LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 26/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.march26.16.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
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Bible Quotations For Today
Great Saturday of the Light
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 27/62-66:"The next day,
that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees
gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while
he was still alive, "After three days I will rise again." Therefore command that
the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and
steal him away, and tell the people, "He has been raised from the dead", and the
last deception would be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a
guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’So they went with the guard
and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.'
We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not
disappoint us
Letter to the Romans 05/01-11;"Since we are justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to
this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of
God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that
suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character
produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been
poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For
while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed,
rarely will anyone die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person
someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while
we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we
have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of
God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death
of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his
life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on March 26/16
Who is to blame for Lebanon’s media crisis/Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/March 26/16
Immigration, Reason, and Responsibility/Raymond Ibrahim/March 25/16
Can the Ould Cheikh plan end the war in Yemen/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March
26/16
Evil mass murderers are not Muslims, Mr Trump/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March
26/16
Glory days of nationalism never really existed/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/March
26/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 26/16
U.N. Chief Pledges Continued Support
for Lebanese Army
Ban Visits Palestinian, Syrian Refugee Camps, Meets al-Rahi
Security Officials: Arsal Attack Came as Army was Searching for Bomb
Franjieh Warns against Street Protests, Says he Won’t Abolish Himself
Residents, Activists Form Human Chain to Protest Costa Brava Landfill
Man Held in Possession of '15 Pistols, $500K Artifact'
Ibrahim Appeases Fears, Says Situation at Airport not Worrisome
Lebanon Signs New Finance Agreements with Development Banks
Who is to blame for Lebanon’s media crisis?
Press Conference by UN SecretaryGeneral in Beirut
Machnouk: Disagree with Frangiyeh's boycotting of parliament session
Khalil: Our combat against terror is one
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
March 26/16
22 Dead in Yemen Triple Suicide Bombings Claimed by IS
ISIS claims attack on stadium in Iraq that killed 29
Iran’s Rowhani making first visit to Pakistan as president
Iran air ambulance helicopter crashes, killing all on board
Belgian Police Shoot Suspect in Europe-Wide Terror Raids
Africa, Arab Defense Ministers Agree Counter-Terrorism Cooperation
U.N. Says 50 Staff Dead, Detained or Missing in Syria
Syria Army Recaptures Palmyra Citadel from IS
Iraq Forces Secure Villages South of Mosul
U.S. Confirms Death of IS Number Two, Sees Blow to its Operations
Iraq's Sadr Vows Protests Will Remain Non-Violent
Saudi Journalist Jailed 5 Years over Tweets
Egypt Frees Youth Detained for Anti-torture T-shirt
Cruz Angrily Denies Adultery Allegations, Blames Trump
Links From
Jihad Watch Site for March 26/16
Pope Francis washes feet of Muslim migrants, says we’re all
“children of the same God”
Muslim offers $10,000 to anyone who shows Qur’an promotes terrorism
Brussels jihad attacker identified as also involved in November Paris jihad
massacre
Brussels: Cops shoot Muslim carrying a bomb in a rucksack after he takes a woman
hostage
Muslim prof Joseph Lumbard: When Quran says “kill them,” it doesn’t mean it
Video: Canadian cafe takes down Israeli flag after Muslim complains
Malaysia: Muslim cleric among 15 Muslims arrested for plotting jihad mass murder
attacks for the Islamic State
CNN guest says “white people” don’t understand Islamic culture — Ibrahim Hooper
hardest hit
Scotland: Imam at Glasgow’s biggest mosque praises Muslim who murdered foe of
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws
After Brussels jihad massacre, people seek the truth about Islam behind the
media myths
UN Human Rights Council Gets Help From Canada to Bash Israel
Six Muslims arrested in massive Brussels police operation
Frenchman” arrested in “advanced stages” of terror plot
New Islamic State video: “Holy war against infidels is an
integral part of Islam”
U.N. Chief Pledges Continued Support for Lebanese Army
Naharnet/March 25/16/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon stressed on his first day of an
official visit to Lebanon on Thursday that the world body will continue to
support the Lebanese army. “I assured the Minister and the Lebanese Armed Forces
Commander that the U.N. and our partners in the international community will
continue to give them our strong support. The Security Council emphasized this
once again in its statement last week,” Ban said following talks with Defense
Minister Samir Moqbel and Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji. The talks at the defense
ministry in Yarze were attended by UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano
and the representatives of the International Support Group for Lebanon. Ban
vowed to “continue to advocate for greater support for the Lebanese Armed
Forces, which we consider a truly national institution.” “It is essential that
the Lebanese Armed Forces get the technical and material resources they need to
fulfill their vital responsibilities throughout the country,” he said.
The U.N. chief also expressed his “deep admiration for the successful efforts”
by the Lebanese Army and security agencies “to safeguard the country’s security
and stability, particularly in keeping Lebanon’s borders safe and protecting the
country from the threat of terrorism.”On his first day of the official visit,
Ban also met with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Tammam Salam. The
discussions mainly focused on the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon
and the refugee burden. He also visited the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura where
he inspected troops.
Ban Visits Palestinian, Syrian Refugee Camps, Meets al-Rahi
Associated Press/Naharnet/March 25/16/U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited
on Friday the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon that
was destroyed in fierce battles against al-Qaida-inspired militants almost a
decade ago. He urged the international community to provide necessary funding to
help finish the rebuilding of the camp. "Almost half the construction has been
made but there are still so many people waiting to be returned," Ban said. "I'm
urging the international community to provide remaining funding of at least 200
million dollars so that these people can return." Ban arrived at the camp under
tight security measures where he was received by Social Affairs Minister Rashid
Derbas, Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour, Palestinian factions
leaders and the UNRWA director. He inspected the Aamaq school compound in where
officials explained on a map the ongoing reconstruction of the camp.
“I have been urging the international community to provide the necessary
funding. UNRWA has been working very hard, UNICEF has also been trying to
provide support for young people,” Ban said. “Last month in London, there was
the international conference convened by the United Nations, and Governments of
the United Kingdom, [Germany], Norway and Kuwait, we were able to mobilize a
significant amount of funding: for this year, more than $5.5 billion and for a
multiyear $11.5 billion. Pledges from the international community [were also
made] to provide funding for the Nahr el-Bared camp reconstruction and I fully
support this,” added the U.N. Chief. “We are going to have a World Humanitarian
Summit meeting in Istanbul in May and that will be one of the top priorities so
we can help promote [support to] these refugees and the Sustainable Development
Goals which were adopted in September last year,” he said.
“The main thing is that nobody should be left behind, everybody should work
together and the people who are suffering should not be left alone. That is my
firm commitment and I will continue to work with Lebanese leaders and people."
The Lebanese military fought a three-month battle in 2007 against the
al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam group inside the camp. The Lebanese army crushed
the group, but the clashes also killed more than 170 soldiers and caused massive
destruction, displacing the camp's residents. Almost a decade later, the
reconstruction work is still not finished and many residents are still waiting
to return. Ban and Derbas later inaugurated a Social Development Center in the
northern city of Tripoli's al-Qobbeh area. He said: “I am very happy to see that
the U.N. system, UNDP, UNICEF and UNRWA and all other organizations are working
very closely with the community leaders to provide education, vocational
training, sanitation support and some psychological support, and also a safe
place to watch our women and children there. He added that the center “provides
an opportunity when people are suffering from deprivation, lack of
opportunities, no education, when they are isolated or left behind. It also
combines good support for adolescent boys and girls who are sometimes exposed to
sexual gender-based violence and we have to protect them from this kind of
violence.
“The World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank and their presidents are here
to help us support. The United Nations will continue to work with you, [with]
UNICEF providing higher education and quality education, UNDP providing
development programs as well as job opportunities.”Later on Friday, Ban held a
half-hour meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi at the Maronite
Archdiocese of Beirut. “The meeting tackled the current situations in Lebanon
and the region and the issue of the presidency,” the National News Agency said,
adding that the two men agreed that all Lebanese “must cooperate in order to
facilitate the election, seeing as the persistence of vacuum would aggravate
Lebanon's crises.”
Talks also addressed the refugee crisis in Lebanon and the need to “eradicate
terrorism” in the world through “inter-religious dialogue.”“During the meeting,
al-Rahi handed Ban Ki-moon a detailed memo about the current thorny issues in
Lebanon and the Middle East region, and proposals on how to resolve them,” NNA
said. The U.N. chief then visited a Syrian refugee encampment in the Bekaa town
of al-Dalhamiyeh after arriving at the Riyaq military airport in a helicopter.
At a press conference he held in Beirut at the end of his visit to Lebnaon, Ban
announced that the international community “will support the Syrian refugees
temporarily hosted in Lebanon, until the moment they feel they can return safely
and securely to Syria.”“The world owes the Lebanese people and authorities a
great debt for their generosity in hosting over one million refugees from Syria,
in addition to hundreds of thousands of Palestine refugees,” the U.N. chief
said.
