LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 29/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
Strive together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.
Philippians 01/19-30: "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."


Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one
Philippians 02/01-11/: "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 28-29/17
Saudi Arabia offers Hariri and Lebanon final chance/Sarkis Naoum/ Annahar/December 28/2017
US adds teeth to strategy for countering Iranian menace/Reza Shafiee/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
A dangerous sermon called democracy/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
Iran’s uneasy sway over the region gradually slipping away/Mohammed Al Shaikh/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
On the difficult transition in Saudi Arabia/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
Re-branding capitalism with a human face/Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
Pakistan: Blasphemy Laws, Human-Rights Abuses Deepen/A. Z. Mohamed/Gatestone Institute/December 28/17
Islamic Oppression of Women: A Hot New Market/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 28/17
ISIS Takes Hold in Pakistan/Kaswar Klasra/Gatestone Institute/December 28/17

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on December 28-29/17
Lebanese foreign minister denounced over Israel comments
Aoun vows to maintain rights of military
Aoun 'Won't Reverse' Decree that Sparked Row with Berri
Aoun to Army Command Delegation: No One's Rights Will be Usurped
Berri on Row with Aoun: Every Crisis Has a Solution
AMAL Ministers May Boycott Cabinet over Aoun-Berri Row
Berri Still Has 'a Lot of Cards' to Play in Spat with Aoun
Khalil Declines to Sign Officer Promotion Decrees amid Aoun-Berri Row
Young Jehovah's Witness ordered to receive blood transfusion despite beliefs
Lebanese ambassador to finalize move to Riyadh
Iranian-backed Syrian militant tours Lebanon border with Israel
Saudi Arabia offers Hariri and Lebanon final chance

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 28-29/17
Protesters in Iran raise slogans against Rouhani, Supreme Leader
US-led coalition accuses Assad regime of letting ISIS militants lurk in Syria
Turkey detains 38 ISIS suspects
12 More Patients Evacuated from Syria Rebel Enclave
40 Dead, Dozens Hurt in IS-Claimed Blasts at Kabul Shiite Center
Putin Calls Saint Petersburg Blast 'Act of Terror'
Putin Extols Russia's 'Principal' Role in Defeating IS
Iraq Extends Kurdistan International Flight Ban
No U.S. Pressure' behind Guatemala Embassy Move to Jerusalem
Israel Passes Controversial Law Altering Police Powers
US-led Coalition has no plans to target ISIS in Syrian government-controlled areas
Fears arise over Syria child evacuees being used as bargaining chips
Libyan army: We have recordings that prove Qatar-Qaeda links

Latest Lebanese Related News published on December 28-29/17
Lebanese foreign minister denounced over Israel comments
Ynetnews/Reuters/December 28/17/An interview given by Lebanon's foreign minister causes an uproar over his assertion that Lebanon 'has no ideological dispute with Israel and does not oppose its existence.'
Lebanese politicians on Thursday criticized Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil over a television interview in which he was shown saying that Lebanon did not have an ideological problem with Israel and was not against it having security. “We have no ideological dispute with Israel and we are not against the existence of the State of Israel and its right to security,” he was shown saying in a clip that circulated widely in Lebanon on social media. "All nations must live in peace and recognize each other. We are a people that want to live alongside others, even if they are different from us, but it will only be when the other (Israel) wants it, and it does not want it."The comments, made to Al Mayadeen television channel during a long interview on Tuesday, had just started attracting attention. Lebanon has no official relations with Israel and tensions have risen this year between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. Israel and Hezbollah, the group it describes as the greatest security threat on its border, have fought wars against each other. A former government minister called on Bassil to resign and a member of parliament also criticized him. Bassil’s office later said Al Mayadeen had distorted his comments through its editing of the interview, without explaining how. "The choice of (Al Mayadeen showing—ed) this part is intended to undermine (Bassil’s) position that Israel is an aggressive entity that runs a terror state," the foreign ministry stated. "The Lebanese position on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the issue of Palestine is unchanging and in accordance with international law and the Arab peace initiative. Cutting (Bassil’s) statement will not change the fact that for years the minister rejected the existence of an Israeli entity that rapes Palestinian rights and recognized that Israel is an enemy of Lebanon." Israel has targeted Hezbollah positions several times this year in Syria, where the group, which is in Lebanon’s coalition government, is fighting on the Syrian government’s side in the civil war against rebels and Islamic State. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said this month that after the group’s success in Syria, where rebels are on the back foot and Islamic State has been militarily defeated, it will focus on its confrontation with Israel. He called on allied Shi‘ite militia in the region to join Hezbollah in developing a strategy against Israel. The al-Baqer Brigade, a militia in Syria, posted a picture on its Facebook page on Dec. 26 of what it said was one of its commanders identified as Haj Hamza Abu al-Abbas visiting the Israeli border in southern Lebanon. An Iraqi militia commander also appeared in a video recently on Lebanon’s border with Israel, in what was seen in Lebanon as a demonstration of the growing clout of Hezbollah and its regional allies.

Aoun vows to maintain rights of military
Annahar/December 28/2017/Aoun maintained his stance regarding a highly polarizing decree, endorsed by Cabinet last week, which advances the ranks of 200 Army officers who graduated from the military academy in 1994.
BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun met with a Lebanese Army delegation headed by Commander General Joseph Aoun Thursday, during which he praised the men's loyalty, while asking them to "ignore what is being said in politics", according to the NNA. This veiled reference comes as Aoun maintained his stance regarding a highly polarizing decree, endorsed by both the president and the prime minister, which advances the ranks of tens of Army officers who graduated from the military academy in 1994. The class is comprised of mostly Christian officers who served under Aoun when he was Army commander in the late 1980's. Aoun vowed to preserve the rights of the officers, saying that "there will be no violations and no one's rights will be wasted." Berri has contested the decree, saying it violates the Taif Accord and Lebanon's Constitution, and arguing that it any decree that entails spending requires the Finance Minister's signature. As tensions between the two continue to simmer, Aoun stressed that "the current debate is not about the rights of the military but rather over political disputes."

Aoun 'Won't Reverse' Decree that Sparked Row with Berri
Naharnet/December 28/17/President Michel Aoun will not back down from a controversial decree that has triggered a political confrontation between him and Speaker Nabih Berri, according to Free Patriotic Movement sources. “The decree has been issued and it cannot be reversed, unless the Shura Council annuls it following an appeal from one of the objecting officers,” the sources told al-Akhbar daily in remarks published Thursday. Referring to Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil's decision on Wednesday to refrain from signing decrees for the promotion of a number of army officers, the sources described the minister's move as “an attack on the military institution and its sacrifices, especially after the institution's achievements in the fight against terror cells and the liberation of the eastern border region.”Aoun's adviser Jean Aziz meanwhile reiterated that the controversial decree is “totally legal and does not contradict with any norm, especially with the Taef Accord.”“President Michel Aoun is fully committed to the Taef Accord,” Aziz told LBCI television. “More than 60 officer promotion decrees have been issued without the finance minister's signature since the Taef Accord came into effect. Are these decrees considered null and void?” Aziz asked. The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and Premier Saad Hariri signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Aoun to Army Command Delegation: No One's Rights Will be Usurped
Naharnet/December 28/17/President Michel Aoun on Thursday reassured an Army Command delegation that “no one's rights will be usurped,” in connection with a growing row with Speaker Nabih Berri over a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. “You remained loyal to your oath and you did not have any shortcomings in any mission... Forget about the political statements you are hearing,” Aoun told the delegation during a meeting at the Baabda Palace. “We will continue to do justice to the eligible beneficiaries and our decision to grant promotions was aimed at compensating then over a flaw that happened in the past,” the president added. And pledging that “there will be no violations and no one's rights will be usurped,” Aoun pointed out that “the current debate is not related to the rights of the armed forces but rather to a political conflict over other issues.” The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and Premier Saad Hariri signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Berri on Row with Aoun: Every Crisis Has a Solution
Naharnet/December 28/17/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reassured Thursday that “every crisis has a solution,” in reference to his spat with President Michel Aoun over a controversial decree. “There is a Constitution, so let it be implemented, and every crisis has a solution,” Berri's visitors quoted him as saying. “The country should be the winner and what's important is to safeguard it and preserve its unity,” the Speaker added. The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and Premier Saad Hariri signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

