LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
January 03/17
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins17/english.january03.17.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Master, now you are dismissing
your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your
salvation
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
02/25-35/:"Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this
man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and
the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by
the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the
child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in
his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant
in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which
you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the
Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’And the
child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then
Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for
the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will
pierce your own soul too.’"
You are a priest for ever" ’accordingly Jesus has
also become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Letter to the Hebrews 07/20-28/:"This was confirmed
with an oath; for others who became priests took their office without an oath,
but this one became a priest with an oath, because of the one who said to him,
‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest for ever"
’accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were
prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood
permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all
time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make
intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high
priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above
the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices
day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this
he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high
priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came
later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 02-03/17
Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) report: Hezbollah remains
most serious conventional threat to Israel/Itamar Eichner|/Ynetnews/January 02/17
Pope Francis tells bishops to have zero tolerance for sexual abuse/By Philip Pullella/Reuters/January 02/17
Assad's Palestinian mercenaries/Dr. Edy Cohen/Israel Hayom/January 02/17
Is America at its Greatest what Trump has in Mind/David Ignatius/Washington
Post/January 02/17
Thanks to no-drama Obama, American Leadership is Gone/Richard Cohen/Washington
Post/January 02/17
And the Trade War Came/Paul Krugman/The New York
Times/January 02/17
Is Erdogan trying to wreck US-Turkey relations/Week
in Review /Al Monitor/December 31/2016
Oman’s Surprise/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq
Al-Awsat/January 02/17
Tolerance in Tunisia/Tharwa Boulifi/Gatestone
Institute/January 02/17
The Islamization of Germany in 2016/”Germany is no
longer safe./by Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/January 02/17
Let’s work together to make Saudi Vision 2030 a success/Khaled
Almaeena/Al Arabiya/January
02/17
Egypt mental health case sparks call for action, not police-arrests/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/January 02/17
Saudi privatization plans: Golden opportunity awaits foreign partnerships/Dr.
Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/January
02/17
Welcoming Oman’s participation in the Islamic coalition/Turki
Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/January
02/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on January
02-03/17
Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) report: Hezbollah remains
most serious conventional threat to Israel
Lebanese Killed in Turkey NYE Rampage to be Flown Home Monday
Aoun Bids Transfer of Lebanese Wounded in Turkey
Attack for Treatment
Mashnouq: Situation on NYE Proves Security under
Control in Lebanon
Rahi Condemns Turkey Attack
Lebanese Tweeter Arrested for Insulting Istanbul Attack Victims
Hizbullah Delegation Holds Talks with Franjieh in Bnashii
Israel Opens Fire at Lebanese Fishing Boat
Tueni: Uprising Against Corruption is Needed
Syria Army, Hizbullah Press Fight near Damascus
despite Truce
Aoun to head to Saudi Arabia next week: report
MEA plane carrying Istanbul victims arrives in Beirut
Hariri from Beirut Airport: Terrorism has no religion and we shall fight it
with our national unity
Geagea: Our fight against terrorism is long
Riachi: Law on media ethics is underway
Hasbani to check on injured in hospitals on Wednesday
Jumblatt: To address proliferation of birds on
Airport runways before it is too late
Kheir: Bushra Doueihy might arrive within 48 hours to Beirut
Pharaon: Lebanon's protection and combating terrorism
require national solidarity and political agreement
Finianos from Beirut Airport: We shall consider
Istanbul's victims to have fallen on Lebanese soil
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
January 02-03/17
Manhunt Underway After Shooting Attack at Istanbul Nightclub Kills 39
ISIS claims New Year's attack on Istanbul
Seven Saudis among other Arabs killed in Turkey nightclub attack
ISIS claims responsibility for Turkey attack
Saudi Arabia condemns Istanbul attack, stands with Turkey against terror
Hollande in Iraq to review France’s war on ISIS
Saudi Arabia: ‘War crimes’ were committed in Aleppo
Baghdad suicide car bomb blast kills 32: police
Egyptian judge facing corruption charge hangs himself
Israeli police to question Netanyahu over alleged gifts
Kuwait sentences parents to death for killing toddler
Yemen’s ousted Saleh voices anger at peace efforts
Yemeni army, resistance forces advance in Saada
Tunisia detains high-profile al-Qaeda militant
Gen. Ahmad Rahal: Iran Regime and Assad Are Main
Losers of Ceasefire in Syria
Iran: Tehran Among Five Most Dangerous Cities in the World
Iran Regime Militias Pose Serious Threat to Iraq and Security of Middle East
Iran: Hundreds of People Gathered in Front of Evin
Prison in Support of Political Prisoner Arash Sadeghi
Iran denies receiving Saudi invite for hajj talks
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on January 02-03/17
Institute for National
Security Studies (INSS) report: Hezbollah remains most serious conventional
threat to Israel
Itamar Eichner|/Ynetnews/January
02/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/02/%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d9%87-%d9%87%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d8%b7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%83%d8%a8%d8%b1-%d9%88%d8%b6%d8%b1%d8%a8%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%8a/
INSS report: Hezbollah remains most serious conventional threat to Israel
According to report, Hezbollah has rockets that can reach any range,
precision-guided missiles, attack and suicide drones, the best Russian-made air
defense systems and ground units that are training to
conquer Israeli towns and cities.
Hezbollah remains the most serious conventional threat
According to the report, submitted to President Rivlin
by INSS head Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, Hezbollah
has rockets that can reach any range, precision-guided missiles, attack and
suicide drones, the best Russian-made air defense
systems and ground units that are training to conquer Israeli towns and cities.
The INSS recommended to improve Israeli intelligence
gathering in an effort to continue reducing the transfer of advanced arms to
the terror organization and consequently reduce the chances of an
escalation.
However, the potential for the eruption of a conflict with Hamas is higher than
with Hezbollah or
Regarding
The INSS report details three significant challenges
Maj. Gen. (res.) Yadlin noted that a window of
opportunity has opened that would allow Israel to handle these challenges: The
incoming pro-Israel Trump administration in the US; Israel’s shared interests
with the pragmatic Arab nations; and adopting a bottom-up approach to dealing
with the Palestinians, in cooperation with world and regional powers.
The INSS stressed that the direct conventional threat to
On the other hand, the INSS also pointed to negative trends: The Israeli
government sticks to a policy of passivity and sanctifies the status-quo as the
country’s international status continues eroding due to the freeze in peace
talks with the Palestinians. The diplomatic freeze, economic woes, the
Palestinian leadership crisis and the mounting despair continue feeding “lone
wolf” terrorism and increasing the potential of a full-blown conflict erupting.
The report determines that continuing with the current trend, “which is
erroneously referred to as the ‘status quo,’ will reduce
“Even if it appears there isn’t a partner on the other side—neither to reach an
agreement nor to implement it—it is an important Israeli interest to stop the
gradual descent toward the negative and irreversible reality of one-state to
two peoples.”
The report’s conclusion, President Rivlins said, was
“that
Lebanese Killed in Turkey NYE Rampage to
be Flown Home Monday
The bodies of Lebanese victims who were killed in the New Year's Eve massacre
at an Istanbul nightclub, will be flown back to Lebanon on board a Middle East
aircraft on Monday, the VDL (93.3) radio said quoting sources from Lebanon's
consulate general in the Turkish city. Other wounded Lebanese civilians whose
medical condition permits their travel, will also be flown to
Aoun Bids Transfer of Lebanese Wounded in
Naharnet/January 02/17/President Michel Aoun gave instructions on Monday to facilitate the transfer
of Lebanese nationals wounded in the
Mashnouq: Situation on NYE Proves Security under
Control in Lebanon
Naharnet/January 02/17/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq reassured
Monday that security is “under control” in Lebanon, following the latest
terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Berlin and some countries in the region.“The good security situation on New Year's Eve
proves that security is under control in
Rahi Condemns Turkey Attack
Naharnet/January 02/17/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi condemned on
Monday the terror attack that targeted Turkey on New Year's eve, leaving many
killed and wounded including Lebanese victims, the National News Agency
reported. Al-Rahi prayed for a speedy recovery for
those who were wounded and injured, and patience for the families of the
victims, NNA added. The Patriarch continued and hailed the role of the Lebanese
state, mainly President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Jebran
Bassil for dispatching a private jet with a medical
team and an official delegation to
Lebanese Tweeter Arrested for Insulting
Istanbul Attack Victims
Naharnet/January 02/17/The Internal Security Forces
on Monday arrested Lebanese national Ramzi al-Qadi for writing insults on his Twitter account against the
victims of Istanbul's nightclub attack, state-run National News Agency
reported. He is being interrogated over the motives that pushed him to post the
tweets, NNA said. “They died intoxicated as they were roistering. May they go
to hell,” Qadi said in one of the tweets. He also
criticized the dispatch of a Middle East Airlines plane that carried the
families of the Lebanese victims to
Hizbullah Delegation Holds Talks with Franjieh
in Bnashii
Naharnet/January 02/17/A Hizbullah
delegation held talks Monday in Bnashii with Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh,
state-run National News Agency reported. The delegation, which comprised Hizbullah secretary-general's political aide Hussein Khalil and the head of the Liaison and Coordination Comittee Wafiq Safa, offered seasons greetings to
Franjieh, NNA said. Talks tackled "the various
issues in the Lebanese arena, especially the electoral law," the agency
added. Public Works Minister Youssef Fenianos of Marada and Franjieh's son Tony attended the meeting. Both Hizbullah and Franjieh are in favor of an electoral law based on proportional
representation.
