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Bible Quotations For Today
An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 01/01-17: "An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

You Are called to belong to Jesus
Letter to the Romans 01/01-12: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 19-20/15
Terrorism: Where to Turn/Richard Prasquier/Gatestone Institute/December 19/15
Fear and loathing, history and hysteria in surreal America/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15
The global responsibility towards Palestinians/Samar Fatany/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15
How it feels being Muslim in the West in 2015/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15
Britain’s opinion on the Muslim Brotherhood/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on December 19-20/15
EX-MP Yaaqoub Referred to General Prosecution in Hannibal Gadhafi Case
Report: Monday's Cabinet Session to Address Garbage Crisis, Lebanese-EU Cooperation
Report: Berri Says Hariri's Bid to Nominate Franjieh is 'More than Serious'
Report: Franjieh to Kick Off Talks with Independent Figures soon
Report: Aoun Has Not Given up Presidential Fight in Wake of Franjieh Interview

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 19-20/15
Canada welcomes adoption of UN Security Council Resolution endorsing process to end Syrian conflict
U.N. Syria Plan Backing a 'Great Step forward', Says Britain
Iran to ‘match Russia stance’ in push for Syria deal
France Demands Assurances that Assad Will Leave Power
Assad makes rare visit to church in Damascus frontline
Iran Says it Will Keep Backing Syria Regime
Pentagon Chief Makes First Visit to French Aircraft Carrier
U.N. Envoy 'Deeply Concerned' by Yemen Ceasefire Violations
Report: UAE Sending Colombian Mercenaries to Yemen
Number of global migrants rises dramatically, especially in Asia
18 Migrants Drown as Boat Sinks in the Aegean Sea
Obama Urges Erdogan to Withdraw Turkish Troops from Iraq
Turkey accuses Iraq of undermining ISIS fight
Iraq Defense Minister Predicts Ramadi Victory by Year's End
Nigerian Troops, Boko Haram Clash in Army Chief's Village
Nigeria Commutes Troops' Death Sentences for Refusing to Face Boko Haram
Iran ready to ship enriched uranium stockpile to Russia
Carter: U.S. strike ‘appears’ to have killed Iraqi soldiers
Egypt rejects Europe plea for release of Irish-Egyptian teen

Links From Jihad Watch Site for December 19-20/15
Navy concludes Chattanooga jihad attack was inspired by foreign terrorists.
Video: Robert Spencer Moment: The Criminalization of Dissent.
France: Muslim group sues over “illegal” post-Paris anti-terror police raids.
Jihadi who fled Syria says Islamic State planning “mega attack” in Europe.
Virginia School District closes, blaming ‘tone and content’ of parents’ protest over Islamic indoctrination assignment.
The People Will Waken And Listen To Hear.

EX-MP Yaaqoub Referred to General Prosecution in Hannibal Gadhafi Case
Naharnet/December 19/15/ The Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau concluded on Saturday investigations with former MP Hassan Yaaqoub in the kidnapping case of Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, reported the National News Agency. It said that he has since been referred to the General Prosecution. Yaaqoub will give his testimony before the concerned judge later on Saturday. The former lawmaker was arrested in connection to the abduction of Hannibal last week. He has denied any involvement in the case. Hannibal was released on December 11 after a brief kidnapping at the hands of whom he said were groups sympathetic of the case of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, who disappeared following a trip to Libya in 1978. Hassan Yaaqoub is the son of Sheikh Mohammed Yaaqoub – one of two companions who disappeared together with al-Sadr in 1978. Hannibal was arrested for withholding information in the case.

Report: Monday's Cabinet Session to Address Garbage Crisis, Lebanese-EU Cooperation
Naharnet/December 19/15/ Prime Minister Tammam Salam scheduled on Friday a cabinet session for Monday that will primarily focus on Lebanon's waste disposal crisis. The agenda will also include a cooperation agreement between Lebanon and the European Union. Ministerial sources told An Nahar that very few details are being revealed over the trash disposal draft deal, most notably on its cost and funding.They said that it calls on municipalities to cover 25 percent of the cost, while the state will cover the remaining 75 percent. This step will likely be met with the opposition of some officials who refuse to make the municipalities support such a burden, added the sources. This opposition may go so far as to push some ministers to oppose the plan at cabinet or abstain from voting on it, they clarified. Abstention from the vote will allow the bill to be passed, they explained. The plan can be approved even if six ministers reject it, they said. Lebanon was plunged in a waste management crisis following the closure of the Naameh landfill in July with officials failing to find an alternative to it. This has consequently led to the pile up of the garbage on the streets throughout the country and with experts warning of the environmental and health hazards of the prolonged crisis. The latest efforts to resolve the crisis have led to a preliminary deal that would see the exportation of the waste.

Report: Berri Says Hariri's Bid to Nominate Franjieh is 'More than Serious'
Naharnet/December 19/15/Speaker Nabih Berri praised Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri's initiative to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh as president, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. His visitors told the daily: “It is an honest nomination and his initiative is more than serious.” Hariri has been leading efforts to nominate Franjieh as president as part of a greater initiative aimed at ending the political deadlock in Lebanon. The main problem lies in the stances of Maronite figures, added Berri of the nomination. The Christian blocs of the Kataeb, Change and Reform, and Lebanese Forces have expressed reservations over Franjieh's nomination. “We were criticized for saying that the main hurdle is being posed by the Maronite forces, but reality has proven that we were right,” added the speaker according to his visitors. “If the four main Maronite leaders do not reach an agreement over of a president, then we should search for a new figure,” he explained. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Report: Franjieh to Kick Off Talks with Independent Figures soon
Naharnet/December 19/15/Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh is set to hold a series of talks with independent officials, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. These figures include Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb. Talks are likely to focus on the lawmaker's presidential bid.
Franjieh announced his nomination of Thursday. His candidacy has been met with reservations from the March 14 camps of the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces and his ally in the March 8 camp, the Change and Reform bloc. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Report: Aoun Has Not Given up Presidential Fight in Wake of Franjieh Interview
Naharnet/December 19/15/Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun is not willing to abandon his bid to run for president in spite of the interview given on Thursday by Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. Aoun's visitors told the daily that the lawmaker “will not give up and he will go ahead with his nomination.” They reiterated his previous claims that “preserving the republic is more important than the presidency.”Sources from the Mustaqbal Movement have meanwhile maintained their silence over Framjieh's interview in anticipation of Aoun's stance. Franjieh announced on Thursday his candidacy for the presidency.Aoun, a member of the March 8 alliance along with Franjieh, is also a candidate. The Marada Movement's run for the presidency has created tensions between the two sides with the former previously saying that he would not run for the post as long as Aoun is still a candidate.Franjieh described on Thursday his ties with Aoun as “abnormal”, saying that they have been that way for some two years.

Canada welcomes adoption of UN Security Council Resolution endorsing process to end Syrian conflict
December 19, 2015 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement welcoming the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015) endorsing the process to end the conflict in Syria:
“Canada commends the continued efforts of the International Syria Support Group [ISSG] and United Nations to push for a resolution to the conflict in Syria.
“We welcome and support UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015), which endorses the negotiations—aimed at securing an inclusive, Syrian-led, peaceful political transition in accordance with the 2012 Geneva Communiqué—scheduled to take place in January under United Nations auspices.
“We also welcome and support the ISSG initiative to implement a nationwide ceasefire in Syria once initial steps toward a political transition have been taken.
“This is another important step toward establishing a peace process that we hope will bring an end to the suffering of the Syrian people and bring stability to the region.
“Canada is pleased with the progress made by the ISSG as it continues to lay the groundwork for negotiations. We believe a political solution is the only way to end the Syrian crisis.”

