LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 25/19

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field
Matthew 13/24-30: “Jesus put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?”But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 24-25/19
Hariri Urges End to Bickering amid FPM-LF War of Words
Lebanese Demand Civil Marriage on Home Soil
Hariri Meets May, World Leaders at Egypt Arab-European Summit
Hariri and Miqati to Cooperate in Tripoli to Guarantee Electoral Win
Maronite Patriarch Urges Unity, Cooperation Between Cabinet Members
Geagea: Who Convinced Aoun Normalization Will Return Refugees?
Hizbullah Suspends Moussawi over Parliament Spat
Geagea: Normalization With Syria Aims at Lifting Assad
Mikati keen to maintain 'strong cooperation' with Hariri
Lebanon: Hezbollah Suspends its MP for a Year over Kataeb Spat
Abu Nader: Lebanon Is the Only Peace Project in the Region
Weakened by sanctions, Iran’s ‘aid’ to Lebanon reflects middle-aged delusions
Lebanese Philosopher Dr. Ali Harb: Colonialism Brought Arabs Out Of Middle Ages Into Modernity; We Need To Change How We See The World

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 24-25/19
Pope Francis compares child sex abuse to ‘human sacrifice’
Thousands mourn 7 Syrian siblings killed in Canada fire
Pompeo condemns violence by Maduro’s ‘thugs’ in Venezuela
EU, Arabs tackle troubled Middle East at first summit
Bid by ‘enemies’ to sabotage missiles foiled: Iran Guards
Erdogan at odds with Russia over control of Syria-Turkey safe zone
Gaza protesters call on Palestinian leader to quit
Algerian police use tear gas as rare anti-government protests enter third day
King Salman: Saudi Arabia Ready to Assist Egypt in Its War on Terrorism
Iran releases French national arrested for illegal entry
Iran: We Have Other Options to Avoid US Sanctions
FATF Gives Iran Till June to Comply with Terrorism Financing Rules
Canada calls for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to Venezuela
Bangladeshi Shot Dead after Trying to Hijack UAE-Bound Plane
Guaido Ramps Up Pressure after Deadly Venezuela Border Clashes
Mine Blast Kills More than 20 Civilians in Syria

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 24-25/19
Weakened by sanctions, Iran’s ‘aid’ to Lebanon reflects middle-aged delusions/Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/February 24/19
Lebanese Philosopher Dr. Ali Harb: Colonialism Brought Arabs Out Of Middle Ages Into Modernity; We Need To Change How We See The World/MEMRI/February 24/19
American-British Influence At Risk/Mark Gongloff//Bloomberg/February 24/19
Putin Is Finally Ready to Look Homeward/Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/February 24/19
Asia Witness to Saudi Arabia’s Role/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/19
French Muslims and the Secular State/Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/February 24/19
Iran: Mounting Persecution of Christians/Majid Rafizadeh//Gatestone Institute/February 24/19
Post Warsaw summit, what next with Iran?/Dr. Walid Phares/Sunday Guardian Live/ February 24/19
Iran lays out 16-point war plan for the supreme goal of toppling Netanyahu/DEBKAfile/February 24/19
Militancy and criminality are Iran regime’s principal threats/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/February 24/19
Tehran’s cyberattacks on foreign targets a growing threat/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 24/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 24-25/19
Hariri Urges End to Bickering amid FPM-LF War of Words
As a renewed war of words between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces escalates, Prime Minister Saad Hariri has stressed the need to abide by Lebanon's self-declared dissociation policy and not to engage in heated debates that might derail the government's work. "PM Hariri's stances and missions stem from the government's Policy Statement, especially in terms of the dissociation policy and the Arab League's resolutions,” Hariri's adviser Nadim al-Munla told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Sunday. “PM Hariri calls on parties concerned to refrain from engaging in any political exchanges that might derail the government's work from its track in this period, and he is in contact with all ministers in this regard,” Munla added. Calls for coordinating with Damascus in order to repatriate Syrian refugees have sparked a new clash between the FPM and the LF. “Shallow thinking is thinking that it is okay if the displaced remain here for a few extra years as long as some ambassadors are satisfied, whereas strategic thinking is to confront no matter what we endure, because our identity is threatened and not only our economy,” FPM chief MP Jebran Bassil has said. “They once said that we were xenophobic and today they are saying that we support normalization with Syria, but we are the Free Patriotic Movement, and we tell them that bravery should have been when the Syrian (regime) was here, not when it return to Syria,” Bassil added. Deputy PM Ghassan Hasbani of the LF meanwhile warned that "normalization with the Assad regime means that Lebanon has started to engage in the game of axes in the region, making it part of the conflicts, and this is against the dissociation policy that we agreed on.""Everyone backs the return of the refugees," he said.

Lebanese Demand Civil Marriage on Home Soil
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 24/19/Dozens of protesters have rallied in Beirut, calling on the government to recognize civil marriages carried out on home soil.
The demonstrators gathered in front of the Interior Ministry in Sanayeh, days after recently-appointed Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan said she is willing to engage in "serious and profound dialogue" over the issue. The minister's comments prompted a backlash from religious bodies, including the highest Sunni authority in Lebanon, and stirred debate on social media. Lebanon has 15 separate personal status laws for its recognized religions but no civil code covering issues such as marriage. Many Lebanese couples travel to neighboring Cyprus to tie the knot in a civil ceremony, because Lebanese authorities recognize such unions only if they have been registered abroad. Hassan, the first female interior minister in Lebanon and the Arab world, touched on the issue of civil unions in an interview with Euronews last week.  She said she would "personally endorse" attempts to establish a framework to govern civil marriages in Lebanon. "I will try to open the door for serious and profound dialogue on this issue with all religious authorities and others, with the support of Prime Minister Saad Hariri," she said. Dar al-Fatwa, the highest Sunni authority in Lebanon, issued a response the day after Hassan's interview was published, saying it "categorically rejects" civil unions conducted on Lebanese soil. Such unions "violate the provisions of Islamic law" and "contravene the provisions of the Lebanese constitution" regarding the authority of religious courts over personal status issues, it said. The highest Shiite authority in the country also expressed opposition. "The Lebanese constitution recognizes that every sect has its own personal status laws," deputy head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council said Friday. "We strongly oppose civil marriage because it violates the constitution," he said. The head of Lebanon's Maronite church, Beshara al-Rahi, however, said he was "not against civil unions" conducted on Lebanese territory. In 2013, the Interior Ministry took the unprecedented step of registering a civil marriage conducted in Lebanon. However, only a handful of civil marriages have been recognized since the landmark decision, campaigner Lucien Bourjeily told AFP. Former president Elias Hrawi in 1998 proposed a civil marriage law, which gained approval from the cabinet only to be halted amid widespread opposition from the country's religious authorities.

Hariri Meets May, World Leaders at Egypt Arab-European Summit
Naharnet/February 24/19/Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Sunday with a number of world leaders after arriving in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh to take part in the first Arab-European Summit. Hariri is accompanied by the ministers Jebran Bassil, Ali Hassan Khalil and Wael Abu Faour and ex-minister Ghattas Khoury. A statement issued by his office said Hariri has met on the summit's sidelines with British Prime Minister Theresa May and the European Union's president. He has also met with Austria's chancellor, the Czech premier and the Jordanian foreign minister. Hariri is also scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and other officials.

Hariri and Miqati to Cooperate in Tripoli to Guarantee Electoral Win
Naharnet/February 24/19/Prime Minister Saad Hariri and ex-PM and influential Tripoli MP Najib Miqati are likely to strike an alliance in order to secure the win of Dima Jamali in the northern city's parliamentary by-election after her seat was revoked by the Constitutional Council. As per the new electoral law, the vote will be held under the winner-takes-all system and not proportional representation since competition is only over one seat. Also according to the new system, the polls will also held in Tripoli alone and not in the bigger Tripoli-Dinniyeh-Minieh district as happened in the 2018 elections. Political circles are anticipating the final stance of Miqati, who had formed a list that ran against Hariri's list in the previous polls before shifting closer to the premier in the wake of the elections, a rapprochement that helped him secure a seat in the new government for Adel Afiouni, the State Minister for Information Technology Affairs. Prominent Tripoli leaders said a Hariri-Miqati alliance will secure a certain win for Jamali, seeing as their political movements are the strongest in the city. Al-Hayat newspaper meanwhile reported that consultations have already started between Hariri and Miqati, although the latter is still delaying the announcement of his support for Jamali pending contacts with other Tripolitan figures.

Maronite Patriarch Urges Unity, Cooperation Between Cabinet Members
Kataeb.org/ Sunday 24th February 2019/Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi renewed his call for the new government to implemenr the reforms required by the CEDRE conference, urging cooperation and solidarity between the Cabinet members.
“We wish the new government all the success in achieving the aspirations voiced by lawmakers during the confidence vote sessions, as well as in fighting corruption and carrying out the reforms stipulated by the CEDRE conference,” Al-Rahi said in his Sunday sermon. “We hope that the government consolidates unity and cooperation among its members, rises above bickering and accusations, and works in accordance with the Constitution, the National Pact and laws," he stressed. "We urge the Cabinet members to not wrangle over petty, trivial issues while losing sight of fundamental topics,” the Patriarch said.

Geagea: Who Convinced Aoun Normalization Will Return Refugees?
Naharnet/February 24/19/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea wondered about the identity of “the political party that was behind convincing President Michel Aoun” that normalizing ties with Syria would facilitate the return of refugees to their country. The objective is “re-floating Bashar al-Assad's regime, which does not seem to have the intention to return them at a time Syria is witnessing a demographic change,” Geagea said in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. “What prevented the Free Patriotic Movement's ministers and their allies, who were the majority in the governments of Najib Miqati and Tammam Salam, from communicating with the Syrian regime to return these people, whose return should be secured as soon as possible without being linked to the political solution,” Geagea added. Noting that there is “an Iranian need to refloat Assad” and that Hizbullah is seeking to “promote it,” the LF leader called for “communicating with the international community to provide safe zones for them in Syria” and to “fund” such a return.“Assad, who used to claim that he had the upper hand in Lebanon, can no longer bear any delay in the normalization of ties between the two countries,” Geagea went on to say. The LF leader also revealed that “the Syrian regime is bringing groups of a certain sectarian affiliation, specifically from Afghanistan, Pakistan and some countries, to naturalize them in certain areas in Syria from which the original residents have been displaced.”

Hizbullah Suspends Moussawi over Parliament Spat
Naharnet/February 24/19/Hizbullah's top commanding body has suspended the political activities of a leading legislator because of his spat with rival politicians in Parliament last week, a Lebanese politician said. Legislator Sami Gemayel, who heads the Kataeb party, said last week that Hizbullah's wide influence was seen when it got its ally elected president in 2016. Al-Moussawi responded saying "it's an honor" for the Lebanese that President Michel Aoun came to his post through "the rifle of the resistance," a reference to Hizbullah, and "not on an Israeli tank." Moussawi's last reference was to slain President-elect Bashir Gemayel who was assassinated in 1982 days after being elected during Israel's invasion of Lebanon. Gemayel's son, Nadim, an MP, called Moussawi's statements "unacceptable."Two days later, the head of Hizbullah's 13-member bloc in parliament, Mohammed Raad, apologized during a meeting of the legislature saying that Moussawi "crossed lines." The politician who is familiar with Hizbullah's internal affairs spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah, said Moussawi will be suspended from taking part in parliamentarian and the group's internal meetings for one year. He will also not be permitted to speak to the media, it said. The paper added that Moussawi's comments violated a Hizbullah policy to avoid internal arguments with other groups. Earlier this week, Moussawi did not attend the weekly meeting of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc. He was also not present on the day that Raad issued his apology.

Geagea: Normalization With Syria Aims at Lifting Assad
eirut- Mohammed Shokair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 February, 2019/Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea accused some parties of using the file of the displaced in order to normalize relations with Syria and revive the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Geagea said: “We are currently witnessing the biggest political scheme by blaming us of impeding the return of displaced persons to their country.”Emphasizing that the LF supported the unconditional return of the refugees, he said that the main reason for normalizing relations with Syria under the pretext of resolving the displaced file was aimed at reviving the rule of Assad. He noted that the Syrian regime president “does not appear to be willing to secure their return at a time when Syria is undergoing a demographic change.”Geagea stressed that Iran was working to reinforce Assad, and that Hezbollah was seeking to market this strategy, “for the simple reason that Tehran has invested in the regime and spent billions of dollars… and therefore cannot allow it to weaken or to be lost due to the negative repercussions on Iran’s internal arena.”“We will maintain communication with the international community to secure safe areas in Syria,” he said. The LF leader underlined that the organized campaign to normalize relations between the two countries came in the context of the previous campaign led by Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil to invite Syria to attend the Arab Economic Summit hosted by Lebanon. “The pretext of normalizing the relations between the two countries as a condition for the return of the displaced is an open attempt to use this file to lift the Assad regime; otherwise Assad would have already invited the displaced to return,” Geagea remarked, adding that the Syrian president was the first to assert that their presence in hosting countries comforted him internally.

