LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
February 06/17
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins17/english.february06.17.htm
News Bulletin
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Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
If any want
to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16/24-28/:"Then
Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save
their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.For what will it profit them if they gain the whole
world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then
he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they
see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
God did not give us a spirit of
cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline
Second Letter to Timothy 01/01-11/:"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by
the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God whom I worship with a clear
conscience, as my ancestors did when I remember you constantly in my prayers
night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so
that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a
faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now,
I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of
God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give
us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of
self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of
me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the
power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to
our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to
us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through
the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a
herald and an apostle and a teacher,.
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 05-06/17
In Syria, Hezbollah’s war veterans dig in for the long haul/Nicholas Blanford/The Arab Weekly/February 05/17
Syria’s Christians Concerned about Post-War Existence/Nazeer
Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/February
05/17
Talking of Walls/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq
Al Awsat/February 05/17
Iran on ‘Official Notice’/Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al Awsat/February 05/17
Syria’s safe zones and draft constitution/Ali al-Amin/The
Arab Weekly/February 05/17
The West's Real Bigotry: Rejecting Persecuted Christians/Uzay
Bulut/Gatestone Institute/February 05/17
"If You Love Jesus, Then Die Like Jesus!"/Muslim Persecution of
Christians, November 2016
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February 05/17
What Turkish Islamists Understand about 'Education'/Burak
Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/February 05/17
Has Trump triumphed over institutions/Yahya
al-Amir/Al Arabiya/February 05/17
A common vision for the US and Saudi Arabia/Ahmad al-Farraj/Al
Arabiya/February 05/17
Tears down the cheeks of lady liberty/Fawaz Turki/Al Arabiya/February 05/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News
published on February 05-06/17
Syrians in Lebanon Resume Travel to U.S. as Ban Blocked
Report: Parties Still Debating Hybrid Electoral Law after Bassil's
Format Rejected
Kanaan: No One Can Push Us to Endorse 1960 Law or
Extension
Jumblat Suggests 'Revising 1960 Electoral Law' or
'Implementing Taef Accord'
Jumblatt president of PSP by acclamation
Al Sabhan arrives in Beirut
Saudi Minister in Beirut for Talks with Top Officials
Beirut Airport authorizes travel to U.S. to citizens of 7 banned countries
Kidanian from Iran: My visit is an opportunity to
develop tourism ties
PSP Sources: FPM Wants to Eliminate 'Historic Pro-Jumblat
Christian Representation'
Fayyad: Ideal Solution is Law Fully Based on Proportional Representation, Large
Electorates
Marouni: Kataeb Party is
capable of partaking in elections, ready for alliances
Clash in Tripoli following tearingup of Rifi's picture posters
Aoun contacts Berri
Hariri visits Berri at Clemenceau Center to check on
his health
Hajj Hassan: We are open to relativity being the most suitable
Richard: Citizenship a base for democracy
In Syria, Hezbollah’s war veterans dig in for the long haul
Links From Jihad
Watch Site for on February 05-06/17
Canada’s
Surrender to Islamic Blasphemy Laws? – on The Glazov
Gang
Canada:
Police arrest man shouting “Canadians against Islamization”
at anti-Islamophobia protest
Nathan
Lean of Georgetown University calls for “public uprising” to overthrow Trump
Uber driver gets fired for disliking Islam
Islamic
Republic of Iran: Posters threaten women with hellfire for not wearing hijab
Louvre
jihadi cites Qur’an verse promising Paradise to those
who kill and are killed for Allah
Wisconsin:
Muslim student paints anti-Muslim messages on his door, claims hate crime
Hugh
Fitzgerald: “I’m a Muslim — Ask Me Anything,” Answers 16-23
Dems: Trump shouldn’t fight “Islamic extremism” only, that
will offend Muslims
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on February 05-06/17
Syrians in Lebanon Resume
Travel to U.S. as Ban Blocked
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February
05/17/Syrian nationals began flying out of Beirut on Sunday en route to the
United States after a U.S. court placed a temporary block on President Donald
Trump's contentious travel ban. Trump's January 27 executive order prevented
entry into the
Report: Parties Still Debating Hybrid Electoral
Law after Bassil's Format Rejected
Naharnet/February 05/17/Representatives of the Free
Patriotic Movement, al-Mustaqbal Movement, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement have insisted that their
four-party committee is still discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid
electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all
system. “What was rejected is the format that was proposed by FPM chief and
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil,
after the 'Shiite duo' suspected that it was aimed at securing the 'Christian
duo' a third of the parliament's seats,” sources told al-Joumhouria
newspaper in remarks published Sunday. “A format recently proposed by Hizbullah that calls for electing 75 MPs under the
winner-takes-all system and 53 others under the proportional representation
system was also quickly dismissed after it turned out that it does not ensure
unified standards and correct representation for all sects,” the sources added.
“Hizbullah's format was tailored to fit the interests
of the Shiite duo while Bassil's format was tailored
to fit the interests of the Christian alliance between his movement and the
Lebanese Forces. Accordingly, the proposed formulas have not been accepted
after it turned out that each camp was suggesting a format that secures the
greatest number of seats at the expense of others,” the sources said. While
Movement has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on the proportional
representation system, arguing that Hizbullah's
weapons would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, MP Walid Jumblat's Democratic
Gathering has totally rejected proportional representation, even within a
hybrid law, warning that it would “marginalize” the minority Druze community.The country has not organized parliamentary
elections since 2009 and the legislature has instead twice extended its own
mandate. The last polls were held under an amended version of the 1960
electoral law and the next vote is scheduled for May.
Kanaan: No One Can Push Us to Endorse 1960 Law or Extension
Naharnet/February 05/17/Change and Reform bloc
secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan stressed Sunday that “no
one” will be able to push the Free Patriotic Movement to accept parliamentary
polls under the controversial 1960 electoral law or a new extension of the
parliament's term, hours after Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat called for elections under an “amended” version of
the 1960 law. “No one will be able to push us through a political maneuver or escalatory stances to accept the 1960 law or
extension,” Kanaan said in an interview on al-Jadeed TV.Asked about President
Michel Aoun's recent remarks about parliamentary
vacuum, Kanaan said: “The simple explanation of
vacuum is failure to organize parliamentary polls but the deeper explanation is
that we've been in a vacuum for decades due to the fact that authorities were
not formed according to the constitution and the National Pact.”“To
us, extension is equivalent to vacuum, because it would extend the state of
decay and non-democracy. What the president is saying is clear: we won't accept
outright extension or a veiled extension resulting from electoral laws that do
not ensure equal power-sharing and partnership between Christians and Muslims,”
the MP explained. “We do not want to provoke or target anyone, including Jumblat, and we want partnership with everyone according to
sound foundations,” Kanaan added, noting that
“Christian representation is flawed in nearly all districts, including Chouf and Aley.” Earlier in the
day, Jumblat had openly called for holding the
parliamentary polls under a “revised” version of the controversial 1960
electoral law, rejecting all calls for proportional representation. “We can
find an amended format of the 1960 law, or else let us immediately seek the
implementation of the Taef Accord, which we can
implement fully or gradually while taking into consideration the country's
circumstances,” the PSP leader urged.“Taef
Accord stipulated new electoral districts and administrative governorates and
the creation of a senate in which all sects and confessions would be
represented after the abolition of political sectarianism in the parliament's
structure,” Jumblat reminded.The
country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the
legislature has instead twice extended its own mandate.The
last polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the
next vote is scheduled for
Jumblat Suggests 'Revising 1960 Electoral Law' or
'Implementing Taef Accord'
Naharnet/February 05/17/Progressive Socialist Party
leader MP Walid Jumblat
openly called Sunday for holding the parliamentary polls under a “revised”
version of the controversial 1960 electoral law, rejecting all calls for
proportional representation. “Lebanon's history was built on diversity and
accepting the other and there is no threat or fear,” Jumblat
told the PSP's 47th convention, rejecting media
reports which suggested that the minority Druze community is facing the threat
of “marginalization.” “The stance of the diverse Democratic Gathering across
Jumblatt president of PSP by acclamation
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - MP Walid Jumblatt
was elected president of PSP by acclamation, the electoral committee of the
Progressive Socialist Party announced on Sunday. Doreid
Yaghi and Kamal Mouawad were elected as vice-presidents of the party, while
Zafer Nasser won by acclamation as secretary general
of the PSP.
