LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 31/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Tens of thousands of Palestinians swarm Gaza border, 15 killed by IDF fire
عشرات الآلاف من الفلسطينيين يجتازون حدود غزة و15 قتيل بنيران الجيش الإسرائيلي
Ynet reporters, AP, Reuters/March 30/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63558
The 'Great March of Return,' orchestrated by Hamas, draws some 30,000 Palestinians to the Gaza-Israel border; riots ensue, prompting IDF snipers to shoot at main instigators; Defense Minister Lieberman warns anyone who approaches security fence is putting his life in jeopardy; Hamas leader Haniyeh: 'Israel's threats do not scare us.'
At least 15 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were wounded by IDF gunfire along the Israel-Gaza border, Palestinian sources said Friday, as thousands swarmed the security fence as part of "The Great March of Return," called for by enclave's militant Hamas rulers.
It was the deadliest day in Gaza in several months. Ten of the Palestinians were killed during the clashes, a farmer was killed by pre-dawn tank fire in a separate incident, and four others from IDF tank fire at an observation post in the northern Gaza Strip.
The IDF said two of the Palestinians killed were members of Hamas's elite Nukhba force. The military also said all of the dead were terror activists aged 18 to 30. According to Palestinian reports, one of those killed was reportedly 16 while another was 33.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared Saturday would be a national day of mourning. "Israel is fully responsible for all of the aggression in Gaza today, and fully responsible for the death of Palestinians," Abbas said.
He ordered the Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad al-Maliki, to take all immediate steps to demand international protection for the Palestinian people.
The United Nations Security Council was due to meet later on Friday to discuss the situation in Gaza, diplomats said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said more than 1,400 were hurt in the clashes. The ministry clarified those injured included protesters hit by live bullets and rubber-coated steel pellets, while others were overcome by tear gas.
Palestinian health officials said 758 of the protesters were wounded by live gunfire, while others were struck by rubber bullets or treated for tear gas inhalation. Witnesses said the military had used a drone in at least one location to drop tear gas.
Clashes on the Gaza border as part of March of Return (Video: Reuters)
While protest organizers expected some 100,000 Palestinians to join the demonstration, the IDF estimated only about 30,000 showed up.
Organizers invested a lot of resource in free bus services to transport Gazans to the border, the construction of the tent encampments, and an aggressive public campaign among other things, with little results.
In addition, Palestinian witnesses said tens of thousands gathered in tent encampments set up at five sites at a distance of several hundred meters (yards) from the border, but that only some of them engaged in clashes, burning tires and throwing stones at IDF soldiers.
As the protest turned chaotic, the IDF declared the security fence on the Gaza Strip border a closed military zone and began dispersing demonstrators using riot control measures and firing at major instigators with live rounds.
An IDF force caught a seven-year-old Palestinian girl attempting to cross the border fence, and returned her back to her parents in Gaza.
The IDF said that the girl was encouraged to attempt to cross by Hamas, which "endangers women and children and uses them cynically."
GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that IDF forces spotted attempts to carry out terrorist attacks, including planting explosive charges on the security fence, under the cover of the mass demonstration. No IDF troops have been hurt in the clashes. IDF officials estimated early Friday evening the violent clashes on the Gaza border will continue in the coming days, and that even after the great mass of rioters are dispersed, attempts will continue to sabotage the border fence and carry out attacks.
"We didn't allow any crossing of the border fence so far, and no significant damage has been caused to our infrastructure near the fence," said the IDF's Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis. "What's been happening since this morning is a violent terror protest. We're still in the midst of the event. So far, we've succeeded in our mission, and anywhere there was an attempt to damage the fence, accurate fire was used with strength, determination and discretion," Manelis added.
"We have information about plans to carry out many terror attacks during the rioting. A significant terror incident will lead to a response by us that will not be limited to the border fence area," the IDF spokesman warned.
The March of Return, Hamas says, is intended to be a weeks-long peaceful demonstration advocating for the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel.
