English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 07/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.september07.20.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17/05-10/:’The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you. ‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”?Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” ’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 06-07/2020

Your Lebanon Is Holy, Defend Its Sovereignty & Independence/Elias Bejjani/ٍSeptember 06/2020
Al-Rahi Urges Adib to Form 'Small Emergency Government'
Beirut Search Effort Sparked by Dog Stops, No Survivor Found
No Sign of Life' in Search for Beirut Blast Survivor
US Sanctions to Target Lebanese Figures Next Week
Aoun, PM-Designate Differ over Shape of New Lebanese Govt.
Aoun Reportedly Insisting on 24-Seat 'Techno-Political Govt.'
Nasrallah, Haniyeh Stress 'Firmness of Axis of Resistance'
Geagea Slams Hizbullah-FPM MoU, Says Ready to Discuss 'New Social Contract'
Lebanon: Prices of Food Commodities on the Rise Despite Drop in Exchange Rate
TV network files lawsuit against Lebanon presidency/Najia Houssari/Arab News/September 06/2020
Lebanese patriarch calls on new cabinet to ‘negotiate responsibly’ with IMF
For Lebanese, Recovery Too Heavy to Bear a Month After Blast
Hamas and Hezbollah seek global terror front against Israel/Seth Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/September 06/2020
From Window to Jug: Lebanese Recycle Glass from Beirut Blast

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 06-07/2020

Emirati-Israeli Agreement to Be Signed Within 10 Days
British-Arab Researcher Amjad Taha: Iran – Not Israel – Is Responsible For The Deaths Of 4 Million Arabs, Including Lebanese, Iraqis, Yemenis
Egypt, Bahrain Stress the ‘Two-State Solution’
Turkey Sanctions on Table for EU Meeting, France Says
Erdogan threatens Greece amid standoff in Mediterranean
Turkey Launches 'Mediterranean Storm' Maneuvers
UAE Flies Batch of Medical Aid to Damascus
Terrorist suspects killed in Tunisia after attack on security patrol
Three missiles target Baghdad airport
Tunisia Knife Attack Kills Officer, 3 Terrorists Shot Dead
Iraqi Forces Pursue Wanted, Seize Weapons in Baghdad, Basra
Libya’s Higher State Council, HoR to Meet in Morocco
UK Police Launch Murder Probe after Mass Stabbing

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 06-07/2020

Sermon suggests Saudi Arabia near normalizing ties with Israel/Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/September 06/2020
Sam Westrop on Islam, Islamism, and 'Islamophobia'/Sam Westrop/Middle East Forum/September 06/2020
Egypt sends signal to Turkey by deepening ties with Jordan, Iraq/Mohamed Saied/Al-Monitor/September 06/2020
Trump’s Opportunity Zones Don’t Work. This Might./Noah Smith/Bloomberg/September 06/2020
Black Christian Lives Apparently Do Not Matter/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/September 6, 2020
The Murder of an American "Blasphemer" in Pakistan/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 6, 2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 06-07/2020

Your Lebanon Is Holy, Defend Its Sovereignty & Independence
Elias Bejjani/ٍSeptember 06/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77734/elias-bejjani/

History teaches us that almost none of the world’s greatest nations have ever been defeated by their rivals. All of them were first weakened and destroyed from within, before their enemies were able to bring them to their knees. Even medicine teaches us that when the body loses immunity it becomes vulnerable to disease. Perhaps the best examples of this can be seen in the fall of the Ottoman and Roman empires.
These historical and medical realities are a good example of what personifies the pathetic derailed stances of some of our people in both occupied Lebanon and in Diaspora. These people are destroying the Lebanese communities from within, through their shameless collaboration and subservience to the Iranian occupation.
“Everyone who sins is a slave of sin” (John 8-34), and every Lebanese who betrays his people to advocate for the Iranian occupation in any way and by any means is also a sinner too.
These mercenaries and Pharisees, are void of any kind of dignity or national honor. Unfortunately they come from all walks of life and from all religious backgrounds and regions.
They have sold themselves to the devil in a bid to increase their riches and solidify their power. They steal, cheat, embezzle, betray, and change their skin for personal interests, all at the expense of the Lebanese people and Lebanon.
They ignore Lebanon’s deeply rooted history, distinguishable identity, and they have no respect for the sacrifices of the many thousands of Lebanese patriots who offered themselves on the nation’s altar to enable us to be proud, prosperous and independent.
These antagonists are thirsty for power and blood; They sold their souls and honor for thirty pieces of silver. They have no respect for Lebanon’s 7000 years of civilization, culture and its glorious history. They are masters in defeatism, ignorance, cowardice and faithlessness.
Their wicked camouflage, sweet words and lies are well known to all those who are witnesses to the truth. They have missed the fact that Lebanon’s people have never, ever knelt and hung their heads before any tyrant, invader, occupier or conqueror.
All foreign invaders with their armies were forced to leave Lebanon in defeat, humiliation and a fractured dignity.
The only memory of these invaders are the primitive carvings on the “Nahr Al-Kaleb” rocks, near the city of Beirut. These carvings should foretell to the Iranian occupiers their fate in Lebanon and that they definitely are not going to be any better than those who like them deluded themselves and falsely believed that they can destroy Lebanon and subdue its people.
They have all left while Lebanon and its people still stand as proud and patriotic as they were 7000 years ago!
We remind the Pharisees and Trojans, who apparently suffer of an advanced selective amnesia that the people of Sidon in the year 350 BC, chose to burn themselves and their city after their prolonged heroic resistance failed to safeguard their city against the Persian invader Artechtahta. They preferred to die with dignity rather than live with humiliation.
The people of Tyre followed this same pattern in 332 BC. They resisted Alexander the Great’s mighty army for seven months refusing to surrender or kneel. Alexander, after capturing the city crucified many of the brave Tyrians, while enslaving others in a bid to revenge his huge loss and demeaning humiliation.
In the same context,The Maronite Patriarch Gabriel Hgola choose to be burned (1367 AD) in Tripoli northen Lebanese City in front of the Omari mosque in a bid to save his people from the Mamlouk’s humiliation and torture.
The same sacrifice was taken by the Maronite Patriarch Daniel Al-Amshiti in the same place in year 1282 for almost the same reasons and for the same cause.
In principle, a man is considered defeated when winning the whole universe, if he lacks the courage needed to witness the truth and defend God’s word. By the same token, the brave man who honors human values and dignity, remains victorious even when imprisoned and chained in shackles.
We remind those who are afraid to takes clear stances in life, change their skin to suit their opportunistic interests, and lack the courage to witness the truth, that by doing so, they are committing the worst mortal crime. Imam Ali says in this regard: “He who accepts acts of others is considered their partner. He who is involved in evil acts commits two sins, that of performing the act and that of its acceptance.”
We call on our derailed leaders and politicians in occupied Lebanon to strengthen your faith, repent for their cowardice behavior and be witness for the truth.
We call on them not to fall into the trap of individual interests, and not to be deceived by the golden garments and illustrious schemes of those who have been assigned to divide our nation and communities, and spread hatred and conflicts among its members.
These derailed and weak shepherds, “God has blinded their eyes and closed their minds, so that their eyes would not see, and their minds would not understand, and they would not turn to me, says God, for me to help them”. (John 12-39).
It is a proven fact that the coward is a blind man in both sight and discretion, whose conscience has turned numb.
Shame on every Lebanese who keeps a blind eye towards his people who imprisoned arbitrarily in the Syrian jails and shame on every Lebanese who does not support human rights and does not advocate for Lebanon’s liberation.
Shame on all these Lebanese who are scared to oppose the occupation of their country, so as not to be expelled from the heaven of opportunistic interests and privileges provided by the occupier, or in fear of his reprisal. They have chosen the track of sin rather than that of righteousness.
These Pharisees are destroying the country which is our holy temple. They should be dealt with in the same way Jesus did over 2000 years ago:
“It was almost time for the Passover festival, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. There in the temple he found men selling cattle, sheep and pigeons, and also the money changers sitting at their tables. So He made a whip from the cords and drove all the animals out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle; he overturned the tables of the money changers and scattered their coins; and he ordered the men who sold the pigeons: Take them out of here, stop making my Fathers House a marketplace”. John 03-13
We call on all those who have accepted slavery, are afraid to be witnesses for the truth, feel defeated inside themselves, have deviated from the righteous track, camouflaging, cheating and betraying Lebanon; We call on all of them to wake up and start thoroughly reviewing their dangerous acts! Forgiveness is always there and Lebanon’s open loving arms will embrace them once they repent.
“If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples, you know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. (John 8-13)

Al-Rahi Urges Adib to Form 'Small Emergency Government'

Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday called on Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib to form a “small emergency government.” Addressing Adib by his title, al-Rahi added that the new government should be “competent and strong” and should inspire “seriousness, ability and hope.”
“It should trust itself and the people should have confidence in it, seeing as this critical period requires a government from the people and for the people, not from politicians and for politicians,” the patriarch urged in his Sunday Mass sermon. “The critical period requires a government that negotiates responsibly with the International Monetary Fund, launches a real reform endeavor and dissociates Lebanon from conflicts,” al-Rahi went on to say. The patriarch also said that the new government should “return people’s bank deposits to them, rescue the national currency, attract foreign aid, rebuild the capital and the port, halt the emigration of families and youths, speed up the reconstruction of houses so that people can live in them before winter, and secure the necessary aid for universities and schools so that they can resume teaching.”
Turning to the government’s policy statement, al-Rahi hoped his call for Lebanon’s neutrality towards regional conflicts will be incorporated in it, noting that Lebanese governments from 1943 until 1980 had endorsed neutrality and nonalignment in their policies.
 

Beirut Search Effort Sparked by Dog Stops, No Survivor Found
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
A search operation of a building that collapsed during last month's deadly blast in Beirut stopped on Sunday after rescue workers said they did not find any survivors. "There's nothing more," after an exhaustive search that lasted three days, George Abou Moussa, Lebanon's civil defense operations chief, told AFP. "There was nobody alive and there were no dead." The head of the Chilean team, Francisco Lermanda, told journalists at the scene late Saturday they had not found any bodies amid the rubble. Lermanda said the pulsing signals heard might have come from a member of the rescue team.
In past days, the Chilean team had urged people on the streets, including journalists, to turn off their mobile phones and remain quiet for several minutes at a time to avoid interfering with their instruments. Lermanda said they would search a sidewalk after which they would declare the operation over. Rescue workers already said Saturday there was no longer any sign of life, dashing hopes raised by sensor readings of an apparent pulse from under a building that collapsed in last month's blast.
The cataclysmic explosion in the port of Beirut killed at least 191 people, making it Lebanon's deadliest peacetime disaster. Seven people are still listed as missing. On Wednesday night, a sniffer dog deployed by Chilean rescuers detected a scent under rubble in the heavily damaged Mar Mikhail neighborhood next to the port. High-tech sensors confirmed the apparent heartbeat and rescue teams took up the search. Two female rescue workers on Saturday slipped through a final tunnel to check for any victim in the last air pocket but found nobody. Engineer Riad al-Asaad said the workers had cleared two layers of rubble and reached a stairway, but again they found no-one. Lebanese officials had played down the chances of anyone surviving so long beneath the rubble.
But even the faint hope had caught the imagination of a country already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and the country's worst economic crisis in decades. Lebanon lacks the tools and expertise to handle advanced search and rescue operations, so they have been supported by experts from Chile, France and the United States. The area of the final search for a survivor was among the hardest hit by the blast that was so powerful it was heard in Cyprus, some 240 kilometers away. The devastating explosion of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut caused widespread damage to several neighborhoods. The Lebanese capital is still reeling from the blast, with a quarter of a million people made homeless by the impact of the explosion on apartment buildings. The black-and-white 5-year-old rescue dog named Flash had inspected the building several times a day as aid workers removed debris. Photos of Flash, in red shoes to protect its paws, circulated on social media and the dog became a hero to many Lebanese. Two days after the explosion, a French rescue team and Lebanese civil defense volunteers had searched the same building, which had a bar on the ground floor. At the time, they had no reason to believe anyone was still at the site.