Ban also stressed that “Lebanon is, and must remain, a vital example to the
region of coexistence and pluralism, at a time of dangerous new power dynamics
and violent extremist forces.”“I applaud the people of Lebanon for their
resilience and I commend Prime Minister Tammam Salam for his leadership,” he
said. “But the people of this country need their party leaders to work with the
Prime Minister so that the Government can respond to their needs,” Ban added,
calling on political parties to “elect a president.”“As long as the vacancy of
presidency persists, national unity and Lebanon’s standing will remain fragile
and incomplete,” Ban warned. Ban came to Beirut on Thursday on a two-day
official visit that has focused on the issue of Syrian refugees. On the first
day of the trip, Ban visited Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam
and Defense Minister Samir Moqbel. The discussions mainly focused on the
repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon and the refugee burden. He also
visited the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon headquarters in Naqoura
where he inspected troops.
Security Officials: Arsal Attack Came as Army was Searching for Bomb
Naharnet/March 25/16/Security officials said that Thursday’s roadside bombing on
the Lebanese-Syrian border in which one soldier was killed came as an army
patrol was combing the area following information about suspicious activities.
The officials told As Safir daily published on Friday that a patrol was
searching for bombs after the army received intelligence reports that jihadists
were plotting an attack. During the search operation, the bomb went off, leaving
a soldier dead and three others injured, said the unidentified officials. It was
not clear if the bomb was detonated by remote control. The attack happened in
the area of Wadi Atta on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.
The Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known as al-Nusra Front,
control parts of that volatile border area.
Franjieh Warns against Street Protests, Says he Won’t Abolish Himself
Naharnet/March 25/16/Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh has warned that
he would head to parliament to attend a session for the election of a president
if the supporters of his rival Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun
resorted to street protests. “If Aoun wants to change the rules of the
democratic game on the presidential elections by resorting to the street, then …
the option of heading to parliament for the electoral session” will be on the
table, Franjieh said in remarks published on Friday. Franjieh has been
boycotting parliamentary sessions aimed at electing a president along with
Aoun’s bloc and Hizbullah despite being a candidate and being backed by
al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri who leads the March 14 alliance. Aoun,
on the other hand, is supported by the majority of the March 8 coalition and the
Lebanese Forces that is allied with Hariri. His Change and Reform bloc warned
earlier this week that Aoun is mulling to call on his supporters to resort to
street protests to press for the demand to elect him as president. He claims
that he represents the majority of Christians particularly after receiving the
support of LF chief Samir Geagea.
Asked whether he preferred a centrist to reach Baabda Palace, the Marada chief
said that he would back Aoun for the presidency yet he would not eliminate
himself by meeting the FPM leader’s request to withdraw from the presidential
race.
Franjieh told al-Joumhouria daily that Hizbullah neither asked him to withdraw
in Aoun’s favor nor to remain a candidate. “Even if Hizbullah asked me to pull
out of the race, I would not do it and I would not abolish myself,” he said.
Baabda Palace has been vacant since May 2014. The rival parliamentary blocs have
failed to elect a successor to President Michel Suleiman as a result of their
differences. Franjieh, who is a member of the Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition,
reiterated that he has not made commitments to Hariri or anyone else because of
the Mustaqbal chief’s support for his candidacy. The lawmaker told the newspaper
that he has agreed with Hariri on general issues that would be subjected to
nationwide consensus if he were elected president. Franjieh stressed that his
election would be a victory for the March 8 alliance but not a loss for March
14.
However, he expressed fear that Aoun would upset the opportunity to bring a
March 8 candidate to the country’s top Christian post.
Residents, Activists Form Human Chain to Protest Costa Brava Landfill
Naharnet/March 25/16/A number of residents and activists held a sit-in Friday on
the Costa Brava shore at Beirut's southern entrance to protest a government
decision to set up a garbage landfill at the site. “A group of students, youths
and environmental activists staged a protest this afternoon at Costa Brava
following an invitation from the National Democratic Gathering,” state-run
National News Agency reported. The protesters “formed a long human chain and
carried banners condemning the landfill project,” NNA said. Several activists
delivered speeches at the sit-in, explaining “the environmental damage that
could be caused by the project, especially that it violates the Barcelona
Convention,” the agency added.
The Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the
Coastal Region of the Mediterranean was adopted in 1995.
Residents who took part in the protest decried that the landfill will have an
alleged negative impact on their health. Preparation works kicked off last
Friday at the Costa Brava site in Khalde where the government has decided to set
up a garbage landfill as part of a plan to resolve the country's long-running
waste management crisis. Choueifat municipal chief Melhem al-Souqi announced
that the municipality was “surprised” by the start of works. Lebanon's
unprecedented trash management crisis erupted in July 2015 after the closure of
the Naameh landfill which was receiving the waste of Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
The crisis, which sparked unprecedented protests against the entire political
class, has seen streets, forests and riverbanks overflowing with waste and the
air filled with the smell of rotting and burning garbage. On March 12, the
cabinet decided to establish two landfills in Costa Brava and Bourj Hammoud and
to reactivate the Naameh landfill for two months as part of a four-year plan to
resolve the country’s waste problem despite the rejection of many residents and
civil society activists. A landfill’s location in the Shouf and Aley areas will
be determined later following consultations with the local municipalities, the
cabinet said.
Man Held in Possession of '15 Pistols, $500K Artifact'
Naharnet/March 25/16/A man was arrested Friday in the outskirts of the Bekaa
town of Maaraboun for transporting fifteen handguns and an artifact worth
$500,000, state-run National News Agency reported. “An army force arrested A. M.
Radi, 52, who hails from the town of Maaraboun, after he crossed the
Syrian-Lebanese border in his Volvo car,” NNA said. “Fifteen pistols and an
artifact worth $500,000 were seized in his possession and he was transferred to
the Ablah barracks for further interrogation,” the agency added.
Ibrahim Appeases Fears, Says Situation at Airport not Worrisome
Naharnet/March 25/16/General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said that
the situation at the Rafik Hariri International Airport is not worrisome and
emphasized that it is under control, Ad Diyar daily reported on Friday. “The
situation at the airport is not scary to the point of panic,” he was quoted by
the daily as saying. “The situation at Beirut airport is not worrying, and the
security situation in Lebanon is under control. There is a close collaboration
between the security apparatuses in order to keep the situation as such,” he
pointed out.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had stated while on an official visit to
London that the airport suffers from security flaws that need to be addressed.
He said that improving the security measures at the terminal will be the first
thing to address as soon as he returns to Lebanon. His statement came following
Tuesday's terror attacks in Brussels against its airport and metro.
Lebanon Signs New Finance Agreements with Development Banks
Associated Press/Naharnet/March 25/16/The World Bank and Islamic Development
Bank have signed agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars to help
Lebanon cope with the large number of Syrian refugees who were displaced by
their country's civil war. The announcement was made after a Thursday meeting
between Prime Minister Tammam Salam and visiting U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-Moon, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank
President Ahmad Mohamed Ali al-Madani. Lebanon is home to more than 1 million
registered Syrian refugees, or nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million
people. Lebanon says that another half a million Syrians live in the country as
well. "The Syrian refugees' presence in Lebanon has generated a severe burden
that Lebanon is no longer able to face alone," said Salam during a joint news
conference with the visiting dignitaries. The World Bank president said that it
has already signed agreements worth $900 million with Lebanon, saying that the
World Bank is doing all it can to get that money out, but progress has been slow
because Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 and parliament
rarely meets. He added that the World Bank's board has decided to take $100
million from a fund used only for the poorest countries, mostly in Africa and
South Asia, and "provided today a very concessional loan for the education
sector, again to show our appreciation for what Lebanon has done in educating
refugees here." The head of the Islamic Development Bank announced that five
agreements have been signed to help Lebanon, and pledged to help more in the
future. "We have signed five agreements worth $373 million. There is another
agreement that will be signed soon, God willing, in which the amount will be
$400 million," al-Madani said. He added that several projects are underway and
"we expect that during this year there will be agreements worth $220 million."
Press
Conference by UN SecretaryGeneral in Beirut
Fri 25 Mar 2016/NNA - Winding up the second day of his official visit to
Lebanon, United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, held a press conference
on Friday, in which he renewed commitment to "stability, peace and security in
Lebanon," while noting that "Lebanon is hosting the largest number of refugees
in the world on individual basis.""As my visit with President Kim and President
al-Madani is nearly over, I would like to underscore again our strong joint
commitment to stability, security and peace in Lebanon," he stated.
"We held important meetings on a range of subjects with Prime Minister Salam and
Speaker Berri and the Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Samir Mokbel. I
also met with His Beatitude Patriarch Rai," said Ki-moon.
"President Kim and I saw for ourselves the work being done to help vulnerable
Lebanese communities and the Palestinian and Syrian refugees they host," he
added. "During my visit, our visit to Tripoli and the Bekaa, I was very moved by
my meetings with Palestine and Syrian refugees and my visit to a social
development centre for Lebanese women and young people," he went on. "The United
Nations, along with other international actors, is here to assist Lebanon in
securing its stability and support its stabilization through humanitarian and
development assistance to vulnerable Lebanese citizens, as well as Syrian and
Palestinian refugees," Ban underscored."The international community will support
the Syrian refugees temporarily hosted in Lebanon, until the moment they feel
they can return safely and securely to Syria. Lebanon can count on our full
support for its vulnerable citizens as well as Syrian refugees," he added. In
his press conference, the UN Secretary General outlined the following messages:
"Tonight, I have four messages for the people and leaders of Lebanon. The first
is to reaffirm our strong support for Lebanon as it continues to withstand the
impact of the war in Syria. The world owes the Lebanese people and authorities a
great debt for their generosity in hosting over one million refugees from Syria,
in addition to hundreds of thousands of Palestine refugees. Lebanon hosts the
largest number of refugees per capita in the world. The international community
recognizes this contribution and must support Lebanon in its efforts. Continued
strong support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, remains
vital for the wellbeing and protection of Palestine refugees. I stressed this at
Nahr El-Bared Camp today. The Palestine refugees in Lebanon deserve our full
support.