The IDF is on high alert as it sees the march as a hostile attempt by Hamas to sabotage IDF infrastructure and the Gaza security fence, and fear it may lead to a mass breach of the border.
Haniyeh: We will not give up right of return
In the meantime, the Hamas leadership visited the various protest locations: the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was east of Gaza City; Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar was at the southern Gaza Strip; and Gaza Interior Minister Fathi Hamad was at the northern Gaza Strip. They were seen among the crowd, encouraging the people and showing their support.
"This march demonstrates that there are no alternatives to Palestine and the right of return (for the Palestinian people)," Haniyeh told exuberant gatherers, praising their decision to leave their home and attend the protest to "write the future."
Haniyeh then brought to attention the goal of the march, teling attendees it constitutes "the beginning of a return (of the Palestinian people) to the entirety of the land of Palestine.""We will not give up and we will not bargain with the Zionist entity over even a small piece of the land of Palestine," Haniyeh continued, stressing they will reject any deal proposed by the Trump administration, who he blamed of trampling Palestinian right by "Trump's decision to grant Jerusalem to Israel."
"Israel's threats do not scare us. Our people went out today to make it clear that we will not give up Jerusalem and that there is no alternative to Palestine and the right of return. We will not accept the right of return staying only a slogan," he concluded, telling the crowd, "walk in the path of Allah—you are the victors."Sinwar, meanwhile, said the protests are a signal to Israel and the world that "our people will not accept the continuation of the siege."
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum praised the turnout. "The large crowds ... reflect the Palestinian people's determination to achieve the right of return and break the siege and no force can stop this right," he said.
Ahead of the protests, the military said it doubled its standard troop level along the border, deploying snipers, special forces and paramilitary border police units, which specialize in riot control. The army said it would not allow the crowds to breach the fence or damage military infrastructure.
Brig. Gen. Manelis said Israel wants to avoid violence, but warned the IDF will shoot anyone who approaches the border's security fence, enforcing a "no go" zone for Palestinians.
At one of five encampments, east of Gaza City, people clustered around the tents. An unpaved road linking the tents and the border fence was filled with people walking in both directions. People ran for cover from time to time to escape tear gas.
Ghanem Abdelal, 50, distributed water bottles to family members sitting on a mat near one of the tents. He said he hopes the protest "will bring a breakthrough, an improvement, to our life in Gaza."
Families brought their children to camps just a few hundred meters from the border fence, with football fields marked out in the sand, and scout bands playing.
But hundreds of Palestinian youths ignored calls from the organizers and from the IDF to keep away, increasing the risk of confrontation with Israeli troops who had taken up positions on the other side of the fence.
Some of the tents bore names of the refugees' original villages in what is now Israel, written in Arabic and Hebrew alike.
Eighty-year-old Mansi Nassar walked towards the sensitive frontier with the aid of his cane, disregarding entreaties to remain 700 metres (2,300 feet) from the barrier.
"I was born in Beit Darras inside Palestine and I will accept no less than returning to it," he said, referring to his former home village just south of the modern Israeli city of Ashdod. The village no longer exists.
Directly addressing the residents of Gaza in Arabic on twitter, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused Hamas of "playing" with their citizens' lives, which he warned will be put in danger should they approach the security fence.
"I suggest that get on with your lives and not participate in the provocation," he wrote, attempting to dissuade them from the protest.
The start of the demonstration was symbolically linked to what Palestinians call "Land Day," which commemorates the six Arab citizens of Israel killed by Israeli security forces in demonstrations in 1976 over land confiscations. The week-long Jewish holiday of Passover, when Israel heightens security, also begins Friday.
Just hours prior to the march, a Gaza man was killed and a second was wounded by an Israeli tank shell after they approached the security fence at the southern part of the strip and "carried out suspicious activity," according to the IDF.
The Gaza health ministry spokesman said the two were farmers. Residents there said they were gathering crops to sell later.
The protest is due to end on May 15, the day Palestinians call the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe," marking the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the conflict surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948.