AMAL Ministers May Boycott Cabinet over Aoun-Berri Row
Naharnet/December 28/17/The growing spat between President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri could lead to a boycott of Cabinet sessions by the ministers of Berri's AMAL Movement, a media report said. “A number of political forces fear that the crisis could reflect negatively on the Cabinet and could even lead to the suspension of its sessions,” al-Akhbar newspaper quoted political sources as saying in remarks published Thursday. “Berri considers that the (officers) seniority decree has disrupted the balance through which the country is being governed and he will not back down from his stance, even if that leads to a boycott of Cabinet sessions by AMAL Movement's ministers,” the sources added. The sources warned that “such a boycott would paralyze the Cabinet,” noting that Berri's stance enjoys the support of Hizbullah and MP Walid Jumblat. Jumblat “sees a coup against the Taef Accord in the decree and vengeance against all those who took part in making and implementing it,” the sources pointed out. Other political sources meanwhile ruled out that the crisis could reach the extent of suspending Cabinet sessions. “These sources are counting on the mediators who are continuing their initiatives and who are seeking new approaches aimed at achieving a breakthrough,” al-Akhbar said, noting that General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim is still playing a leading role in the mediations. The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and Premier Saad Hariri signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Berri Still Has 'a Lot of Cards' to Play in Spat with Aoun
Naharnet/December 28/17/Speaker Nabih Berri has told a number of lawmakers that he still has a lot of cards to play in the growing spat between him and President Michel Aoun, a media report said. “Berri stressed yesterday that he has a lot of cards up his sleeve which he wants to keep secret for the time being,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday. Political sources described Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil's decision on Wednesday to refrain from signing decrees for the promotion of a number of army officers as Berri's first practical response. “The finance minister's move was not political malice but rather a constitutional step,” the sources told al-Akhbar. “The step is part of the responses we have planned and all our steps will be of a legal nature,” the sources vowed. Wednesday's decrees involve the promotion of a number of officers from the rank of colonel to the rank of brigadier general and others from lieutenant colonel to colonel. Khalil declined to sign the decrees after he found out that they included officers whose names were listed in the controversial seniority decree, media reports said. The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and Premier Saad Hariri signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Khalil Declines to Sign Officer Promotion Decrees amid Aoun-Berri Row
Naharnet/December 28/17/Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil refused Wednesday to sign decrees for the promotion of some army officers, following a war of words between President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri over a previous decree that granted one-year seniority to some officers.
The new decrees involve the promotion of a number of officers from the rank of colonel to the rank of brigadier general and others from lieutenant colonel to colonel. Khalil declined to sign the decrees after he found out that they included officers whose names were listed in the controversial seniority decree, media reports said. The minister has asked for clarifications from the Defense Ministry, according to the reports. The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and Premier Saad Hariri signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not contain any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.


Young Jehovah's Witness ordered to receive blood transfusion despite beliefs
Annahar/December 28/2017/After being transported to Batroun Hospital suffering traumatic injuries, doctors were baffled after the girl's parents rejected a blood transfusion critical to save their daughter's life.
BEIRUT: Farah D., the young girl who was involved in a recent car crash, received a blood transfusion Thursday after the Prosecutor of North Lebanon authorized Batroun Hospital Director Ayoub Moukhtar to perform the procedure despite her family's refusal because it goes against their beliefs as Jehovah Witnesses. After being transported to Batroun Hospital on Wednesday suffering traumatic injuries, doctors were baffled after the girl's parents rejected a blood transfusion critical to save their daughter's life.  This bizarre development forced Moukhtar to contact his district's Prosecutor, who directed him to go ahead with the grueling operation which involved a set of blood transfusions. The prosecutor argued the hospital was legally bound to save the girl's life. "I contacted the prosecutor, who stressed the need to save the girl's life regardless of the parent's religious beliefs, and the hospital duty is to keep the girl alive," he said. According to Moukhtar, Farah is now recovering from her injuries.

Lebanese ambassador to finalize move to Riyadh
Annahar/December 28/2017/ BEIRUT: Newly appointed Lebanese ambassador to Saudi Arabia Fawzi Kabbara is currently finalizing his move to Riyadh after the Kingdom decided to approve his diplomatic accreditation, diplomatic sources told Annahar. Earlier last week, both Kabbara and his Saudi counterpart were caught in what appears to be a diplomatic tussle over representation, with each country delaying accreditation of the other's diplomat, though both were named months ago. The delay highlighted the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon following the bizarre, now-reversed resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Riyadh two months ago. Kabbara, a member of Hariri's political party, was named to the post in late July but remained unaccredited in Saudi Arabia until this week. The outgoing ambassador remains in the post on an acting capacity. Saudi Arabia named its ambassador in September. Ambassador Walid al-Yaacoubi arrived in Lebanon in November but has yet to be sworn in by the president and the foreign minister, as customary.

Iranian-backed Syrian militant tours Lebanon border with Israel
Annahar/December 28/2017/BEIRUT: The commander of Syria's Imam Al-Baqer Brigade, an Iranian backed militia, has embarked on a tour along Lebanon's border with Israel according to pictures that recently surfaced online. The militant known as Hajj Hamza Abu Abbas was pictured as he visited Lebanon's border with Israel. The pictures were released on his group's Facebook page Tuesday with the following caption:  "Let Israel know that we are present on its borders and the day will come when we will break them."The Facebook post comes weeks after Hezbollah party officials organized a similar tour on the southern border towns that featured Qais al-Khazali, the commander of Iraq’s Iranian backed Ahl al-Haq militia, who declared his “total readiness with Hezbollah to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation.”Al-Khazali's tour drew criticism from Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who had resigned from Saudi Arabia before rescinding his resignation upon his return to Beirut. Hariri rescinded his resignation after coming to terms with Lebanon's different political groups to re-establish a true policy of dissociation which hinges on the non interference of all parties in regional conflicts.  The Premier had listed Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah's increased incursions in regional conflicts as the underlying reason for his resignation.

Saudi Arabia offers Hariri and Lebanon final chance
Sarkis Naoum/ Annahar/December 28/2017
By instilling fear in the minds of Lebanese, pitting people against each other, quashing the country's defensive capabilities and dictating its foreign policy, Assad succeeded in introducing leaders whose desire for self-advancement superseded their will to advance their own country.
BEIRUT: In the wake of the Taif accord, Lebanese were of the belief that Syria, under the rule of the late Hafez el Assad, would support the country in its quest to maintain parity in power sharing and thus mending the bridges between Muslims and Christians following a bloody civil war.
That, however, was far from the case, with Syria implementing a policy advancing its own interests, irrespective of the damage done to its neighbor. By instilling fear in the minds of Lebanese, pitting people against each other, quashing the country's defensive capabilities and dictating its foreign policy, Assad succeeded in introducing leaders whose desire for self-advancement superseded their will to advance their own country. This policy also entailed the isolation of Lebanon from its Arab neighbors, while continuing to manipulate Arab states including Saudi Arabia into believing that they had a say in the country.
Moreover, Assad's Syria sought to convince the international community, particularly the U.S, that Lebanon is unfit to rule itself, and that it needs the former’s constant supervision.
The appointment of Rafiq Hariri, holder of the Saudi nationality, to head Lebanon’s government in 1992 gives credence to this argument, as his focus was confined to rebuilding Lebanon’s infrastructure and restoring its economy while casting aside the need to establish a firm and independent foreign policy and internal stability.
Hariri’s selection further appeased the Lebanese Sunni population, who felt that they became on par with their Shia counterparts, represented by both Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. This relationship then transcended into a partnership between both Shiite parties and Hariri, who was once viewed as Syria's foreign minister given his close relationship with Damascus, who shared Lebanon’s spoils with Tehran, Hezbollah's main sponsor. In spite of this productive relationship, Hariri was considered a threat to Assad’s Syria, given his popularity within Lebanon and beyond.
The former premier was assassinated and a Cedar Revolution, comprised of a Sunni, Christian and Druze alliance succeeded in ousting Syrian forces from Lebanon. The revolution failed to accomplish its long-term objectives, however, after being faced with a counter bilateral Shia alliance, bringing together the Amal Movement and Hezbollah. The Cedar revolution came at a time when Damascus and Tehran’s allies sought to maintain their grip on the country, hindering the revolution's progress amid weak international support for Lebanon, the Arab Spring and its brutal civil wars, the rise of radical Islam and weak internal Sunni leadership, as well as Christian divisions.
These developments prevented Prime Minister Saad Hariri from following in his father's footsteps to restore the balance between Lebanese Sunnis and Shiites. Albeit minimally, Hariri, with the help of his new allies, Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement, will now try to consolidate a sense of domestic stability and balance. This hinges on the help and cooperation of France’s Emanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as the United States leading the charge of an international effort to maintain a true policy of dissociation, as stated following the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG) meeting in Paris last month. The Gulf Kingdom is also expected to call upon Hariri to downplay concerns over new measures targeting Lebanon as long as the ISG’s policy is abided by. His failure to do so, however, for lack of trying or otherwise, will be met with an even harder stance by Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince, who will resort to punishing Lebanon through various means including slapping economic sanctions, expelling Lebanese nationals working in its Kingdom or even severing all ties with its once considered ally.  Will such a scenario unfold and how would it impact Lebanon? and will the Shiite continue to maintain their grip on the country? and how will the Lebanese who remain divided between those loyal to Saudi Arabia and those who owe allegiance to Iran ultimately react?