I welcome the record commitments made at the London Conference, and I call on
donor countries to disburse their pledges as soon as possible. Lebanon needs us
to bridge the gap between short-term humanitarian assistance and longer-term
measures, including programs for education and employment. The partnership
between Lebanon, the United Nations, the World Bank and the Islamic Development
Bank has made it possible to design an innovative concessional financial
facility for Lebanon. Through this facility, the government will be able to
invest in priority areas that will help people in need and stabilize the
country.
My second message is that Lebanon is, and must remain, a vital example to the
region of coexistence and pluralism, at a time of dangerous new power dynamics
and violent extremist forces.I applaud the people of Lebanon for their
resilience and I commend Prime Minister Tammam Salam for his leadership.
But the people of this country need their party leaders to work with the Prime
Minister so that the Government can respond to their needs.Most of all, they
need the political parties to elect a President. As long as the vacancy of
presidency persists, national unity and Lebanon's standing will remain fragile
and incomplete. My third message is to reaffirm the United Nations strong
support for the Lebanese Armed Forces. The death of a brave Lebanese soldier in
a bomb attack near the Syrian border yesterday underlines the importance of
these forces, not only for Lebanon's security, but also for regional stability.
I am very much encouraged that UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces are working
closely together. I echo the Security Council in calling on Lebanon's friends in
the international community to continue to strengthen the capabilities of the
Lebanese Armed Forces.
Finally, ten years after Security Council resolution 1701, southern Lebanon has
seen the longest period of relative calm since 2006. This is a great credit to
UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces.But there is still a danger of
miscalculation. The United Nations expects Lebanon to continue contributing to
progress and to meet all its obligations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Lebanon's ability to thrive also depends on addressing longstanding regional
conflicts. The United Nations will spare no effort in seeking to put an end to
the conflict in Syria, and to reach a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in
the Middle East. This is a critical period for the region. It is time to stop
the violence and end injustice; to give people the opportunities they deserve to
build a better life. That is why the United Nations will remain strong and
unwavering in its partnership with Lebanon."
Machnouk: Disagree with
Frangiyeh's boycotting of parliament session
Fri 25 Mar 2016/NNA -
Disagreeing during a televised London interview with deputy Frangiyeh's
"boycotting of parliament sessions as unacceptable,", Interior minister Nohad
Machnouk has urged a security scrutiny of loopholes at Beirut International
airport saying he got pretty tired demanding security all the time, he
exclaimed. Also denouncing an anti-Saudi Hezbollah hymn as presenting a damaging
prospect to bilateral relations, Machnouk urged March 8 protagonists to take
vital economic interests of Lebanese expats living and working in Saudi and the
Gulf into serious consideration when they broadcast such songs. Machnouk
concluded that a press leak accusing Berri of blocking parliament legislation
was "inaccurate"
Khalil: Our combat against terror is one
Fri 25 Mar 2016/NNA - Our combat against terrorism is one and the same, minister
of Finance Ali Khalil, has informed U.S. interlocutors in Washington D.C. today.
"We look forward to promote the Lebanese political process," minister Khalil
reiterated before Acting World Bank Executive Sri Mulyani Indrawati and her
team. Having discussed essential reforms demanded by the World Bank in exchange
for $ 4 billion dollars already earmarked for Lebanon at a recent London
business conference, the minister discussed a five year plan in the offing
during the upcoming month of July in accordance with what he termed as "Lebanese
strategic financial thinking." Khalil also disclosed World Bank securities
designed to decrease financial burdens posed by our budget deficit. World Bank
officials however have preconditioned any prospective positive dealing on what
they termed as "sound functioning of Lebanese government and politics."Also
singing the praises of what he termed as " recent Lebanese army and police anti
terror breakthroughs," minister Khalil stressed need for reconsidering Congress
implementation of anti-Hezbollah sanctions albeit, concluding that his
promptings have met with certain understanding.
Who is to blame
for Lebanon’s media crisis?
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/March 26/16
The Lebanese media, particularly print journalism, shouldn’t be ashamed of
admitting that the crisis in the industry has reached unprecedented levels. The
role of the media is to address people’s problems and seek to find solutions.
However, in Lebanon it is now drowning in its own set of problems and no real
attempts are being made to resolve them. After newspapers As-Safir and Al-Liwaa
revealed last week that they are facing financial difficulties, many people have
spoken out in defense of the press. There are also others who say journalism is
not important. According to them Lebanon will be better off without these
publications as some of them only deepen divisions, raise problems, defend the
conflicting parties based on their own affiliation and sometimes even fuel
disputes. Print journalism is generally the voice of reason and influences a
category of wise men who do not impulsively react and take to the streets –
unlike the mobilization which television stations do via live coverage. However
I think both the television and the newspapers deliver news and analyses and do
not bear the responsibility for triggering events, which politicians and
religious leaders are responsible for. Various sectors in Lebanon are facing
serious financial issues. Hotels, restaurants and industrial and commercial
firms are all passing through a crunch period. Many of them have had to shut
down not because they did not receive funds from political parties as some would
like to claim. The media’s financial crisis is due to general snapping of funds.
Some of the statements are not made on the basis of empirical evidence. Studies
suggest that money spent on advertisements is the main source of revenue for
media houses. These advertising revenue, however, have dropped by 50-60 percent
since 2011. Also, most media outlets dig into the same pool for revenue. Since
there is a general lack of development in the country, there is next to no
increase in funds spent on advertisement, which adds to the misery.
Financial crisis
Print journalism is generally the voice of reason and influences a category of
wise men who do not impulsively react and take to the streets – unlike the
mobilization which television stations do via live coverage. The media and other
industries such as publishing, libraries and book exhibitions grapple with the
same financial crisis. It has become really difficult for print journalism and
will eventually become as difficult for other media outlets. Media as an
industry supports governments in developed countries. It is needed to take the
message to the world, defend human rights and demand answers. It is needed to
expose corruption and fight against it, and it is doing what it can to perform
this role. What is important now is that the plight of Lebanese media is not
turned into material for mockery. It cannot be an appeal for help that goes
unanswered as closure of some dailies is a serious issue. If closures go on like
this, it will not be good for the industry in Lebanon, which has grown with the
Arab press and which has been the Arab world’s publishing house. It will not be
good for the people of Lebanon, their history, legacy and future. Despite the
crisis surrounding us, we at the an-Nahar newspaper will stay loyal to the era
of Ghassan and Gebran Tueni and we tell everyone: “Gebran has not died, and an-Nahar
will continue to publish” alongside all the loyal employees and contributors.
22 Dead in Yemen Triple
Suicide Bombings Claimed by IS
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/Three suicide bombings claimed by the
Islamic State group on Friday struck checkpoints of Yemeni loyalist forces in
Aden, killing 22 people, including 10 civilians, a security official said. The
bombings were followed by an attempt to attack a nearby large base of the
Saudi-led Arab pro-government coalition which recently turned its guns on
jihadists in southern Yemen. The attacks came a year after the coalition
launched on March 26, 2015 an air campaign against Shiite rebels in support of
internationally backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said in an online report that "IS fighters
have launched three martyrdom operations and an attack on a base of the
coalition in Aden."Two bombs went off simultaneously at separate checkpoints in
Shaab district, on Aden's western outskirts, before gunmen launched an attack on
the nearby base of the military coalition, an official said. Apache helicopters
belonging to the coalition carried out strikes on positions of gunmen in the
surrounding area as the assailants tried to advance toward the base. A third
explosive device planted in an ambulance was detonated at checkpoint near
Mansura, in central Aden, the official said. The Arab coalition waging the
year-long bombing campaign against Shiite Huthi rebels only began targeting
jihadists for the first time last week in Aden. The Islamic State group and
al-Qaida have exploited the chaos, widening their footholds in the south and
carrying out deadly attacks, mostly against forces loyal to Hadi. A U.S. air
strike Tuesday on an al-Qaida training camp in the southeastern province of
Hadramawt killed more than 70 fighters in a major blow to the extremist group.
Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen is considered by Washington to be the most dangerous
affiliate of the international terror organization. The Arab coalition launched
its air campaign against the Huthis in March last year as the Iran-backed rebels
advanced on Hadi's refuge in Aden and forced him to flee to Riyadh. Loyalists
have since managed to drive the rebels out of Aden and four other southern
provinces, thanks to the military support of the coalition. But the coalition
has failed to deal a decisive blow to the rebels and their allies, who continue
to control large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, which they seized
in September 2014. The United Nations says about 6,300 people have been killed
since March last year, with civilians accounting for more than half. New hopes
for a breakthrough in the conflict surfaced on Wednesday when U.N. envoy Ismail
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said warring parties had agreed on a ceasefire that would be
observed before peace talks start on April 18. Previous negotiations have failed
and several ceasefires were never respected.