While Gazans were rallying at the border, dozens of Palestinians commemorating Land Day clashed with IDF forces at the Beit El checkpoint at the entrance to Ramallah and in the Bab a-Zawiya neighborhood of Hebron, burning tires and throwing stones at security forces, which were using riot control measures to disperse them. 65 Palestinians were injured.
Palestinians have long demanded that as many as five million of their compatriots be granted the right to return. Israel rules this out, fearing an influx of Arabs that would eliminate its Jewish majority. Israel argues the refugees should resettle in a future state that the Palestinians seek in West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
**Elior Levy, Yoav Zitun, Moran Azulay and Matan Tzuri contributed to this report.

Why Iran fears Trump’s new national security team
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 30/18/
US President Donald Trump’s new national security team includes an intriguing character in John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the UN who will replace Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as national security adviser.
Trump’s move, which came just one week after he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, most likely occurred because the president was seeking to have a unified national security team — a critical point when it comes to having an effective and successful foreign policy. More importantly, one of the top foreign policy agenda items is linked to addressing the Iranian regime and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal. Previously, some significant differences existed, which were too deep to bridge. For example, unlike the president, McMaster and Tillerson were in favor of keeping the nuclear agreement.
Iran has reacted strongly to the new appointments by lashing out at the US and interfering in Washington’s domestic politics. For instance, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, called Bolton’s appointment a “matter of shame,” according to Fars News Agency. But the underlying reasons for Iran’s harsh reaction are actually anchored in the regime’s fears.
First of all, Trump’s recent appointment leads to a formation of one of the most determined national security teams in the history of the US when it comes to robustly countering the Iranian regime and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran’s ruling clerics fear that, with the appointment of Bolton and the exit of Tillerson, the national security team is totally in sync with the president regarding precisely what policies ought to be carried out in order to confront Iran’s increasing influence across the Middle East and beyond.
A United White House is set to focus on how to cooperate more closely with Arab states in order to counter Tehran’s destabilizing behavior and military adventurism in the Middle East.
From the perspective of the US national security team, the international community has exhausted diplomacy, negotiations and soft power efforts to change the Iranian regime’s destabilizing behavior, as well as stopping Tehran’s support for terrorist and militia groups across the region. Iran’s direct and indirect militaristic interventions, the supply of illicit weapons to its proxies, and its interference in the domestic affairs of Arab countries continue to escalate on an unprecedented level, particularly in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
For the first time, both Trump and his national security team agree that the nuclear agreement is flawed because it empowers and emboldens the Iranian regime with the flow of billions of dollars and enhanced global legitimacy.
On the other hand, it is important to point out that such a development does not mean that the Iranian regime will immediately moderate its foreign policies. In fact, based on the almost four-decade history of the ruling clerics, the regime will pursue more aggressive policies in the region in order to project its power in the hope of pressuring the other side to surrender.
It is worth noting that Iranian lawmakers have already announced they will seek to build closer ties with Russia in order to counter the policies of the US and its allies. Closer ties between Tehran and Moscow would allow Iran to be more empowered to intervene in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.
Secondly, the Iranian regime is concerned that the recent changes in the US national security team represent good news for Arab states in the Gulf. This is due to the notion that, not only is Trump’s team now in alignment with the president, but it is also in sync with Arab powers, specifically as both sides view the Iranian regime’s expansionism as a top national security threat.
Such developments have uniquely created a fundamental convergence of interests between Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the US. This could lead to a powerful multilateral force that can transform policies into concrete actions.
As a result, the White House will most likely be focusing on how to cooperate more closely with Arab states in order to counter Iran’s destabilizing behavior and military adventurism in the region.
This multilateral convergence of interests is what the Iranian regime fears because it can tip the regional balance of power against Tehran and its militias, and in favor of the Arab Gulf states.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council.
He serves on the boards of the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business.

Turkey’s Russia, Iran links are far from an alliance
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/March 30/18/
The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran will come together on April 4 in Istanbul for a three-way summit on Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be hosting his counterparts Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani in the second such tripartite summit following the one last November in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. In order to prepare the ground for this meeting, the foreign ministers of the three countries met in the Kazakh capital of Astana on March 16 to discuss the progress over the last year of the Astana process for Syria peace.