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 28-29/17
Protesters in Iran raise slogans against Rouhani, Supreme Leader
Al Arabiya/December 28/2017/Thousands of residents n a number of Iranian cities including the north-eastern city of Mashhad took to the streets on Thursday demonstrating against unemployment, poverty and the rising cost of living. Protesters raised the slogans "Death to Rouhani, and Death to the Dictator". Usually the term "dictator" is addressed to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Protesters also waved banners denouncing Iran's interference in the Arab region. Similar protests were held in cities of Neyshabur, Shahroud, and Yazd. There were angry chants of “Death to the Dictator” and “Death to Rouhani.”
The demonstrators also chanted “Forget about Syria, think about us”, “Don’t be scared, we are all together.”Mashhad is the second most populous city in Iran and capital of Razavi Khorasan Province. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
In Mashhad, the state security forces attacked and fired tear gas into the protestors. Earlier this week, demonstrations broke out in Isfahan, central Iran, in protest against the unemployment crisis. Officials in Isfahan warned of the worsening unemployment crisis, with statistics indicating that more than 27,000 people were fired from their jobs because firms went bankrupt over the past nine months.  Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), described today’s uprising in Mashhad as indicative of the popular and nationwide desire for the overthrow of the clerical regime. She said today’s protests in various parts of Iran once again show that the overthrow of the clerical regime and establishment of democracy and popular sovereignty is the demand of Iranians nationwide. Rajavi said while the overwhelming majority of Iranian people suffer from poverty, inflation, and unemployment, a major portion of the national wealth and income is being used for the military and intelligence apparatus and for belligerence and meddling in the region or is being plundered by the regime’s senior officials. “Thus, as long as this regime is in power the economy and the welfare of Iranians will deteriorate, and the only solution to the economic and social ills and the crisis is the regime’s overthrow”, she said.

US-led coalition accuses Assad regime of letting ISIS militants lurk in Syria
Al Arabiya/December 28/2017/The US-led coalition in Syria and Iraq accused president Bashar al-Assad’s regime of allowing ISIS militants to lurk in areas under its control "without being punished." Major General Felix Gedney said in a press conference on Wednesday that the free movement of ISIS fighters can be interpreted in two ways either that the Syrian regime does not want to fight the organization or that it is unable to defeat it within its borders. He added that many of ISIS fighters who were expelled from al-Raqqa, one of their most important strongholds in eastern Syria, had moved to the west and reorganized their ranks into smaller cells so they could escape surveillance more easily. On Wednesday, the coalition announced that only a few thousands of ISIS fighters, around a third of their estimated number from three weeks ago, remained in Iraq and Syria. The coalition statement said: "Because of the commitment of the coalition and the efficiency demonstrated by our partners in Iraq and Syria, it is estimated that there are less than a thousand terrorists in areas of joint operations being pursued in the desert areas of eastern Syria and western Iraq.”This figure does not include areas in western Syria under the control of regime forces. The US-led coalition said on December 5, that fewer than 3,000 fighters were still in Syria and Iraq, while Iraq announced the final victory on the organization on December 9.
Training ISIS militants
Meanwhile, Russia's chief of staff has accused the United States of training former fighters of ISIS in Syria to try to destabilize the country. General Valery Gerasimov's accusations focused on an interview at a US military base at Al-Tanf Syrian border crossing with Iraq south of the country. Russia says the US base is "illegal" and its surrounding area have become a "black hole" in which extremists operate "without hindrance."While the United States asserts that the Al-Tanf base is temporary and used to train partner forces in the war against ISIS. Similar Russian accusations have been refuted in the past and Washington remains committed to eliminating members of the organization and denying them safe havens. However, Gerasimov told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper on Wednesday that the United States had trained fighters who had previously been members of ISIS, but now call themselves the "new Syrian army" or use other names. He added that Russian satellites and drones have spotted extremist groups at the US base.

Turkey detains 38 ISIS suspects

Reuters/December 28/2017/Turkish police detained 38 people, some of them Syrian citizens, over suspected links to ISIS in an operation on Thursday in the northwestern province of Bursa, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. Counter-terrorism police carried out simultaneous raids on homes in various districts of Bursa, smashing doors open with battering rams and searching the properties, it said. ISIS militants have carried out gun and bomb attacks in Turkey. Many foreign fighters passed through Turkey in recent years on their way to join the jihadist group in territory it controlled in Syria and Iraq. A year ago, the group claimed responsibility for a New Year's Day mass shooting by a lone gunman who killed 39 people in a packed Istanbul nightclub. A trial of those allegedly behind the attack began this month.

12 More Patients Evacuated from Syria Rebel Enclave
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 28/17/A second batch of sick Syrian civilians, most of them children, left the besieged rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta, aid officials said Thursday, but hundreds of critical patients remained trapped. Four evacuations took place on Tuesday and another group of 12 made it out late Wednesday, but a top humanitarian envoy questioned a deal under which medical emergencies are used as bargaining chips. A total of 29 emergency medical cases are expected to be evacuated under a deal with the government that saw rebels release 26 individuals, including workers detained during fierce clashes with the army in March. The numbers are still a far cry from the nearly 500 patients in the Damascus suburb the U.N. said weeks ago would die if they did not urgently receive better treatment. "Yesterday we evacuated 12 patients together with their family members, the majority of them are children," International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said. At the Syrian Red Crescent headquarters in Douma, an AFP correspondent saw the latest group of evacuees waiting for ambulances to pick them up. Among them was Abdel Rahman, a seven-month-old baby with respiratory assistance in his mother's arms. A Red Crescent worker tried to make another baby smile. "Most of them suffer from cancer, chronic diseases and heart diseases," Sedky said, adding that the evacuees were transferred to Damascus. From the list of 500 urgent cases announced in November at least 16 have already died for lack of medical assistance. Around 400,000 people live in the Eastern Ghouta area on the edge of the Syrian capital. The enclave is controlled by rebels, the dominant faction among them Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam), and has been under siege by the government for four years.
Exchange
Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council and currently a U.N. special envoy for humanitarian access in Syria, was critical of the deal that allowed the patients to leave. The agreement between the rebels and the government was reached with support from Turkey, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and led to the release of 26 men held by Jaish al-Islam rebels. It is "not a good agreement if they exchange sick children for detainees that means children become bargaining chips in some tug of war," Egeland told the BBC. "That shouldn't happen. They have a right to the evacuation and we have an obligation to evacuate them," he said. According to the Observatory, the first five released by the rebels are workers who were caught in the fighting earlier this year.  Among them are civilian hostages who had been held for several years as well as pro-regime fighters, said the British-based monitor's head Rami Abdel Rahman, without providing further details on the exchange.It was not immediately clear when the next batch of patients would be evacuated. Mohammed Alloush, a leader with Jaish al-Islam, said the total number of hostages and prisoners his group would release would match the 29 medical evacuations. The Eastern Ghouta region is one of four "de-escalation" zones agreed in May in a deal brokered by government backers Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey. The agreement led to a short-lived reduction in violence but the government kept up its blockade. Dozens have been killed in recent weeks, including civilians struck by rebel shelling on central Damascus.

40 Dead, Dozens Hurt in IS-Claimed Blasts at Kabul Shiite Center
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 28/17/More than 40 people were killed and dozens wounded in a suicide blast targeting Shiites in Kabul Thursday, officials said, with chaotic scenes at the city's hospitals as anguished families sought loved ones. The Sunni Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the gruesome assault on the pro-Iranian Tabayan cultural center, the third deadly attack it has claimed in the Afghan capital this month. Up to 100 people had gathered at the center to mark the 38th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It is located in western Kabul, in the same building as affiliated Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), an anti-IS media outlet. "The latest figures we have from this tragic incident shows 41 people have been killed and a further 84 people injured," health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told reporters. Kabul has become one of the deadliest places in war-torn Afghanistan for civilians in recent months, as the Taliban step up their attacks and IS seeks to expand its presence in the country. Thursday's attack saw chaotic scenes at the Istiqlal hospital where ambulances and police pickups brought victims, including women and children. Many of them had suffered severe burns to their faces and bodies, as well as shrapnel wounds, AFP reporters said. Visibly distressed relatives searching for their loved ones inside the medical facility slapped their heads in fury as they cried and cursed the government for seemingly being unable to end the regular carnage on their streets. Some were so distraught they crawled on the ground pulling their hair.
AFP reporters saw more than a dozen badly burned bodies lying on the floor in a room inside the hospital and wooden coffins being delivered so families could take away the remains of loved ones. Deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP the attack -- the deadliest since a Shiite mosque bombing in October that killed more than 50 worshipers -- was followed by two smaller bomb blasts as victims and survivors were leaving the scene.A journalist with AVA, which is located above the cultural center, said that more than a hundred people were at the event in the building's basement, with a number of AVA staff among the victims. Thursday's assault comes days after a suicide bomber killed six civilians in a Christmas Day attack near an Afghan intelligence agency compound in the city, which was also claimed by IS. On December 18 militants from the group stormed an intelligence training compound in Kabul, triggering an intense gunfight with police, two of whom were wounded. The Middle Eastern jihadist outfit has gained ground in Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015, and has scaled up its attacks in Kabul, including on security installations and the country's Shiite minority.
'Big boom
A man attending the anniversary ceremony at Tabayan said he heard a "big boom.""When the explosion happened we immediately fled," he told Tolo News.
Mohammad Hasan Rezayee, a university student who was also at the ceremony, told Tolo News he had suffered burns to his face in the blast."We were inside the hall in the second row when there was an explosion behind us. I did not see the bomber," he said from his hospital bed. "After the blast, there was fire and smoke inside the building and everyone was pleading for help." The attack drew international condemnation, with NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan describing it as "heinous". Amnesty International said it was further evidence that Kabul was not safe. "The European governments who insist on this dangerous fiction by forcibly returning Afghans are putting their lives in danger," Amnesty International's South Asia director Biraj Patnaik said in a statement.
Germany, which has expelled dozens of Afghans in recent months, said "we cry" with the victims of the attack, according to a statement from Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish vowed to "avenge the blood" of the victims, many of whom were students. Authorities would also investigate "possible negligence by police personnel", Danish told reporters. Security in Kabul has been ramped up since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 others -- mostly civilians. No group has yet claimed that attack. Religious attacks in Afghanistan have skyrocketed in the past two years with the minority Shiite community the main target, the United Nations said in November. IS, a Sunni extremist group, has claimed most of the attacks on Shiite worshipers as it seeks to stir up sectarian violence in the country. The Afghan media has also previously been targeted by militants, underlining the risks faced by journalists in the war-torn country.