Canada welcomes Libya’s Government of National Accord
December 19, 2015 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement welcoming the signing of a political agreement for a Government of National Accord in Libya.
“Canada welcomes the agreement reached in Morocco to form a Government of National Accord in Libya. We commend the resolve and leadership of the Libyan signatories and the critical role of the United Nations in mediating this agreement.
“Canada considers this agreement to be a promising first step in restoring unity and democracy in Libya, with important benefits for regional security.
“The new Government of National Accord will face many serious challenges. Its success requires not only the support of the international community but the commitment of all Libyan stakeholders.
"Canada looks forward to working with the Government of National Accord, our allies and regional partners to further peace and stability in Libya and the region."

U.N. Syria Plan Backing a 'Great Step forward', Says Britain
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/The U.N. Security Council's backing for a plan to end the civil war in Syria is a "great step forward" for resolving the crisis, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Saturday. The plan could potentially bring about a ceasefire as early as January. The United Nations Security Council gave its unanimous support Friday to the plan which would summon rebels and President Bashar Assad's regime to the negotiating table. "Syria has for too long been the world's biggest humanitarian and security crisis," Hammond said in a statement issued in London. "The international community has now come together to work to end the bloody civil war in Syria and has paved the way for talks amongst the Syrian parties that will see a transition away from the murderous regime of Assad. "This resolution gives us a timetable and a clear way forward. Of course there are many challenges ahead but the world has taken a great step forward to resolving the Syrian crisis."

Iran to ‘match Russia stance’ in push for Syria deal
By Parisa Hafezi and Louis Charbonneau Reuters, United Nations Saturday, 19 December 2015/Iran has decided to unify its stance with Russia's in the push for a political deal to end Syria's civil war, Iranian officials said, in a sign it could ease its opposition to the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of the agreement. While maintaining its firm backing for Assad in public, Russia has recently made clear to Western nations that it has no objection to him stepping down as part of the peace process, diplomats said. Iran's decision to step up its coordination with Russia was made after a meeting last month between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, according to a senior Iranian official with knowledge of the discussions. Like Russia, Iran has insisted publicly that Assad should only step down if he is voted out in an eventual election. "What was agreed was Iran and Russia will pursue one policy which will benefit Tehran, Moscow and Damascus," the senior Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "Iran seriously believes that the Syrian nation should decide about their fate. But first calm should be restored.""It is possible that the Syrian people decide Assad should leave, and then he must leave," the official added. "If he cannot serve his country and his people, then a capable successor should run the country."A second Iranian official told Reuters that Iran and Russia are in "full harmony over Syria and Assad's fate". "The meeting between Putin and the Supreme Leader Khamenei was very successful and now Iran and Russia share the same view on Assad," the official said.
'Sharp differences'
The question of Assad's departure is the biggest sticking point among major powers as they hammer out plans for a political process in Syria leading to elections within two years. U.S. and European officials say that Assad has lost credibility due to persistent repression and rights abuses and cannot run in any elections along the lines major powers agreed in two ministerial meetings in Vienna. But Western powers, Turkey, Saudi Arabia reluctantly agreed to allow him to remain in place during a transition period. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday there remain "sharp differences" on the fate of Assad.
He was speaking in New York, where 17 nations including Russia, the United States, and regional rivals Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia met on Friday to discuss a road map for peace in Syria. The plan includes a ceasefire, talks between the Syrian opposition and government on a unity government and backing the continued fight against ISIS militants is the focus of a meeting
After his meeting with Putin, Khamenei publicly criticized the United States, saying its policies in the Middle East were a threat to Moscow and Tehran alike and calling for closer bilateral ties with Russia. Russia and Iran are intervening militarily on behalf of Assad against anti-government forces in the five-year civil war that has claimed more than a quarter million lives. Both former Cold War enemies may have an interest in solidifying a new relationship based on a shared mistrust of the West and a desire to counter U.S. hegemony in the Middle East.
During the first two rounds of ministerial talks on Syria in Vienna, Iran reluctantly signed on to the road map, which is based on the so-called Geneva Communique from June 2012. The Geneva Communique called for political transition in Syria and Tehran never formally embraced it because of the implication that it could mean the end of Assad. "Iran was not happy with those communiques but it allowed them to go ahead," a senior Western diplomat said this week. He was referring to the two communiques agreed in Vienna on Oct. 31 and Nov. 14. Iran had repeatedly described the question of Assad as a "red line". Western diplomats say that Iran will have to move further towards Russia's position and fully abandon Assad if there is to be a viable diplomatic solution that ends the war in Syria. The United States and European and Gulf Arab nations insist that Assad must step aside by the end of any transition period and that he should not stand in future elections. One Western official said it would be crucial for Russia and Iran to agree precisely on how to abandon Assad. Even if the Iranians are beginning to acknowledge the possibility of Assad's departure, that goal that remains elusive.

France Demands Assurances that Assad Will Leave Power
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/ French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Friday demanded that talks on Syria's future yield assurances that President Bashar Assad will leave power. "There must be safeguards regarding the exit of Bashar Assad," Fabius told the U.N. Security Council after the adoption of a resolution endorsing a peace process. The resolution calls for a ceasefire and peace talks to begin in early January, but it does not address the contentious issue of Assad's future. France, the United States and other Western powers hold Assad responsible for the killing of civilians during the nearly five-year war in Syria and accuse him of fomenting extremism that led to the rise of the Islamic State group. "How could somebody bring together a whole people when he has massacred so many?" Fabius asked.As long as Assad remains in power, Fabius said, reconciliation between Syrians and the state will remain "unattainable."

Assad makes rare visit to church in Damascus frontline
Reuters | Damascus Saturday, 19 December 2015/Syrian President Bashar al Assad attended Christmas choir preparations in an ancient church close to a frontline area in the capital Damascus where his army is engaged in heavy fighting with rebels, state media said on Saturday. State television showed footage of Assad and his wife Asma making the visit overnight to the Notre Dame de Damas Church, where he was shown chatting to the choir. He took a seat near the altar and listened to a recital of Christmas poems in the main cathedral hall. The surroundings of the church in the old part of the ancient capital were hit by mortar fire on Friday, officials said. The church is only 2 km away from Jobar, a neighborhood of the rebel-held eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus that has been the focus for months of heavy aerial bombardments and more recently Russian bombing that have left dozens of mostly civilian casualties. Rebels have also frequently targeted government-controlled residential parts of central Damascus. Assad has portrayed himself in recent interviews with the Western media as a protector of Syria’s minorities, saying his rule was an example of religious tolerance in a country threatened by Islamist insurgents who have taken swathes of territory and seek to impose their version of strict Islam. The church visit came at around the same time as the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved on Friday a resolution endorsing an international road map for a Syria peace process, a rare show of unity among major powers on a conflict that has claimed more than a quarter million lives.

Iran Says it Will Keep Backing Syria Regime
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/Iran will maintain its backing for the Syrian regime, a senior Iranian official said, after the U.N. Security Council unanimously endorsed a plan to end the war. "We will continue to give our support to Syria," said Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
Iran will also "support inter-Syrian dialogue" aimed at ending the conflict, he said in remarks carried Saturday by the official IRNA news agency. Iran is the main backer of Bashar Assad's government, and has provided financial and military support to pro-government forces fighting in Syria. The Security Council on Friday threw its support behind a U.S. and Russian initiative that foresees a rapid ceasefire in the almost five-year conflict, perhaps as early as next month. But Washington and Moscow remain split over the fate of Assad and which groups fighting in Syria should be designated "terrorists" and therefore excluded from negotiations. Amir Abdollahian said Iran would work with Russia, Oman, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and France to prepare a list of extremist groups it wants to see banned from talks. "Terrorist groups have no place in this national dialogue," he was quoted as saying. He also restated Tehran's position on Assad's fate, saying it was the Syrian leader's choice if he wanted to run in future presidential elections. "It will be up to Syrians to decide," said Amir Abdollahian.

