LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 11/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 12/20-28/:"Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say "Father, save me from this hour"? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’"

If you died with Christ to the elemental powers of the world, why do you submit to regulations as if you were still living in the world?
Saint Paul Letter to the Colossians/02/13-20/:" You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead (in) transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross; despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them, leading them away in triumph by it. Let no one, then, pass judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regard to a festival or new moon or sabbath. These are shadows of things to come; the reality belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, delighting in self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions, 9 inflated without reason by his fleshly mind, and not holding closely to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and bonds, achieves the growth that comes from God. If you died with Christ to the elemental powers of the world, why do you submit to regulations as if you were still living in the world?

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 10-11/16
On the Basket, the Constitution and the Institutions/Ahmad El-Assaad October 06/16

The U.S. and U.N. Have Abandoned Christian Refugees/By Nina Shea/The Wall Street Journal/October 10/16
Eastern Approaches/Kheder Khaddour/Carnegie/Middle East Centre/October 10/16
Canada: Guess Who Is Helping Islamists to Oppress Women/by Thomas Quiggin/Gatestone Institute/October 10/16
Iranian trusteeship with Israel’s blessings/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
Radicalization of youth as a global challenge/Samar Fatany/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
Who targeted the funeral in Sanaa/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
Trump goes to the gutter in debate: It won’t save him/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
Why Hillary Clinton is exactly what the Middle East needs/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
The Right to Mock/Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/October 10/16
MEMRI: Saudi Media Attacks Justice Against Sponsors Of Terrorism Act (JASTA) Passed By U.S. Congress/October 10/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 10-11/16
Report: Nusra Decides to Terminate IS Presence in Arsal
Zahra: LF to Partake in Legislation Only if New Electoral Law Tops Agenda
Report: FPM Denies Agreement with Mustaqbal on Government Quotas
Saudi Envoy Deletes Tweet on Jean Obeid, Says It was 'Misinterpreted'
Report: Jamaa Islamiya Distrust Aoun's Nomination
Zasypkin: Lebanese Have a Major Role to Help Elect a President
Kataeb Warns against Shift from 'Rule of Law' to 'Rule of Strongest'
Nasrallah devotes Ashoura rallies to condoling Yemen
Bassil holds foreign contacts to help export Lebanese apples
Nazarian during launch of National Oil Spill Contingency Plan: For swift, effective response to oil spill
Primary investigation with Bassam Tarras concludes
Hariri receives German ambassador
Cardinal Sandri winds up Lebanon visit
Lebanese American Council for Democracy concludes Roukoz's US visit with dinner
On the Basket, the Constitution and the Institutions

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 10-11/16
With Help from Syrians, German Police Arrest Bomb Plot Suspect
Russia to create permanent naval base in Syria
Kuwait truck collision was ‘terrorist attack’
Jordan to allow aid to refugees stuck on border
Iraq court overturns PM decision to scrap VP posts
Fire on traditional wooden boat in central Dubai waterway
Iran: Poverty forces more women to dig through garbage
IRAN: Mother of an executed woman pledges to for abolishment of death penalty
IRAN: State Security Force arrest residents of Ahwaz in raids
Iran: International call to save the life of a 22-year-old woman from execution
Why Figures are Concealed in Iran?
The Iranian Resistance condemns the clerical regime's clampdown on universities
UN envoy, France urge restarting Yemen peace talks
Arab coalition operations kill 50 Houthis in Yemen
Yemeni boy in Saudi Arabia wounded in cross-border shelling
Yemen tribe calls strike on funeral a ‘conspiracy’
Saudi denounces Yemeni militia attack on US ship
Libyan forces push into last ISIS area in Sirte
Putin opens Russian market to Turkish ‘partners’

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 10-11/16
Olympic star Louis Smith may face British Gymnastics suspension for video appearing to mock Islam
Leaked emails show coordinated Obama/Clinton effort to mislead public about Iran deal
“Palestinians” hail jihad attack in Jerusalem as “heroic act”

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 10-11/16
Final Hearing For Asia Bibi: Will Pakistani Christian Woman Be Hanged For Blasphemy?
Religious And Ethnic Tensions Rise In Jakarta Ahead Of Election
Did These Top Evangelicals Really Earn Their PhDs?
Christian Tory MP Puts Pressure On UK Government Over Calais Children
Pope Aims For Diversity Of Cardinals With Seven From Countries Never Before Represented
Wayne Grudem Withdraws Support For Trump Over 'Obscene' Comments About Women
Want to escape the British Christian echo chamber? Think global
Archbishop Who Was 'Deeply Fooled' By Paedophile Priests Stands Down
For How Much Longer Will Christians Support Donald Trump?

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 10-11/16

Report: Nusra Decides to Terminate IS Presence in Arsal
The Fateh al-Sham Front -- formerly al-Qaida's Syria affiliate al-Nusra Front – has taken the decision to eradicate the presence of the Islamic State group in the northeastern border town of Arsal and in the Qalamoun area, al-Akhbar daily reported on Monday. The daily pointed out to the assassination of extremist IS official Abu Bakr al-Reqqawi a day earlier in Arsal, and said that his killing was part of the plan that has been put into implementation. Al-Raqqawi was found killed on Sunday in the restive border town of Arsal. He was behind the assassination of Internal Security Forces first warrant officer Zaher Ezzeddine in January, the National News Agency had reported. According to information, Sheikh Mustafa al-Hujeiri, aka Abu Taqiyeh, is playing a major role in the campaign seeking to terminate the IS terrorist group, added al-Akhbar. Militants from IS and Fateh al-Sham Front are entrenched in rugged areas along the undemarcated Lebanese-Syrian border and the army regularly shells their posts while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border. The two groups briefly overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 before being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles.The retreating militants abducted more than 30 troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in the captivity of the IS group.

Zahra: LF to Partake in Legislation Only if New Electoral Law Tops Agenda
Naharnet/Naharnet/October 10/16/Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra said on Monday that the party will refrain from attending a parliament session if approving a new electoral law did not top the agenda. “On behalf of the Lebanese Forces I say: There is no possibility for us to go to any legislative session that does not start with discussing and approving a new electoral law before moving to any other item,” said Zahra. “We sought and will continue to strive to fill the presidential vacancy, and to provide all that is required of us to fill the vacancy in the presidency in order to restore regularity to the constitutional life in Lebanon,” he added. In the name of the LF, Zahra refused that “the world and the Lebanese get used to running the affairs of the country in the absence of a Christian president, the regulator of the constitutional institutions.”Pointing out that Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East that has a Christian president, Zahra said: “It is not acceptable that things are going as if nothing has happened in the absence of a president. This is not a normal situation, and the proof is that the cabinet does not work as it should, they are making different settlements every day.” The MP added: “After focusing on the need to end the presidential vacuum, the title to the next phase is to agree on a new election law that provides proper representation.”

Report: FPM Denies Agreement with Mustaqbal on Government Quotas
Naharnet/October 10/16/The Free Patriotic Movement seeks to have an understanding with al-Mustaqbal Movement away from any agreement on governmental quotas or military and security appointments, al-Akhbar daily reported on Monday. “We have always sought to complete our internal understandings through an agreement with al-Mustaqbal. It is a strategic goal for us even if it annoys some. The country's interest lies in agreements between the strongest, particularly if they do not marginalize anyone,” FPM sources told the daily on condition of anonymity. “This agreement targets no one,” said the source, and added “what happened between the FPM and the Mustaqbal is simply a necessary understanding that we seek to have also with Speaker Nabih Berri and all other political factions,” added the source. The sources denied media reports “alleging that a paper of intentions and a detailed agreement on appointments and other issues have been reached with Mustaqbal at the level of the army command, the Central Bank of Lebanon, oil wealth and the distribution of ministries and a new electoral law.”Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Hariri held a series of meeting with political leaders in Lebanon, and has also traveled to Moscow where he met with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a bid to give momentum to the file of the presidency.Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Saudi Envoy Deletes Tweet on Jean Obeid, Says It was 'Misinterpreted'
Naharnet/October 10/16/Saudi chargé d'affaires in Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari took to Twitter on Monday to remind of remarks by late Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal about Lebanon's former foreign minister Jean Obeid. “Lebanon's foreign minister Jean Obeid is the wise man of the Arab foreign ministers,” Bukhari quoted Faisal as saying. The charge d'affaires deleted the tweet several hours later, saying it was “misinterpreted.”Obeid has served at different cabinet posts the last of which was foreign minister of Lebanon from 2003 to 2004. He was an adviser on Arab affairs to two former Lebanese presidents, Elias Sarkis and Amin Gemayel. Gemayel also appointed him as special envoy to Syria. Obeid also served as a member of the parliament, representing Chouf from 1991 to 1992 and Tripoli from 1992 to 2005. He ran for the presidency in 2008 and was considered to be a possible consensus candidate. Observers and media reports still consider him to be a potential compromise nominee. Bukhari's tweet comes amid a flurry of speculation and media reports that followed ex-PM Saad Hariri's recent return to Lebanon. Hariri is reportedly exploring the possibility of endorsing Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Report: Jamaa Islamiya Distrust Aoun's Nomination
Naharnet/October 10/16/Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya in the North and Tripoli has two reservations about the nomination of founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun for the post of presidency, As Safir daily reported on Monday. The daily quoted al-Jamaa official on condition of anonymity who said that it has reservations in “shape and substance” as for the suggestion of al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri to nominate Aoun. Although al-Jamaa appreciate and respect Hariri, but they also believe that Hariri should have held consultations with the other Sunni figures on the Lebanese arena, according to the daily. He should have gathered and met the Sunni leaders to put them in the atmosphere of this nomination which would strengthen, not weaken him,” the daily quoted the official as saying. Furthermore, al-Jamaa has reservations about the statement of Aoun when he verbally attacked the Sunnis and Saudi Arabia, and about the statement of the FPM with regard to the displaced Syrians, it added. Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Zasypkin: Lebanese Have a Major Role to Help Elect a President
Naharnet/October 10/16/Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin assessed the latest meeting between al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri and Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Zaspikin as positive and friendly, and emphasized that the presidential file in Lebanon is an internal affair, As Safir daily reported on Monday. Discussions between the two men focused on the file of the Lebanese presidency and the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon, added the daily. “Assuming it is difficult to impose a president on the Lebanese through a foreign will, then the internal efforts become an essential element in the presidential file. Only in that case will the foreign factor become a contributing factor,” Zasypkin told the daily in an interview. He stressed his country's keenness not to interfere in the presidential affairs in Lebanon nor in any other country in the world. Last week, Hariri held talks in Moscow with Lavrov on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, and the bilateral relations between the two countries, Hariri's media office had said. During the meeting, Lavrov expressed “support” for Hariri's efforts to end the presidential void, stressing that the ex-PM is “playing an important role” regarding the domestic situations in Lebanon, Hariri's office said. Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Kataeb Warns against Shift from 'Rule of Law' to 'Rule of Strongest'
Naharnet/October 10/16/The Kataeb Party on Monday warned against what it called “moving from the rule of law to the rule of the strongest. In a statement issued after its political bureau's weekly meeting, the party said it rejects any attempt to “impose a president forcibly or to put preconditions on the democratic process,” urging “commitment to the democratic mechanism” and “the election of a president without any restrictions or conditions.”“There is an attempt to seize power through overlooking norms and resorting to the force of arms, obstruction, intimidation on the streets, and coaxing with side deals,” Kataeb warned. And calling for “uniting in the face of the attempt to usurp the country and its institutions,” the party urged resisting “the violation of the Constitution and democracy to prevent a fall into chaos and a shift from the rule of law to the rule of the strongest.” Ex-PM Saad Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Nasrallah devotes Ashoura rallies to condoling Yemen
Mon 10 Oct 2016/NNA - Hezbollah's Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, indicated on Monday that the party would devote the forthcoming Ashoura day to condoling Yemen, in the wake of "the atrocious massacre perpetrated by the Saudi regime in Sanaa.""This massacre, which comes within the context of a savage hostile war on Yemen and its people for more than a year and a half, needs us to express solidarity with this downtrodden people," Nasrallah told the faithful at Sayyed Asshohada complex via a giant screen. "Ashoura rallies this year shall hold the title of solidarity with and support for the Yemeni people, army, popular paramilitaries, and Resistance," he said.

Bassil holds foreign contacts to help export Lebanese apples
Mon 10 Oct 2016/NNA - Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil held on Monday a series of contacts with officials and diplomats abroad in an attempt to facilitate the exportation of Lebanon's apple production. Bassil mainly spoke with his counterparts in Russia, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Jordan, and Algeria; talks featured high on the means to overcome custom and administrative hindrances, in addition to an array of procedures. The Foreign Ministry also vowed to carry on efforts in that respect.

Nazarian during launch of National Oil Spill Contingency Plan: For swift, effective response to oil spill
Mon 10 Oct 2016/NNA - Minister of Energy and Water, Arthur Nazarian, branded the energy sector as one of the most important sectors which secure nations' growth and prosperity, underlining the paramount importance of an effective and swift response to any stringent oil spill incident.
Minister Nazarian's fresh words on Monday came during the launch of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) in the Lebanese marine waters, at a ceremony at the Movenpick Hotel in Beirut, called forth by Lebanon Petroleum Management, and attended by Environment Minister Mohammad Mashnouq, Ambassador of Norway Lene Lind, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director Luca Randa, director of Rempec Center Gabino Gonzalez, and Petroleum Management Board Member Assem Abu Ibrahim.
"This plan sets the general framework for response in the event of any oil spill incident, and means of coordination between the various governmental and non-governmental entities to secure a rapid and effective response," Minister Nazarian said at the inaugural ceremony.
Nazarian heaped praises on all the exceptional efforts undertaken by the concerned ministries, governmental and non-governmental organizations that contributed to the realization of such a plan, calling for continual cooperation amongst all concerned sides in the implementation phase.
Minister Mashnouq, for his part, pinned great importamce on the continual cooperation for the plan implementation, starting from the provision of needed equipment and utilites to secure swift responsiveness and preparedness in case of any oil spill incident.
Mashnouq underscored the need for witnessing development in the oil sector in Lebanon, hoping that exploration would start in the offshore areas. He also underlined the need for transparency in this regard, with the issue to be followed up through a genuine, scientific nationwide mobilization.
Scores of director generals and representatives of the army, ISF, and civil defense, attended the launching ceremony, notably Supreme Defence Council Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair, South Governor Mansour Daou, Director General of the Ministry of Labour George Ida, Director General of the Transportation Ministry Abdul Hafeez Qaisi, Director General of Energy Ministry Aurore Feghali, and Head of Lebanon Petroleum Management Wissam al-Zehabi.
The Plan (NOSCP) in the Lebanese waters aims to protect human life, natural resources as well as the economy and preserve the coastal and marine environment from any adverse effects of an oil spill. The objectives of the Plan are notably to ensure preparedness and readiness of the involved entities, establish a mechanism for mutual understanding among governmental and non-governmental entities, private and public sector organizations, and international agencies to co-ordinate and integrate their resources to respond effectively to any oil spill incident.
The Plan also aims to identify the high-risk areas and priority coastal areas for protection and clean-up. The Plan addresses the response to oil spills in the public Maritime Domain, including the territorial Sea. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Assem Abu Ibrahim, Petroleum Management Board Member and Quality Unit Head, announced that the Petroleum Management has organized several initiatives to increase the awareness and capacity of stakeholders on means to combat oil spill, especially in the oil and gas sectors.
"These initiatives facilitated the realization of this Plan and shall contribute to its future implementation," said Abu Ibrahim. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director, Luca Randa, hailed in her word the relentless efforts of "Sodel" project and Lebanese Petroleum Management to devise such a national plan, indicating that today's meeting constitutes an opportunity for all concerned sides to have an overview of all the actions and measures contained in this plan. Randa also urged the Lebanese government to proceed ahead with the issuance of related legislations in a bid to put these energies into tangible reality. Norwegian Ambassador to Lebanon, Lene Lind, for her part, thanked all sides which contributed to the realization of the national plan, saying "this plan constitutes a part of a responsible, sustainable approach to the process of oil and gas production."
A thorough, comprehensive and detailed presentation and overview of the National Plan to deal with stringent oil spills then followed the inaugural ceremony by international and local experts.