A day before the Istanbul summit, the Turkey-Russia High Level Cooperation Council will meet in Ankara. Besides the Syrian war and Turkish-Russian bilateral ties, one of the most interesting aspects of Putin’s visit will be a foundation laying ceremony for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which Putin and Erdogan are expected to attend.
This will be a second ground-breaking ceremony for Turkey’s first nuclear power plant after the first was held in April 2015, but the project was halted when Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border in November of the same year.
According to experts who follow Russo-Turkish relations closely, the nuclear plant, which will be built by Russia’s Rosatom in the Akkuyu district of the southern province of Mersin at a cost of $20 billion, is the largest joint project that symbolizes strategic relations between Moscow and Ankara.
The three countries have managed to turn Syria from a bone of contention into a bridge between their capitals, but it would be naive to expect their tactical cooperation to turn into a strategic partnership.
Thus, Putin’s presence at the ceremony would be highly significant and symbolic at a time when the West has its eyes fixed on the deepening ties between Turkey and Russia. This week, Turkish and Western leaders came together at a high-level summit in Varna, Bulgaria, where they agreed to accelerate Turkish-EU relations. However, they also underlined that not all the negatives between Ankara and Brussels have been left behind.
While both sides reiterated their commitment to continuing the dialogue, there was another significant development taking place between the West and Russia. On the same day, 14 EU member states expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in an orchestrated reaction over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the UK. Unlike those countries, Turkey has said it has no plans to expel Russian diplomats, saying Ankara and Moscow have positive and good relations and that Turkey was not in a position to take such action against Moscow.
In light of this decision, the summit on Syria in Istanbul aims to show a picture of strengthening collaboration among Turkey, Russia and Iran via the Astana peace process. I would prefer to call the Astana process a “cooperation” between these three countries rather than an “alliance,” as many experts and analysts describe the relationship. In light of the Astana talks, many started to argue that a new alliance had emerged among Moscow, Ankara and Tehran, particularly against a common threat: The US. However, it would not be wrong to argue that the theories of an alliance are likely to fail to explain the situation among the three countries in the Astana talks.
When looking closely at Turkey’s bilateral relations with both Russia and Iran from a historical perspective, it is clear that these countries have never formed an alliance and are unlikely to do so in the future. History is certainly a good guide. Although the current crisis in Turkish-US ties serves the interests of Russia and Iran, it would be simplistic to argue that these countries have formed an alliance against a common threat. There are still significant differences between these countries’ perceptions of the US presence in the Middle East.
Also, for its part, Ankara is unlikely to give up its special role in NATO because neither Turkey nor the alliance has good reason to cut ties.
Also, there are still existing differences among these three countries on a number of issues. However, one should give credit for their collaboration in the Astana process, which seems to be a good example of pragmatic, rational and result-oriented mediation efforts for the Syrian war.
Needless to say, among the several attempts at mediation, the Astana process that was launched in January 2017 with the aim of putting an end to the violence and improving the humanitarian situation in war-torn Syria seems to be the most realistic and successful, at least for now, when considering progress on the ground.The three countries have managed to turn Syria from a bone of contention into a bridge between three capitals. However, it would be naive to expect the tactical cooperation among these countries to turn into a strategic partnership or an alliance when considering the potential differences among them, which could resurface as a result of unpredictable developments on the ground. At the end of the day, these three countries are seeking a greater role in the Middle East in general and Syria in particular.
• Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkey's relations with the Middle East.