Pentagon Chief Makes First Visit to French Aircraft Carrier
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Saturday visited France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Gulf where it is being used to launch strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, the French defense ministry said. It was the first visit by a U.S. Pentagon chief to the French flagship aircraft carrier, which is at the heart of a stepped-up air campaign against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq. Carter, who visited Afghanistan on Friday and will fly to Moscow on Sunday for talks on Syria, was greeted on the deck by France's junior minister for veterans, Jean-Marc Todeschini. His French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was unable to be there but the two spoke by phone during the visit, the ministry said. France began bombing jihadist targets in Syria in late September, with planes using bases in the region. But the carrier was only deployed last month after President Francois Hollande declared "war" on IS following the November 13 jihadist attacks on Paris which killed 130 people. Initially deployed to the eastern Mediterranean, the vessel -- which has 26 fighter jets -- moved to the Gulf earlier this month to relieve a U.S. carrier, and it will be joined in January by the first of a new generation of frigates.

U.N. Envoy 'Deeply Concerned' by Yemen Ceasefire Violations
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/ The United Nations special envoy for Yemen has voiced alarm at widespread violations of a fragile ceasefire, but insisted the ongoing peace talks between the warring sides in Switzerland would continue. Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed "is deeply concerned at the numerous reports of violations of the cessation of hostilities," his office said in a statement issued late Friday. The comment came after Yemen's ceasefire, which took effect on Tuesday, appeared to have collapsed as government forces seized two towns from rebels and their Saudi-led Arab coalition allies accused insurgents of escalating the conflict by firing ballistic missiles. The special envoy "urges all parties to respect this agreement and allow unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the most affected districts of Yemen," the statement said. It was issued after a fourth day of rocky peace talks, during which the special envoy "held several sessions with the participants," the statement added. The discussions "focused mostly on security issues in Yemen, in light of the alarming developments on the ground," it said, stressing that both sides had "renewed their commitment for a ceasefire." "A coordination and de-escalation committee was created to strengthen adherence to the cessation of hostilities," the statement said. On Friday, the two sides in the talks had hinted the discussions were struggling, with a member of the government delegation telling AFP that the opposing rebel delegation failed to show up for a scheduled joint meeting. A member of the rebel delegation, which represents both the Iran-backed Huthi Shiite rebels and renegade troops still loyal to wealthy ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, said their side had "protested because the U.N. is not capable to impose a ceasefire."
But the rebels insisted they had not pulled out of the talks. And Ould Cheikh Ahmed's office said both "bilateral and group consultations" would continue Saturday "to build on what was agreed upon in previous days and continue efforts to find an urgent political resolution to the crisis in Yemen." The U.N. announced a first breakthrough in the talks Thursday, saying the sides had agreed to "allow for a full and immediate resumption of humanitarian assistance" in the flashpoint Yemeni city of Taez. Also on Thursday, pro-government forces and rebels completed an exchange of hundreds of prisoners in the southern province of Lahj. Going forward, the U.N. has said discussions would include developing a plan for a sustainable ceasefire and further prisoner releases. Yemen's conflict began in September 2014, when the Huthis advanced from their northern strongholds to occupy the capital Sanaa. It has escalated dramatically since Saudi-led air strikes against the rebels began in March, with more than 5,800 killed and more than 27,000 wounded since then, according to the U.N.

Report: UAE Sending Colombian Mercenaries to Yemen
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/The United Arab Emirates has secretly sent some 300 Colombian mercenaries to fight for it in Yemen, paying handsomely to recruit a private army of well-trained, battle-hardened South American soldiers, sources told AFP. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Colombians' experience fighting leftist guerrillas and drug traffickers in their home country made them attractive recruits for the UAE, whose relatively inexperienced army is part of an Arab coalition helping Yemen's government fight a war against Huthi rebels. "Colombian soldiers are highly prized for their training in fighting guerrillas," one source, a Colombian former army officer, told AFP in Bogota. "Colombians have so many years of experience in war that they can take it." The presence of Colombian troops in Yemen's bloody conflict further complicates what is already a messy proxy war pitting Iran, which backs the rebels, against a US-backed Arab coalition led by rival regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia. Since the rebels began seizing large swaths of territory in July 2014, the conflict has left 6,000 dead and 28,000 wounded, many of them civilians, according to the United Nations.
Colombian soldiers are frequently recruited by international private security firms for jobs in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan. The source, a 48-year-old man who left the army in the late 1990s, was himself formerly employed by Blackwater, the controversial US company now known as Academi that was contracted by the Pentagon to provide military and security services in Iraq. He was hired in 2004, amid what he called a "boom in the recruitment of Colombians to fight in Iraq," and has since worked in Afghanistan, the UAE, Qatar and Djibouti. Latin Americans were popular with firms like Blackwater, he said: in all, 1,500 Colombians, 1,000 Peruvians, 500 Chileans and 250 Salvadorans were contracted in Iraq between 2004 and 2006. He said that from around 2010 the UAE began recruiting Colombians for a private army it was forming at a base in the middle of the desert called Zayed Military City.
Prized as special forces commanders or Blackhawk helicopter pilots, the Colombians are paid around $3,300 a month -- five times less than equivalent American contractors, but a small fortune by Colombian standards, he said. "They were not recruited for combat missions. It was for security and rotection missions. So they are not considered mercenaries," he said. But a month ago about 300 of the 3,000 Colombians recruited so far by the UAE "decided voluntarily" to go fight as full-fledged mercenaries in southern Yemen, based in the port of Aden, the source said. Their deployment came after 30 Emirati soldiers were killed in Yemen in a missile attack blamed on the rebels. The source said the UAE initially planned to send 800 Colombians but met resistance from the recruits, who complained that fighting in Yemen was beyond the scope of their original contracts. "The Colombians were supposed to pass unnoticed as local Emirati troops, and that caused a large number of them to desert," the source said. "They said their contract was in the UAE and not fighting other people's wars." He said the UAE sought to sweeten the deal by limiting tours of duty to three months and offering an extra $120 a day in combat pay. "They want to make war an industry using Colombians as cannon fodder," he said. No Colombians have been killed in Yemen so far, he added, denying recent reports from rebel-linked media outlets of Colombians killed in combat. "There are wartime interests behind that fear campaign," he said.
Another Colombian source, security expert John Marulanda, said lucrative salary offers from foreign firms are a "drain" on Colombia's well-trained but poorly paid military. "Around 2011, very well-trained people started leaving," Marulanda told AFP. "The UAE is participating in the coalition by discreetly sending mercenaries to Yemen. And it is a fact that among those mercenaries there are former members of the Colombian military."A retired senior Colombian officer who asked not to be named said this had "created quite a lot of problems" for the Colombian defense ministry. "The best officers are going" to the Emirates, the retired officer told AFP. "They are not recruiting their own nationals. They prefer to recruit people who are already prepared and specialized." Colombia's army has spent the past five decades fighting a low-intensity conflict against leftist rebel groups. The conflict, which has also drawn in right-wing death squads and drug traffickers, has killed more than 220,000 people.