No Sign of Life' in Search for Beirut Blast Survivor
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
Rescue workers said Saturday there was no longer any sign of life in a collapsed Beirut building, dashing hopes raised by sensor readings showing a pulse beneath the rubble from last month's blast. The cataclysmic August 4 explosion in the port of Beirut killed at least 191 people, making it Lebanon's deadliest peacetime disaster. One month on, seven people are still listed as missing. On Wednesday night, a sniffer dog deployed by Chilean rescuers detected a scent beneath a collapsed building in the heavily damaged Gemmayzeh neighborhood adjacent to the port. High-tech sensors confirmed an apparent heartbeat and rescue teams took up the search. But after three days' work removing piles of masonry, Chilean rescue specialist Francesco Lermanda late Saturday said there was no longer any sign of life under the rubble. "Sadly today we can say that technically we have no sign of life inside the building," he told the media. Two female rescue workers on Saturday slipped through a final tunnel to check for any victim in the last air pocket where there could possibly be but found nobody there, he said. Work would however continue to make the zone secure and ensure there was no possibility of any victim being left inside, Lermanda said. In the afternoon, engineer Riyadh al-Assad had said the workers had cleared two layers of rubble and reached a stairway, where they found no-one. The civil defense agency's operations director, George Abou Moussa, in the morning said the chances of finding someone alive were "very low". But civil defense officer Qassem Khater said his team was determined not to give up. "We are not leaving the site until we've finished going through the rubble, even if a new building collapse threatens," he said. Chilean specialist Walter Munoz in the morning had put the chances of finding a survivor at "two percent". Lebanese officials had played down the chances of anyone surviving so long beneath the rubble. But even the faint hope of a miracle caught the imagination of a country already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and the country's worst economic crisis in decades. "I was not aware I needed a miracle that much. Please God, give Beirut this miracle it deserves," said Selim Mourad, a 32-year-old film-maker. Lebanon lacks the tools and expertise to handle advanced search and rescue operations, so they have been supported by experts from Chile, France, and the United States. The Chileans, in particular, have been praised as heroes by many Lebanese on social media, who have compared their expertise with the lackluster performance of what they see as their own absent state. The country observed a minute's silence for the dead on Friday.

US Sanctions to Target Lebanese Figures Next Week
Beirut - Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker has said Washington will impose new sanctions on Lebanese political figures, Asharq Al-Awsat learned. Schenker told several independent lawmakers during his visit to Beirut this week that the US does not differentiate between Hezbollah’s political and military wings. “They have a single leadership,” the MPs, who met the US official at the Kataeb party offices in Bikfaya, quoted Schenker as saying. “Wait until next week to know the details of the sanctions,” he told the lawmakers in response to their questions whether they targeted new figures from Hezbollah or its allies. The deputies who met Schenker are Marwan Hamadeh, Sami Gemayel, Henri Helou, Paula Yacoubian, Nehmat Efram, Nadim Gemayel and Elias Hankash. MP Michel Mouawad failed to attend because he was abroad. Schenker said US President Donald Trump is in agreement with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the situation in Lebanon. During his visit to Beirut this week, Macron said Lebanon’s political leaders had agreed on a reform roadmap involving a government being put together within two weeks, following last month's devastating blast in the port of Beirut. Priority lies on reforms and fighting corruption, said Schenker, warning that without them Lebanon would not receive the much needed financial assistance from the international community. During his visit to Beirut, the diplomat only met with civil society figures, the army chief and the independent lawmakers. He said his snub of officials was intended to avoid any criticism that he could be behind a possible delay in the formation of the government. Schenker told the MPs that he would return to Beirut at the end of September to discuss the demarcation of Lebanon’s sea boundary with Israel.
 

Aoun, PM-Designate Differ over Shape of New Lebanese Govt.
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
Differences have emerged between Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib over the shape of the country’s new government. Adib is pushing for the formation of a 14-minister cabinet, while Aoun is leaning towards one comprised of 24 members.
Sources monitoring the PM-designate’s government formation efforts said he submitted to the president two draft lineups, each formed of 14 ministers. Both lineups do not include the name of ministers, but the distribution of portfolios according to sects.
Aoun, however, proposed the formation of a 24-minister government of comprised of experts who are backed by political forces. Each minister would take over one portfolio, which would help with the swift implementation of much-needed reform. A 14-member cabinet, he said, would mean that a minister would take over more than one portfolio, which would slow down reform.
Political blocs that backed Adib’s nomination, significantly former premiers, support his push for the formation of a 14-member cabinet. Their sources told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It is unacceptable for the establishment of a government similar to the caretaker one headed by Hassan Diab.” The only difference between the Diab and Adib government would be the ministers, but its identity will be the same. The country is enduring a massive crisis and the opportunity is now available for it to catch its breath and steer it towards salvation, added the sources. The country must take advantage of the international support it is receiving after the devastating August 4 Beirut blast. They stressed that they reject the formation of a “loose” 24-member government, and would rather see the establishment of a cabinet of experts and professionals. They acknowledged that the majority of Lebanese people are politicized or have political affiliations, but the new ministers should not belong directly or indirectly to political parties. Moreover, they expressed concerns that the push for the formation of a 24-minister cabinet would be an attempt to improve the chances of MP Gebran Bassil of obtaining a portfolio.
The new government must not be seen as an opportunity “to improve the chances of this figure or that,” remarked the sources. They explained that given the Christian Lebanese Forces and Kataeb party’s boycott of the government, that leaves the scene clear for Aoun and Bassil’s Free Patriotic Movement. With a 24-member government, Bassil would seek to occupy the 12 seats reserved for Christian figures, under the pretext of naming ministers from civil society. Information obtain by Asharq Al-Awsat revealed that Bassil had proposed the idea of the rotation of cabinet portfolios in order to improve his chances of naming ministers. The portfolios would be subject to “negotiations and swaps”, which would indirectly boost his share in the cabinet. The rotation of seats has been rejected by the “Shiite duo” of Hezbollah and Amal. They fear that proposal would impact the four sovereign portfolios (foreign affairs, interior, finance and defense) and their demand that the finance portfolio be retained by a Shiite figure. The signature of the finance minister is necessary for decrees and decisions that require financial spending. Such decrees demand the signature of the president, who is always a Maronite Christian, and the prime minister, who is always a Sunni. By retaining the finance portfolio, the Shiite parties will enjoy representation in the executive authority.

Aoun Reportedly Insisting on 24-Seat 'Techno-Political Govt.'
Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
President Michel Aoun is still insisting on the formation of a 24-minister “techno-political government,” media reports said. “Efforts are underway to convince the PM-designate of this approach,” informed sources told the al-Anbaa newspaper of the Progressive Socialist Party. MP Qassem Hashem of the Development and Liberation bloc meanwhile told the daily that “contacts and consultations are ongoing at all levels.” “The likely number of ministers will be 24,” he added. Al-Anbaa meanwhile said that “all leaked information suggests that things have returned to square one.” “The political forces competing for shares are again trying to impose their conditions on the PM-designate, who has expressed his dismay over this approach,” the newspaper added. According to reports, PM-designate Mustafa Adib prefers the formation of a small government of 14 or 16 ministers. He also wants its members to be “political moderates or non-provocative figures.”He does not want the ministers to be “members of political parties,” the reports said.

Nasrallah, Haniyeh Stress 'Firmness of Axis of Resistance'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
Leaders of Lebanon's Hizbullah and the Palestinian Hamas movement, both enemies of Israel, have met in Lebanon to discuss diplomatic normalization between Israel and Arab countries, Hizbullah said Sunday. They stressed the "the firmness of the axis of resistance in the face of all pressures and threats," a Hizbullah statement said, without revealing where or when the meeting took place. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was pictured meeting Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the political bureau of Hamas, the Islamist movement that control the Gaza Strip. They discussed "political and military developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region" and "the dangers to the Palestinian cause" including "Arab plans for normalization" with Israel, the Hizbullah statement said. The meeting comes after an August 13 announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to normalize ties. Also on Sunday, Haniyeh was given a hero's welcome at Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp. He was carried on people's back into the camp, under the protection of Hamas members and camp guards. Before a cheering crowd of hundreds, including refugees who traveled to see him from other camps, Haniyeh praised his movement's military capacity and shrugged off the UAE-Israel normalization.
"Not long ago, our rockets only reached (targets) meters from Gaza's borders. Today, the resistance in Gaza possesses rockets that can reach Tel Aviv and beyond Tel Aviv," he said. As for normalization between Israel and Arab countries, that "does not represent the people, neither their conscience, nor their history nor their heritage," Haniyeh said, quoted in a Hamas statement. While the U.S.-backed diplomatic drive aims to boost a regional alliance against Iran, which backs both Hizbullah and Hamas, Palestinians have condemned it as a "stab in the back" as they remain under occupation and don't have their own state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is in talks with other Arab and Muslim leaders now about normalizing relations, following the deals with UAE and, decades ago, Egypt and Jordan.
Haniyeh has been in Lebanon since Wednesday, on his first visit to the country in nearly 30 years, for direct and video-conference talks with other Palestinian groups that oppose Israel's diplomatic initiative. Israel's military has in recent weeks targeted Hamas in the Gaza Strip and what it says have been Hizbullah gunmen along its northern border with Lebanon. It also regularly launches air strikes in war-torn Syria against what it says are Hizbullah and other pro-Iranian militants fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Nasrallah has been living in a secret location for years and makes very few public appearances. He said in 2014 that he often changes his place of residence.

Geagea Slams Hizbullah-FPM MoU, Says Ready to Discuss 'New Social Contract'
Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday lashed out at the 2006 memorandum of understanding between Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement, which was signed at the Mar Mikhail Church in Shiyyah.
“There is a magical word which summarizes the reasons behind everything we have reached, which is the Mar Mikhail understanding,” said Geagea in a speech in Maarab that followed an annual mass commemorating the LF fighters who fell during civil war. “The Mar Mikhail understanding was a deal between two parties to secure their narrow partisan interests at the expense of Lebanon as a country and at the expense of the state, sovereignty and the Lebanese people,” he charged. He added that “instead of bringing Hizbullah under the wing of the state,” the Mar Mikhail agreement “brought the state became under the wing of Hizbullah, which destroyed every chance for the rise of a real state in Lebanon.” Addressing Hizbullah, the LF leader said: “How bad do you want the situation in Lebanon to become? Is there a situation worse than the one we are living? Are you awaiting a full-fledged famine? Are you waiting for the Lebanese to die of hunger or disease or to get killed, burned, suffocated and lynched in mysterious explosions?”“The time for returning to Lebanon has come… Hizbullah must change its behavior and orientations and it must organize its relations with the state, the same as any other party. It must engage in its rebuilding, it must cede the decision of war and peace to the state and it must end its blatant and unjustified foreign interventions,” Geagea went on to say. Separately, the LF leader said his party is “ready” to discuss “a new social contract and a constituent assembly.”“But let them know that the main focus will be broad decentralization,” he added.

Lebanon: Prices of Food Commodities on the Rise Despite Drop in Exchange Rate
Beirut- Enas Sherri/Asharq Al Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
Lebanese citizens are getting accustomed to the increasing prices of the food commodities, but they believe the prices will drop with the decline in the exchange rate. However, this is not the case as a small tour to the market reveals that prices are still increasing, and when asked about the rates of the items, merchants usually respond that it varies each hour depending on the exchange rate. The Consumers’ Lebanon index shows that prices increased 22.84 percent during August when compared to April, May, and June. However, the price of the US dollar in the exchange market did not exceed 8,000LL since the second week of August, and it even fell below 7,000 LL on some days. Consumers’ Lebanon is an association that is concerned with the protection of the rights of the Lebanese consumers.
The biggest increase during August was in the price of meat, as it rose 32.70 percent, followed by the prices of canned foods, oils, and grains which saw a 28.60 percent rise. Some types of bread increased 25 percent and dairy products’ prices increased 18.20 percent, while vegetables and fruits had the lowest increase rate with 21.38 percent and 1.8 percent respectively. Vice President of Consumer’s Lebanon Nada Nehme said that the prices of food commodities continue to rise amid the absence of any supervisory role and in an environment controlled by monopolies.
She told Asharq al-Awsat that merchants control prices claiming they bought the commodities at a high rate, explaining that this does not justify selling the same product at the same high price when the exchange rate drops.
Nehme predicts that the prices of food commodities will continue to rise, noting that rates in Lebanon are the highest in the region.
In turn, the head of importers’ syndicate, Hani al-Bohsali, is surprised by the unjustified high prices, however, he believes that it is natural for prices not to drop given that they were originally calculated on the basis of an upper limit for the exchange rate of 7,000 Lebanese pounds per dollar.
He explained that any increase above this limit will result in the inability to sell these goods, adding that it is natural for commodity prices to remain the same, even if the dollar exchange rate is within the range of 7,000 LL.
Bohsali considered that commodity prices could start to decline when the exchange rate falls below 7000. He explained that even this may take several weeks, especially that the merchant will have to sell his old stock which he bought at a high exchange rate.
Meanwhile, citizens search for subsidized commodities included in the food basket that the Central Bank supports at a 3,900 LL exchange rate. But, in most cases, these goods are not available given their limited quantities and the complex requirements. Bohsali pointed out that the Ministry of Economy did not bind merchants to the subsidized items, so most preferred to buy other products because the food basket stipulates direct distribution to major stores and small shops with a specified profit margin. Nehme confirms that subsidizing the food basket did not contribute to lowering the prices of commodities, explaining that Consumers’ Lebanon believes that the Ministry’s policy was wrong. She indicated that the subsidized items reached 10 to 20 percent of consumers at best. The Minister of Economy in the caretaker government, Raoul Nehme, sent a letter to the Governor of the Central Bank, Riad Salameh, requesting the lifting of subsidies on commodities related to animal and agricultural production, given that it is a waste of public funds. Nehme tweeted that since the government began subsidizing those commodities, their prices have not decreased, and some even increased. Bohsali confirmed that there is no indication that food commodities will be scarce, even after the Beirut port explosion, but he pointed out that a large number of goods are still in the port, and this increases the costs for importers, which could lead to an increase in their prices later.