An Iranian hand and Qatari scream behind the Houthi missile attack
Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Arabiya/March 30/18
In the rich, transcendent city of Riyadh, shrapnel from a missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday night killed an Egyptian resident and injured other civilians. The criminal timing of the launch of the missile while Prince Mohammed bin Salman is on a tour in the United States. The Royal Air Defense Forces intercepted all seven missiles fired towards the kingdom – an act praised by the Saudi cabinet’s Tuesday session which was chaired by King Salman. It is no surprise that this terrorist organization launched these missiles with the aim of causing panic. This is what terror organizations such as Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, ISIS, al-Nusra Front and the Houthi Movement have in common. These groups’ main aim is to target the modern features of city life and take the world back to the dark ages. Saudi Arabia is a 300-year-old country that has fought dozens of wars. It has extensive military experience and has confronted several regimes and major powers. The storm following the Riyadh rocket incident is in our favor
Qatar’s gloating
After these missiles were intercepted, a close neighbor celebrated this criminal event against Saudi Arabia via its media outlets. The Qatari regime employed all its media platforms to celebrate and rejoice the missile attack. Some media outlets even stated that Riyadh was struck by an earthquake following the explosion, and that its streets wore a deserted look. The truth is that it was just another ordinary day for the bustling city of Riyadh and its seven million inhabitants. Dozens of videos taken by citizens showed that life was normal in the city on the same day, and that this rocket made no impact whatsoever except on social media networks. What’s more important than the firing of the weak missiles is analyzing the incident from a political and security angle. The missiles were made by Iran, and countries must investigate how Houthis attained them.
The British have already raised this rightful demand. As the date for determining the fate of the nuclear deal by the US approaches in May, Iran is trying to attract the world’s attention in any way possible. It is eager to trigger a war to internally stabilize the regime after protests erupted against it and after the society’s criticism of the regime escalated. It is important to confront Iran through political means and to enhance the presence of Iranian opposition groups regionally and internationally while economically isolating the regime. Such a response would send shockwaves within Iran. However, engaging in a military confrontation will not be useful. We must fight it politically and diplomatically and we will accomplish this especially with the rise of parties that Saudi Arabia has always been able to cooperate with, notably within the United States and Britain.
The sham terror list
We also must take into account the Qatari regime and its political and media practices by preparing real, effective sanctions that would affect the regime’s core. If the festivity over the attack on Saudi Arabia was issued by a country that’s bigger and more significant than Qatar, we would have considered it a declaration of war. As such, supporting the boycott and prolonging it, seeking greater and more stringent methods, confronting it with media and politics, and exposing its terrorism internationally is essential. We must never tire of exposing Qatar's schemes and conspiracies in order to caution the world of its devious designs, especially its support of terrorist organizations such as Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas, al-Qaeda, the Houthis and the Muslim Brotherhood. The terror list which Qatar issued aims to ease its international discomfort especially that when US President Trump met his great guest, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he said that “the United States would sever its relations with countries that support terrorism.” A simple reason why the Qatari terror list is a trick is that one of those listed, Mubarak al- Alajji, recently participated in an official sports championship in Doha, and was honored with a prize after his victory. This has been reported by Al Arabiya news channel and its website in great detail. Saudi Arabia is a 300-year-old country that has fought dozens of wars. It has extensive military experience and has confronted several regimes and major powers. The storm following the Riyadh rocket incident is in our favor. We now have the right to discipline the criminals involved in this incident and to decisively and firmly deal with them to protect the region and the world from their evil designs. “But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.”

A return ticket to the past
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Arabiya/March 30/18
Those who wish to go back to the past suffer from a sick nostalgia and are deceived by a modified image of what they think were rosy days. They have not really thought about the scientific discoveries and moral and intellectual developments which made our world ten times better than the gloomy past.
If we bring back some important figures from the past to our present day, and house them in the most luxurious hotels, put them on board the most expensive flights, send them to the opera, have them spend vacations in the most beautiful islands while they taste the most delicious food and hand them iPhones, they will prefer to spend hours on WhatsApp and Twitter and stay in the present day for good instead of going back to the primitive past with all its glories.