Number of global migrants rises dramatically, especially in Asia
Thomson Reuters Foundation, New York Saturday, 19 December 2015/The number of international migrants soared to 244 million this year, an increase of more than 40 percent from the year 2000, as economic need, global markets and a desire for better lives put more people on the move, the United Nations said on Friday. Nearly half of the world's migrants were born in Asia, which has provided the most migrants - 1.7 million people per year - over the last 15 years, followed by Europe, according to a report by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Europe has seen nearly 900,000 refugees and migrants so far this year, about half of them Syrians fleeing war in their homeland, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said earlier this month. The number of migrants around the world will no doubt rise, fueled by economic disparities, globalized markets and people seeking better lives, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said presenting the report. He called for stronger efforts to protect people undertaking dangerous journeys as they flee their homes, and efforts to fight migrant smuggling and human trafficking. He also said migrants should not be victimized nor made into scapegoats.
"The many stories of their resilience, strength and heroism are too often eclipsed by xenophobia and pervasive anti-migrant sentiments," Eliasson said. Two thirds of all international migrants live in just 20 countries, the report said. The largest number, 47 million, live in the United States, followed by 12 million in Germany, 12 million in Russia and 10 million in Saudi Arabia, it said. India had the largest diaspora, with 16 million people who had been born there living elsewhere, followed by Mexico, Russia and China, it said

18 Migrants Drown as Boat Sinks in the Aegean Sea
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/Eighteen people drowned overnight when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea as it was heading for the Greek island of Kalymnos, Turkish media reported early Saturday. Another 14 people, among them Syrians, Iraqis and Pakistanis, were pulled to safety by the Turkish coastguard, the Dogan news agency reported. They were taken to hospital in serious condition, suffering from hypothermia, the agency said. The migrants had left the southwestern Turkish resort of Bodrum during the night on board an old vessel which capsized around two nautical miles off Turkey's coast, survivors said. Some 650,000 migrants, often from Iraq and Syria, have tried to cross the Aegean Sea this year in search of better lives in the European Union. But an estimated 500, including many children, have died during the often perilous crossing. EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday set an end-of-June deadline to agree on a new border and coastguard force to slow the influx of migrants across the 28-nation bloc's porous external frontiers. Leaders also urged EU ambassadors to arrange for the rapid delivery of a promised three billion euros ($3.25 billion) in aid for refugees in Turkey in return for its help in stemming the flow.

Obama Urges Erdogan to Withdraw Turkish Troops from Iraq
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/U.S. President Barack Obama urged Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pull troops out of Iraq Friday, amid a row that has split key members of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group. "The President urged President Erdogan to take additional steps to deescalate tensions with Iraq," the White House said. "Including by continuing to withdraw Turkish military forces." Obama also "reinforced the need for Turkey to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq."

Turkey accuses Iraq of undermining ISIS fight
Reuters, United Nations Saturday, 19 December 2015/Turkey accused Iraq on Friday of undermining the global fight against ISIS militants by taking its complaint about the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq to the United Nations Security Council. The 15-member council met on the issue on Friday at the request of Iraq and Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari who asked the body to adopt a resolution demanding Turkey withdraw its troops immediately. Jaafari signaled the request for council action was a last resort. "Iraq has spared no effort to exhaust all diplomatic channels and bilateral negotiations with Turkey, in order to withdraw its forces that are unauthorized in Iraq," he said. Turkey deployed around 150 troops in the Bashiqa area earlier this month with the stated aim of training an Iraqi militia to fight ISIS. Turkey withdrew some troops this week, moving them to another base inside Iraq's Kurdistan region, but Baghdad said they should pull out completely. Turkey's U.N. Ambassador Halit Cevik said the deployment had been taken out of context and that additional troops had been sent to the camp to provide force protection due to increasing threats. He said Ankara believed it had taken sufficient measures to de-escalate the situation, so efforts could be re-focused in combating ISIS militants, who have seized swaths of Iraq and Syria. ISIS is also known as Daesh. "From the outset, we tried to resolve this matter through bilateral channels. Because taking this issue to various international platforms would serve no other purpose than to undermine the solidarity of the international community against Daesh," Cevik told the Security Council. He said Turkey has never had and will never have any interest in violating Iraq's sovereignty.

Iraq Defense Minister Predicts Ramadi Victory by Year's End
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/Iraq's defense minister predicted Saturday that security forces backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes would retake full control of the city of Ramadi by the end of the year. "I met with the Joint Operations Command and they confirmed to me that we will regain all of the city of Ramadi by the end of this month," Khaled al-Obeidi told reporters in Baghdad. Earlier this month, forces led by Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service retook Al-Tameem, a southwestern neighborhood of Ramadi from the Islamic State group. IS took full control of Ramadi in mid-May, in what was Baghdad's most stinging defeat since it launched a counter-offensive to regain the large regions the jihadists captured in the summer of 2014. The offensive in Al-Tameem this month marked a significant step in long-delayed efforts to recapture the city, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Baghdad and capital of the vast province of Anbar. "The reason the battle took so long was to avoid casualties among our forces and also to avoid civilian casualties," Obeidi said. "There are still many civilians in the city." Jihadists still holed up in the city center and using tunnels to avoid air strikes may number no more than 300, according to military officials. IS fighters attacking from northwest of Ramadi with suicide car bombs attempted to retake control of the key Palestine bridge in recent days but Iraqi forces still have the upper hand. "The city of Ramadi has now been fully isolated, and the Iraqi security forces are beginning to conduct their clearing operations," the coalition's Baghdad-based spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, told reporters on Friday. He said that IS had been using the Euphrates river that runs through Ramadi to supply its fighters inside the city with men and military equipment.
Control of both sides of the river banks in key areas have significantly reduced the jihadist organization’s ability to re-supply, Warren said.

Nigerian Troops, Boko Haram Clash in Army Chief's Village
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/Boko Haram gunmen launched a dawn raid Saturday on the hometown of Nigeria's army chief, triggering a fierce gunbattle with troops, residents of a nearby village to which people fled the clashes said. There was no immediate report of casualties in the fighting in Buratai in Borno state, the home village of Tukur Yusuf Buratai, Nigeria's top army officer. Abubakar Umar, a resident of the nearby hamlet of Miringa, told AFP that the fighting began at 5:00 am after Boko Haram insurgents attacked the village. "At one point we could hear explosions coming from the direction of Buratai," he said. Troops reinforcements from a military base in the town of Biu, 30 kilometers from Buratai, were seen passing through Miringa. "Nine trucks conveying soldiers and another four carrying local hunters drove through our village towards Buratai and from what we hear more are on their way," said Shitu Ayuba, another resident. Some Buratai residents had fled to Miringa, where they took shelter in a primary school, locals said. Buratai and nearby villages have been repeatedly targeted in deadly raids by the Islamist insurgents since June, when the army chief assumed office. Residents believe the attacks are in response to recent military gains against the jihadists under the army chief. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has given the military a December 31 deadline to crush the jihadist uprising that has killed some 17,000 and displaced around 2.6 million people since 2009. Last Saturday, Boko Haram killed 30 people and injured 20 others in raids on three villages near Buratai. On Thursday, the insurgents killed 14 people, some of whom were decapitated, when they raided Kamuya village, the hometown of Buratai's mother and burnt it down. Boko Haram which seeks a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has also carried out deadly attacks in Chad, Cameroon and Niger in the past year.