TV network files lawsuit against Lebanon presidency
Najia Houssari/Arab News/September 06/2020
BEIRUT: The TV channel MTV Lebanon has taken legal action against the Lebanese presidency after being banned from entering the parliament building to cover talks on the formation of a new government. Urgent appeals court judge Carla Shawah told the presidency of the lawsuit — believed to be the first of its kind focusing on media freedom — which comes after a reporter and camera crew from the channel were refused entry to the Baabda Palace last week. MTV attorney Mark Habaka told Arab News: “We look forward to a decision that is in the interest of press freedom because the decision to deny the MTV team entry to the Republican Palace is unfair and a violation of freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the constitution.” The MTV team said it was shocked after being stopped from entering the Baabda Palace to cover binding parliamentary consultations that Lebanese President Michel Aoun held to appoint a prime minister for the next government.Habaka denied claims that the channel undermined the presidency. “We consider this move to be a dangerous precedent with regard to undermining the Fourth Estate,” he said.
MTV, like many privately owned channels, has been highly critical of the Lebanese government and Aoun in the wake of the Beirut port explosion on Aug.
Presidential spokesman Rafik Shalala confirmed a statement had been issued by the General Directorate of the Lebanese Presidency explaining the decision to deny MTV entry to the palace. The statement said: “MTV attacked the president, stripped him of his official capacity, referred to him using his name alone without his title, and persisted in insulting and defaming him as well as describing him using inappropriate expressions. Numerous attempts to get the channel to reconsider yielded no results. All these violations are punishable by law.”
Further infringements could result in the channel being shut down, the statement added. Habaka said the Republican Palace failed to communicate with the channel before banning it from entry, and the decision came as a shock to the MTV team. “There is no immunity in the law for the presidency. It is a public department like other public departments in Lebanon, and the law guarantees freedoms, including freedom of expression. We appeal to the judiciary and the law above everyone,” he said. Asked whether the lawsuit targeted the presidency as a whole or Aoun individually, Habaka said: “The presidency is represented by President Michel Aoun, and he is the one who made the decision.” The channel said in a news bulletin following the ban that “this is the headquarters of the Lebanese presidency, not the house of Michel Aoun.”
Lebanon’s Media Professionals for Freedom initiative criticized the presidency’s ban on MTV, saying it was “the other face of the unparalleled bankruptcy, distress and piracy.”
It added: “The Republican Palace violated a constitutional principle that guarantees public and media freedoms.” The lawsuit is one of many filed against the presidency. Lebanese lawyer Majd Harb issued a complaint against Aoun and outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab, alleging both were aware that ammonium nitrate was stored at the port but took no action. In a statement, the presidency said it hopes the judicial investigation will “clarify the full truth about the explosion, its circumstances and those responsible at all levels.”
The massive blast killed 191 people, injured more than 6,000, left nearly 300,000 homeless and devastated larges areas of the capital. Up to five people are still believed to be missing. A total of 19 people, mainly customs and port officials, have been detained as part of the investigation. The search for possible survivors in a residential building destroyed by the explosion in Mar Mikhael street was called off on Saturday after no bodies were found. Engineer Riyad Al-Asaad, a contractor who joined the search, said: “The Chilean volunteer rescue team reached the same conclusion after three days of searching and removing debris by hand: There are no survivors or bodies.”

Lebanese patriarch calls on new cabinet to ‘negotiate responsibly’ with IMF
The Arab Weekly/September 06/2020
BEIRUT - Lebanon’s top Christian cleric said on Sunday a new government must deliver urgent economic and other reforms in the national interest, rather than returning to past corrupt ways that have plunged the Middle Eastern nation into an economic crisis.
Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, leader of the Maronite church, has an influential role as religious leader of the biggest Christian community in Lebanon, where political power is divided between its main Christian, Muslim and Druze sects. The patriarch called for an emergency government that was “small, qualified and strong” in his Sunday sermon, saying the new cabinet should not return to past ways of “clientelism, corruption and bias”. “Fateful times require a government in which there is no monopoly of portfolios, no sharing out of benefits, no dominance by one group, and no landmines that disrupt its work and decisions,” he said, adding it must “negotiate responsibly” with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). His comments were carried by an-Nahar newspaper website and other Lebanese media.
Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib, a Sunni Muslim, is in talks to swiftly form a cabinet by mid September, under pressure from French President Emmanuel Macron. Picking ministers in the past has taken months of haggling.
Macron has led international efforts to fix the country of about six million people that has been crushed by debt and which is reeling from a huge Aug. 4 port blast that shattered Beirut, exacerbating Lebanon’s deepest crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. Talks with the IMF were started this year by the outgoing government, but quickly stalled amid a row between ministers, politicians and banks about the scale of losses in the banking system that has been brought to its knees, sending the currency into tailspin and driving many people into poverty

For Lebanese, Recovery Too Heavy to Bear a Month After Blast
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
A month after Beirut´s devastating explosion, Ghassan Toubaji still sits under a gaping hole in his ceiling - he can look up through the dangling plaster, wires and metal struts, and the broken brick roof and see a bit of sky. The 74-year-old survived the Aug. 4 blast with bruises, but his fall from its impact worsened his heart and blood circulation diseases. Between that and Lebanon´s crumbled economy, he can´t go back to work. He used the last of the dollars his wife had been hoarding - a precious commodity as the local currency´s value evaporates - to fix the windows shattered by the explosion.
Teams of volunteers, a symbol of the help-each-other spirit that´s grown up from the failures of Lebanon´s corrupt political class, came by his apartment and assessed the damage. They put plastic on the windows and promised glass for free eventually. Four weeks later they hadn´t come back.
With a sweet patient smile, he said he appreciated how well-meaning the young volunteers were. But he couldn´t wait - with humidity reaching 80% some days and the summer sun directed all day into his apartment, he had to do something.
"Our house is hot as hell," he said, sitting in baggy shorts and a tank top as he watched the news in the room with the hole overhead. Lebanese families are still struggling with rebuilding in the wake of the massive explosion centered at Beirut´s port. Many, already unable to make ends meet because of the country´s economic meltdown, now can´t bear costs of making homes livable. Frustration is high, with the state almost nowhere to be seen and promised international help slow in coming. With winter and the rainy season only weeks away, aid groups are concerned they may not have time or resources for the mammoth job of repairing and rebuilding.
Around 200,000 housing units, approximately 40,000 buildings, were damaged in the blast, 3,000 of them so severely they are currently uninhabitable, according to UN estimates. The loss of homes is just one of the indignities from the explosion, the result of nearly 3,000 tons of improperly stored and rotting ammonium nitrates igniting at the port. The blast, one of the strongest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, killed more than 190 and injured thousands.
A month later, Beirut is still a wounded, grieving city struggling with the calamity that abruptly altered so many lives. Tall buildings still face the port with blown-up facades. Hundreds-year old stone buildings have gaping holes and missing balconies. Features of small streets parallel to the port have been totally erased. Residents walk around with patched up eyes, bandaged arms, or on crutches.
Social media are still awash with people sharing their stories and videos and recounting their persisting trauma. Pictures of the dead are plastered in neighborhoods. "He is a victim, not a martyr," read one poster, rebuffing authorities´ attempts to give the dead that esteemed label of self-sacrifice for a cause, seen as a way to water down their own responsibility.
The United Nations appealed for $344.5 million in emergency funds to last until November, and a donor conference was co-hosted by France and the UN days after the blast. But so far only 16.3% of the funds have been received.
Of the total pledges, $84.5 million is meant for securing and repairing shelter, but only $1.9 million has been dispersed, said Elena Dikomitis, advocacy adviser for Norwegian Refugees Council for Lebanon.
Aid groups worry the funds are not robust enough.
"The cold and rain could start as early as October," she said. "For sure, tens of thousands of houses can´t be repaired in time. That we know for sure, even with all the ongoing efforts."The NRC is working in two of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, Karantina and Mar Mikhail. It is targeting 12,400 people for help with shelter and 16,800 for water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions before March 2021, she said. Lebanon already has highly vulnerable populations that need help for shelter in winter, including more than 1 million Syrian refugees, the majority of whom live in substandard conditions and now risk being overlooked. "On top of those people ... you also now have all the new homeless of Beirut," Dikomitis said. The international community, aware of public anger in Lebanon over rampant corruption, has said it would funnel money away from government institutions and work only through international organizations and the UN. Many Beirutis say they are sick of hearing about aid on the way, as they struggle to stay above water in the financial crisis. The currency has crashed in value to the dollar, and banks locked down dollar accounts to prevent capital flight. Prices have skyrocketed, and imports are limited in a country that imports nearly everything. Unable to access their money, even the most able are struggling to secure materials for repairs. "Nobody has helped us with even a nail," said Robert Hajj, owner of a scooter center wrecked in the blast. "Each day´s delay is deteriorating our companies ... Our money is blocked in the banks."
"They made us give up," he said.
With little to no safety net, elderly like Toubaji are hit hard.
He has no pension, no social or medical insurance, so he and his wife, both over 70, had to keep working. Toubaji worked charging fees from people to get papers signed for them at the Finance Ministry, wading through the bureaucracy.
He was forced to stay home by the slump and the ensuing nationwide protests that began in October. His wife, a seamstress, is also virtually out of work.
They have been eating away at the 30 million Lebanese pounds in their bank account. Overnight in the financial crisis, their savings´ value dropped from $20,000 to just above $3,000. His wife had kept some dollars at home, away from the banks, but that went into fixing their windows.
"You know how much the meter of glass costs? $160," Toubaji said. If the ceiling is not fixed, rain will come in. Or worse - a few days ago brick from a neighbor´s damaged house hit his roof and knocked a chunk more of the broken ceiling down onto a sofa. His home's main wooden door also remains damaged, its splintered shards glued back in place. "I don´t have a leader that I follow to chase and secure money," Toubaji said, referring to Lebanon´s sectarian-based patronage system that fills the place of the absent state. When the blast happened, Toubaji fell on his face, and shattered glass covered his back. He now walks slowly, worried his knees cannot keep him up straight. He said Lebanon, too, had fallen because of violence and conflict before and every time, it managed to stand up "and good people came to help."
This time, he is not so sure. Politicians "have robbed the country and the banks are broke. Who would help the country get up on its feet this time?"