Putin Calls Saint Petersburg Blast 'Act of Terror'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 28/17/Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called an explosion that tore through a Saint Petersburg supermarket, wounding 13 people, "an act of terror.""As you know, an act of terror took place in Saint Petersburg yesterday," he said at a meeting of military officers in the Kremlin. The homemade bomb went off in a locker at the supermarket on Wednesday evening, officials said. Anna Mityanina, vice governor of Saint Petersburg, which is Russia's second city, said on Twitter that of the 13 wounded eight remained in hospital care.Five people declined to be hospitalized, she added. The explosion occurred at around 1845 local time (1545 GMT) as Russians geared up to celebrate the New Year -- the country's biggest holiday -- followed by Russian Orthodox Christmas, which falls on January 7. Officials earlier said 10 people had been injured, saying the bomb had the power equivalent to 200 grams of TNT. In a sign of the severity of the situation, the case was overseen by Russia's National Anti-Terror Committee even though authorities initially opened a probe into attempted murder. The committee said the explosion went off after "a criminal placed an unidentified explosive device in a storage locker."The blast comes after a suicide bombing killed 15 people and wounded dozens on the Saint Petersburg metro in April. That bombing was claimed by a group linked to al-Qaida which said it was a message to countries engaged in war with Muslims, a veiled reference to Russia's military campaign in Syria. Earlier this month Russia's FSB security service said it had arrested members of the Islamic State group who had planned to blow up the Kazan Cathedral, one of Saint Petersburg's most famous landmarks, among other crowded places. The Kremlin has said that those attacks were prevented thanks to intelligence provided by America's Central Intelligence Agency. Saint Petersburg, Russia's former Imperial capital, will host World Cup matches next year.

Putin Extols Russia's 'Principal' Role in Defeating IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 28/17/Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Moscow had made the key contribution to defeating the Islamic State group in Syria, adding its military campaign also boosted morale in the armed forces. Russia "has made the principal, decisive contribution defeating the criminal force which challenged our entire civilization," Putin said at a ceremony to award officers who took part in Moscow's Syria campaign. He called the jihadists a "barbaric dictatorship which sowed death and destruction" and accused them of "global aggression, the target of which is and was our country."In a speech before the hundreds of servicemen in the Kremlin, Putin said Russia's intervention in Syria had also changed the armed forces as it boosted confidence and showed off Moscow's military might to the world. He said some 48,000 Russian servicemen took part in the campaign, which Russia launched in September 2015 in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, helping turn around the multi-front war. "You as no one else understand, know and feel that the army has drastically changed over these two-something years," he said. "It changed because people felt they were at their best." "They understood how our military equipment works, how our command and supply works, how modern our armed forces have become. The whole world saw this, and most importantly, our people too."Putin earlier this month made a surprise visit to Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria where he ordered a partial pullout of the country's troops, saying their task had been largely completed. Russia said the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia would remain in operation, while its naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartus would be expanded.

Iraq Extends Kurdistan International Flight Ban
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 28/17/Iraqi authorities have extended through February an international flight ban slapped on the autonomous Kurdish region in response to a controversial independence vote, an airport official said on Thursday. Baghdad severed Iraqi Kurdistan's air links to the outside world in late September after it voted overwhelmingly for independence in a non-binding referendum rejected as illegal by the central government. The flight ban was just part of a battery of penalties inflicted on the Kurds as Baghdad sought to nullify the poll, with federal forces also seizing disputed oil-rich regions in a major blow for their finances. Talar Faiq Saleh, the director of the airport in Iraqi Kurdistan's capital Arbil, said the transport ministry in Baghdad had sent a message signaling that international flights were "banned until February 28." "Only internal flights are authorized," she said.
The two-month extension sees Baghdad keeping up the pressure on Iraqi Kurdistan as the fallout from the failed independence push has battered its economy. A spate of angry protests that have seen the offices of political parties torched in a string of towns has rocked the region this month. Nechirvan Barzani, the Kurdistan premier, on Thursday denounced what he called "collective punishment imposed by the central government on the entire people of Kurdistan."Barzani accused Baghdad of using the air blockade to exert pressure on the country's northern region ahead of negotiations between the two parties.

No U.S. Pressure' behind Guatemala Embassy Move to Jerusalem
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 28/17/The United States did not pressure Guatemala into announcing it will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the Central American state's foreign minister said Wednesday. "There wasn't any pressure. There wasn't any overture from the United States to make this happen. This was a decision by the government, the state and the foreign policy of Guatemala," the minister, Sandra Jovel, told a news conference in Guatemala City. Her affirmation follows Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales's announcement on Sunday that his country was to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The declaration made Guatemala the first -- and so far, only -- country to follow U.S. President Donald Trump's lead in saying its embassy would be relocated to the holy city. Guatemala, like the United States, has not said when its embassy move would happen. But the step is highly controversial, and flies in the face of an international consensus that Jerusalem's status can only be decided through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. 'Historical allies' Last week, two-thirds of UN members states -- 128 in all -- rejected Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Just nine countries voted against the UN General Assembly resolution: the United States, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo. Other countries abstained or did not enter a vote. The United States warned it would look at cutting funding to countries that voted against it. Jovel told the news conference with an annoyed tone: "We have not had pressure from any country, because we are friends and historical allies with Israel.... We have asked nothing of Israel nor the United States." Her government insists the embassy is not "moving" but rather "returning" to Jerusalem, where it was originally located until being shifted to Tel Aviv in 1978. Several mainly Latin American countries had diplomatic missions in Jerusalem until a 1980 U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel's attempt to alter the "character and status" of the city, saying it was a barrier to peace. Jovel said the plan to put the embassy in Jerusalem "had been considered for the past five months, and things just lined up in a certain way and also the resolutions in the U.N. and everything contributed to saying that now was the right time."
Israel predicts more will follow
Guatemala's assertion that it decided the move alone, without being pressed by the United States, follows criticism from the Palestinian foreign ministry and a focus on how reliant the country is on US aid and trade. Morales, like Trump, is a former TV entertainer who became elected president as an outsider promising to shake things up. His political future is fragile as a UN-backed body works with Guatemalan prosecutors to investigate claims of corruption against him.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while Palestinians consider east Jerusalem the capital of their future state. Israel seized the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the announcements by the U.S. and Guatemala were "just the start" and predicted "there will be others."The European Union, however, has ruled out any change to its position. Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey reacted by saying they both support creating a Palestinian state.

Israel Passes Controversial Law Altering Police Powers
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 28/17/Israel's parliament passed a controversial law Thursday limiting the police's ability to recommend charges following their investigations after criticism that lawmakers were seeking to protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The law will not apply to current investigations, however, meaning that graft probes involving Netanyahu will not be affected -- a change made after widespread criticism and large protests against corruption. Members of parliament gave final approval to the bill by a vote of 59-54 early Thursday after a marathon debate lasting nearly two days.
Under the law, police will no longer be able to recommend to the attorney general whether or not to charge suspects at the conclusion of an investigation. The new law requires the attorney general to ask for police input. Netanyahu called for changes to the legislation in early December after his opponents said it was designed to help him survive ongoing corruption investigations. The premier said it should be made clear that it "will not involve current investigations against me."His call came after thousands of people protested against corruption. Proponents of the law say it will prevent the public smearing of those being investigated before the attorney general decides how to proceed with a case. Critics point out that it was proposed by Netanyahu supporters and argue it was initially designed to protect him as he awaits the completion of police inquiries. Police are investigating Netanyahu over suspicions that he received expensive gifts from wealthy supporters as well as over allegations that he sought a secret deal for favorable coverage with a newspaper publisher. Allies of the premier have also been questioned by police as part of a separate probe into the purchase of German submarines. Netanyahu has not been named as a suspect in the submarine investigation. The 68-year-old premier has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, saying he is being targeted by political opponents.