Naharnet/January 02/17/Israeli troops opened gunfire
at a Lebanese fishing boat opposite the border area of Ras
al-Naqoura, the Army Command Orientation Directorate
said in a statement on Monday. “At 4:32 a.m., the Israeli enemy opened gunfire
at a Lebanese fishing boat inside the Lebanese regional waters opposite Ras al-Naqoura, without causing
any injuries,” said the statement. The issue is being followed up in
coordination between the army and UNIFIL troops.
Tueni: Uprising Against Corruption is Needed
Naharnet/January 02/17/State Minister for Combating
Corruption Nicolas Tueni stressed on Monday that an
“uprising” against corruption in
Syria Army, Hizbullah
Press Fight near
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
02/17/Syria's army advanced Monday as it battles to capture a rebel region that
is key to the capital's water supply, launching
strikes and artillery fire threatening a fragile nationwide truce. The
ceasefire brokered by regime ally
Four million without water
As the fighting stepped up in the area,
Talks due in Astana
The ceasefire deal, and the plan for new talks, received the unanimous backing
of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday, despite offering a competing track to
U.N.-sponsored negotiations.
Aoun to head to
The Daily Star/January 02/17/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun
will travel to
MEA plane carrying Istanbul victims
arrives in Beirut
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - The Middle East plane "Airbus 321-Flight #272"
has just landed a while ago at Beirut International Airport, carrying 44
passengers and the bodies of the 3 victims of the Istanbul attack, as well as
members of the Lebanese official delegation and families of the victims. Prime
Minister Saad Hariri and senior officials greeted the
families of the victims at the entrance to the plane, while Red Cross
ambulances gathered to transport the bodies of the martyrs and the wounded to
various
PM Hariri also went on board the plane accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil, in order to check
on the health condition of the wounded.
Hariri from
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - "Terrorism has no religion and we shall fight it
with our national unity," stressed Prime Minister, Saad
Hariri, upon arrival at
Geagea: Our fight against terrorism is long
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - "Our fight against terrorism is a long-drawn-out
war" Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, expressed his deep condolences to the families and
relatives of those who were killed and injured in
Riachi: Law on media ethics is underway
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - Minister of Information, Melhem
Riachi, disclosed, on Monday, that preparations are
underway for a law concerning media ethics and morals, in light of the need for
moral and ethical control. Riachi explained that
"there will not be any slander against anyone, for media representatives
are doing their duties," adding that "the law will be proposed to the
Parliament Council for endorsement to become binding." Riachi's
words came during an interview to "MTV" Channel this evening, where
he referred to the occurrence of certain confusion yesterday during the news
coverage, and thus, disclosed the decision "to draw the line between
objectivity and respecting privacy." "The damage is not in live
broadcast, but rather in misinformation and relaying the wrong news, which
harms public opinion," he underscored. Riachi
concluded by urging the Lebanese to "continue to live joyfully, because
this country was born to protect the culture of life, and the martyrs are
martyrs of life."
Hasbani to check on injured in hospitals on Wednesday
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - Deputy Prime Minister, Public Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani will be visiting
the wounded in the Istanbul attack in hospitals before noon on Wednesday, to
follow-up closely on their health conditions. In this context, Hasbani will begin his hospital tour by visiting
Jumblatt: To address proliferation of birds on Airport runways
before it is too late
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - "Democratic Gathering" Head, MP Walid Jumblatt, warned via
"Twitter" on Monday that "it is more than necessary to address
the issue of the proliferation of birds on the runways of
Kheir: Bushra Doueihy
might arrive within 48 hours to Beirut
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - Higher Relief Commission Secretary-General, Maj. Gen.
Mohammad Kheir, disclosed upon arrival at Beirut
International Airport a while ago that "Bushra Doueihy, daughter of MP Istphan Doueihy, might return to Beirut within the next 48 hours to
continue her medical treatment, depending on her health condition."Kheir
hoped that this tragedy would be the last ordeal witnessed by
Pharaon:
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - State Minister for Planning, Michel Pharaon,
deemed that "the protection of
Finianos from Beirut Airport: We shall consider Istanbul's
victims to have fallen on Lebanese soil
Mon 02 Jan 2017/NNA - Public Works and Transport Minister, Youssef
Finianos, disclosed that "the victims of
Istanbul's attack mean to us like all the martyrs who fell during terrorist
operations in Lebanon, and shall be considered to have fallen on Lebanese.
Speaking upon arrival at
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 02-03/17
Manhunt Underway After
Shooting Attack at Istanbul Nightclub Kills 39
By MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN, DAVID CAPLAN and DEAN SCHABNER/ABC
News'/January 02/17/
A manhunt is underway in Turkey after a gunman went on a rampage in a crowded
Istanbul nightclub during New Year's Eve celebrations early Sunday morning,
killed at least 39 people and injured at least 69 more, according to Turkish
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
The popular Reina club had attracted a diverse crowd of between 400 and 500
patrons from foreign countries as well as
Turkish police said one gunman perpetrated the violence. Later, they released
on social media photos of men whom they said were the
The gunman armed with what authorities described as a long-barreled
weapon killed a policeman and a civilian outside of the club before
"[raining] bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent
people" inside the club, according to Visip Sahin, the governor of
Twenty-four of the 39 killed were foreign nationals, according to
Among the nearly 70 people injured was a small business owner from
The
Of the 69 people who were injured, four were hospitalized in serious condition,
according to Soylu, who described the attack as
"inhuman."
"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," Soylu
said.
At a press conference Sunday, Soylu said the
assailant arrived wearing a jacket and pants, and is believed to have left
wearing different clothing.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said in a statement Sunday, "I vehemently
condemn the terror attack ... Turkey continues its combat against terror and is
absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its
citizens' safety and peace."
The
"The president was briefed by his National Security Team on the attack in
Mark Toner, America's State Department's deputy spokesman said in a statement,
"The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a nightclub
in Istanbul, Turkey ... We will remain in close touch with Turkish authorities
throughout the investigation ... We stand in solidarity with our NATO Ally
Turkey in combating the ongoing threat of terrorism."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose complex relationship with Turkey was
further complicated in December after a Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot
dead today by a lone gunman fired at him at a photo exhibition in Ankara,
Turkey's capital in a widely-seen, on-camera attack, sent Erdogan
a telegram of condolences, according to the Kremlin, writing, "It is hard
to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year
celebrations. However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is
to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.
Among the incidents in the country were a suicide attack at a wedding this
August and coordinated shootings and bombings of
**ABC News' Darren Reynolds, Devin Villacis, Engin Bas, Benjamin Gittleson,
Troy McMullen and the Associated Press contributed to this report.7
ISIS claims New Year's attack on Istanbul
Associated Press |Published: 02.01.17
The terror group says attack carried out by 'heroic soldier of the caliphate
who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their
pagan feast'; Turkish authorities believe gunman, who is still at large, comes
from either Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.
ISTANBUL - The Islamic State group (ISIS) on Monday claimed responsibility for
the New Year's attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people and
wounded scores of others, including Israeli citizens. The ISIS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the attack was carried by a heroic
soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famo
It said the man opened fire from an automatic rifle in "revenge for God's
religion and in response to the orders" of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The group described
Earlier, Turkish media reports had said that Turkish authorities believed ISIS
was behind the attack and that the gunman, who is still at large, comes from a
Central Asian nation and is likely to be either from
Police distributed a hazy black-and-white photo of the alleged attacker taken
from security footage.
According to Hurriyet and Karar
newspapers, police had also established similarities with the high-casualty
suicide bomb and gun attack at
The gunman killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early
hours of 2017 before entering and firing at an estimated 600 people partying
inside with an automatic rifle.
Nearly two-thirds of the dead in the upscale club, which is frequented by local
celebrities, were foreigners,
The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in
In December, ISIS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two
Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to "conquer"
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by "taking advantage
of the chaos" that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the
waters of the
Seven Saudis among other Arabs killed
in
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 1 January
2017/A source in
One Kuwaiti was killed while five were injured, Al Arabiya's
correspondent reported. Tunisian foreign ministry also announced that two of
their citizens were among the killed while Lebanese authorities said as that
five Lebanese have been injured during the same attack.
Among those injured are Nidal Beshrawi,
Nasser Bechara, Francois al-Asmar, in addition to the daughter of Member of Parliament Estephan El-Douaihy.
ISIS claims responsibility for
By AP,
Saudi Arabia condemns Istanbul attack, stands with Turkey against terror
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 2 January
2017/Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of condolences to
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkey following the armed
attack in Istanbul which resulted in deaths of 39 people and dozens of
injuries. In a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency, the King said:
"We have received with deep sorrow the news of the armed attack in
Hollande in Iraq to review France’s war on ISIS
AFP, Baghdad Monday, 2 January 2017/French President Francois Hollande on Monday told French soldiers training Iraqi
special forces that involvement on the ground against ISIS was key to
preventing terror attacks at home. "Taking action against terrorism here
in
Saudi Arabia: ‘War crimes’ were committed
in Aleppo
SPA, Riyadh Monday, 2 January 2017/During a Saudi Cabinet meeting, King Salman was briefed on a number of reports on events at
regional and international arenas, renewing what has been confirmed by Saudi
Arabia as war atrocities in Syria. The massacres being committed in the Syrian
city of Aleppo can be classified as war crimes against humanity, and the
Kingdom welcome the United Nations Security Council’s resolution No. 2328 on
the deployment of international observers in Aleppo to supervise the evacuation
of civilians, expressing the Saudi Arabia’s support for the Syrian people being
exposed to a genocide by the Syrian regime in all parts of Syria. The Cabinet
also reiterated the Kingdom’s welcoming of the proposals put forward by the
Secretary of State of the United States of America on the final solution of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as the adoption by Security Council of
Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli settlement and calls for stopping it in
the occupied Palestinian territories.