Al Sabhan
arrives in
Sun 05 Feb 2017 /NNA - Minister of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs at the Saudi
Foreign Ministry, Thamer Al-Sabhan,
arrived on Sunday in
Saudi Minister in
Naharnet/February 05/17/Saudi State Minister for Gulf
Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan
arrived in
He was welcomed at
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - Airlines operating at
Kidanian from Iran: My visit is an opportunity to develop
tourism ties
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - Tourism Minister, Owadis Kidanian, said on Sunday that his visit to Iran, in
response to the official invitation, was an opportunity to strengthen tourism
Lebanese-Iranian relations.Minister Kidanian said in a statement to the press agency of the
Islamic Republic that Iran showed through this invitation its desire to
strengthen relations with Lebanon, namely in the tourism sector. Kidanian added that the two countries were in a position to
lay the foundations for an excellent relation, noting that his ministry was
preparing to launch projects to encourage Arab and Iranian tourists to visit
PSP Sources: FPM Wants to Eliminate
'Historic Pro-Jumblat Christian Representation'
Naharnet/February 05/17/The Free Patriotic Movement
alliance with the Lebanese Forces is targeted against “Christian leaders such
as Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel,
Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh,
MP Butros Harb and other
independent Christians,” Progressive Socialist Party sources have said.
“Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil
told the four-party committee (discussing the electoral law) that he is willing
to be lenient with (PSP leader Walid) Jumblat regarding the Druze seats but that it is out of the
question for his bloc to comprise any Christian MPs,” the sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Sunday. “The FPM
is disregarding the fact that there is a historic pro-Jumblat
Christian representation in
Fayyad: Ideal Solution is Law Fully Based
on Proportional Representation, Large Electorates
Naharnet/February 05/17/Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad
announced Sunday that “the ideal, simplest and least complicated solution” for
approving a new electoral law would be endorsing an electoral system fully
based on proportional representation in large electoral districts. “Any debate
on the electoral law that strays away from full proportional representation
will run into the obstacles of selectivity and arbitrary and non-unified
standards,” Fayyad, who is a member of a four-party panel debating a new
electoral law, warned. “The ideal, simplest and least complicated solution for
passing an electoral law based on clear and understandable standards and on
simple formulas that can be grasped by ordinary citizens, politicians and
candidates would be resorting to a law fully based on proportional
representation and large electorates,” Fayyad added. “Accordingly, when we call
for this, no one can accuse us that we are thinking or behaving according to a
partisan or sectarian approach,” the MP went on to say. While al-Mustaqbal Movement has rejected that the electoral law be
fully based on proportional representation, arguing that Hizbullah's
arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, Druze leader
MP Walid Jumblat has
totally rejected proportional representation, even within a hybrid law, warning
that it would “marginalize” the minority Druze community. Hizbullah,
Mustaqbal, the Free Patriotic Movement, AMAL Movement
and the Lebanese Forces are meanwhile discussing several formats of a so-called
hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the
winner-takes-all system. The country has not organized parliamentary elections
since 2009 and the legislature has instead twice extended its own mandate. The
last polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the
next vote is scheduled for May.
Marouni: Kataeb Party is capable of
partaking in elections, ready for alliances
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - MP Elie Marouni
said, on Sunday, that "the Kataeb Party is fully
capable of participating in the elections," expressing readiness for
alliances and for any electoral law that ensures proper representation.
Speaking in an interview to "New TV" Channel, Marouni
indicated that "We have entered the final stage of deadlines during which
the Interior Minister calls on electorate bodies," expressing dismay at
having to race against time to pass an electoral law. "We see nothing on
the Cabinet's work agenda but travels to conferences, with no items related to
the interests of the Lebanese people, and the sessions are only being held to
increase the burdens on the State treasury," he added. "We will continue
to struggle and communicate with all allies and friends who reject the 1960's
Law until May 20th; however, if we were faced with a choice between boycott or
partaking on basis of the 60's Law, we are with participation," stressed Marouni.
Clash in Tripoli following tearingup of Rifi's picture
posters
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - A dispute occurred on Sunday evening in the area of Zahrieh in Tripoli in wake of tearing-up picture posters of
former Minister General Ashraf Rifi,
which led to the injury of one person and the smashing of windows of several
shops, NNA correspondent reported.Army units arrived
immediately at the scene and ran intensive patrols within the vicinity to
contain the situation.
Aoun contacts Berri
Sun 05 Feb 2017 /NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun,
contacted on Sunday House Speaker, Nabih Berri, to ask about his health situation following the
surgery he underwent today. The President wished the Speaker a speedy recovery.
Hariri visits Berri at Clemenceau Center to check on his
health
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Hariri,
visited on Sunday House Speaker, Nabih Berri, at Clemenceau Medical Center, in order to check on
his health condition following the successful surgery he underwent.
Hajj Hassan: We are open to relativity
being the most suitable
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - Industry Minister, Hussein Hajj Hassan, expressed, on
Sunday, openness towards the relativity law being the fittest; however, he
indicated that discussions are being held with all forces in the country in
order to reach an electoral law. "A political dispute exists over the
election law, and we have reiterated the need for a constitutional and fair
law, one that ensures proper representation, unified standards and complies
with the National Accord and Lebanese Constitution," said Hajj Hassan.
Speaking during a memorial ceremony in the town of
Richard: Citizenship a base for democracy
Sun 05 Feb 2017/NNA - The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative Program
(MEPI) organized on Sunday under the patronage of the Bureau of Near Eastern
Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) a symposium titled "
Associations are stronger together" in presence of U.S. Ambassador to
Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard. The American diplomat noted that this symposium
reflected the diversity in Lebanese society and made citizens more committed to
strengthening democracy and prosperity in
In Syria, Hezbollah’s war veterans dig
in for the long haul
Nicholas Blanford/The Arab Weekly/February 05/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/02/05/nicholas-blanfordthe-arab-weekly-in-syria-hezbollahs-war-veterans-dig-in-for-the-long-haul/
Beirut - As the Syrian war gradually shifts from the battlefield to the negotiating
table, Lebanon’s Hezbollah could soon begin concentrating greater efforts on
post-war plans to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.
Hezbollah has played a key role in defending the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, forming the sharp end of the Iran-mobilised Shia paramilitary forces drawn from
Despite frequent speculation in the media and calls from the Syrian opposition,
and recently Turkey, for Hezbollah to pull out of Syria, there is little chance
that the Party of God plans to withdraw any time soon.