US-led Coalition has no plans to target ISIS in Syrian government-controlled areas

Reuters/December 28/2017/Despite saying that the Syrian government is not doing enough to stop ISIS militants from moving through its territory, the US-led coalition fighting the group does not intend to target militants in those areas, a senior coalition official said on Wednesday. The comments by British Army Major General Felix Gedney indicate that the coalition will rely on the Syrian government to go after ISIS militants in areas controlled by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. US officials have said in the past that the Syrian government forces are too few, too poor and too weak to fight ISIS.
Gedney, the deputy commander of strategy and support for the coalition, said the fight against ISIS was not over, and militants had been seen moving west of the Euphrates river. “They seem to be moving with impunity through regime-held territory, showing that the regime is clearly either unwilling or unable to defeat Daesh within their borders,” Gedney said, using an Arabic acronym for the militant group. Syrian government forces and their allies, backed by Russian air power, are mostly on the western side of the Euphrates, while forces backed by the coalition are on the eastern bank.
When asked whether the coalition will target the militants in areas controlled by the Syrian regime, Gedney said they did not plan to. “We will continue to deconflict with the Russians, but we have got no intention to operate in areas that are currently held by the regime,” Gedney said. Russia and the United States have set up a communications channel to reduce the chance of fighting between the two rival campaigns against ISIS. “We would call on the Syrian regime to clear ISIS from those areas that are currently under their control,” he added. The coalition estimates that fewer than 1,000 ISIS fighters remain in Iraq and Syria. Iraq and Syria have both declared victory over ISIS in recent weeks, after a year in which the two countries’ armies, a range of foreign allies and various local forces drove the fighters out of all the towns and villages that once made up the militant group’s self-proclaimed caliphate.US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said the US military will fight ISIS in Syria “as long as they want to fight.” He said the US military’s longer-term objective would be to prevent the return of an “ISIS 2.0.”

Fears arise over Syria child evacuees being used as bargaining chips
Al Arabiya/December 28/2017/ A UN official has confirmed that rebels in Damascus had agreed to release government workers in exchange for children waiting to evacuate the area, a news report has revealed. This has raised concerns over children being used as bargaining chips for such transactions.
According to the BBC report, 12 patients were evacuated on Wednesday with 13 further urgent cases to be evacuated on Thursday. The Syrian American Medical Society (Sams) is keeping people updated with news of the most recent evacuations from Eastern Ghouta on their twitter. Mohamad Katoub, a doctor with Sams said “The last patient was a girl from the list, from the 29. This morning, when the local staff reached the family to tell them that finally the approval to evacuate your little daughter arrived, the family said that our daughter died a few days ago.” According to the report, he reiterated, that it was difficult to keep up with evacuees as people continued to die. Around 400,000 residents have been under siege by government forces since 2013.

Libyan army: We have recordings that prove Qatar-Qaeda links
Al Arabiya/December 28/2017/The Libyan army’s leadership announced in a press conference on Wednesday that it has recordings of conversations that prove substantial cooperation between al-Qaeda members and Qatar. Libyan Armed Forces spokesman, Colonel Ahmad al-Mesmari, added that the recordings confirm Doha’s support for terrorist organizations through finances and weaponry, in order to carry out terrorist operations against the Libyan army. Al-Mesmari said that the recordings revealed that “soldiers fighting battles in Benghazi against the remnants of al-Qaeda were misled by unknown people telling them to stand their ground, resist and ‘we will support you’.”“To those who are in Derna, we say that these 14 names who are dealing directlly with Qatar will not help you,” he added.
Libyan army supports elections
Al-Mesmari also added that the leadership of the Libyan army welcomes the presidential and parliamentary election, and believes they should be held as soon as possible while confirming that they are prepared to secure the electoral process until the ballot boxes are safely delivered. He stressed that the elections need to be free and fair, and that the Libyan people should have the freedom to choose their preference through the ballot boxes. He called on parliament to issue the laws pertaining to the election so that citizens may know the duration and conditions, and to register for the quickly to maintain their right to vote. Al-Mesmari also spoke about the security situation in Libya, mentioning that the bombing of the oil pipeline near the area of Marada was a terrorist operation. He confirmed that security forces are hunting the perpetrators west of the country, adding that the aim of this bombing was to “destroy the country’s resources and create economic chaos to prolong the Libyan crisis.”

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 28-29/17
US adds teeth to strategy for countering Iranian menace
Reza Shafiee/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
As usual, the Iranian regime is in the spotlight for its intolerable behavior in the region. Make no mistake, Iran and its revolutionary guards (the IRGC) think they have it all figured out. After having secured a grip in Iraq and Syria, thanks to Mr. Obama’s hands off policy toward Iran, it is now ready to gain its stronghold in Yemen. Missile after missile is being fired into Saudi Arabia, bearing clear IRGC markings on them. Although, the US and its allies are frustrated with the theocratic regime in Iran, there is still some ground to cover before a consistent policy to resolve the thorny issue threatening the Middle East and beyond is set in motion.
A blatant admission
Following the latest missile attack on the Saudi capital, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s point man in international affairs and Iran’s de facto foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, confirmed that Iran is involved in Yemen. But what is more important is that he acknowledged that the Iranian regime has been supplying weapons to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. This admission is important because throughout the bloody Syrian campaign the IRGC has maintained that it has only played an “advisory” role in Syria. A year after Obama left office more disturbing news came to light on how he tried to help Iran’s proxy — the Lebanese Hezbollah — by stalling a DEA investigation into its drug trafficking activities. It was triggered to uncover Hezbollah’s drug dealings to finance part of its operations. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has for years investigated through its inside sources, IRGC’s drug trafficking for financing its terror networks in the region and in places as far as Latin America. The Trump administration’s new security strategy introduced just a few days ago is a stepping stone in dealing with Iran. The policy calls for cooperation with US allies to counter the threat of Iran, which is spreading across the region with the aid of Lebanese Hezbollah and other proxy forces.
From carrot to stick
The 68-page policy document states: “Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, has taken advantage of instability to expand its influence through partners and proxies, weapon proliferation, and funding. “It continues to develop more capable ballistic missiles and intelligence capabilities, and it undertakes malicious cyber activities … Iran continues to perpetuate the cycle of violence in the region, causing grievous harm to civilian populations,” the document added. While it is a far better policy layout by a US administration toward Iran in many years, it should have laid stress on an end to free passes for mullahs in Iran. The US policy of thwarting the “malign” threat posed by the theocratic regime to the world is realistic when it is combined with a strong will to clean up the bits and pieces of the old and obsolete policy of appeasing Iran, which the Obama administration followed till its last days in office.
Europe on board
It is good news that after the proliferation of Iran’s missile in Yemen, European officials have come on board and realized that there is no way the Iranian regime can be tamed. The five years of Hassan Rouhani has only been a rerun of past presidential terms in Iran characterized by a dreadful human rights record including a surge in hangings, more repression of the youth, greater violation of women’s rights and the list goes on. Three major European powers; Germany, France and UK have condemned the missile attacks on Saudi cities. With ISIS on the run the world can breathe a sigh of relief. Now, EU countries are gradually shifting their focus on Iran’s destabilizing role in the volatile region. Iran’s missile proliferation is another serious issue on the table. The Iran nuclear deal, also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is now on life support. It was in part designed to persuade Iran into reducing its involvement in regional conflicts. The last US administration and European countries went out of their way to stick to their end of the bargain. John Kerry, Obama’s Secretary of State, brokered the nuclear deal with Iran and tried until his last day in office to encourage Western banks to finance Iran’s newly signed interim deals with European companies which were willing to take the risk of possible US sanctions. However, such measures have never worked in case of Iran.
Change in tack
A closer look at the internal situation in Iran over the past year shows that Iranians understand that the appeasement of clerics at all cost is no longer a major priority for the White House. The Iranian Resistance has been monitoring dissent in Iran for years and the numbers are steadily growing over the last year.
The streets of Iran witness daily demonstrations and there are frequent clashes with IRGC’s units that usually resort to repressive measures to scare and disperse people. President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI) Maryam Rajavi addressed a large rally of Iranian expatriates and distinguished guests from both sides of the Atlantic in Paris last week, by saying “the international community is expected to go beyond making mere political statements. It has not paid any price for its destructive policies in Iran and the region.” She suggested: “Expel the IRGC and its militias from Syria, Iraq, and other countries in the region and prevent their transfer of troops and arms via these countries; expel the operatives of the terrorist Quds Force and the Intelligence Ministry (MOIS) from Europe and the US.”That makes perfect sense considering US National Security Advisor Gen. H.R. Mcmaster’s statement last month that ‘about 80 percent of Assad’s fighters are Iranian proxies.’ There is no better time to stop the regime in Tehran than now.