The scene is different in the past where someone could simply smash your head to pieces because you have a different religion or sect. A long intellectual journey led humanity to a new phase that overcomes all old perceptions that humanity was locked up in for centuries
Difficulty in treating diseases
On the scientific level, today’s inventions were not known only 400 years ago. No one knew what DNA was, or the Big Bang theory or how things came into existence. They did not know what caused diseases and how to treat them so many people died of illnesses which you can now treat by simply buying some pills from your nearest pharmacy. The plague, which was known as the Black Death, killed one third of Europe’s population. A man would get sick from it and die a week later, however, this disease is no longer present today. The medical condition scurvy killed millions of sailors and its treatment today is simply effervescent vitamin C tablets. Their children used to die before their eyes and they did not know how to save them. People in the past thought the earth was flat and did not go to the extremities because they feared they’d fall. They did not know anything about gravity. If they see the GPS we have today they’d deem it magic and sorcery. People did not know why lunar eclipses happened so some priests exploited their ignorance and promised them that the moon will return to its normal state only if they make offerings like money or beautiful women.
In short, life and everything about it was a mystery to them. People roamed the earth with low IQ levels due to a severe lack of knowledge. If someone over the age of 40 from our present day decides to go back to the past, they will probably die as at the time, life expectancy was 35 years due to the spread of wars, diseases and crime, and due to the absence of police cars and surveillance cameras!
Moral development
On the moral level, human values and ethics have greatly developed in recent decades. For example, terms like human rights emerged, whereas if we go back to the past and mention such terms to people they will be confused and perhaps ask what human and what rights? The idea of man as a moral concept and independent entity only emerged in recent decades. This is why the idea of slaves was accepted in the past and did not trigger any qualms. The opposite is true today as the idea of slaves is not only immoral, but it’s also legally criminalized. Why? Because we have morally and psychologically developed. The same applies to marrying minor girls. This was accepted in the past but it’s now prohibited and rejected because it violates the present conscience which developed with time until it reached its best phases today, despite all other problems. Racism which categorizes people and measures pureblood was an accepted idea in the past, even at universities in the 1930’s where it was a recognized major. This is what Hitler relied on for his Nazi theory which made him kill people with physical disabilities using furnaces and gas chambers as he viewed them as a burden and a black stain which must be purged from the blood of the Aryan race.
Women and intellectual development
Women were followers and second-class citizens. However today, two of the most important countries in the world are led by women, Angela Merkel and Theresa May. Women advanced from being maids to becoming leaders reflective of civilized development over the centuries. The idea of sabaya (slaves) is shameful and is a serious violation of human rights in our times but it was accepted in the past. If those who are obsessed with the past think that the possibility that they may be slaves who are sold and bought for cheap prices is highly likely, they will give up on the idea of returning to the past altogether.
On the intellectual level, humanity developed during the past centuries because education prospered and illiteracy rates decreased. During the Middle Ages, priests were the only ones who knew how to read while others drowned in the dark. The more we go back in history, the higher illiteracy rates become. There were no schools, universities or majors. There were no students to begin with. This is why bitter religious, sectarian and tribal wars which killed millions of people erupted. Nothing defeated intolerance and intolerant people except thinkers and philosophers who shattered their ideas and transferred humanity to a whole different level. Today’s world has, despite religious and sectarian problems in some countries, overcome these wars. Global airports are the biggest example of the unprecedented mingling among people. The scene is different in the past where someone could simply smash your head to pieces because you have a different religion or sect. A long intellectual journey led humanity to a new phase that overcomes all old perceptions that humanity was locked up in for centuries. It’s for all these reasons and more that our world is much better than the lie of the rosy and romantic past which bad novelists and fake poets praise and which exaggerating preachers sanctify. For those people, we can book a one-way ticket to the past with no return.

The Shirazis and the media
Hassan Al Mustafa/Arabiya/March 30/18
In 1968, a total of 40 people, divided into four groups, gathered to learn literary writing under the supervision of Sayyid Mujtaba Shirazi, the son of late reference Mehdi Shirazi in Karbala. This was part of their Resalah related work (treatise on practical law) led by Sayyid Mujtaba’s brother Sayyid Ayatollah Mohammad al-Shirazi. Only four of these 40 people graduated from this course. One of these four men was Sheikh Ahmed al-Katib, the author of the book The Development of Shiite Political Thought, who later became critical of the Shiarzi Movement and the religious rhetoric’s nostalgia for the past.