“We will remain in
“Because
The Syrian Army announced on January 29th that the area had returned to
state control after troops entered the water pumping station that had been in
rebel hands since 2012.
Wadi Barada is also
important for Hezbollah due to its proximity to the Lebanese border.
A hallmark of Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria has been to establish
control over Lebanon’s north-eastern and eastern border with Syria to protect
key arms supply routes and also Shia-populated
villages in the Bekaa Valley from attacks by Sunni
jihadists infiltrating from Syria.
On the Syrian side of the border, Hezbollah led offensives in 2014 and
2015 to secure the Qalamoun area, which lies between
The party has also turned Qusayr, a town 8km
north of the border that it seized in June 2013, into a major military base.
Its Sunni population fled during the battle and is not expected to return.
“I don’t think I can go back. The regime’s doing ethnic cleansing,” said Khallaf al-Khaled, a farmer from Qusayr living in a refugee camp in
On the Lebanese side, over the last two years Hezbollah has built dozens
of hilltop outposts in the barren mountains. Some are substantial permanent strongpoints with fortified bunkers and artillery
emplacements.
Most are concentrated south of Arsal, a Sunni
town in the north-east Bekaa region, where they serve
as a bulwark against jihadists of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and the Islamic State holed up in mountains
and valleys to the east.
Hezbollah has also built new graded tracks to connect the outposts in
this desolate area. At least two new tracks, wide enough to carry trucks, cross
the border, potentially allowing Hezbollah fighters to deploy east into
The other area of
Two years ago, Hezbollah and
An Iranian general and a top Hezbollah commander were among six people
killed near Quneitra, capital of the Golan, in a
January 2015 Israeli drone strike. Sources close to Hezbollah said the
commander was inspecting the new facilities when they were attacked.
The war in
“Hezbollah is too small a name for what we’ve become,” bragged a veteran
Hezbollah fighter who has served several tours in
*Nicholas Blanford is the author of Warriors of
God: Inside Hezbollah’s Thirty-Year Struggle Against
Israel (Random House 2011). He lives in
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 05-06/17
Bernie Sanders on Trump:
‘This guy is a fraud’
Dylan Stableford/Yahho news/February
05/17/Bernie Sanders says he was willing to give President Trump the benefit of
the doubt when it came to taking on Wall Street — one issue both populist
candidates were in agreement on during the 2016 campaign. But the
Thousands Protest in U.S., Europe over
Trump Travel Ban
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February
05/17/From London and Paris to New York and Washington, thousands of people
took to the streets Saturday in American and European cities to protest U.S.
President Donald Trump's travel ban amid a fierce legal battle over the order.
The biggest demonstration by far took place in the British capital, where an
estimated 10,000 people turned out, chanting "Theresa May: Shame on You"
to denounce the British prime minister's support for the new
Dump Trump
About 3,000 people demonstrated in
Anti-Trump petition
In Britain, more than 1.8 million people have signed a petition saying Trump
should not be afforded a formal state visit because it would embarrass Queen
Elizabeth II.
"We're going to bring this capital to a halt on the day he comes over. We
are going to make it impossible for him to have a state visit," Chris Nineham, vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition, told
AFP. The Guardian newspaper said around 10,000 people attended the
Middle East travelers rush to take
advantage of Trump setback
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 4 February
2017/Citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries who were banned from the United
States by President Donald Trump can resume boarding US-bound flightsafter a Seattle judge blocked his executive order.
A source from the US State Department confirmed to Al Arabiya
that individuals with visas that were not physically cancelled may now travel
if the visa is otherwise valid. "The Department of Justice informed us of
the
Court denies Trump request to immediately
restore travel ban
WASHINGTON (AP) February 5, 2017— A federal appeals court denied early Sunday
the Justice Department's request for an immediate reinstatement of President
Donald Trump's ban on accepting certain travelers and all refugees.
The Trump administration appealed a temporary order restraining the ban
nationwide, saying late Saturday night that the federal judge in
Now the higher court's denial of an immediate stay means the legal battles over
the ban will continue for days at least. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
in
Acting Solicitor General Noel Francisco forcefully argued Saturday night that the
president alone has the power to decide who can enter or stay in the
"The power to expel or exclude aliens is a fundamental sovereign
attribute, delegated by Congress to the executive branch of government and
largely immune from judicial control," the brief says.
Earlier Saturday, the government officially suspended the ban's enforcement in
compliance with order of the order of U.S. District Judge James Robart. It marks an extraordinary setback for the new
president, who only a week ago acted to suspend
Trump, meanwhile, mocked Robart, who was appointed by
President George W. Bush, calling him a "so-called judge" whose "ridiculous" ruling "will be
overturned."
"Because the ban was lifted by a judge, many very bad and dangerous people
may be pouring into our country. A terrible decision," he tweeted.
Trump's direct attack recalled his diatribes during the campaign against the
federal judge of Mexican heritage who oversaw lawsuits alleging fraud by
But the government's brief repeatedly asserts that presidential authority
cannot be questioned by judges once the nation's security is invoked.
Congress "vests complete discretion in the President" to impose
conditions on alien entry, so Trump isn't legally required to justify such
decisions, it says. His executive order said the ban is necessary for
"protecting against terrorism," and that "is sufficient to end
the matter."
The Justice Department asked that the federal judge's order be stayed pending
resolution of the appeal, so that the ban can "ensure that those approved
for admission do not intend to harm Americans and that they have no ties to
terrorism."
The order had caused unending confusion for many foreigners trying to reach the
"We'll win," Trump told reporters Saturday night. "For the
safety of the country, we'll win."
The State Department, after initially saying that as many as 60,000 foreigners
from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen had their visas canceled, reversed course on Saturday and said they could
travel to the U.S. if they had a valid visa.
The department on Saturday advised refugee aid agencies that refugees set to
travel before Trump signed his order will now be allowed in. A State Department
official said in an email obtained by The Associated Press that the government
was "focusing on booking refugee travel" through Feb. 17 and working
to have arrivals resume as soon as Monday.
The Homeland Security Department no longer was directing airlines to prevent
visa-holders affected by Trump's order from boarding U.S.-bound planes. The
agency said it had "suspended any and all actions" related to putting
in place Trump's order.
Hearings have also been held in court challenges nationwide.
In his written order Friday, Robart said it's not the
court's job to "create policy or judge the wisdom of any particular policy
promoted by the other two branches," but rather, to make sure that an
action taken by the government "comports with our country's laws."
The Justice Department countered that "judicial second-guessing of the
President's national security determination in itself
imposes substantial harm on the federal government and the nation at
large."
Robart's order also imposes harm on
Netanyahu to meet British PM to build
new European support front
Ynetnews 05 February/17/he meeting with Theresa May
is expected to focus on British domestic and international support for
Turkey detains some 400 ISIS suspects in
nationwide raids
AFP, Istanbul Sunday, 5 February 2017/Turkish police on Sunday detained around
400 suspected members of ISIS in nationwide raids, including foreigners and
those suspected of planning attacks, reports said.The
operation around the country saw 150 suspects detained in Sanliurfa
in the southeast, 60 in the capital Ankara as well as dozens more arrests in
provinces ranging from Bursa in the west to Bingol in
the east, the Dogan and Anadolu
news agencies reported.