Mikati keen to maintain 'strong cooperation' with Hariri
The Daily Star/February 24/19/BEIRUT: MP Najib Mikati Saturday expressed his desire to maintain “strong cooperation” with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, amid speculation over what side the former premier will take in the by-election for former MP Dima Jamali’s Tripoli seat. A statement from Mikati’s press office confirmed the politician’s interest in maintaining his relationship with Hariri to “dispel false analyses” arising from the Constitutional Council’s decision to hold the elections. The council removed Jamali, a member of Hariri’s Future Movement, from office Thursday and declared the seat empty, the result of an appeal by unsuccessful candidate Taha Naji, who ran on MP Faisal Karami’s National Dignity list against Future’s bloc. The council can rule three ways on an electoral appeal: Reject it, call a special election for the seat or replace the MP with the correct winner. Karami has blasted the council’s decision to hold elections rather than put Naji in office, citing the court’s own finding that Karami’s list had won enough votes to edge out the Future Movement list. Jamali has said she will run in the by-election while a source close to Karami previously said it was likely that their side would also run, despite rejecting the council’s decision.Local media has speculated over which side Mikati will take on the matter. One of Tripoli’s most powerful politicians, Mikati has had a turbulent relationship with Hariri, but the two have recently patched over differences. Hariri appointed a Mikati ally in his Cabinet, announced Jan. 31. On Friday, an MP with Mikati’s Azm Movement told The Daily Star, “It’s very early to speak about how and when and what direction we will take. We are evaluating how best to approach this new development.”Mikati in his statement Saturday emphasized that his priority was serving the interests of the people of Tripoli. The former premier will “make the necessary calls with all the concerned parties, since unity is absolutely necessary in light of looming challenges,” the statement read.

Lebanon: Hezbollah Suspends its MP for a Year over Kataeb Spat
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/The Lebanese Hezbollah group suspended the political activities of MP Nawwaf al-Mousawi following a heated dispute between him and the Kataeb party last week. During a debate at parliament, MP Sami Gemayel said that Hezbollah's wide influence was seen when it got its ally, Michel Aoun, elected president in 2016. Mousawi responded by saying "it's an honor" for the Lebanese that Aoun came to his post alongside "the rifle of the resistance," a reference to Hezbollah, and "not on an Israeli tank."His last reference was to late President-elect Bashir Gemayel who was assassinated in 1982 days after being elected during Israel's invasion of Lebanon. Gemayel's son, Nadim, an MP, called Mousawi’s statements "unacceptable." Two days later, the head of Hezbollah's bloc in parliament, Mohammed Raad, apologized during a meeting of the legislature saying that Mousawi "crossed lines."The politician who is familiar with Hezbollah's internal affairs spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hezbollah, said Mousawi will be suspended from taking part in parliamentarian and the group's internal meetings for one year. He will also not be permitted to speak to the media, it said. The paper added that Mousawi's comments violated a Hezbollah policy to avoid internal arguments with other groups. Earlier this week, Mousawi did not attend the weekly meeting of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc. He was also not present on the day that Raad issued his apology.

Abu Nader: Lebanon Is the Only Peace Project in the Region
Kataeb.org/ Sunday 24th February 2019/Kataeb leader's top adviser, Fouad Abu Nader, on Sunday highlighted the essential role that Lebanon has long played in the Middle East, deeming it as the only peace project present in the region. “Lebanon is the only peace project established in the Middle East. It was not founded to be ‘Hanoi’ or ‘Las Vegas’, but to be a culture platform," Abu Nader wrote on Twitter. "The protection of this project necessitates a pioneering Christian role and requires the presence of leaders who rise up to the level of the historic phase we are experiencing,” he added.

Weakened by sanctions, Iran’s ‘aid’ to Lebanon reflects middle-aged delusions
مساعدات إيران للبنان اضعفتها العقوبات وهي تعكس أوهام القرون الوسطى
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/February 24/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72448/makram-rabahweakened-by-sanctions-irans-aid-to-lebanon-reflects-middle-aged-delusions-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84/
The Persians have a saying, that “a doctor must first cure his own balding head”. The phrase refers to the human propensity of preaching virtues to others, while personally disregarding them. This idiom seemed particularly applicable to Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who stirred up a storm during his recent visit to Beirut, when he cheekily remarked that sanction-hit Iran was willing to provide military and economic aid to the Lebanese state.
Iran’s ludicrous offer flies in the face of the fact that its own economy, as well as its military infrastructure, is in the midst of a financial crisis, due to rampant corruption caused by its autocratic clerical rule and crippling US sanctions.
Be that as it may, Lebanon should have welcomed Zarif’s generous offer, though the seemingly friendly gesture comes at a dangerous cost. The timing of Zarif’s visit raises a number of questions, as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, one that Zarif and members of his extended community in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, chose to celebrate at a lavish reception in one of Beirut’s swankiest hotels.
Ironically, located only a few meters from the site of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination, this reception would draw Lebanon’s political elite, who hosted the 40th anniversary of the anti-West revolution as a public relations stunt, as well as to gain political legitimacy for the regime’s agenda for the region.
Zarif’s diplomacy is neither reflective of Iran’s decision-making process, nor its foreign policy, especially in the Levant. While Iran’s foreign minister might charm his audience with his pleasant, soft-spoken rhetoric and demeanor, the ultimate arbiter in Iran remains Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It is, in fact, Qasem Soleimani and his Quds Brigade that spread Iran’s sectarian and racist vison in the region. And this remains a dark vision that has proven disastrous, while leading many countries, including Lebanon, to the brink of political and economic collapse.
Iran’s ludicrous offer flies in the face of the fact that its own economy, as well as its military infrastructure, is in the midst of a financial crisis, due to rampant corruption caused by its autocratic clerical rule and crippling US sanctions
Thus, Zarif’s gift is nothing short of “political heresy”, as this offer to provide the Lebanese army with military hardware and training only aims to apply political pressure, and further alienate Lebanon from its main western ally, the United States. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) remains one of the largest recipients, per capita, of US military assistance, totalling $1.7 billion in aid and equipment since 2007, due to a relationship which started almost three decades ago under the Regan administration.
Consequently, the LAF, as a western trained and equipped army, cannot simply switch its arsenal to an Eastern manufacturer, such as Russia or Eastern Europe, converting to the use of arms which Iran locally assembles and is of a largely inferior quality. Lebanese President Michael Aoun, a former commander of the LAF, purposely disregarded this basic fact and, instead of commenting on Zarif’s gesture, remained dubiously silent.
Aoun, a graduate of the Fort Sill Artillery School in Oklahoma, could have immediately shot down Zarif’s sinister offer by simply asking the Lebanese Defense Minister, who is a member of Aoun’s political party, to politely reject the so-called gift, thereby nipping this whole matter in the bud. Equally deafening is the silence of PM Saad Hariri, who has chosen to meet with Zarif and perpetuate the so-called diplomatic game both sides have played in the past. Zarif, and consequently his superiors, are very much aware that Hariri simply cannot afford to publicly attack or challenge Iran or Hezbollah, especially when it sends its honey-tongued diplomat, rather than its assassins.
The recently formed government makes Hariri hostage to his “sacred” alliance with Gebran Bassil, Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s son-in-law and Iran’s main Christian ally, thus placing difficult options for Hariri to overcome. He has to either commit to the economic plan for rescuing his country or stand up against Iran and its enduring hegemony over Lebanon.
Hassan Nasrallah had earlier paved the way for Zarif’s statement, by declaring his willingness to personally intercede with Iran to procure an air defense system for the Lebanese state to defend itself against Israeli aggression, thus severing its dependence on US protection. Nasrallah’s not-so-innocent pledge coincided with Hariri’s cabinet announcement that they had agreed on a ministerial statement, which tones down Hezbollah’s weapons and postpones confronting this thorny issue to another time.
Nasrallah simply wrote his own ministerial statement declaring that Lebanon is fully under Iran’s sway, and Zarif’s visit is meant to celebrate this obvious reality. Until Lebanon, itself, alters this bleak reality, Nasrallah and Zarif would be better off using their archaic weapons to protect their militiamen across Syria from continued Israeli sorties that have exposed Iran as nothing more than a balding bully, that is simply passing through a political midlife crisis.
*Makram Rabah is a lecturer at the American University of Beirut, Department of History. He is the author of A Campus at War: Student Politics at the American University of Beirut, 1967-1975. He tweets @makramrabah.

Lebanese Philosopher Dr. Ali Harb: Colonialism Brought Arabs Out Of Middle Ages Into Modernity; We Need To Change How We See The World
MEMRI/February 24/19
Lebanese philosopher Dr. Ali Harb was featured in a two-part series on Al-Hurra TV (U.S.) that aired on February 3 and 10, 2019. He said that while colonialism had its drawbacks, it created great opportunities for the Arab world and Arab societies to join modernity and emerge out of the Middle Ages. He said that Pan-Arabism, left-wing thought, and other ideologies caused an overall decrease of freedom in Arab societies relative to the era of liberalism and enlightenment, and that the return of religion brought about the hijab, civil wars, the age of terrorism, and the return of colonialism. Dr. Harb said that the Arab world does not produce knowledge or participate in the creation of civilization and added that Arabs needs to change the way they think, see the world, and deal with their heritage and religion.
"It Is True That Colonialism Had Its Drawbacks, But It Opened Up Great Possibilities For Arab Societies"
Dr. Ali Harb: "The Arab world wanted to be liberated from colonialism. What was the result, 200 years later? Religion has made a barbarous comeback.
"All of us – our ideology, our clothes, and our new values – are the fruit of modernity. It is true that colonialism had its drawbacks, but it opened up great possibilities for Arab societies. It gave them the opportunity to join modernity, ever since Napoleon arrived in Egypt, and ever since the first publishers arrived at Mount Lebanon... So today, we are the fruit of the modern world. We emerged from the Middle Ages because of colonialism.
The best era of the Arab world was the age of revival, enlightenment, and liberalism.
"So when the ideological era arrived – be it the Pan-Arabs, the left wingers, or whatever... The level of freedom declined compared to the days of Taha Hussein."
"We Need To Change The Way We Think And The Way We See The World, We Need To Change Our Way Of Dealing With Our Heritage And Religion... I No Longer Define Myself By A Religious Label"
Interviewer: "The terrorism emerged from within us. The ideology and heritage is ours. [The West] has exploited it all, but that's a different story. We cannot exculpate ourselves and say that it is all made in America or the West."
Dr. Ali Harb: "The return of religion invited Western colonialism and the superpowers back. It brought about the return of the hijab, drowned us in civil wars, and established the age of terrorism.
"The Arab world is paralyzed, powerless, and torn by civil wars."
Interviewer: "By God, it is more contemptible than that."
Dr. Ali Harb: "It does not produce knowledge or participate in the creation of civilization by generating knowledge and technology – unless one lives in a European country, where he can be more productive."
Interviewer: "So what is the solution?"
Dr. Ali Harb: "First of all, we need to change the way we think and the way we see the world. We need to change our way of dealing with our heritage and religion. I, for example, started with myself. I no longer define myself by a religious label."

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on February 24-25/19
Pope Francis compares child sex abuse to ‘human sacrifice’
AFP, Vatican City Sunday, 24 February 2019/Pope Francis on Sunday compared the sexual abuse of children to human sacrifice as he addressed the Catholic Church’s top bishops at the end of a landmark summit to tackle pedophilia. “Our work has made us realize once again that the gravity of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors is, and historically has been, a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies,” he said. “I am reminded of the cruel religious practice, once widespread in certain cultures, of sacrificing human beings - frequently children - in pagan rites,” he added. Francis was speaking after a four-day meeting which he had opened by calling for “concrete measures” on tackling priests and handing 114 senior bishops a roadmap to shape the debate on how to stop a global scandal. “If in the Church there should emerge even a single case of abuse - which already in itself represents an atrocity - that case will be faced with the utmost seriousness”.The ongoing scandals have hit countries around the world, with recent cases affecting Australia, Chile, Germany and the US. Francis said those who priests who prey on children are “tools of Satan.”“No explanations suffice for these abuses involving children,” the Argentine pontiff said. “The echo of the silent cry of the little ones who, instead of finding in them fathers and spiritual guides encountered tormentors, will shake hearts dulled by hypocrisy and by power. “It is our duty to pay close heed to this silent, choked cry,” he added.