ISIS claims attack on stadium
in Iraq that killed 29
AP, Baghdad Friday, 25 March 2016/A suicide bomber blew himself up in a soccer
stadium south of the Iraqi capital on Friday, killing 29 people and wounding 60,
security officials said, as the military announced new gains on the ground
against ISIS. The bombing took place during a match in the small stadium in the
city of Iskanderiyah, 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Baghdad, the officials said.
Medical officials confirmed the death toll. The officials spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack via a statement posted online, SITE
intelligence group, a monitoring organization, reported. ISIS has been waging a
campaign of suicide bombings in and around the capital as Iraqi forces and their
allies battle the militants in the north and west of the country. The bombing
came as Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rusoul announced that Iraqi troops and
Sunni tribal fighters recaptured the town of Kubeisa in western Anbar province
from ISIS. A day earlier, IS fighters were pushed out of a string of villages in
Iraq’s northern Nineveh province under cover of heavy coalition airstrikes.
Iraqi ground forces are working to build on recent gains in Anbar and prepare
for an eventual push on the northern city of Mosul, the largest city held by the
militants in the “caliphate” they declared across parts of Iraq and Syria. The
US-led coalition estimates that IS has lost 40 percent of the territory it once
held in Iraq and around 20 percent of its territory in Syria. Analysts and
coalition officials say they expect that as it loses ground on the battlefield,
it will turn to more insurgent style attacks in Iraq and internationally. On
Tuesday, bombings in Brussels claimed by ISIS killed 31 people and injured
nearly 300.
Iran’s Rowhani making first
visit to Pakistan as president
The Associated Press, Islamabad Friday, 25 March 2016/Iran’s Hassan Rowhani
arrived Friday in Pakistan on a landmark visit, his first since becoming
president, at a time when Saudi Arabia is courting Islamabad to increase
participation in a new Saudi-led military alliance of mostly Sunni nations, a
coalition perceived by Tehran as an anti-Shiite block. In a televised statement
following meetings between Rowhani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the
two leaders said they wanted to forge a relationship built on economic
development and shared interests. Inside the prime minister’s residence in the
Pakistani capital, Islamabad, the two leaders announced the signing of several
memorandums of understanding in fields such as health, diplomatic training,
trade and commerce. They also announced the opening of two additional border
crossings between the two nations. Speaking through an interpreter, Rowhani said
Pakistan’s security was as important to Iran as its own. He said terrorism is a
scourge both countries face. Pakistan, a majority Sunni country, has
traditionally close ties with Saudi Arabia, which is hostile to Iran, a Shiite
power. The kingdom accuses Tehran of supporting Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen
against the internationally recognized president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Saudi
Arabia has been leading a coalition of mostly Gulf Arab states in a blistering
air-campaign against the Houthis in the conflict in Yemen, widely seen as a
proxy Saudi-Iran war. Last year, Pakistan refused a Saudi request to send troops
into Yemen after a vote in Parliament delivered an overwhelming “no.” Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the kingdom in January, expressing support for the
alliance but without making any military commitment. Local Pakistani papers have
carried unconfirmed reports that Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan’s military chief,
Raheel Sharif, to head the alliance. Rowhani’s visit is also a landmark moment
for Iran, after international sanctions were lifted in the wake of the nuclear
deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers. “This visit means a lot,”
said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research
and Security Studies, adding that Pakistan is still “ambivalent” about its
participation in the new Saudi-led alliance. Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country
of 180 million, has a Shiite minority that makes up about 15 percent of the
population. The country frequently sees Sunni militant groups attacking the
Shiite minority, which in turn has accused Saudi Arabia of financing groups like
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, blamed for many such deadly attacks. For their part, the
militant Sunni groups accuse Iran of financing a Pakistani militant Shiite
group, Tehreek Nafaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafariya. On the eve of his visit, Rowhani said
that “constructive relations with neighbors and the Islamic world are at the
priority list of our foreign policy.”“Destabilization of others causes
everlasting conflicts that benefit nobody,” he said in a veiled reference to
Saudi Arabia. “I believe that at this crucial moment of the history of relations
between the two countries, it is essential that Pakistan and Iran ... lay the
cornerstone of a new bilateral engagement based on the mutual interests of the
two countries,” Rowhani added in his statement. Rowhani’s visit is also expected
to discuss a controversial gas pipeline from Iran, through Pakistan to India.
Work has stalled on the Iran-Pakistan section, which was designed to help
Pakistan meet its energy needs. Iran has invested over $2 billion in the
project, but Pakistan has yet to finish construction on its half of the
pipeline. Washington had for years opposed the project amid concerns over
Tehran’s nuclear program. At a meeting with Iranian business representatives
Friday Miftah Ismail, Chairman of the Pakistan Board of Investment and Sui
Southern Gas Company, said the Iran- Pakistan- India pipeline is a priority for
Sharif’s government, as is a north-south pipeline Pakistan is building with
China. With relentless and protracted power outages throughout the country,
finding new energy sources has become critical in Pakistan.
Iran air ambulance helicopter
crashes, killing all on board
Reuters, Ankara Saturday, 26 March 2016/An air ambulance helicopter crashed on
Friday in Iran’s central province of Fars, killing everyone on board, Iranian
media reported. State TV said the helicopter was taking a patient from a remote
area to the city of Shiraz when it crashed. The patient, four medics and two
crew were killed, the broadcaster said. The semi-official Fars news agency said
nine people were killed, including five injured in a car accident, it quoted
police official Mohammad Hossein Hamidi as saying. The official IRNA news agency
put the death toll at 10. A local official told state TV the cause of the crash
was under investigation. Iran’s official news agency IRNA said the area had
experienced storms and heavy rainfall in recent days.
Belgian Police Shoot Suspect in Europe-Wide Terror Raids
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/
Belgian police shot a suspect as part of a huge European terror crackdown that
netted several arrests Friday as France's president said a jihadist network that
targeted both Paris and Brussels was being "destroyed".
Grieving Belgians held prayers in the rain in a central Brussels square carpeted
with flowers and tributes to the 31 dead and 300 wounded in Tuesday's carnage,
but there was also growing anger at the government for letting a string of
militants slip through the net.
The raids came as under-fire Belgian investigators uncovered alarming new
evidence of a European jihadist cell tied to bombings at Brussels' airport and
metro, November's Paris attacks and a new French plot.
As U.S. officials confirmed two Americans were among the Brussels dead,
Secretary of State John Kerry said he stood by the Belgian people, echoing their
backing for the United States after the 9/11 terror attacks.
"Then, voices across Europe declared, 'Je suis Americain.' Now, we declare, 'Je
suis Bruxellois' and 'Ik ben Brussel,' Kerry said in French and Flemish, the
country's two main languages, after meeting Belgian Premier Charles Michel.
European authorities are under huge pressure to better coordinate the tracking
of homegrown extremists and fighters returning from Syria, as evidence grows of
a thriving jihadist network straddling France and Belgium.
French President Francois Hollande said the jihadist network behind the Paris
and Brussels attacks was "being destroyed" but warned that other terror cells
remain.
French police said they had foiled a terror strike by 34-year-old Reda Kriket --
a man previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks
ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud -- after arresting him and discovering explosives
at his home. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the arrest "foiled
a planned attack in France, which was at an advanced stage."Belgian police later arrested three people in connection with the new French
conspiracy, prosecutors said.
In dramatic scenes, one of the suspects was shot in the leg at a tram stop in a
huge operation by police in the Belgian capital's Schaerbeek district, where
police this week found a bomb factory linked to the Brussels attacks.
Deepening the links, Belgian prosecutors revealed that Brussels airport bomber
Laachraoui's DNA was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth at the
Bataclan concert hall in Paris and on a bomb at the Stade de France stadium.
German police said meanwhile they had arrested a 28-year-old Moroccan man whose
mobile-phone text messages may link him to one of the Brussels bombers, the news
weekly Der Spiegel and ARD TV channel reported.
In the stunned city, home to the European Union and NATO, mourners returned
Friday to the Place de la Bourse square where they stood silently under
umbrellas, some in tears and others still in shock.
"The government knows a lot but they do nothing. Why didn't they do something to
stop this attack? I think the government is a bit to blame for this situation,"
said Sergio Jorge de Oliveira Silva Lima, 38, a Portuguese citizen who has lived
in Belgium for 15 years. Belgian officials said a series of raids in the capital
Thursday yielded six arrests. A huge manhunt is still under way for at least two
suspects -- one of the airport attackers wearing a hat whose bomb failed to go
off and another man seen in the metro with the bomber there.
Prosecutors have confirmed that Khalid El Bakraoui -- who blew himself up at
Maalbeek metro station shortly after his brother Ibrahim did the same at
Zaventem airport -- was the subject of an international warrant over the Paris
attacks.
Investigators also say he rented an apartment in Brussels used by key Paris
suspect Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested in the Belgian capital last week. The
Belgian government has admitted "errors" and two ministers offered to resign
after Turkey said Ibrahim El Bakraoui had been arrested and deported and that
Belgium had ignored warnings that he was a "foreign terrorist fighter." The
brothers were also listed in American terrorism databases, television network
NBC reported.