NATO Starts Anti-IS Bomb Training in
Iraq
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February
05/17/NATO has begun training Iraqi soldiers on how to neutralize bombs planted
by the Islamic State jihadist group, the alliance said Sunday, expanding a
program already in place in neighboring Jordan. About
thirty soldiers are taking part in the first five-week course on countering the
deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Since
last month, NATO advisers in
Syrian army chips away at IS on several
fronts
Beirut (AFP)/February 05/17/ - Syrian troops and allied militia on Sunday
chipped away at territory held by Islamic State jihadists on several fronts
across the country, state media and a monitoring group said.Forces
loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have doubled down
against IS in Syria's fractured north, as well as near Damascus and the ancient
city of Palmyra. On Sunday, regime forces edged closer to the town of
Anti-IS Syria Force Launches New Phase in Raqa Campaign
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February
05/17/US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters announced on Saturday a new phase in
their campaign for the Islamic State group's Syrian stronghold of Raqa, but said they needed more weapons to win. The Syrian
Democratic Forces launched their campaign to capture the city last November and
have taken some ground further up the
"There has been a delay in the arrival of weapons we need, but the
support will be increased in the next phases," she said. Felat could give no timeline for when the SDF would reach
the outskirts of Raqa, but said: "In this phase,
we will get closer." Of the roughly 30,000 fighters within the alliance,
around two-thirds belong to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which
Bomb Blast in
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February
05/17/A bomb exploded on a main street near the Bahraini capital Sunday,
causing no casualties in what the government described as a
"terrorist" act. "Terrorist bombing on
[AFP]/AFPFeb 5, 2017/Tehran (AFP) -
Iran Regime's IRGC Affilliated
Iraqi Militia Force (PMU), Provides Weapons for ISIS
Sunday, 05 February 2017/NCRI - The Governor General of Salahuddin
Province of Iraq, Ahmed al-Jubouri on Saturday
February 4th 2017 in a statement disclosed that Hashad
al-Shaabi militias affiliated with the Iranian regime
provide weapons and military ammunitions for ISIS.The
statement reads:"the released documents and
confessions reveal that one of the commanders of Brigade 51 affiliated with Hashad al-Shaabi (PMU) smuggles
arms to ISIS. Not only did Hashad al-Shaabi group provide food for
Arab Countries Warn Over Iranian Regime's
Interference
NCRI/Sunday, 05 February 2017/On February 4th 2017, Asharq
al-Awsat News reported that a meeting was held
between ministers from four Arab countries of Bahrain, Egypt, UAE, Saudi
Arabia, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League. The representatives of
the four countries expressed deep concern over the continuing interference of
the Iranian regime in the affairs of the Arabic countries. This interference
has disrupted stability and security of the region. It has also caused no
possibility of trust between the Arabic countries and the Iranian regime. The
Arab committee is also worried about the Iranian regime's meddling in
NCRI/Sunday, 05 February 2017 /The German Foreign Minister stipulated that
Sigmar Gabriel said: "The ballistic missile
tests carried out by the Iranian regime clearly violate international
resolutions; however, these sanctions will have no effect on the nuclear deal
signed with
Hassan Rouhani Did Not Attend the Meeting of the
Expediency Discernment Council Chaired by Movahedi Kermani
NCRI / Sunday, 05 February 2017/The first meeting of the Expediency Discernment
was held after Rafsanjani's death with Khamenei's permission and it was chaired by Movahedi Kermani. The reports
indicate that the Heads of the Judiciary and Parliament of Iran attended the
meeting but the Hassan Rouhani was not willing to
participate. The Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council stated:"no decision has been made regarding the change
of regulations. The Council is waiting for Khamenei's
new order to appoint the members and officials.” The head of Expediency
Discernment Council after Rafsanjani's death,
Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani
was formerly the representative of Khamenei in the
Revolutionary Guards until 2005. In 2012, he was assigned as the leader of
NCRI/Sunday, 05 February 2017 / The criminal judiciary
of the clerical regime in the Lorestan province
sentenced a man and a woman to barbaric punishment of stoning (Kashkan state website, February 4, 2017). In another incident,Yoiusef Parvaneh, a 70 year old prisoner, has been transferred from
Karaj Ghezel Hessar prison
to Orumiyeh Central prison for carrying out the
inhumane amputation of his fingers. His alleged charge is theft in 2009. Since
the plaintiff in the case is a criminal revolutionary guard, the regime’s
judiciary ignored the appeal of this prisoner and intends to carry out the sentence.The judiciary of the regime has sentenced two
brothers in Yazd, in addition to life imprisonment, to flogging and hand
amputation. (state run Mizan
news agency, January 17, 2017). Also a young woman in
Dozens killed as heavy snow hits
Sun 05 Feb 2017/Agencis/NNA - Dozens of people in
In the
The avalanche struck a village of 25 houses, but evacuation operations were
delayed by the weather, Chitral Deputy Commissioner Shahab Hameed Yousafzai.
"There is no way to rush the injured persons to Chitral
hospital because all roads in the valley have been blocked due to heavy
snowfall," he said. In a separate incident in the Chitral
region, a government rescue worker was killed when an avalanche struck a check
post near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the commanding officer told Reuters.
The snow wreaked havoc on major roads in Afghanistan, including the
Kabul-Kandahar Highway, where police and soldiers had to rescue around 250 cars
and buses trapped by the storm, said Jawid Salangi, a spokesman for Ghazni
province, where as much as two meters of new snow was reported.
"Fortunately we arrived on time and there is not a single casualty,"
he said, noting that officials expected the road to reopen quickly. The Salang pass north of Kabul was also closed under as much as
two and a half meters of snow, according to police general Rajab Salangi, who oversees the area. "It will remain
blocked until the snow is cleared from the main road, facilities are provided
and it is safe to travel," he said.-------Reuters
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan defense ministers discuss bilateral ties
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 6 February
2017/Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
al-Saud received Pakistan’s Minister of Defense Khawaja Mohammed Asif in Riyadh
on Sunday.Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
who is also the kingdom’s second deputy premier and minister of defense, discussed means to enhance bilateral relations
with his Pakistani defense counterpart.The
domain of defense cooperation, in addition to efforts
exerted by the two countries relating to combat of terrorism, were the focus of
discussion in Riyadh. “Both sides underscored the significance of continuity in
developing these relations to best serve their mutual interests,” a statement
from the Saudi Press Agency read.
Saudi warship reaches Jeddah base
following Houthi attack
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 5 February
2017/Saudi Arabia’s navy warship ‘Al-Madinah’ has
docked at the King Faisal Naval Base of the Western fleet in Jeddah after a
terror attack last week by Houthi militias, while on
patrolling duties monitoring the southern Red Sea. The frigate managed to reach
Jeddah on schedule, without any delay after the Houthi
attack. Upon docking, it was received by General Abdurrahman bin Saleh Al-Bunyan, Chief of the General Staff, General
Abdullah bin Sultan Al-Sultan, Commander of Royal Saudi Navy Forces, Commander
of the Western region, and a number of senior naval officers of the Western
Fleet. General Al-Bunyan received the warship’s crew of officers and
non-commissioned officers and conveyed to them the greetings, thanks and
appreciation of the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
bin Abdulaziz, who is also Second Deputy Premier and
Minister of Defense, for their bravery and courage
where they were able to deal with the attack appropriately. General Al-Bunyan
was also briefed by the frigate’s Commander on the attack and how it was
countered by crew members and their application of all safety measures, which
enable the controlling of the fire in a short time. On his part, the warship's
Commander explained that the frigate ‘Al-Madinah’ was
not affected by this attack and continued to patrol and monitor in the area of
operations and that the frigate's stern was slightly damaged due to the
collision of the Houthi terrorist boat.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 05-06/17
Syria’s Christians
Concerned about Post-War Existence الأخطار
الوجودية
التي تقلق
المسيحيين في
سوريا بعد
انتهاء الحرب
Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/February 05/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/02/05/syrias-christians-concerned-about-post-war-existence-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84/
Birut- Some of Syria’s Christians fear that their
existence in the post-war
Those Christians expressed their worries after they were ruled out from the
upcoming Geneva talks as a “Christian element,” and because the Syriac language was not included in the draft constitution
that a Russian delegation handed over to representatives of the Syrian regime
in Damascus last month to provide equality between Kurdish and Arabic language
in local administrative areas.