Nigeria Commutes Troops' Death Sentences for Refusing to Face Boko Haram
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 19/15/Nigerian military has commuted the death sentences handed to 66 soldiers for mutiny over claims they refused to fight Boko Haram Islamists, a spokesman said on Saturday. Instead, each soldier will serve a 10-year prison term. "The death sentences by firing squad passed on 66 soldiers in January and March 2015 by separate general court martials have been commuted to 10 years imprisonment each," Colonel Sani Usman said in a statement. The sentences were commuted following a review by the military authorities. Usman said 71 soldiers were arraigned on several charges, including criminal conspiracy and conspiracy to commit mutiny. "They were tried, discharged on some charges but found guilty and convicted on other charges -- which included mutiny," he said. "Out of that number, 66 were found guilty on some of the charges and sentenced to death, while five were discharged and acquitted and one was given 28 days imprisonment with hard labor," he said. The military said in May that 579 officers and soldiers were facing two separate trials over indiscipline. The 66 had been condemned to die by a military tribunal in two batches in September and December 2014, with their death sentences confirmed by a military council in January and March this year. Under the regime of former president Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram captured swathes of territory in the restive northeast as Nigerian soldiers refused to deploy for operations and even fled before and during attacks. The soldiers reportedly complained they did not have enough weapons to fight the better-armed Islamists. Former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki and other high-profile suspects are currently facing trial for misappropriating billions of dollars meant to buy weapons to fight the insurgents. Nigeria's military has been under pressure to end the six-year Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed at least 17,000 lives and forced some 2.6 million to flee their homes. Buhari who took over in May, has given the military until the month's end to end the unrest. Boko Haram which seeks to impose a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria has also carried out cross-border attacks in Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Iran ready to ship enriched uranium stockpile to Russia
Reuters | Dubai Saturday, 19 December 2015/Iran will export most of its enriched uranium to Russia in the coming days as it rushes to implement a nuclear deal and secure relief from international sanctions, Tehran’s nuclear chief was quoted as saying on Saturday. Drastically reducing its stock of enriched uranium, which can be used in nuclear weapons, was at the heart of the deal Iran reached in July with a group of six world powers. Under its terms, Iran must cut its stockpile to around 300 kg (660 lb) and mothball most of the centrifuges that produce the enriched fuel. It must also remove the core of a heavy water reactor at Arak so it cannot be used to produce plutonium, another potential bomb-making source. Once the United Nations verifies those steps, international sanctions will be lifted, giving Iran access to global markets for the first time in years and opening a lifeline for its ailing economy. “In the next few days around nine tonnes of Iran’s enriched uranium will be exported to Russia,” nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. That is roughly the amount that Iran must export to bring its stock down to the required level. He said the enriched uranium would be taken out of Iran on board a Russian ship. Iran has already received a shipment of yellowcake, an unenriched uranium compound, from Russia in exchange for the stockpile. President Hassan Rowhani’s government is aiming to get sanctions lifted by the end of January, to boost pro-government candidates in Feb. 26 elections to parliament and the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the Supreme Leader. Iran is set to reap an economic windfall once sanctions are lifted. The government has pledged to quickly boost oil production, and foreign companies are jockeying to enter the market of some 80 million people. Nevertheless, the economy has stagnated since the deal was reached, as consumers hold off on spending until the market opens up. With no concrete improvement to voters’ quality of life, the government risks losing its ‘nuclear dividend’ if sanctions have not been lifted before the elections; hardliners opposed to the deal would stand to gain. On Wednesday, Tehran’s envoy to the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran was working to complete the requirements in the next two to three weeks, after the U.N. watchdog closed its investigation of Iran’s past nuclear activities. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, responsible for verifying that Tehran has taken the necessary steps, said in an interview that it is “not impossible” that sanctions could be lifted in January.

Carter: U.S. strike ‘appears’ to have killed Iraqi soldiers
By Yeganeh Torbati On board the USS Kearsarge, Reuters Saturday, 19 December 2015/A U.S. aircraft appears to have mistakenly carried out an air strike that killed Iraqi security forces near the city of Fallujah, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Saturday. The Iraqi Minister of Defense Khaled al-Obeidi said earlier that nine soldiers died in the strike on Friday.The U.S. military is leading an international coalition that is waging an air offensive on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, where the militant group control large swaths of territory. Obeidi told a news conference that the strike occurred when coalition air forces were covering the advance of Iraqi ground troops near Fallujah because the Iraqi army helicopters were not able to fly due to the bad weather. Carter said he spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi by phone on Saturday to express his condolences over the deaths. He said it appeared a U.S. aircraft had carried out the air strike. “That’s the information I have now,” he told reporters while on a trip to the Middle East. “He (Abadi) and I agreed that this was an event that we both regretted and that there would be an investigation of it, but that these kinds of things happen when you’re fighting side by side.”Carter met with Abadi this week during a brief visit to Baghdad to assess the state of the campaign against Islamic State.

Egypt rejects Europe plea for release of Irish-Egyptian teen
AP | Cairo Saturday, 19 December 2015/Egypt has rejected a plea from the European Parliament to release an Irish-Egyptian teenager detained during a pro-Islamist protest in Cairo two years ago, and the Foreign Ministry said Friday the request amounted to a “violation of the independence” of its judiciary. In a harsh statement, Cairo also called on the European body to reconsider its approach to similar cases in the future. The exchange came ahead of the start of trial for Ibrahim Halawa, who along with 494 defendants faces charges of murder and vandalism. The defendants were all arrested in a 2013 protest in the Egyptian capital’s central Ramsis Square against the military’s overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and the violent dispersal in August that year of a sit-in by Morsi’s supporters in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya square, when hundreds of people were killed. The ministry also dismissed allegations that Halawa was tortured in custody and is on hunger strike. It refuted Europe’s claim that he may face the death penalty, saying that Egyptian law does not impose capital punishment on offenders under 18. Halawa, who holds dual Egyptian and Irish nationalities, was 17 at the time of his arrest; now he is 19. Since Morsi’s ouster, Egypt has launched a crackdown on the country’s Islamists that saw hundreds killed and thousands thrown in jail. The security campaign swept up liberals and the young pro-democracy activists who spearheaded the 2011 popular that ousted longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Egypt has been on the defense about its human rights record, with pro-state TV media framing any criticism of it as parts of a conspiracy to undermine the country’s economic recovery from political turmoil and tarnish its image. The jailed teen had traveled to Egypt for a family vacation, according to the EU parliament. Amnesty International has said that Halawa was “detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly.” The London-based rights group has also said that the mass trial with 494 individuals “cannot meet international fair trial standards as all the defendants must be present in court in order to be able to hear and challenge the prosecution case and present a defence, in person or through a lawyer.”