A dangerous sermon called democracy
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
There is always a weapon to point at those who disagree with you. Arabism has been used against those accused of being Zionists. Islam has been used against those viewed as “heretics.” For years now, many have used “democracy” as a weapon against the enemies of freedom.
What’s strange is that lovers of democracy are supposed to believe in the value of freedom, including in other people’s freedom to express opposing ideas. However, they’ve turned democracy into a pure doctrine that separates between pious people and wrongdoers. Even the Muslim Brotherhood, who are masters at accusing others of infidelity, raise the slogan of democracy and chant in the name of freedom! Democracy is neither a doctrine nor an ideology that can be applied at any time or anywhere. The biggest threat lies in simplifying it or turning it into some kind of a romantic poem or an ethical sermon while thinking that praising it means it’s been achieved. Democracy is a not a ready-mix and achieving it does not mean the end of problems but may rather signify entering a long tunnel of crises.
Successful models
In his book Political Order In Changing Societies, American thinker Samuel P. Huntington came up with the controversial conclusion which stipulates that democracy’s success in countries like South Korea was mainly due to the economic growth which preceded adopting a democratic system.
Democracy is dangerous when it turns into a sermon and a slogan. It promises of a social and political paradise that may turn into hell on earth. Industrial growth, a high level of education and other factors made it easy for South Korea to adopt a democratic system that later helped it flourish. This also explains the success of democracy in Western Europe. It’s said that Spain’s democracy would not have succeeded if it hadn’t been for economic reforms which happened in the last decade of military dictator Franco’s rule. It’s believed that these reforms led to radical changes in the social structure as many had to travel and settle in cities, thus leading to a rise in individualism. Why did the democracy which was imposed on Japan succeed? It’s because it was supported with a solid economic and cultural structure which enabled it to quickly enter the modern world. Ever since the era of Emperor Meiji and due to the desire to achieve military superiority and to protect its lands, Japan entered a new wave of modernization. In 1871, a group of high-ranking Japanese officials went to Europe and America to check the industrial development. They returned to Japan two years later. The country then endeavored towards modernization. It sent its students to study in foreign countries, brought foreign experts, improved education and planted the values of hard work and linked them to national identity. This is exactly why it was not difficult to integrate the democratic experience following a long history of modernization. Why did Chile succeed before others in Latin America? For the same reason. There are of course other reasons such as the spread of enlightenment ideas in Europe or ideological revolutions which altered the roots of culture and facilitated the process of democratic transition. Enlightenment thinkers clearly focused on the importance of intellectual change which precedes political change. Noting the significance of cultural change, famous French Philosopher Voltaire once said in a letter addressed to a woman, that it’s important that people we live among are enlightened and for this enlightenment to gradually spread, as only then that people, even our ignorant enemies who hate logic and virtue, will respect us.
Significance of culture
Culture protects societies from decline. The French and the Britons will maintain the gains of enlightenment, modernization, human rights and tolerance and will not go back to the Middle Ages or clash due to sectarian or religious identities. Their culture will protect them from divisions and conflicts even if they confront economic and political difficulties. This indicates the significance of culture in providing stability away from divisions which fragile societies may suffer from. Late thinker Georges Tarabichi highlighted this when he said that democracy is not just about elections as what’s more important is the mind which during regressive cultural circumstances may stand against noble values like freedom and justice. One of the reasons behind the emergence of democracy in western Europe is the fact that the bourgeois class embraced it. There’s something like a historical law which stipulates that “there is no democracy without bourgeoisie.” It’s well-known that this category embraced people who had enlightened ideas and protected them from extremists, thus allowing their ideas to eventually reach many people. Even if the bourgeoisie suffers from corruption, it’s the only category capable of change. The average income is an indicator of whether democracy is successful or lacking. The higher the average income, the easier the situation. Democracy. however, stumbles when the average income is low. An average income here is conditional on being a real income and not as a reflection of countries’ wealth thanks to natural resources like the case is with Gulf countries.
Political greed
These are only some of the reasons regarding the objective circumstances which lead to the prosperity of successful democracies. Therefore, countries must not jump into the unknown out of political greed and even when it leads to chaos and divisions. In the democratic state of Pakistan, there is a decline in the levels of education and health. Pakistan is also one of the poorest countries in the world and it would almost slip into chaos if it hadn’t been for the army’s control. Democratic Nigeria suffers from corruption, poverty, terrorism and racist and sectarian clashes while the state is incapable of providing the simplest services. We can see how in democratic Arab countries, development has been impeded and how the social fabric was deeply divided due to political polarization which appeals to tribal, familial or sectarian sentiment. In these countries, you are categorized even if you want to be a human first and a patriot second. An entire country may face obstruction over confrontations on various issues just for the sake of political gains during elections. Any measures that aim to develop education, culture or women’s rights can be put on hold by voters themselves. One voter, for instance, once demanded trying a female student over heresy. By doing so, he’s actually addressing the instincts of the voters who cheered for him. Democracy is dangerous when it turns into a sermon and a slogan. It promises of a social and political paradise that may turn into hell on earth.

Iran’s uneasy sway over the region gradually slipping away
Mohammed Al Shaikh/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
Perhaps Iran has achieved some victories in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, but I am certain that these gains will not last. I have no doubt that these said victories will inevitably turn into highly costly ventures for it. The annexation of these states by Iran is being rejected by their populations today, even if some rogue elements may applaud it.The three occupied countries, cannot in the end give up their historical identities and culture, no matter how much they are controlled by Iran’s proxies and agents. The case of Yemen, which the Persian theocrats proudly boast of being the fourth Arab capital in their control, is somewhat different. All indicators suggest that there are very few Houthi agents left relative to the population of Yemen and the strength of the army advancing from the south, which is gaining more victories on the ground with each passing day.
International legitimacy
This makes the prospect of Houthi survival in Sana'a very slim, especially as the Yemeni army has international legitimacy on its side, along with air support provided by the Alliance. Therefore, the balance of power is tilted in favor the legitimate army. Those who monitor developments are clearly aware that the assassination of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was a strategic blunder. The Houthis have lost support of the people as well as of the General People’s Congress, the most critical centers of political power in Yemen. This fact gives the anti-Houthi front strong strategic advantage, which will facilitate the task of the legitimate forces heading towards Sanaa. The Russian agenda in Syria is different from Iranian interests and aspirations. These differences will one day rise to the surface . The other point is that if the history of Yemen is any indicator, anyone who tries to occupy Yemen will fail. The Ottomans failed, and when Nasser tried to occupy it as a gateway to the Kingdom and the Gulf States, he also failed miserably.
There have been many Egyptian historians who have studied his army’s failure in Yemen and the causes of its defeat by Israel in 1967. It is therefore plausible to infer that what Nasser faced, in spite of being an Arab leader, will be faced by the Persians as well — especially as Arab and Persian cultures are characterized by hostility and hatred, as is confirmed throughout the course of history.
Iran in the cross hairs
I am sure that the defeat of the Houthis in Yemen will not only be a defeat for Iran in Yemen, but also usher in defeats in the other three Arab capitals that the Persian mullahs claim to have conquered. Perhaps, Lebanon is the only Arab state, which has been completely obliterated by the Persian occupation for more than a decade. Iraq and Syria are very different from Lebanon. The situation in Syria is controlled by the Russians, but the Russian agenda in Syria is different from Iranian interests and aspirations. These differences will one day rise to the surface, and of course Russian interests will prevail. In Iraq, if the Persian control over the decision-making would be greatly weakened. The Iraqi government must take advantage of the world’s outrage against Iran, especially of President Trump’s stated intention to establish an international coalition to confront Iran’s hostilities in the region. Iran is now in the spotlight, and the international community cannot leave this aggressive clerical regime rocking the stability of this critical region forever.

On the difficult transition in Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
It’s not easy to market something in a hostile environment. What’s more difficult is to convince skeptics who know us well and who think that it’s impossible for this nation to change. This is how the Saudi desire to change is met outside the kingdom within different economic, media and political circles.
I understand think tanks’ and media institutions’ suspicions as most economic projects in countries with developing economies have not achieved much. Plans in these countries usually kick off during national or electoral celebrations and end there.There are only few successful models, like South Korea and Singapore. These marked rare cases. Meanwhile other countries are awaiting their turn to prove themselves.
Skepticism
The Saudi plan includes amazing ideas and significant promises which require the Saudis’ faith. People outside the kingdom, however, do not believe them and think they are mere promises which must be doubted until they become a reality. This is actually okay. Foreign media is in fact skeptic, and it’s not easy for it to believe that a country like Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern country can overcome its past and transform into a new country that’s capable of creating and working towards what is often viewed as contradictory to it. Skepticism should make us more determined to achieve the aspired change. It’s a tough task but it’s not impossible. Healthy economies do not stand on the government’s crutches and are capable of providing job opportunities and higher incomes . The new decisions to correct prices – by cutting off subsidies – is not easy. Very few actually believed that the government is willing to take this political risk, but it did. Subsidy policies may be temporary need but they harm the economy when they last for a long time. In the past, governments resorted to subsidies as easy political solutions to resolve urgent matters. As time went by, these subsidies remained active and the government did not dare change them. Healthy economies are those that do not stand on the government’s crutches and that are capable of providing job opportunities and higher incomes. They are those that are less vulnerable. Countries must walk a rough path to reach this advanced phase. This is why most analysts and commentators doubt the economic correction measures. Some of the questions they ask are: Can they walk till the end of the path and bear the social, economic and political risks? It is well-known that politicians prefer to satisfy their citizens via subsidies and whatever pleases them. However, this is not in their favor because there will come a dark day when decision-makers cannot provide jobs, services and good incomes. I am not lecturing or being pessimistic. These are the facts which we can conclude as long as our circumstances do not change.
Protecting future generations
Subsidy cuts on commodities’ prices may not please many people, however, this is about their future and their children’s future. Even if oil prices increase again and governmental revenues increase as a result, resorting to the subsidy policy and to a rentier economy again is not in the citizens’ interests and it does not serve the country’s future. The goal is to build a real future that protects generations by relying as less as possible on oil revenues and on government’s support. We must have a place under the sun, and the world only respects superior states. The media will only end its mockery when it sees that these countries, which seek change, are capable of proving themselves. Once these countries achieve the aspired success, they will care less about their image and what others think of them. Skeptic economists think the proposed ideas do not suit our society and cannot be achieved in a culture that relies on oil revenues. We understand these doubts. Change is difficult because a major part of it is based on developing the society and not just on developing modern cities and importing advanced technologies. Everything we know needs to change such as education. New concepts must be introduced and this is more difficult than we think. The final aim is for the society to get out of the cocoon it’s been living in – to no longer be a burden on the government and to stop relying on the revenues of a single product which is governed by the market fluctuations and technological development.
This is a transitional phase with a 12 years’ duration. We must view it as a state of emergency that requires both parties’ – i.e. the government and citizens – endurance and perseverance.