Also, those Christians fear that the presence of a large military arsenal in
the hands of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would be later used
to force them be part of the next federal regime in northern
Assyrian and Syriac Christians in
Director of the Assyrian Human Rights Monitor Jamil Diarbakirli explained that in
Diarbakirli told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syriac armed
factions; currently operating in northern Syria, do not work for the benefit of
the Syriac population as a Christian entity in the
Middle East because those groups follow orders of the forces financing them,
such as the SDF or the National Defense Forces
militias.
“Following the war, we will face a problem of the uncontrolled spread of arms,”
Diarbakirli warned.
Christians in northern
However, Ibrahim Ibrahim, a spokesman for a Kurdish
political party called the Democratic Union Party in Europe said those
Christian fears were the result of ideas implanted by the Baath Party to
destroy the confidence of Syrians in each other.
“Those fears are unjustified because things changed and the self-governance
guarantees the rights of all parties and therefore, would not allow any force
to violate the rights of Syriacs, Assyrians or any
other groups,” Ibrahim told Asharq Al-Awat.
Talking of Walls
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/February 05/17
“Men build too many walls and not enough bridges.”
(Joseph Fort
As the world holds its breath awaiting more shocking ‘orders’ from the new U.S.
president Donald Trump, Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani
came up, perhaps, with the most eloquent criticism on Trump’s insistence of
building a separating wall along the U.S. – Mexican border (paid for by
Mexico!)
This is a terrible irony; indeed, ironies in reading history, understanding
politics, and viewing the future and preparing ourselves to confront its
challenges.
Trump, the super-rich businessman, is imagining himself as he takes his first
steps in the world of politics, a company boss whose wishes are orders because
he or those he represents own a majority share in that company.
Then, there is Trump the president, indebted to the Religious Right that
believes the world is divided into two camps: virtuous and evil; and therefore
has to pay back extreme evangelist groups. These groups – bolstered by his
ultra conservative cabal of Breibart advisers – have
used since his election campaign scare-mongering and aggressive propaganda
against the ‘extremism’ of Muslims and the threat of a Hispanic ‘deluge’
changing the nature of America within few decades, through Mexico’s borders or
the Caribbean Sea.
Finally, there is Trump who hates America’s political ‘establishment’, and
detests entente and compromise-based approaches in handling political matters;
and is thus willing to make common cause – at least tactically, so far – with
all populist and extremist ‘anti-establishment’ forces keen to kill off
dialogue and consensus throughout Europe.
This surely is a phenomenon worth serious consideration, and is actually
causing mayhem in the
Yes, this leadership in Tehran, given its ‘achievements’ through the years
whether inside Iran or abroad with its Arab neighbors,
is the least qualified or entitled to talk about building and bringing down
‘separating walls’!
It is true that Trump’s insistence on building a wall along the U.S.A.-Mexico
borders, his ban on Muslims from seven Muslim countries to travel to the USA,
his support of dismantling the European Union, and his restriction on American
industrial corporations’ benefiting from globalization are all steps that
engender doubts and hatred with Latinos, Muslims and even Europeans; but let us
have a look at what Iran is doing.
At the moment,
Furthermore, Iran despite its enormous natural, human and cultural wealth, is
suffering from acute economic and social problems including high unemployment
and corruption, and is depriving its people of the country’s riches in order to
finance regional wars through which the Mullah’s regime ‘exports’ its internal
problems. These wars are justified either as a defensive war against foreign
aggression pushing the regime to fight in Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut and Sana’a
in order not fight in Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz and Tabriz; or as a sign of
Iran’s rising power that has led its IRGC to boast that Iran is now a world
power capable of confronting and defeating any aggressor, and is in full
control of the previously mentioned Arab capitals.
Thus, walls and borders are a problem in
Add to the above,
Those Arabs who refused to support or endorse Saddam Hussein, were then willing
even to ignore Tehran’s loud slogans about ‘exporting the revolution’ as well
as the sectarian activities of the Iraqi Shi’i Da’wa party. Their reasoning being that starting new
animosities based on old gone sensitivities was a dangerous path; and a step
that leads to unearthing old grudges and creating new hatred and endless
strife.
Still,
Today, if Qassem Soleimani’s
IRGC, his Iraq ‘Popular Mobilization Forces’ and Hezbollah militias have indeed
succeeded in abolishing the official boundaries of the post-‘Sykes-Picot’
entities in Iraq and Greater Syria, they have also built on the grounds of
fears and grudges blood-stained walls separating the communities of these
entities.
Last, but not least, let’s not forget
Actually, animosities must not be the destiny of the Arab region. Building
walls is not a solution; while bringing down state border in order to impose
regional hegemony is a sure way to destroy all opportunities for peace.
The
The Donald Trump experiment is still in its early days, and is expected to be
corrected one day, albeit with a high cost; but we must learn the lesson.
Iran on ‘Official Notice’
Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al Awsat/February
05/17
In reaction to the test-firing of a missile earlier this week, the United
States administration has directed a serious warning to Iran. President Donald
Trump’s office said it was “officially putting
Empowered by the U.S. House of Representatives, Trump said that nothing is “off
the table.”
Taking note of such a decisive attitude against
Each of the
All the more,
A description fitting what happens when
Matters are different now, Obama’s delusional hopes have been cleared,
Surely
Noticeably,
Iran cannot fathom that the rules of the game have been changed, so have the
circumstances, particularly after Iran getting its hand dirty with the blood of
some half a million Syrians, not to mention its mischief played in Iraq,
Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen.
We stand before a new stage. In light of talks on
This new stage means the turning over of Obama’s page filled with hesitancy and
weakness. It is the start of Trump’s resolute times, in which a man rather
rises up to a confrontation, which can cost
Syria’s safe zones and draft constitution
Ali al-Amin/The Arab Weekly/February 05/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/02/05/ali-al-aminthe-arab-weekly-syrias-safe-zones-and-draft-constitution/
Safe zones and a draft constitution in Syria are major projects that have
emerged from collaboration between the new US administration and a Russian
leadership riding high on its strategic victories in Syria.
The Syrian crisis is 6 years old. It started as a revolt against
dictatorship but turned into a proxy war between regional powers.
Desirous of not being sidelined,
Analyses in the
The first zone would extend from Latakia on the
Mediterranean to
Soon after the
For US President Donald Trump, establishing safe zones is in the
Americans’ interest because they would serve to dam the migration waves towards
the
The
Like its predecessor, the Trump administration says there is no need for
the
Both countries agree on fundamental principles: fighting Islamic
organisations classified as terrorist, especially the Islamic State,
guaranteeing
The Obama administration was lenient with the Shia
Islamic movements in the
The meetings between Russian and US interests in
However, both countries have become in possession of most of the cards in
the Syrian game while the other regional players,
Among the strongest cards in the hands of
The safe zones and draft constitution projects will dominate the
settlement process in
Ali al-Amin is a Lebanese writer.