AFP,
Egyptian judge facing corruption charge
hangs himself
Reuters Monday, 2 January 2017/A senior Egyptian judge
arrested on corruption charges was found dead in his cell on Monday having
hanged himself, his lawyer said. Wael Shalaby, a deputy chief justice in the country’s
administrative courts system, resigned on Saturday shortly before he was
arrested and was charged the following day with taking a bribe. “My client
hanged himself using a scarf he was wearing. He was going through a terrible
psychological state during his questioning,” his lawyer Sayed
Beheiry told Reuters. “It is very hard to be a big
important judge and suddenly you lose everything and sit in front of an
investigator being accused of taking a bribe.”State
news agency MENA also said Shalaby had killed
himself, and that the public prosecutor had ordered an autopsy. The interior
ministry, which oversees prisons, could not be reached for comment. Shalaby was also secretary general of the Council of State,
the umbrella organization for
Israeli police to question Netanyahu over
alleged gifts
By Reuters,
Kuwait sentences parents to death for
killing toddler
AFP, Kuwait City Monday, 2 January 2017/A court in Kuwait on Monday sentenced a
couple to death after finding them guilty of torturing their three-year-old
daughter until she died, it said in a statement. The parents, both Kuwaitis,
were arrested in May and accused of beating and torturing the girl until she
died and then keeping her body in a freezer for a week. The court statement
only gave the verdict but, according to media reports at the time of their
arrest, they had been annoyed by their daughter’s constant crying. Also read:
This Chinese woman is keeping the Arabic language alive .
The father, 26-year-old Salem Buhan, and mother,
23-year-old Amira Hussein, were charged with murder
after police found burn marks on the shoulders and legs of the toddler’s body,
according to the interior ministry. The ministry also said they were drug
addicts. The verdict is not final as it must be reviewed by the appeals and
supreme courts. Executions in
Staff writer, AlArabiya.net Monday, 2 January 2017/Ousted Yemeni President Ali
Abdullah Saleh responded to UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed's preparations
for a draft resolution on the conflict by making statements that reject the
agreement’s basic points.
Saleh said he rejects the Gulf initiative, the
outcome of national dialogue, the proposed federal system and UN Security
Council Resolution 2216 which are the basic references for any settlement to
the Yemeni crisis. He added that he rejects these references because they serve
what he described as “foreign agendas that are no longer acceptable.”
Meanwhile, sources familiar to the matter said the international envoy will
this week resume efforts to prepare for a new round of talks. The sources said
that it's likely for Ould Cheikh
to hand the Yemeni government the amended roadmap and specify the date when
committees that monitor the ceasefire return to
Yemeni army, resistance forces advance in Saada
Staff writer, AlArabiya.net Monday, 2 January 2017/Yemen’s army and resistance
forces are quickly advancing toward Saada after
gaining control of several strategic areas nearby.
Factions from the army and resistance forces were able to regain control on
Monday the command center of Brigade 101, the al-Thar
and Habsh mountains. Saada has been under siege from Houthi
militias and was the city where a missile was launched targeting holy city of
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 2 January
2017/The Tunisian interior minister on Sunday announced the arrest of
high-profile al-Qaeda operative Wenas bin Hussein bin
Mohammed Hussein al-Faqih, who was living abroad as a
fugitive. The statement added that the Tunisian militant was accused of having
connections to al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) and of joining a terrorist
operation and sleeper cells to carry out attacks. On Thursday, Tunisian
security forces said they had broken up an al Qaeda-linked militant cell with
10 members that was active near the coastal city of
Gen. Ahmad Rahal:
Iran Regime and Assad Are Main Losers of Ceasefire in Syria
NCRI/January 02/17/In an interview with Aljazeera television, Gen. Ahmad Rahal, a Syrian military analyst, said the mullahs’ regime
in Iran and the Bashar Assad regime are the main
losers of the cease-fire in Syria. Aljazeera TV: Following the cease-fire
agreement signed between
Iran: Tehran Among Five Most Dangerous Cities in the World
NCRI/January 02/17/Ali Beytollahi, the head of the
Iranian regime’s Roads and Urban Development Research Center, has admitted that
Tehran is among the five largest cities in the world where there is a very high
risk to life. In an interview with the state-run ILNA news agency on December
31, Beytollahi added: “
Iran Regime Militias Pose Serious Threat
to Iraq and Security of Middle East
NCRI/January 02/17/The Iranian regime’s affiliated militias in Iraq known as
Hashed al-Shaebi are a serious threat to the
existence of Iraq and the security of the Middle East. These sectarian
militants are committing all sorts of crimes to advance the policy of
A recent report by Aljazeera TV: The emergence of Hashed al-Shaebi
militias and their foreign communication is the cause of concerns. The dossier
of violations and crimes committed by this group against (people and) the
opposition in areas taken back from Daesh (ISIS) is
among the reasons that exacerbate these concerns. Displaced and runaway Sunni
refugees who have taken refuge in these areas are charged with collaboration
with Daesh. International human rights organizations
have repeatedly exposed sectarian actions of Hashed al-Shaebi
group, and
Iran: Hundreds of People Gathered in Front
of Evin Prison in Support of Political Prisoner Arash Sadeghi
NCRI/January 02/17/This morning Monday January 2nd 2017,
hundreds of people gathered in front of Evin prison
demanding the release of political prisoners Arash Sadeghi and his wife golrokh Ebrahimi. A group of mothers of political prisoners and
human rights defenders can be seen among the demonstrators. Holding
the photographs of Arash and Golrokh
demonstrators call for immediate release of them and other political prisoners.
Security forces in the streets leading to Evin
prison, tried to disperse the crowd, but it is increasing. Arash
Sadeghi’s situation in the seventy-first day of
hunger strike in Evin prison is reported critical.
The secretariat of the National Council of Resistance in a statement yesterday
announced: Arash Sadeghi
lost consciousness after vomiting blood, and suffered severe seizures and his
body went into trembling, his kidneys are severely damaged and the risk of
intestinal adhesion threatens him. The head of the Evin
Prison has told Arash, "I will not let you get
out of this prison alive"! Arash Sadeghi was a student of master degree of philosophy at
Iran denies
receiving Saudi invite for hajj talks
AFP /January 02/17/Tehran (AFP) - Iran has denied receiving any
invitation from Saudi Arabia for talks on the hajj, after a row between the
arch-foes saw its pilgrims stay at home last year. The Al-Hayat
daily reported on Friday that Saudi pilgrims minister Mohammed Bentin had opened discussions with more than 80 countries,
including
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 02-03/17
Pope Francis tells
bishops to have zero tolerance for sexual abuse
By Philip Pullella/Reuters/January 02/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/02/pope-francis-tells-bishops-to-have-zero-tolerance-for-sexual-abuse/
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has told bishops around the world they
must adhere to a policy of zero tolerance for clergy who sexually abuse
children and begged forgiveness for "a sin that shames us". In a
letter sent on Dec. 28 but released by the
"I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these
atrocities will no longer take place in our midst. Let us find the courage
needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of
our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated. In this area, let us
adhere, clearly and faithfully, to 'zero tolerance'," he said. The
comments, included in a letter about the plight of vulnerable children in
general, were some of his most comprehensive on abuse.
Francis, who has met victims of sexual abuse several times, both in the
Francis also approved the establishment of a
Assad's Palestinian
mercenaries
Dr. Edy Cohen/
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/02/dr-edy-cohenisrael-hayom-assads-palestinian-mercenaries/
Over the past century, various Palestinian leaders
have fostered alliances that were either unsuccessful or not particularly
useful to them.
Take the alliance formed by the grand mufti of
Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat erred in 1990 when he
supported
Today, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is maintaining ambiguity regarding the Syrian war,
taking pains to avoid denouncing or supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. It appears Abbas
has learned from history. However, tens of thousands of Palestinians are
apparently fighting on behalf of the Syrian dictator, even sacrificing their
lives for him. These Palestinians, who went to live in
Among the Palestinians, the most fervent Assad supporters belong to the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine's General Command, led by Ahmed Jibril. The organization is headquartered in
Liwa al-Quds ("the
Jerusalem Brigade") was formed in 2013 and operates in the
Another Palestinian faction fighting for Assad is the Galilee Forces or
Galilee Brigade -- the military wing of the Palestinian Youth Return Movement
led by Fadi al-Mallah, also
known as Abu al-Fidaa. It was formed in May 2011,
around the outbreak of the Syrian uprising, in the Khan Danon
refugee camp in southern
At present, thousands of Palestinians are fighting in
For whatever reason, the international community, which only becomes
distraught when discussing the "poor Palestinians in
**Dr. Edy Cohen is a research fellow at
Is
David Ignatius/Washington Post/January 02/17
For America, 2016 was a dark year. The country was still at war. Our election
was a brutal grudge match that left us more polarized than ever. Our closest
allies were rocked by terrorism and turmoil. Adversaries toyed with our
politics. Even the basic facts about life and science seemed to be in dispute.