Hamas and Hezbollah seek global terror front against Israel
Seth Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/September 06/2020

جيرازولم بوست/ حماس وحزب الله يسعيان لتكشيكل جبهة عالمية وإرهابية ضد إسرائيل
Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh recently met Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a widely expected meeting. It was designed to showcase that the two terrorist groups can meet openly as if they are governments of two countries.
Hamas is on a regional tour after receiving red-carpet treatment in Istanbul from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The US condemned that meeting. Hamas then went to Lebanon to hold court with Hezbollah, despite the recent horrific explosion that decimated Beirut. While rescuers were searching with dashed hopes for survivors, Haniyeh and Nasrallah were toasting success.
What is the element of that success? Hezbollah believes it is unchallenged in Lebanon. Despite French President Emmanuel Macron seeking to pressure Beirut to form a more technocratic government, it scored a win by having the leader of its parliamentary delegation meet Macron. The terrorist group doesn’t appear to fear that questions about the ammonium-nitrate explosion in August will implicate it in illegal weapons storage throughout the country.
Haniyeh met Nasrallah to discuss developments in Lebanon and the Palestinian areas, according to Fars News in Iran. There are large numbers of Palestinians in Lebanon who live in refugee camps that have become their own neighborhoods. These Palestinians have the same political groups as in the West Bank and elsewhere, and Hamas wants to gain inroads with them.
Hezbollah vows to “resist” Israel and puts photos of al-Aqsa Mosque on its propaganda, indicating how the groups are aligned. They are also aligned with Iran, which supports them both. Hamas also receives political support from Turkey, and its members operate there.
The meeting shows how these groups – both of them extralegal terrorist groups that traffic in weapons – are eroding state institutions, since they meet without the Palestinian Authority or Lebanese officials present.
THE LEADERS complained about US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” and said they wanted the “Muslim ummah” to oppose Israel, Fars News reported. They claimed their “axis of resistance” was stable and talked about how strong their relationship is, emphasizing “brotherhood and Jihad.” They want to form a “regional alliance” against the US and “Zionists,” according to the report.
It is Haniyeh’s first known visit to Lebanon since 2003.
According to other statements by Hamas reported by Fars News, it appears the organization now realizes it needs strategic partners to confront Israel and that these partners are in Lebanon and Istanbul. This is about creating a counter to what Haniyeh says is a “strategic threat to Palestinian aspirations.”
The recent UAE-Israel deal and Israeli successes in blunting Hamas threats have led Hamas to this conclusion. It tried military means to destroy Israel in the past, including bus bombings and tunnels, but it has largely been isolated over the last 15 years.
Hezbollah also fought a war with Israel in 2006. But since then, it has focused on stockpiling weapons, including drones and precision-guided munitions. Despite tensions with Israel last August and this July over the killing of its members in Syria, a conflict has not developed.
Hezbollah is trying to swallow and digest the Lebanese government, going from being a state within a state to controlling many levers of power. This has been a long path – including the 2008 clashes, putting Michael Aoun in the presidency and intervening in Syria.
In some ways, Hezbollah and Hamas are maturing. Nasrallah was born in 1960 and Haniyeh in 1962. Their formative experiences were in the 1980s, when Hezbollah was rising in Lebanon and fighting Israel and when Hamas was beginning to grow its tentacles in Gaza and the West Bank. They both were becoming full-fledged adult terrorists when Israel appeared to be giving up territory in the West Bank after the Oslo Accords and when it left Lebanon in 2000.
With advice from Iran, Hezbollah challenged Israel after 2000. Hamas thought it could come to power through elections, while using terrorism at the same time. Both movements have had to govern over the last decade because they have grown in power.
But with power comes responsibility. Neither want the responsibility of being held to account as a state, but both appear to want to function like a state. Like Iran using the term “revolution” for an ossifying regime that is opposed by its people, these groups talk about “resistance,” when in reality it is the young generation that wants to be free of their 1980s mentality and shackles of sectarianism. The meeting in Beirut was an attempt to prove some kind of relevance and legitimacy. Whether they can leverage support from Iran, which is starved for cash by US sanctions, remains to be seen.

From Window to Jug: Lebanese Recycle Glass from Beirut Blast
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
Standing in a pile of broken glass in northern Lebanon, a man heaved shovel-loads of shards -- retrieved from Beirut after the massive explosion at its port -- into a red-hot furnace. Melted down at a factory in the second city Tripoli, they re-emerged as molten glass ready to be recycled into traditional slim-necked water jugs. The August 4 port explosion ripped through countless glass doors and windows when it laid waste to whole Beirut neighborhoods, killing at least 190 people and wounding thousands more. Volunteers, non-governmental groups and entrepreneurs have tried to salvage at least part of the tonnes of glass that littered the streets, some of it through recycling at Wissam Hammoud's family's glass factory. "Here we have glass from the Beirut explosion," said Hammoud, deputy head at the United Glass Production Company (Uniglass), as several men sorted through a mound of shards outside the building. "Organizations are bringing it to us so that we can remanufacture it," said the 24-year-old. As workers washed and stacked jars behind him, Hammoud said between 20 and 22 tonnes of glass had been brought to the factory, a hive of rhythmic activity centered around the furnace that burns at 900-1,200 degrees Celsius (1,650-2,190 Fahrenheit). Nearby, three men produced jars stamped out of a mold in a carefully choreographed sequence, while another two handled the more delicate process of blowing and forming the traditional Lebanese pitchers."We work 24 hours a day," Hammoud said. "We can't stop because stopping costs too much money."
Helping local industry
Ziad Abichaker, CEO of environmental engineering company Cedar Environmental, has spearheaded multiple glass recycling initiatives in Lebanon. In the first days after the blast, he teamed up with civil-society organisations and a host of volunteers to come up with a plan to keep as much glass as possible out of landfills already overburdened by a decades-old solid waste crisis. "We decided that at least part of the shattered glass... our local industries should benefit from as a raw material," Abichaker told AFP. "We're diverting glass from ending up in the landfill, we're supplying our local industries with free raw material," he added. According to him, more than 5,000 tons of glass was shattered by the explosion. From mid-August to September 2, almost 58 tonnes were sent for reuse at Uniglass and Koub/Golden Glass in Tripoli. Abichaker said he hoped, with funding, to bring the total to 250 tons.
'Tip of the iceberg'
At the volunteer hub dubbed the Base Camp in Beirut's hard-hit Mar Mikhael district, young men and women kitted out with sturdy shoes, masks and heavy gloves sort the glass, pulling bits of detritus out of the piled shards under a scorching sun. Anthony Abdel Karim, who months before the blast had launched an upcycling glass project called Annine Fadye or "Empty Bottle" in Arabic, coordinates the operations. We have "mountains of waste that are piling up in Beirut, they're mixed with everything. Glass and rubble and metal are mixed with organic waste... and this is not healthy," he said. "We don't have proper recycling in Lebanon." Abdel Karim was drawn to recycling glass after seeing huge numbers of bottles being thrown out while working in events management in Beirut's nightlife, one of the city's calling cards first quieted by the pandemic and economic crisis, and now battered by the blast. Glass from the explosion poses different challenges from bottles, as much of it is dirty, so the initiative focuses on gathering glass from inside homes and other buildings, setting up a hotline where people can request pickup. Abdel Karim said they aim to find other ways of recycling the glass that is not suitable to send to Tripoli, possibly by crushing it to be used in cement or other materials. "This is the tip of the iceberg," he said, noting just a fraction of the glass so far had been collected and repurposed. "It needs a lot of time, we know that."

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 06-07/2020

Emirati-Israeli Agreement to Be Signed Within 10 Days
Ramallah- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
The United States has speeded up its preparations to host the official signatory ceremony of the historic agreement reached between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel to normalize relations.
The US administration and the Israeli government have been on ongoing contacts to agree on the details of the event, which will be attended by US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. The deal is expected to be signed on Sep.13, which coincides with the 27th anniversary of the White House signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israelis and Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israelis still haven’t unanimously agreed to sell F-35 fighters or any other advanced US weapons to the UAE. Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said: “Tel Aviv will exert pressures on US Congress to stop the sale.”“We are against that, we will not agree to any sales contract … and we will act against selling any weapon that would harm Israel’s qualitative military superiority, including the F-35.” His remarks were made after Netanyahu denied on Friday a New York Times report, which again claimed he had given his okay to the weapons deal. “Repeating a false allegation against the Premier does not make it true,” his office said in a statement. “At no point in the talks with the United States leading to the historic breakthrough with the United Arab Emirates on August 13 did the Prime Minister give Israel’s consent to the sale of advanced weapons to the Emirates.” Cohen backed Netanyahu’s statements and said he attended the cabinet meetings and spoke with Netanyahu who said unequivocally that there is no agreement and he didn’t give an okay.

British-Arab Researcher Amjad Taha: Iran – Not Israel – Is Responsible For The Deaths Of 4 Million Arabs, Including Lebanese, Iraqis, Yemenis
MEMRI/(BMCSR)/September 06/2020,
Amjad Taha, a regional director at the British Center for Studies and Research (BMCSR), said in an August 27, 2020 interview on Russia Today TV that Iran, not Israel, is responsible for creating militias that have killed Lebanese, Iraqi, and Yemeni people. He said that it is responsible for the death of 4 million Arabs. Taha added that Iran has made alliances with the militias in the Gaza Strip and that Qasem Soleimani was a terrorist. He stated: "Even viruses evolve, but the peddlers of the [Palestinian] cause do not." Amjad Taha: "He talked about [Israel] being the enemy… Israel did not plant a bomb next to the Kaaba, nor did it target Mecca with missiles. Israel did not create militias that kill Lebanese, Iraqis, and Yemenis. The Palestinians were the ones who described… Do not interrupt me, as I do not interrupt you. Some Palestinians are those who described Qasem Soleimani – who killed Syrians, Iraqis, and others – as the "Martyr of Jerusalem.' They see this terrorist as the 'Martyr of Jerusalem.' "Iran, which has killed more than four million Arabs, is today the one that has made an alliance with the militias in Gaza. Let us be honest and say that even viruses evolve, but the peddlers of the [Palestinian] cause do not. They have nothing to offer except for curses and recklessness."

Egypt, Bahrain Stress the ‘Two-State Solution’
Cairo- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
Egypt and Bahrain welcomed on Saturday any initiative aimed at achieving a comprehensive and just peace for the Palestinian cause based on references of international law and UN resolutions, affirmed the need to maintain the principle of the two-state solution. The remarks came in a joint statement released after a meeting in Cairo between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. They also stressed the need to halt any Israeli annexation attempts of the Palestinian territories and to continue support for endeavors aimed at achieving peace and stability in the region. The ministers expressed support for a consensual political solution that preserves the sovereignty and unity of Libya. They also affirmed the importance of confronting terrorism and destructive foreign interventions while discussing ways to intensify joint work in order to enhance stability for the benefit of both sides. In addition, the two officials agreed to take more measures to enhance bilateral economic, investment, and trade cooperation in the coming period so as to be in line with the huge potentials and opportunities in Egypt and Bahrain.
The next Arab League foreign ministers meeting, to be chaired by Palestine, is scheduled for September 9. Assistant to the Arab League secretary-general Hossam Zaki earlier said the meeting’s agenda includes political, security, social, health, and administrative topics of concern to joint Arab work, including the Palestinian cause, in light of the latest updates.

Turkey Sanctions on Table for EU Meeting, France Says
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
Turkey's escalating conflict with Greece and Cyprus will be the main subject at this month's European Council meeting, when sanctions will be considered against Ankara, France said on Sunday. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he and his counterparts in other EU countries had already discussed "the range of reprisals we could take with regards to Turkey". Turkey embarked on a military-backed hydrocarbon exploration venture in waters between Greece and Cyprus on August 10, ratcheting up tensions in a strategic corridor of the eastern Mediterranean. Greece responded with naval exercises to defend its maritime territory, which were later bolstered by the deployment of French frigates and fighter jets. The dispute between NATO members has underscored the rising geopolitical risks in the area as Turkey pursues more aggressively nationalist policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The European Union's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell has also raised the possibility of sanctions against Ankara but so far Paris has been unable to persuade other EU nations to join its hardline response. Le Drian urged Erdogan to begin talks over its Eastern Mediterranean ambitions between now and the European Council meeting. "It's up to the Turks to show that this matter... can be discussed," he told France Inter radio. "If so, we can create a virtuous circle for all the problems on the table."While he declined to specify the type of sanctions Ankara could face, he said there was an "entire series of measures". "We are not short of options, and he knows that," said Le Drian referring to Erdogan. The European Council meeting is set to meet on September 24 and 25.

Erdogan threatens Greece amid standoff in Mediterranean
The Arab Weekly/September 06/2020
ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday issued a threat to Greece over simmering tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, the day before his forces launched military drills in the region.
Turkey and Greece, both NATO members, have been embroiled in an increasingly heated dispute over gas and oil in the region since Turkey deployed an exploration vessel last month triggering protests of neighbouring countries.
“They will understand that Turkey has the political, economic and military strength to tear up immoral maps and documents,” Erdogan said in a televised speech.
He was referring to contested areas claimed by Greece and Cyprus as their exclusive economic zones.
“They will either understand the language of politics and diplomacy, or on the field through bitter experiences,” the Turkish leader warned.
“As Turkey and the Turkish people we are ready for every possibility and every consequence.”Meanwhile, Turkish media reported that tanks were being moved towards the Greek border. The Cumhuriyet newspaper said 40 tanks were being transported from the Syrian border to Edirne in northwest Turkey and carried photographs of armoured vehicles loaded on trucks.
A military official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations said the deployment was a regular movement of forces and unconnected to tension with Greece.
The president’s comments come after NATO said military officers from Greece and Turkey had begun technical discussions to reduce the risk of armed conflict or accidents. The two NATO allies have been locked for weeks in a tense standoff in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is prospecting the seabed for energy reserves in an area Greece claims as its own continental shelf.
Ankara says it has every right to prospect there and accuses Athens of trying to grab an unfair share of maritime resources.
Simulated dogfights between Greek and Turkish fighter pilots have multiplied over the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. A Turkish and a Greek frigate collided last month, reportedly causing minor damage to the Turkish frigate but no injuries. Turkey faces a wide range of opponents in the eastern Mediterranean. France, Italy and the United Arab Emirates have all sent forces to join war games with either Greece or Cyprus in recent weeks. Egypt has signed an energy exploration deal with Athens for the Mediterranean.
The European Union, which counts Greece and Cyprus as members, has also threatened possible sanctions against Ankara over its “illegal” actions.
This week, the US announced it was easing a 33-year-old arms embargo against ethnically divided Cyprus. The island split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkey is the only nation to recognise a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus. The recent crisis is the most serious in Turkish-Greek relations in decades. The neighbours have come to the brink of war three times since the mid-1970s, including once over maritime resources in the Aegean. Earlier, Ankara announced joint military exercises with northern Cypriot forces from Sunday to September 10.