The West's Real Bigotry: Rejecting
Persecuted Christians
التعصب
الحقيقي في
الغرب يكمن في
رفض المسيحيين
المضطهدين
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone
Institute/February 05/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/02/05/uzay-bulutgatestone-institute-the-wests-real-bigotry-rejecting-persecuted-christians/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9888/persecuted-christians
"Unfortunately, the West has rejected the idea of solidarity with the
Christians of the Middle East, prioritizing diplomacy based on oil interests
and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Thus, the United States, Britain, and France
have largely ignored the persecutions of the Christians of Iraq, Lebanon,
Egypt, and Sudan, while rushing to save the oil-rich Muslim states of Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait..." — Hannibal Travis, Professor of Law, 2006.
Indigenous Christians in Iraq and Syria have not only been exposed to genocide
at the hands of the Islamic State and other Islamist groups, but also their
applications for immigration to Western countries have been put on the
back-burner by, shamefully but not surprisingly, the UN.
When one brings up the issue of Western states taking in Muslim migrants from
Syria and Iraq without vetting them for jihadist ties, while leaving behind the
Christian and Yazidi victims of jihadists, one is
accused of being "bigoted" or "racist". But the real
bigotry is abandoning the persecuted and benign Middle Eastern Christians and Yazidis, the main victims of the ongoing genocides in
The German government is also rejecting applications for asylum of Christian
refugees and deporting them unfairly, according to a German pastor.
Nearly a third of the respondents said that most of the discrimination and
violence came mostly from refugee camp guards of Muslim descent.
It is high time that not only the
Finally, after years of apathy and inaction,
Christians and Yazidis are being exposed to genocide
at the hands of ISIS and other Islamist groups, who have engaged in a massive
campaign to enslave the remnant non-Muslim minorities and to destroy their
cultural heritage.
The scholar Hannibal Travis wrote in 2006: "Unfortunately, the West has
rejected the idea of solidarity with the Christians of the
Then, the so-called liberals in the West -- and even Christians -- started
pushing back against the move.
Indigenous Christians in Iraq and Syria have not only been exposed to genocide
at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS) and other Islamist groups but also
their applications for immigration to Western countries have been put on the
back burner by, shamefully but not surprisingly, the UN.
A group of Armenians from
"They live in hard conditions. The UN could not schedule any appointment
for immigration application before 2022. They don't know how they can live in
these conditions for 7 years. The only thing they want is to meet with their relatives."
Yozgat, one of the Anatolian cities where Armenians
were exposed to the most horrific murders and exile at the hands of Muslims
during the 1915 genocide, is where Armenians find themselves again, this time
struggling to survive in the midst of unemployment, poverty, harassment,
intolerance, and illness.
Şant Garabedyan, 23,
said that no jobs are given to Christians: "I have been in Yozgat for two months. We are eight people in the same
house.... Nobody hires me, because I am a Christian. My wife is Chaldean and
doesn't wear her pectoral cross because she is afraid."
Alis Şalcıyan
said that they left
"We have been here for a year. Back in
Ğazar Setrakyan said
that they left
Lusin Sarkisyan said that
her son, who had worked for Americans in
Sarkisyan added that the UN officials scheduled an
appointment for an immigration application for 2018. "I do not know what
we are going to do until then."
Even when European states take in Christian refugees, they fail to protect them
from the attacks of Muslims in refugee housing facilities.
According to the findings of a survey from the Christian advocacy group Open
Doors USA, refugees of Christian and Yazidi descent
who fled persecution in places like
Since February 2016, nearly 800 Christians and Yazidi
refugees were attacked by others at the relief centers and camps, according to
a report entitled, "Lack of protection for religious minorities in
"When questioned about the nature of the attacks, assault was named most
often, followed by death threats, either directed directly at the Christian
refugees or their family in
"44 people indicated that they had been victims of sexual assaults. Other
forms of persecution include insults, general threats, and physical attacks
that had not been defined as an assault. 11% of those questioned felt
intimidated by loud music/prayers."
Representatives of the NGO Open Doors, along with other NGOs, held a press
conference in May 2016 to present an earlier report: "Religiously
Motivated Attacks on Christian Refugees in
According to the testimony of a male refugee from
"They wanted me to convert back to Islam. The manager of the facility said
that he is helpless and cannot protect me. As I feared for my life, I then
reported it to a social worker who then wrote a report. The death threats
increased. The interpreter tried to trivialize the threats and conceal them
from the social welfare department. The department instructed the facility
management to make more of an effort to ensure my safety. They were incapable
of doing so and therefore I was moved into other accommodation."
"Muslims said," a refugee from
A female refugee from
Yazidis, who are a persecuted and indigenous
religious minority in the
"Of the 10 Yezidi refugees three of them
received death threats, two experienced sexual harassment and five suffered
other forms of persecution; six reported that these occurrences took place
numerous times. In three cases the perpetrators were fellow refugees and in
three further cases the security staffs' relatives were the perpetrators. Five
of the victims did not report anything because they deemed it useless."
Staff members in the refugee facilities are also involved in the
discrimination. Nearly a third of the respondents said that most of the
discrimination and violence came mostly from refugee-center guards of Muslim
descent. According to the report:
"In the case of conflict, a large amount of the Muslim staff show their
solidarity towards fellow Muslims, obstruct or trivialize the complaints.
Interpreters influence the outcome of the asylum procedures in an unlawful way
and sometimes they are even actively involved in the discrimination inside the
facilities."
A Christian from
"The security service staff are all Arabs and
they only help the Arabs," said a Christian from
Only in the rarest cases would the aggrieved actually file a complaint (17% /
129 people) to the police, according to the report.
"If you include the reports and complaints presented to the facility management,
then only 28% (213) sought the protection of the German authorities. 54% of
those questioned (399) gave specific reasons for not filing any complaints: 48%
of them were afraid, especially for fear of repeated
attacks or that the situation would even get worse (36%). Other reasons were
that there were no safe opportunities to contact or communicate with the police
or the respective authorities because of language barriers (14%) and the
impression that the report would be pointless anyhow."
In other European states -- including
The German government is also rejecting applications for asylum of Christian
refugees and deporting them unfairly, according to a German pastor.
Dr. Gottfried Martens, a pastor at
Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of
"The egoism and the interests slavishly defended by your governments will
in the end kill you, as well. Open your eyes. Didn't you see what happened
recently in
Apparently, they did not. They still seem to live in denial. According to the
When one brings up the issue of Western states taking in Muslim migrants from
Syria and Iraq without vetting them for jihadist ties, while leaving behind the
Christian and Yazidi victims of jihadists, one is
accused of being "bigoted" or "racist". But the real
bigotry is abandoning the persecuted and benign Middle Eastern Christians and Yazidis, the main victims of the ongoing genocides in
It is true that Shia Muslims and even some Sunni
Muslims -- particularly secular, non-observant or moderate ones -- are also
threatened by the Islamic State. But
Helping religious minorities in the Muslim world is not just a humanitarian
issue, but also a political issue of vital importance to the West. Some people
might think that the
But if the West continues turning a blind eye to the Islamic radicalization of
the Middle East and
As long as Islamists keep winning "victories" across nations and as
long as Christians and other non-Muslims continue to be exterminated, Islamists
will gain more power and courage to expand to
Radical Islamic ideology never stops where it takes over. It is a genocidal, imperialistic and colonialist ideology. It aims
to murder or subjugate all non-Muslims under its rule. Islamic jihad started in
the 7th century, in the
It seems that one of the most effective ways to stop this pattern is to support
Christians and other non-Muslims in the
Western countries should welcome Christians and Yazidis
-- the main targets of genocide -- to the West immediately,
and also consider ways to empower them in their native lands, such as by
creating safe havens for them. It is high time that not only the
*Uzay Bulut, a journalist
born and raised a Muslim in
© 2017 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.