Primary investigation with Bassam Tarras concludes
Mon 10 Oct 2016/NNA - Military Judge Hani Hilmi Hajjar concluded this evening primary investigation with detainee Sheikh Bassam Tarras, whereas the government commissioner before the military court, Judge Saqr Saqr, shall settle on this dossier tomorrow, National News Agency correspondent reported on Monday.

Hariri receives German ambassador
Mon 10 Oct 2016/NNA - Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri received this evening at the "Center House" the German Ambassador to Lebanon Martin Huth. After the meeting, Huth said: "I had the pleasure today of meeting with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. We discussed the regional situation as well as the situation in Lebanon. I would just like to say that we are following with interest all the initiatives and efforts undertaken currently to overcome the presidential vacuum in Lebanon that has lasted for far too long. I should like to add that we in Germany fully recognize the need to discuss the issue of an electoral law for Lebanon to be sure that the legislative elections will take place next year. We also think that everything really starts from the election of the president and that the election of the president is a very important development for Lebanon, and this is what I have been following especially these days and wish all the best for Lebanon." Earlier, Hariri received the Minister of State for Administrative Development Nabil de Freige.

Cardinal Sandri winds up Lebanon visit
Mon 10 Oct 2016/NNA - The Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, concluded on Monday an official visit to Lebanon, and flew back to Rome.

Lebanese American Council for Democracy concludes Roukoz's US visit with dinner
Mon 10 Oct 2016/NNA - On October first 2016, the Lebanese American Council for Democracy- Los Angeles Chapter-concluded the U.S tour of retired Lebanese General Chamel Roukoz with a large gala dinner event at the Los Angeles Hilton in Glendale California attended by over 400 people from the local Lebanese community. This dinner marked the end of the General's tour which began on the 17th of September in Detroit Michigan, with a similar event organized by the Detroit LACD chapter at the Renaissance Center Marriott hotel and attended by over 500 people from the local community.
On the 23rd of September, the Boston LACD chapter threw a cocktail mixer and dinner at the Venezia banquet hall and restaurant, also attended by over 450 local Lebanese community patrons and was marked by the presence of all major Lebanese political parties.
On the 24th & 25th of September, a U.S LACD convoy accompanied the General into Montreal, to attend the yearly North American FPM/COLCO/LACD convention, which also hosted Lebanese MP Simon Abou Ramia as a guest of honor. The convention brought together several hundred Lebanese attendees from all over the U.S and Canada, which included a dinner event organized by COLCO at the Beirut Nights restaurant in Montreal. The following morning, all attendees participated in a church service at the "Saint Jean" parish in Laval. On the 27th, the General was honored in Washington D.C by the local LACD Chapter through a gala cocktail mixer and dinner attended by over 350 Lebanese community dignitaries and officials. This took place at the Tysons square Marriott where the General was presented with an honorary award by the local chapter, in line with the previous events.
The following evening, the Houston LACD chapter welcomed the General into their own event held at the Hilton Galleria and attended by over 250 local Lebanese community individuals where they presented General Roukoz with a crystal eagle award for his service in the defense of Lebanon. After the Los Angeles event, General Roukoz flew back to Lebanon where he landed on the 3rd of October. This sixteen day-6 city tour marked the first major effort by the U.S LACD since electing its new president, Dr. Joe Khalil on August 30th of this year, and crowned its yearlong efforts to organize and vigorously relaunch its activities in the continental U.S. Overall, GCR's trip has been a resonating success and has generated a media blitz of the sort that has not been witnessed in the Lebanese American community for a while. The entire trip was fully organized and sponsored by the LACD, and funded by local sponsors, donors, and ticket sales in the 5 U.S States and brought together over 2000 distinguished Lebanese guests across 4 time zones, and successfully focused the attention of the community on the critical problems facing Lebanon. The LACD board of directors wishes to thank the Lebanese community across the country for making this global event a successful one, and promises to continue its activities in the community with the same intensity and focus, while overcoming many of the historical challenges.

On the Basket, the Constitution and the Institutions
Ahmad El-Assaad October 06, 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/10/ahmad-el-assaad-on-the-basket-the-constitution-and-the-institutions%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%91%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7/
The latest of the Speaker of the House, i.e. the Head of the Institution whose members are elected by the people and is entrusted with implementing the Constitution and protecting the Rule of Law and Institutions, is the famous “Basket” fad, which in and by itself is a violation of the Constitution and a circumvention on the Rule of Law.
What is actually supposed to happen, is that the representatives of this nation go down to the Parliament, and vote for one candidate or the other; and this way, Lebanon will have a president. It’s that simple.
There’s no problem with having discussions and negotiations that might lead to an agreement over a candidate, and this is normal and genuinely democratic.
But what is unfamiliar to any true democracy, is imposing pre-conditions on the future president, in a way to limit his leadership and decision, and strip him of his prestige, making him a mere implementer of the agreement that made him president.
This is definitely not the type of president that the Lebanese people wants.
We do not want a president burdened with a heavy basket, but one who has full independence in his decisions, one able to lead the country to a safe shore.
It is not understandable for the Head of the Institution, which is supposed to be the most important embodiment of democracy, to resort to a form of blackmail that is completely foreign, and contradictory, to democracy.
The said Chair is in fact the one who stripped that Institution of its content the most, and undermined its role by delegating the same to equivalent systems, i.e. the famous “Troika”, now called the National Dialogue.
Lebanon’s situation will never be right unless the Constitution went back to being a reference to everyone, and unless the Institutions created by it were the only frame for the political game.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 10-11/16

With Help from Syrians, German Police Arrest Bomb Plot Suspect
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 10/16/A Syrian man suspected of planning an Islamic State bomb plot in Germany was arrested Monday, thanks to three of his compatriots who restrained the fugitive and handed him to police. Jaber Albakr, 22, had narrowly slipped through the police net Saturday when commandos raided his apartment and found 1.5 kilos (over 3 pounds) of TATP, the homemade explosive used by jihadists in the Paris and Brussels attacks. The explosives were "almost ready, or even ready for use", said Joerg Michaelis, chief investigator in the eastern state of Saxony, adding that the suspect was apparently preparing a "bomb, possibly in the form of a suicide vest."After a two-day manhunt, police finally got their man with the help of three of Albakr's fellow Syrians in the eastern city of Leipzig.One of them walked into a police station with a photo of Albakr on his mobile phone and told officers that "his flatmates had overpowered Albakr and tied him up, and that we should come to his apartment," Michaelis told reporters. The Syrians had earlier been approached by Albakr at Leipzig railway station and asked for shelter. They took him home, only to find out in a police alert that he was the bomb plot suspect on the run."He tried to bribe us, but we told him he could give us as much money as he wanted, we wouldn't free him," one of the men told RTL television, speaking with his back to the camera and identified only as Mohamed A., for fear to reprisals. "Then we got an electrical chord and tied him up until the police got there," he said, providing RTL with a smartphone picture of their detainee. "I was furious with him, I couldn't accept something like this -- especially here in Germany, the country that opened its doors to us."
'IS context'
Police had first closed in on Albakr on Saturday in the eastern city of Chemnitz, about 85 kilometers (50 miles) south of Leipzig, acting on information from the domestic security service. But he narrowly evaded police and ran off carrying a backpack, shortly before police found the explosives, sparking a nationwide manhunt. Preliminary investigations suggest that Albakr was probably linked to the the Islamic State group, police said. "The approach and behavior of the suspect point to an IS context," said Michaelis. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the plot "resembles what we know of the preparations for the attacks in Paris and Brussels." But there was no indication yet that the suspect had a concrete target, federal prosecutors said. Albakr's Syrian flatmate in Chemnitz, named only as Khalil A., was formally taken into custody Sunday, a day after being detained, as a suspected co-conspirator. The 33-year-old is accused of allowing Albakr "to use his apartment and for helping to order the necessary material on the internet in full knowledge of his plans of attack," according federal prosecutors. Police on Sunday also raided the Chemnitz home of another suspected contact of Albakr and took away a man for questioning. Albakr entered Germany on February 18, 2015 and two weeks later filed a request for asylum, which was granted in June that year.
Germany on edge
Germany has been on edge since two IS-claimed attacks in July -- an ax rampage on a train that injured five and a suicide bombing in Ansbach in which 15 people were hurt. The bloodshed has fueled concerns over Germany's record influx of nearly 900,000 refugees and migrants in 2015, heightened by a number of foiled attack plots this year. Last month police detained three men with forged Syrian passports who were believed to be a possible IS "sleeper cell" with links to those behind the November Paris attacks. They also arrested a 16-year-old Syrian refugee in Cologne on suspicion he was planning a bomb attack in the name of IS. German authorities have urged the public not to equate refugees with "terrorists" but have acknowledged that more jihadists may have entered the country among the asylum seekers who arrived last year. Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party meanwhile called for greater rights for security services to check the files of asylum seekers. "We want the German secret services to have access to these files," said the deputy leader of the CDU's parliamentary group, Michael Kretschmer. Migrant Jihad Darwish, 47, who lives near the men who nabbed Albakr, stressed that "not all Syrians are like" the terror suspect. Lauding the man who overpowered the suspect, Darwish, himself a Syrian, said: "That guy is a hero."

Russia to create permanent naval base in Syria
Reuters, Moscow Monday, 10 October 2016/Russia intends to establish a permanent naval base on the site of an existing facility it leases at the Syrian port of Tartus, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Monday, Russian news agencies reported. Pankov’s statement is the latest sign that Moscow wants to expand its military footprint in Syria where it has been helping President Bashar al-Assad fight rebels since 2015. Moscow last week deployed S-300 surface-to air missiles to Tartus. “We will have a permanent naval base at Tartus,” Pankov told Russian senators. “The necessary documents are already prepared and are in the process of being approved by different agencies. We hope we can ask you to ratify these documents soon.” Senator Igor Morozov told the RIA news agency that the decision would allow Russia to operate more ships in the Mediterranean as they would have an enhanced facility at which they could refuel and resupply. “By doing this Russia is not only increasing its military potential in Syria but in the entire Middle East and in the Mediterranean region as a whole,” said Morozov. Russia already has a permanent air base at Hmeymim in Syria’s Latakia province from which it launches air strikes against anti-Assad rebels. Moscow inherited a Soviet-era naval facility at Tartus when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Russian navy's sole foothold in the Mediterranean. Despite some modernization, it is currently fairly modest and unable to accommodate larger warships.

Kuwait truck collision was ‘terrorist attack’
AFP, Kuwait City Monday, 10 October 2016/A collision between a truck driven by an Egyptian and a vehicle carrying three US soldiers in Kuwait was a “terrorist attack,” not an accident as first thought, the embassy confirmed Sunday. “US Embassy in Kuwait confirms that what at first appeared to be a routine traffic accident involving three deployed US military personnel... was in fact an attempted terrorist attack,” the mission said in a statement posted on its website. The statement said the attack took place on Thursday and that the US soldiers escaped unhurt. The soldiers also rescued the Egyptian driver when his truck caught fire, it said. The Kuwaiti interior ministry said on Saturday that authorities arrested the Egyptian driver and found with him a hand-written note in which he had pledged allegiance to ISIS. It also said that the driver, identified as Ibrahim Sulaiman, 28, also carried a belt and material suspected of being explosives. The ministry said the attack was on five Americans without saying they were troops. The US embassy said it was not aware of specific, credible threats against private US citizens in Kuwait at this time. But it warned that the attack serves as a reminder to maintain a high level of vigilance, advising US citizens to review their personal security plans and remain alert. Kuwaiti authorities announced in July they had dismantled three ISIS cells plotting attacks, including a suicide bombing against a Shiite mosque and against an interior ministry target. An ISIS-linked suicide bomber killed 26 worshipers in June last year when he blew himself up in a mosque of Kuwait’s Shiite minority, in the worst such attack in the Gulf state’s history.

Jordan to allow aid to refugees stuck on border
AFP, Amman Monday, 10 October 2016/Jordan said Monday it will allow aid deliveries to tens of thousands of refugees on its border with Syria, which has been closed since a deadly attack on soldiers in June. “In the coming weeks we will resume allowing humanitarian organizations to deliver aid to those stranded on the border,” Information Minister Mohamed Momani, who is also government spokesman, told AFP. The United Nations said in September that more than 70,000 Syrians were trapped in no-man’s land near the Rukban border crossing in “dire” conditions.Jordan closed its entire desert border with Syria and Iraq, preventing aid deliveries, after a suicide bombing killed seven of its soldiers near the Rukban crossing on June 21. ISIS claimed the blast, and Jordanian officials said the bomber had come from a camp just across the border. Since June, Jordan has allowed humanitarian organizations to send aid to the refugees just once, in early August, lifting it across the frontier using drones and cranes. Momani said Monday that the government would allow humanitarian organizations to deliver aid by the same method, to be received and distributed by “elders and mayors” on the Syrian side. He added that it was a temporary measure.“The borders will remain a closed military zone,” he said. “The problem of those stranded there is an international one, not just a problem for Jordan. “The United Nations and the international community should find alternative ways of delivering aid,” said the minister. The kingdom has repeatedly said it is not receiving enough international help to share the burden of hosting Syrian refugees. It says over 1.4 million Syrians are on its territory, of which 630,000 are registered with the UN.