What can be noted is that the Shirazi Movement was one of the most significant religious movements to use the media at an early stage. It was taken by the media and its guise, and it managed to promote its ideas, incense its opponents and recruit more followers through it
Early beginnings
In the 1960’s, a series of monthly books entitled The Sources of Islamic Culture was published over a period of 10 years under the supervision of Sayyid Sadiq al-Shirazi who is now the most followed reference among Shirazi Muqallideen (those who conformed to Shirazi’s teachings).
Back then, the Shirazi Movement, which was first formed in the city of Karbala, issued the magazines Morals and Ethics and Answers to Religious Matters.
This early interest in writing and publication was addressed in Sayyid Hassan al-Shirazi’s book, Literary Work. Heads of the Shirazi school believe that Islam was presented to people in an old and unattractive way, which forced them to be distant from it. Therefore, it was necessary to formulate a new and beautiful rhetoric that carries the message of Islam and influences the nation.
Revolutionary media
After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the Shirazi Movement gained more prominence in the media, especially after it established good relations with the regime in Tehran and raised Arabic-speaking cadres. This made the Shirazi Movement among the top participants of the “revolutionary” media work. Sheikh Ahmed al-Katib, who had strong ties with Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed al-Shirazi, was one of the main contributors in establishing the Arabic-speaking Voice of the Islamic Revolution radio station in Abadan. He also presented a program called Today’s Iraq is looking for a Hussein for a year. People who did not belong to the Shirazi Movement helped establish this Arabic-speaking radio station, such as journalist Masoud al-Fak and others who belonged to the movement in support of Imam Khomeini. Some of these individuals later become opposition figures against the guardianship of the jurist and were interrogated and imprisoned. Iraqi members who belonged to the Islamic Action Organization, such as Doctor Mohsen al-Qazwini, Sheikh Sadiq al-Abadi and Sheikh Saheb al-Sadiq were engaged in media work since the beginning of the revolution, either via radio stations, television channels and magazines and newspapers.
Education and training
In 1985, Ahmed al-Katib established the media institution which operated for few years and contributed to teaching media studies to young men who were not skilled at professional writing. Sheikh Katib believed that the Shirazi Movement – although it began dealing with the media in the early stages – did not know the real and professional meaning of journalism and relied on a literary tone that addresses instincts. He criticized this rhetoric’s “superficiality and lack of depth in analyses.”The seminary of the “rising Imam” in Tehran, which included cadres and religious students who followed the reference of Sayyid Mohammed al-Shirazi, did not have a negative stance towards the media and did not prevent students from reading newspapers and magazines, like some traditional seminaries did. It even published its own magazines and bulletins, such as the magazine Insights. It also organized workshops on journalism and media. Attending these workshops was obligatory for the movement members and elective for clerics.
Political media
For over 30 years, the Shirazi Movement was active in the media and produced a number of magazines, dailies and bulletins, hundreds of books and thousands of cassettes. Then it began launching religious satellite television channels.
The movement’s work in print media tackled three major fields which were politics, culture and heritage. Politics provided rich material for writing and these products acted as a propaganda tool in the conflict between organizations which operated under the Shirazi reference and opposing political regimes specifically in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Financial support from the Shirazi reference and Shirazi supporters as well as the facilitations which the Iranian regime provided - until disputes escalated with the Shirazi Movement and eventually led to severing ties in 1987 - helped produce this printed work.
The most important political publications are: 1. The monthly Martyr magazine, which began issuing its prints in 1980, followed up on the Islamic Revolution in Iran and its revolutionary rhetoric which it was in support of. Several men held the post of editor-in-chief there such as Sheikh Sadeq al-Abadi, Sheikh Saheb al-Sadeq and Nizar Haidar. The magazine included different movements operating under the Shirazi reference.
2. The weekly Islamic Work daily whose editor-in-chief was Nizar Haidar. It was issued by the Islamic Action Organization affiliated with the movement of Sayyid Mohammed Taqi al-Modarresi.