Thousands mourn 7 Syrian siblings killed in Canada fire
AFP, MontrealSunday, 24 February 2019/Around 2,000 mourners attended the funeral on Saturday of seven children from a Syrian refugee family who died earlier this week in a house fire in Halifax, eastern Canada. Ahmad Barho and siblings Rola, Mohammed, Ola, Hala, Rana and Abdullah – whose ages ranged from four months to 15 years – all perished in the as-yet unexplained blaze at their home on Tuesday. Their father, Ebraheim Barho, suffered serious burns and remains in a medically induced coma in hospital, according to Canadian media. Their mother, Kawthar Barho, was less seriously injured. She was present at the funeral. “I’ve attended many funerals but nothing like this, so please bear with me,” said Sheikh Hamza, who spoke at the moving ceremony, struggling to overcome grief. The funeral, broadcast on several news channels, was carried out according to Muslim tradition. Due to the number of people attending, it took place not in a mosque but in a cavernous hall on the Halifax waterfront, with all 2,000 seats full and several mourners standing. “We have all been affected by this tragedy,” said Nova Scotia lieutenant governor Arthur Leblanc. Member of Parliament Andy Fillmore said authorities were working to bring other members of the Barho family to Canada to support Kawthar Barho. The tragedy provoked an outpour of sympathy across Canada, with a fundraiser for the family bringing in nearly half a million Canadian dollars ($380,000) in just a few days. The seven small white coffins were accompanied by a guard of honor before being transported to a Muslim cemetery near Halifax.

Pompeo condemns violence by Maduro’s ‘thugs’ in Venezuela
AFP, Washington/Sunday, 24 February 2019/US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned an outbreak of violence he said was perpetrated by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s “thugs” after security forces fired on demonstrators, killing two people and wounding more than 300. “The US condemns the attacks on civilians in #Venezuela perpetrated by Maduro’s thugs. These attacks have resulted in deaths and injuries,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter. “Our deepest sympathies to the families of those who have died due to these criminal acts. We join their demand for justice. #EstamosUnidosVE.”

EU, Arabs tackle troubled Middle East at first summit
AFP/February 24, 2019/SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt: European and Arab leaders gather Sunday for their first summit aimed at stepping up cooperation on trade, security and migration while the EU-Brexit stalemate looms on the sidelines.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi hosted last-minute preparatory meetings with the European Union before he opens the two-day summit at 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Europeans view the summit, EU sources told AFP, as a way to protect their traditional diplomatic, economic and security interests while China and Russia move to fill a vacuum left by the United States. The summit in the southern Sinai desert is heavily guarded by Egyptian security forces that are fighting a bloody extremist insurgency a short distance to the north. Climate change, migration, trade and investment are on Sunday’s agenda, EU sources said. Conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya are to be discussed on Monday. Arab League hosts said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will also be raised. European leaders first mentioned the summit in Austria in September amid efforts to agree ways to curb the illegal migration that has sharply divided the 28-nation bloc. But checking migration is just part of Europe’s broader strategy to forge a new alliance with its southern neighbors. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini insists that the gathering in Egypt of around 40 heads of state and government is about much more than migration. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council of EU member countries, met Sunday with El-Sisi to help set the agenda, EU sources said. Most of the 24 European heads of state and government who have confirmed their attendance have already arrived in the Red Sea resort, they added. British Prime Minister Theresa May was due to arrive later Sunday. Apart from El-Sisi, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and King Salman of Saudi Arabia will attend from the 22-member Arab League, based in Cairo. Most of the other Arab leaders are due to attend except Syria’s Bashar Assad, whose country was suspended from the Arab League over the civil war, and Sudan’s Omar Al-Bashir. A UN official warned that Europe’s failure to bridge divisions on migration “risks blocking all the other discussions” at the summit.
The EU has struck aid-for-cooperation agreements with Turkey and Libya’s UN-backed government in Tripoli, which has sharply cut the flow of migrants since a 2015 peak. But the official said broader cooperation with the Arab League, which includes Libya, is limited without the EU being able to speak in one voice. Marc Pierini, a former EU ambassador to Tunisia and Libya, said the Arabs are also grappling with divisions since the Arab Spring revolutions in the last decade. An EU source said there will “be no deal in the desert” when asked if EU leaders would huddle together to explore ways to break the logjam over Britain’s looming exit from the bloc on March 29. Brussels has stood united against May’s requests to reopen the November divorce agreement in order to help it pass the British parliament. However, the issue is due to come up when Tusk holds a one-to-one meeting with May in Sharm el-Sheikh. EU sources said the first EU-Arab summit is all the more important as the United States “disengages” from the region while Russia and China make inroads. “We don’t want to see this vacuum soaked up by Russia and China,” one of the sources told AFP.

Bid by ‘enemies’ to sabotage missiles foiled: Iran Guards
AFP/February 24, 2019/TEHRAN: The Revolutionary Guards on Sunday accused “enemies” of Iran of trying to sabotage the country’s missiles so that they would “explode mid-air” but said the bid was foiled. “They tried as best as they could to sabotage a small part which we import so that our missiles would not reach their target and explode mid-air,” Fars news agency reported, quoting the Guards’ aerospace commander Amir Ali Hajjizadeh. “But they couldn’t do a damn thing because we had seen this coming from the start and had reinforced this sector,” he added, accusing Iran’s “enemies” of sabotage without naming any specific country. Iran reined in most of its nuclear program under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers in return for sanctions relief, but has continued to develop its ballistic missile technology.Earlier this month the New York Times reported that the US administration of President Donald Trump was pushing a secret program aimed at sabotaging Iranian rockets and missiles. It said Washington was trying to “slip faulty parts and materials into Iran’s aerospace supply chains” as part of a campaign to undercut Tehran’s military.
In May, Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, and reimposed sanctions on Tehran
UN Security Council Resolution 2231 — adopted just after the nuclear deal — calls on Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”Tehran insists that its missile program is “purely defensive” and compliant with the resolution but it has developed medium-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching arch-foe Israel. Hajjizadeh, whose remarks were also reported by Tasnim news agency, said similar sabotage attempts had happened before and targeted Iran’s nuclear and oil sectors.

Erdogan at odds with Russia over control of Syria-Turkey safe zone
Arab News/February 24/19/JEDDAH: Moscow and Ankara are at odds over who would control a proposed "safe zone" along Turkey’s border with Syria, with Russia's foreign minister saying on Sunday that Russian forces could do the policing. Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Russian news agencies saying that Turkey had no right to set up the zone without seeking and receiving consent from Syrian President Bashar Assad. On Saturday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said any safe zone along Turkey’s border with Syria must be under Turkish control, “If there is to be a safe zone along our border then it must be under our control. Because that is my border,” Erdogan said in an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk. He was speaking after a senior US administration official said on Friday Washington would leave about 400 US troops in Syria, a reversal by President Donald Trump that could pave the way for US allies to keep troops there. Ankara regards the Kurdish YPG militia, which controls that region and has been a key US ally against Daesh, as a terrorist group. Turkey has repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily against the YPG east of the Euphrates river where the safe zone is planned. Lavrov was cited as saying on Sunday that the format of the safe zone was in the process of being finalized by military leaders, and that any decision would take the interests of Damascus and Ankara into account as far as possible. “We have experience in combining cease-fire agreements, safety measures and the creation of de-escalation zones with the roll-out of Russian military police,” Lavrov was cited as saying. “Such a possibility is being kept open for this buffer zone.” Trump ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops from Syria in December after saying they had defeated Daesh, a decision criticized by allies and US lawmakers. He was persuaded on Thursday that about 200 US troops should join what is expected to be a total commitment of some 800 to 1,500 troops from European allies to set up a safe zone in northeastern Syria, a US administration official said. Ankara regards the Kurdish YPG militia, which controls that region and has been a key US ally against Daesh, as a terrorist group. Turkey has repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily against the YPG east of the Euphrates river where the safe zone is planned. (With Reuters)

Gaza protesters call on Palestinian leader to quit
Arab News/February 24/19/GAZA CITY: Thousands of protesters in the Gaza Strip Sunday called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to resign after attempts to pressure his rival Hamas with financial cuts in the impoverished enclave.
“Leave!” yelled crowds made up mainly of supporters of Hamas and Mohammed Dahlan, an Abbas rival expelled from the president’s Fatah party and who now lives in exile. They called on the Palestinian Authority to pay the full salaries of public sector employees in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas. Abbas, 83, has over the course of recent months reduced salaries in the Gaza Strip. Protesters demanded increased electricity supplies to the enclave, where residents receive power in around eight-hour intervals. They also demonstrated against Israel’s more than decade-long blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel says the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas, with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, from obtaining weapons or materials that could be used to make them. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 in a near civil war with Abbas’s Fatah. Multiple reconciliation attempts aimed at restoring the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to power in Gaza have failed. Separately in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, around 2,500 people demonstrated in support of Abbas in the city of Hebron. Abbas was in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh on Sunday to attend a European Union-Arab League summit. He met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi while there, according to official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Abbas’s term was meant to expire in 2009, but he has remained in office in the absence of elections.

Algerian police use tear gas as rare anti-government protests enter third day
Reuters/February 24/19/ALGIERS: Algerian police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators on a third straight day of rare political protests against plans for rarely seen President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to extend his 20-year rule by seeking a fifth term. Thousands have taken to the streets of the capital and other cities since Friday calling on the authorities to abandon plans for Bouteflika, 81, to stand in a presidential election scheduled to be held on April 18. Bouteflika, in office since 1999, suffered a stroke in 2013. He has since been seen in public only a handful of times and has given no public speeches in years. His opponents say there is no evidence he is in fit health to lead the country, which they say is being ruled in his name by advisers. The authorities say he still has a firm grip on affairs despite the rarity of his appearances. “People do not want Bouteflika,” the crowd chanted at a protest called by an opposition group, Mouwatana. A Reuters journalist saw tear gas being fired to disperse crowds. Since the ruling FLN party picked Bouteflika as its presidential candidate, several political parties, trade unions and business organizations have already said they would back him. A weak and divided opposition faces high hurdles in mounting an electoral challenge. Bouteflika has not directly addressed the protests. The authorities announced earlier this week that he would be traveling to Geneva for unspecified medical checks, although there was no official confirmation he had left. State media quoted a letter in Bouteflika’s name read out at a government oil and gas industry event in the southern town of Adrar as saying: “Continuity is the best option for Algeria.” FLN leader Moad Bouchareb dismissed the protests. “To those who are dreaming of change I say ‘Have nice dreams,’” he said in televised comments in the western city of Oran on Saturday. Supporters of Bouteflika have emphasised the risk of unrest. Algerians have bitter memories of a decade of civil war in the 1990s in which 200,000 people were killed. The war was triggered after the army canceled an election that Islamists were poised to win in 1991. “Do you want Algeria to go back to years of tears and blood?” said the leader of the powerful UGTA labor union, Abdelmadjid Sidi Said in televised comments. Strikes and protests over social and economic grievances are frequent in Algeria, but have generally been localized, rather than touching on national politics. Algeria saw major street unrest during the 2011 “Arab Spring” that brought down the rulers of North African neighbors Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. But Algerian security forces managed to contain it without Bouteflika’s grip on power loosening.Lower oil prices in recent years have hurt Algeria’s economy, reigniting discontent. More than a quarter of Algerians under 30 are unemployed, according to official figures, and many feel disconnected from a ruling elite made up of veteran fighters from Algeria’s 1954-1962 independence war with France.