Iraq court overturns PM decision to scrap VP posts
AFP, Baghdad Monday, 10 October 2016/Iraq’s top court on Monday overturned a decision by the prime minister to abolish the vice presidential posts as part of reform efforts, declaring it unconstitutional, the judiciary said. The ruling is a blow to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and would potentially return his predecessor and rival Nuri al-Maliki to a vice presidential post, of which there were three when the premier sought to abolish them last year. The court ruled that “the existence of one or more vice presidents of the republic is required by the constitution,” judicial spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar said in a statement. That wording leaves open the possibility that the number of vice presidents could be reduced without requiring an amendment to the constitution as long as at least one remained. Explaining the ruling, Bayraqdar referred to Article 69 of the constitution, which the court ruled stipulates the existence of the post, and Article 75, which says that the vice president will fill in if the president is absent. Given the requirements of those two articles, doing away with the vice presidency would necessitate a constitutional amendment following procedures outlined in Article 142, which was not done, Bayraqdar said. Abadi proposed scrapping the vice presidency in August 2015 as part of a series of measures - which the cabinet approved - aimed at assuaging popular anger over corruption and poor governance that had led to weeks of demonstrations. Parliament then voted two days later in support of the measures proposed by Abadi, but did not amend the constitution to eliminate the vice presidency.The court case challenging the abolition of the vice presidential posts was filed by Osama al-Nujaifi, a former parliament speaker and one of three ex-vice presidents along with Maliki and Iyad Allawi. The vice presidential positions came with large salaries and security details but few responsibilities. Monday’s ruling did not address the issue of who would hold now hold the posts, which could either revert to the three previous occupants or be filled by a new candidate or candidates selected by parliamentary vote. Iraq has been hit by repeated political upheaval - including parliament’s recent removal of the defence minister - during the course of its more than two-year war against the ISIS group. Iraqi forces are now preparing for the battle to retake Mosul, the last city to be held by the militants in the country.

Fire on traditional wooden boat in central Dubai waterway
Associated Press, Dubai Monday, 10 October 2016/A traditional wooden shipping boat on the main waterway running through Dubai has caught on fire, sending smoke into the air. The fire started on Monday in a dhow along the Dubai Creek near the Al Maktoum Bridge. Two firefighting boats sprayed water on the blaze, while police boats stood on guard nearby. It was not clear what sparked the blaze. Authorities did not immediately comment on the fire.The Dubai Creek is an inlet of the Gulf that separates the old core of the city and remains an active trading port for small vessels like dhows.
 

Iran: Poverty forces more women to dig through garbage
Monday, 10 October 2016/NCRI - Mousavi Chalak, a deputy to state welfare organization in Iran, has acknowledged the increase in women’s poverty forcing them to search through garbage for food.In an interview with the state-run news agency ILNA on Saturday October 8, Mousavi Chalak said: “one of the issues which has become more evident during the past few years is that there are people who are forced to work on the streets to make a living, among which are beggars and street children.”This regime’s official added: ”currently we are facing women who are alone and have to work on the streets, in the subway or in the parks in order to make a living and unfortunately this phenomenon is on the rise.”He stressed that people are more willing to help the female heads of households as well as orphans, while addicted and homeless women are less taken into consideration. He added: “in addition to prostitution and similar activities, one of the ways for these women to make a living, is searching through the garbage for food waste or something that can be changed into cash so as to cover part of their needs.”Mousavi Chalak pointed to the close relation between poverty and such ways of living and said: “today, we are faced with the abandonment and loneliness of women in big cities, the same way that we see them digging through the garbage. “Mousavi Chalak said that “this can have several consequences for these women including being abused, being subject to addiction and indecent acts, catching various diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis, committing different crimes such as theft as well as participation in drug distribution.”

IRAN: Mother of an executed woman pledges to for abolishment of death penalty
Monday, 10 October 2016 /NCRI - Mother of Rayhaneh Jabbari who hanged in October 2014 for defending herself against assault by a member of the Iranian regime’s intelligence has pledged to fight for abolishment of death sentence in Iran. In a letter published in news networks, Mrs Sholeh Pakravan, wrote: “It’s now two years full of ups and downs since Rayhaneh was executed. Today, I hate the death penalty even more.”“Two years ago, I was totally focusing on preventing Rayhaneh from being executed. Today, however, I’m living with the hope for an Iran without the death sentence. I’m not afraid of anything for taking this path. I’m looking the demon ‘death sentence’ (Iranian regime) right in the eye, waiting for the right time to deliver it the final blow, so that all the gallows be relegated to the museums.”In a reference to children killed in Iran while playing by hanging themselves following watching public hangings in streets, she added: “instead of ‘execution game’, let our children play ‘life game’. “I understand every second the survivors of an execution go through. I understand the meaning of responsibility and I knowingly accept it.”She continues: “I can’t stand to see the youth, like my own children, mourning the loss of their executed sisters or brothers. I can’t stand to witness the tears shed by fathers and mothers for their executed children.”She concludes: “I can’t stand to see a human struggling in mid-air .. and then the dead body be wrapped in a cover and sent to the cemetery. I shout with all my heart NO TO EXECUTION.”

IRAN: State Security Force arrest residents of Ahwaz in raids
Monday, 10 October 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime’s repressive State Security Forces (Police) in southern city of Ahwaz raided several districts on Thursday evening, arresting a number of youth along with their families. In one case, they brutally broke into a house in western Ahwaz and arrested all members of the family and took them away. The family’s father, named Ehyal Karim Alhaydari, was sick in bed at the time. The detainees are: Malek Hayal, Mohammad Hayal, Amin Hayal, Emad Hayal, and an elderly woman. They have been taken to an unknown location and no information on their whereabouts has been given. In another incident, the security forces arrested a young man named Amer Silavi on Thursday October 6. Amer Silavi is 34. He is married and has several children. It is said that Amer Silavi has been involved in formation of a human chain to protest against transferring Karun River’s water to Isfahan and other cities. Also, on the morning of Tuesday October 4, an Aref Navaseri, a poet from Shadegan was arrested for one his poems.

Iran: International call to save the life of a 22-year-old woman from execution
Monday, 10 October 2016
Prisoner Zeinab Sekanvand was 17 at the time of arrest
The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran urges all international human rights and women's rights organizations and agencies to take urgent action to save the life of Zeinab Sekanvan, a 22-year-old woman imprisoned in the Central Prison of Orumiyeh, who is in the danger of imminent execution. Zeinab Sekanvand comes from a village near Makou (Western Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran). She was forced into marriage when she was 15 due to her family's poverty. After two years of painful life, she was arrested at age 17 on the charge of killing her husband. After her five years imprisonment, on October 3, Zainab was notified of the dead penalty and since then she is on the death row.
The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/October 9, 2016

Why Figures are Concealed in Iran?
Monday, 10 October 2016/NCRI - Many economic, financial and social experts always stress that the figures and statistics in Iran's regime basically lack validity and reliability. The Mullahs' regime is now dealing with a period of time which is called "the crisis of crises" and the prospect of solving the problem is never possible for this regime. The Mullahs' regime was so scandalous that several experts also admitted to the secrecy regarding the figures in economic, financial and social spheres. These experts stated that: “this issue has nothing to do with Ahmadinejad's , Rouhani's, Hashemi's, or Khatami's government. The figures in Iran's economy are confidential. From a point in history, all figures and numbers have been detected as the surreptitious documents and so far this procedure is still continued. Through the history, each government has exhibited a specific degree of stealth and this degree more or less differs among different states. However, what is clear is that many data and figures are confidential. The lack of a "detailed supervision" and "the legal vacuum" as well as other factors have darkened the disaster, especially in a society that secrecy and corruption are rising (Shargh News Agency Website, Affiliated with the Mullahs' regime, 8th October 2016). The actual manifestation of "secrecy and fear" stems from providing people with the public facts and figures in a society. Iran's regime is well aware that any transparency in this matter arouses uprisings, protests, and rage. In this regards, Iran's regime has never represented any exact figure about the number of executions, political prisoners and those sentenced to death, unemployment, inflation, poverty, the environment and the amount of rent-seeking and plundering of the national wealth. A government expert referred to a reality, called "mass censorship" in the dictatorship of the Supreme leader and stated:"the lack of free information impedes any prevention from the corruptions. The people pay the cost of these difficulties and the process of development is hindered by each day. In fact, the Mullahs' regime withholds any information regarding the true figures and numbers. As a matter of fact, providing any figure is like a bayonet that is pointed towards the government rulers. These rulers produce all sorts of corruption and misery in the community. Regarding the regime's secrecy, another expert stipulates the primary reasons for such phenomenon and clarifies the issue to the society. He expressed that:" although in the Iran's constitution is clearly stated that the assets of the seniors, who are working for the three branches of government, should be investigated; this measure is never made in practice. This issue will create corruption automatically."

The Iranian Resistance condemns the clerical regime's clampdown on universities
Sunday, 09 October 2016/In reaction to the publication of the photograph of the NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi in the special magazine of the alumni of Sharif Industrial University, the religious dictatorship ruling Iran has been attempting in vain to tighten the atmosphere of repression in universities at the start of the new academic year. The state-run media and news agencies, most of whom are affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and other military and security agencies, reported on October 5, 2016, that "the publishers of (Maryam Rajavi's) photo at Sharif University were dealt with." They also reported that "all the activities of the alumni's association on campus have been ordered to be suspended," the association "has been sealed up", and "all copies of the said magazine have been collected." They wrote that "the security organs are examining this incident" and "are making the necessary follow ups to deal with the violators legally and through relevant authorities."  On the same day, a letter signed by 33 Majlis deputies was read out in an official parliamentary session, demonstrating their fearful and hysteric reaction to the publication of Maryam Rajavi's photo. Ghazizadeh, one of the signatories, had been exposed a few months earlier as head of a group of Khomeini's forces who had murdered and beheaded hundreds of POWs in a mission inside Iraq. He had openly confessed this in a tape recording revealed in the course of the regime's election sham.
In making such threats against universities, Khamenei's pawns only reveal their own concern over the crumbling of a regime that holds onto power solely by relying on repression and executions. The state-run media have angrily written, "In a strange measure, Sharif University published Maryam Rajavi's picture in its alumni's special magazine! While universities admit new students in the beginning of the new academic year, such a conduct can lead to deviatory movements and normalization of such incidents in universities, preparing the grounds for insurgency in the scientific atmosphere of the country." (Mashreq News – October 5, 2016) The regime's fear intensifies especially with the approach of the Student Day (December 7). The ridiculous remarks by the regime's officials and media who pretend to be "worried about the country's scientific environment" are made despite common knowledge that the clerical regime has turned the country's scientific environment and universities into a field for profit-making and thievery by various agencies through its so-called cultural coup in 1980 and the Islamization of universities. These days, students of Sharif Industrial University have been staging protests with the motto of "University revenues come from our payments for food and dormitory." The Universities' Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran hails all the freedom-loving students of Iran and its honorable colleagues who have said NO to the Iranian regime's repression. The Universities' Committee lauds the students of Sharif Industrial University who have been staging protests in recent days. It calls on all Iranian students and faculty of universities to demonstrate their solidarity and unity against stepped up repression and security threats against the Alumni Association of Sharif University by Khamenei-backed repressive organs.
The NCRI Universities' Committee urges the student and university syndicates and unions as well as scientific centers in various countries and advocates of human rights and freedom of speech to strongly condemn the Iranian regime's repressive and fascist clampdown against universities and educational centers in Iran, particularly against the Alumni Association of Sharif Industrial University of Iran. The Universities' Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/October 7, 2016

UN envoy, France urge restarting Yemen peace talks
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English, Monday, 10 October 2016/Yemen’s UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault urged on Monday to reinstate dialogue and restart peace efforts between Yemen’s warring sides during a joint press conference in Paris. Ayrault called on the Yemeni sides to turn to “dialogue” for resolving the ongoing conflict that has plunged that country into what the UN describes as a serious humanitarian crisis. Speaking in French, the UN envoy also urged all parties to respect international law and to reach a “permanent political solution” to end the conflict that began in March last year. He said those involved in the war to take “necessary measures to protect civilians and the country’s infrastructure.”
Escalation
Yemen peace talks held in Kuwait ended in August this year with no breakthrough. Since then, the Yemeni warring sides have escalated their confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthi militias and their allies loyal to deposed Ali Abdullah Saleh, forming a political committee to administer the country, soon after the peace talks ended. Meanwhile, earlier on Monday before the meeting between the two officials took place, state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported that an official source denounced the Houthis’ attack on a US Navy destroyer, saying such “terrorist” acts would expose international navigation to “danger,” The source, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said the “systematic” attack by these Iran-backed militias is to target trade near the Strait of Bab el-Mandab. The comments came after Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi, submitted a letter to the President of the Security Council, Vitaly Churkin, in which it expressed deep regret about an attack that took place during funeral ceremony in Sanaa that killed more than 140 people on Saturday. “We wish to reiterate our full respect, commitment and compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” the letter obtained by Al Arabiya News Channel read.

Arab coalition operations kill 50 Houthis in Yemen
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 10 October 2016/Saudi special forces along with the Arab coalition carried out a military operation in Yemen’s mountain tops to combat Houthi militias near the Saudi border, Al Arabiya correspondent reported on Monday. Sources said that the targeted attacks on the mountain tops resulted in the death of at least 50 Houthi militias, and destroyed several of their artillery store of ammunition and weapons.
A Saudi-led Arab coalition has been battling Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen since March 2015. Houthi forces fire missiles or mortars almost daily into the southern Saudi border areas including Najran, and often test Saudi defenses with guerrilla-style incursions.

Yemeni boy in Saudi Arabia wounded in cross-border shelling
Saudi Gazette, Samtah, Saudi Arabia Monday, 10 October 2016/A “military projectile” fired from the Yemeni side of the border hit a house in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan province on Sunday, wounding a 14-year-old boy. The house belonged to a Yemeni resident and the wounded boy was his son, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting Civil Defense spokesman Maj. Yahya Bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani. It said the boy was rushed to hospital. Al-Qahtani said the Civil Defense was notified of the incident at 9.30 a.m. Sunday. The force immediately undertook necessary procedures followed in such cases. This article was first published by the Saudi Gazette on October 10, 2016.