However you voted, this was a year few would want to
repeat. Now, as the calendar is about to turn, many of us look to the new year
with a mix of hope and concern.
If you’re like me, this holiday season is a time for reflection, sometimes with
anguish, about how we got here and where we’re going. I found comfort in the
image at the center of the Christian faith, of an innocent baby arriving in a
dark land — the beginning of a story that has been more powerful over the past
2,000 years than all the tyrants and tax collectors. Americans are optimists,
by birth or affirmation. We pledge allegiance to a country that is
“indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We believe in “And the Fair
Land,” the abundant nation evoked by the Wall Street Journal in its
Thanksgiving editorial, which has been printed every year since 1961: “We can
remind ourselves that for all our social discord we yet remain the longest
enduring society of free men governing themselves without benefit of kings or
dictators. Being so, we are the marvel and the mystery of the world.”
The year ahead will test how well the system devised by our founders works
under stress. President-elect Donald Trump proposes radical changes welcomed by
his supporters but feared by many who voted against him. He won’t succeed if he
drives the country to the breaking point. How hard will Trump push to undo
existing laws and agreements? Will Congress play its role in checking raw
executive power, or will Republican majorities be loyal to party first? Will
officials who swear to protect and defend the Constitution demonstrate by their
behavior in office that they mean it? As Trump’s
inauguration approaches, he remains a mystery to many of us. He seeks to be a
disruptive agent of change, but what are the limits? What if Trump tries to
place himself above the law? He wouldn’t be the first president to do so, but
are the country’s institutions still strong enough to resist? What if he tries
to subvert investigations of Russian hacking that are being conducted by our
intelligence agencies and Congress? The cliche
“profiles in courage” may actually get a test in 2017.
Trump’s comment Wednesday that “we ought to get on with our
lives” despite Russian hacking sounded like a self-protective attempt to
minimize an investigation that’s only beginning. This coming year, the
Our national heroes are the men and women who get up every day and serve the
country — in the military abroad, in schools and hospitals and fire stations at
home. We want to be as steadfast in adversity as they are. We’ll find out in
2017 how healthy our body politic really is, and whether our democratic
institutions remain resilient. This holiday season, I got a burst of sunshine
in a production of “Carousel,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, at the
Arena Stage in
How did this quintessential American story of working people in
Thanks to no-drama Obama, American
Leadership is Gone
Richard Cohen/Washington Post/January 02/17
If Dec. 7, 1941, is the day that Franklin D. Roosevelt said “will live in
infamy,” then Dec. 20, 2016, has got to be a close second. No Americans died
that day as they did at
Winston Churchill said in 1942 that he had not become
Barack Obama is quite the reverse. He is a 21st-century man who never quite
appreciated the lessons of the 20th. He has been all too happy to preside over
the loss of American influence.
It could be that Obama was right. It could be that all along he knew that the
rebels were beyond saving — although he predicted that Bashar
al-Assad would be toppled — and, anyway, the United States was not going to
again get into some Middle Eastern quagmire.
“Time will tell” is the appropriate cliche. But I,
along with others, thought the
The answer has always been clear to me — Obama did not care enough. Not from
him ever came a thundering demand that
And the Trade War Came
Paul Krugman/The New York Times/January 02/17
Donald Trump got within striking distance of the White House — or, more
precisely, Comey-and-Putin range — thanks to
overwhelming support from white working-class voters. These voters trusted his
promise to bring back good manufacturing jobs while disbelieving his much more
credible promise to take away their health care. They have a rude shock coming.
But white workers aren’t alone in their gullibility: Corporate America is still
in denial about the prospects for a global trade war, even though protectionism
was a central theme of the Trump campaign. In fact, the only two causes about
which Mr. Trump seems truly passionate are supposedly unfair trade deals and
admiration for authoritarian regimes. It’s naïve to assume that he’ll let his
signature policy issue slide.
Let’s talk means, motive and consequences.
You might imagine that a drastic change in
In any case, the relevant legislation gives the occupant of the White House
remarkable leeway should he choose to go
protectionist. He can restrict imports if such imports “threaten to impair the
national security”; he can impose tariffs “to deal with large and serious
Now, these provisions weren’t intended to empower a president to reverse decades
of
Why would a Trump administration impose restrictions on imports? One answer is
those working-class voters, whose supposed champion is set to pursue a
radically antiworker domestic agenda. There’s an
obvious incentive for Mr. Trump to make a big show of doing something to
fulfill campaign promises. And if this creates international
conflict, that’s actually a plus when it comes to diverting attention from
collapsing health care and so on.
Beyond this, it’s clear that the incoming commander-in-chief really believes
that international trade is a game in which nice guys finish last, and that
Oh, and don’t expect attempts by experts to point out the holes in this view —
to point out, in particular, that the image of a predatory China, running huge
surpluses by keeping its currency undervalued, is years out of date — to make
any impression. Members of the Trump team believe that all criticism of their
economic ideas reflects a conspiracy among think tanks that are out to
undermine them. Because of course they do.
So what will happen when the Trump tariffs come?
There will be retaliation, big time. When it comes to trade,
And retaliation isn’t the whole story; there’s also emulation. Once
Will this cause a global recession? Probably not — those risks are, I think,
exaggerated. No, protectionism didn’t cause the Great Depression.
What the coming trade war will do, however, is cause a lot of disruption.
Today’s world economy is built around “value chains” that spread across
borders: your car or your smartphone contain
components manufactured in many countries, then assembled or modified in many
more. A trade war would force a drastic shortening of those chains, and quite a
few
An old joke tells of a motorist who runs over a pedestrian, then tries to fix
the damage by backing up — and runs over the victim a second time. Well, the
effects of the Trumpist trade war on
Given these prospects, you might think that someone will persuade the incoming
administration to rethink its commercial belligerence. That is, you might think
that if you have paid no attention to the record and character of the
protectionist in chief. Someone who won’t take briefings on national security
because he’s “like, a smart person” and doesn’t need them isn’t likely to sit
still for lessons on international economics.
No, the best bet is that the trade war is coming. Buckle your seatbelts.
Is Erdogan
trying to wreck US-Turkey relations?
Week in Review /Al Monitor/December 31/2016
Turkish president claims he has “evidence” of
Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s frustration over his failed and costly
Syria policies ventured into the bizarre when he claimed he had “confirmed
evidence, with pictures, photos and videos” of the US providing support for the
Islamic State (IS), the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the PYD’s armed wing, the People’s Protection Unit (YPG).
Semih Idiz provided the
background for Erdogan’s outburst: “The
Although on Dec. 27, State Department Spokesman Mark Toner ridiculed Erodgan’s charge as “ludicrous,” he nonetheless felt
obligated to add the usual bromides that “
This column asked back in May whether the
In addition to the seeming unbridgeable differences over
Sibel Hurtas reported this
week on the draft report of a Turkish parliamentary commission empaneled to address the causes and consequences of the
failed coup in July 2016.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the draft appears to reflect the heavy hand of the
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), with many questions left
unanswered.
Hurtas wrote that the draft report “echoes the
party’s strategy to water down its responsibility for the Gulenist
entrenchment in the state. It asserts the Gulen
community was strengthened by all the governments that preceded the AKP since
the 1970s. The report claims the Gulenists were
backed by the MIT [National Intelligence Organization] as well as the
Ali Hashem reported this week that despite the costs
of the campaign in
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, following a
telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 25, said, “This
victory sent the message to terrorists that they cannot achieve their
goals," and backed the forthcoming Syrian political negotiations in
Kazakhstan.
Explaining the high costs for the campaign, Hashem
wrote, “Over four years of fighting in
Hashem added that
Adnan Abu Amer wrote that
Iran-Hamas ties, already strained, are likely to worsen after
Hashem concluded that the next steps in
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq
Al-Awsat/January 02/17
Oman joining the Islamic Military Coalition will definitely be mentioned as one
of the most important events witnessed by Gulf arena in 2016. The importance
does not lie in the addition of another Islamic state to the coalition, which
includes 41 of them, noting that the coalition’s military potentials and
readiness allow it to achieve its goals without the need of any other state.
However, what distinguishes
The decision to be neutral in the
Nevertheless, no one can deny that Oman’s policy adopted has always been known
for its miraculous ability to maintain balance when it comes to its regional
relations, no matter how complicated are the events it these regional
countries.
Preceded by its interference in liberating
Notably,
Despite the fact that once the coalition was established it announced that it
is directed against terrorist organizations classified by the international
community rather than targeting a specific country, Oman’s military participation
could be benefited from in the political and diplomatic roles played by the
Sultanate in favor of the stability and peace of the
Gulf states when it comes to the complicated regional issues. In this case,
Therefore,
It also contributed, along with the international coalition, in liberating
Tolerance in Tunisia
Tharwa Boulifi/Gatestone
Institute/January 02/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9691/tunisia-tolerance
The thing that struck me most is that they had no
beards. Terrorism seems to be changing tactics. It no longer shows up as
beards, revolvers, religious clothing... But it has started to take over our
daily lives: in buses, subways, streets, supermarkets, maybe mostly in the
slums. Every day, there, terrorists are being snapped up by
"Religion" for me now just means "violence" and
"kill."
The thing is, Muslims generally do not have great
arguments, so they just insult us. The subject of religion seems taboo for
them: seeing other people -- especially those who do not share their same
beliefs -- criticizing or asking questions about it is considered a
humiliation. Discussing Islam means questioning its
credibility, and so humiliating it.