Terrorism: Where to Turn?
Richard Prasquier/Gatestone Institute/December 19/15
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/12/19/richard-prasquiergatestone-institute-terrorism-where-to-turn/
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7048/terrorism-isis-paris
Our reaction should be directed not against the terrorists, but against those who indoctrinate, train and finance them -- and on working to eradicate this virus of the mind.
Where are the demands to boycott those who fund ISIS? Their names are well-known.
The "Crusaders" now seem exhausted. They simply do not want enemies.
These attacks -- like those before them -- were simply meant to sow terror: go kill as many people as you can.
The Pope can insist all he likes that we have entered a Third World War; it is so much more comforting to repeat that the main problem is "Israel's occupation" is the problem.
After the November 13 attacks in Paris, there were concerns in the media that Europe did not fully understand the gravity of the threats posed by radical Islam. Frances's Minister of the Interior, Bernard Cazeneuve, however, certainly did not hide his prediction that, this year, a large scale attack would take place in France. It was not a matter of "if," but "when" and "where."
Thoughts first were for the victims, for those who will suffer all their lives -- young people who went out just to enjoy some music or eat with friends.
Next came the questions: about the claim of responsibility by ISIS, and how the coordinated attacks would nullify the "lone wolf" theory -- a hypothesis largely refuted anyway. These were commandos trained to kill, and to kill themselves too.
But what about the agile explosives handlers who prepare their suicide bomb belts and continue their grim task elsewhere? Perhaps they are preparing a second wave of "martyr attacks" in France? It is urgent to take their network down. One can only hope that any steps will not too quickly trigger the angelic protest of those who would prefer having lily white hands to having no hands at all.
A thought that is usually ducked -- when one does not understand something, one puts it out of his head -- is that often terrorists hope to live. Not so in the Paris attacks: the terrorists knew they would die and specifically intended to reach the Paradise of Allah and the rewards waiting for them there.
The desire to die while killing infidels, has become, in Islam, a highly powerful virus. We do not yet know how to "un-indoctrinate" people from it. And it is not a marginal problem. It is rotting an entire generation of young Muslims -- often to the distress of their parents. It requires more than just some crafted response, no matter how good the intentions are of anyone who tries that. Our reaction should be directed not against the terrorists, but against those who indoctrinate, train and finance them -- and on working to eradicate this virus of the mind. It is also important to set aside the usual sociological considerations: the British jihadist, just eliminated by a drone attack, was a high-level IT technician, not a "victim of capitalism."
Regarding targets, some people seemed surprised that the attacks were carried out in entertainment districts, without any specific links to Jews. Conspiracy theorists will doubtless be buzzing anyhow. On social media, the Mossad will no doubt stand accused, and the supporters of Bashar al-Assad will point to its supposed involvement as "proof" that the Zionists are colluding with ISIS!
The main point is that these attacks, like those before them -- on the U.S. in 2001, Madrid in 2004, and London in 2005, all quickly forgotten in our European memory -- were simply meant to sow terror: go kill as many people as you can.
The "Crusaders" now seem exhausted. They simply do not want enemies. The Pope can insist all he likes that we are in a Third World War; it is so much more comforting to repeat that the main problem is "Israel's occupation." So we waited impatiently the first article "establishing" some "link" between the Paris attack and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We did not have to wait long. After a tiny period of mourning, calls for the international boycott of Israeli goods resumed -- most recently last week by Germany, which should know better. It agreed to label goods made on disputed land, so that people who dislike Jews and Palestinians who might want peace with Israel, will know what not to buy. No matter that goods from no other disputed lands are labeled -- Cyprus, Ukraine or Tibet -- or that labeling goods might put thousands of Palestinians out of work and into terrorism. Where are the demands to boycott those who fund ISIS? Their names are well-known.
Finally, what can be done on the geopolitical front to weaken ISIS? Two answers are usually given, each worse than the other. The first is that, considering that France had nothing to do in Syria to begin with -- the bombing of ISIS was used to explain (justify?) the attacks in Paris -- let us all just run away, leave ISIS alone and it will leave us in peace.
The other is, conversely, to fight ISIS with everything we have, and for that, support the "moderates." These are otherwise known as, incredibly, the Iranians, on the Shiite side -- the elites' new favorites -- and on the Sunni side, the Muslim Brotherhood.
This plan does not, however, take into account the dramatic Islamist religious radicalism, which has taken on the aspect of a new Nazism because of two men.
On the Sunni side is Hassan el Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. He put at the top the duties of believers a love of death in the name of Allah in the struggle against the infidel. Banna's disciple, Sayyid Qutb, is the spiritual father of Al Qaeda and ISIS.
On the Shiite side is Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who organized in Lebanon the first suicide bomb attack in 1982, and who sent tens of thousands of children onto Iraqi landmines. The only weapon the children had was a "key to paradise."
Picture enclosed: Hassan el Banna (left), the founder of the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, put at the top the duties of believers a love of death in the name of Allah in the struggle against the infidel. Shiite Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (right) organized the first suicide bomb attack in 1982, and sent tens of thousands of children onto Iraqi landmines.
This is why to hear the elegant but bloodthirsty Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in his condolences to France, trying to pass off Iran as a victim of terrorism, makes one's heart stop. Such an announcement doubtless pleases the authorities. But what is important not to forget is that the enemies of our enemies are not necessarily our friends.
***Richard Prasquier is President of Keren Hayesod France and Honorary Chairman of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France). This article first appeared in a slightly different form in French. Gatestone thanks the author for his kind permission to publish it in English.
© 2015 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. 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.

