly increased regional role and America settles into being an off-shore
balancer in the region. Keeping the alliance broadly together, as these forces
fray the old US-Saudi ties, will take patience, skill, and more than a little
luck. The good news is that the Deputy Crown Prince has been working hard to
keep the still vital relationship on an even keel, going out of his way to
distance himself from the standard criticisms of President Obama’s foreign
policy. Drift between the two old allies is almost inevitable; but that doesn’t
mean the old alliance isn’t still worth saving.
How social media trends hold mirror to the society
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/June 14/16
Hashtags trending on Twitter express a lot about a society and each society has
its own trends. A photo clarifying Saudi Twitter trends and Western society’s
trends has recently been circulated. The difference is clear between racist
hashtags against an area or a tribe, and hashtags that discuss various issues.
The percentage of those benefitting from Twitter has decreased, considering the
disadvantages that are resulting from it. Saudi daily Al-Jazirah’s cultural
section recently published the results of a study that showed that more than
6,000 Twitter accounts are directed at inciting strife among Saudis. It also
showed that 4,000 other Twitter accounts retweet what those 6,000 accounts post.
The study monitored accounts that systematically publish 90 tweets per minute
that harm the kingdom. That is 130,000 harmful tweets per day. Twitter has
become a reflection of our own diseases
Good and bad
Twitter, this exceptional platform in the field of personal expression, has
taken on other dimensions that we were not familiar with in the past. I joined
Twitter about seven years ago. The bad has risen to exceed the good, and this is
due to the prevailing culture. Twitter has become a reflection of our own
diseases. We are new to the era of technology, but we must look at our bigger
mistakes as Twitter has become an arena for racism, rejection, elimination and
terrorism. Contemplate Twitter trends, then ask what cultural development we
have achieved. This article was first published in Okaz on Jun. 12, 2016.
Donald Trump’s exploitation
of Orlando benefits ISIS
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/June 14/16
Six days following the 9-11 attacks, former US President George W. Bush headed
to the DC Islamic Center to console a bereaved nation, and emphasize that "the
face of terror is not the true faith of Islam”. “Islam is peace”, he said.
Almost 15 years to the day, the face of the Republican Party has tremendously
changed with the presumptive nomination of the right wing populist candidate
Donald Trump. Trump had from the very early moments of the Orlando attack – the
worst mass shooting in the United States and most deadly terror act since 9-11 –
has flipped every national theme of coming together. He went on a divisive
attack mode, aiming to exploit the tragedy by blaming Muslims, and driving an
anti-immigration rhetoric. Trump’s ultimate goal is to turn the fear mongering
and flirtations with the US gun lobby into votes, and inch closer to the
Presidency in November. As the world tries to fathom the savagery in Orlando,
Donald Trump’s extraordinarily reckless and Islamophobic statements following
the attack are alarming to global security and a welcome narrative for ISIS
Divide and demonize
When tragedy falls, and in almost every civilized democracy, politicians set
aside their differences and come together in promoting a message of unity and
togetherness. We have seen it in the United States after 9-11, in France after
the Paris attacks, and in India after the Mumbai terror. Donald Trump has chosen
to break this rule, and sow fear and discord in the American society only hours
after the horror in Orlando on Sunday. It is hard to tell whether Trump’s post-Orlando
tactics are due his drop in the polls, or simply an episode of the candidate
just being himself, unable to exercise self-control even in times of crisis. In
the last 24 hours, Trump’s tweets and TV statements have ranged from his awkward
thanks to supporters for congratulating him on being right about “radical
Islamic terrorism”, to floating conspiracies on US President Barack Obama,
calling on him to step down and then blaming the Muslim Community for not
reporting on the perpetrator. To Trump, Obama has a secret agenda and doesn’t
want to do anything about terrorism, while the Muslim community is to be blamed
and demonized for not reporting on the attacks. “Believe me, the community knows
the people that have the potential to blow up”, Trump told CNN. In what fits his
despotic style, Trump went after the media, revoking the Washington Post’s
credentials for reporting this story on his erratic comments. While the goal for
Trump is to maximize his media coverage, this disruptive behavior after Orlando
should beg more questions about his readiness to serve as Commander-in-Chief.
A blessing for ISIS
For all his macho and muscular talk, Trump has nothing close to a strategy when
it comes to fighting ISIS. His anti-Muslim, anti-refugee, anti-immigration talk
is a blessing in disguise for ISIS who will use it as an evidence that Islam is
at war with the West, and to further oppress those hoping to leave the so-called
caliphate to “the land of apostates”.In many ways, ISIS is getting a free ride
with the Orlando attack. Investigations show that shooter had no ties to a
terror network and was mostly inspired by ISIS propaganda. Now, aided by Trump’s
muddled message and allegations, the notorious terrorist group can take a
victory lap for attacking the United States. Trump’s plan to ban Muslims and any
immigration from countries with proven history of terrorism is seen as
unconstitutional, and it does little to address the problem. The attackers in
Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino, and Orlando are mostly home grown terrorists
with Western passports. They are citizens of Belgium, France, and the United
States, who don’t fit in Trump’s new ban or anti-refugee policy. As far as
homegrown terrorism is concerned, Trump wants to work with no other group than
National Rifle Association to “find tips to prevent terrorism”. He proposed on
CNN that citizens strap guns to their waists and ankles when going to a
nightclub.By advocating a massive armament of the American public, Trump is not
only endangering the security of the United States, he is ignoring the elephant
in the room on how a terrorist in Orlando was able to acquire sophisticated
assault weapon and kill 49 Americans. When it comes to the actual plans for
defeating ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Trump has none, and his proposals range from
incoherent to hollow. He has both supported and opposed the Iraq war, offered
both a GCC-funded safe zone and ISIS-free zone in Syria. As the world tries to
fathom the savagery in Orlando, Donald Trump’s extraordinarily reckless and
Islamophobic statements following the attack are alarming to global security and
a welcome narrative for ISIS. Even if Trump loses in November, the challenge of
overcoming this rhetoric will be the most tedious task for the Republican Party
and the next US President.