Turkey Launches 'Mediterranean Storm' Maneuvers
Ankara- Saeed Abdulrazek/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced launching the “Mediterranean Storm” maneuvers from September 6th to 10th. The statement continued that “Turkish air, land, and sea forces are participating in the exercises,” and that “the exercises include joint and actual exercises on airstrikes and combat search and rescue operations.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: They will understand that Turkey has political, economic, military might needed to cast off immoral maps and documents imposed by others.”
“Turkey is prepared for any type of sharing, so long as it’s honest”, he added. Turkey supports an initiative on talks between military officials of Turkey and Greece, which was launched by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Hulusi Akar said at a graduation ceremony at the National Defense University in Ankara. France’s statements on the Eastern Mediterranean and Iraq “do not contribute to the spirit of the alliance, nor to peace or dialogue,” Akar said. In the same context, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed last Friday with Stoltenberg the latest developments during a phone call.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias briefed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Turkey’s provocations against peace and regional stability in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, at their meeting in New York on Friday. In the meantime, the Turkish opposition renewed its criticism to the president and the government as well as for ruining ties with Egypt. Faik Oztrak, the spokesman of the Republican People's Party, said that Greece managed to isolate Turkey diplomatically while Erdogan was busy accomplishing his ‘empty dreams’ which he has been committed to for years.
Oztrak criticized Turkey declaring its readiness to sit and talk with everyone.

UAE Flies Batch of Medical Aid to Damascus
Damascus, London//Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
A medical aid plane provided by the Emirates Red Crescent to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent arrived in Syria on Friday to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The medical aid includes basic supplies used to maintain the precautionary and preventive measures aimed at confronting the coronavirus pandemic amounting to 25 tons of medical materials and equipment, prevention supplies, and laboratory tests related to COVID-19/ AGG, AGM and PCR tests. The aid also includes goggles, masks and medical gloves, according to the Syrian news agency, SANA. On the 30th of last August, the medical aid plane provided by the Emirates Red Crescent arrived at Damascus International Airport, including medicines, sterilization and testing materials.

Terrorist suspects killed in Tunisia after attack on security patrol
The Arab Weekly/September 06/2020
TUNIS- Three terrorist suspects were killed and a fourth was arrested early Sunday by security forces in the coastal city of Sousse (150 kilometres south of the capital, Tunis) after they attacked a National Guard patrol killing one member of the patrol and injuring another. Security sources said the perpetrators were tracked down and surrounded at a school in the small neighbouring town of Akouda after A vehicle-ramming attack at a road intersection near the city of Sousse, during which suspected terrorists killed a Tunisian National Guard officer and wounded another.
A patrol of two National Guard officers was attacked, said the spokesman, Houcem Eddine Jebali. “One died as a martyr and the other was wounded and is hospitalised,” he said, adding that “this is a terrorist attack.” Newly-appointed Minister of the Interior Taoufik Charfeddine visited the site of the attack, Sunday, as well as the hospital where the injured guardsman is receiving treatment, said the ministry of the interior. Tunisia has remained free of major terrorist attacks since 2015 when terrorists proclaiming affiliation to the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group attacked and killed scores of foreign tourists in the Bardo National Museum in the capital city, Tunis, and in a beach resort in Sousse.

Three missiles target Baghdad airport
Arab News/September 06/2020
RIYADH: Three missiles targeted the military terminal at Baghdad International Airport on Sunday. The three Katyusha rockets did not cause any casualties but damaged four vehicles, a military statement said. Usually, missile attacks target military bases in the vicinity of Baghdad airport, where the international coalition soldiers are present. Baghdad's “Green Zone,” which includes the Washington embass, has faced similar sporadic attacks since the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in an American raid early this year. Armed Shiite factions, including Iraqi Hezbollah, have repeatedly threatened to target US forces and interests in the country.

Tunisia Knife Attack Kills Officer, 3 Terrorists Shot Dead
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
Attackers with knives killed a Tunisian National Guard officer and wounded another Sunday before three assailants were shot dead, the National Guard said, labelling it a "terrorist attack". The attack took place in the tourist city of Sousse, the site of the worst of several militant attacks in recent years, where 38 people, most of them Britons, were killed in a 2015 beachside shooting. "A patrol of two National Guard officers was attacked with a knife in the center of Sousse," 140 kilometers (80 miles) south of the capital Tunis, said National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebali. "One died as a martyr and the other was wounded and is hospitalized," he said, adding that "this was a terrorist attack".Security forces pursued the assailants, who had taken the officers' guns and vehicle, through the city's tourist area of El-Kantaoui, said Jebali, adding that "in a firefight, three terrorists were killed".

Iraqi Forces Pursue Wanted, Seize Weapons in Baghdad, Basra
Baghdad- Fadhel al-Nashmi/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
The Iraqi army spokesman for the Joint Military Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, said that “armed forces continue to pursue all those who tamper with security and law.”His statement was made following wide-scope raids carried out Saturday by Iraqi security forces (ISF) in Basra and Baghdad that had witnessed tribal clashes during the past week, causing the death and injury of many. The government “will strike with an iron hand anyone who tries to tamper with security and order,” Rasool stressed. On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi stressed the need to confront everything that threatens the security and stability of the country. “The government has inherited a heavy legacy of uncontrolled weapons and tribal conflicts, which have become a real threat to society,” the PM said during his visit to the headquarters of the Joint Operations Command. The operations covered Fadhiliya and al-Hosainah that recently saw tribal retaliatory acts. According to the statement of the Joint Military force, a joint security force launched operations Saturday morning in Fadhiliya to pursue fugitives and seize illegal weapons -- it arrested five wanted suspects based on article (4) on terrorism. One of the suspects opened fire at the security forces and attempted to flee but failed. Similar military operations were launched in Hosainah in the south of Baghdad. They resulted in arresting three over possession of weapons and illegal vehicles. Eyewitnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that they saw an unprecedented number of soldiers and security vehicles roaming in Fadhiliya and al-Hosainah. The raids were met with welcoming official and popular reactions, while many demanded that the raids target outlawed armed factions as well, in addition to those who launched‘Katyusha’ missiles against the Green Zone and army camps.

Libya’s Higher State Council, HoR to Meet in Morocco
Cairo - Khalid Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 6 September, 2020
Morocco is scheduled on Sunday to host talks between delegates from Libya’s House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State to activate the Skhirat agreement, signed five years ago, and discuss its amendments. The delegates began arriving in Bouznika Saturday, amid an absence of any representative from Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA). Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that a meeting may take place between Speaker Aguila Saleh and chief of the High Council Khaled al-Mishri if the discussions result in a political agreement. Prior to the meeting, head of HoR’s foreign affairs committee Youssef al-Akouri confirmed that the House of Representatives holds onto the resumption of talks on maintaining the country's unity, the withdrawal of foreign forces, and building a state of institutions and law. The UN-brokered Skhirat agreement was signed on December 17, 2015 in Morocco. It stipulated the formation of a consensual government for a one-year term, renewable only once. It was originally agreed that a nine-member presidential council will form a government, with the current eastern-based House of Representatives as the main legislature, and a State Council as a second, consultative chamber.

UK Police Launch Murder Probe after Mass Stabbing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/06 September 06/2020
One man was killed and two people were critically injured during a "random" stabbing attack lasting several hours in Britain's second city of Birmingham, police said on Sunday. Detectives said they were hunting one suspect after being called to reports of stabbings at four separate locations in the city center between 12:30 am (2330 GMT Saturday) and 2:30 am. But they ruled out hate crime, gang violence and terrorism. "It does appear to be random in terms of the people that were attacked," said Chief Superintendent Steve Graham of West Midlands Police, adding that it was being treated as homicide.
Britain has been on high alert after two mass stabbings in London in the last year, which saw both perpetrators -- convicted Islamic extremists released early from prison -- shot dead by armed officers. In June, a man was charged with murder after three people were killed in a park in Reading, west of London, in an attack investigated by counter-terrorism police. Six people were then injured, including a police officer, at a hotel housing asylum seekers in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Armed police shot dead the suspected attacker. The latest incident comes amid concern about levels of knife crime in Britain, particularly in the capital, London. The number of stabbings in England and Wales increased six percent in the year to the end of March, according to the Office for National Statistics. Birmingham is one of Britain's most ethnically diverse cities with a population of more than one million, and has had an explosive recent history of gang violence. In January 2003, one gang opened fire with an illegal semi-automatic sub-machine gun at a rival group. Two teenage girls who were bystanders were killed in the hail of bullets.
'Groups upon groups'
No details were immediately released about the identity of the victims other than the two people critically injured were a man and a woman. Five other people were taken to hospital with minor injuries, as police declared a "major incident" and said the incidents were linked. Eyewitnesses earlier told AFP about violence in one of the four locations, in and around the Arcadian Center, a popular venue filled with restaurants, nightclubs and bars. Cara Curran, a nightclub promoter who was working at the Arcadian Center on Saturday night said she saw "groups upon groups" of people fighting in and around the venue and heard the use of "racial slurs". "I had seen a lot of tensions building through the night, which wasn't quite like what I've seen before," she said. "I had left with my boyfriend. I heard a commotion and saw multiple police coming towards our direction. I headed towards where I saw them coming and it all just unfurled in front of me. "It was quite a street fight. It didn't really look like fighting. It was just multiple people on top of each other, not one on one." She added: "There was every ethnicity there, there was Asian, black, white. It wasn't just this ethnicity against this ethnicity, it was a group of ethnicities with another group, and they sort of just went at it."
Social exclusion
Shabana Mahmood, who represents the area in the UK parliament for the main opposition Labor Party, described the events as "deeply concerning". Local councilor Yvonne Mosquito, also of Labor, said the violence was "traumatic" for everyone involved. Mosquito, a former city lord mayor, praised police for tackling so-called "black on black" violence in Birmingham in the early 2000s. But she said there remained a real issue with social exclusion among younger people, including "county lines" drug dealing. The Arcadian center, where Birmingham Gay Village and Chinese Quarter meet, was vibrant and popular although there had been "a bit of trouble" previously, she told AFP.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 06-07/2020

Sermon suggests Saudi Arabia near normalizing ties with Israel
Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/September 06/2020
According to Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the prophet was so good to his Jewish neighbor that the latter converted to Islam.
Has Saudi Arabia begun preparing its people for normalization with Israel?
A sermon delivered on Friday by Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, has been interpreted by some Arabs and Muslims as a prelude to normalization with Israel.
In his sermon, Sudais said that Islam requires Muslims to respect non-Muslims and treat them well.
He pointed out that Prophet Mohammed “performed ablution from a polytheistic water bottle and died while his shield was mortgaged to a Jew.”
According to Sudais, the prophet was so good to his Jewish neighbor that the latter converted to Islam. Sudais also talked about the need to “correct and purify the Islamic faith from false and suspicious beliefs.”
The imam had previously called for peaceful inter-faith dialogue and preached Islam’s opposition to “explosions and terrorism.” Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow Israeli flights into its airspace. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan recently said the kingdom was open to establishing relations with Israel on condition that a peace agreement is reached between Israel and the Palestinians.
Sudais’s words sparked a wave of protests on social media, where many Arabs and Muslims claimed he was paving the way for Saudi Arabia to follow suit with the United Arab Emirates and establish relations with Israel.
Egyptian Islamic scholar Mohammed al-Sagheer accused the Saudi cleric of hypocrisy. “He is paving the way for normalization and treason,” Sagheer commented.
Islamic cleric Muhammad al-Shinqiti of Mauritania accused Sudais of exploiting the podium of the Grand Mosque in Mecca to promote normalization with Israel.
Abdel Fatah Fayed, Egyptian affairs editor at Al-Jazeera, said the bottom line of the Friday sermon was that “submission, normalization and loyalty to Israel” are permitted. He added: “Al-Sudais does not have the right to tamper with Islam. Nothing can justify treason.” Algerian Twitter user Mohamed Mestour posted a picture on the social media platform of Sudais with the caption: “I’m a rabbi, not an imam.”