Yemen tribe calls strike on funeral a ‘conspiracy’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 10 October 2016/The family and tribe whose members were killed when two missiles hit their funeral gathering days earlier have released a statement calling the bombing a “conspiracy.”The statement released on behalf of al-Roweishan family and Kholan al-Tayel tribes by Sheikh Mohammed bin Mohammed Roweishan also called for calm until further investigations determine who was behind the attack. The Saudi-led coalition fighting militias in Yemen said on Sunday it is ready to investigate together with the United States an air strike on a funeral ceremony in Sanaa that killed more than 140 people. The Iran-backed Houthi militia have blamed the Arab coalition for the attack but Saudi Arabia has denied there was any Arab coalition role in a strike in Sanaa on Saturday. The letter also criticized what the family saw as “inflammatory comments published by the ousted Saleh and Houthi militias in their attempt to integrate and invite the tribe in their insurgency.”
Saudi Arabia submits letter to UN
Late on Sunday night, Saudi Arabia’s Permeant Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi submitted a letter to the President of the Security Council Vitaly Churkin in which it expressed deep regret about the reported attack. “We wish to reiterate our full respect, commitment and compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” the letter obtained by Al Arabiya News Channel read. “We wish to take this opportunity to reaffirm that the coalition will spare no effort to work diligently to reach a sustainable political solution to the conflict in Yemen, pursuant to the relevant Security Council resolution,” the statement added. Statement released by victims’ family in Arabic

Saudi denounces Yemeni militia attack on US ship
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 10 October 2016/An official source has denounced on Monday Yemeni militia attack on a US Navy destroyer, saying such “terrorist” act would expose international navigation to “danger,” the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The source, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said this “systematic” attack by these Iran-backed militias is to target trade near Strait of Bab el-Mandab. A US Navy destroyer came under on Monday after an attempted missile was fired at in international waters off Yemen. The ship was reportedly not hit by the missiles, a US military spokesman told Reuters. The spokesman also added that the US military assessed missiles came from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen and that no injuries or damage to ship was resulted because of the attack.

Saudi Arabia intercepts two Houthi missiles
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 10 October 2016/Saudi Arabia has intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Houthi militias from Yemen, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The Saudi military said early on Monday that it stopped one missile fired toward Marib in Yemen and a second targeting the Saudi city of Taif. Saudi state television aired a brief clip of what appeared to be a projectile landing in Taif and the flash of an explosion, following by images of emergency vehicles. The military said the missiles caused no damage. A Saudi-led Arab coalition has been battling Shiite Houthi militias in Yemen since March 2015. Houthi militias, as well as their allies are known to have a stockpile of Soviet-era Scud missiles and locally designed variants.

Libyan forces push into last ISIS area in Sirte
Reuters, Tripoli Monday, 10 October 2016/Libyan pro-government forces are advancing into the last area controlled by ISIS in the coastal city of Sirte, surrounding the militants after a five-month campaign backed by US air strikes, military officials say. At least eight pro-government fighters were killed over the weekend as their forces pushed into the 600 block, an area in central Sirte, with snipers and boobytraps posing the main obstacles to their advance, the officials said. A Reuters reporter on the ground said forces advanced across two streets on Sunday, but were facing resistance and discovering explosive devices in many buildings. ISIS took over Sirte a year ago, exploiting the chaos and violence that have dogged Libya since the overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in order to carve out a new base, far from its main territory in Iraq and Syria. Losing the city would be a major blow to the group, but officials believe some of its fighters and commanders escaped before Sirte was surrounded, and may continue to wage guerrilla-style attacks even after it falls. The advance is being led by the Bonyan Marsous forces, mainly fighters from the city of Misrata, who are supporting a United Nations-backed unity government in Tripoli that is trying to bring together rival factions. “The forces of Bonyan Marsous made some advances and completely trapped the 600 block area in Sirte,” Misrata forces media official Ali Almabrouk said. Mohamed Ghasri, a spokesman for pro-government forces, said two female militants had escaped with their three children and surrendered. They told Misrata forces they did not want to be used in suicide attacks, Ghasri said. The fall of a major city to one of the country’s most powerful factions is rekindling tensions with rival brigades in the east, led by Khalifa Haftar, who has rejected the authority of the UN-backed government in Tripoli. In a major advance, Haftar has taken control of eastern oil ports and his troops have advanced close to Sirte. Many in the west of Libya believe Haftar is planning to establish himself as a military strongman like Gaddafi. His backers in the east see him as the only one who has fought for their interests, especially against Islamist militants.

Putin opens Russian market to Turkish ‘partners’
Agencies Monday, 10 October 2016/In a showcase of economic solidarity and a sign of further consolidating their ties, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday the opening of his country’s market to Turkish “partners” during a joint press conference with his counterpart Tayyip Erdogan. Putin also announced the lifting of sanctions placed on Turkish agriculture products. He also said that Russia is going to export natural gas to Turkey at lower prices. Putin’s visit to Word Energy Congress taking place in Turkey, comes on the backdrop of both Ankara and Moscow trying to normalize ties that were strained last year by Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane near the border with Syria. Russia had responded by deploying long-range air defense missiles at its air base in Syria, and imposing an array of economic sanctions on Turkey. Relations warmed after Erdogan apologized in June. Differences remain on Syria. While Moscow has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation’s civil war and further bolstered that support by launching an air campaign last September, Turkey has pushed for Assad's removal and helped his foes. Before their joint press conference, the two leaders on Monday voiced support for the construction of a gas pipeline, a plan that was suspended amid tensions between the two countries. They said their countries wanted to press ahead with the Turkish Stream or TurkStream project. The pipeline would carry Russian natural gas to Turkey and on to European Union countries.
“We are providing energy for the EU for the past 50 years,” Putin said in his speech. “We are now working on a second project. We are discussing the Turkish Stream with Erdogan and our other partners and we want to bring this about.”Erdogan said: “We look positively at the Turkish Stream project. Our efforts are continuing.”Putin had first suggested the Turkish Stream project to carry gas beneath the Black Sea into Turkey in 2014, when a pipeline project to Bulgaria fell through amid EU countries’ opposition. Russia is also building Turkey’s first nuclear power station.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti on Sunday that the meeting of the two leaders will focus on restoring Russian-Turkish relations “in all aspects.”Meanwhile, Erdogan said Turkey consolidating its ties with Russia is taking place “rapidly” and that the TurkStream and nuclear power deals with Russia are going to be expedited.
Speaking at the joint news conference in Istanbul after signing the agreement on TurkStream with Putin, Erdogan said time lost on the Akkuyu project would be made up. In 2013, Rosatom won a $20 billion contract to build four reactors in what was to become Turkey’s first nuclear plant, but construction was halted after Turkey shot down the Russian jet. On Syria, Putin, meanwhile, said he agreed to allow aid to enter the divided Syrian city of Aleppo.

Turkey, Russia joint investment fund
Meanwhile, Turkey and Russia will establish a joint investment fund with capital of $1 billion, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci was reported as saying by state-run Anadolu Agency.Relations between Russia and Turkey soured in November 2015, after the downing of a Russian fighter jet by the Turkish military. They have since have made progress towards restoring ties, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin holding talks. The two leaders were due to meet again on Monday in Istanbul at World Energy Congress meeting. Zeybekci made the announcement at a ceremony to sign a joint declaration on establishing the fund after meeting Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyulkayev in Istanbul on Sunday, Anadolu said. Zeybekci was reported as saying Turkish and Russian investment funds would both provide $500 million each for the establishment of the fund and its capital could be increased beyond $1 billion if needed.(With AP, Reuters)
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 10-11/16

The U.S. and U.N. Have Abandoned Christian Refugees
By Nina Shea/The Wall Street Journal/October 10/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/10/nina-sheathe-wall-street-journal-the-u-s-and-u-n-have-abandoned-christian-refugees/
The U.N.’s next secretary-general, António Guterres, says that persecuted Christians shouldn’t be resettled in the West.
Six months ago, Secretary of State John Kerry officially designated Islamic State as “responsible for genocide” against Christians, Yazidis and other vulnerable groups in areas under ISIS control in Syria and Iraq. So why has the Obama administration entrusted the survival of these people—and so much valuable American aid—to a troubled office at the United Nations, which, like its parent organization, has never even acknowledged that the genocide exists?
The State Department says it is helping religious minorities who have fled, along with millions of other displaced Syrians and Iraqis, primarily through the U.N. America has sent over half of $5.6 billion in humanitarian aid earmarked for Syrians since 2012 to the U.N.
Yet the U.N.’s lead agency for aiding refugees, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), marginalizes Christians and others targeted by ISIS for eradication in two critical programs: refugee housing in the region and Syrian refugee-resettlement abroad.
For instance, the Obama administration’s expanded refugee program for Syria depends on refugee referrals from the UNHCR. Yet Syria’s genocide survivors have been consistently underrepresented. State’s database shows that of 12,587 Syrian refugees admitted to the U.S. in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, only 68 were Christians and 24 were members of the Yazidi sect. That means 0.5% were Christians, though they have long accounted for 10% of Syria’s population. In 2015, among 1,682 Syrians admitted, there were 30 Christians and no Yazidis.
Asked about these numbers at a Sept. 28 Senate hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Simon Henshaw asserted that only 1% of Syria’s registered refugees are Christians. How to square that with the estimate that half a million Syrian Christians—a quarter of that community—have fled, as Syriac Catholic Patriarch Younan warned in August.
State Department officials variously speculate that Christians don’t want to register for resettlement abroad, or that they are waiting in line behind hundreds of thousands of Sunni Muslims who left Syria earlier.
Yet there is evidence to suggest that the problem lies within UNHCR. Citing reports from many displaced Christians, a January report on Christian refugees in Lebanon by the Catholic News Service stated: “Exit options seem hopeless as refugees complain that the staff members of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are not following up on their cases after an initial interview.” This failure could be another example of why the U.N. Internal Audit Division’s April 2016/034 report reprimanded the UNHCR for “unsatisfactory” management.
At a December press conference in Washington, D.C., I asked the U.N.’s then-high commissioner for refugees, António Guterres, to explain the disproportionately low number of Syrian Christians resettled abroad. The replies—from a man poised to be the U.N’s next secretary-general—were shocking and illuminating.
Mr. Guterres said that generally Syria’s Christians should not be resettled, because they are part of the “DNA of the Middle East.” He added that Lebanon’s Christian president had asked him not to remove Christian refugees. Mr. Guterres thus appeared to be articulating what amounts to a religious-discrimination policy, for political ends.
As for why so few Christians and Yazidis are finding shelter in the UNHCR’s regional refugee camps, members of these groups typically say they aren’t safe. Stephen Rasche, the resettlement official for the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese in Erbil, Iraq, told Congress last month that in Erbil “there are no Christians who will enter the U.N. camps for fear of violence against them.”
The pontifical Aid to the Church in Need and the American Christian Aid Mission wrote in recent emails to me that no Christians dare shelter in the U.N. Zaatari camp in Jordan, which houses 80,000 Syrian refugees. As one Syrian Christian who was resettled in the U.S. explained in the Sept. 26 Washington Examiner, after fleeing ISIS in Aleppo, his family was too afraid of “becoming targets of Muslim extremists” to go into Lebanon’s camps.
Erbil’s archdiocese, which oversees care for 70,000 people displaced by ISIS, including half of Nineveh’s Christians, has reported that U.N. aid bypasses them. As Mr. Rasche told Congress in September, “[S]ince August 2014, other than initial supplies of tents and tarps, the Christian community in Iraq has received nothing in aid from any U.S. aid agencies or the U.N.” He warned that the community faces extinction without more assistance.
Persecuted groups also found no help from the U.N.-established Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria in its only report on ISIS genocide. Issued in June, the report focused solely on persecuted members of the Yazidi faith. The commission—an influential adviser to the UNHCR—dismissed in a short paragraph the notion that Christians also have been targeted for genocide.
Echoing ISIS propaganda and without citing evidence, the commission report declared that ISIS recognizes their “right to exist as Christians . . . as long as they pay the [Islamic] jizya tax.” Not true, according to the Patriarch Younan and the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Aphrem, who told me in August in Rome that no intact Christian communities or functioning churches remain in the parts of Syria or Iraq under ISIS.
Genocide is the most heinous human-rights violation. For America to entrust the survival of communities on the brink of extinction to a U.N. operation that routinely fails them is the height of cynicism.
The administration should ensure that American aid reaches these displaced minorities, including refugee visas for the neediest. Congress can make sure that happens by quickly bringing to a vote the bipartisan Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act, introduced Sept. 8 by Reps. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) and Anna Eshoo (D., Calif.).
**Ms. Shea is the director of Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom.

Eastern Approaches
Kheder Khaddour//Carnegie/Middle East Centre/October 10/16
Why local tribal calculations will determine what happens outside Syria’s heartland.
With much of the world’s attention on western Syria, especially the fighting in Aleppo, there has been less interest in eastern Syria, much of whose population is of Arab tribal background.
There is an increasing view that the Syrian regime and Russia feel that the conflict in Syria can be won militarily. Their focus for now is on the major western population centers stretching from Damascus to the Turkish border, and southwards to Jordan. However, for any victory to be complete the Assad regime will have to develop a strategy for eastern Syria as well.
Though there are virtually no more nomads in today’s Syria, the people of eastern Syria’s towns and cities are proud of their tribal heritage and frequently refer to aspects of their tribe in explaining their political behavior. This has been especially true since the beginning of the uprising in 2011. The different protagonists in the east—which includes the Deir al-Zor, Raqqa, and Al-Hassakeh governorates—have appealed to tribal identities to motivate inhabitants to join their cause, and the traditional leaders of tribes have often claimed that their entire tribe was behind them in declaring their allegiance to the opposition or the regime.
However, the reality was frequently quite different. Members of the same tribe often found themselves on opposite sides of the Syrian conflict, and even the traditional leaders of the same tribe could be seen taking contrary positions—some supporting the regime in Damascus, others opposition circles in Turkey. This was due to the fact that, among Syrian tribes, localized identities—relating to neighborhood, village, or town—have often prevailed over broader tribal solidarities in determining actions on the ground.
Such a process of localization was already unfolding before the Syrian conflict began in 2011, though the war only accentuated it. This has allowed the regime, radical Islamic groups, the Kurds, and members of tribes themselves without leadership roles in their formal tribal structures, to advance their agendas within tribal communities.
This reality is why the regime’s reconquest of eastern areas will be no easy task. First, the regime’s major adversaries there are the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Islamic State. There is no unified opposition force, as in Aleppo, which the regime can besiege and defeat. And second, the localization of tribes means that the regime will have to navigate through a complex array of local realities in pushing to return to the area.
NO 'TRIBAL SOCIETY' OUTSIDE THE STATE
The localization of Syrian communities of tribal background was long in the making. Since a central state authority gained territorial control over the areas where members of tribes live—a process that began under the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century and was completed under the French Mandate in the 1930s and 1940s—there has been no “tribal society” outside the reach of the state.
As a consequence of this, members of tribes have been able to look beyond their tribal leaders, toward the state, to obtain protection and resources. Many members of tribes have used the educational, social, and political institutions of the Syrian state to integrate into urban society—becoming doctors, lawyers, and businesspeople. This removed a central reason for their traditional dependence on nominal tribal leaders. In that sense they are virtually indistinguishable from their peers from urban and village backgrounds. By the time president Hafez al-Assad had consolidated power in the 1970s, leaders of a single tribe were often forced to compete against one another for access to the state’s patronage, including appointments to Parliament.
The effect of decades of such rule was demonstrated during the Syrian conflict when violence forced local communities to choose between various rebel factions and the regime. For example, the town of Buqrus in eastern Deir al-Zor governorate is populated by the Al-Busayarah tribe, many of whose leaders support the Assad regime. However, it is surrounded by towns whose residents come from members of the Al-Bushamel branch of the Al-Aqeedat tribe, whose members have sided with the Islamic State or Jabhat al-Nusra. When fighting between members of the Al-Busarayah and radical Islamic groups escalated in western Deir al-Zor province, Al-Busayarah tribal members in Buqrus, in order to protect themselves, highlighted their local identity, declaring that their primary allegiance was to Buqrus, not to their fellow tribesmen fighting the Islamic groups.
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS IN TRIBAL AREAS
In spite of this localization, many of the players in the Syrian conflict are looking to gain legitimacy for their political agendas by acquiring a veneer of tribal support among the local communities. The search for tribal partners has created competition within communities of tribal background. When one actor secures a local ally, this pushes others to mobilize different parts of the same tribe to shore up their own political project. For example, the competition between the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra in the Deir al-Zor governorate has exemplified such competition. Each group rooted itself in towns and families of tribal background to provide a base for their piecemeal expansion. The result was to bring local communities into conflict with one another, often violently.
The Islamic State project appears to be more vulnerable than ever, yet the liberation of populations formerly under its control will hardly be the end of the story. Other political forces will try to fill the vacuum it leaves behind in eastern Syria. The plans of such forces will involve securing alliances with local populations of tribal background, while their adversaries will seek to do the same with other parts of the same tribe. The ensuing dynamics will determine the future of eastern Syria, and whether the region faces the same destiny as the western half of the country.
 