Fear and loathing, history and hysteria in surreal America
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15
That was the surreal week that was. Thirty percent of Republican voters and 19% of Democrats support the bombing of the fictional city-state of Agrabah, depicted in Disney’s animated movie Aladdin. A county school district in the state of Virginia closed all of its schools on Friday because of intense furor over a class assignment about Islam and Arabic calligraphy, with angry parents and others alleging that the homework assigned by a high school geography teacher asking students to try their hand at writing the Shahada in Arabic calligraphy amounts to indoctrination.
The famed Harvard University, in its zeal for political correctness, instructed and lectured its students about how they should lecture their less fortunate and less educated relatives about how to explain the pressing issues of our times. The University issued laminated cards regarding potential issues raised at the dinner table during the holidays break and the suggested answers to such complex questions about racial justice, Islamophobia, Syrian refugees and police brutality. Harvard was so condescending to its students that it instructed them to ‘breath’ and ‘calmly’ explain the thorny issues after listening ‘mindfully’.
Meanwhile, in another strike at freedom of speech at institutes of higher education, the administrators of Wheaton College, an evangelical school in the state of Illinois, suspended a professor because she dared to post on her Facebook wall that Muslims and Christians ‘worship the same God.’ The week ended with an unabashed and crass love-fest between the autocratic Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate and aspiring autocrat Donald Trump. These are but few vignettes that say a lot about the state of mind of some Americans, their fear and loathing of Islam, their indifference to history, and the hysteria over real and imagined enemies at home and abroad that is being whipped by some of the Republican presidential candidates, who are promising an edgy nation the salvation that only a strong leader can deliver.
‘Agrabah should be destroyed’
As a sign of the times, the Arabic sounding name of a city makes it suspect as a potential base for terrorists, and therefore, for a sizable number of the American electorate a potential target for bombing. The fictional Agrabah, sounds like Aqaba, and somewhat like Raqqa, the actual base of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. A recent poll conducted by the firm Public Policy Polling of Republican voters asked 40 serious questions about their views of individual candidates and their policies, as well as other questions including some about Islam and other related matters. But the firm, as it does often inserted one insane question (no.38) to test the respondent’s knowledge: would you support or oppose the bombing of Agrabah? Thirty percent supported the bombing, and 13% opposed, while a majority of 57% said ‘not sure’.
Significant numbers of Republican voters gave negative answers indicating their fear and distrust of American Muslims, such as closing down Mosques, and establishing national database of Muslims in the United States. Bombing Agrabah swiftly trended on the social media and tweeps had a field day suggesting ways of punishing the menacing new Arab Sparta and its rebellious leader Jafar. Will the campaign against Agrabah last a 1001 Arabian nights or more? People were comparing Jafar to Qaddafi, others were calling for arming moderate Agrabahian moderate rebels, and rumors were floating that Donald Trump has warned the Obama administration not to accept a single Agrabahian refugee. And of course there were those who invoked double standards questioning why those who are calling for military intervention in Agrabah, were silent about the depredation in the Land of Oz. Many of us were surprised about the relatively large numbers of Agrabah experts at premier universities and think tanks who swarmed television stations to provide a guide to the multitudes of the perplexed. I must admit that my knowledge of things Agrabah, was rudimentary, and that’s why I missed my chance at waxing eloquent about the new threat. I am expecting a Republican candidate to resurrect and paraphrase Roman Senator Cato the Elder’s infamous call of antiquity ‘Carthage must be destroyed’ and to call for a modern version of the Punic Wars against Agrabah… The old Arabs used to say: ‘the worst misfortune is the one that makes you laugh’.
Lethal Arabic calligraphy
As a Virginian by choice, I consider Virginia the mother of all American states. Eight of its native sons were elected to the highest office in the republic, among them George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and Woodrow Wilson. So it was very jarring to see that even such a cultured state has succumbed to the ill winds of fear and loathing sweeping the land. On Friday the entire school system in rural Augusta County, serving 10,000 students was shot down over fear that an Arab calligraphy assignment could lead to violence. The controversy began when a teacher in good standing Cheryl LaPorte, gave her students the following assignment:’ here is the shahada, the Islamic statement of faith, written in Arabic. In the space below, try copying it by hand. This should give you an idea of the artistic complexity of calligraphy.’
As soon as the assignment was posted on Facebook, the nasty emails began to stream full of harsh complaints that the homework amounts to indoctrinating the students and of threats and insults, first from angry parents, then from others from outside the state. School officials were concerned about the ‘tone and content’ of some of the messages they had received, including one that called for sacking the teacher and putting ‘her head on a stake’, ISIS style. The school’s superintendent and other officials stressed that students were not asked to translate the Shahada or to recite it like the believers do. But their explanations did not convince some parents who alleged that the assignment is a form of proselytizing for Islam in a public school, where religions are off limits.
The protests reflected the depth of Islamophobia throughout the country. These negative attitudes were directed at everything that centers on Islam as a religion, including teaching the history of Islam, or Islamic civilization just as the history of the great other religions and civilizations are taught. Local and regional newspapers throughout the country have been reporting attempts by parents at rejecting any lessons in schools about any aspect related to Islam. It is as if a segment of the American people is engaged in willful ignorance of one of the largest and the fastest growing religions in the world, at a time when, knowledge of things Muslim is essential, since the United States is engaged in military conflicts in a number of Muslim states and regions, and knowledge of the basic tenets of Islam is essential. The fear and loathing of Islam in a rural county in Virginia is both a local and a national issue. The Islamophobia of 2015 has far exceeded the Islamophobia of the tense days that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Harvard’s convoluted Political Correctness
Revisionist history, even when it is done by sharp historians is fraught with hidden pitfalls. But when it is done by professors and University officials eager to shed individual and collective sense of guilt or to be politically correct, it becomes shallow and laughable. Harvard just released laminated colored cards with a silly design and listing supposedly the pertinent questions of our times. The University officials acting as the sages of the ages deigned to provide the wise answers. The objective of the exercise is for Harvard students to impart the wisdom and the insights into the human conditions that they have acquired to their less fortunate family members around the dinner table. And to stress the centrality of families gathered around the dinner table during the holiday season, the laminated cards had at the center a photo of an empty dish, with the top caption declaring: tips for talking to families. (The sages of Harvard must have learned this from Francis Ford Coppola, the chronicler of the Corleone family in the movie the Godfather, where fateful conversations and decisions occur around the dinner table). Under the heading of Islamophobia/refugees, the question asked is: ‘we shouldn't let anyone in from Syria. We can't guarantee that terrorists won't infiltrate the ranks of refugees. They've already done it in France.’ Harvard’s ready answer: 'The U.S. has been accepting refugees from the war-torn areas around the world for decades...Racial justice includes welcoming Syrian refugees’. On the controversial issue that gripped the country last year, that is ‘Black murders in the street,’ in reference to a number of incidents where policemen shot and killed unarmed black youths, the card states: ‘your loved-ones will ask: why didn't they just listen to the officer? If they had just obeyed the law this wouldn't have happened.' The card instruct the student: you should say ‘in many incidents that result in the death of a black body in the street, these victims are not breaking the law and are unarmed.’When many students objected that the university has no right to tell students what to think about such charged and complex moral and political issues, two deans issued an apology acknowledging that the questions ‘failed to account for the many viewpoints that exist on our campus on some of the most complex issues we confront as a community and society today.’
Mainstreaming hate and fear
In the last few days, the mutual admiration society between Putin and Trump that emerged in the last few months has evolved into an open vulgar political love fest between two very different but opportunistic men who share an open contempt for the sitting American president. On Thursday, Putin lavished praise on the egotistic Trump hailing him as a ‘bright and talented’ man and the ‘absolute leader of the presidential race,’ Trump, who melts when he is showered with praise, returned the favor to Putin, hailing him as a ‘leader’ with high approval from his own people. Trump said that Putin is ‘running his country and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country,’ in reference to President Obama. Trump’s vulgarity and his political and moral vacuity were on full display when he was asked by the host of ‘Morning Joe’ program on MSNBC Republican host Joe Scarborough about Putin’s alleged killing and silencing of journalists and political opponents; he blurted ‘I think our country does plenty of killing also, Joe, so you know. There's a lot of stupidity going on in the world right now, a lot of killing, a lot of stupidity’. Trump and many of his supporters secretly and not so secretly admire what they see as the toughness in Putin, the very quality they say Obama lacks. In their eyes, the rampaging Russian armies and local militias occupying and annexing Crimea, invading Eastern Ukraine and indiscriminately bombing Syrian areas opposed to Putin’s client Assad in Damascus, are manifestations of manly leadership. Trump supports Putin’s claims that he is fighting ISIS in Syria, and he does not believe that the U.S. should lead the international efforts against the occupation of Crimea. Trump’s supporters will continue on their endless trek searching for the elusive American Putin in the political wilderness long after Trump has returned to his beauty queens, and given the current debasement of taste and popular culture, maybe to another silly television show. Spreading fear and loathing of Islam, refugees and immigrants are turning many Americans into an inward-looking sulking community living on a diet of insecurity and anger. The politics of fearmongering is indirectly helping ISIS and likeminded radical Islamists in recruiting potential assassins at home and abroad. In America circa 2015, there are politicians and other public figures engaging in a dangerous and so far successful campaign of mainstreaming hate and fear.

The global responsibility towards Palestinians
Samar Fatany/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15
Finding a solution to the plight of the Palestinians remains an immediate global responsibility. This was the unanimous conclusion of participants in the Conference on Mediterranean Dialogue that was held in Rome from Dec. 10-12. They all agreed that Europe has a responsibility to come up with an action plan and mobilize united efforts to address the human rights of the Palestinian people. Indeed the continued unjust backing of Israel because of shared interests is detrimental to peace. The Arab-Israeli conflict is the main cause of the continued turbulence in the Middle East. Europe has to relate to new global priorities. To restore the world order, Europe needs to reach out to partners in the Islamic world. However, finding the right way to respond is critical. The Dialogue addressed past EU policies that have led to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. Policy makers and EU opinion leaders acknowledged that the inability to offer a better future for young people in the region and ignoring their human rights as well as the displacement of families in war-torn areas feeds ISIS and other terrorist organizations.
Two camps
Another unanimous conclusion was that the Islamophobia narrative is a big mistake. Europe must distance itself from the American neocon narrative of good and evil that was adopted after 9/11 and the Cold War narrative that divided the world into two camps. The Middle East region has suffered from outside interference and unclear U.S. policies in an attempt to bring about regime change and the expansion of territories. It is quite evident that the peace dialogue today is under assault. There were urgent calls from all participants to chart new EU policies to ease the tensions between the EU and the Middle East region. Algeria’s Minister of Maghreb Affairs, African Union and Arab League Abdelkader Messahel urged governments to listen to the people and answer their needs before problems spiral out of control and turn into violence and rage. He argued that the military solution should never be an option and that we cannot continue bombing people and destroying homes in order to solve a problem. Providing security, prosperity and peace should be the mission of Mediterranean leaders. The refugee issue needs immediate attention and should be resolved quickly. War, terrorism and Islamophobia are all a threat to peace. Honoring all victims is important. Fabrizio Cicchitto, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament, agreed that the development of Europe has to go along with the development of the Middle East. Although quick military action is essential, it should be linked to an economic response. Europe needs to find a unified perception of the security situation. Military intervention is not always the right solution, as it only creates destruction and chaos. Europe should bolster nation states and uplift the Arab younger generation. The conference participants all agreed that building mutual respect and protecting the rights of Muslims in Europe and Christians in the Arab world is a must and that hatred and persecution of minorities should not be tolerated and equal dignity for all should be maintained. As an Arab and Muslim observer, I felt a sense of relief listening to the panelists outline the grievances of the Arab and Muslim world and the call for new measures to bring about peace and security to all parties concerned. The Middle East region has suffered from outside interference and unclear U.S. policies in an attempt to bring about regime change and the expansion of territories. The illegal oil trade has allowed ISIS to expand. There should be serious guarantees to safeguard Syria and there should be no schemes to divide that country. Syria’s sovereignty and integral territorial security should be safeguarded. During the discussions, they all agreed that Europe should demonstrate patience and resilience because it will take time to resolve the threat of terrorism. Europe must not be sucked into the conflict and should not overreact. The military option cannot deliver good governance. The more force, the worse the situation will be.
Priorities
Arab officials participating in the dialogue highlighted some of the issues that are a cause of tension between the two regions. Egypt’s Minister of Investment Ashraf Salman spoke about focusing on priorities. He said the immediate issues of human rights are food security, the elimination of poverty, health care, housing and education and not freedom of speech which is what the West keeps harping on. The region needs support in order to provide these fundamental human rights to its large youth population. Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Khaled Al-Attiyah spoke about the need to agree on the correct definition of a terrorist. A terrorist is not a freedom fighter who is fighting foreign occupation, nor is he someone who is oppressed and who is calling for a life of dignity or someone whose is aggrieved and is demanding justice. Other EU officials also confirmed that a partnership of civilizations and the culture of compromise can bring about peace and would diffuse the narrative of extremism. Westernization should not be imposed on all. Countries should be free to choose the non-Western way of Russia, China and Syria. Open military intervention and imposed democratic reforms should not be the solution. What the region needs is gradual change at the pace chosen by its people. The negative policies of arms sales and profiteering, meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, providing lethal weapons to different warring factions and proxy wars were also outlined as valid reasons for discontent. Policies should be based on conflict prevention and not antagonistic schemes that promote terrorist activities in the region. The Mediterranean Dialogue and exchange of views, ideas and proposals among 200 policy makers, academics, businessmen and media personalities was very transparent and inspiring. It is time for Europe to admit that it has a responsibility for the Middle East and that its complacency and failed policies have contributed to the present situation. Terrorism and the refugee crisis affect all of us. Urgent European action is crucial in order to bring peace, security and prosperity to the region.