Sam Westrop on Islam, Islamism, and 'Islamophobia'
Sam Westrop/Middle East Forum/September 06/2020
https://www.meforum.org/61473/sam-westrop-on-islam-islamism-and-islamophobia
Fred Stella, president of the Interfaith Dialogue Association, interviewed Islamist Watch Director Sam Westrop on the August 31 edition of his weekly radio show, Common Threads. Minor clarification edits have been made to the transcript of this interview.
I think we should probably start this conversation by getting clear on the terms that we're using today. What is the difference between Islam and Islamism?
Well, that's an extremely important question and it's the basis for almost everything I do. Of course we shouldn't deny that Islamism comes out of Islam, it is certainly a byproduct of Islam. In other words, all Islamists follow the Islamic faith, but certainly not all Muslims believe in or support Islamism. Islamism is a 20th century political ideology that seeks to impose a theocratic ideal upon the world, not just within Muslim lands, but in non-Muslim lands as well. It wants a caliphate, a supranational extremist state in which religious law is supreme.
Now, Islam, on the other hand, is a 1400-year-old faith that includes an enormous variety of sects and movements from quietest Sufis to vehement conservative Deobandis or Salafis to all sorts of obscure smaller Islamic sects that you probably would have never heard of, and certainly many that I haven't heard of as well. It's an enormously diverse religion.
"If radical Islam is the problem ... then moderate Islam is the solution."
Islamism is very specific, and there are five or six big Islamist threats in the world today that the West must contend with, both violent and nonviolent. At the Middle East Forum, we believe one thing very keenly – that if radical Islam is the problem, if Islamism is the problem, then moderate Islam is the solution. So we work with moderate Muslims. We support reformist Islamic projects. We believe the best way to challenge theocracy and to challenge extremism is to support moderates.
Well, it's easy to see that Islamism is alive and well in nations around the world. We've not had any serious incidents on these shores, that is to say in the United States, for quite a few years. I occasionally will hear of a plot that's been foiled, but what is it about the last five, six, seven years that we have not heard about that? We've heard much more about homegrown extremists who have nothing to do with Islam than we've heard about Islamist terrorists.
Hmm. Yes, this is a reasonable point. Firstly, let's not diminish the threat of Islamism domestically here at the moment.
Yeah. Before you answer, I am aware that the FBI ... Director [Christopher A.] Wray said that it is the most dangerous. Yet, you will agree, it's just not in the headlines.
Yeah. I think he said that last April, last June, so almost a year ago, now. Certainly the FBI, as far as I'm aware, has yet to release a new ranking of threats in order of severity. But the fact remains, yes, it is an enormous threat. Not just the fact that plots are being continuously uncovered and unraveled and counteracted by law enforcement. But also let's remember that behind Islamism, unlike every other form of extremism operating here in the US, behind Islamism are international terror networks, foreign state support, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in drug money and other forms of illicit income driving it. This is a very different type of threat to other extremisms, so that's the first thing that should be pointed out.
Secondly, yes, you're right. The focus is much less on Islamism these days, and that's because of both a reasonable and a political interest in what's called far-right extremism or white supremacist extremism at the moment. Whatever you think of the scale and the enormity of the threat posed by white supremacism, there's no doubt that it exists. But Islamism remains the only threat, the only extremism as mentioned that is backed by an enormous international effort that has killed hundreds of thousands, not just thousands, over the last few decades alone, and that is constantly working internationally to secure weapons of mass destruction that could kill and injure and harm more people than we could possibly imagine. The threat is of an entirely different magnitude.
President Obama was called out by his critics for not using the word Islam or Muslim, et cetera, when he was talking about terrorism. But he did refer to ISIL or ISIS, and we know that the "I" in both of those words does stand for Islamic. And of course he could have said "Islamism" and then defined it the way you just did, but he chose not to. Do you agree that he should have been more forthcoming in identifying the extremism that we had to deal with during his time in office?
Yes. I think it was really one of the worst examples of the Obama administration failing to understand what the threat is and how to counteract it. There was one instance in which Obama spoke about the "perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam," but as far as I'm aware, that is the only example in which he named the threat directly.
"It is preposterous to censor oneself for fear of upsetting ... extremists."
It is preposterous to censor oneself, for fear of upsetting who? The terrorists? The extremists? What reasonable Muslim is going to deny that there are extremists in his faith? There's no purpose served [by] not using the word Islamism. ...[T]o deny that it's an extremism born out of a religion ... [is] to deny moderate Muslims the chance to fight back against it by denying that they have any power over it.
So this is an appalling example of politicians imposing their ideas, their desire to be seen as liberal or virtuous, upon communities that are suffering from this extremism has hijacked their faith. It's not just Obama, this is done all over the world. In fact, even the BBC still refers to Islamic State as the "so called Islamic State," a phrase that makes my blood boil every time I hear it. And even under the Trump administration, a number of senior Trump advisors and members of his cabinet have encouraged officials and government bodies not to refer to ISIS as Islamic. This is not even limited to the left, this is a pan-political delusion.
It's interesting because if I heard someone refer to the "so-called Islamic State," I would think that they were referring to the fact that it's not really a state, not that it's not really Islamic. But you're saying that when they say the so-called Islamic state, that they're soft selling the word "Islamic," not the word "state."
Oh yes, no one tried to hide the reasons behind the use of "so-called." It was very much about the "Islamic" and nothing to do with the "state." Certainly when the BBC talks about Taiwan, it doesn't call it a "so-called country" to pander to the Chinese. ... This delusion, this sickness that stops us from referring to threats by what they are is very much limited to Islamism. It does occur with other things, but you find it most strongly when it comes to Islamism.
The one thing that Europe has realized in the last 10-20 years – and they've certainly been conducting counter-extremism and counter-radicalization efforts against domestic Islamism for much longer than the US – the one thing they've realized is that the worst, the worst thing you can do is downplay or deny the extent and the scope of the threat through politicized language and self-denial, and that's what America is doing. It's failed to learn from Europe's mistakes. And there's many other examples I can point to that bear me out in that.
Sam, how do you define Islamophobia? And tell us why you're not one in case somebody just tuned in halfway through this conversation and might think that you are an Islamophobe.
Well, I think there are a number of problems with this word. If we assume "Islamophobia" does not mean fear, but criticism, which I think is the manner in which it's usually applied, I have no problems at all with anyone who wants to criticize Islam, or criticize any religion. As a Jewish atheist who grew up in a sort of Christian upbringing, Christian school, I'm happy to criticize any religion, in fact, and I do.
"Islamophobia" is a terrible term as far as its literal meaning goes. It's not a fear of religion. What I think it's generally applied to is hatred or criticism of Muslims themselves, which does seem unnecessarily unpleasant and is often the tool of an unpleasant person. If we accept "Islamophobia" as a genuine term – and as I say, I have problems with definitions – then yes, it should be hatred or criticism of Muslims. It is not applied like that always, especially by Islamists, who ... were somewhat involved with the creation of the word "Islamophobia." Islamist radicals in the West, or what we call lawful or nonviolent Islamists, have long used the word "Islamophobia" to demonize their critics – not critics of Muslims, but critics of Islamism.
"Islamists have long used the word 'Islamophobia' to demonize their critics."
I cannot tell you the number of times I have been denounced as an "Islamophobe" on TV, on radio, in front of large crowds. It happens. My own view is that Islam is exceptionally diverse, there are good Muslims and there are bad Muslims just as in any other faith pretty much. I accept that there is bigotry against Muslims. I see it a lot. I speak out against it. I've gotten into trouble for speaking out against it on a number of occasions in certain circles. It is an appalling thing and sometimes that hatred of Muslims does veer into violence. That's the most horrifying development of the last 5-10 years when it comes to the question of Islamism.
Not only is it proof that the far right is growing in power and venomous hate, but it also gives succor and power to the Islamists who can point to these acts of violence, these acts of hatred and say, "See? Only we, the Islamists, can lead the Muslim community against such violence, against such hate." They use the real "Islamophobia" as it were, they use it to accrue more power, accrue more supporters to further their grip over Muslim communities. This is a complicated subject and "Islamophobia" as a term did not help to clarify any part of it.
Now, a lot of people, when they hear the word "Islamist," if I say, "Oh, that person is an Islamist," a lot of other non-Muslims would think that I was saying, "Oh, that person is a terrorist," right? They assume Islamism and violence go hand in hand. But you talk about lawful Islamism. Let's describe that for people. And these are people who by and large would not blow up buildings and kill innocent people and yet they are Islamists.
Right. Right. Let me start off by saying, I truly wish there were a better word than "Islamism" for what Islamism is. Because not only is it confused with "terrorists," as we discussed it's often confused with "Muslim." If anyone can think of a better word I'm listening. I haven't yet heard one, but the terminology does need to be improved. By an "Islamist," as I said at the beginning, we refer to anyone who wants to impose religion as law, as a political ideal. Anyone who wants to eventually introduce a theocratic mindset, a theocratic imposition upon Muslims and non-Muslims all over the globe.
First, let me start off by going back to Islam very briefly. Islam is very diverse. It is not just Sunni and Shia. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Muslim sects and groups delineated by schools of jurisprudence, schools of theology, ethnicity, culture, adherence to certain spiritual beliefs such as Sufism, for example. And then, of course, all the different political strains. Then tiny spinoffs of all of those things in a thousand different directions.
Islam is exceptionally diverse. Islamism is also diverse. There isn't just one group. In other words, Islamism isn't just Al-Qaeda. It is not just the Islamic State. Islamism is all sorts of ideas. I said earlier it's a 20th century ideology and that's the way it's usually referred to. But in truth, the first modern Islamists as we know it came about 19th century. And then in the 20th century, you had people like Sayyid Qutb, the great Egyptian Islamist whose writings inspired the Muslim Brotherhood, which some of your listeners may have heard of. Or Abul A'la Maududi in South Asia, who built Jamaat-e-Islami.
Both the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamaat-e-Islami are not examples of violent Islamist groups as we know them, although they are sometimes involved with violence. But more importantly, they have spawned around the world dozens of entirely lawful political parties and activist groups who support the ideals of these luminaries - who support the ideals, the writings of Syed Abul A'la Maududi. But unlike ISIS and Al-Qaeda, they don't use violence to get there. At least they don't use violence to get there right now. And one of the big debates over lawful Islamism is the extent to which they truly have eschewed violence and whether it's merely a temporary tactic.
But that said, there is no doubt there are hundreds of nonviolent Islamist movements throughout the globe, including here in the US. Let's also not pretend all Islamists are inherently violent themselves. As odd as this may sound, I have a number of Islamist friends. I regard them like I do Marxists – entirely wrong. They are not the kind of people that would ever turn to violence but I do believe their views will cause violence.
Islamism in the US is almost entirely non-violent. Almost entirely lawful. When people ask me about the main Islamist networks I usually give them five or six examples. The one violent one is the Salafi jihadists, for the moment. ... The Salafi jihadists are Al-Qaeda, they are ISIS.
Then you have groups like the Muslim Brotherhood that I've mentioned. You have groups like Jamaat-e-Islami. You have hard line conservative sects like the Deobandis, which are generally counted as Islamists. You then have all sorts of other Salafi groups who are not jihadists but still adhere to the same ideals just without the same methods. Then, of course, you have Shia Islamists, you have those networks connected to the Iranian regime. You have those who also support Tehran but are more closely connected to Hezbollah. And in fact you have other state sponsors such as Islamists associated with Qatar, which is technically a Wahhabi regime, then also with the Turkish regime, which has its own kind of Islamism.
"There are a lot of [U.S.] Islamist movements operating and they almost all disagree with each other."
Then, of course, you have all the Islamists opposed to those regimes, as well. The best example when it comes to Turkish regime is the Gülen movement. The Gülen movement, another Islamist movement, is based here in the US, mostly in Pennsylvania but it's involved with charter schools and other institutions all around the country. These are just a few, I could go on. There are a lot of Islamist movements operating and they almost all disagree with each other. Never violently, at least not for the moment, they disagree with each other enough not to work together most of the time. This is a really complicated subject. Much more so than people realize.
And so Islamism is a very broad term and can mean a wide variety of things. It's not just violent and lawful or violent and nonviolent. It's also the degree to which they might get involved in politics at all. There are Islamists who completely eschew any involvement with politics despite theocracy being their ultimate aim. One does wonder how they hope to pursue that if they reject politics and violence, although some seem to think merely by living an exemplary, pure Islamic life, others will follow. And so there a wide of variety of methods, a wide variety of funding, ideologues, literature and writings and different methods, different understandings.
And also, there's certainly no consensus on what a successful Islamic state, a Caliphate if it is ever set up, even would look like. This is a very confused, very broad movement and its sheer diversity is its great undoing. Islamism has stalled because it cannot unify. It cannot bring multiple Islamists or multiple Muslim communities under its wing because there's too much disagreement.
Omar Suleiman, a prominent modernist Salafi imam, gives an opening prayer at the U.S. House of Representatives on May 9, 2019.
One of the very interesting developments – this is a little off topic, but I'll mention it quickly – one of the very interesting developments with American Islamism in recent years has been attempts by what we refer to as modernist Salafis – Salafis who are more forward thinking, more modern facing – their attempts to dilute their religious dogma in order to form broader political umbrellas, bigger tents for Islamists everywhere. This seems to me to be the direct response to the problem of division within Islamism, especially within American Islamism. What I expect to see over the next 10, 20 years is an increasingly unified American Islamist movement, whether that be violent or not is something we're yet to find out.
You started answering the question by saying, "But I have Islamist friends." I'm assuming that these must be very nice people if they're your friends. Are these friends in Britain or here in the United States or both?
I'm thinking of two people. They're in the United Kingdom back in Britain. I call them Islamists because they are supporters of certain Islamist movements. This is one of the curious things about Islamism, this is why it's so poorly defined and often misunderstood. They don't actually advocate an Islamic state, which in some ways doesn't make them fit the usual definition of Islamists. But the fact remains that they think the world would be a better place if there was some sort of religious law inspired by Islamic law in place and imposed. However, they're nice enough people to never want to actually impose that themselves on anyone else.
The worrying thing about Islamism in the West is that while Islamist networks are fairly clear-cut, and while reformist anti-Islamist Muslims are clear-cut, there's a worrying group in the middle, which is the majority, or at least the plurality of Muslims in the West, who are not specifically Islamists, perhaps, but they certainly have some sympathy for some Islamist ideas. This is why Islamism finds a home in too many Western Muslim communities. There is this sympathy among some, and it's the same sort of sympathy that will lead regular Americans to support a slightly more radical political agenda one year. It's the idea that change can bring improvements.
Islamism for the most part is, as I say, a very clear-cut threat, but it certainly does prey, like all political dogma, it preys on fears and anxieties of ordinary Muslims. It turns people's ordinary political concerns into Islamist vote-winning power.
Copyright © 2020 *Middle East Forum, All rights reserved.