King Salman: Saudi Arabia Ready to Assist Egypt in Its War on Terrorism
Riyadh, Sharm el-Sheikh- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 February, 2019/Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and President of Egypt Abdulfattah El-Sisi held a bilateral meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh during which they reiterated the importance of establishing a Council of the Arab and African Coastal States of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The two leaders also reviewed the brotherly, close relations between both countries, and then held a session of expanded, official talks in the presence of the delegations of the two countries. Earlier, the Royal Court announced that King Salman left to Egypt on an official visit at the invitation of President Sisi. The meeting also addressed the prospects of bilateral cooperation in various fields and means of developing them, in addition to reviewing developments in the region and the efforts exerted towards them. The meeting was attended by a number of ministers and officials of both sides. After that, the President held a dinner banquet in honor of King Salman, which was also attended by a number of princes and ministers of the official delegation accompanying the King. Sisi expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom and the historical relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia stressing the importance of the cooperation between the two countries regarding several regional cases, announced Egyptian Presidency spokesperson, Bassam Radi. Radi also indicated that Sisi praised the strategic relationship between his country and Saudi Arabia, which supports the unity of the Islamic and Arab world amid the current regional challenges. Later, the Custodian received at his residence the Egyptian Premier, Mustafa Madbouli, who welcomed the King in his “second homeland.”During the audience, they discussed bilateral relations and ways to consolidate and boost them, in addition to reviewing aspects of cooperation between the two sisterly countries. King Salman lauded the bilateral relations between the two countries especially during the presidency of Sisi. He asserted Saudi Arabia’s willingness to further cement cooperation because it would be for the best interest of the Arabs and Muslims. The Custodian said there were "numerous and dangerous" challenges facing the Arab national security, calling for doubling of counter-terrorism efforts. He strongly condemned all terrorist acts in Egypt and said Saudi Arabia was ready to assist Cairo in its fight against terrorism. During the meeting, PM Madbouli said Egypt looked forward to taking relations and cooperation with Saudi Arabia to new levels. King Salman also received the Egyptian Speaker, Ali Abdulal, and they discussed the fraternal relations between the two brotherly countries. King Salman arrived at Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport on Saturday, on an official visit to Egypt, and was received by the President. Following the reception, the King and his delegation moved with the Egyptian President to the Reception Hall, at the airport. After a brief interval, the Custodian left in an official motorcade, to his residence house. Prior to his departure, King Salman issued a royal decree delegating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, to steer the state's affairs and look after the interests of the people, all through the period of his absence. European and Arab leaders, senior officials and several ambassadors of 28 European countries and 21 Arab states arrived in Egypt Sunday to participate in the Arab-European summit. The leaders will be convening a two-day summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, on Sunday, to discuss joint challenges and boost mutual cooperation opportunities.

Iran releases French national arrested for illegal entry
AFP, TehranSunday, 24 February 2019/Iran has released a French citizen arrested for entering the country illegally, official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday. “A French national who had been arrested for unauthorized entry into Iran has been released in recent days as the legal proceedings took their course and other charges were dropped,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told IRNA. IRNA did not give the French national’s name or gender. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday that Paris was in touch with Tehran to improve the conditions of a woman arrested in October on the Gulf island of Kish for unauthorized entry and allegedly signing an illegal mining contract. Nelly Erin-Cambevelle, a 59-year-old businesswoman from Martinique, had been on the island as part of her import-export business, according to Le Drian.
“She went to Kish island, not far from Dubai, which is considered to be Iranian territory. She was arrested ... on the grounds of having signed an illegal contract and carrying out a non-authorized trip,” he said.

Iran: We Have Other Options to Avoid US Sanctions
London- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 February, 2019/Iran said on Saturday it had many options to neutralize the re-imposition of US sanctions on its oil exports, adding that Tehran’s regional influence could not be curbed as demanded by Washington. “Apart from closing Strait of Hormuz, we have other options to stop oil flow if threatened,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani as saying. “Iran has plans in place that will neutralize the illegal US sanctions against Iran’s oil exports.”“We have many ways to sell our oil,” asserted Shamkhani. Tehran wants to strengthen its trade relations with Iraq, Turkey, and Russia as outlets for its economy amid rising tensions with the United States after US President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers last May, and then reimposed sanctions on Iran.
The restoration of sanctions is part of a wider effort by Trump to force Iran to further curb its nuclear and missile programs as well as its support for proxy forces in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East. In turn, Iranian officials threatened to disrupt oil shipments from the Gulf countries if Washington tries to strangle Tehran’s oil exports. On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow will continue all-out cooperation with Iran, including in the area of nuclear energy, despite all the pressures from the United States.
Zakharova warned that US efforts to “scare” Moscow regarding trade were unacceptable, “we think such actions are unacceptable and deeply concerning.”
“Attempts to pressure and threaten Russian business... are a follow-up on the dishonorable anti-Iranian cause by the US administration,” the spokeswoman said. Moscow often supports Tehran's positions in its disputes with the United States, and Turkey has also pledged that it will not adhere to the US sanctions on Iran. Tehran considers working with Iraq, Turkey, and Russia as the key to helping it overcome US sanctions and keeping its faltering economy afloat. Iran is trying to show itself as a contributor to regional stability. Each day, about one-third of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz which links Middle East crude producers to key markets in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and beyond. The Secretary indicated there are multiple ways to make that blockage of Hormuz happen, however, he hoped Iran would not be forced to use that. “Iran is capable of confronting any military threat ... Trump and Israel are well aware of Iran’s military might,” Shamkhani said. “They know that they cannot enter a war with Iran. That is why they publicly threaten Iran.”

FATF Gives Iran Till June to Comply with Terrorism Financing Rules
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/Iran has until June to fix its anti-money laundering and terrorism financing rules or face increased international scrutiny of its banks, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said on Friday. Last October the Paris-based FATF gave Iran until February to complete reforms that would bring it into line with global norms, or face consequences. But at a meeting this week the watchdog concluded that Iran had not done so. Foreign businesses say Iran’s compliance with FATF rules is key if it wants to attract investors, especially after the United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran last year. Marshall Billingslea, US assistant Treasury Secretary for terrorist financing, who chaired the FATF meeting, said Iran had until June before countermeasures would automatically kick in. “That is a significant indication from the FATF that time has expired, the action plan is overdue and we expect it to be implemented without delay,” Billingslea told journalists. FATF members worldwide would be required to step up supervision of Iranian bank branches on their territory, including on-site inspections, Billinglsea said.
In the absence of compliance, the FATF called on its members to advise their banks to scrutinize all business with Iran, including obtaining information on reasons for intended transactions, stepping up controls on transactions and identifying patterns of transaction for further scrutiny. Iran’s central bank welcomed the deadline extension granted by the FATF and called in a statement for the “remaining bills to be approved as soon as possible”, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported. The government of President Hassan Rouhani and his supporters in parliament have been trying to secure the adoption of four bills to bring Iran into compliance with FATF regulations. Only two of the bills have been approved.

Canada calls for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to Venezuela
February 23, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development, today issued the following statement:
“For the past two years, the world has watched with great concern as Venezuela, under Nicolás Maduro’s rule, has descended into dictatorship. With growing numbers of Venezuelans in desperate need of help and scores fleeing the country, the need for the Maduro regime to allow safe and unrestricted humanitarian access is becoming ever clearer. “Experienced humanitarian partners are on the ground and are providing assistance in this complex environment, but their efforts are inhibited by the Maduro regime. Troubling reports from today indicate that regime actors burned aid rather than allow its delivery to people in need in Venezuela.“Canada is deeply concerned by the acts of violence allegedly perpetrated by the Maduro regime, designed to block the entry of relief items from neighbouring countries. Canada calls for these unacceptable attacks to be investigated and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. These attacks on civilians are simply unacceptable and a violation of basic humanitarian principles and human decency. “Canada continues to call for safe and unrestricted access to allow for the provision of humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable populations affected by this crisis.
“Canada stands in solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirms their right to peace and democracy, and the full respect of their human rights.

Bangladeshi Shot Dead after Trying to Hijack UAE-Bound Plane
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 24/19/Bangladesh commandos stormed a passenger jet in the country's southeast Sunday and shot dead an armed man who allegedly tried to hijack the Dubai-bound flight, an army official said. The suspect, described by officials as a 25-year-old Bangladeshi man, was shot as special forces rushed the plane after it landed safely in Chittagong. The 148 passengers and crew aboard the Bangladesh Biman flight BG147 were all rescued unharmed, officials said. But the suspected hijacker was injured and died shortly after being arrested, army spokesman Major General Motiur Rahman told reporters. "He is a Bangladeshi. We found a pistol from him and nothing else," Rahman said. All the passengers aboard were evacuated after the airport was sealed of by Army, Navy and elite police. Air Vice Marshall Mofid, who goes by one name, said he then kept the accused man busy talking on the phone while special forces units prepared for the dramatic raid. "He demanded to speak to our Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina)," Mofid said. "He claimed he had a pistol, but we are not sure yet whether it is an actual gun or a fake." The country's civil aviation chief, Nayeem Hasan, earlier said the suspect had claimed to have a bomb aboard the flight. "From the talks and dialogue we have with him, it seems he is psychologically deranged," Hasan said after the man was arrested. Another army spokesman, Abdullah Ibne Zaid, said the would-be hijacker allegedly claimed to have a gun and a bomb strapped to his chest. "The army's special forces conducted the operation and the armed man has been neutralized. The situation at (Chittagong's) Shah Amanat International Airport is very much under control of the Bangladesh Army," he said. An investigation would be carried out to determine whether security lapses had occurred, he added. Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 165 million, has grappled with homegrown extremism, with Islamist outfits murdering atheist bloggers and progressive activists in recent years. In a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group in 2016, militants killed 22 people including 18 foreigners at an upmarket cafe in Dhaka popular with Westerners. That attack prompted a swift crackdown by Prime Minister Hasina, with hundreds of suspected militants and their sympathizers arrested or killed in raids across the country.

Guaido Ramps Up Pressure after Deadly Venezuela Border Clashes
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 24/19/International pressure mounted against Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro on Sunday, with Washington vowing to "take action" after opposition efforts to bring humanitarian aid into the country descended into bloody chaos. Self-declared interim president Juan Guaido called on the international community to consider "all measures to free" Venezuela after clashes at the border crossing left at least two people dead. Guaido announced he would participate in Monday's Lima Group meeting of mostly Latin American countries in Bogota, and called on the international community to be prepared for "all possibilities" regarding Maduro. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will represent Washington at the meeting. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States "will take action" as he condemned violence perpetrated by Maduro's "thugs." President Donald Trump has said that Washington is not ruling out armed action. Humanitarian aid, much of it from the United States, has become the centerpiece of the standoff between Maduro and Guaido, the 35-year-old leader of Venezuela's National Assembly who declared himself interim president one month ago. The country is gripped by a humanitarian crisis that has seen poverty soar during a prolonged recession and hyperinflation. Maduro claims the aid is a smokescreen for a U.S. invasion, and has ordered several crossings on Venezuela's borders with Colombia and Brazil closed. Two people, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed in clashes Saturday with Venezuelan security forces that left more than 300 people wounded at various border posts. Guaido had set a Saturday deadline for delivering food and medical aid stockpiled in Colombia and Brazil. Hundreds of Venezuelans, many dressed in white, were frustrated in their attempts to collect the aid at the Colombian border, where they were pinned back by Maduro's security forces. Trucks with aid were prevented from entering the country, and force was used to keep out Venezuelan nationals trying to cross in from Colombia carrying aid parcels. Colombia ordered aid trucks to return from the border after the violence. International aid is also being held on the Caribbean island of Curacao. A ship with aid from Puerto Rico was forced to turn back after receiving a "direct threat of fire" from Venezuela's military, the governor of the US territory Ricardo Rossello said. He slammed the move as "unacceptable and outrageous."
Violent clashes
Since dawn, protesters in the border towns of Urena and San Antonio were kept at bay by the Venezuelan National Guard firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Gunshots could be heard in the streets of Urena during hours of rioting. Civil defense officials in Colombia said at least 285 people had been wounded in clashes at border bridge crossings. But the most serious incident came hundreds of miles (kilometers) away, at the Santa Elena de Uairen crossing point on the southern border with Brazil where the killings took place. Another 31 people were wounded when Venezuelan troops opened fire on civilians hoping to collect aid across the border with Colombia, according to rights group Foro Penal. Maduro's supporters also halted and set ablaze two trucks loaded with aid driven through barricades on a border bridge, sending a pall of black smoke into the sky over the Santander crossing linking Cucuta and Urena. Two other trucks carrying aid sent by Brazil to Venezuela returned to the Brazilian city of Paracaima after Venezuelan troops barred them from crossing for several hours.Some Venezuelan National Guard troops however took advantage of the confusion to abandon their posts and cross into Colombia. Guaido has offered amnesty to all security personnel switching sides. Colombia's immigration service said at least 60 members of the armed forces had deserted the "Maduro dictatorship" by late Saturday. Guaido -- recognized as interim leader by more than 50 countries -- formally launched a long-planned distribution operation at a warehouse at the Tienditas border bridge in Cucuta joined by the presidents of Chile, Colombia and Paraguay.
Maduro defiant
Angered by Colombia's support for Guaido, socialist leader Maduro announced that Caracas was severing diplomatic ties with Bogota, and gave Colombian diplomats 24 hours to leave the country. "I will never bow down, I will never give in. I will always defend our country with my own life if necessary," Maduro told a rally of his supporters in Caracas, after thousands had marched through the city under the slogan "Hands off Venezuela."At a separate Caracas rally thousands of government opponents, mostly dressed in white, marched waving flags outside the La Carlota military airport.
As many as 300,000 Venezuelans are in dire need of food and medicine after years of shortages and malnutrition, according to Guaido, who has accused Maduro of rigging his re-election and is demanding a new vote. United Nations figures show that 2.7 million people have fled Venezuela since 2015 and around 5,000 Venezuelans emigrate each day.