Belgium has lowered its terror alert to the second-highest level for the first
time since the attacks, but the police and military presence on the streets of
the capital remains high. Harrowing stories continued to emerge from survivors
of the attacks, in which people of around 40 nationalities were killed or
wounded. Briton David Dixon, 51, who lived in Brussels, texted his aunt after
the airport blasts to say he was safe, but happened to be on the metro system
when a suicide bomber blew himself up, British media said.
Brazilian professional basketball player Sebastien Bellin said that as he lay
bleeding profusely and fearing death at Brussels airport, he thought of
something odd: his daughter's tennis skills. "I just didn't want my girls to
grow up without a dad, you know?" Bellin, 37, told US network ABC from his
hospital bed. Indian flight attendant Nidhi Chaphekar, who was pictured covered
in dust and blood, making newspaper front pages around the world, remains under
sedation in hospital, her employer said Friday. Among only three fatalities
formally named so far are Peruvian Adelma Marina Tapia Ruiz, 37. Her husband
Christophe Delcambe, and their three-year-old twin daughters, only survived
because the girls had run off and their father had chased after them. A Chinese
national was also confirmed among those killed.
Africa, Arab Defense Ministers Agree Counter-Terrorism Cooperation
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/Defense ministers and officials from
27 Arab and African states on Friday agreed to bolster cooperation on
counter-terrorism, in a meeting held at an Egyptian resort town. The Community
of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) members agreed on "strengthening cooperation
in counter-terrorism," according to the draft resolution read out by Egypt's
Defense Minister Sedki Sobhi. The resolution, which will presented to presidents
of the member states, emphasized intelligence sharing and joint border patrols.
The ministers also agreed to set up "a counter-terrorism center headquartered in
Cairo," Sobhi said as the two-day conference wrapped up in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Several of the bloc's members, including Egypt, are locked in conflicts with
jihadist groups who have killed thousands of people in attacks across the region
and taken control of some territories. "Terrorism and extremism presents a
strong threat that has spread across all continents," Sobhi said in a speech on
the first day of the conference, after calling for a moment of silence for
victims of attacks. In Egypt alone, Islamist militants have killed hundreds of
policemen and soldiers, and bombed a plane carrying Russian tourists that had
taken off from Sharm El-Sheikh in October, killing 224 people. The conference is
the fifth CEN-SAD defense ministers' meeting since the bloc's founding in 1998.
The group was founded in part to promote a free trade area among member states.
U.N. Says 50 Staff Dead, Detained or Missing in Syria
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/More than 50 U.N. staff members have
been killed, imprisoned or gone missing in war-wracked Syria, the U.N. Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Friday. In a statement to
mark International Day of Solidarity with Detained or Missing staff members,
OCHA said the war had also hit the Red Cross and Red Crescent as well as
international and local NGOs. "A total of 35 United Nations staff members
continue to be detained or missing, the majority of whom are UNRWA staff," it
said, referring to the agency dealing with Palestinian refugees. "Since the
start of the crisis in Syria in March 2011, 17 U.N. staff members, 53 Syrian
Arab Red Crescent staff members and volunteers, and eight Palestinian Red
Crescent Society staff members and volunteers have lost their lives," the agency
said. It said that "hundreds of medical workers" were also killed in the line of
duty and that NGOs also took a heavy toll. "Since 1 January 2015 alone, credible
reports indicate that at least 55 NGO staff members have been killed in Syria,"
OCHA said. The agency's regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria
conflict, Kevin Kennedy, spoke of a "shocking and bleak reality". Kennedy urged
all the warring sides in Syria to protect humanitarian aid workers and also
demanded the release of abducted U.N. staff. "We call for the unconditional and
immediate release of those colleagues who continue to remain in custody, and for
parties to the conflict to reveal the fate of those still missing," he said.
Syria Army Recaptures Palmyra Citadel from IS
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/The Syrian army recaptured on Friday
the citadel of Palmyra from the Islamic State group, nearly a year after the
jihadists overran the ancient city, state television said citing a military
source. "Our armed forces, in coordination with the popular defense forces, have
taken control of the ancient Palmyra citadel after inflicting many losses in the
ranks of the terrorist group Daesh," the report said, using another name for IS.
The jihadist group, whose takeover of Palmyra raised global concern, had taken
over the citadel on May 23 last year and raised its notorious black and white
flag over it. The group has since blown up UNESCO-listed temples and looted
relics that dated back thousands of years, and murdered the former antiquities
chief in Palmyra, Khaled al-Assaad. Built in the 13th century, the citadel is
Palmyra's main Islamic-era monument.
Iraq Forces Secure Villages South of Mosul
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/Iraqi forces cleared roadside bombs
and booby traps Friday in villages from which they ousted jihadists a day
earlier south of Mosul, the Islamic State group's main hub in the country,
officials said. Soldiers and allied paramilitary forces sealed their grip on
four villages between Makhmur and IS-held Qayyarah, about 60 kilometers (35
miles) south of Mosul. The army Thursday described the operation in which these
villages were retaken as the first phase of an offensive to recapture Nineveh
province and its capital Mosul. "The security forces today removed improvised
explosive devices and various obstacles left by Daesh to hamper our advance,"
said paramilitary leader Hassan al-Ameen, using an Arabic acronym for IS. Ameen
heads the Nineveh branch of the Hashed al-Shaabi, an umbrella paramilitary group
dominated by Tehran-backed Shiite militias but that also includes Sunni tribal
fighters. "The significance of these recaptured areas is their strategic
location... that can protect the command center in Makhmur from rocket fire," he
said. An American marine was killed and several wounded last week when a rocket
struck a base near Makhmur where US forces are deployed to provide "force
protection" to Iraqi forces. An officer with the Kurdish peshmerga forces
stationed in Makhmur said there were no advances on the ground on Friday. "The
second phase of this operation will be to throw bridges across the Tigris
towards Qayyarah and villages around it," Ameen said. Makhmur is east of the
Tigris, while Qayyarah -- which includes an oil facility and an old air base --
lies on the western bank of the river. "This next battle will be complicated
because it will have to avoid causing casualties among the civilians living in
the area," he said. Noureddin Kablan, deputy head of Nineveh provincial council,
said Baghdad should encourage local fighters to join the Hashed forces and help
retake their own towns and villages. "I call on the Iraqi government to invite
volunteers to join the Hashed, to increase manpower, hold and control areas that
will be liberated in the future," he told AFP. Operations to retake Mosul -- the
largest urban center in the "caliphate" IS proclaimed over parts of Iraq and
Syria in 2014 -- are expected to be long and difficult. Abadi has vowed to take
the country's second city back by the end of the year but senior US officials
have argued that is unlikely.
U.S. Confirms Death of IS Number Two, Sees Blow to its Operations
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/U.S. forces killed the Islamic State's
second-in-command this week, dealing a blow to the extremist group's ability to
conduct operations in Iraq, Syria and abroad, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said
Friday. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter told
reporters, referring also to the killing early in the month of Omar al-Shishani,
the man known as "Omar the Chechen," who was effectively IS's defense minister.
The latest killing "will hamper the ability for them to conduct operations
inside and outside of Iraq and Syria," Carter said of Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa
al-Qaduli, referring to him as Haji Imam. He said al-Qaduli served as IS finance
minister and had been behind some foreign plots. "The momentum of this campaign
is now clearly on our side."Carter declined to say whether al-Qaduli had been
killed by a drone strike or in a bombing raid involving manned aircraft; nor
would he specify whether the attack occurred in Syria or Iraq, though he said
that any action in Iraq would only have been taken with Iraqi government
approval. The U.S. Justice Department had offered a bounty of up to $7 million
for information leading to al-Qaduli. "A few months ago when I said we were
going to go after ISIL's financial infrastructure, we started with storage
sites, and now we've taken out the leader who oversees their finances, hurting
their ability to pay and hire recruits," Carter said, using an alternate acronym
for the group. "Our campaign plan is first and foremost to collapse ISIL's
parent tumor in Iraq and Syria." Carter was asked whether al-Qaduli could have
had a link to the November terror attacks in Paris or to this week's bombings in
Belgium and said he could not confirm a specific link to the Brussels attacks.
But whether IS militants in Iraq and Syria like al-Qaduli had specifically
directed such attacks or were their motivating inspiration, the U.S.-led forces
would do their best to eliminate them, Carter said. Al-Qaduli was born in the
Iraqi city of Mosul, according to Iraqi security sources. He was in Afghanistan
in the late 1990s. He joined al-Qaida in 2004, and became a deputy to the feared
Qaida chief in Iraq, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in 2006 by an
American drone strike. Al-Qaduli was captured and imprisoned, but rejoined the
Islamic State group in Syria after he was freed in 2012.
Iraq's Sadr Vows Protests Will Remain Non-Violent
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr on Friday
urged Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to propose a "convincing" reform package
but hinted that further protests if he did not would remain non-violent.
In a speech read by another cleric, Asaad al-Nasseri, to thousands of supporters
gathered in Baghdad, Sadr said Abadi should unveil a reform package on Saturday.