"If You Love Jesus,
Then Die Like Jesus!"/Muslim Persecution of Christians, November 2016
by Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February 05/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9875/muslim-persecution-christians-november
"They [ISIS] cut his stomach open and shot him before leaving him hanging,
crucified."
One Iraqi Christian man from Qaraqosh, who survived
"Here, where we have been accommodated presently, we are exposed to the
same kinds of threats as before, this time at the hand of Afghan Muslims, and
we fear for our lives... The Afghan refugees... call us Iranian Christians
'apostates' and 'infidels' because of our decision to leave Islam and consider
the shedding of our blood as legitimate (or even necessary)." — Iranian refugee,
"I said... 'I'm in
Reports of Christian life under the Islamic State (ISIS) continued throughout
November. Many of these came from the ancient Christian towns surrounding
Mosul, such as Batnaya and Qaraqosh,
conquered by ISIS in August, 2014, and liberated in late October, 2016.
One Christian man, Esam, from Qaraqosh,
related what
Karlus, a 29-year-old Christian, told how
Another handful of Christians told how they "were threatened, forced to
spit on a crucifix or convert to Islam," but they "miraculously
survived more than two years under Islamic State group rule."
Ismail, another young Christian from Qaraqosh told
how he was forced at gunpoint to convert to Islam two years ago, when he was
14:
"They told me to say 'there's no God but Allah' and you'll become a
Muslim. I said, 'There's no God but Jesus' so he slapped me. I was still young.
He slapped me and pointed the gun at my head. He told my mum, 'If you don't
convert to Islam we will kill your son.'"
Before being driven out of these now-liberated Christian towns around
Those who survived ISIS, accused former U.S. President
Barack Hussein Obama of doing nothing when
The rest of the month of November's worldwide Muslim persecution of Christians
includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Muslim Attacks on (and because of) Christian Churches
Indonesia: While dressed in a T-shirt with the word "jihad"
emblazoned on it, a man named Jo Bin Muhammad firebombed a church in Samarida. As he walked by the church while in session, he
hurled a Molotov cocktail at it, setting the building on fire. A two-year-old
girl died of her burns; three other children were injured. A church member
described the incident: "Suddenly, at about 10:00 in the morning, we heard
[an] explosion from outside. People were running out using the front and back
door of the church. Women were crying and terrified. We saw four children were
burned—injured badly—while one was only lightly injured."
A separate report published in November found that Christians and other
religious minority groups in
Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Separately, a Christian pastor and eight others were killed in a suicide attack
that targeted a refugee center. The female suicide attackers were sent by the
Islamic group, Boko Haram;
they may have been among the many Nigerian girls kidnapped, raped, and
indoctrinated into believing that death in jihad is their only salvation. Aid
workers who visited these refugee camps described them: "Life has become
hell for the more than 3,000 people living here... Already people are resorting
to eating leaves. Children are dying of hunger. If nothing is done for these
people, this will lead to a huge tragedy. People cannot go home because Boko Haram is constantly
regrouping and continuing attacks."
Muslim Attacks on Christian Freedom: No to Apostasy, Blasphemy, and Evangelism
Europe: Christians, especially Muslim converts to Christianity, in refugee
camps with Muslims throughout
We, the Iranian refugees based in the city of Rotenburg,
have fled from the Islamic Republic of Iran because we have been accused of
being Christians and, therefore, have repeatedly been threatened by torture,
imprisonment and the death penalty. Here, where we have been accommodated
presently, we are exposed to the same kinds of threats as before, this time at
the hand of Afghan Muslims, and we fear for our lives... The Afghan
refugees...call us Iranian Christians 'apostates' and 'infidels' because of our
decision to leave Islam and consider the shedding of our blood as legitimate
(or even necessary).
Separately, a Kurdish church leader said he received death threats for having
left Islam for Christianity while living in camps outside the French cities of
"In
Separately in Pakistan—a nation where dozens of Islamic stations are free to
air their programs on television, including ones that glorify jihad against
"infidels"—all Christian television stations have been ordered to
shut down, despite the fact, as Christian minorities point out, that article 25
of the Pakistani constitution states "all citizens are equal before law
and are entitled to equal protection of the law." "What is the future
of church media in
"The representation of Christians in
Bob Blincoe of Frontiers USA adds, "The Islamic
doctrine is clear and incontrovertible that a person who comes to [the
Christian] faith and leaves Islam should be killed. This is not up for
discussion in Islam."
Muslim Contempt for and Abuse of Christians
Egypt: Despite the nation's constitutional guarantee at freedom of worship, all
throughout various public school districts, Christian girls who refuse to wear
the Islamic veil, or hijab, and Christians of both
genders who refuse to recite the Koran—including verses that directly
contradict the Christian faith—are being kicked out of school. Some report
being beaten before their expulsion.
Silmane Bouhafs, a
Christian man currently carrying out a three-year prison sentence in
Algeria: When mostly Christian family members wanted to bury their 70-year-old
father, also a Christian, with Christian rites—rather than Islamic death rites
in which Muslims gather in the home of the deceased, imploring Allah and
Muhammad to welcome their loved one—the village imam and other Muslims
"threatened ostracism from the rest of the village if they did not reverse
their decision, and urged the villagers to put pressure on the family,"
according to a report. The Muslim sheikh added:
"We are Muslims, and we will remain so. The funeral of our dead will be as
it always was, and we will not compromise our customs and religion. If someone
wants to bury his dead in our cemetery, he should do it according to our
traditions."
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
Muslims is growing. The report posits that such Muslim persecution is not
random but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language,
ethnicity, or location.
*Raymond Ibrahim is the author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on
Christians (published by Regnery with Gatestone Institute, April 2013).
What Turkish Islamists Understand about
'Education'
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone
Institute/February 05/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9876/turkey-education-islam
According to the 2016 findings of the Programme for International Student
Assessment, Turkey dropped from 44th spot to the 49th (out of 72 countries
surveyed), compared to the last test in 2012.
The curriculum removes, for instance, all mention of world-renowned Turkish
pianist Fazil Say from the 12th grade music class
chapter on "Music Culture", which covers
Some 31.2% of Turkish students below 15 years of age underperformed in
mathematics, sciences and reading.
As long as Turkish youths are religiously devout, Erdogan
thinks, scientific failure will not matter. Better to have a young student like
the girl in the TV interview than a thousand bright Silicon Valley-class young
innovators.
It is customary for Turkish TV crews to interview young students at the start
of their mid-term holidays, with the cliché closing question invariably being,
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" This year's school holiday
in January was no exception. One interview, however, produced a chilling
portrait of a girl, aged just 7 or 8.
"I have big goals," she answered the interviewer. "They will get
bigger and bigger. Step by step," she said. The girl said she wanted to
start by becoming a district or village head. Then a
lawmaker, a minister, prime minister and finally the president of
Up to this point, TV viewers must have watched her with amusement. Then the
reporter asked her: "What would you do if you became the president?"