Mine Blast Kills More than 20 Civilians in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 24/19/More than 20 civilians were killed Sunday in central Syria when a landmine left behind by jihadists exploded under a van, the state news agency SANA said. The ordnance left behind by the Islamic State group in the town of Salamiyeh killed farmworkers who were heading to a region in the Hama province to pick truffles, SANA said, citing local police. It was the second such incident since February 8 when a landmine that had been planted by IS in rural Hama exploded killing seven civilians, SANA said. IS had a presence in Hama's countryside before the Syrian army drove the jihadists from the area in 2017. Before withdrawing they had planted mines in the area and rigged buildings with explosives, a tactic they have used in other areas as well. More than four years after IS overran large parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq and declared a "caliphate", the jihadist group has lost one territory after another and are left with only a tiny patch in the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are closing in on jihadists defending their last sliver of territory. The battle for Baghouz is now the only live front in Syria's war, which has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since 2011. Beyond Baghouz, IS retains a presence in the vast Syrian desert, and continues to claim deadly attacks in SDF-held territory.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 24-25/19
American-British Influence At Risk
Mark Gongloff//Bloomberg/February 24/19
One predictable thing about empires is that they eventually fall. We may be watching one fall right now.
Since the days of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, the world has been intellectually dominated by a US-UK alliance that John Micklethwait calls the core “Anglosphere” (apologies to lesser Anglospherians Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the backing musicians to Britain and America’s Mick and Keith. But after 40 years – a relative eye-blink of history – this hegemony is already showing signs of decline, John writes.
The fatal blows may have landed in 2016, with the shocking results of the Brexit referendum and the election of President Donald Trump. Both were dramatic turns away from a worldview that defined and served the partnership. Both triggered sudden collapses in competence and moral authority. Other countries probably found the Anglosphere cloying and/or destructive and might feel some schadenfreude right now. But John argues the Anglosphere benefited them too, and its troubles are nothing to celebrate. Read the whole thing.
There are signs of hope, however faint. John notes the Anglosphere’s influence runs deeper and wider than London and Washington. And even in those cities some people may be coming to their senses. Eleven British lawmakers have broken with their parties to form a tiny centrist coalition advocating for such common-sense ideas as not driving over a Brexit cliff. This isn’t much, but it’s a source of at least a little hope, Bloomberg’s editorial board writes.
Still, here in the Colonies, the decline is tangible if you, say, drive across a bridge in California or take a train into New York City, writes Noah Smith. He notes economic development moves in two directions. And America’s growing corruption and costs, crumbling infrastructure and worsening outcomes all suggest it’s going the wrong way. We’ve seen this before with Italy, a former economic powerhouse that stumbled backwards under an incompetent, venal, populist leader. It can happen here.
Trump warned his supporters they would get tired of so much winning. Fortunately for them, his presidency has also featured a healthy dose of losing. Most famously he has failed to get Mexico or anybody else to pay for a new border wall. And this week he gave up on his dream of a new Space Force, and we learned FEMA has ignored his idea of taking wildfire-relief money from California.
It took a couple of months, but the Fed seems finally to have talked financial markets out of a frightening tantrum. The minutes of its latest policy meeting, released yesterday, gave the market more of what it wanted: soothing coos of dovishness. The bond market is now boringly, blissfully becalmed, which is just where Jerome Powell & Co. want it, writes Brian Chappatta.
Ah, but the Fed can never rest easy; it still has a bunch of communication landmines ahead, writes Mohamed El-Erian, starting with its policy meeting next month. One big risk is that the market now expects it to be super-dovish forever, and sending any conflicting signal could break the calm again.
Making guns harder to get makes people less likely to be shot to death. “Duh,” you might be thinking, but then you may not be a member of the National Rifle Association. That group has been disputing this idea, in response to new Democratic proposals for universal background checks. But studies keep proving this seemingly obvious point, writes Bloomberg’s editorial board. One of the latest suggests tighter state gun laws lead to fewer gun deaths among children. This is a big deal, because guns are the second-leading cause of deaths of American children; and because, again, it proves fewer guns = fewer deaths.

Putin Is Finally Ready to Look Homeward
Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/February 24/19
Russian President Vladimir Putin knew that, in his state of the nation address, he would have to respond to the steep drop in his popularity since the middle of last year.
So the speech he delivered on Wednesday focused on improvements to welfare, education and health care as well as economic development instead of foreign policy, the area which he previously relied on to sustain his ratings.
But Putin’s promises face an obvious obstacle: the improvements he seeks are being held back by the oppressive and corrupt system of government he has built and, judging by the speech, has no intention of dismantling. In essence, he wants Russia to go down China’s path without China’s competitive advantages.
The slide in Putin’s popularity started with his decision to raise the retirement age. Polls quickly showed this was a price Russians were unwilling to pay for the president’s version of “great again,” which featured so prominently in last year’s state of the nation speech. On Wednesday, Putin signaled that, after bolstering Russia’s sovereignty and defenses, he is ready to pay more attention to citizens’ needs.
Russia’s international reserves, Putin said (and official data confirm it), are, for the first time in years (since 2010, to be precise) higher than the combined foreign debt of the government and the private sector. With the economy thus ring-fenced from external shocks, the Kremlin looks prepared to be generous.
The social program looks like the most ambitious one Putin has ever outlined. It comprises massive payouts to families with children, including more one-time payouts after a birth and mortgage subsidies; more spending on anti-poverty programs; mortgage holidays for people who have lost a job; and pension increases. He outlined programs to modernize health care and education, including an anti-cancer program worth more than $15 billion over six years and a plan to extend high-speed internet to all schools by 2021.
He promised to fix Russia’s growing waste-management problem, which has led to sporadic protests in many regions as barely regulated dumps have encroached on residential areas. Putin declared urban redevelopment a national priority and committed to a 20 percent reduction in industrial emissions over six years. To gasps in the audience of senior officials and supporters, Putin pledged to abolish by 2021 all existing regulations currently used to put pressure on businesses – things like fire safety rules, construction codes and consumer protection programs. He proposed a leaner, more transparent regulatory regime will replace it. Under Putin’s growth plan, Russia will have to step up government spending and investment, especially in areas like artificial intelligence and big data, and increase cooperation with China. He promised to link his pet post-Soviet integration project, the Eurasian Economic Union, to the Chinese Belt and Road initiative, just as China has long urged him to do.
In a speech like this, security policy was but an afterthought. Putin dwelt only briefly on his concern about the US decision to abandon the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Work on the new weapons systems he presented in 2018 was progressing nicely, he said, and Russia will be ready to retaliate in the event of any perceived increase in the US military threat. Ukraine, the biggest problem in Russia’s relations with the West, didn’t get a single mention.
From the domestic point of view, the shift from foreign adventures to social and economic issues is long overdue. Russians, however, are unlikely to be impressed with promises – especially as they come so transparently after an anti-Putin turn in the polls. Everything he promised this year could have been done earlier, and with more resources, had Putin not spent years building up his confrontation with the West. Even his boast that international reserves now exceed foreign debt only became possible thanks to deleveraging caused as much by Western sanctions as anything else.
And for all the attempts to step up cooperation with China, the country’s direct investment stock in Russia actually decreased in the first seven months of 2018 – to a puny $3.1 billion from $4.2 billion at the start of last year. Though Russia was China’s fastest-growing trade partner last year, oil and other commodities accounted for more than three quarters of the country’s exports to China; that’s not the kind of trade that fundamentally changes Russia’s economic position.
Putin appears to operate under the illusion that, with enough government spending and attention, the Russian economy can make rapid progress just as China’s did. But even that country is now facing push-back both from the US and European Union, where Germany and France trying to counter the influence of its national champions.
Facing these three economic giants, Russia, smaller in both population and economic output, has opted to put on additional shackles. Its conflict with the West, for example, is an obstacle to taking advantage of Western educational institutions on the same massive scale as China, and its ability to borrow to finance investment is severely constrained. Russia’s system of government may be too rotten to help Putin project his will. As he spoke of reducing pressure on business, the country’s top foreign private equity investor is in jail. And for all Putin’s indignation about festering garbage dumps, his billionaire friends have large interests in the waste-management business, which will only be furthered by his recent decision to put a government-run operator in charge of the disposal of all solid waste.
Despite all the social and development promises, some 15 percent of all Russian government spending, or 5 percent of gross domestic product, is on defense and security. (Germany, by comparison, spends less than 3 percent of GDP). Under the Russian government’s plans, defense and security’s share of spending will only fall to 13.5 percent (or 4.6 percent of GDP) in 2021. But health care and education outlays are also set to decline both as a share of public spending and economic output. None of this suggests a major shift in the Putin regime’s priorities from protecting itself to improving ordinary Russians’ lives.
Putin’s ability to wreak havoc both internationally and at home remains considerable. When it comes to development, however, his resources and options are constrained both by his past attempts to turn Russia into a fortress and his inability to limit his friends’ and enforcers’ appetites. In that sense, the state of the nation remains unchanged.

Asia Witness to Saudi Arabia’s Role
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/19
With the inclusion of the Chinese language in Saudi education curricula, which further enriches the diversity of Saudi culture, Prince Mohammed bin Salman concluded a three-day Asian tour visiting three of the continent's most important states.
The visit to Pakistan, India, and China had been classified political, much like the tours of world leaders. Economy, culture and enhancing partnerships were the most important elements of Prince Mohammed’s tour.
The Crown Prince's second visit to Asian allies is to emphasize that associations with major powers in the continent, and elsewhere, can not dispel the Kingdom as a key element in the Crown Prince's Vision of strengthening Saudi Arabia's strategic alliances and diversity between East and West.
It also asserts that Saudi Arabia is capable of strengthening its relationship with opposing forces or even adversaries, as it does with India and Pakistan, without creating issues with other capitals.
The influential Saudi role in the international arena has been clearly addressed in Beijing, New Delhi, and Islamabad and the major capitals of the Asian states are fully aware of what the Crown Prince’s visit means.
The tour is a real indicator that enhancing cooperation with Riyadh is beneficial for all, which show that no one can deny, let alone abolish, the influential Saudi presence at the international level.
The media campaign targeting the tour is no more than a wave that broke against the Saudi power and its political influence, like all previous campaigns which failed even in their countries of origin.
The majority of those media attacks have been largely influenced by political decisions and ruled by interests attempting to diminish the Saudi strong role in influencing the political and economic stability of the world.
During the Asian tour, Saudi Arabia maintained its active presence on the international arena by strengthening vital partnerships with its allies and major powers within the framework of a balanced strategy to achieve its interests and implement Vision 2030.
Vision 2030 has been effective in all foreign visits as the largest gateway to achieving interests both for the Kingdom and its international partners.
The Kingdom openly declares its strategy based on the policy of mutual interests; the more you gain from this partnership, the greater the gains of the other party. Through this, the Kingdom was able to encourage its partners to proceed and maintain relations with them in a way that ensures the best interests of both parties.
Perhaps Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries capable of skillfully maintaining alliances with the major powers without provoking anyone. The Kingdom has enhanced its relations with China and maintains its relations with Russia, all the while, its strategic partnership with the historic US ally remains unabated. As mentioned earlier, Saudi Arabia also retained its relations with India and Pakistan.
In a perilous field, the Kingdom holds on to its diplomatic tools to avoid any usual roadblocks which many countries face when they try to strengthen their alliances with the East, West and rival powers. This is not the Saudi Crown Prince's first tour, however, it is different given the recent developments in the world. Asia remains a true witness that the Kingdom's strength, influence, and attractions are rare to other regional countries. Those who risk abandoning their partnership with the Kingdom are in danger of losing many interests.