Discussing Islam also seems a threat to their psychological safety: having the
same beliefs and the same God is a sort of a reassurance and protection. To
cast doubt on their religion means breaking into their "comfort zone"
-- and possibly even raising doubts.
For many, religious tolerance has become a business currency -- a way to
promote tourism, improve relations with other countries, elevate
The subway is something I do not go on a lot anymore, said the boy. On the
subway, said the boy, people still gave me the evil eye; probably the long
hair. Last time, a friend phoned; I spoke to him in Arabic. Soon after, a group
of young men came up.
One said, "Are you Tunisian?"
"Yes," I said.
Then, one of them saw the cross.
"Are you a Muslim?" he said.
"The cross is a gift," I said. Then I told them the truth. "I am
atheist," I said.
I tried to ignore them, but one of them grabbed me by the shoulder.
"Oh really?" he said. "Then where do you think you are going
after your death? Who created the universe if it was not Allah? If you do not
revere Allah, you must revere Satan."
Their clothes were torn and they were covered with dirt; they seemed to come
from poor neighborhoods.
"You should be stoned to death," one of them said. "I hope your
body will burn to ashes in hell. You are nothing but a slave of the
Devil!"
They pulled out knives and blades and broken bottles. They kept pushing,
hitting, punching me.
They said, "Look at this guy: he hates Allah and loves Satan. Let's f*** his mother."
One old lady looked away and said: "Poor kid".
A couple of teenagers laughed. Others passengers looked away and did not do
anything.
But, for me, inaction is complicity. They sliced me up pretty good, I guess. I
ended up in the emergency room.
My father, said the boy, was a pious person. He forced me to learn the Quran by
heart. If I got something wrong, he slapped or hit me, locked me in my room. I
was young, but understood the meaning of the verses. I found the اقتلوهم (Kill them) in the Quran terrifying and
the fate of women not fair. After a while, I did not even want to learn
religion, but was afraid of my father. It is not just Islam,
I do not like the other two religions, either. "Religion" for me now
just means "violence" and "kill." Sometimes I worry if
The thing that struck me most is that they had no beards. Terrorism seems to be
changing tactics. It no longer shows up as beards, revolvers, religious
clothing... But it has started to take over our daily lives: in buses, subways,
streets, supermarkets, maybe mostly in the slums. Every day, there, terrorists
are being snapped up by
The thing is, Muslims generally do not have great
arguments, so they just insult us. The subject of religion seems taboo for
them: seeing other people -- especially those who do not share their same
beliefs -- criticizing or asking questions about it is considered a
humiliation. Discussing Islam means questioning its
credibility, and so humiliating it. Tunisians, in fact, do not seem to
like religious diversity. For them, the presence of other faiths and religions
represents a threat to the survival of their Arab Muslim identity, already
tarnished by terrorism, such as ISIS, and the media. In fact, they fight like
crazy to preserve this identity because it makes them feel superior to other
nations, especially Westerners because of their "advancement" and
"progress."
Discussing Islam also seems a threat to their psychological safety: having the
same beliefs and the same God is a sort of a reassurance and protection. To
cast doubt on their religion means breaking into their "comfort zone"
-- and possibly even raising doubts. That might explain their aggressiveness
towards others who do not share their religious beliefs. Religious diversity
also might cause fear of the unknown: they have been indoctrinated since they
were so young, their minds have become inflexible,
rigid.
For many, religious tolerance has become a business currency -- a way to
promote tourism, improve relations with other countries, elevate
In
**Boulifi, aged 15, lives 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.
The Islamization
of
by Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/January 2, 2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/02/soeren-kerngatestone-institute-the-islamization-of-germany-in-2016germany-is-no-longer-safe/
Mass migration from the Muslim world is fast-tracking the Islamization
of Germany, as evidenced by the proliferation of no-go zones, Sharia courts, polygamy and child marriages. Mass migration
has also been responsible for a host of social disruptions, including jihadist
attacks, a migrant rape epidemic, a public health crisis, rising crime and a
rush by German citizens to purchase weapons for self-defense
— and even to abandon Germany altogether.
Development Minister Gerd Müller
warned that the biggest refugee movements to
“There are written instructions … today we are not allowed to say anything
negative about the refugees. This is government journalism, and this leads to a
situation in which the public loses their trust in us. This is scandalous.” —
Wolfgang Herles, Deutschlandfunk
public radio.
The Turkish government has sent 970 clerics — most of whom do not speak German
— to lead 900 mosques in Germany that are controlled by the Turkish-Islamic
Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), a branch of the Turkish government’s
Directorate for Religious Affairs, known in Turkish as Diyanet.
Critics accuse Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using DITIB
mosques to prevent Turkish migrants from integrating into German society.
A
The German branch of Open Doors, a non-governmental organization supporting
persecuted Christians, reported that thousands of Christians in German refugee
shelters are being persecuted by Muslims, sometimes even by their security
guards.
A 23-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker wearing a T-shirt with the words “I’m Muslim
Don’t Panic” was assaulted by fellow refugees for offending Islam. He was
beaten so badly that he was hospitalized.
Half of the three million ethnic Turks living in
A document leaked to Der Spiegel revealed that more
than 33,000 migrants who are supposed to be deported are still in
Migrants committed 142,500 crimes during the first six months of 2016,
according to a report by the Federal Criminal Police Office. This is equivalent
to 780 crimes committed by migrants every day, or 32.5 crimes each hour, an
increase of nearly 40% over 2015. The data includes only those crimes in which
a migrant suspect has been caught.
Bild, the largest-circulation newspaper in
The increase in
In addition to the newcomers, the rate of population increase of the Muslim
community already living in
Based on Pew projections, which were proffered before the current migration
crisis, the Muslim population of
Adding the 800,000 Muslim migrants who arrived in
Mass migration from the Muslim world is fast-tracking the Islamization
of Germany, as evidenced by the proliferation of no-go zones, Sharia courts, polygamy and child marriages. Mass migration
has also been responsible for a host of social disruptions, including jihadist
attacks, a migrant rape epidemic, a public health crisis, rising crime and a
rush by German citizens to purchase weapons for self-defense
— and even to abandon Germany altogether.
What follows is a chronological round-up of some of the key stories about the Islamization of Germany during 2016.
JANUARY 2016
January 1. Mobs of Muslim men of “Arab or North African” origin sexually
assaulted hundreds of women in
January 1. The Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, rejected public concerns about the “alleged Islamization” of
January 3. Bremen Police Union Chairman Jochen Kopelke said that migrants were attacking city police with
increasing frequency: “The tone has become extremely aggressive; sometimes the
police must apply massive force to get a situation under control.” Bremen
Senator Ulrich Mäurer added: “The excesses of
violence against police officers show that these people have no respect for our
constitutional order and its representatives.”
January 4. A leaked police report revealed chaos “beyond description” in
January 6. Former Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said it was
“scandalous that it took the mainstream media several days” to report on the
sexual assaults in
January 9. Development Minister Gerd Müller warned that the biggest refugee movements to
January 9. A vigilante group began patrolling the streets of Düsseldorf to
“make the city safer for our women.” Similar groups emerged in
January 12. Frank Oesterhelweg, a politician with the
ruling Christian Democrats (CDU), caused a scandal when he said that police
should be authorized to use deadly force to prevent migrants from raping German
women. Bild reported that many German police officers
are afraid of using lethal force “because of the legal consequences.”
January 17.
January 18. A 24-year-old migrant from
January 20. Migrants invaded female changing rooms and showers at public
swimming pools in
January 21. More than 200 migrants sued the German government for delays in
processing their asylum applications.
January 26. In an
with Deutschlandfunk public radio, retired public
media personality Wolfgang Herles admitted that
public broadcasters receive “instructions from above” when it comes to
reporting the news:
“We have the problem that we are too close to the government. The topics we
cover are determined by the government. But many of the topics the government
wants to prevent us from reporting about are more important than the topics
they want us to cover…
“We must report in such a way that serves
January 28. Politicians in
January 28. A migrant from
January 28.
January 30. A gang of Afghan migrants on a
January 31. ISIS sympathizers defaced more than 40 gravestones at a cemetery in
The words “I HATE GERMANS” are spray-painted on a gravestone, one of more than
40 vandalized by Islamic State sympathizers at a cemetery in
January 31. In an effort to silence critics of the government’s open door
migration policy, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel
called on German intelligence to begin monitoring the Alternative for
FEBRUARY 2016
February 2. A total of 91,671 migrants — an average of around 3,000 migrants
each day — entered
February 4. German police arrested four members of a cell allegedly planning
jihadist attacks in
February 5. Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of
February 8. German police arrested an alleged
February 16. Migrants committed 208,344 crimes in 2015, according to a leaked
police report. This figure represented an 80% increase over 2014 and worked out
to around 570 crimes committed by migrants every day, or 23 crimes each hour,
between January and December 2015.
The actual number of migrant crimes is far higher, however, because the report
included only crimes that have been solved (aufgeklärten
Straftaten). Statistics show that only around half of
all crimes committed in
February 16. Police raided the homes of 44 Salafists
in
February 25. Afghan asylum seekers assaulted three girls at the Sophienhof shopping mall in
February 26. A 15-year-old German girl of Moroccan descent stabbed and wounded
a police officer at the central train station in
February 29. German authorities admitted they lost track of some 130,000
migrants who entered the country in 2015. The admission was in response to a
parliamentary question from the opposition Left Party. The revelation raised
concerns that unaccounted migrants could include jihadists who entered the
country posing as refugees.