Canada: Guess Who Is Helping Islamists to Oppress Women?
by Thomas Quiggin/Gatestone Institute/October 10/16

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/10/thomas-quiggingatestone-institute-canada-guess-who-is-helping-islamists-to-oppress-women/

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9064/canada-islamists-women

Why Canada's Minister of Immigration should be accepting an award from an individual whose own organization (ICNA) openly advocates violence against women is not clear. Minister Hajdu, despite her role as Minister for the Status of Women in Canada, has remained silent on this issue despite being made aware of it directly.
Not only did the child services department do nothing to help the 1400 girls being raped and forced into prostitution, in fact she (and others) went out of their way to silence anyone who tried to speak out. Rather than face the fact that a problem of mass rape existed, Joyce Thacker played a role in the cover-up.
Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau has declared himself to be a "feminist" and says he is committed to increasing the role of women in society. However, he recently visited a gender-segregated mosque in Ottawa, the imam of which is part of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), placed on a list of designated terrorist organizations by the United Arab Emirates in 2014.
Ironically, the City of Ottawa has other mosques which are modern and humanist, but the Prime Minister has never chosen to visit one of them.
Advocating violence against women and other misogynist practices are increasingly being accepted by individuals who identify themselves as "feminists" and "female leaders."
The process of normalizing Islamist misogyny is well underway while so-called feminists remain silent on issues such as wife beating, child marriages, female genital mutilation and "forced suicides."
For current feminists, it appears as though political correctness and fantasizing that they are "social justice warriors" outweighs the rights of women, especially brown women.
When it comes to the issue of opposing violence against women, feminists are as silent as beaten wives. Nothing - including the advocacy of wife beating, pedophiliac sex acts with nine-year-old girls and the generalized oppression of women - can draw feminists into the debate on the role of women under the Islamist ideology that is prevalent in Canada and the USA.
Premier Katherine Wynne of Ontario (population 13.6 million) recently visited the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), along with Education Minister Mitzie Hunter. They met on August 26, 2016 with female members of the Islamic Circle North America Sisters (ICNA Canada) in Scarborough. The ICNA directly advocates misogynist positions such as wife beating, the taking of slave girls and the position that women are, overall, inferior to men. ICNA also notes that Islamic women have been "emancipated" from the obligation of earning their own livelihood. Therefore, women can be kept at home and cannot leave the house without the permission of the husband.
Quite alarmingly, the Premier of Ontario did not criticize the organization or its heavily misogynistic beliefs. Rather she publicly claimed to have been "honoured" to have been there. The Minister of Education, Ms Hunter, appears to have remained silent on her views concerning this visit.
The Minister of the Status of Women, Patty Hajdu, for the federal government of Canada does not appear to have any problem with those advocating violence against women, either. Her cabinet colleague, Minister John McCallum, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, received an award for his "outstanding service" from the Canadian Council of Imams. The chairperson of this group is Dr. Iqbal Al-Nadvi, who is also the Amir of ICNA. Why the Minister of Immigration should be accepting an award from an individual whose own organization (ICNA) openly advocates violence against women is not clear. Minister Hajdu, despite her role as Minister for the Status of Women in Canada, has remained silent on this issue despite being made aware of it directly.
Mayor Bonnie Crombie of Mississauga has repeated allowed Hizb ut Tahrir (HT), a leading Islamist organization, to use city-owned property in Mississauga to hold conferences. In addition to stating that democracy is not compatible with Islam and that all Canadian soldiers are war criminals, HT is running an education campaign to teach women about "women's rights." To HT, women's rights are a Western concept and Islamic women should be aware of their obligation under sharia law. Ironically, the City of Mississauga withdrew permission (once) for Hizb ut Tahrir to have a meeting on city-owned property. Gerry Townsend, the CEO of Mississauga Living Arts Centre, confirmed the cancellation explaining that "there has been a bit of publicity about this organization." The meeting, it seems was not cancelled because HT is misogynist or listed as a terrorist group in multiple countries, but rather because of "publicity." Other meetings carried on without incident.
Member of Parliament Iqra Khalid is another woman who maintains silence in the face of the advocacy of violence against women. Prior to being a Member of Parliament, Ms. Khalid was the head of the Muslim Student Association at York University. In 2015, the same York University Muslim Student Association was handing out books for Islam Awareness Week. According to a book handed out, wife-beating is permissible under certain circumstances and some women enjoy being beaten because they are submissives. Ms. Khalid, who has close ties to the Islamic Society of North America and others, has not spoken out against the violence advocated by her former student association, the ICNA, the ISNA or any other such Islamist organization.
Perhaps the most disturbing example of all, however, is Joyce Thacker of the United Kingdom. She was the £130,000-a-year Strategic Director of the City of Rotherham's children's services department for five years. During that time, the ongoing rapes, drugging and enslavement of eleven to fourteen-year-old girls carried on in Rotherham. Not only did the child services department do nothing to help the 1400 girls being raped and forced into prostitution, in fact she (and others) went out of their way to silence anyone who tried to speak out. The reason for the enforced silence over a period of years was later identified in the official UK government report as "institutionalized political correctness." The rapists were primarily identified as Pakistani/Kashmiri/Muslims and the victims were identified as being primarily white girls. Rather than face the fact that a problem of mass rape on a wartime level existed, Joyce Thacker played a role in the cover-up.
The most interesting role of all, however, is that being played by Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau. He has declared himself to be a "feminist" and says he is committed to increasing the role of women in society. However, he recently visited (September 2016) a gender-segregated mosque in Ottawa. Female Members of Parliament who attended with him had to enter by a side door and sit in the segregated area. The imam of the mosque is part of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), according to the mosque's own website. This organization was placed on a list of designated terrorist organizations by the United Arab Emirates in 2014. More interestingly, a review of the teaching and reading material of the mosque in early 2016 revealed a disturbing fact. The study noted that "It is not the presence of extremist literature in the mosque libraries that is worrisome. The problem is that there was nothing but extremist literature in the mosque libraries."
Worse, the Prime Minister also stated: "...as I look at this beautiful room — sisters upstairs — everyone here, (I see) the diversity we have just within this mosque, within the Islamic community, within the Muslim community in Canada."
How this be seen as anything other than an attempt at normalizing the segregation of women? Ironically, the City of Ottawa has other mosques which are modern and humanist, but the Prime Minister has never chosen to visit one of them.
What are the possible reasons for such practices whereby feminists and major feminist organizations refuse to speak out on violence against women? Most leading feminists are still white, as are many female leadership figures. Many victims of misogyny and abuse are brown:
Brown women, not known to be a voting block, therefore have little to no influence in the corridors of elected power;
Women, especially those in positions of power such as Premier Wynne, Minister Hajdu, and Mayor Crombie of Mississauga can be misogynistic notwithstanding that they are female; and
In many cases, the forces of political correctness and fantasy of seeing themselves as "Social Justice Warriors" place the rights of Islamist males over the rights of Muslim and non-Muslim females.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Iranian trusteeship with Israel’s blessings
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
In July last year, I wrote an article “What will our region look like come November 2016?” on this page. Of course what I meant then was the end of Barack Obama’s second term in the White House. In that article I pointed to how Washington made ISIS a pivotal justification to speed up the signing of JCPOA, which would become Obama’s ‘grand’ achievement and the hallmark of his regional project. A year ago there were several worrying signs, and unfortunately the worst of which were proven to be true in every ‘hot spot’ in the Middle East. Indeed, despite Washington’s self-congratulations on being able to “downgrade” ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the demographic genocide being perpetrated against Sunni Arabs in the two countries remains the most salient and solid fact. In Iraq, following the substantial change in the demography of the capital Baghdad, and troubles and uprooting suffered by the (Sunni) Anbar Province during the last few years partly at the hands of Iranian-led sectarian militias, the same fate awaits Nineveh Province, and more specifically its (Sunni Arab) capital Mosul.
In the meantime, it is no more appropriate to question what is going on in Syria. It is either too stupid or too cynical to deny the ‘common plan’ Russia and Iran are striving to achieve on the ground, and turning a blind eye to Washington tacit approval. Actually, as we witness benign accusations being exchanged by Moscow and Washington about a non-existent ceasefire, most well informed sources claim that the only disagreement between them regards how to rehabilitate the Assad regime in the “new” Syria within the new map of the region. What is taking place in the Middle East is more than a heavy price being paid for an American retreat or a Russian revenge by a leader who has inherited grandiose dreams from the former Soviet era
Facts of the moment:
Russia and Iran, with America’s approval, have all but completed the demographic change in the city of Homs and Greater Damascus as Al-Assad has admitted.
Arrangements are approaching completion in northern and southern Syria after ‘containing’ the Turkish – Kurdish tensions as a result of taming Ankara’s ambitions in the north, while in the south the whole picture would not overlook Israel’s say, especially in the Quneitra Province. As Turkey’s interests and worries regarding ethnic minorities seems to have been taken care of in the north, Israel would surely like to exploit the sectarian issue in the south, which is most likely acceptable to Washington, Moscow, Tehran and … Damascus! “The War on ISIS”, which has become synonymous with the uprooting and forced exodus of millions of Sunni Arabs in both Syria and Iraq, may then become limited in eastern Syria where the – initially artificial – borders with Iraq barely exist anymore. Iran would then become a “trustee” to the already “occupied” Lebanon. This would take place either directly through appointing a ‘puppet-president’ functioning under the “guidance” of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, or indirectly through the rehabilitated former Damascus ‘tools’, which, along with Iran, still enjoy enough tentacles and influence to prevent the election of a Lebanese president for more than two years. Here too, just like the southern Syria scenario, this trusteeship can only be established with Israel’s blessings; and many believe this is assured given the fact that the loud Al-Assad regime remains a safe and trusted neighbor since the autumn of 1973, and that Israel has only punished it with “reminders” and “alerts”.
Away from the Levant, in Yemen, the Yemenis have now discovered that what is being said against the background of international discussions and negotiations is one thing, and what really takes place is something else. With the cases of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in mind, it looks as if what we are going through these days may well have been the “classified” sections of the JCPOA.
In fact, what gives credence to this thinking is Washington’s reiterations while applying the final touches on the JCPOA that the negotiations with Iran were limited to the nuclear issue; which means Washington did not require that Iran ended its political and military adventures within several Arab countries, and curtails its regional and global ambitions, as a pre-condition for the nuclear agreement and its admission into the “nuclear club”.
The American retreat
What is taking place in the Middle East is more than a heavy price being paid for an American retreat or a Russian revenge by a leader who has inherited grandiose dreams and the mentality of a “police state” from the former Soviet era. It has also gone beyond a confrontation between an Iranian regime “exporting” its internal problems under the banner of religion and settling 1400 years old scores, a Turkish leadership intent on turning the clock back (to Ottoman times), and an Israeli political elite that rejects peace and hides behind Biblical ‘fundamentalists’ as it crushes Palestinian aspirations.
What could be deduced from the insistence of some quarters on inventing justifications for hatred and animosities is that there is an inclination to create new realignments in the Middle East in the form of “mandates” over a partitioned Arab world. In this sense, with due respect to press freedom, one cannot but feel surprised by the article written by Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the New York Times, a newspaper whose rich archive surely contains reports of all kinds of terrorist acts incited, planned and carried out by the same regime that Zarif is serving.
The NYT knows about the nature of the regime in Tehran since 1979 more than the average American citizen Zarif was attempting to bluff. It definitely knows who was behind the “Hostage Taking” in the US Tehran embassy, the mass executions ordered by Sadegh Khalkhali’s “revolutionary court”, the Beirut US Marines Base suicide attack as well as foreign hostage taking in Lebanon, the continuing support of the “Islamic Jihad” movement in Gaza (which also has an office in Damascus), the smuggling of al-Qaeda militants into Iraq from Syria, the bombings inside Saudi Arabia itself, and finally, the nation that continues to provide refuge to extremist leaders and encourages, through its own extremism, a no less dangerous counter extremism.
All these facts are no doubt well known to the NYT; however, it seems that truth doesn’t really matter if a dual Iranian – Israeli “trusteeship” is underway, and needs to be justified by making religious extremism exclusively Sunni, exactly as Barack Obama has done in order to rehabilitate Bashar al-Assad.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Sept. 29, 2016.