French Muslims and the Secular State
Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/February 24/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13771/france-muslims-secular-state
"If your synagogue or Jewish cemetery needs someone to stand guard, count me in. Islam requires it." — Tayyib Rashib, former US Marine, in a tweet.
In late April 2018, thirty imams signed an open letter in the French newspaper Le Monde, in which they bitterly attacked the "confiscation of our religion by criminals" and said "ignorant, disturbed and idle" young people had become easy prey for dangerous ideologues.
Secularism is not an opinion among others, but rather the freedom to have an opinion. It is not a belief, but rather the principle authorizing all beliefs, providing they respect the principles of freedom of conscience and equal rights. For this reason, it is neither pro- nor anti-religious.
In 2013, in Bradford, England, the town's Council of Mosques worked hand in hand with the dwindling local Jewish community of 299 members to rescue its beautiful 132-year-old Reform Synagogue from closure. Pictured: Bradford Reform Synagogue. (Image source: JohnYeadon/Wikimedia Commons)
Islam has a history largely forgotten today: Schools seem largely to ignore or suppress topics related to Western-Islamic, Indian or Middle Eastern rivalries or contacts. To many modern Westerners, Islam seems to have popped up out of nowhere, from across the Mediterranean.
One feature of those discarded histories is that, as Europe moved through the late Middle Ages on towards the eighteenth century, Western societies were in many ways not greatly different from those in the Islamic world. Western laws on crime, male-female relations, education, diplomacy, slavery, punishment, the upbringing of children, and so on, were not entirely remote from those in the Muslim world. While Christians were monogamous and Muslims practised polygamy and slave concubinage, sexual relations were monitored for impropriety and punishments for extra-marital affairs were severe. The use of execution as a punishment for a range of crimes was common in both polities. What education there was tended to come from religious schooling. The long-lasting Islamic slave trade across the Sahara was eventually matched by the Transatlantic trade from Africa into North America. Western distaste for Islam was for the most part expressed in theological terms, just as Muslim distaste for Christianity seemed a mirror image of that. Both Christians and Muslims mistreated Jews, Christians more harshly on the whole. The Holocaust did not happen because of Islamic anti-Semitism.
With the reforms that entered Europe after the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the American Revolution, however, the two sides started to drift apart, less theologically than through shifts in laws and moral standards, social relations and sexual relations, among others. This shift has led to the situation today, in which liberal Western states and international organizations promote agendas that often conflict with the predispositions of Islamic culture and the strictures of Islamic law.
I do not refer here to the truly beneficial and harmonious aspects of Islam that can meld well with classical or contemporary Western values -- personal and communal modesty, friendship, faith, respect for elders and the like. Britain's Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, once said Islam was compatible with British values:
"There are many Muslims that I know who are very devout ... that are model citizens in terms of what they do their job, how they care for others."
Many Muslims have been and are model citizens. After headstones in Jewish cemeteries in Philadelphia and St. Louis were overturned in March 2017, for example, a Muslim activist, Tarek El-Messidi, after both attacks, sprang into action.
"I want to ask all Muslims to reach out to your Jewish brothers and sisters and stand together against this bigotry," he wrote on Facebook. "Last week, our Muslim community raised money for the vandalized Jewish Cemetery in St Louis. Since we raised well above the goal, we can now use extra funds to help here in Philadelphia."
Other Muslim Americans responded with promises to help guard synagogues and cemeteries:
After a spate of attacks and threats on Jewish establishments, some Muslim Americans have been offering to stand guard at sites across the US in a show of solidarity between people of Islamic and Jewish faiths.
In addition to documented vandalism – such as the desecration [of] graves in Missouri and elsewhere – at least 100 bomb threats against Jewish sites across the country were reported by the religion's JCC Association in January and February.
Outraged by the growing climate of anti-Semitism, former US Marine Tayyib Rashib tweeted: "If your synagogue or Jewish cemetery needs someone to stand guard, count me in. Islam requires it."
Four years earlier, in Bradford, a British city where Muslims constitute one quarter of the population, the town's Council of Mosques worked hand in hand with the dwindling local Jewish community of 299 members to rescue its beautiful 132-year-old Reform Synagogue from closure. A fundraising effort, raising £130,000, by Bradford Muslims, to keep the synagogue open after the earlier closure of the city's Orthodox one. All this in a city with a record of anti-Israel rhetoric and activity. Two years later, the same synagogue invited a Muslim representative, Jani Rashid, to join its council to help with the day-to-day running of the building:
Rudi Leavor, the synagogue's 87-year-old chairman, said: "We've been helped by the Muslim community for a few years and we wanted to cement our relationship further so we asked Jani to join our board.
"I'm pretty sure it's the first time a synagogue has had a Muslim on its council, but why not? He has been a great supporter.
"When there is so much strife in both communities we wanted to show there is no animosity in Bradford. Jani is a nice man and has had a close relationship with us. We want to show the two religions and communities can and will stick together."
In 2017, just hours after US President Donald Trump issued a ban on unvetted migrants from seven countries entering the United States, the Islamic Centre-cum-mosque in Victoria, a small Texas town, was burned down. Offers of help were made by many of the town's inhabitants, notably the Jewish community, who handed the keys of their synagogue to the Muslims, inviting them to use it as a place in which to worship.
It would be a mistake to think that all Jewish-Muslim or Christian-Muslim relations are as good-hearted or productive. Sadly, Muslims in Europe and across the Islamic world often play a major role in antisemitism. Indeed, we know that Islamic anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in Muslim scriptures and legal documents and that the Jewish state of Israel is almost universally loathed by a majority of Muslims, their clerics, and their governments. Nevertheless, the mutual support mentioned here does demonstrate that, given half a chance and a willingness on both sides, Jews and Muslims sometimes do share similar good will. That ability, to act in a moral and interactive fashion, is a characteristic of outstanding Muslims to share their values with the societies in which so many now live. Interfaith work that avoids proselytisation and unwarranted criticism, as practised, for example, by Britain's Council of Christians and Jews, shows that it is possible to create and maintain mutual respect and even joint worship between former enemies.
It did, of course, take centuries for Christians and Jews to learn mutual respect, most notably in the years after the Holocaust, an event that brought shame on the Western Christian world that had thought itself civilized and humane. Modern anti-Semitism is founded less on theological arrogance (such as the old accusation that Jews are Christ-killers) and more on political bias - one that seems to occupy the far left and the far right in more or less equal proportions.
In the long term, good mutual relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in balanced religious and political cooperation and within the context of full social integration, will, one hopes, develop through the next few generations. That will likely happen in Western democracies where there are no barriers to the growth of such positive interaction and mutual respect. It will happen more slowly if at all in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, among others. Ironically, Israel itself offers real opportunities for Jews, Christians and Muslims to live and work together.
If matters were that simple, we could all relax and wait for improved relations to take their natural course, and allow biases to wither away. As we all know, however, in recent years, anti-Semitism has been growing, not shrinking -- to the point where it is perceived in some places as being as strong as it was in parts of Europe in the 1930s. Knowing that should make one less optimistic about healthy Muslim-non-Muslim relations in the years to come.
Probably hard-line bigots of all religions will resist to the death information that contradicts their prejudices. These well-known prejudices have been well-studied by psychologists and sociologists as a feature of sectarian, cultish, anti-scientific, and similar worldviews.[1]
Even when positive events take place, it is not hard to throw them off balance. A young French Muslim woman, Mennel Ibtissem, for instance, in February 2018, became a sensation on the television show "The Voice of France", where she performed a powerful rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in English and Arabic. She is an appealing 22-year-old, with a winning smile and a voice that won over the judges in seconds. She wears a coloured turban in place of a hijab, and the rest of her dress is modern and Western. After the first night, she seemed well on her way to massive success and perhaps a singing career. More than that, she was well positioned to become an ambassador for Islam in French, not only for her voice, but because she is intelligent: she was studying for an M.A. in English at the time.
Then everything went wrong. Not long after her appearance, she was forced to quit the show. Someone had found posts she had made on Facebook, statements defending Islamic terrorist attacks in France, a claim that "the government is the real terrorist", and association with some Islamic associations. Some sites accused her of belonging to "the Muslim far right". As word of these associations spread out, she had little choice but to pull out of the competition.
If she is ever to play a positive role, she has no choice but to moderate her views, condemn all Islamic terrorism and listen to voices that may explain to her the true complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The problem she illustrates, however, is deeper than that. The opinions she has expressed about jihadi violence and the government of France are shared by many young French Muslims.
According to a variety of sources, including the dependable scholarly network Euro-Islam, a large majority of French Muslims identify positively with France and reject extremist ideology and activity. Such respect is to be celebrated, and young Mennel could have built on it There are, nevertheless, vast concerns about young French Muslims and converts to Islam. Writing in April 2017, Marc Hecker of the French Institute of International Relations, noted that:
France is the Western country most affected by the phenomenon of the Syrian jihad. Around 1,300 French citizens have spent time in the Iraqi-Syrian area, and hundreds of others have been arrested before reaching their destination. By the end of February 2018, there were 323 returnees, including 68 minors.
Hecker provides detailed profiles for 137 jihadists. They have an average age of 26, one-third who left France were women, they are significantly less educated than the rest of French youth, they were almost entirely unemployed or worked in jobs with low incomes, 69% were French citizens, and 22% held dual nationality.
That young French Muslims display high levels of acceptance or outright support for terrorism is summed up by Colin Randall, writing in The National in late 2018:
A study of attitudes in high schools in areas of high Muslim population revealed some startling statistics. About 45 per cent of Muslim pupils did not unreservedly condemn the murders of 12 people at the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and 20 per cent supported taking up arms "in certain circumstances" to defend their faith.
France is considered the standard bearer for Western secular liberalism and had, therefore been singled out by Islamic State as a key target.
Given the sensitivities of the French public and the genuine concerns they might justifiably have about extremist Islam, Mennel Ibtissem's expressions of support for radicals guaranteed her dismissal from The Voice.
Was it "Islamophobic" to ask her to quit the show? It was hardly bigoted or racist to do so. She had given voice to views that make her compatriots nervous. She is not obliged to receive an education in moderation from secular French teachers who want to re-make Islam in their own style, or from any of the many French imams who themselves argue from Islamic sources for a form of the faith that will fit easily within a liberal and tolerant French polity.
There are French imams such as Bordeaux's Tareq Oubrou who work hard to integrate their congregations within a republic that remains dedicated to the concept of secularism (laïcité). Muslim leaders who adopt this position make no bones about the harm done to their communities by radicals and terrorists. In late April 2018, thirty imams signed an open letter in Le Monde, in which they bitterly attacked the "confiscation of our religion by criminals" and said "ignorant, disturbed and idle" young people had become easy prey for dangerous ideologues.
Adapting religious beliefs to secularism should not be hard to do; it mainly depends if one wants to. French secularism, like the American separation of church and state, allows religions to act openly in matters of worship and faith. That freedom has been well summed up by the leading French organization for public diplomacy, France Diplomatie:
"France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, guaranteeing that all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion are treated as equals before the law and respecting all religious beliefs" states the Constitution of 1958. The "freedom to practice religion" has been recognised since 1905 when the Law on the Separation of the Church and State (la loi sur la séparation de l'Église et de l'État) came into effect. Far from being a weapon against religion, this text returned all religions to the private sector and established state secularism in the public sphere. The French State does not favour any one religion and guarantees their peaceful co-existence in respect of the laws and principles of the Republic.
In 2014, the French Secular Monitoring Centre (Observatoire de la Laïcité) issued guidelines on the mix of secularism and religion in an increasingly diverse society. The guidelines included the following statement,[2] one that clarifies matters:
There is greater cultural diversity in France today than in the past, which is why the country needs secularism now more than ever, for it enables all citizens, whatever their philosophical or religious beliefs, to live together, enjoying freedom of conscience, freedom to practise a religion or to choose not to, equal rights and obligations, and republican fraternity.
Secularism is not an opinion among others, but rather the freedom to have an opinion. It is not a belief, but rather the principle authorizing all beliefs, providing they respect the principles of freedom of conscience and equal rights. For this reason, it is neither pro- nor anti-religious. On this basis, adherence to a faith or philosophical belief is entirely a question of freedom of conscience for every woman or man.
*Dr. Denis MacEoin is a former university lecturer in Arabic and Islamic studies, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow in the Gatestone Institute. He lives in the United Kingdom.
[1] For an intelligent popular study of the power of the irrational, see Will Storr, The Unpersuadables, New York, 2015.
[2] For the original French text, see here.
© 2019 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.