MARCH 2016
March 1. The Schleswig-Holstein branch of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU
announced plans to ensure that pork continues to be available at public
canteens, child daycare centers and schools across the north German state. CDU
politician Daniel Günther complained that canteens,
nurseries and schools are removing pork from their menu in order not to offend
Muslims. “The consumption of pork belongs to our culture,” he said. “No one
should be obliged to do so. But we also don’t want the majority having to
refrain from pork.”
March 3. The Arriba water park in
March 4. A court in Düsseldorf sentenced Nils Donath,
a 25-year-old German national, to four-and-a-half years in prison for joining
the Islamic State. The court heard how Donath, a
convert to Islam, received weapons training and learned how to build bombs —
and how he volunteered to carry out jihadist attacks in
March 7. Police in
March 24. Following a wave of sexual assaults by migrants, the Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn, a
railway in central
March 31. The German Ministry for Families designated €200 million to fight the
sexual abuse of women and children in refugee shelters.
APRIL 2016
April 3. Two migrants from
April 10. A 26-year-old Syrian migrant admitted to setting fire to a migrant
shelter in Bingen. He also admitted to painting
swastikas outside the building in order to make it look as though the fire was
set by anti-immigration protesters.
April 11. Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of
April 13. Andreas Scheuer, the
General Secretary of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister
party to Angela Merkel’s CDU, called for an “Islam law” that would limit the
influence of foreign imams and prohibit the foreign financing of mosques.
His comments came amid reports that the Turkish government has sent 970 clerics
— most of whom do not speak German — to lead 900 mosques in Germany that are
controlled by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), a branch
of the Turkish government’s Directorate for Religious Affairs, known in Turkish
as Diyanet. Critics accuse Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
of using DITIB mosques to prevent Turkish migrants from integrating into German
society.
April 14. Angela Merkel and her coalition partners reached a compromise deal on
a new “Integration Law” to spell out the rights and responsibilities of
migrants in
April 14. Angela Merkel acquiesced to a demand by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
that German comedian Jan Böhmermann be criminally
prosecuted for reciting a poem that lampooned Erdogan.
She was accused of pandering to Erdogan’s autocratic
government.
April 15. A 13-year-old German boy of Iraqi descent was arrested in
April 24. The Roman Catholic Cardinal of
MAY 2016
May 1. The anti-immigration Alternative for
May 2. Hans-Georg Maassen, the German spy chief,
revealed that around 90 “predominately Arabic-speaking” mosques in
May 2. A
May 3. A 20-year-old Afghan migrant sexually assaulted a six-year-old boy in
the changing room of a sports hall in
May 5. An INSA poll found that 60% of the Germans surveyed believe that Islam
does not belong to
May 9. The German branch of Open Doors, a non-governmental organization
supporting persecuted Christians, reported that thousands of Christians in
German refugee shelters are being persecuted by Muslims, sometimes even by
their security guards. The report, which asserts that in most cases German
authorities have done nothing to protect the victims, alleges that German
authorities and police have deliberately downplayed and even covered up the
“taboo issue” of Muslim attacks on Christian refugees, apparently to avoid fueling anti-immigration sentiments.
May 10. A German man shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah
is the Greatest”) and “infidels must die” stabbed one person to death and
slashed three others in an early morning attack at a train station near
May 11. Turkish-born Muhterem Aras, 50, became the
first Muslim woman to be elected as speaker of the state parliament in
Baden-Württemberg. Her election was hailed as a Muslim integration success
story.
May 12. An appeals court in
May 14. A Finance Ministry document revealed that the migrant crisis could end
up costing German taxpayers €93.6 billion ($105 billion) between now and 2020.
About €25.7 billion would be for social spending, such as unemployment benefits
and housing support. About €5.7 billion would be destined for language courses
and €4.6 billion for integrating refugees into the workforce.
May 15. Nearly a dozen women between the ages of 16 and 48 reported being
sexually assaulted by male migrants at a music festival in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. The attacks at the Carnival
of Cultures, where groups of men encircled the women and assaulted and robbed
them, were similar to those in
May 16. Beatrix von Storch, the deputy leader of the
Alternative for
May 18. Migrants sexually assaulted female passersby at the Boulevard Berlin
shopping mall in the Steglitz district of the
capital. At least 35 teenage migrants were loitering at the mall, in part
because of free access to the internet. When security guards asked them to
leave the premises, the youths called for back-up and soon dozens more migrants
arrived to harass the guards.
May 22. A doctor in
May 23. A 23-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker wearing a T-shirt with the words “I’m
Muslim Don’t Panic” was assaulted by fellow refugees for offending Islam. He
was beaten so badly that he was hospitalized.
May 23. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann announced a plan to recruit
migrants to the police force — regardless of whether they have acquired German
citizenship. He said he hoped the initiative would create a “more direct line”
to people with an immigrant background by hiring those who understand their
mentality.
May 26. Increasing numbers of Germans are relocating to
May 27. The head of the
May 27. A Protestant church in
May 29. Green party politician Stefanie von Berg called for new mosques to be
built in every district of Hamburg so that the city’s burgeoning Muslim
population has enough space to pray. She said the construction of new mosques
is necessary to integrate the Muslim community. The Heinrich Böll Foundation, a think tank linked to the Green party,
estimates that there are more than 150,000 Muslims in
May 31. Male migrants sexually assaulted at least 18 women at an outdoor
festival in
May 31. The Dalai Lama said that
JUNE 2016
June 2. A new statistical survey of
June 2. Three Syrian jihadists were arrested for plotting a jihadist attack in
Düsseldorf. A fourth individual was arrested in
June 3. The head of the German police union, Rainer Wendt, said that budget
cuts in the public sector made it impossible to vet all of the migrants coming
into
June 12. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel compared
members of the anti-Islam Alternative for
June 13. Half of the three million ethnic Turks living in
June 25. Police discovered a huge stockpile of military-grade weapons in a
grocery store near a mosque in
June 30. A court in Ahrensburg found a 17-year-old
migrant from
JULY 2016
July 1. A court in
July 3. A 24-year-old woman, raped by three migrants in
July 4. The 30 biggest German companies have employed only 54 refugees,
including 50 who have been hired as couriers by Deutsche Post, the logistics
provider. The data cast doubt on Angela Merkel’s promise to integrate asylum
seekers into the German labor market as quickly as
possible. Company executives say the main problem is that migrants lack
professional qualifications and German language skills.
July 7. The German parliament approved changes to the criminal code to expand
the definition of rape. Also known as the “No Means No” (“Nein heißt Nein”) law, any form of non-consensual sex will now
be punishable as a crime. Previously, only cases in which victims could show
that they physically resisted their attackers were punishable under German law.
The changes, which were prompted by the sex attacks in
July 7. More than six months after the
July 10. A Federal Criminal Police Agency (BKA) inquiry into the sex attacks in
July 13. The Platanus-Schule, a private bilingual
school in
July 14. Ruprecht Polenz, a
former secretary general of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said
that the German law which regulates name changes (Namensrecht)
should be amended to make it easier for Muslim migrants in Germany who feel
discriminated against to change their legal names to Christian-sounding ones.
July 15. At least 24 women were sexually assaulted at a music festival in
July 16. A document leaked to Der Spiegel revealed
that more than 33,000 migrants who are supposed to be deported are still in
July 17. An investigative report by Bavarian Radio BR24 found that deradicalization programs in
July 19. A 17-year-old Afghan asylum seeker brandishing an axe and shouting “Allahu Akbar” seriously injured five people on a train in Würzburg. The assailant was shot dead by police after he
charged at them with the axe. The teenager had been placed with a foster family
just two weeks before the attack as a reward for being “well integrated.” Green
Party MP Renate Künast criticized the police for using
lethal force.
July 19. The managers of a German Red Cross refugee shelter in
July 20. The Federal Labor Office reported that the
educational level of newly arrived migrants in
July 22. Ali Sonboly, an 18-year-old Iranian-German
who harbored hatred for Arabs and Turks, killed ten
people (including himself) and wounded 35 others at a
McDonald’s in
July 23. A mob of men shouting “Allahu Akbar” barged
into a nudist beach in Xanten and “insulted and
threatened” the beachgoers. Police kept the incident hidden, apparently to
avoid negative media coverage of Muslims “in these sensitive times.”
July 24. Mohammed Daleel, a 27-year-old migrant from
July 24. A 21-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker murdered a 45-year-old Polish woman
and her unborn baby in a machete attack in
July 24. A 40-year-old migrant from
July 25. A 45-year-old Palestinian brandishing a “Rambo knife” and shouting “Allahu Akbar” tried to behead a doctor in
July 25. Frank Henkel, a CDU Senator from
July 25. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière
revealed that German authorities are currently investigating 59 refugees
because of the “suspicion that they are involved in terrorist structures.”
July 27. Police in
July 28. Angela Merkel insisted there would be no change to her open-door
migration stance: “We decided to fulfill our humanitarian tasks. Refusing
humanitarian support would be something I would not want to do and I would not
recommend this to
July 29. Thomas Jahn, the vice chairman of the
Christian Social Union (CSU), lambasted Angela Merkel’s open-door migration
policy: “We need to control our borders. That is the most important thing at
the moment. And we need to send the dangerous people with Islamist ideology
back to the countries outside
July 30. CSU politician Jens Spahn called for a burqa ban: “A ban on the full body veil — that is the niqab and the burqa — is overdue…
I do not want to have to encounter any burqa in this
country. In that sense, I am a burqaphobe.”