In a calculated, tranquil tone, the girl answered: "I would reinstate the
death penalty".
She was merely one of the products of President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan's ambitious
social engineering project to "raise devout generations".
A proud moment in President Erdogan's educational
plans to "raise devout generations": A CNN-Turk interview with a
young schoolgirl who announces, "I would reinstate the death
penalty". (Image source: CCN-Turk video screenshot)
In 2013, then Prime Minister Erdogan's government
made it compulsory for students in fourth grade and higher to take up
"religion" classes. In religion classes, the Turkish curriculum
almost exclusively teaches the virtues of Sunni Islam, but non-Muslim and Alevi students also must attend these classes.
In 2014,
In a 2015 speech, Erdogan boasted that since his
government came to power in 2002, the number of imam school students had risen
from a mere 60,000 to 1.2 million.
In its latest "Islamist touch" on the education system,
For instance, ninth-grade students will learn the works of al-Khazini and al-Biruni on density.
In their force and motion course, they will learn
The draft, however, is not only about additions, but also about dropping the
names of unwanted characters from the curriculum. For instance, it removes all
mention of world-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say
from the 12th grade music class chapter on "Music Culture", which
covers
All that is normal in a country ruled by an Islamist leader who thinks all good belongs to the Muslim culture and all evil to the
others. In a 2014 speech at a gathering of Muslim leaders from Latin America, Erdogan claimed that Muslim sailors reached the American
continent in 1178 -- exactly 314 years before
Where do all these Islamization efforts leave
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that
the number of Turkish 15-year-olds who scored below average on the triennial
Erdogan does not mind. As long as Turks are
religiously devout, he thinks, scientific failure will not matter. Better to
have a young student like the girl in the TV interview than a thousand bright
Silicon Valley-class young innovators.
**Burak Bekdil, one of
Turkey's leading journalists, was just fired from Turkey's leading newspaper
after 29 years, for writing what was taking place in Turkey for Gatestone. He is a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The
articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of
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copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone
Institute.
Has Trump triumphed over institutions?
Yahya al-Amir/Al Arabiya/February
05/17
Things now seem to be happening through non-traditional sources, outside of
institutions that defined the traditional path. The media no longer relies on
institutions and the same applies to politics.This
new wave of transformation started with the massive explosion of technology
while the huge communication revolution has transcended any observation or
analysis. As for what the future may hold, it is unpredictable. The largest
manifestation of those cultural shifts was in a large global event: the coming
to power of Donald Trump. In fact, the political and media analysis of Trump
victory being a populist one and the alarm of racist trends across
Populist ideology and behavior came after the
dominance of traditional institutions over everything in the world. Since
Resistance against institutions. All the attacks
on Trump, during and after the elections are a form of resistance against
institutions; this resistance will last for a while but will eventually give
up. Since Trump is the most prominent example of things happening outside of
the establishment, he came from outside these political institutions that he
has long described as corrupt and narrow minded. These institutions have tried
to stand against Trump but at the end, they found him sitting in the White
House, as the President of the
The same thing happened with the media institutions that did not serve
Trump in his electoral campaign and worked to undermine it. They waged many
campaigns against him, mainly because things are happening outside of these
institutions and perhaps more effectively through social communication that
became the platform of Trump’s campaign. The campaign made a huge impact and
had a large mobilization effect that went beyond media institutions; those
institutions that the President had always described negatively saying it now
represent one opposition party and are no longer media outlets. Therefore,
the case and the challenge are not in the renewal of political institutions’
discourse or tools, but rather in re-identifying itself; the Democrats have
recently discovered this when it was already too late, this is “if” they indeed
discovered it.
Objectives and discourse
Obama was a model of the institution man who is loyal for its objectives
and discourse. He was also thinking within the box of the institution that
relies on theories, ideas and logical equations based on the inputs that
supposedly lead to certain outcomes. This has happened, for instance, when he
dealt with the Iranian nuclear issue and Arab revolutions. However, this only
engendered more mistakes and losses. These are the same means used by Hillary
Clinton in her work at the State Department and in her campaign. Even the
demonstrations that accompanied the inauguration of Trump did not have much of
an impact. These demonstrations were led and managed by institutions. They
represented the narrative of these institutions that were meant to become open
cases against Trump, starting with accusing him of racism to being anti-Muslim.
hese were just institutional
campaigns to restore its role. What the President Trump has done before and
will be doing in the future will depend on the direct search about the
importance and results as well as to protect himself.
He also wants to rid of the consequences of the errors committed by his
predecessor.
**This article is also available in Arabic.
A common vision for the US and Saudi
Arabia
Ahmad al-Farraj/Al Arabiya/February
05/17
Since the historical meeting between King Abdul Aziz and US President Franklin
D. Roosevelt, in the Great Bitter Lake in Egypt more than 70 years ago, Saudi
Arabia’s relations with the United States have been distinct despite the
successive changes in the US administrations and except for rare and temporary
occasions.
It is not true that this has been the case only because of the oil wealth
of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has been an important economic partner for the
United States as well as an important balancing power in international politics
aimed to stabilize the Middle East and replete with conflict and crisis. This
changed during President Barack Obama’s administration, which adopted a soft
policy toward the main factor behind the region’s conflicts, namely
It goes without saying that Obama drifted in his policy of appeasement
with
The security establishment
The Trump administration realizes the strength of the kingdom in this regard.
American security services have already commended the significant role played
by the Kingdom in this context. Most importantly, the two leaders discussed
revival of the joint action to counter the Iranian threat, which endangers the
entire
James Mattis believes that the nuclear
agreement is not aimed at ending the program but to temporarily disable it. He
holds the view that
This article is also available in Arabic.
Tears down the cheeks of lady liberty
Fawaz Turki/Al Arabiya/February 05/17
Refugees detained at American airports, including New York City’s JFK, in full
view of the Statue of Liberty, at whose pedestal are inscribed the iconic words
by Emma Lazarus, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning
to breathe free ...”? Is this really happening? In
Refugees by choice?
Look, refugees do not abandon home and homeland – the place where they
have anchored that immemorial intimacy human beings feel with the rock, earth
and ash of their acre – by choice. They abandon it only when propelled to do so
by that innate human drive for self-preservation. “No one leaves home,” wrote Warsan Shire, the London-based, award-winning Somali poet,
“unless home is the mouth of a shark.”The January 27
executive order has had a devastating impact not only on refugees fleeing the
listed countries, but on any foreign national whose home country does not,
under US immigration law, provide the “information needed to adjudicate any
visa, admission or other benefit” that would legalize that refugee’s status --
that is, make sure that refugee is “vetted.”
All well and good. But consider the catch-22 here
that a refugee fleeing persecution faces in this instant. Does anyone really
believe that, say, the Syrian government in
Displaced and stateless
Refugees, including displaced and stateless people, believe it or not,
have rights in international law. And the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) established in 1950,
is tasked by the international body with protecting these rights, providing
durable solutions such as return or resettlement. Meanwhile, chaos continues to
reign at JFK and other American airports. But the chaos was the least of it. It
now transpires that tens of thousands of visas (the State Department says “only
60,000”) have been revoked, not only of those held by people about to embark on
their journeys to the
The plight of Syrian refugees is, of course, the most
dire. According to UN figures released in February 2016, there are 13.5
million Syrians in “need of humanitarian assistance,” of which more than 6
million are internally displaced and over 4.8 million are refugees outside the
country. If only a fraction of these folks are granted asylum, in the