Egypt sends signal to Turkey by deepening ties with Jordan, Iraq
Mohamed Saied/Al-Monitor/September 06/2020
Amid accelerated regional threats and economic repercussions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a tripartite summit was held between the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq Aug. 25 to develop a security, diplomatic and economic bloc.
A tripartite summit was held in Amman Aug. 25 between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq to develop a security, diplomatic and economic bloc, at a time when the three countries face accelerated regional threats and economic repercussions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi participated in the one-day summit.
The summit tackled the joint tripartite coordination in the sectors of energy, electrical interconnection, main infrastructure and food, and involved deliberations and coordination on the security and political developments in the region and efforts to counter terrorism, as per the Egyptian presidency statement Aug. 25.
The Egyptian presidency stated that the three leaders aim at establishing an upcoming phase of strategic integration based on the joint development goals by boosting areas of economic, trade and investment cooperation, in addition to fostering political and security cooperation.
Sisi underlined the importance of joining efforts among the three countries to face challenges threatening stability and security in the region.
The three leaders agreed to stand against foreign interventions destabilizing Arab security and emphasized the need to stop them. They also talked about increasing efforts to reach political solutions for the crises in the region, especially in Syria, Libya and Yemen, as per a joint statement released at the end of the summit.
Hassan Abu Taleb, expert at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that the three countries are facing challenges and threats that have one common denominator: Turkish interventions in the region.
Abu Taleb told Al-Monitor that Egypt is using this tripartite alliance to send a message to Turkey that it will not stand idle facing Turkish colonial policies in the Arab region.
Abu Taleb added, “Turkey is being condescending in the region by violating the principles of good neighborliness, out of its greed for natural resources — just like in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean — or its desire to impose its control — like in northern Syria and Iraq. Through their alliance, the three countries want to address the Turkish scheme and foil it.”
Abu Taleb said that Egypt and Jordan support Iraq in facing Turkish interventions on its soil and want to help it to overcome its dependency on Iran, at least economically, and build ties based on good neighborliness. He added, “Cairo and Amman constitute an important Arab component for Iraq in the coming stage.”
He expects the alliance to succeed, noting that the three countries are facing changes and common security risks; the key change being the sudden declaration of normalization between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. He said that this agreement gives the Israeli policy more momentum at the expense of Arab Jordanian rights in the Palestinian cause.
“Egypt is concerned about Jordan’s future, given the challenges of the Palestinian cause and Israeli annexation plans, not to mention the 'deal of the century' that favors Israel. This is a nagging concern for Jordan and threatens its existence,” he added.
The leaders at the Amman summit called for reactivating the Arab Peace Initiative to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to halt Israel’s plans to annex any Palestinian territories. They underlined the importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute based on the two-state solution, which would end the Israeli occupation and lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Abu Taleb added, “The challenge is how much expertise these states can garner to receive wide Arab support to protect the Arab states’ sovereignty and the stability of the region, face terrorism and deter Turkish and Iranian interventions.”
He argued that the tripartite alliance is a legitimate ambition fed by the circumstances.
Kadhimi aspires to establish a project he called “The New Levant” in order to expand economic and trade cooperation among several Arab countries and allow a more free influx of capital and technology among the project’s countries. Kadhimi pledged to propose the project to Egypt and Jordan during the Amman summit.
Abu Taleb noted that the tripartite alliance might constitute the heart of this project. “A regular cooperation mechanism among the countries and a united strategy and unified cooperation fields and policies are enough to constitute the core of any alliance,” he added.
Reports indicate that Kadhimi’s project is not only economic, but also carries political and military dimensions among the member states.
Gamal Bayoumi, secretary-general of the Arab Investors Union, said that Egypt sees promising opportunities in increasing trade cooperation with Jordan and Iraq. “These countries are the closest to Egypt — geographically and politically — and they share common interests,” he told Al-Monitor.
He said that the three countries seek to develop trade as they are members of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, which is an agreement that aims at facilitating low customs’ trade.
Bayoumi noted that Egypt and Jordan aspire to cement Euro-Mediterranean trade ties and considered the Agadir Agreement a pillar. The agreement seeks to establish a free trade zone that includes Morocco and Tunisia, in addition to Egypt and Jordan, and enjoys support of the European Union.
He said that Egypt intends to increase electrical interconnection projects with Jordan, then export power to Iraq. Egypt and Jordan are connected by a power line that has an output of 450 megawatts (MW).
The Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy is exploring prospects of increasing the output of the power line to 2,000 MW, then exporting power to Iraq and Syria at a later stage, in the framework of its endeavors to make Egypt a regional energy hub.
Egypt has three huge power stations implemented by the German Siemens company, and they have a total output of 14,000 MW. Egypt’s total average production of power reaches 54,000 MW, and it has a surplus of up to 27,000 MW.
Bayoumi said that Egypt wants to increase Jordanian investments in the country, from the current $700 million. It also aims at finding commercial markets that would boost its economic capacity and participating in rebuilding Iraq.
The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Jordan increased between January and November 2019, to reach $858.3 million, recording an increase of 52.3% compared to the same period in 2018, according to the Egyptian Commercial Service. Meanwhile, the trade exchange between Egypt and Iraq reached $1.65 billion in 2018.

Trump’s Opportunity Zones Don’t Work. This Might.
Noah Smith/Bloomberg/September 06/2020
A spate of looting in Chicago in mid-August should remind us that the problem of concentrated urban poverty still exists in the US. While looting is often an outgrowth of protests — not only in big cities like Chicago, but also more recently in places such as Kenosha, Wisconsin — it also can represent a response to a sense of economic privation and inequality. Chicago itself is a notoriously segregated and unequal city, so it’s unsurprising that economic frustrations would boil over there in addition to anger against police brutality. Nor is Chicago unique — as urbanist Jason Segedy has noted, declining neighborhoods are still very common in the US. It’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
President Donald Trump did implement one policy that was supposed to help improve the situation of poor urban neighborhoods — the Opportunity Zones program — but it looks to have been a dud. Fortunately, better ideas exist.
Before getting into those, it’s worth looking at how Opportunity Zones have fallen short and why. Created as part of Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in late 2017, the Opportunity Zones program gives tax breaks for investment in economically distressed neighborhoods. The theory is that if companies invest in these places, local residents will get jobs as a result. But the program was beset by problems from the outset — in particular, the kind of investment the program encouraged was unlikely to be the most economically beneficial kind.
In economics theory, financial investment and the creation of real business activity are one and the same; in the real world, they are often very different things. The Opportunity Zones program allowed investors to claim a tax break by buying up real estate or existing businesses in the targeted areas, even if they didn’t create any new businesses or employ any workers in those areas. There was no real mechanism to make sure that property purchases or private equity deals helped local residents.
Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers deems the program a success. As evidence, it cites the amount of financial investment the zones have experienced. But this is hardly a surprise. If you pay investors to put their money in a particular class of assets, they generally do so. That can certainly result in capital gains for people who already own property and businesses in these areas, and in fact the report does show price appreciation in the targeted neighborhoods. But how much of this money — some $3.5 billion a year in lost federal tax revenue — trickles down to the lower-income residents who need it most?
Some new research suggests that the answer is none at all. In a recent paper, economists Rachel Atkins, Pablo Hernandez-Lagos, Cristian Jara-Figueroa, and Robert Seamans compare the designated opportunity zones to similar areas that weren’t targeted for federal tax breaks. They find that although salaries in the program’s target areas were very slightly higher than otherwise, job postings were lower. So the program isn’t creating jobs. But at least it’s raising wages, right? Probably not.
The smaller amount of job postings could mean that the lowest-income workers are getting fewer jobs in these areas, which would decrease average wage levels. Also, a rise in property values could cause higher-income workers to move in and gentrify the area. This would be consistent with the results of previous tax incentive programs.
Atkins et al. also find that only a small percentage of the designated opportunity zones received any investment at all. These tended to be places that were already on the upswing — in other words, gentrifying areas. This strengthens the overall picture of Trump’s program as a tax giveaway for gentrification that fattened some investors’ pockets but did little to help low-income Americans, and totally ignored the neediest neighborhoods.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has proposed reforming the Opportunity Zones program, adding oversight and forcing investors to work with local community organizations. But there’s another, simpler fix that would turn the program from a tax giveaway into a real employment program: pay investors to hire local residents.
This is exactly what the Empowerment Zone program did. Enacted under President Bill Clinton, this program gave companies tax credits based on the wages they paid to people living in the designated zones. It also gave locations block grants, to be spent on pro-worker initiatives such as infrastructure and worker training. A 2013 analysis by economists Matias Busso, Jesse Gregory, and Patrick Kline found that the Empowerment Zone program raised employment and wages without raising local living costs -- exactly the kind of results a place-based investment program should want.
The principle here is simple: Investors do what you pay them to do. If you give investors tax breaks to snap up local real estate, they’ll raise housing prices and speed gentrification. If you give them tax breaks to hire poor and working-class residents, they’ll do that instead. If Biden wins the presidency, he should focus on shifting the Opportunity Zones program from the former to the latter.
 