Radicalization of youth as a global challenge
Samar Fatany/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
The vilification of Saudi and Muslim youth continues to dominate the news in the United States. American Islamophobes and irresponsible individuals, such as Donald Trump and company, are on a mission to demonize all Saudi and Muslim youth labeling them potential threats to the West. This biased rhetoric is a distorted view of the real threat to the West, which is mostly homegrown and continues to threaten the global community. Youth radicalism is an issue that has exasperated the global community with many young people deserting their families and abandoning a life of prosperity in the West to join Islamist militant groups. In the Middle East alone, ISIS has recruited 4,000 European fighters, both young men and young women, and has been able to radicalize many disgruntled youth in the region.
In September 2014, the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee emphasized the increasing threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. In April 2015, Peter Neumann, Director of the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence, stated that the foreign fighters joining ISIL were more diverse than any extremist population he had ever seen. Addressing a meeting of the Security Council, held at UN Headquarters, Neumann, stated that “the group of youth radicals were so different that, for the first time, they included large numbers of women reaching up to 20 percent in some countries.”Belgium remains on high alert following the November 2015 Paris attacks, which left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded. According to official police reports, around 500 Belgians may have gone as foreign fighters to Syria to join ISIS, which claimed the November attacks on the French capital. The police arrested 11 people in connection with the attacks in Paris. The investigations revealed that the attack was largely organized and coordinated from Belgium.
UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, said in an interview with the UN News Center: “The international community has a tendency to blame young people for many problems, and until this perception is abandoned, radicalism will remain one of the world’s most pressing issues.”In the Arab world, Mr. Alhendawi noted that employment and economic metrics push frustrated young people into the arms of recruiters for extremist groups who, with their promises of an ideological cause and generous pay, succeed in luring youth into their ranks. “The average salary for ISIS fighters is three to four times higher than the average salary in the Middle East. You have a situation where the young person in the Middle East would need 16 visas to travel to 22 countries. So, no economic independence and no mobility,” he continued. “You have a situation in Syria today where the only vacancy for young people is to fight.” While terrorists continue their killing spree, the international community is divided over issues related to religion, nationality or ethnicity and world leaders are fighting for supremacy and economic gains
Stricter laws
Western governments need to impose stricter laws to target the real perpetrators of terror who trade in lethal weapons of destruction and provide tactical training for terrorists to kill and destroy. ISIS has obtained millions of dollars in new weaponry and is gaining more followers every day. The Financial Times reported that the group has issued annual reports of its successes since 2012, including bombings, assassinations and new recruits. The group claimed nearly 10,000 operations in Iraq in 2013 alone, with 1,000 assassinations and the use of 4,000 improvised explosive devices. Jean-Paul Laborde, the head of the UN Counter-terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), called for a multifaceted approach in preventing the spread of radicalism across borders as part of his mandate to identify best practices of Member States in countering terrorism. He stressed the importance of education in order to end the flames of incitement and extremism before they become too wild to control. In Saudi Arabia, there are many programs to address the aspirations of young people and many initiatives to rehabilitate those who have been radicalized. There are also concerted efforts to end unemployment, address corruption and promote sports, arts, film and theater. In order to engage youth in fruitful activities, schools have introduced extracurricular activities to protect youth from being easy targets for terrorists. However, these programs remain weak and need more capable professionals to effectively implement them.
Unfortunately, all initiatives to build a global society conducive to dialogue, tolerance and moderation have failed to counter the terrorist campaign. While terrorists continue their killing spree, the international community is divided over issues related to religion, nationality or ethnicity and world leaders are fighting for supremacy and economic gains. Global terrorism will continue to be a threat as long as extremists and Islamophobes indulge in their incitement against Muslim youth. Terrorism will destroy our societies if we allow anti-Muslim rhetoric to fuel terrorist designs to divide us and weaken our efforts to destroy them.
**This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on Oct. 10, 2016.

Who targeted the funeral in Sanaa?
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
Yemen’s wise statesman Dr Abd al-Karim al-Iryani passed away in November 2015. He was a symbol of the General People’s Congress to which former President Ali Abdullah Saleh belongs. He was completely different from Saleh though and so were his policies and behavior. He tended to be in favor of legitimacy and in support of the Operation Decisive Storm, though in his own polite manner. His funeral proceedings were held in the same hall, which was targeted by terrorists two days ago. Saleh, his men and his family members attended this reception in the presence of a large gathering. At the time, the Saudi-led coalition airplanes dominated Sanaa airspace and continue to do so. Saleh attended the funeral and offered his condolences. He stayed for a long time and was unharmed. This is my first observation. The second point is that Ali Abdullah Saleh has been delivering speeches in Sanaa with coalition jets flying above their head. Although the coalition knows Saleh is present there it neither harmed him nor his supporters. The third observation is that Yemenis were preparing to mobilize for protests on Sunday against Houthi militias and against forces loyal to Saleh. The anticipated protests were being planned under the slogan “I am going down to protest” (Ana Nazel in Arabic). The funeral of al-Roweishan family was targeted on Saturday, a day ahead of the anticipated protests. Is this a coincidence? Another realistic possibility, which we must also consider, is that al-Qaeda or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could be behind this heinous crime. This is indeed possible
Inside job?
What we know so far about those who have been killed in the attack, were members of the General People’s Congress, which carries political and social weight that differs from the Houthis. Jalal al-Roweishan, interior minister in the self-proclaimed Houthi government and Abdulqader Hilal, head of Sanaa’s local council, who is close to Saleh. So the question that needs to be asked is whether this was an “inside job” so the Houthis can dominate the scene? The fifth point is that Khaled al-Roweishan, Jalal’s cousin – who lives in Sanaa and writes against the Houthis – was injured in the attack. Al-Ruweishan is a member of the Khawlan tribe or the Khawlan al-Tayyal, as it is known. Those who follow developments in Yemen are aware that there are active contacts between Yemen’s strong general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who has recently joined the field, and the Khawlan tribe in Sanaa, which has responded to his calls following successes at Marib and Sirwah. So does this attack, which left Khawlan injured, is aimed to deter this distinctive bloc in the battle for Sanaa? These questions must be thoroughly examined. Another realistic possibility, which we must also consider, is that al-Qaeda or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could be behind this heinous crime. This is indeed possible. In both the cases, is it in the coalition’s interest to attack civilians at a funeral? Why didn’t the coalition do so before and attack the same hall when there were significant targets, such as Saleh?
The truth remains that there are those who want to spread false rumors and lies about the Operation Decisive Storm through an Arab or a foreign mouthpiece.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Oct. 10, 2016.

Trump goes to the gutter in debate: It won’t save him
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
It is increasingly looking like Republican nominee Donald Trump is keeping his options open post-election day - November 8th – as his ambitions to become president keep getting more complicated. His faltering poll numbers and the wave of scandals over his tax returns and lewd audio tapes have left him on the offensive and with nothing to lose. Trump in last night’s debate in St. Louis did not spare a tactic or an accusation in attacking the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He resorted to the ghosts of Bill Clinton’s past, referenced far right attack lines that bordered on conspiracy theories in slandering his rival as he attempted to salvage his candidacy. Four weeks before the vote, Trump is playing for his base and a segment of the electorate who might be motivated by their hate for Clinton more than their excitement about the real estate mogul.
Nothing to lose
When British xenophobe and Trump supporter Nigel Farrage compares the Republican nominee performance after the debate to a “big silverback gorilla” who “dominated her” (Clinton), you know something has gone awfully wrong in the 2016 campaign and its rhetoric.
In fact, Farrage’s language was not that far from Trump’s own tasteless lines as he walked, sniffed and interrupted Clinton. Threatening to jail the former Secretary of State if he wins, was a failed attempt to rattle his rival but not as dangerous and deeply uninformed as other claims he made last night.By going to the gutter and launching an all-out attack on Clinton, Trump is once again acting unbound, with nothing to lose in the last four weeks of the campaign. In response to a question on the rise of Islamophobia in the United States, Trump’s response was to blame the community, by saying “Muslims have to report the problems when they see them.” In other words, if Muslim-Americans who are target of hate crimes and increased hostility since Trump started his campaign, “don’t report”, they are not worthy of being protected. His ignorance on matters of national security and foreign policy, is staggering. Refusing to acknowledge that Russia hacked US systems, despite a clear official accusation from US Homeland Security and intelligence agencies, is alarming. It raises more suspicions around Trump’s connections to the Kremlin, and about his ability to defend US national security.
Even on Syria, Trump disagreed with his Vice President nominee Mike Pence, and defended Russia claiming that “Assad is killing ISIS. Russia is killing ISIS”. Coincidentally, the US has officially launched an investigation into Russian war crimes in Syria, while Doctors without Borders have documented 23 attacks on hospitals in Eastern Aleppo by Russian and Syrian airstrikes.
A narrow path to victory
Trump’s all out debate performance is a subtle acknowledgement that his campaign is in trouble and he is running out of time to do so. The New York Times estimates 693 paths for a Clinton victory this November, compared to 315 for Trump. He is trailing in Florida, Pennsylvania, and now in Ohio, all are must win states for him to have a chance at winning next month. His political coalition has also shrunk in the last couple of weeks as ranking Republicans started abandoning his campaign, along with women and young voters. But worse his voter coalition is short on math and a ground game against Clinton’s massive operation and fundraising capability. Even among white voters where Trump needs a 22-point advantage on Clinton, the gap is only 13 percent. Meanwhile the Democrats in key states in Florida and Wisconsin are registering more new voters and have a more visible machine to get out and vote, including early voting that started in Iowa and will begin on Wednesday in Ohio. With minorities being solidly behind Clinton and the Republican establishment focusing its resources on Congressional races instead of Trump, it is hard to see how the Republican nominee can emerge victorious in November.
By going to the gutter and launching an all-out attack on Clinton, Trump is once again acting unbound, with nothing to lose in the last four weeks of the campaign. The final stretch promises to be the most vile and rocky in US political history, but absent of a dramatic change in coalitions and field operations, the hype and the drama will not save Trump.

Why Hillary Clinton is exactly what the Middle East needs
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 10/16
When the United States has presidential elections, the whole world watches. And for good reason: policy made by Washington is policy for the entire world. Even now, in the latter days of American decline. And in this election Americans will decide whether the world sees more conflict or less. When one observes American political discourse, one cannot but notice something very peculiar about it. On the one hand, political commentators in America are keenly aware of how important their country is on the world stage. On the other, they seem to completely mischaracterize America’s role and the way it goes about shaping the reality of everyone else, in particular, with regards to global conflict. And nowhere else is this as evident as in the Middle East. What is now widely recognized is that US and British intervention in Iraq was catastrophic for the stability of that region. The Iraq War is a prime example of unwarranted aggression which destroyed a very fragile veneer of peace in a very volatile region, with consequences that have spread to Syria, Turkey and increasingly to other countries in the region too. So there is no doubt that the use, or even the threat, of American force can be hugely destructive, and give rise to deep, unabating conflicts.
But what we seem to have forgotten in the past decade is that the converse is not therefore true: it does not follow that the withdrawal of American influence from a region will make it more peaceful. When America turns inwards, as the supporters of Trump want it to do, what you get is not a less peaceful world: instead, you have a world that is as prone to conflict as it has always been, but without any overarching authority to keep local infighting in check.
When America withdraws, you may have fewer civilians killed accidentally by mis-targeted drone strikes, but you more than make up for it by having Russian strikes deliberately targeting hospitals and humanitarian convoys. She may be decried as a hawk by liberals, and a warmonger by Republicans over Libya but she is the only one who has shown that she grasps the essential truth that the world still needs an interventionist America
When America moves out
When America moves out, Russia, Iran and others move in. And for all we can fault the US on its human rights record in the war on terror, which we can and should continue to do, I dare say that the record of Russia and Iran is far, far worse. And even if it hadn’t been for the exacerbating influence of these regional players, extremist factions of the Middle East will not stop fighting if the United States leaves the region. All that will happen is that whereas before they would try and fail to fight the US, now they will keep fighting and killing each other in catastrophic numbers. If the Obama administration has proven anything, it is that America needs to be the world’s policeman, even if it may not want to. Because when the police are out of the neighbourhood, the gangsters move in. And the gangsters have no concerns for the rights of civilians, no interest in proportionate use of force, or any aspiration beyond enhancing their own positions and interests. Hillary Clinton is one of the few people who understands this. And her proposed approach to the Middle East will be a much welcome relief: she is proposing to rebuild relations with America’s closest allies in the region, where the Obama administration has only managed to alienate them.
This will be a boon for American influence in the region. She will continue the previous administration’s efforts to reconstruct relations with Iran not solely for the benefit of the US but so that American allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia have less to fear from Tehran yet will not shrink from penalizing the Iranians if they do not keep their end of the deal. On the other hand, Trump and the Republicans would sooner re-ignite open conflict. And she will counter Russian excesses in Syria, now that Putin appears to have demonstrated that he does not have any interest in a peace settlement.
She may be decried as a hawk by liberals, and a warmonger by Republicans over Libya (never mind the hypocrisy), but she is the only one who has shown that she grasps the essential truth that the world still needs an interventionist America, and she also seems to be the only politician in Washington who is willing to take the political hit for doing the right thing, and reassert America’s role as the global hegemon.
Americans may reluctantly support Clinton as the less bad alternative to Trump. But the rest of the world should welcome her with enthusiasm.