AUGUST 2016
August 2. Amid fears of Islamic terrorism, German officials raised the
possibility of deploying the military within German borders for the first time
since World War II.
August 11. Muslim patrols enforcing Sharia law were
seen operating in the Wandsbek and Dammtor district of Hamburg.
August 16. Asylum seekers in
August 19. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière
called for a partial ban on full-face veils in public. “We unanimously reject
the burqa,” de Maizière said.
“It does not fit in our open country.” North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister
Ralf Jäger,
said a burqa ban was misguided because it would
require a ban on all religious garb: “Whoever forbids burqas,
must also forbid people disguised as Saint Nicholas.”
August 25. Police in
August 28. A 26-year-old German national shouting Allahu
Akhbar stabbed a 66-year-old woman and a 57-year-old
man who were picnicking in
August 28. Angela Merkel urged people of Turkish origin living in
SEPTEMBER 2016
September 3. Only 2,500 people attended a mass rally in
September 3. The Vice Chairman of the DPolG German
Police Union in
September 4. Angela Merkel suffered a major blow when the Alternative for
September 6. Migrants committed 142,500 crimes during the first six months of
2016, according to a report by the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA). This is equivalent to 780 crimes
committed by migrants every day, or 32.5 crimes each hour, an increase of
nearly 40% over 2015. The data includes only those crimes in which a migrant
suspect has been caught.
September 7. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
calculated that
September 9. The German Interior Ministry, responding to a Freedom of
Information Act request, revealed that 1,475 married children are known to be
living in
September 13. Muslim fashion shops in
September 13. Three Syrian jihadists were arrested in Schleswig-Holstein. They
were believed to be members of an Islamic State sleeper cell waiting for further
instructions to carry out attacks in
September 17. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann accused the Federal
Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) of failing to root out potentially
tens of thousands of fake passports. Many migrants entering
September 23. A new poll showed that support for the Alternative for
September 30. A 28-year-old migrant sexually assaulted a 27-year-old woman on a
train. German media initially reported the nationality of the perpetrator but
then deleted the information. “This article initially included the nationality
of the offender,” a statement said. “The reference was subsequently removed
because it did not correspond to our editorial guidelines — that is, there is
no connection between nationality and action.”
OCTOBER 2016
October 1. Two migrants raped a 23-year-old woman in Lüneburg
as she was walking in a park with her young child. The men, who remain at
large, forced the child to watch while they took turns assaulting the woman.
October 2. A 19-year-old migrant raped a 90-year-old woman as she was leaving a
church in downtown Düsseldorf. Police initially described the suspect as “a
Southern European with North African roots.” It later emerged that the man is a
Moroccan with a Spanish passport.
October 2. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble called
for the development of a “German Islam” to help integrate Muslims in the
country.
October 4. The 2016 Munich Oktoberfest recorded its lowest turnout since 2001.
Visitors reportedly stayed away due to concerns about terrorism and
migrant-related sexual assaults.
October 17. The German Press Council reprimanded the weekly newspaper, Junge Freiheit, for revealing the
nationality of three Afghan teenagers who raped a woman at a train station in
October 24. A YouGov poll found that 68% of Germans
believe that security in the country has deteriorated due to mass migration.
Nearly 70% of respondents said they fear for their lives and property in German
train stations and subways, while 63% feel unsafe at large public events.
October 24. Serbian teenagers in
October 27. Public prosecutors charged Shaas Al-M, a
19-year-old Syrian jihadist who arrived in
NOVEMBER 2016
November 3. Five Somali migrants went on a rampage after the owner of a pub in Wabern asked them to pay for the alcohol they had consumed.
“We are Somalis, we don’t pay,” the men said before smashing up the
establishment.
November 11. The Military Intelligence Service (Militärische
Abschirmdienst, MAD) reported that more than 20
Islamists are serving in the German armed forces, and another 60 service
members are suspected of being Islamists. Some 30 veterans are known to have
gone to fight in
November 15. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière
banned the Salafist group, “The True Religion” (Die wahre Religion), for being unconstitutional. The group is
behind a mass proselytization campaign — Project
“Read!” — aimed at distributing 25 million copies of the
Koran, translated into the German language, with the goal of placing one Koran
into every home in
November 18. Public prosecutors charged two North African migrants for setting
fire to a migrant shelter in Düsseldorf. The arson attack, which injured 26
people and caused more than 10 million euros in
damage, was reportedly triggered by a dispute over food. The two men were angry
because they felt there were not enough sweets offered at a buffet lunch.
November 20. A 38-year-old German-Kurdish man in Lower Saxony tied his ex-wife
to his car and dragged her through the streets of
November 21. The Wuppertal District Court ruled that seven Islamists who formed
a vigilante patrol to enforce Sharia law on the
streets of
November 23. Bild, the largest-circulation newspaper
in
November 27. German radio broadcaster Deutschlandradio
Kultur reported that Muslim migrants enrolled in
German schools are bullying their Christian counterparts. In some cases, the
persecution is so great that Christian parents have moved their children to
other schools.
November 29. A German intelligence officer confessed to plotting to bomb the
Cologne-based headquarters of the domestic intelligence agency, the BfV. The 51-year-old convert to Islam was tasked with
monitoring the German Salafist scene.
DECEMBER 2016
December 3. A 17-year-old Afghan migrant was arrested for raping and murdering
a 19-year-old medical student in
December 6. Eyeing reelection, Angela Merkel called
for a burka ban: “The full veil is not appropriate
here and it should be forbidden wherever that is legally possible.” In
September, Merkel said she was opposed to a burka ban
because it would violate “religious freedom.”
December 8. The
December 13. The trial began of a 45-year-old Iraqi migrant accused of sexually
assaulting a 12-year-old boy 68 times at a refugee shelter in
December 14. A judge in
December 16. A 12-year-old German boy of Iraqi descent tried to detonate a nail
bomb at a Christmas market in
December 19. At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured after a truck
rammed into a Christmas market in
December 20. Frauke Petry,
the chairwoman of the Alternative for
“The milieu in which such acts can flourish has been negligently and
systematically imported over the past year and a half. Our borders, which were
so irresponsibly opened, must once again be controlled.
December 22. Bild reported that the head of the judicial
authority in
December 22. Underage migrants at a refugee shelter in Freising
were watching Islamic State propaganda videos, creating jihadist flags and
posing with the insignia of the terrorist organization in front of the camera.
“Watching IS-videos or crafting an IS-flag may indicate that a radicalization
process is at an advanced stage,” German authorities said.
December 27. Police arrested seven migrants from
December 31. Police in Cologne — who were tasked with avoiding a repeat of the
mass sexual assaults that occurred in the city on New Year’s Eve in 2015 — were
accused of racial profiling when they questioned more than 600 migrants from
North Africa.
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New
York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior
Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo
de Estudios Estratégicos /
Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and
on Twitter.
© 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 https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9700/germany-islamization
Let’s work together to make Saudi
Vision 2030 a success
Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/January 02/17
Many events have unfolded in the country in the last year and a half, one of
the most prominent being Saudi Vision 2030. There have also been new rules and
regulations concerning aspects of government and public matters. There was a
new budget announced a few days ago. New fees on expatriates have also been
introduced. All of these happenings have given rise to a new buzz in society.
People talk about this in the privacy of their homes, in coffee shops and
offices. In conversations, people support or question the “new style of
management,” as someone put it. Of course, as usual, certain sections of the
media immediately hailed these events. Others carried the news as usual and
some offered a critique. Personally, I belong to the last group. After all, we
are citizens and stakeholders in this country and we all care about its future
welfare. Therefore, those of us who have the ability should analyze, question
and probe. And I did in my own way.
Working as an English language media person makes a person more analytical. And
this is not said out of prejudice. So one becomes a bit
cynical at times. However, when I analyzed events and the functioning of
the government, I, along with many others, felt that after a long time blood
was beginning to flow again. What also was comforting was the openness and
clarity that is now easily observed. We need good governance, transparency and
an end to nepotism and corruption, and these are the issues that are now being
addressed by the government
Clarity and confidence
Media and opinion makers have access and are directly informed about issues. This
was illustrated by the meetings held by the Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense,
who has met with groups from the media and the economy. He answered questions
with clarity and did not mince his words. Such meetings create confidence in
society and make citizens aware of challenges and the steps being taken to
contain and overcome difficulties. In short, we now have more transparency than
ever before. There is a clear goal post that needs to be reached. This gives
rise to a feeling of optimism. We are living in an Arab world full of turmoil;
wars, destruction and chaos prevail around us. Many in our society have also
been attracted to the terrorist ideology and recently published figures speak
of a large number of Saudis fighting This should alarm
us and that is why we need to be well informed. Many new economic policies are
being implemented. These may be a bit painful to a society that has long been
used to a welfare state system. However, times have changed and we need to wake
up to the new realities. We need good governance, transparency and an end to
nepotism and corruption, and these are the issues that are now being addressed
by the government. Most important are the stakeholders, the young men and women
who have the drive, the ambition and the dynamism to make this country go ahead
and reach our Vision 2030 as a self-dependent, vibrant economy and society
based on justice, fair play and equality. And I am optimistic that if we all
work together, we can make that happen.