"I hope that on Saturday the prime minister comes up with reforms towards an
independent government of technocrats that are convincing for the people," he
said. Sadr supporters set up protest camps in front of the entrances of the
restricted "Green Zone", where the country's top institutions are located, a
week ago to push for reforms. The young Najaf-based cleric's movement says the
sit-in is aimed at offering Abadi the kind of street power he does not have to
overcome resistance to reforms from within his own political bloc. But Sadr has
also given Abadi a deadline to present names for technocratic cabinet and a
fresh packages of measures to fight against corruption. He said in his speech
that he expected an announcement from Abadi on Saturday. Last month he gave the
premier a 45-day ultimatum that expires on Tuesday. "If he does not announce a
reform package... we will adopt a different position, which we will announce on
Saturday," Sadr said, in the speech read out by Nasseri. "Our protests in front
of the Green Zone will not be enough. All of this will use peaceful means," he
said.
Both he and his supporters have threatened in recent weeks to storm the Green
Zone, which is home to Abadi's office, parliament and many embassies, including
the massive U.S. mission. The protest camps set up by Sadrists on March 18 were
not authorised and they are under heavy surveillance from elite forces and
police.
Sadr has also threatened he could pull his movement out of the government.
Saudi Journalist Jailed 5 Years over Tweets
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/A Saudi journalist has been sentenced
to five years in prison over tweets deemed insulting to the kingdom's rulers,
Amnesty International said on Friday. Alaa Brinji, who has reportedly already
served two years behind bars, was found guilty on Thursday of a list of charges
including "insulting the rulers (and) inciting public opinion," the rights group
said in a statement. Brinji was also convicted of "accusing security officers of
killing protesters" in the Shiite town of Awamiya in Saudi's restive Eastern
Province, it added. The group said the journalist had been tried in a
"notorious" counter-terrorism court that also found Brinji guilty of "ridiculing
Islamic religious figures".
In addition to the jail term, Brinji has been slapped with a fine of 50,000
riyals ($13,333) and an eight-year travel ban, it said, pointing out that he has
been in detention since May 2014, including an initial period of incommunicado
solitary confinement. Amnesty's regional deputy head James Lynch slammed
Brinji's sentence as "utterly shameful". "He is the latest victim of Saudi
Arabia's ruthless crackdown on peaceful dissent, where the aim appears to be to
completely wipe out any and all voices of criticism," he said. "Putting someone
behind bars for peacefully exercising his legitimate right to freedom of
expression, and defending the rights of others to do so, is a complete
distortion of the very notion of justice.
"The authorities must ensure his conviction is quashed and release him
immediately and unconditionally," Lynch added, insisting that Saudi Arabia "must
be held accountable for its gross and systematic violations of human
rights."Amnesty said Brinji worked for Saudi newspapers Al-Bilad, Okaz and
Al-Sharq. Awamiya, a town of about 30,000 in Eastern Province, has been the
scene of repeated incidents since 2011.
Egypt Frees Youth Detained for Anti-torture T-shirt
Associated Press/Naharnet/March 25/16/The family of a 20-year-old Egyptian
arrested two years ago for wearing a T-shirt with a slogan against torture says
he has been released. Tarek Mohammed Ahmed says his brother Mahmoud was freed
early on Friday from a police station in Cairo, more than 12 hours after a court
in the Egyptian capital upheld another court's order to free him. The
prosecution had appealed the earlier ruling. Mahmoud Mohammed Ahmed was 18 when
he was arrested on Jan. 25, 2014, the third anniversary of the uprising that
toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. The day saw deadly street clashes between
police and protesters. Mahmoud was never formally charged during the two years
in detention. His brother and his lawyer, Mukhtar Munir, say he was tortured
while in detention.
Cruz Angrily
Denies Adultery Allegations, Blames Trump
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 25/16/Ted Cruz on Friday angrily slammed as
"garbage" allegations from a U.S. tabloid magazine that he had affairs with five
mistresses and he accused Republican rival Donald Trump of concocting the
explosive story. The National Enquirer splashed the alleged scandal across the
front page of its April 4 edition, screaming "It's Over For Pervy Ted." The
magazine touted "an explosive 'dirt file' on the finger-wagging conservative
senator" but did not identify or quote any of the alleged mistresses in its
online version. "Let me be clear, this National Enquirer story is garbage. It is
complete and utter lies," Cruz told reporters from the campaign trail in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. "It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from
Donald Trump and his henchmen." He repeated the denial online. "For Donald J.
Trump to enlist his friends at the National Enquirer and his political henchmen
to do his bidding shows you that there is no low Donald won't go," Cruz said on
his official Facebook page. "These smears are completely false, they're
offensive to Heidi and me, they're offensive to our daughters, and they're
offensive to everyone Donald continues to personally attack." Cruz campaign
adviser Jason Johnson tweeted links to a report that Trump and Enquirer CEO
David Pecker had been friends for years. Trump denied having anything to do with
the story. "Ted Cruz's problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone,
and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I
certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz." The magazine in 2007
broke the politically -- and personally -- damaging story of 2004 Democratic
presidential candidate Edwards's extramarital affair as his wife battled cancer.
Trump and Cruz this week escalated their bitter feud by clashing over their
wives. An anti-Trump political group used a photograph of Trump's wife, Melania,
a former model, lying nude in his private jet. The angry real estate mogul hit
back by posting on Twitter a photograph of his wife next to an unflattering
photograph of Cruz's wife Heidi, a Goldman Sachs banker on leave to campaign for
her husband.
Immigration, Reason, and
Responsibility
March 25, 2016 by Raymond Ibrahim
The Catholic World Report, by William Kilpatrick
Donald Trump recently raised the specter of an ISIS attack on the Vatican. Mr.
Trump likes to claim that he is always the first to know what the future
portends, but in this case others have beaten him to it. Last January I wrote an
article titled “Will a Future Pope be Forced to Flee Rome?” A year later it
might be more pertinent to ask if the present pope will be forced to flee.
A year ago, Europe was gradually accelerating toward full Islamization. At that
time it was generally estimated that the process would take decades or even most
of the century to reach completion. But the sudden influx of Muslim migrants and
refugees in 2015 pushed the throttle forward to full speed. Germany alone took
in more than one million migrants in 2015. And since so many of the migrants
were young men, it’s estimated that in less than a year there will be as many
Muslim men of fighting age in Germany as there are native Germans of the same
age group.
Largely because of its meager welfare benefits, migrants tends not to stay in
Italy, so it may be a while for the full effect of Islamization to be felt in
Rome. Still, it seems none too early to contemplate the possibility that Pope
Francis may be forced out of Rome. Ever since the fall of Constantinople,
conquering Rome has been a major goal of Islamists. In July of 2014 Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS renewed the hope by promising his troops “you
will conquer Rome and own the world.” Now that ISIS has embedded itself in
Libya, the route to Rome is relatively short and direct.
Of course, a forced exit isn’t the only alternative. Depending on how the
Islamization process plays out, the pope may be allowed to stay on in Rome. But
the Church in Europe would be a greatly diminished Church and the pope would be
expected to abide by the rules for dhimmis. His position in that case would be
similar to that of the Coptic pope in Egypt: precarious if an Islamist such as
Mohamed Morsi ruled; more bearable if an enlightened Muslim such as President
el-Sisi were in charge.
But that is the optimistic scenario. In the worst case scenario, we must
contemplate not only the departure of the pope, but also the end of Christianity
in Europe. Judging by the ongoing persecution of Christians in the Middle East,
Africa, and other parts of the Muslim world, one can’t afford to be too rosy
about the outlook for European Christians. Indeed, Christian Europe faces the
greatest threat to its existence since the armies of Sultan Mehmet IV converged
on Vienna in 1683.
Except this time the advanced troops are already inside the gates. Moreover, the
politically correct rules of engagement make self-defense a risky proposition—as
in the case of the Danish teenager who was fined for using pepper spray to repel
a man who sexually assaulted her. The situation is already far worse than anyone
could have imagined a year ago. Muslim migrants in German asylum centers assault
Christians and sexually abuse women and children. A ten year old boy is raped by
a Muslim migrant in a public swimming pool in Vienna. Gangs of Muslim men
wielding iron bars roam through small towns all over Europe seeking victims to
beat up. A high school boy in Sweden isstabbed to death for defending a girl
against a Muslim classmate’s sexual assault. Jews fear to wear yarmulkes. Single
women fear to walk alone. Mothers fear to let their children visit playgrounds.
The police themselves are often afraid and there are numerous instances of
police retreating in the face of Muslim mobs. In parts of Northern
England,police have been directed not to drive to work in uniform lest they be
attacked.
What’s more, the situation is likely to get far worse with each successive wave
of Muslim migrants. As Europeans begin to realize that police are incapable of
defending them or unwilling to, they will take matters into their own hands.
Numerous resistance movements have already formed all over Europe, along with
local self-defense organizations and even vigilante groups. Rifles are selling
out in places like Austria and Sweden. Courses in firearms training are
oversubscribed. Clashes between locals and migrants have broken out in once
peaceful towns. Many are predicting ethnic warfare on a mass scale with tens of
thousands or even hundreds of thousands of casualties.
The irony is, if chaos descends on Europe, Pope Francis along with others in the
hierarchy will have to bear some of the responsibility. That’s because they have
been in the forefront of those calling for an open embrace of Muslim refugees
and migrants.
Pope Francis has addressed the plight of refugees on several occasions. He
typically talks about their sufferings, their flight from war and oppression,
and their yearning for freedom. He has compared their migration to Abraham’s
journey to the Promised Land, to the Exodus of the chosen people, and to the
Holy Family’s flight into Egypt. He has spoken also about the beneficial
contributions the migrants will make to the host cultures.