The Right to Mock
Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/October 10/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9100/mockery-islam
Mohammed Shafiq was quoted in the Sun saying of Smith: "I think he should apologise immediately. Our faith is not to be mocked, our faith is to be celebrated and I think people will be offended."
Shafiq does not explain why his faith should not be mocked. Nor does he seem to know anything about the right of free people in free countries to do or say whatever we like about Islam or any other faith whenever we feel like it.
There is nothing special about Islam that means it cannot be mocked. In fact, it would be a very good thing (both for Muslims and everyone else) if it were mocked rather more.
But there in that sentence is the implicit threat again. All insist that their faith "should not be mocked." And for those who say they are moderates, and are presented as such by the press, it seems to be exceptionally useful that they do not have to be much more explicit than this.
But in this not-so-subtle intimidation do we not see precisely that thing which most worries the public? That despite what our politicians say, the allegedly vast chasm that separates the extremists from the "moderates" seems at times to be almost paper-thin.
If there is one question that most concerns the public around the question of radical Islam it is "What is the connection between the extremists and the moderates?" Leading politicians across the Western world have not been much help in answering this question, insisting as they do, that radical Islam has nothing to do with Islam and that the extremists are as far away from the moderates as it is possible to be. Yet the public senses that this is not the case.
Despite the amazing lack of public debate about the actual contours of the discussion, the public knows that something is not right about the analysis provided by Liberal politicians and others. Indeed, the public notices not only that there is some connection between the two (something Democrats in the U.S., among others, deny) but that the connection may be closer than anyone would like. A fine example of this was thrown up in the UK this week in the space of just 24 hours.
On Friday the London Evening Standard carried a story about the police launching a possible "hate crime" investigation into literature that the paper had discovered being handed out at a London mosque. The potential "hate crime" was not even the best known variety -- a mean Tweet or a nasty comment -- but the sort of thing we used to call "incitement." The literature being handed out at a mosque in Walthamstow consisted of a booklet which insisted that "any Muslim should kill" anyone who insults the Prophet of Islam. Those who insult the main man "must be killed," it repeated.
The pamphlet backed up this point of view with reference to classical Islamic law and explained that in the case of those who "insult" Mohammed, such as apostates who "deserve to be assassinated," it was not necessary to wait for any court or court judgement to rule. Better just to get on with it on your own, was the gist.
In a case that is becoming increasingly familiar to indigenous British people as much as it is to British Pakistanis, the booklet referred to the seminal case of Mumtaz Qadri, the Pakistani man who in 2011 murdered Salman Taseer, the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province. Qadri murdered Taseer because of the latter's support for the reform of Pakistan's strict Islamic blasphemy laws. The booklet explains that "all Muslims should support" the assassin Qadri and that even being what the publication calls "a big shot" like Taseer should not protect someone from being killed by any Muslim who feels like it.
Salman Taseer, pictured in the memorial poster at left, was the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province when he was murdered in 2011 by a radical Islamist, because of Taseer's support for the reform of Pakistan's strict Islamic blasphemy laws. Right: London police may be launching a "hate crime" investigation into a booklet being handed out at a London mosque, which explains that "all Muslims should support" Taseer's murderer.
The police are currently investigating the Dar-ul-Uloom Qadria Jilania mosque in Walthamstow, where the booklet was handed out, and would do well to look into the imam of the mosque, Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani, whose name and photograph are on the front of the booklet in question. Of course, the response of the political class in Britain is to ignore any and all such things. "Bad egg" or "one rotten apple" is probably the most the public will be able to expect from any politician, if one were forced to give any view at all on Mr Jilani, his pamphlet or his mosque. Yet the public reads stories like this and rightly wonders where people like Mr Jilani get their ideas from and how widely such ideas might be spread.
The following day (Saturday) readers of The Sun were able to learn of a British celebrity gymnast, Louis Smith, who had got drunk with friends at a wedding and made a video that appeared to have come back to haunt him. As the Sun headline read, "Has he got a screw Louis? Olympic ace Louis Smith accused of mocking Islam after yelling 'Allahu Akbar' and pretending to pray in boozy video." The video of drunken japery included Smith and a friend pulling a rug off a wall and shouting "Allahu Akbar" while the friend pretended to pray in a vaguely Islamic style. As the paper led the story,
"Olympics star and former Strictly Come Dancing winner Louis Smith has been accused of mocking Islam after appearing in a video with a mate drunkenly pretending to pray. The footage shows him with fellow gymnast Luke Carson yelling 'Allahu Akbar', an Islamic phrase meaning 'God is the greatest'."
It is hardly the most important news story of the year, and hardly involves any of the most important figures of our time. But the story will have been read by millions of readers and they will have noticed the reactions. First, that from a "security source" who tells the paper "Mocking religion is pretty foolish. In the case of Islam, it can also be quite a risky thing to do." And then the paper has the obligatory quote from an alleged "moderate Muslim," on this occasion one Mohammed Shafiq of a one-man organization called the "Ramadan Foundation." Mr Shafiq has previously been hailed in Britain for his apparently exceptional moral courage and bravery in coming out against the mass gang-rape of children. In 2013, he stood accused of attempting to get up a lynch-mob when the reformist Muslim Maajid Nawaz tweeted out an innocuous image that Shafiq insisted was offensive to all the world's Muslims.
Anyhow -- responding to the Louis Smith drunken video, the same Mohammed Shafiq was quoted in the Sun saying of Smith: "I think he should apologise immediately. Our faith is not to be mocked, our faith is to be celebrated and I think people will be offended." Shafiq does not explain why his faith should not be mocked. Nor does he seem to know anything about the right of free people in free countries to do or say whatever we like about Islam or any other faith whenever we feel like it. There is nothing special about Islam that means it cannot be mocked. In fact, it would be a very good thing (both for Muslims and everyone else) if it were mocked rather more. But there in that sentence is the implicit threat again. Less blatant than the threat against Maajid Nawaz, but very close indeed to the line used by the Walthamstow imam and the extremists who defend Mumtaz Qadri.
All insist that their faith "should not be mocked." And for those who say they are moderates, and are presented as such by the press, it seems to be exceptionally useful that they do not have to be much more explicit than this. Fortunately for them, there are other people willing to do the killing in countries such as Pakistan and occasionally in the West. The rest of us -- whether gymnasts on a night out or anyone else -- are simply expected to have learnt this by now. But in this not-so-subtle intimidation do we not see precisely that thing which most worries the public? That despite what our politicians say, the allegedly vast chasm that separates the extremists from the "moderates" seems at times to be almost paper-thin.
**Douglas Murray, British author, commentator and public affairs analyst, is based in London, England.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