Re-branding capitalism with a human face
Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/December 28/2017
The emergence of nationalist and left leaning parties in Europe and elsewhere seems to have one common feature: a desire to seek fairness for citizens in economic matters that has seemingly left them behind in a mire globalized world where free market forces were supposed to bring more wealth distribution for the many. Many still speak eloquently and passionately about the merits of free market and capitalism and point to the dysfunctional economies of the Soviet era and stifling state control over the means of production. However, given the rise of nationalist parties and socialist election success, there seems to be a consensus that flaws in the capitalist system need to be addressed to make it work for many more ordinary citizens. Free market economies, at least in theory, has many aspects that appeal to those who wish to see the government role as an “invisible hand” – guiding but not participating in economic matters. Prices are supposed to respond to supply and demand conditions, enterprise and creativity is unleashed to meet these conditions and everyone is better off. However, as the global financial crisis showed, excesses and self-interest, if not downright greed, was also part of the free enterprise baggage as in reality the bastions of free market economies have replaced one master – the state – with another – individuals or multinational corporations whose reason for existence is furthering their self-interest. Such ownership carries no meaning for the general public, unless they are minority shareholders in publicly listed companies, and excessive greed has led to a breakdown of trust in the capitalist system. President Trump’s slogans of “making America great again” and “America First” are part of this appeal to ensure that the ordinary working citizen feel they are now an important and valued element as opposed to being an abstract decision number that left him or her behind in the corporate search for the holy grail of global profits and out sourcing of production lines.
What is needed is to foster a sense of capital ownership and control that is seen to be more equitable in meeting societal needs
Egalitarian capitalism
A new campaign for egalitarian capitalism is needed today as governments are finding to their cost. The disenfranchisement of the many and intense polarization of wealth in the hands of the few led to the Brexit vote in the UK and the rise of populist parties in Germany and Austria, as well as a resurgence in the fortunes of leftist parties and the appeal of socialism in many countries across the globe, especially among the young. For free market to survive, with its undoubted capacity for wealth creation and enterprise, a new agenda has to be introduced. Going back to old style Soviet economic models will also not work, with modern day Russia and China having discarded these models and replacing them with a mixture of paternalistic capitalism, but at the same are also keeping a wary eye at the new economic disparities that are creeping up in these post-Communist or Socialist led economies. Fighting such disparities and the corruption it raises are major populist initiatives for the leadership of these countries, as well as those in the Gulf who are now addressing the consequences of unbridled free market forces and the corruption it spawned. The Gulf countries are often touted as models of free economic systems but in reality the hand of the state is not far away in many of the economic decision making process, whether as a producer or consumer of goods and services. How to balance this without the ugly forces of self-interest and corruption is going to be the true test of leadership for the Gulf countries.
Social needs
What is needed is to foster a sense of capital ownership and control that is seen to be more equitable in meeting societal needs. At the corporate level, governments should encourage more direct share ownership and improved corporate governance so that individual shareowners can take part fully in the governance of the companies in which they have chosen to invest. Minority and individual shareholder voting interests should be given extra weighting at Board level decisions, otherwise the program of privatizing government assets will end up in placing these assets in the hands of self interest groups, as happened with the multi billionaire so -called oligarchs of the post-Soviet Union. We intuitively know that the free market works and many religions extol the virtue of making and keeping the hard earned fruits of one’s honest risk taking but also guide us in sharing such wealth with other less fortunate citizens. A new egalitarian form of capitalism, where people can take control over their own lives and help their families and friends do likewise will give a rebranded capitalism a longer lease of life. The alternative is for more state control by those on the left and the right in their political and economic pursuit of happiness for the many. Unleashing the sprit of animal destructive capitalism so that something better emerges than stymied inefficient bureaucratic methods catches our imagination, but the art is to ensure that the unleashed animal forces do not consume those playing with them.