Iran: Mounting Persecution of Christians
د. ماجد رفيزاده/معهد جاتستون : إيران تصعد من اضطهادها للمسيحيين
Majid Rafizadeh//Gatestone Institute/February 24/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72426/dr-majid-rafizadeh-gatestone-institute-iran-mounting-persecution-of-christians-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d8%ac%d8%a7%d8%aa/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13757/iran-persecution-christians
"We created a people's army to defend the country and also help in emergencies, but it turned into a monster." — Mohsen Sazegara, on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which he helped establish.
Under international law, the Iranian government has an obligation to respect freedom of religion. Yet, while the rights of Christians are being violated in Iran at an unprecedented level, how long will the international community remain silent?
What will it take for these endlessly preening moralists to act against those human rights violations?
One objective of the violations against Christians by Iran's Islamic forces seems to be to threaten and intimidate the entire Christian community, whose ancestors have lived in this country for thousands of years, to flee in fear of imprisonment, torture and death. Pictured: St. Mary's Church in Khuygan-e Olya, Isfahan Province, Iran. (Image source: Arteen Arakel Lalabekyan/Wikimedia Commons)
The persecution of Christians in Iran in 2018 increased to a new level, according to an in-depth report jointly released by Open Doors, Middle East Concern, Article 18, and Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
"The end of 2018 saw an unprecedented wave of raids on private house gatherings, leading to a large number of arrests. Many Christians received prison sentences, or had sentences upheld by the Court of Appeal," noted the report.
Despite this roaring abuse, and violations and attacks against Christians being significantly ratcheted up, the international community continues to label the Iranian government, run by President Hassan Rouhani, as "moderate.
What is puzzling is that while the Iranian authorities boast that Christians and other religious minorities are treated fairly under Islam, the Iranian regime is, in fact, increasingly targeting Christians solely for daring peacefully to practice their faith.
Even though these actions are frequently documented, their claims do not match up with the ever-increasing numbers of arrests and punishments suffered by those practicing a religion other than Islam. For example, in a single recent week, more than 100 Christians were arrested. There was also an unprecedented "surge during November and December 2018 as arrests were reported in the cities of Ahvaz, Chalus, Damavand, Hamedan, Hashtgerd, Karaj, Mashhad, Rasht, Shahinshahr and Tehran. In one week alone, one hundred and fourteen Christians were reported to have been arrested."
Two of the Islamic Republic's state organs seem to responsible for initiating these violations against Christians. The Ministry of Intelligence and its affiliated agents carry out sophisticated surveillance of the Christian communities, and their actions are documented and recorded throughout their daily lives. The information is then passed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a security service that has morphed into a terror group. As the Guardian reports:
"Mohsen Sazegara was a founding member of Khomeni's sepah [IRGC], but is now an exiled dissident and an outspoken critic of the organisation he helped establish. 'We created a people's army to defend the country and also help in emergencies, but it turned into a monster.'"
Acting on the information they receive, the Revolutionary Guards unleash raids throughout the Christian community, and make sweeping arrests of the citizens. The abuse does not stop with surveillance and arrest; these innocent citizens are then denied fair and due process or access to their own counsel. To solicit a confession, the interrogators resort to violence and, according to Open Doors, solitary confinement and an assortment of physical and psychological torture techniques:
"Prisoners are often tortured physically and mentally. They are subjected to near-daily interrogations, including prolonged beatings, and forced to endure twisted acts of persecution. While he was in prison, church teacher and ex-prisoner Morad recounted how the guards would bring him tea but not allow him to go to the bathroom. Ex-prisoners report sleep deprivation and threats of harm to family members — as well as pressure to recant their faith."
The IRGC does not limit itself to individuals. It has repeatedly raided entire churches, shut them down, or confiscated the Christians' properties. As a result of this runaway torment, an increasing number of Christians have resorted to practicing their faith privately in their homes, a practice known as hosting "house churches". Even being in their own homes provides no safety: the IRCG continue to increase their crackdown on any Christian religious practice.
The regime's authorities then usually create trumped up charges against Christians such as, "endangering the national security" of the country. Shamiram Issavi Khabizeh, the wife of Rev. Victor Bet Tamraz, for instance, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for "membership in a group with the purpose of disrupting national security." The Sharia court also added another five years in prison to her sentence for "gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security." Their only evidence for this charge was that she was caught practicing her religion. How can reading a gospel in one's private home be such a grave threat to the national security of the country?
One objective of these kind of violations against Christians by Iran's Islamic forces seems to be to threaten and intimidate the entire Christian community, whose ancestors have lived in this country for thousands of years, to flee in fear of imprisonment, torture and death. The Revolutionary Guards strategy seems to be to continue to apply pressure on the Christian community to decrease the number of Christians living in Iran, allowing the proportion of Muslims to increase, thereby affording the majority an even greater level of control.
Another objective seems to be driving the practice of Christianity into the shadows. Their mistreatment not only keeps Christians on edge and terrified; it also prevents them from spreading their gospel in a public manner and adding others to their faith. The Iranian government views Christians who stay in the country as outsiders, so it treats them as such.
Under international law, the Iranian government has an obligation to respect freedom of religion. Yet, while the rights of Christians are being violated in Iran at an unprecedented level, how long will the international community remain silent?
What will it take for these endlessly preening moralists to act against those human rights violations so that one day people will not have to hide their gospel, or live their daily lives in fear of severe persecution? If the Iranian government refuses to take steps to protect the rights and freedom of the Christians, these innocent people can only plead for humanitarian aid from the community outside their borders, in the hope that one day they might live in a land where their beliefs and prayers are not a reason for imprisonment and torture.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2019 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.

Post Warsaw summit, what next with Iran?
د. وليد فارس: عقب قمة وارسوا ، وما هو التالي مع إيران
Dr. Walid Phares/Sunday Guardian Live/ February 24/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72430/dr-walid-phares-post-warsaw-summit-what-next-with-iran-%D8%AF-%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%82%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%88/
The international community has been monitoring the large coalition of governments that gathered from several regions to meet last week in Warsaw to discuss what was described as a summit to promote security and stability in the Middle East—but which was seen by many players as an attempt to form a front to pressure and isolate Iran’s regime as a way to thwart its ambition to develop its nuclear arms arsenal and its already significant missile force. Now that the summit is over—and the debates were colourful—the question becomes, what will happen next? What should the international community do? What should the Trump administration’s role be? To know where we are going, we have to know what road we are on—and to understand what road we are on, we must understand where we came from.
THE ROAD TO -WARSAW
Many factors led to the grand reunion in Poland’s capital. One factor was the necessity for the United States to take a strong second step after President Donald Trump levelled more biting sanctions on the Islamic Republic last fall. It became imperative for Washington to find new tools to pressure the Ayatollahs beyond the sanctions, as the European Union has been committed to finding ways to bypass the US measures against Tehran. A second factor was the increasing concern in the Gulf that Iran was advancing on all fronts, particularly in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Third was the shift in power in Washington, DC, after the Democrat opposition obtained a majority in the US House of Representatives, leading to the prospect of a strong push back against Donald Trump’s plans for Iran. Add to that, a Senate resolution to punish the Arab Coalition war in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis.
Many in the US government and in the private sector were looking for new strategies to move forward with the pressures against Iran. Among the ideas proposed (I had the privilege to be one of the authors of one such proposal), was to hold a Middle East centred summit in Warsaw to address many critical issues in the region, including terrorism, Iran threats, ISIS, and minorities. I had suggested the choice of Warsaw at a meeting with a Polish minister visiting Washington, DC, in the fall, arguing that the capital of a former member of the Soviet bloc would be symbolic for the peoples in the Middle East seeking freedom from authoritarianism. Weeks later, Poland and the United States announced the summit, surprising many observers.
CAMPS IN -WARSAW
However, the large coalition invited to participate—reaching close to 65 participating governments—represented multiple views on the goals and optics of the summit. While the Trump administration affirmed strongly via Secretary Mike Pompeo’s statements that the gathering was aimed at isolating Iran internationally and to force it to abandon its expansionist policies in the Middle East, other countries, particularly in Europe and including co-host Poland, underlined that the chief goal of the conference was to address all security challenges in the region, including Iran, Yemen, Syria, ISIS and other conflicts. The US and Israel, and to a certain extent the Gulf states, were dead set on taking action against Tehran for its military intervention in four countries in the Middle East. Other coalition countries, though recognising the missile threat coming from Iran, preferred the idea of using Warsaw’s summit as a platform from which to launch initiatives into the Middle East, set up a forum for future debates, and engage the NGO community for further action.
BRUSSELS’ EU
The most stubborn resistance against the Warsaw summit came from other European quarters in Brussels, where the European Commission and the foreign affairs committee opposed the idea of an international coalition to act against Iran’s policies. Rather, the EU hastened its steps to establish a mechanism to provide a secure channel of trade with Tehran, bypassing US sanctions. Brussels warned Poland that further rapprochement with the US on Iran could affect European assistance to Warsaw. The Polish government, under pressure from both Brussels and Washington is indeed walking a tight rope, but they remain determined to lock arms with the Trump administration.
EUROPEAN AND -INTERNATIONAL SPLITS
While most of Western Europe, including Germany and France, continue to adhere to the JCPOA and abstain from backing US measures against the Iran regime, Eastern and Ccentral Europe differ in some ways. In addition to Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, known as the “Visigrad countries,” are closer to the US position in general—as a counter reaction to Brussels’ injunctions to accept a quota of refugees coming from the Middle East and Northern Africa. Furthermore, the Baltic States, fearing Russian moves, strategically depend on the United States for defence. In Latin America and Africa, governments are divided between standing with the US and standing with Russia and China, thus indirectly with Iran. One difference this year is that with Bolsonaro’s election, Brazil has shifted towards the US. Last, in the Middle East divisions are clear: the Arab coalition stands firmly against Iran, and the latter is backed by its proxies in the region, while Turkey and Qatar both flirt with Tehran.
WASHINGTON -DIVISIONS
Within the beltway, both parties are united on sanctions against Tehran, but a far-left slice of the Democratic Party opposes them, while a small group of conservatives is opposed to a clash with the Ayatollahs and Assad. Both dissenting groups represent the impact of the Iran lobby.
SUGGESTIONS
In these post Warsaw times, I recommend integrating the sanctions system within a more comprehensive strategy to bring change to Iran’s behaviour. Sanctions alone will take time and aren’t guaranteed. We should engage the internal opposition inside Iran and identify a new leadership for the opposition, comparable to Juan Guaido in Venezuela—and include a wider number of countries within the Warsaw process, including Indonesia, Brazil and India, to ensure a universal approach to the crisis.
The international community—and the Trump administration—should also capitalise on the summit’s momentum to address the other crises involving Iran—in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon—to use them as leverage to produce the change needed in Teheran and the entire Middle East for regional peace and security.
*Dr Walid Phares is the Co-Secretary General of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group (TAG) and a former foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump.
https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/post-warsaw-summit-next-iran?fbclid=IwAR0d7wn6o8cKGcSGcEHqPhBbn5lRb4rAxpsypeqOHF6WN_zlQO-H4Mrp3lE