MEMRI: Saudi Media Attacks Justice Against Sponsors Of Terrorism Act (JASTA) Passed By U.S. Congress
October 10/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/10/memri-saudi-media-attacks-justice-against-sponsors-of-terrorism-act-jasta-passed-by-u-s-congress/
On September 28, 2016, the U.S. Congress passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), after it was vetoed by President Obama. The Act states, inter alia, that “a U.S. national may file a civil action against a foreign state for physical injury, death, or damage as a result of an act of international terrorism committed by a designated terrorist organization.”[1] While the law does not mention specific terrorist actions or countries, it will enable U.S. citizens impacted by the 9/11 attacks to file lawsuits in U.S. courts against Saudi Arabia.
Since the bill’s introduction in Senate in September 2015, U.S.-Saudi tensions have been rising. It was reported that during his March 2016 visit to the U.S., Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir threatened that if it passed, his country would sell off U.S. bonds and assets worth $750 billion so that U.S. courts could not order them frozen.
JASTA’s passage has increased tensions even further, triggering a wave of condemnation by Saudi Arabia and other elements in the Arab world. For instance, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Naif told the UN General Assembly that Saudi Arabia and the international community were taken aback by its passage, and warned that JASTA countermands the most basic principle in international relations – a reference to the principle of sovereign immunity, according to which sovereign states are immune from prosecution in the domestic courts of other countries. Bin Naif also stressed that Saudi Arabia had been among the first countries to condemn the 9/11 attacks, that it itself is afflicted by terrorism, and that it has worked tirelessly to thwart terrorist attacks, including those planned against countries that are “friendly” to it.[2]
Additionally, the Saudi Foreign Ministry and government expressed concern about the law’s possible negative impact on international relations and on the concept of sovereign immunity “which has dominated international relations for centuries.” They expressed hope that the U.S. Congress would take steps to prevent negative ramifications of the law. [3]
The passage of JASTA was also condemned by the Saudi Shura Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the Arab League, which all said that it set a “dangerous precedent” that could destabilize international relations and harm the global economy. They argued that it constituted a violation of international law, particularly the principle of sovereign immunity.[4]
“America” lights fuse on global bomb with “JASTA” match (Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, September 16, 2016)
The Saudi press published dozens of articles condemning the law, warning about Saudi reactions to it and its political and economic ramifications for Saudi-U.S. relations, and presenting various Saudi options to counter it: establishing a Gulf lobby in the U.S., aiding in the filing of lawsuits against the U.S. around the world, ending Saudi-U.S. security coordination, ending the setting of oil prices in dollars, establishing an independent Saudi weapons industry, similar to the Iranian nuclear program, as a means of pressuring the U.S., and more.
Some articles argued that the law would cause chaos and violate internationally accepted norms regarding national sovereignty, boomeranging on the U.S. and its interests by exposing it to lawsuits around the world because of the wars it had fought over the years.
Additionally, some articles alleged that the U.S. itself first creates terrorism and then exterminates entire peoples in its war on terrorism, and that its attempt to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for 9/11 was aimed at harming Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East. One article called on the international community to reinvestigate the 9/11 attacks in order to end the U.S.’s use of them “to blackmail the world.” It should also be mentioned that several of the articles included conspiracy theories blaming the U.S., or else Israel and the Jews, for the attacks.[5]
On the other hand, other articles rejected the outraged condemnations and blustering threats to take drastic action in response to JASTA, claiming that Saudi Arabia must not damage its historic and powerful alliance with the U.S. Some of the articles stressed that the critics of the law are elements that oppose Saudi Arabia’s relations with the U.S. and are serving their own political agenda, which is not necessarily compatible with the interests of the kingdom. They recommended that Saudi Arabia launch a media campaign against JASTA that will present the kingdom’s “rich record” in the war on terror.
The following report will present the official Saudi response to the passage of JASTA, as well as excerpts from articles about JASTA in the Saudi press:
Saudi Foreign Ministry: We Call On U.S. Congress To Prevent The Disastrous Ramifications Of JASTA
On September 29, 2016, a senior Saudi Foreign Ministry source issued a communique stating: “The ratification of JASTA is a source of great concern in countries opposing the principle of weakening sovereign immunity, as it [i.e. sovereign immunity] has been a guiding principle of international relations for centuries.” It added: “JASTA could weaken sovereign immunity and negatively impact all countries, including the U.S.” Pointing to the U.S. administration’s opposition to JASTA in its current form, as expressed by the president, defense secretary, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and the CIA director, the source said that many countries, and dozens of American national security experts, are opposed to JASTA because they understand the dangers it could pose to international relations. He also expressed the hope that “wisdom will triumph and the American Congress will take the necessary steps to avoid the disastrous ramifications that could result from the passage of JASTA.”[6]
“JASTA” – the U.S. drives a wedge between itself and the rest of the world (Makkah, Saudi Arabia, September 18, 2016)
Al-Riyadh Editorial: This Is A New Phase In Bilateral Relations; Lawsuits Will Be Filed Against The U.S.
The official Saudi daily Al-Riyadh‘s September 30, 2016 editorial stated that JASTA’s passage had launched a new phase in U.S.-Saudi relations, from which the U.S. will not emerge unscathed, since it will be harmed as well: “What will become of international relations post-JASTA? Will the sovereignty of states be open to damage?… Will the U.S. be immune to the ramifications of this unprecedented law? Many questions will be raised regarding this law, which lays the groundwork for a new phase in international relations, a phase plagued with chaos and poor judgement.
“According to all opinions, including the U.S. administration’s, this law sets a dangerous precedent that exposes the interests of the U.S. and its citizens to danger, as its implementation will not stop at the U.S.’s borders without infiltrating into other countries as well. [For] every nation’s citizens are [now] entitled to file lawsuits in their [own] countries against the American government if they think that doing so will actualize their interests – especially in light of the fact that many of them think that the American administration’s policies and actions in their country have damaged them in some way. If we go back to these [U.S.] interventions [in other countries], we will find that they are many – in Vietnam, in the Korean War, in South America, and of course in the Middle East.
“Every single citizen of those countries is entitled to sue the U.S. government and to demand unlimited compensation, in addition to the damage [that will be caused] to American interests and especially to [American] companies with billions of dollars in contracts worldwide that will be exposed to sanctions under JASTA.
“American interests are spread out worldwide, and there are also global interests in the U.S.; [formerly,] things have operated according to agreed-upon political and economic formulas anchored in a system of norms and laws regulating [international] relations. [But now] after JASTA['s passage], things will be very different, and international relations will once again be conducted in a manner which is closer to chaos… [Thus] we enter a very different phase, from which even the U.S. will not emerge unscathed, as President Obama and current administration officials have said… and among its allies, the U.S. will lose much of the credibility it so desperately needs.”[7]
U.S. harms itself with JASTA (Al-Jazirah, Saudi Arabia, September 26, 2016)
Editor Of Saudi Daily: Saudi Arabia Might Sell Its U.S. Assets, Cut Link With The Dollar, And End Security, Military Cooperation With U.S.
In an article in the official Saudi daily ‘Okaz, editor Jamil Al-Dhiyabi outlined the measures Saudi Arabia would be considering following JASTA’s passage, and the impact they would have on U.S.-Saudi relations and political, economic, and military cooperation: “Will Saudi Arabia stand idly by and make do with the condemnations [voiced by] its brothers, friends, allies, and experts [against JASTA]? Certainly, the kingdom will, first and foremost, operate according to the principle of ‘tit for tat.’ Therefore, as long as [Saudi Arabia's] representations in the U.S. have no immunity, then American representations in the kingdom will likewise have none against anyone wishing to sue the American government or military. This, especially in light of the fact that the U.S. has a bloody history: It led the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan in the new millennium, and victims of its detention camps remain in Guantanamo and elsewhere.
“The kingdom will almost surely respond economically to the stubbornness of the [U.S.] Congressmen. In this matter, we anticipate a slowdown in trade deals relative to what it was before Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Additionally, [the Saudis] will reexamine most of their investments in the U.S., in light of the massive difficulties they will encounter. Moreover, the [Saudi] investors’ diminished trust in the U.S. will cause them to consider other alternatives. Undoubtedly, this economic reaction will include the possibility of selling off Saudi assets in the U.S., such as government bonds, deposits, and funding agreements . Furthermore, [Saudi Arabia] will move to sell its U.S. Treasury bonds, valued at some $720 billion, and could also sell surplus stock to protect it from being seized by American courts, and invest instead in Saudi Arabia [itself] and other countries.
“It is also clear that the passage of JASTA could lead Saudi Arabia to unlink the [Saudi] riyal from the dollar, and to stop setting the price of oil in dollars, and instead sell it at a price set in [its own] currency or other currencies. This could negatively impact the dollar, since it is [the currency used] in the world’s [foreign] currency reserves…
On the political level, Saudi Arabia will take advantage of the broad [scope] of its alliances [with other countries] in order to formulate a joint position regarding future cooperation with the U.S. This will provide an extensive opportunity for the allies to sue America for various injustices that were never redressed… We also are not ruling out the possibility that the U.S.-Saudi cooperation, and the U.S.-Gulf cooperation in general, in the struggle against terrorism will be damaged…
“As American experts have noted, Saudi Arabia has high-level connections with Asia and Europe, and it can resort to strengthening these connections in order to fill the vacuum that Saudi Arabia’s opponents in America are attempting to create by means of this shameful act, which deserves to be called ‘the Cowboy Act.’
Naturally, Saudi Arabia has several sources of armament, and it need not exert itself to obtain American equipment… We also cannot rule out the possibility that Riyadh will reconsider the permission it gave for American jets to use Saudi airspace en route to and from American military bases in the region, such as Al-Udeid airbase and Al-Sayliyah army base [in Qatar].[8] This will undoubtedly deal a harsh blow to an old ally…”[9]
“JASTA” – a weapon used by U.S. against “the Arab world” (Al-Iqtisadiyya, Saudi Arabia, September 16, 2016)
Saudi Journalist: U.S. Trying to Pin Blame For 9/11 On Saudi Arabia, While It Is The One Creating Terrorism
Saudi journalist ‘Abdallah Al-Nasser argued, in a September 20, 2016 article in Al-Riyadh, that the U.S.first creates terrorism and then destroys peoples and crushes children in the name of the struggle against it. According to him, the current attempts to blame Saudi Arabia for 9/11 is an act of betrayal aimed at forcing U.S. control on the Middle East. He wrote: “I will absolutely not go into detail about U.S. crimes and its terrorism against the peoples. Suffice it to say that this is the country that used nuclear bombs against people, and the first country to use banned chemical weapons such as napalm, mustard gas, sarin, and hydrogen cyanide in its terrorist war against the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Korea, and Panama. It also used [depleted] uranium shells, thermobaric bombs, and cluster [bombs] against the Iraqi and Afghan peoples.
“The U.S., which purports to respect human rights, international law, and UN resolutions, is the first to violate and ignore them. The U.S., with its mentality of arming itself, works to establish its global empire, and to this end uses all methods of violent takeover of the peoples of the earth, particularly in the Middle East. That is why its jets fly through [Middle Eastern] skies, its battleships patrol its waters, and its bombs and missiles burn its land and crush its children and peoples. Its intelligence [organizations], spies, pigs, agents, and servants spread across [the region] like a plague. The U.S. [first] creates terrorism and then exterminates peoples in the name of the struggle against it. These forms of abuse, violent takeover, deception, and crime are elements of the American identity…
“Today, 15 years after the September [11, 2001] events, the U.S. is working to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for sponsoring these events, in a cheap, ugly act of blackmail. From day one, there have been doubts regarding the September events – not on the part of politicians, scholars, and foreigners, but among American engineers, scholars, and intelligence personnel, since it is impossible for a group that trained on Cessna aircraft and was directed by a man in a cave in Afghanistan to have carried out this operation, with all its elements – [and to have also] penetrated all the [U.S.'s] accurate and complex land, satellite, and earth-based espionage apparatuses. At that time, no politicians ever hinted that Saudi Arabia was involved. On the contrary: Condemnations were aimed at Al-Qaeda and its leader bin Laden, and U.S. president Bush Jr. thanked Saudi Arabia for standing by the U.S. in its war against Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, as it was the enemy of both [the U.S. and Saudi Arabia]. Needless to say, Saudi Arabia was and still is the primary target of Al-Qaeda terrorism.
“Gentlemen, the attempt to convict Saudi Arabia of funding the September events is not just foolish, traitorous, and contemptable, but is also evidence of an attempt to cause Saudi Arabia economic and political problems, to besiege it, hobble it, and revoke its role in the region and in Islam, in order to prepare the ground and lay the foundation for [the rollout of] a disastrous ‘Persian-Zionist’ plan based on dismantling the region, tearing it to shreds, and transforming it into a redrawn map of statelets that will devour and consume each other and will continue to be subordinate to tyrannical forces that strip them of their desires, their interests, their culture, and their honor. These tyrannical forces are the Persians, the Zionists, and the extreme Christian right wing. They lie in wait in the vertices of the sharp, damaging, venomous triangle in order to subjugate the region and completely purge it of its identity, history, and political attributes. After all this, is it not time for us to awaken?!”[10]
U.S., hands dripping blood, holds up JASTA (Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, September 23, 2016)
Al-Riyadh Columnist: International Community Should Investigate 9/11
Columnist ‘Adel Al-Harbi called on the international community to investigate the events of 9/11 in order to end the “blackmail of the world” by America, which, he said, perpetrates terrorism itself. In an article titled “The Law That Holds the Cowboy to Account” in the daily Al-Riyadh, he wrote: “We must work [to open] an international investigation into 9/11 and establish an international tribunal to rule on the legality of numerous American procedures and on the extent of the American invaders’ responsibility for international terror!! Why not debate the world’s need for further clarifications about the team that was appointed to investigate the events of 9/11? How was this team selected and who were its members? How did it conduct its investigations? Were they carried out at Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib prison or in some other hot place under the sun? Isn’t the international community entitled to receive detailed answers to these questions…?
“The investigation of these obscure matters should be reopened, under joint international oversight, with Saudi Arabia as a prominent participant. The investigation should be transparent and based on agreed-upon criteria, since the families of the [9/11] victims, and the international community, have the right to know the truth.
“The U.S. killed hundreds of thousands of Japanese when it deliberately incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki… Don’t their families have the right to sue the murderers? Doesn’t Vietnam have the right to sue those responsible for killing over one million Vietnamese over a period of 13 years? The same goes for the families of 1.5 million Philippine victims, and so on and so forth, and the bombing of Yugoslavia, and the cold-blooded killing of 5,000 people in 1999, and [the wars in] Afghanistan and Iraq – all these are terrorist actions performed under the U.S. flag, which merit investigation.
“Today the international community – even more than the American citizen – needs an investigation of 9/11 based on transparent and agreed-upon criteria, in order to put an end to [America's] blackmail of the world and deter the cowboy who has become accustomed to burning down villages and then moving on without giving a another thought to their residents or to the world order.”[11]
Saudi Columnist: The Best Form Of Defense Is Offence
‘Othman Al-’Ammar wrote in the Al-Jazirah daily: “The discourse [of the activists on social media who are condemning the law] is more emotional than rational… [However,] people do not attribute the slightest importance to the Muslims’ feelings and emotions, [so this discourse makes it seem as though] we [Arabs] are trying to convince each other that American is bad, and that by passing JASTA it wants to harm us to an unprecedented degree, even though this is [already known] and accepted by everyone…
“It would be better if we had a rational, intelligent and considered message, agreed-upon by all the politicians, experts, intellectuals, economists, legal pundits, and influential writers, that would be published by an independent legal body and whose goals would be the following:
1. To clarify the Islamic/Saudi position, both official and popular, on terrorism in general and 9/11 in particular. This, by collecting everything that has been written and said [about 9/11], both by Saudis and by Americans about Saudis, from [9/11] until today. All [the material] will be written down in legal parlance and in a manner compatible with the Western mentality, and [then] will be discussed with the international community and the various media. This global message will be reinforced with [information on] terror attacks that have taken place in Saudi Arabia with the aim of harming its sovereignty and internal security.
2. To subject the decision that has been taken [i.e., JASTA] to a rigorous investigation in search of loopholes, and train a team of Saudis experts well-versed in the laws pertaining to legal representation in such cases, who will undertake to defend [Saudi Arabia], should the need arise.
3. To transform the issue from an American one into an international one and into a means of denouncing powerful countries, chiefly the U.S., and to turn global opinion against them after collecting documents and decisive evidence…
4. To gather all the materials indicating that the events of 9/11 were an American operation, [while] supporting the proponents of this position and strengthening their presence inside the U.S., so that in time they will become a lobby with influence on the decision makers there – for the best form of defense is offence.”[12]
Columnist For Al-Medina Daily: There Are Indications That Iran, Hizbullah, Israel, U.S. Administration Were Behind 9/11
Hassan Nasser Al-Zahiri wrote in the daily Al-Medina that the U.S. Congress was falsely accusing Saudi Arabia of 9/11 while there is proof that Iran, Hizbullah, Israel and even the U.S. administration were behind them. He wrote: “I haven’t a shred of doubt that the [Saudi] kingdom is innocent of the events of 9/11… It has been 15 years since the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and the U.S. Congress is looking for a scapegoat on whom to blame the crime… The blame has been placed on the [Saudi] kingdom, the number one enemy of terrorism and the sponsors of terrorism. The placing of blame was done in several stages, by several states, but it never relied on facts or on credible proof, so it seemed [more] like score-settling.
“In the past, an American court issued a ruling proving that Iran and Hizbullah were among [the elements] behind the attacks… At the same time, a new American study accuses the Mossad of being behind the explosions. The Pakalertpress.com website – an American center dealing with hot topics and large issues – determined that the Mossad was the real culprit behind these explosions and that four Jewish crime syndicates were behind them. They conspired and cooperating in blowing up the two towers. This assumption is supported by the [fact] that 700 Jews did not show up for work at the [World] Trade Center [on the day of the attack], and they wouldn’t have escaped certain death had they not been warned in advance.
“In his speech at the 65the session of the UN General Assembly, former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad likewise accused the U.S. administration of planning the 9/11 attacks in order to protect Israel, save the American economy and preserve the U.S. influence in the Middle East.
“Despite all these indications, the Congress is searching for someone innocent on whom to pin the blame…”[13]
Israeli lobby caused U.S. Congress to pass JASTA (Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17, 2016)
Columnists Call To Form Gulf Lobby In U.S. Congress
Criticism of JASTA was also voiced by a Saudi official, namely Hamad Ahmad ‘Abd Al-’Aziz Al-’Amer, foreign ministry undersecretary for regional affairs and the GCC and former GCC representative to the EU. In his daily column in the official paper ‘Okaz, he said that the lesson to be learned from the passage of JASTA by the Congress is that the Gulf states must change their mode of operation vis-à-vis the U.S. and form a Gulf lobby in the U.S. Congress in order to guarantee their influence over its decisions.
He wrote: “After the [U.S.] Congress passed JASTA last week… the GCC states entered into a confrontation with [their] friend and ally, the U.S… The clear strategic shift in U.S. policy, aimed at overthrowing all the regimes in the Gulf, compels the GCC states – each one and all together – to build new channels of cooperation with the Americans, based upon the following principles:
1. The immediate creation of a Gulf lobby in the U.S. Congress as part of a clear plan of action for confronting the U.S. perception regarding the protection of human rights, the inclusion of citizens in the running of state affairs and the protection of citizens’ interests… and for strengthening the relations with the U.S. and [promoting our joint] interests, for the sake of a better future for both sides.
2. Attempting to uncover secrets regarding the funding of the election campaigns of American presidential and parliamentary candidates in order to guarantee Gulf influence over its decisions.
In an article in the Saudi daily Al-Yawm, writer Dr. Ibrahim Al-Uthaymin discussed the operation of the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. and “the role it plays in guiding American policy in the Middle East.” Recent events, he said, indicate that there is also an Iranian lobby in the U.S., and that this lobby pressured the U.S. to adopt its new strategy of conducting a dialogue with Iran and restoring it to the role of “Gulf police” that it played during the Shah’s era. Al-Uthaymin asked why “no influential Gulf lobby in the U.S. protects our interests and improves the image of our policy in American public opinion,” and added that JASTA “proves the importance of establishing a Saudi-Gulf lobby that protects our interests in a country with which we have a long history of strategic ties and joint interests.”[14]
U.S. uses JASTA to blow up the world (Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, October 2, 2016)
Saudi Arabia Must Manufacture Own Weapons To Thwart U.S. Plan To Destroy It
‘Izzat Al-Sabi’i, in the Saudi daily Al-Watan, called on the Saudis to manufacture their own weapons in order to thwart the American plan to destroy Saudi Arabia: “What [we] need is strength, as embodied by weapons – not weapons we buy from them [the Americans], but rather weapons we manufacture ourselves. Many countries have succeeded in doing this, and we can too, with minimal effort, as the nuclear issue led [the U.S.] to negotiate with a gang like Iran and ransom [American] prisoners.[15]Then we will teach them to respect the sovereignty of countries in general, and Saudi Arabia’s in particular.”[16]
Senior Saudi Journalist: It Is Folly To Undermine The Long-Standing U.S.-Saudi Alliance
‘Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, former editor of the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and former director-general of Al-Arabiya TV, rejected the calls for harsh measures in response to the passage of JASTA. He said that some of these calls come from elements aiming to harm Saudi Arabia, and stressed that the Saudis will not fall into this trap and will not harm the country’s “long-standing alliance” with the U.S. He wrote:
“Well-meaning people urge the Saudis to boycott the U.S., disregarding its importance for us, [and the fact that] it possesses technology that allowed [us] to become the world’s largest producer of oil. [These people] demand that we stop [using] the dollar, while ignoring the fact that China, which is larger and richer [than us] and less friendly to the U.S., makes even more transactions in dollars [than we do] and invests its financial surpluses in America. As for people with malicious intentions [towards us], they spread incitement, imagining that the Saudi government will naively sacrifice its long-standing relations with the U.S. [and behave] like Saddam [Hussein], [Mu'ammar] Qaddafi and [Ruhollah] Khomeini, who, following the same sort of advice, foolishly destroyed [their own countries]…
“However, despite the many difficulties facing Saudi Arabia, it can cope with lawsuits against it, legally and politically, thanks to its many connections and interests inside the U.S. and outside it.” [17]
Opponents Of U.S.-Saudi Relations Are Hijacking JASTA For Their Political Ideology
In a similar vein, Saudi writer Youssef Al-Dini, in his column in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, criticized opponents of JASTA who are calling for Saudi political and economic reactions against the U.S. and for harming bilateral relations. He argued that they are inciting the public in order to further their own political ideology, and even criticized Saudi Arabia itself for not launching an anti-JASTA media campaign or highlighting its own “rich record” of combating terrorism.
He wrote: “One of the troubling things afflicting the Arab and local arenas is that any problem related to the state’s sovereignty or to strategic foreign relations is hijacked and exploited by everyone, for each person’s own agenda and political ideology. We are seeing the return of this [phenomenon] here [with regards to JASTA]… We see [writers] analyzing JASTA outside of its unique American context, which began when the events of September 11 became a global disaster, in order to benefit from it at home… The exploitation of the [U.S.-Saudi] dispute over JASTA aimed at inciting people and recruiting their support, that is being carried out by U.S. opponents [in Saudi Arabia] from left-wing, nationalist, and political Islam circles, is a grave error…
“The issue of JASTA is not new and is not separate from the long-term context of U.S.-Saudi relations. Since September 11, [there have been attempts to discover] Saudi involvement in this matter, but no legal body could find any substantial evidence of it.
“For over two years, JASTA has been under preparation in Congress, but unfortunately it never encountered a media counter-campaign. Saudi Arabia could have presented its rich record in combating terrorism… [It could note] that it is the country that has, past and present, been impacted the most by all forms of terrorism, and [it could] reiterate its success at warning the Europeans and Americans [about terrorist attacks] thanks to its robust database of terrorist cells and affiliates.
“Those who are competing amongst themselves in touting slogans against U.S.-level, [by calling to] sever the ties to the dollar, for instance – have no [serious] alternative or concrete suggestions [to offer]. However, the things they write online in order to recruit the support of the masses ‘fuel the crisis,’ and this could have negative consequences.”[18]
Endnotes:
[1] Www.congress.gov.
[2] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), September 22, 2016.
[3] ‘Okaz (Saudi Arabia), September 30, 2016; Al-Hayat (London), October 3, 2016.
[4] Makkah (Saudi Arabia), September 12, 2016; Al-Sharq (Saudi Arabia), September 15, 2016.
[5] For the conspiracy theories about Jews and Israel, see for example Dr. Jasser Al-Harbash in the official Saudi daily Al-Jazirah, September 19, 2016.
[6] ‘Okaz (Saudi Arabia), September 30, 2016.
[7] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), September 30, 2016.
[8] Al-Udeid airbase in southwest Doha, Qatar, is used by forces of the international coalition to combat ISIS. Al-Sayliyah base near Doha serves U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
[9] ‘Okaz (Saudi Arabia), September 30, 2016.
[10] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), September 30, 2016.
[11] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), October 5, 2016.
[12] Al-Jazirah (Saudi Arabia), October 4, 2016.
[13] Al-Medina (Saudi Arabia), September 30, 2016.
[14] Al-Yawm (Saudi Arabia), September 30, 2016.
[15] Referring to claims that the U.S. had paid Iran a ransom in return for four American citizens held there.
[16] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), October 1, 2016.
[17] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), October 3, 2016.
[18] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), October 4, 2016.