Black Christian Lives Apparently Do Not Matter
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/September 6, 2020
In Nigeria, over the past 20 years, 100,000 Christians have been killed.... Nigeria is becoming the "biggest killing ground of Christians in the world".
Nigeria, already the most populous African country, could have a population of about 800 million people in the year 2100, according to a study by The Lancet, and could become the ninth-largest economy in the world.
How many could be saved if the media, the chancelleries and international organizations had put pressure on the Nigerian leadership to protect its Christians? Why has the West never linked trade, diplomatic, military and political exchanges with Nigeria to protecting its Christians?
US President Donald Trump, in 2018, raised the issue with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. "We have had very serious problems with Christians who are being murdered in Nigeria", Trump told him. President Trump, however, is almost alone among Western leaders to raise the issue. When his predecessor, President Barack Obama, met with Buhari, he never talked about the murders of Christians.
In Nigeria, over the past 20 years, 100,000 Christians have been killed. Nigeria is becoming the "biggest killing ground of Christians in the world". US President Donald Trump, in 2018, raised the issue with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari. "We have had very serious problems with Christians who are being murdered in Nigeria", Trump told him. President Trump, however, is almost alone among Western leaders to raise the issue. When his predecessor, President Barack Obama, met with Buhari, he never talked about the murders of Christians. Pictured: Trump and Buhari on April 30, 2018, in Washington, DC.
"Stop the killings", "Enough is enough", "Our lives matter", said Nigerian Christians and church leaders gathered in London on August 20 to demonstrate against the massacre of Christians in their country. They sent British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a letter accusing the international media of "a conspiracy of silence".
At the same time, a report by three organizations -- the International Organization for Peace Building and Social Justice, the International Committee on Nigeria and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief -- disclosed that in Nigeria, over the past 20 years, 100,000 Christians have been killed. Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Fulani herdsmen and other Islamist groups are responsible for the deaths of more than 96,000 Christians in 21,000 separate attacks. According to the report, 43,242 Christians were killed by Boko Haram, Islamic State and Al Qaeda; 18,834 died in Fulani attacks and 34,233 from other armed groups. Nigeria is becoming the "biggest killing ground of Christians in the world".
"This thing is systematic," said Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Argak Kwashi of Jos; "it is planned; it is calculated.... their intention is to Islamize Nigeria".
The stakes are strategic and immense. Nigeria, already the most populous African country, could have a population of about 800 million people in the year 2100, according to a study by The Lancet, and could become the ninth-largest economy in the world. "If Islam overruns Nigeria, the rest of Africa might easily fall prey to them", Bishop Hyacinth Egbebo said.
To read the reports on the massacres of Nigerian Christians, the scene is always the same: a village with a few poor houses surrounded by open fields. Jihadists appear in the middle of the night and attack house after house. They break down doors, shout "Allahu akbar", murder the elderly, rape and maim women and children, and kidnap for ransom as a "business." They burn houses, schools and churches. "It is as if the lives of Christians no longer matter", said Pastor Stephen Baba Panya, president of the Evangelical Church Winning All.
"In Nigeria's northern and central belt states, thousands of civilians have been killed in attacks led by Boko Haram, Islamist Fulani herders and other extremist militias", wrote the Baroness Caroline Cox. "Hundreds of churches have been burned to rubble. Entire communities have been forced to abandon their homes and farmland". The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law warned of the risk of "Rwandan-style genocide".
Organizations that track the persecution of Christians have long been denouncing what is taking place. In 2012, Open Doors USA was already pointing out the risk of genocide in Nigeria. Eight years after that, how many Christian lives have been lost? How many could be saved if the media, the chancelleries and international organizations had put pressure on the Nigerian leadership to protect its Christians? Why has the West never linked trade, diplomatic, military and political exchanges with Nigeria to protecting its Christians?
US President Ronald Reagan linked talks with the Soviet Union to a campaign to let Russia's Jews leave the country. But even the Jews in the Soviet Union were not experiencing the atrocities that the Christians in Nigeria are suffering every day.
US President Donald Trump, in 2018, raised the issue with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. "We have had very serious problems with Christians who are being murdered in Nigeria", Trump told him. President Trump, however, is almost alone among Western leaders to raise the issue. When his predecessor, President Barack Obama, met with Buhari, he never talked about the murders of Christians.
President Trump should "appoint a special envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad region to 'focus like a laser beam' on the attacks by Boko Haram and other Islamic militants... to stop a genocide of Christians in the region," urged former Congressman Frank Wolf.
Six years ago, the kidnapping of 276 female students, mostly Christian, by the Islamist group Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria, led to international condemnation. #BringBackOurGirls trended on Twitter -- not surprisingly with no effect on Buhari. The hashtag campaign was brief.
Only one of those kidnapped Nigerian teens, Leah Sharibu, failed to regain her freedom and therefore spent two years in Boko Haram captivity. Why? Because she had refused to renounce Christianity and convert to Islam. Her mother joined a protest in London, but no major European newspaper had time for her. "Out of fatigue or self-shame, or both, we close our eyes", said the journalist Franz-Olivier Giesbert.
"Does the life of Christians in the East, Africa or Asia count? This is a question that we are entitled to ask ourselves when we see the place that our dear media give to the killings and discrimination of which Catholics or Protestants are the object on the planet: nothing or almost nothing , a few fortunate exceptions (...) It is our tartuferie (hypocrisy) that feeds the clash of civilizations".
Another exception was the French author Bernard-Henri Lévy. In a long article, Lévy described his visit to Nigerian churches and villages burned and destroyed by Islamic fundamentalists, while local priests and bishops showed him the photographs of Christian women mutilated after they refused to convert to Islam. Then a Fulani told him:
"This is our land, there are too many Christians here, Christians are dogs and children of bitches. They are traitors because they have converted to the White religion. When they all leave, Nigeria will finally be free".
American journalist Kirsten Powers wrote:
"Christians in the Middle East and Africa are being slaughtered, tortured, raped, kidnapped, beheaded, and forced to flee the birthplace of Christianity. One would think this horror might be consuming the pulpits and pews of American churches. Not so. The silence has been nearly deafening."
Mainline US churches have embraced "virtue signaling" about racism after the death of George Floyd, but no Christian leaders have said "Black Christian Lives Matter" to raise awareness about the massacre of Christians. As one bishop said, Western silence on the persecution of Christians has been "sinister".
The "cultural genocide" of Uyghurs by the Chinese regime has been denounced and is squarely on the radar of our media, and the "Rohingya genocide" in Myanmar ended up in the International Court of Justice in The Hague; German and European Union MPs condemned it. However, on the genocide of 100,000 Christians in Africa's largest country, the West has simply shrugged.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The Murder of an American "Blasphemer" in Pakistan
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 6, 2020
Although Tahir Naseem's teenage killer was apprehended and is being charged with murder, he is, among many people in Pakistan, a great hero.
"Pakistan's blasphemy laws are often used against religious minorities and others who are the target of false accusations." — Amnesty International, December 21, 2016.
Worse, if many have already decided on a guilty verdict for blasphemy before any of the facts are even presented, they will take "justice" into their own hands. Radicals have been also known to threaten or murder lawyers and public figures who defended the accused.
From the point of view of many in Pakistan, by killing the American blasphemer Naseem in court, all that the 15-year-old Khan did was to implement Pakistani law as stated in Section 295. His actions are then seen as a reflection of the zealous love he bears for Islam, and rather than being punished, Khan deserves only the highest praise.
On July 29, U.S. citizen Tahir Naseem was murdered in a Pakistani courtroom during a hearing for a charge of blasphemy, which included "denigrating the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad." His killer, 15-year-old Faisal Khan, is a hero among many Pakistanis. Radicals have been also known to threaten or murder lawyers and public figures who defend people accused of blasphemy. Two of Asia Bibi's advocates when she was in prison, Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, were assassinated in 2011. Pictured: A candlelight vigil in Lahore commemorating Salman Taseer on January 7, 2011. (Photo by Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)
A recent murder has cast a "fresh spotlight on Pakistan's blasphemy laws." On July 29, 2020, Tahir Naseem, 57, a U.S. citizen, was shot dead in a Pakistani courtroom during a bail hearing for a charge of blasphemy, which included "denigrating the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad," Reuters reported. Although his teenage killer was apprehended and is being charged with murder, he is, among many people in Pakistan, a great hero:
"Faisal Khan, a 15-year-old Pakistani, beams for selfies with lawyers and police. Thousands hail him in the streets as a 'holy warrior.' His claim to adulation? Allegedly gunning down in open court an American accused of blasphemy, a capital crime in this Islamic republic. Khan is charged with murder, which also carries a death sentence. But while lawyers line up to defend him, the attorney for Tahir Naseem, the U.S. citizen, has gone into hiding."
"Everyone wants to be his lawyer," the report goes on to say. All across Pakistan, professional lawyers have been offering to "defend Khan for free, to support what they see as the justified killing of a heretic."
"Thousands rallied, calling for Khan's release. Delegations of well-wishers - lawyers, clerics, local politicians - have visited the Khan family home in Peshawar to congratulate the family. He has received messages of support from the Pakistani Taliban."
Even the elite police forces escorting Khan to court shared selfies of themselves and the murderer on social media. "Wearing all white, the teen grins broadly," the report relates. "Several officers smile, one gives a thumbs-up."
The U.S. State Department, in a statement, expressed its "outrage" at the murder:
"We are shocked, saddened, and outraged that American citizen Tahir Naseem was killed yesterday inside a Pakistani courtroom. Mr. Naseem had been lured to Pakistan from his home in Illinois by individuals who then used Pakistan's blasphemy laws to entrap him. The U.S. Government has... called the attention of senior Pakistani officials to his case to prevent the type of shameful tragedy that eventually occurred. We grieve with the family of Mr. Naseem. We urge Pakistan to immediately reform its often abused blasphemy laws and its court system, which allow such abuses to occur, and to ensure that the suspect is prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
International observers have characterized this statement as "unusually blunt." That is an understatement, particularly compared to the previous administration's responses, or lack thereof, to horrific instances of blasphemy vigilantism in Pakistan. In November 2014, for instance:
"A mob accused of burning alive a Christian couple in an industrial kiln in Pakistan allegedly wrapped a pregnant mother in cotton so she would catch fire more easily...
"Sajjad Maseeh, 27, and his wife Shama Bibi, 24, were set upon by at least 1,200 people after rumors circulated that they had burned verses from the Quran.... Their legs were also broken so they couldn't run away.
"'They picked them up by their arms and legs and held them over the brick furnace until their clothes caught fire,' a family representative said. 'And then they threw them inside the furnace.'
"Bibi, a mother of four who was four months pregnant, was wearing an outfit that initially didn't burn... The mob removed her from over the kiln and wrapped her up in cotton to make sure the garments would be set alight."
Two days after the burning of this Christian couple, a policeman in Pakistan hacked a man to death for allegedly making blasphemous remarks against Islam; two months before that, also in Pakistan, an elderly British man, severely mentally ill, who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, was shot by a prison guard.Discussing these 2014 blasphemy killings, Dr. Nazir S. Bhatti, President of the Pakistan Christian Congress, had written a letter to US President Barack Obama, expressing surprise that the U.S. did not even bother to offer any condemnations:
"It is surprising that neither US Administration under your honor nor US State Department even bothered to condemn this horrific crime of burning live of Christian couple by a mob living in country named Islamic Republic of Pakistan which is receiving billions of aid of US taxpayers. I would appeal your honor to put pressure on government of Pakistan to end misuse of blasphemy laws against Christian, Ahamadiyyia and other religious minorities and condition US Aid to Pakistan on human rights and repeal of blasphemy laws."
More often than not, "Pakistan's blasphemy laws are often used against religious minorities and others who are the target of false accusations," Amnesty International reports. Not only is this corruption of justice in Pakistan underscored by the burning of the Christian couple above but also by the case of another Christian, Asia Bibi. Her coworkers had alleged that she, an "infidel," by drinking water from the same well on a scorching day of fieldwork, had contaminated the entire well. They falsely accused her of blasphemy; she was sentenced to death and spent nearly a decade on death row, separated from her husband and children. After she was finally acquitted by a court of appeals, the mob was determined to murder her anyway, until she was helped to escape out of the country.
Another case that made international headlines was that of Rimsha Masih, a mentally disabled Christian girl (then aged between 11 and 14) who was falsely accused of burning the Koran in 2012. Throngs of rioting Muslims destroyed Christian homes, churches, Bibles and crosses. The rioters called for her death and chased hundreds of Christians from their homes. Two weeks after the young girl was jailed, it was discovered that Muhammad Khalid, a Muslim cleric, had planted the charred Koran in her backpack "in order to get rid of Christians in the area." (See here for several more examples of mentally disabled Christians attacked or imprisoned in Pakistan on the often false charge of blasphemy.)
Even though the Trump administration has criticized Pakistan's blasphemy law in connection to the recent killing of Tahir Naseem, and even though Pakistan's foreign ministry has promised that the case "will be dealt with in accordance with the law," in reality, "prosecuting Khan and any potential accomplices will be an immense challenge," Reuters notes.
Worse, if many have already decided on a guilty verdict for blasphemy before any of the facts are even presented, they will take "justice" into their own hands. Radicals have been also known to threaten or murder lawyers and public figures who defend the accused. Two of Asia Bibi's advocates when she was in prison, Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, were both assassinated in 2011. Taseer was shot twenty-seven times by Mumtaz Qadri, his own bodyguard. After the murder, more than 500 Muslim clerics voiced support for Qadri, who was further showered with rose petals.
Section 295-C of Pakistan's penal code states:
"Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine."
Section 295-B states:
"Whoever wilfully [sic] defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Qur'an or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable with imprisonment for life."
In other words, from the point of view of many in Pakistan, by killing the American blasphemer Naseem in court, all that the 15-year-old Khan did was to implement Pakistani law as stated in Section 295. His actions are then seen as a reflection of the zealous love he bears for Islam, and rather than being punished, Khan deserves only the highest praise.
**Raymond Ibrahim, author of the recent book, Sword and Scimitar, Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2020 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.