Iran lays out 16-point war plan for the supreme goal of toppling Netanyahu
موقع ديبكا: خطة إيرانية من 16 بند هدفها الأساسي اسقاط نتنياهو
DEBKAfile/February 24/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72437/debkafile-iran-lays-out-16-point-war-plan-for-the-supreme-goal-of-toppling-netanyahu-%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%A7-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A/
Iran’s National Security Adviser Ali Shamkhani Saturday, Feb. 23, unveiled a plan to overthrow the prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu by a full-scale war from Syria and other “resistance fronts.” Tehran’s overt intervention in Israel’s April 9 election named the Israeli prime minister’s removal as the strategic goal of the “resistance axis.”
A day earlier, a senior IRGC general Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh claimed that Iran had hacked and seized control of half a dozen US drones over Syria and Iraq.
DEBKAfile highlights the salient elements of Shamkhani’s war plan as laid out in his interview with the Tasnim news agency:
Iran, Russia and Hizballah have “upgraded their deterrent power of resistance in Syria.”
Israel’s government military and intelligence l\officials “are well aware of this” although not the general public.
This upgrade will soon be apparent. DEBKAfile: He is seems to be referring to the impending deployment in Syria and possibly Lebanon of Iranian Bavar-373 air defense systems which are a replica of the Russian S-300s. Our sources reported on Feb. 11 that Iran was planning to deliver armed drones to Syria, which Gen. Hajizadeh was apparently suggesting.
Iran is ready to counter Israeli operations in Iraq too.
The Netanyahu government has threatened in the past to extend its military operations into Iraq, if Tehran uses local pro-Iranian Shiite militias to shoot missiles into Israel.
Shamkhani attempted to turn the situation on its head when he asserted that if Netanyahu goes to war on multiple “resistance axis” fronts – Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq – “he will end his shaky political life in the run-up to the elections.” The truth is that ending Netanyahu’s political life is Tehran’s overriding goal and it is ready to go to war to achieve it.
The points Shamkhani made in his interview with Tasnim are summed up here:
1-The lawful presence in Syria is the “basic principle” of the Islamic Republic.
2-Iran will stay in Syria as long as its presence is required by the legitimate Syrian government.
3-Israeli attacks serve the interests of terrorists.
4-“The Zionist regime crossed the red line by targeting the forces of Iran and the resistance front in a series of strikes in Syria.”
5-“Accordingly, we responded to the Israeli attack on T-4 [airbase in Syria] and dealt a heavy blow to them [the Zionists].
6-DEBKAfile recalls that Iran retaliated for Israel’s T-4 attack on April 10, 2018 on May 10 with a 32-rocket barrage against Israel from southeastern Syria. None reach their targets. They either blew up over Syria or were intercepted in midair before landing.
7-We have made arrangements to protect our red line in the area of human casualties caused by any act of aggression or invasion.”
Plans to prevent human casualties from Israel attacks have been devised “in cooperation with the Syrian army and the set of allies in that country.”
This is a reference to the Russian and Hizballah forces which have worked with Iran to spread the newly “upgraded deterrent” shield over Syria.
8-“We will soon witness a major upheaval in upgrading the deterrent power of resistance in Syria.”
9-“I believe that the Zionist regime’s officials, particularly their military and intelligence officials, are well aware of this,”
10-“The method for tackling the Zionist regime’s attacks on Syria and the axis of resistance in 2019 will be significantly different from the combat methods in the past.”
11-“The Zionist regime will not seek a war in Syria’s northern fronts because it is too weak in that region.” Iran has considered a “prevention scenario” in several stages according to developments.
12-“If Netanyahu gets entangled in several fronts simultaneously, he will definitely end his shaky political life in the run-up to the elections. I don’t think that he would be so silly.”
13- Israeli attacks have “failed to block the achievement of the axis of resistant’s purposes in Syria.”
14-“We have accomplished more than 90 percent of our objectives. Israel’s punitive strikes [on Syria] have had no strategic impact and the resistance continued to press ahead with its activities.”
15-“The axis of resistance’s great success debunks the Israeli regime’s false claims of its intelligence capabilities in Syria.”
“16-The Zionist regime once tried to target a missile storage depot in Syria and raided instead a barn of rolled carpets,” which was an “unforgivable scandal in terms of military operations.”
https://www.debka.com/irans-lays-out-16-point-war-plan-for-the-supreme-goal-of-toppling-netanyahu/

Militancy and criminality are Iran regime’s principal threats
بارعة علم الدين : القتالية والعسكرة والإجرام هي التهديدات الرئيسية للنظام الإيراني
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/February 24/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72440/baria-alamuddin-militancy-and-criminality-are-iran-regimes-principal-threats-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%aa/
It is bitterly ironic that a leadership rooting its legitimacy in quasi-religious principles governs one of the most corrupt nations in the world, deliberately infecting the entire Middle East with its criminality.
The Islamic Republic’s brazen corruption is no secret, with the offspring of untouchable ayatollahs flaunting their million-dollar lifestyles. Shameless online videos from “The Rich Kids of Tehran” include debauched bikini-clad, alcohol-fueled pool parties, pet cheetahs and million-dollar racing cars. Little wonder there is anger among the Iranians who are toiling under sanctions imposed in response to their leaders’ bankrolling of overseas terrorism.
Corruption begins at the top. When an MP in 2016 sought to expose the massive theft of public funds (via 63 personal bank accounts) by judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, it was the MP who faced harassment by the police. Larijani’s brother, Ali Larijani, head of the Majlis, acknowledged this institutionalized criminality, commenting: “I have no hope that fighting against corruption works.”
Action against corruption has mostly been about score-settling. President Hassan Rouhani’s brother Hossein Fereidoun is currently being pursued by hard-liners concealing their own skeletons inside gold-plated closets. “The power struggle is so tense that even fighting with corruption is designed to eliminate each other;” observed one analyst. Tycoon Babak Zanjani was sentenced to death for pocketing $2.8 billion from oil deals. However, he was merely a broker for powerful politicians who jettisoned him once he had served his purpose.
New bouts of sanctions simply prompt renewed bouts of illegal revenue-generating activities by super-rich ayatollahs, while citizens’ savings are wiped out by inflation and children die in hospitals through lack of affordable medicines. This includes making fortunes on currency manipulation, which further undermines an imploding economy. “They don’t feel the impact because their children live abroad and their salaries are astronomical,” commented one citizen.
The conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq similarly provide the context for an epidemic of criminality by Iran’s regional proxies. In addition to oil smuggling, and preying on citizens through abductions and extortion, Iraqi paramilitaries near Mosul recently erected scores of checkpoints for forcibly taxing impoverished locals. Militants are also aggressively asserting dominance of the lucrative post-conflict scrap metal market and other key sectors.
Iraq’s kleptocracy is distinguished by Mafioso factions treating ministries as fiefdoms for shameless enrichment, leaching billions from the state budget. Muqtada Al-Sadr is nowadays portrayed as the savior who can rid Iraq of militancy and corruption. Yet, after 2005, Sadrist ministers converted their ministries into havens for gangsterism and graft: Under a Sadrist health minister, militants patrolled hospitals murdering Sunni patients, while ambulances became the preferred vehicle for death squads. When Sadrist control of the airport and customs failed to reap sufficient employment positions, 15 airport staff were gunned down as a “grisly act of job creation.” With government seats currently being divided between the Sadrists and pro-Iran militants, corruption is expected to spiral.
New bouts of sanctions simply prompt renewed bouts of illegal revenue-generating activities by super-rich ayatollahs.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah pledges to focus on fighting corruption in the new Lebanese government. However, attention on this issue arose through dissention within Hezbollah’s own ranks, with Shiite demographics questioning why their sons were returning from Syria in coffins, while Hezbollah mobsters reaped fortunes from the Syria war economy. Tehran has coerced Bashar Assad to allow Iranian companies to dominate the reconstruction effort and rebuild the national army, offering copious opportunities for kickbacks. Projects for returnees have been monopolized by militant families, reengineering Syria’s demographics in Iran’s favor. Around the Lebanon-Syria border, Hezbollah has seized land for agricultural schemes and legal and illegal economic activities.
Lebanon boasted its biggest ever drugs bust last year, with impounded hashish filling an entire football field. Factories in Hezbollah strongholds pump out huge quantities of the drug Captagon for the Syrian market. A Hezbollah narcotics cartel under Ayman Juma moved “multi-ton loads” of cocaine into the US, while laundering $200 million per month in criminal proceeds.
Hezbollah official Ali Zeaiter was designated by the US over the clandestine acquisition of military materials. He was also linked to a huge prostitution network exploiting Syrian women. Networks used for smuggling drugs and arms are equally suitable for transporting women and children for forced labor and sex trafficking. Venezuela has recently been exporting huge quantities of gold to Turkey in violation of a US ban, with fears that this gold is illegally destined for Iran. This mirrors a pre-2015 oil-for-gold scheme, in which Turkish banks enabled Tehran to evade sanctions and repatriate $13 billion in frozen funds.
The blunt instrument of sanctions represents a gun pointed at the head of ordinary Iranians and could only be effective if Iran had humane leaders who cared about their citizens’ wellbeing, rather than relishing the opportunity to profit from epic-scale criminality. These paradoxical outcomes are a consequence of US President Donald Trump’s desire to be perceived as tough on Iran, while lacking a coherent and holistic containment strategy. Trump has not only failed to obtain international cooperation, but supposed European allies are actively sabotaging sanctions pressures in order to placate Tehran.
Iran’s dominant position in the global narcotics trade was deliberately ignored by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama to seduce Tehran into signing the 2015 nuclear deal. Under Trump, Iran’s criminal empire gets a free ride through sheer incompetence. Rather than focusing on the sterile debate about whether Tehran is fulfilling its nuclear obligations, attention should be paid to this regime’s global criminality and domestic corruption; in addiction to militant activities in Arab states and terrorism around the world.
This murderous and criminal regime gluttonously sucks the lifeblood from its own citizens and neighboring states. Only once the world stops treating the ayatollahs as rational politicians to be appeased and negotiated with in good faith — and instead confronts them as the gangsters and terrorists they are — can real steps be taken to counter this global menace.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1457366

Tehran’s cyberattacks on foreign targets a growing threat
د. ماجد ربيزاده : تشكل الهجمات الإلكترونية التي تشنها طهران على أهداف أجنبية تهديدًا متناميًا
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 24/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72443/dr-majid-rafizadehtehrans-cyberattacks-on-foreign-targets-a-growing-threat-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%aa%d8%b4%d9%83%d9%84-%d8%a7/
While the Iranian regime’s military adventurism and increasing efforts to ship advanced weaponries to militia and terror groups across the region have grabbed international headlines, Tehran’s decision to renew its cyberattacks against foreign entities is receiving less attention.
According to an in-depth report published by the New York Times last week, Iran’s cyberattacks against the US have increased significantly, becoming more sophisticated and intense. The article states: “Recent Iranian attacks on American banks, businesses and government agencies have been more extensive than previously reported. Dozens of corporations and multiple United States agencies have been hit, according to seven people briefed on the episodes.”
One of the major reasons for Iran’s intense cyberattacks on American banks, businesses and government agencies is most likely linked to the US’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly labeled as the Iran nuclear deal. When the US pulled out of the nuclear deal, the US Department of Justice leveled robust sanctions against governmental organizations in Iran, as well as the banking, energy and financial sectors.
In addition, the Donald Trump administration has been attempting to squeeze Iran’s oil exports through diplomatic pressure. This initiative, as well as the renewed sanctions, has enraged the Iranian leaders since the country’s oil exports and revenues have been substantially reduced.
Data reveals that Iran’s oil exports gradually decreased in 2018, reaching 1.1 million barrels per day in December, which was only 60 percent of what it sold a year before. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had warned Washington that: “If Trump implements his threat to squeeze Iran’s oil exports, Tehran is prepared to escalate against the US… This is a core issue of national security behind which there is growing backing from the political establishment.”
In addition to the New York Times report, online security firm FireEye also recently warned the US of Iran’s intense cyberattacks. FireEye utilized several methods, such as locating Internet protocol (IP) addresses, to track where cyberespionage activities originated. Its investigation into cyberattacks repeatedly pointed toward Iran. The FireEye report clearly specified: “Preliminary technical evidence allows us to assess with moderate confidence that this activity is conducted by persons based in Iran and that the activity aligns with Iranian government interests. FireEye Intelligence identified access from Iranian IPs to machines used to intercept, record and forward network traffic. While geolocation of an IP address is a weak indicator, these IP addresses were previously observed during the response to an intrusion attributed to Iranian cyberespionage actors.”
Through cyberattacks, and particularly through extortion, the Iranian hackers can make financial gains. But, more importantly, accomplishing the regime’s security and geopolitical objectives appears to be a priority.
The Iranian hackers target many sectors in the US, including government agencies, businesses, and private and public institutions. One such incident, which took place in March last year, included a series of cyberattacks that crippled the city of Atlanta by targeting its hospitals, schools, state agencies and other institutions. US banking systems have also been attacked at an unprecedented level and the websites of institutions such as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup have been impacted. According to US officials, the level of sophistication involved pointed to the Iranian government. In 2016, the Justice Department also indicted seven Iranian citizens for distributed denial of service attacks against 46 companies, mainly in the financial sector.
Indeed, Iran’s cyberwarfare program, which was initiated nearly seven years ago, has become remarkably advanced. According to the World Economic Forum: “Iran is rapidly developing its cyber capabilities and is thought to be behind several major attacks.” Tehran’s cyberwarfare program is directed by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace and is believed to be an indispensable pillar of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s foreign policies.
Through cyberattacks, and particularly through extortion, the Iranian hackers can make financial gains. But, more importantly, accomplishing the regime’s security and geopolitical objectives appears to be a priority.
From the perspective of the Iranian leaders, inflicting economic and security damage on the US government and non-governmental institutions through cyberwarfare is the most efficient method compared to other alternatives. As Abdollah Araqi, the IRGC’s deputy commander of ground forces, stated, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency: “We have armed ourselves with new tools because a cyber war is more dangerous than a physical war.” Furthermore, the Iranian leaders are cognizant of the fact that carrying out cyberattacks is less costly and a safer option than becoming engaged in direct military confrontations.
But it is important to point out that the US is not the only country that Iran’s hackers target. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, the UAE and some European nations have been continuously targeted by Iran-backed hacking groups. Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of launching cyberattacks on Israel every day.
The resurgence of Iran’s cyberattacks is alarming. These attacks against foreign governments, businesses, hospitals and schools are more intense than was previously thought. The international community must take the issue seriously and hold the Iranian regime accountable.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1457346