As for the host cultures? Here Francis is a little less generous. He cautions
the receiving societies against “close-mindedness,” “intransigence,” giving in
to fears, and adopting an attitude of “cold indifference.” In his most recent
remarks on the subject, he observed, “A person who thinks only about building
walls…and not building bridges, is not Christian.” Quite clearly, he feels that
Western citizens have a moral obligation to take in refugees.
But do the pope and the numerous bishops who have said much the same about
immigration bear a moral responsibility if their hopes for a harmonious
continent are unfounded?
Life is unpredictable. And there is no way of knowing for sure if our
well-intentioned actions will bear fruit. Still, it’s usually better to err on
the side of charity. Some things, however, are more predictable than others.
Long before the 2015 wave of refugees arrived, it was painfully obvious that
something had gone terribly wrong with Muslim immigration. Muslims, on the
whole, were not assimilating to European culture. Many lived in self-segregated
ghettos and no-go zones. Muslims had disproportionately high rates of violent
crime and welfare dependency. And time after time, they had attempted to impose
their own cultural and religious codes on others.
The trouble with the hierarchy’s pro-Muslim immigration stance is its almost
total disregard for the facts. In reading episcopal statements on the subject,
one gets the impression that all migrations are essentially benign: that, to use
the pope’s words, all migrants seek the “dignity and equality of every person,
love of neighbor…freedom of conscience and solidarity towards our fellow men and
women.” Most Muslims, however, if they take their faith seriously, do not share
that common vision. Islam dictates one set of rules for Muslims and another,
much harsher code for non-Muslims. Moreover, Islamic theology contains what
amounts to a doctrine of manifest destiny. The Koran, along with other
scriptures, commands Muslims to fight unbelievers until all worship is for Allah
alone. The bishop’s attitude toward Muslim immigration not only shows a
disregard for Islamic theology, but also for 1400 years of history. During those
fourteen centuries, Islamic aggression against non-Muslims has been a constant
that spans cultures, geography, race, and language. As Raymond Ibrahim documents
in Crucified Again the pattern of persecution takes exactly the same form
whether in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, or Southeast Asia.
And then there’s current history. The bishops must know of the massive
population shift that was already underway before 2015. In the Netherlands and
Belgium 50 percent of all the newborns are Muslims. In the UK the most popular
name for baby boys is “Mohammed.” In Vienna, Birmingham, and Marseilles there
are more Muslim children than Christian children. In Southern France there are
more mosques than Churches. The bishops must know of the epidemics of rape in
England and Sweden. They must know of the numerous terrorist attacks across
Europe. They must know that ISIS has stated its intention to infiltrate the
refugee population. They must know by now that 70 to 75 percent of the 2015
refugees were young men, not women and children.
Life is unpredictable, nevertheless one can’t afford to ignore the probabilities
in life. Both the pattern of the past and the pattern of the present strongly
suggest that Europe’s experiment in mass Muslim immigration will end badly. Some
bishops are belatedly waking up to that possibility. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who
chairs the German Bishops Conference, was, until quite recently, one of the
strongest proponents of Muslim immigration and he made a point of greeting
refugees at the train station. Now, perhaps in response to the mass sexual
assaults near the Cologne Cathedral, the Cardinal has adifferent message. In a
recent interview with the Passauer Neue Presse, he said “As a Church we say that
we need a reduction in the number of refugees.” He added, “Germany cannot take
in all the worlds needy.” The Church’s response to the migrant crisis, he
stated, should not solely be a matter of “charity but also reason.”
A lot of misery could have been prevented had political leaders and Church
leaders in Europe applied the rule of reason earlier. As Professor Stephen
Krason observes:
To insist that this range of issues concerned with illegal immigration be
ignored simply because Scripture say to “welcome the stranger “is not just a
literalism impervious to context and qualification, but asks people to surrender
their minds. Catholicism, however, is not a “blind faith” religion but one in
which faith and reason work in harmony.
Just as we need to be cautious about blind faith we need to be warry of blind
charity. One reason the Christian world has been unprepared for the Islamist
onslaught is the prevalence of politically correct thinking. In a sense,
political correctness is a form of false charity. In the case of Islam, it’s a
tacit agreement to spare the feelings of Muslims by pretending that there is no
ugly side to Islam. But this charitable silence about the threat from Islam has
had the effect of putting Christians at risk by denying them crucial knowledge.
During a recent interview with a French reporter, Jean-Clement Jeanbart, the
Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, criticized the European media and some of
his fellow bishops for ignoring the Muslim persecution of Middle Eastern
Christians: “Why are your bishops silent on a threat that is yours today as
well? Because the bishops are like you, raised in political correctness. But
Jesus was never politically correct, he was politically just!” He added:
“The responsibility of a bishop is to teach, to use his influence to transmit
truth. Why are your bishops afraid of speaking? Of course they would be
criticized, but that would give them a chance to defend themselves and to defend
this truth. You must remember that silence often means consent.”
As for Europe’s embrace of mass immigration, the archbishop had this to say:
The egoism and the interests slavishly defended by your governments will in the
end kill you as well. Open your eyes, didn’t you see what happened recently in
Paris?
In August, 2014 Emil Nona the exiled Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul issued a
similar warning about naiveté over Muslim immigration. Let’s give the last word
to him:
Our sufferings are the prelude of those you, Europeans and Western Christians,
will also suffer in the near future…You must consider again our reality in the
Middle East, because you are welcoming in your countries an ever growing number
of Muslims. Also you are in danger. You must take strong and courageous
decisions, even at the cost of contradicting your principles. You think all men
are equal, but that is not true: Islam does not say that all men are equal. Your
values are not their values. If you do not understand this soon enough, you will
become the victims of the enemy you have welcomed in your home.
Can the Ould
Cheikh plan end the war in Yemen?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March 26/16
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, deserves
appreciation for preparing a comprehensive plan to end the war in the country.
The plan will take shape with a ceasefire on the 10th of April. Ould Cheikh has
laid down a roadmap for the three committees of the parties involved and has set
the foundation for dialogue between the warring factions under Security Council
resolution 2216. Eight days after truce takes effect on April 10, negotiations
will be held in Kuwait. Ould Cheikh has defined five themes to be discussed: the
withdrawal of militias, handover of heavy and medium weapons to the state,
agreeing on temporary security arrangements, enabling state institutions through
public dialogue between Yemenis and the formation of a committee to resolve the
issues of detainees and prisoners. Of course, no one can guarantee that things
will work out exactly as per the detailed plan developed by the international
mediator. However, it is clear that Ould Cheikh has reached out to all
stakeholders in Yemen and then announced his plan in New York after they were
onboard. He has also received support from various powers, including the United
States and Russia.
That at the least constitutes the political plan for the future. However, on the
ground, today’s map shows that the rebels – i.e. Houthi militia and the isolated
forces of President Ali Abdullah Saleh – have lost control and have started
defending their areas of origins, in the capital Sana’a and governorates like
Saada. The new important development on the ground is that many of the local
forces are being formed and are joining the military alliance; rebels can no
longer return to fight in areas they lost or withdrew from.
Beyond fait accompli
That raises the question as to why rebels would negotiate knowing well that they
will lose. The reason is simple: because it is their only chance. After failing
to take over the country, they had two choices: either participate and get a
stake in the governance or get nothing.
Ould Cheikh’s plan is based on the re-adoption of the GCC initiative, based on
which Saleh had tendered his resignation and given the Houthis a chance to
participate in the government. Similarly, why would the coalition accept to
negotiate if they are set to emerge victorious? One of the participants in the
plan asked: “Why doesn’t the campaign continue as most of the 22 province that
make up this great country have been liberated – considering that the area of
Yemen is bigger than Syria, Lebanon and Jordan combined?” He said that the goal
of the military campaign was not to neutralize any party but rather the
restoration of the legitimacy. “We did not want Yemen to be left in the hands of
Yemeni groups by force of arms,” he added. If they accept to negotiate in
accordance with the Security Council resolution that means that we have achieved
the desired objective. It is surely better to resolve the conflict through
negotiations and by making compromises. It is much better than a military
victory without a political solution. Ould Cheikh’s plan is based on the
re-adoption of the GCC initiative, based on which Saleh had tendered his
resignation and given the Houthis a chance to participate in the government. If
stakeholders in Yemen travel to Kuwait next month and agree on the essentials, I
reckon they will come up with reasonable solutions that can end the war and
restore legitimacy. Yemeni people would then reconstruct the country and resume
normal life. At least that is our hope.