Pakistan: Blasphemy Laws, Human-Rights Abuses Deepen

A. Z. Mohamed/Gatestone Institute/December 28/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11479/pakistan-blasphemy-human-rights
The Pakistani parliament is becoming increasingly radicalized -- as the results of a local by-election in Lahore in September demonstrated.
In such a political climate, and with a new prime minister who refuses to criticize his country's blasphemy laws, let alone work to repeal them, Pakistan's already fragile "democracy" is on a steady slide backwards.
In late September -- less than three weeks after newly instated Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi attended the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York -- two Christian boys employed as cleaners at a hospital in Pakistan were arrested for violating the country's blasphemy laws. According to the complaint lodged with police, the boys had swept up and burned strewn pieces of paper on which Quranic verses happened to be written.
At around the same time, a Pakistani court sentenced a Christian man to death for insulting the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in a poem he sent to a Muslim friend on the WhatsApp messaging service. This came two months after a young Muslim Pakistani was sentenced to death for "blasphemous" posts on Facebook.
On September 20, after the closing of the General Assembly, Abbasi was invited to give a talk at the Council on Foreign Relations. During the Q&A period -- at the end of his "conversation" with David Sanger of the New York Times -- he was asked by Human Rights Watch (HRW) director Kenneth Roth whether he would "speak out against [Pakistan's] blasphemy law, and certainly about [its] harsh application...with death sentences and mob violence and the like."
Abbasi replied by dodging the question:
"[I]t's only up to the parliament to amend the laws. The job of the government is to make sure that the laws are not abused and innocent people are not prosecuted or prosecuted."
At this point, Sanger interjected:
"[C]ertainly it is up to the parliament, but you're in a position of both great political and moral leadership now in your post as prime minister. And I think the core of the question was whether or not the leaders of Pakistan are willing to go stand up to what seems to be, at least through American and Western eyes at time(s), death sentences for what would clearly be protected speech in much of the rest of the world."
Abbasi's response was again evasive:
"Well, I cannot comment on what is the law of the country. As I said, the only amendment that can happen to that law can be done by the parliament, and there are two houses to the parliament."
The problem with this approach is that it is at best disingenuous. In fact, the Pakistani Parliament is becoming increasingly radicalized -- as the results of a local by-election in Lahore in September demonstrated. For example, although the extremist group, the Milli Muslim League, is not recognized as a party in Pakistan, the candidate it backed in the election -- Yaqoob Sheikh, designated as a terrorist by the US Treasury in 2012 -- garnered 5% of the vote for the National Assembly seat vacated by recently ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. An additional 6% went to a new Islamist party, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) whose objective is to turn the country into an entity governed by Sharia [Islamic] law -- and which puts all "blasphemers" to death.
The TLP was founded in Karachi on August 1, 2015, but came into the public eye some months later, on the day that Mumtaz Qadri, the security guard who murdered Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer -- a vocal opponent of blasphemy laws -- was executed for his crime.
In such a political climate, and with a new prime minister who refuses to criticize his country's blasphemy laws, let alone work to repeal them, Pakistan's already fragile "democracy" is on a steady slide backwards.
**A.Z. Mohamed is a Muslim born and raised in the Middle East.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Islamic Oppression of Women: A Hot New Market
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 28/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11482/islam-oppression-women
Unfortunately, for most of women in the Middle East, veils are not an "exciting development", but an imposition by an obscurantist ideology. After the Islamic State was defeated in Raqqa, Syria, many women took to the streets to take off their veils and were filmed burning them.
"The enemies of freedom are first recruited from the free societies, from some of the enlightened elites who deny the benefit of democratic rights to the rest of humanity, even to their own compatriots, if they have the misfortune to belong to another religion, to another ethnicity." — Pascal Bruckner, author.
Instead of embracing these veils, a true feminism should defend the rights and freedoms of all women. It should not be ideologically submissive to those who repress women.
We are not talking about the dreary type of Muslim garment of Raqqa or Kabul, but a global market that is a Westernized, colorful, supposedly joyful Islamic enterprise.
First it was a Muslim woman wearing a hijab in Playboy. Then Nike released a "performance hijab" for athletes. Meanwhile, last spring, Aab, one of the world's leading Islamic clothing retailers, opened its first boutique in London, just in time for the annual London Fashion Week. Vogue Arabia published its first-ever print issue. Last month, Mattel unveiled, so to speak, the world's first hijab-wearing Barbie doll, who is apparently part of a new series dedicated to women "breaking social barriers".
A conformist and "inclusive" establishment, eager for profits, has turned the Islamic veil into a purportedly new symbol of freedom and fashion. Islamists have understood this psychology among Western elites, who are terrified to be accused of "Islamophobia". This is how Islamist misogyny has been turned into a global garment. Take a recent Vogue announcement:
"Dolce & Gabbana is producing a collection of hijabs and abayas [full-length Saudi covering for women] targeted to Muslim customers in the Middle East. To Muslim women with a taste for luxury fashion, this collection is an exciting development".
A model wearing a hijab and full-body covering walks the runway for the Anniesa Hasibuan collection at New York Fashion Week, February 14, 2017. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Anniesa Hasibuan)
Unfortunately, for most of women in the Middle East, veils and abayas are not an "exciting development", but an imposition by an obscurantist ideology. After the Islamic State was defeated in Raqqa, Syria, many women took to the streets to take off their veils. Last June, similar images were seen after Raqqa was first freed from the Islamist dictatorship. Women were filmed burning their veils.
Islamists have had trouble imposing hijabs and abayas without resorting to intimidation and violence; the Western establishment, however, seems to be helping them to succeed, while legitimizing their ideology, by turning these tools of oppression into a mainstream garment. For instance, a Swedish delegation of 15 officials visiting Iran, led by Sweden's Prime Minister, included 11 women; they wore Islamic headscarves "almost all of the time" while in Iran. Such European alacrity in submitting to political Islam was also clear in the shameful covering of nude statues in Rome during the visit of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2016.
The headscarf, even when it is worn freely, designates women, in the name of religion, as responsible for controlling sexual urges in men. By classifying women as either "modest" and "immodest", it is a sign of submission to Islamist codes inherited from the 7th century. Even to point out that this is said in their own books, such as the Quran, is considered "Islamophobic".
While the fashion industry is busy appeasing political Islam, women in many Islamic countries are still suffering violence and intimidation under Islamic law (sharia). The question of women's rights -- to drive a car (now finally permitted in Saudi Arabia); to ride a bicycle (forbidden in Iran); to leave the house without the permission of a male "guardian"; to have the same "value" in a court of law as a man; not to be beaten, and so on -- has become the standard for progress in the Islamic world.
In Indonesia, a woman was recently caned in public for "adultery". She was forced to kneel in front of a crowd of onlookers, then flogged 100 times by a masked enforcer, after which she had to be admitted to a hospital.
Meanwhile, in the UK, a country hosting some of these Islamic fashion events, The Independent is trying to deny that Muslim women are suffering abuses in the sharia courts that operate legally in Britain. In France, many cafés have become "no-go zones for women". The submission of women is not only being imposed in the Islamic world, but now also in Asia and the West.
According to the French philosopher Elisabeth Badinter, the view that all cultures are equally valid combined with the view that it is important to protect everyone's differences has "contributed to questioning the universality of human rights". Cultural relativism, on which this glamorization of Muslim veils is based, locks women into a subordinate condition. It also betrays all those Muslim women who dream of a world without religious commands -- such as obligatory virginity and being the sole bearers of honor for an entire family or clan -- and it betrays those women who long for a world where everyone can build his or her own identity. Does "breaking barriers" (as Mattel proclaims) mean, for a woman, social emancipation and freedom of choice, or submission and "modesty"?
The essayist Pascal Bruckner wrote:
"The enemies of freedom are first recruited from the free societies, from some of the enlightened elites who deny the benefit of democratic rights to the rest of humanity, even to their own compatriots, if they have the misfortune to belong to another religion, to another ethnicity".
Instead of embracing these veils, a true feminism should defend the rights and freedoms of all women. It should not be ideologically submissive to those who repress women. It should not refer women to their "culture of origin" on the pretext of not offending their "difference". That way just leads to reinforcing wife-beating, forced marriage, forced seclusion, polygamy, legal inequality, female genital mutilation, and being stoned to death for supposed "adultery," which all too often means being raped.
**Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

ISIS Takes Hold in Pakistan
Kaswar Klasra/Gatestone Institute/December 28/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11607/isis-pakistan
In February 2016, the director general of the Pakistani Intelligence Bureau warned the government that ISIS was emerging as a threat, with Pakistani terrorists providing a foothold for the group, whose Pakistani branch is called Walayat-e-Khurasan.
ISIS also enlists "partners of convenience" in Afghanistan and "outsources" terror attacks to Pakistani organizations -- such as Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar -- a recent UN Security Council counter-terrorism report revealed. In addition, as many as 100 Pakistanis left the country in 2015 to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
The most vulnerable victims of this threat are Christians, who make up a mere 2% of the Sunni Muslim-majority state. ISIS is only the latest terrorist group to have attacked Christians in Pakistan.
Concern over the extent of the presence and power of ISIS in Pakistan resurfaced on December 17, when a suicide-bombing at a church in Quetta left at least nine worshipers dead and more than 50 seriously wounded.
Had Pakistani security forces not responded swiftly to the attack on the Bethel Memorial Methodist Church -- where 400 men, women and children were attending Sunday services – the assailants "would have managed to reach the main hall of the building, and the death toll would have been much higher," Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial home minister of the Baluchistan province, where Quetta is located, told Gatestone Institute.
Responsibility for the attack -- in which two terrorists, clad in explosive vests and armed with AK-47 rifles -- was later claimed by ISIS, which has an impressive record of honesty in taking credit for attacks, in a statement published by the Amaq News Agency.
This was the sixth ISIS attack in Pakistan in the past year and a half. The first took place on August 8, 2016, when a suicide bomber killed at least 70 people and wounded more than 100 in an attack on a crowd of lawyers and journalists gathered in a government hospital in Quetta -- in the province that borders Afghanistan and Iran -- to mourn a lawyer who had been murdered earlier in the day. The attack was claimed by a joint ISIS-Taliban faction.
On October 24, 2016, ISIS claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a police training college in Quetta. The assault, committed by three heavily armed terrorists against sleeping cadets, left more than 60 dead and more than 165 others wounded.
On February 16, 2017, an ISIS-affiliated suicide bomber blew himself up at a Sufi shrine in Pakistan's Sindh province, killing more than 90 worshipers and wounding more than 300.
On April 18, 2017, the Pakistani army foiled a planned Easter suicide bombing against Christians in Lahore. Given the amount of explosives recovered from the perpetrators, had the attack succeeded, there would have been mass casualties.
On May 12, 2017, an ISIS suicide bombing on the convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistani Senate, traveling on the National Highway in the Mastung District of Baluchistan, left at least 28 people dead and 40 wounded.
On August 12, 2017, an ISIS suicide bombing on a convoy of the Pakistani military in Quetta left 15 people dead – among them eight soldiers – and 40 others wounded.
All of the above attacks could have been anticipated. In February 2016, the director general of the Pakistani Intelligence Bureau warned the government that ISIS was emerging as a threat, with Pakistani terrorists providing a foothold for the group, whose Pakistani branch is called Walayat-e-Khurasan. Operatives in neighboring Afghanistan have also been playing a major role in the terrorist network.
ISIS enlists "partners of convenience" in Afghanistan and "outsources" terror attacks to Pakistani organizations -- such as Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar -- a recent UN Security Council counter-terrorism report revealed. In addition -- according to Punjabi Law Minister Rana Sanaullah -- as many as 100 Pakistanis left the country in 2015 to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Both revelations are interesting in light of the fact -- told to reporters in Islamabad by Pakistani Ambassador to Iraq Ali Yasin Muhammad Karim after the liberation of Mosul in July 2017 -- that Pakistan secretly supported Iraq in the fight against the terrorist group.
"Pakistan's security forces have the capability and expertise to deal with terrorist groups," Mohammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security expert, told Gatestone Institute. "I hope they take the threat from ISIS seriously."
The most vulnerable victims of this threat are Christians, who make up a mere 2% of the Sunni Muslim-majority state. ISIS is only the latest terrorist group to have attacked Christians in Pakistan. During the period between 2009 and 2015, the terrorist umbrella organization Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was responsible for targeting them.
On September 22, 2013, for example, the TTP affiliate Jundallah carried out twin suicide bombings at the All Saints Church in Peshawar, killing 127 people, including women and children, and wounding more than 250. It was the deadliest attack against Christians in Pakistani history.
On March 27, 2016, a suicide bombing committed by Jamat-ul-Ahrar against Christian families celebrating Easter Sunday at a park in Lahore left at least 75 people dead and another 340 wounded, some of them Muslims who happened to be at the park that day.
Unless Pakistan increases its efforts to outlaw, eliminate and foil Islamist terrorism on its soil -- and to protect its Christians from the ongoing onslaught -- the attacks in Quetta will go on.
**Kaswar Klasra is a journalist based in Islamabad, Pakistan.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.