**This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on January 01, 2016.
Egypt mental health case sparks call for
action, not police-arrests
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/January 02/17
The history of Middle Eastern medicine is rich -
Babylonian medicine, along with contemporary ancient Egyptians medicine helped
formulate and shape the diagnostic, prognosis and prescriptions. Yet the region
is severely lacking in adaptation to modern illnesses, primarily it’s
acknowledgement of mental health issues. Earlier this week, an elderly Egyptian
woman who had known psychological difficulties was arrested after staging a
theatrical (assumed fake) wedding. The authorities intended to “admit her into
a psychiatric clinic” - while this may be needed, it should not have taken so
long for an intervention. More importantly, it should not have been the police
who intervened rather it should have been trained
mental health practitioners. Unfortunately, despite great advances in medicine
thousands of years ago, the region has been slacking when it comes to mental
health in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that
there are 4.18 psychiatrists and 4.62 psychologists per 100,000 of the
population worldwide. The average in the modern Arab world is an abismal1.8 and
0.98 respectively.
The sociocultural sensitivity of mental health
related issues means that to some in conservative communities, it is ‘shameful’
to seek help, or to discuss family-issues with anyone who is not directly
related. There is nothing more shameful than not seeking help
The reason why mental health is lacking in the region
is not as simple as a shortage of practitioners taking a step back and looking
at the larger picture, it is difficult not to question why there aren’t more
people choosing to support mental health in their careers. The reason is a
three-fold combination of the lack of diagnostics, lack of facilities, and most
importantly, lack of community support to patients.
The sociocultural sensitivity of mental health related
issues means that to some in conservative communities, it is ‘shameful’ to seek
help, or to discuss family-issues with anyone who is not directly related.
There is nothing more shameful than not seeking help.
Without mental health practitioners, mental health patients cannot be diagnosed
nor treated. Without data that backs up why the region needs more
practitioners, some would argue that it is difficult to convince individuals to
study mental health and take it up as a profession.
The absence of centralized medical systems only fuels the unnecessary fire that
powers the stigma related to the issue. This can be clearly seen in the data –
countries with a more centralized approach to healthcare and mental health
(such as the UAE, Qatar) with hospitals that offer care to cancer patients in
the same place as post-partum depression patients have a higher rate of
practice.
Wars make patients scream for health
The wars that have plagued the region for decades, and the increased rates of
people made refugees over the past decade in Iraq and Syria means that the
region may be silently experiencing the highest rate of mental health related
issues ever. According to the WHO, one in four people suffer from a mental
health difficulty at some point in their life. Independent studies have shown
that within communities affected by the conflict in
If the police have to intervene in a patient that requires mental health help,
that is acknowledgement that the healthcare system has failed the patient by
neglecting them for so long. Conservatism must no longer act like these issues
don’t exist within the community, or that either sweeping them
under the rug or through reading a book can cure them. Healthcare systems in
the region need immediate help to improve support for mental health patients,
with special attention and funding to countries that have seen severe conflict
and trauma over the past decade. The region needs to invest in its future
leaders - the region will be able to thrive and grow far healthier when its
leaders are in a healthy, cared-for and acknowledged mental state.
Saudi privatization plans: Golden
opportunity awaits foreign partnerships
Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/January
02/17
While all eyes seem to be fixed on the forthcoming mega Saudi Aramco IPO slated for 2018, but with still few specific
details yet released, the Kingdom’s other privatization plans are more certain
and offer some substantial opportunities to both Saudi and international
investors. Among these are plans to privatize during the next two years the
health sector, airports, grain silos, along with opportunities in education and
renewable energy.
The recent Saudi budget announcement for 2017 has placed a significant emphasis
on reducing “red tape” for the private sector whilst improving cooperation with
the public sector and has identified a range of sectors and economic activities
for privatization through the National Centre for Privatization (NCP).
Of the announced 2017 budget expenditures, the largest non-military and
security items were slated for health and social development (SAR 120 billion),
education and training (SAR 200 billion), and infrastructure and transportation
(SAR 52 billion).
The Saudi energy sector has an integral role in the Vision 2030 plans, which
aims to build up a renewable energy market to meet part of the anticipated
increase in local energy consumption by 2030, despite planned subsidy reduction
and energy efficiency programs.
According to the Vision, an initial target of 9.5 gigawatt/hour
(gw/h) of renewable energy should be achieved through
the leveraging of existing local expertize in the
production of different forms of energy, including solar energy and the
percentage of power plants electricity generation through strategic partners is
projected to rise from 27 percent in 2015 to 100 percent by 2020.
A forthcoming launch of the King Salman Renewable
Energy Initiative is also mentioned in the Vision 2030. This initiative will
review the legal framework that allows the private sector to invest in
renewable energy, allowing it to establish a favorable
ground for investment in this increasingly vital source of energy over the
coming decades.
Healthcare sector
Privatization of healthcare remains at the top of Saudi policy reform to ease
on government expenditure and introduce international best practice with the
Saudi private sector health contribution to rise from 25 percent in 2015 to 35
percent by 2020, taking the number of licensed medical facilities from 40 to
100. The key elements are to enhance the provision of healthcare through the
public sector with the view of privatization in the longer run; develop private
medical insurance further in order to improve healthcare services and implement
so called “corporatization” of the healthcare sector by transferring
responsibility to a network of public companies who would compete against each
other and the private sector with the government maintaining a
regulatory/supervisory role.
Given the sedentary lifestyle of Saudis, the outpatient non-communicable
disease outpatient market is expected to rise and is a key public awareness element
of the new vision 2030 plans to reduce health expenditure. While Saudi
government support through soft loans and grants are available for those
interested in entering the health market as operators, alternatively, private
companies can try to access the Saudi stock market through IPO to expand their
business.
While Saudi government support is available for those interested in entering
the health market as operators, alternatively, private companies can try to
access the Saudi stock market through IPO to expand their business
A public-private-partnership, with the private sector being paid to operate the
hospitals on a per-patient agreement is also more likely as well as supporting
new specialized private sector hospitals and clinics. The government will still
continue to be the regulator, rather than an operator, in a so-called
“corporatized” health sector as set out in the Vision 2030, with the private
sector also operating non-core areas such as medical procurement, dispensing
medicines and subsidizing international-local pharmaceutical manufacturing
plants in Saudi Arabia which are major elements of Saudi government spending.
Food security is important not only to the Kingdom but to all the GCC
countries. The Saudi Grains Organization (SGO) was restructured from the old
Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization and the twelve mills and five animal
feed production units were distributed among the new SGO entities with the aim
to have either Saudi or foreign investors owning and operating these mills. Under
the restructuring, the new millings entities will serve as clients of the SGO
to both process and/or distribute wheat flour both process and or distribute
wheat flour to government-approved distributors at agreed upon subsidized flour
prices. At the same time, these privately run mills could import their own
non-subsidized flour and sell at prevailing market price.
According to SGO, the government does not want to relinquish total control of
the wheat silos, deeming this to be of a strategic nature to ensure food
security objectives, but to privatize only a small part of the grain silos
storage, but the mills are all open to be privatized. The government will still
act as the key regulator concerning flour quality and ensure that there are no
monopolistic practices amongst the privatized flour milling companies. The
government will also remain the main agents for import of subsidized wheat.
Private sector privatization interest will revolve around the asset valuation
of the mills as well as agreeing to long term milling fee charges, as this will
be the key revenue element.
Airports and ground service
The Saudi airports privatization, and especially the National Carrier Saudia Airlines, has been discussed well over the past 15
years, but with only small progress being made on the non-core support
activities such as Saudi Catering and Ground Services operations being
privatized and listed on the Saudi stock exchange in 2012 and 2015, with marked
operating efficiency and service turnaround noted by end users. To ensure
competition in domestic and Gulf routes, the General Authority for Civil
Aviation (GACA) has allowed both Saudi and foreign airline operators to compete
with Saudia, such as Flynass,
Air Arabia, Al Maha Airways (Subsidiary of Qatar
Airways), and a new license approved called Al Khaleej
Airlines in affiliation with Bahrain based Gulf Airlines.
The government has now decided to privatize the operations of the airports to
ensure operating efficiency and passenger services and GACA announced plans to
privatize all 27 of the Kingdom’s airports through to 2020, with the first
major privatization being the new terminal 5 of
The other major Saudi airports slated for “corporatization” are
GACA will bear the capital expenses to operate the project and share in the
operating revenues with GACA. A third model that has been discussed and
implemented is the so-called Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) which was
successfully driven by the private sector at the Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah,
operating on a long 25 year BOT scheme by a Saudi and foreign consortium,
costing around SR4.7 billion, with agreement to expand the airport capacity to
handle nearly 40 million passengers by 2030, given the new emphasis of domestic
and international religious and other tourism placed in the Vision 2030.
The Saudi government is very keen on foreign participation in the operation and
privatization of the airports, and unlike other privatization mandates, foreign
companies will be allowed to invest in these new airport companies without
having local partners and local investments in some key airports has been
capped at 25 percent to ensure that foreigners are incentivized to operate.
Welcoming
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/January 02/17
By doing so, it also joined the Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ (GCC)
consensus in this field. This sets a precedence for
In solidarity
Working together is better than working alone and
fighting terrorism must be a priority for Muslim countries considering the
rising Islamophobia and hostility toward Islam.
Muslims and terrorists are often considered synonymous despite the fact that it
is the miniscule number of Muslims who get swayed by biased interpretations of
faith and resort to violence spreading hatred among people. The world is raging
and terrorism is escalating all over the globe. Unfortunately, all this is
being done in the name of Islam. However, Islam is innocent from all this
violence.
**This article was first published in Okaz on January
02, 2016.