3. The monthly Islamic Revolution magazine which was issued by the Organization for the Islamic Revolution in the Arabian Peninsula. In the beginning of the 1990’s, the magazine’s name was changed into The Magazine of the Arabian Peninsula. Its editor-in-chief was Dr Hamza al-Hassan.
Changing the name of the magazine reflected a political transformation in the organization’s intellect. This was accompanied with editorial change as the magazine publications adopted a softer and more realistic rhetoric to suit the transitional phase which witnessed intensified dialogue and negotiations for the return of the Reform Movement members to Saudi Arabia and the suspension of their opposing political activity in 1993.
4. The magazine Saudi Affairs, which later became a website, was publishing from London under the supervision of Dr. Hamza al-Hassan, who did not stay in Saudi Arabia for long after the Reform Movement was dissolved. Hassan returned to Britain and resumed his opposition activities from there. The magazine included political and legal studies and it formed the intellectual framework of Reform Movement members who defected and opposed the movement of Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar and his new political rhetoric in support of communicating with the Saudi government. The magazine which is no longer published cannot be categorized within the Shirazi Movement projects because its godfather had left the movement’s framework and adopted his own political orientations and intellect and eventually a more strict rhetoric following the Arab Spring developments in 2011.
5. Al-Baqi' Magazine was a Persian monthly publication affiliated with the Organization for the Islamic Revolution in the Arabian Peninsula. Said Khakrand was its editor-in-chief for some time. The magazine’s publication was also discontinued.
6. Al-Ahdath newspaper was a political daily printed six days a week from London. It began publishing in 1988, around 3 months before Al-Hayat newspaper began publishing from London.
The newspaper marked a transformation in the methodology of youths who were raised in Al-Shirazi school as they began to think in a more realistic way, to expand the scope of their concerns and sought to be present in the entire Arab media arena and not just the Shiite one.
Al-Ahdath adopted an approach that kept away from political propaganda as much as possible. According to those who followed up with the publication of this daily, the latter did not take opposing and strict stances towards Arab governments. The team included people from different countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain. The newspaper thus gained the interest of many, especially during the war to liberate Kuwait in 1991 as it covered the developments in details.
An editor at Al-Ahdath said the daily was printed late at night, thus it was capable of publishing more news from dailies which had concluded the editions for the day, like Al-Hayat newspaper. He added that Al-Ahdath did not compete with Ash-Sharq al-Awsat and Al-Hayat but sometimes it did a better job at spreading the news faster. He added that at the time, Al-Ahdath surpassed other dailies like Al-Arab newspaper that was published from London.
Al-Ahdath’s publication was also discontinued in the 1990’s.
7. Al-Resaliah Culture magazine, a monthly political publication affiliated with the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain.
8. Al-Hoda magazine, a monthly publication that addressed political and cultural affairs and which was published in Iraq by Dar Al-Hoda for Culture and Information. It represents the thinking approach of the reference - Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Taqi al-Modarresi. The magazine is extant to this day.
Criticism and support of Shirazi publications
Some observers view these magazines and dailies as part of a historical era that was characterized by conflicts between opposition organizations, both leftist and religious, with governments in the region and as a normal product of change following the Iranian revolution in 1979 – despite the experience’s adverse or positive aspects. Others think these magazines and dailies contributed to forming political awareness, even if relatively, among Arab Shiite. However, some intellectuals and writers think these publications contributed to a political rift between Shiite populace and the regimes in states where they lived, which complicated problems and deceived young men into joining these movements “whose political ideology was immature.”
These different perspectives are based on one’s partisan political and intellectual stances. However, what can be noted is that the Shirazi Movement was one of the most significant religious movements to use the media at an early stage. It was taken by the media and its guise, and it managed to promote its ideas, incense its opponents and recruit more followers through it. However, this same movement fell into the trap of narcissism which inflates the self.
Jurisprudential, intellectual and cultural magazines, related to the Shirazi Movement or figures and their contribution to conceptual changes will be the next topic of my discussion in this series of articles.