How it feels being Muslim in the West in 2015
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15
The past 12 months have been intense for Muslims in the West; Donald Trump, ISIS, the attacks on Paris, the knife attack on the London tube, are among a list of events that sparked conversation and ignited debate on what it means to be a Muslim, and what defines Muslim identity. There’s no denying that it certainly feels ‘different’ to be Muslim in the West after 2015. Yet ultimately, these events mean that the issues affecting Muslims are being discussed in various forms. Muslims suffer from the gruesome acts of ISIS every day, no matter where they live. The refugees coming out of Syria were once humiliated in their own country – they are now risking further humiliation by taking the plunge and moving to the West, a region whose media industry is constantly vilifying their beliefs, in my opinion. These refugees are forced to defend themselves and their religion. In the U.S., a bill that restricts visa requirements for those who have visited countries such as Syria and Iraq in the past five years has recently passed. This means that even travellers with European passports, who traditionally did not require a passport, now face increased security measures and visa requirements if they visited specific countries in the past 5 years – all of these countries happen to be Muslim-majority. This bill is a representation of how the system feels about those with ties to the Muslim world. The system is inherently impeding on the civil liberties of foreign nationals because of the countries they have visited. At what point does society draw the line?
Social media has been saviour in 2015
I feel thankful for social media in 2015. It has been a saviour for many Muslims; it had an enormous impact on containing anti-Muslim rhetoric that erupted throughout the year. The year saw an overwhelming number of hashtags supporting Muslims: #IStandWithAhmed, #JeSuisAhmed, #TerrorismHasNoReligion.
A fragmented society is exactly what the attackers want, it’s basic “divide and conquer” strategy. Months later, these hashtags are simply hashtags that trended once upon a time. However, the impact they had at the time is significant; the fact that people from all walks of life felt strongly enough to stand with Muslims around the world speaks to the strength of the international community. Also, the solidarity shown by non-Muslims towards the Muslim community on social media is a force that must be recognized. Likewise, social media has opened up the forum for debate and discussion to what Islam means and what it preaches. Disappointingly, attacks against Islam are followed by a wave of Muslim condemnations and statements saying the heinous crimes don’t speak for a religion of 1.6 billion people. It is horrible that Muslims are made to feel that they are responsible – it’s truly heartbreaking, but the truth is that campaigns like "Not In My Name" are necessary. If Muslims didn’t condemn attacks that are carried out in their name, they will lose their voice. On the international table, this will leave the microphone with those who chose to encourage Islamophobic rhetoric, which would inevitably seep deeper into society. A fragmented society is exactly what the attackers want, it’s basic “divide and conquer” strategy.
Muslim integration is the strongest weapon
In 2015, the integration of Muslims into society is still being discussed as a sub-heading rather than a headline. The responsibility of integrating Muslims does not lie solely in the hands of the government, the council, the media, or NGOs. It also lies with Muslims themselves. Still, these three actors are the true superpowers in the world – together, they have the ability to integrate Muslims into foreign communities. A feeling of inclusion, as opposed to alienation or blame, means that the Muslim community will feel like it is a part of the solution to fighting global terrorism, rather than being part of the problem. This comes from providing protection from hate crimes, support when they happen, and media reports highlighting the positive contributions of the Muslim community in society. 2015 has left Muslims struggling to feel accepted. Ultimately, this past year has created an opportunity for open dialogue within communities, albeit in the form of attack and defence. I feel disgusted that I am constantly trying to explain things to people who only want to ever hear their perspective – but that won’t stop me.

Britain’s opinion on the Muslim Brotherhood
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiyya/December 19/15
British Prime Minister David Cameron has described the Muslim Brotherhood is a “deliberately opaque and habitually secretive" group. These two charges are not enough to ban the group and sanction its members. If the British government is truly skeptical and has suspicions over the activities of the Brotherhood, then this will prove to be a devastating blow for the reputation of the group, especially that many Brits interested in Middle Eastern affairs had believed the group to be a positive image for Muslims all around the world and worthy of support. In fact, the British government’s opinion would not be the only blow to the reputation of this group, one of the most well-known Islamic groups in the West. The reason behind the Brotherhood’s decline is the group’s involvement in hostile political attitudes against Western values; against basic freedoms and their support of the use of violence, as seen in Egypt today. We should not forget that the Muslim Brotherhood had benefited at times from understanding and support among Western human rights organizations and Western intellectual circles, especially when the regional issues were limited and the Brotherhood’s opinion was in line with the pan-Arab street, including shared stances on Palestine and Iraq.
Religion as a political project
However, revolutionary changes forced the Brotherhood to confront difficult questions on freedom of expression, institutional independence and liberal societies. In Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and, of course, in Gaza, the positions of the group were similar to those of totalitarian regimes; believing only in a freedom compatible with their ideas. The Brotherhood has resorted to adopting strategy of comparison between their group and Islamic terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS; of course, this puts the Brotherhood in a better light in the eyes of the West. However, the Muslim Brotherhood being an “opaque and secretive” group, as described by Cameron, may be no less dangerous, because it raises the prospect of a political project to create a religious state that is based on the rejection of others, whether Muslims or not.
The reason behind the Brotherhood’s decline is the group’s involvement in hostile political attitudes against Western values
Today, the West is aware of the difference between being religious and being extremist, between being a faithful Muslim and being a terrorist. Supporting the right of Muslims to perform their religious rituals and teaching their children Islam is not debatable because it is a constitutional right in most Western countries. However, setting religion as a political project in which a group governs over all others is no longer convincing to many Western intellectuals. The use of religion, whether Christianity, Islam or Hinduism, in this way is dangerous and will lead to fascist regimes that govern in the name of religion in order to survive and exclude others. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that even if the British government is convinced that the Brotherhood is a dangerous entity, it probably won’t ban it or oppress its members because British laws do not impose bans on ideas, but rather acts of violence or threats.

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006 Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006