Evil mass murderers are not
Muslims, Mr Trump
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March 26/16
Mr Donald Trump, your knee-jerk reaction to the murdering scum, who slaughtered
innocent people in Paris and Brussels, while understandable, has little basis in
fact, while your proposals risk eliciting the opposite effect to its intended
purpose. You have reiterated your call to bar Muslims from entering the US and
say you want to place American Muslims under surveillance. You also accuse the
authorities in Brussels for failing to extract intelligence from recently
detained terror suspect Salah Abdeslam using torture methods, and you have laid
blame on British Muslims for not doing enough to report extremists to the
authorities. Before I challenge your misconceptions, I would stress that people
in my part of the world are just as shocked and upset at the attacks on European
capitals as Americans. My heartfelt sympathies are with the injured and the
families of those victims who did not survive. Watching videos of a crouching
woman at the stricken airport hugging her infant and hearing the cries of
children escaping from the smoke-filled metro horror engulfed me with sadness
and, yes, anger. But, in reality, Mr Trump, the perpetrators of these heinous
crimes lost their claims to be Muslims the moment they strapped on suicide belts
and loaded their weapons. The Quran clearly states that the killing of one
innocent person is akin to the killing of all humanity. Indeed, our Holy Book
mentions “peace” far more than any other. Their religion is the will to power;
their gratification is the spilling of innocent blood. Not only are they not
Muslims, they are sub-humans. As for your love affair with torture as a tool for
intelligence gathering, not only does that fly in the face of international law,
in practice, it is not effective because people experiencing unbearable pain or
fearing for their lives, will admit to anything.
Are members of the Ku Klux Klan true Christians? Were the actions of Spanish
Inquisition, who tortured Jews and Muslims to convert at pain of death,
Christian? Can the Puritans who branded girls, little more than children, and
women to death in Salem be described as Christians? Can the Burmese monks who
have killed tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims be called followers of Buddha
who cautioned against killing insects? Let us remember too that the majority are
second or third-generation Belgian nationals; known losers and petty criminals
actively recruited by ISIS that began life when disgruntled former officers in
Saddam Hussein’s army were detained in a US detention facility in Iraq, Camp
Bucca. Over 100 top ISIS commanders are remnants of the former Iraqi Army. Most
are secularists who have cynically cloaked themselves in Islam as propaganda to
lure ignorant recruits.
The rent boys
Think about it! The majority of those European-born lowlifes and no-hopers
claiming to be Muslims are known thieves, drug-smugglers/pushers and pimps. At
least two were owners of a bar that was shut down as a drugden. Salah Abdeslam
was “a rent boy” who regularly smoked hash and consumed alcohol, according to
the New York Post. His brother Ibrahim frequented sleazy clubs and as reported
by people who knew him well, never set foot in a mosque. How on earth can they
be classified as Muslims? In truth, ISIS has murdered, beheaded, tortured and
drowned many more Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Egypt than non-Muslims. We
are all in the same boat; we share the same enemy. Pitting the West against
Muslims would be a grave error when we need to work together to destroy this
scourge on our planet. Moreover, experts on terrorism have acknowledged that
Europe is more vulnerable to these kinds of attacks todaythan the US for the
simple reason that American Muslims have assimilated and are proud to call
themselves American. There have been sporadic terrorist attacks in the US in
recent years but they have not been carried out by organized cells but rather
mentally unhinged lone wolves. That is not the case in Paris and Brussels where
Muslims have been ghettoized, marginalized and discriminated against in terms of
job opportunities. This is not to make excuses for them. But the societies in
which they live have fomented a ‘them against us’ mentality. Deprived areas,
such as the inner city Brussels neighborhood, Molenbeek and the neglected
suburbs of Paris are terrorist incubators.
If you succeed in your bid for the White House and your proposals to monitor and
shutout Muslims were implemented, I am afraid that you will create the same
divisions that exist in Europe in your own country where currently there are
none. As soon as America’s Muslim populations are placed under blanket suspicion
and treated as a potential threat, the likelihood is that there will be a
backlash among the youth. That would also be a major blow to America’s
much-touted values, freedoms and respect for human rights. As for your love
affair with torture as a tool for intelligence gathering, not only does that fly
in the face of international law, in practice, it is not effective because
people experiencing unbearable pain or fearing for their lives, will admit to
anything. A 2013 Senate report confirms this. The chairperson of the Senate
Intelligence Committee Diane Feinstein said, “There is no evidence that terror
attacks were stopped, terrorists captured or lives saved through use of EITs
(Enhanced interrogation techniques/torture).” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed who was
subjected to waterboarding 183 times made all kinds of confessions which all
turned out to be false.
A wiser plan
A wiser plan would be for Europe and the United States of America to place
would-be immigrants under close scrutiny with regards to their personal
histories, associations and skill sets, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Western countries should welcome people with an understanding of their
respective languages and culture; those able to contribute to society and
economic growth. High-risk applicants and scroungers wanting to live their lives
on welfare courtesy of the taxpayer should be barred irrespective of their
nationality. Lastly, I would remind you that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf
Cooperation Council member states are cracking down heavily on terrorists, their
funders and supporters, both Sunni and Shiite. The Kingdom has formed an
anti-terrorism coalition of 34 predominately Muslim countries to eradicate this
disease. The Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has called for a global
strategy to fight terrorism stressing “the world must come together” and he has
also asked the West to help eradicate ISIL in Libya. “Extremists offend the
image of God,” he told Spiegel International. If you are serious about keeping
terrorists away from America’s door, then the last thing you should do as
Commander-in-Chief is to alienate domestic Muslim communities as well as the
entire Muslim world. Do you honestly believe such an antagonistic approach will
keep America safe or will it create yet more enemies and fuel greater
anti-Americanism in the Middle East? Mr Trump, do not make the mistake of
tarring all Muslims with a terrorist brush. Your former Republican rival Ben
Carson says away from television cameras and big audiences, you are no more an
entertainer but a thinker. All I would ask of you is to put on your thinking cap
and digest my above points. You may not agree with all or even any, but it is my
hope they will at the very least give you food for thought.
Glory days of nationalism
never really existed
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/March 26/16
The “Trump Phenomenon” in the United States is often described as “populism” and
an anti-establishment revolt. It is no such thing. It is merely the next step in
the evolution of the Tea Party movement. It is thus, an excess of nationalism,
above all else. And a peculiar form of nationalism too. This is not strictly
speaking about America. It is about White America. And blue-collar, reactionary
White America of a mythical past where everyone was Christian, where the word
“gay” meant nothing except “joyful”, women knew their place, and black people
were only ever singing while picking cotton. You can tell that this is so,
because the battleground for this revolt is what they call political
correctness. The one thing that sets Trump apart is his unapologetic refusal to
conform the way he speaks to what the “liberal media” would call decency. He is
not an especially gifted or talented businessman. As one observer noted, if
Trump had put his inheritance into an S&P 500 index linked savings account, he
would have been between $1 billion and $6 billion wealthier than he is today. He
most certainly does not “say it like it is” – because the majority of what he
says is a complete fabrication. But he does do one thing better than anyone
else: he trolls the “liberal media”, up to and including Fox News. This is the
nasty outburst of a class of people who have been left behind by globalization
and who do have every right to be aggrieved, but who, as things sadly often
happen, have chosen to articulate their grievances in the tribal language and
rituals of a shallow, unenlightened, bigoted nationalism. Einstein once said:
“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” Even if you
do think that nationalism can take benign forms, it is hard to argue that
America now is indeed suffering from a nasty, infantile collective disease.
Take Trump’s slogan: “Make America Great Again”. America, for all its faults, is
a better place now than it has ever been for virtually every single identifiable
demographic, except one: blue-collar white men. That there is the only fact you
need to know to understand the Trump phenomenon. But, of course, defending white
male privilege in America in explicit terms will no longer fly. Even the Trump
demographic would no longer be comfortable with explicitly racist or sexist
arguments. So their grievance at the loss of their relative status in society
has taken the form of cheap ‘fly-the-flag’, bumper-sticker nationalism. But a
nationalism which, though intellectually thin and barren, is becoming
increasingly radical and visceral. And a nationalism that is now swaying many
people outside of the traditional Tea Party.
Beyond America
But this kind of cheap nationalism is far from a uniquely American phenomenon at
the moment. Right now, it seems almost every country has a version of this. When
I visited Turkey they continuously refer to the great achievements of the
Ottomans and how they must go back to those glory days. In Greece, a country now
on its knees and on the verge of bankruptcy, they spend more time daydreaming
about the glory-days of ancient Greek civilization, than actually trying to fix
the present. In Greece, a country now on its knees and on the verge of
bankruptcy, they spend more time daydreaming about the glory-days of ancient
Greek civilization, than actually trying to fix the present. And the same is
true of Muslims around the globe who simply cannot accept the loss of power of
Islamic civilization, and the complete failure of the Muslim nations to produce
anything of substance for centuries after having led the world in science,
mathematics and engineering whilst Europe was in the dark ages. Of course, “the
glory days” never really existed. Or at least, they never existed as advertised,
as some sort of pristine, morally unspoilt, lost paradise. And America surely
must be the best example of this. Name any “golden decade” or any glorious
period of time of your choosing, and then only go and read up on what life was
actually like for ordinary people in that time, trying to make ends meet. And
then read up on what life was like for people at the very bottom of society. Can
any blue-collar American genuinely believe that it was better to be a
blue-collar American during Jim Crow? Or during the Gilded Age? Or during the
United States’ colonial wars in the 19th Century? That is absolute nonsense.
This is not to say that they are not right to be angry. But angry about what?
They should not be angry that the technology and globalisation is changing the
world rapidly. That is the given fact. They should be angry that they have been
deprived of the education and the opportunities to make the most of this new
world – largely by politicians they have elected to cut taxes and also cut
investment in education for the past four decades. The problem with fixing the
education of an entire culture is that it takes resources and over a generation
of hard work and dedication. Would it not be much simpler to blame everything on
Muslims and Mexicans?