Detailed Lebanese & Lebanese Related LCCC English New Bulletin For October 26/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes!
Matthew 18/06-10: "‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes! ‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. ‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven."

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Titles For The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 25-26/18
Saudi says Turkish probe shows Khashoggi murder 'premeditated'/Mohamad Ali Harissi/AFP News/AFP News24 October 2018
The pullout from the nuclear treaty stilll leaves the US with one major problem: how to stop rogue states from proliferating/Con Coughlin/The national/October 25, 2018
Britain's Grooming Gangs: Part 3/Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/October 25/18
Muslim Brotherhood Front Organizations, U.S. and Canada/Tom Quiggin/Gatestone Institute/January 31/17
Canada Supports, Infantilizes Jihadis/Judith Bergman//Gatestone Institute/June 26/18
The need to resolve crises in the Middle East/Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/October 25/18
Will Moscow host Syria-Israel peace talks/Shehab Al-Makahleh/Al Arabiya/October 25/18
Iranian propaganda seeks to create discord and influence elections/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 25/18


Titles For The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on October 25-26/18
Strong Thunderstorm Wreaks Havoc across Lebanon
Hariri receives US Special envoy to Syria and French parliamentary delegation
Bassil Departs for Warsaw on Official Visit
Report: Meetings Related to Lebanese Situation Held in Saudi Arabia
Miyeh Miyeh Clashes Subside after Two Wounded
LF Representation 'Obstacle' Lingers, Adwan Says ‘No Govt. without Us’
Judge Abu Ghaida Resigns
Satellite Images Show Deployment of S-300 Missiles in Northern Syria
Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Gemayel Addresses Gender Equality at IPCI Conference
Dagher: Government Formation Stalemate Is a Joke
Kataeb Leadership Meets EPP Delegation
Jumblatt, Rampling tackle political developments
Rampling visits Beirut Chamber, affirms ongoing UK support to Lebanon
 
Titles For The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 25-26/18
Saudi Says Turkish Probe Shows Khashoggi Murder 'Premeditated'
Saudi Prince Attends Intelligence Meeting
Intense shelling around Syria truce zone despite deal
UN Rapporteur: A new wave of executions, suppressions in Iran
Egypt plans relocating eight million citizens to Sinai
Iranian journalist arrested over ‘insults’ to Imam
Iran thwarted in attempt to manipulate new Iraqi govt
Manhunt underway after bombs sent to US Democrats, Trump critics
Trump says ‘bringing out the military’ to protect US border
De Niro, Biden Latest Suspected Targets as Trump Slams Media
Ethiopia appoints first female president
Egyptian officials: Roadside bomb kills three workers in Sinai
School Students among 17 Killed in Jordan Flash Floods

The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on October 25-26/18
Strong Thunderstorm Wreaks Havoc across Lebanon
Naharnet/October 25/18/A powerful thunderstorm carrying hail and strong winds wreaked havoc on Thursday across Lebanon. The storm, which is expected to subside Friday afternoon, damaged cars, shops and apartments in the capital and its suburbs. A social media video showed a destroyed huge scaffold scattered over damaged cars in Beirut's coastal Raouche area. Another scaffold facing possible collapse meanwhile forced the closure of the capital's busy Hamra Street, according to the Traffic Management Center. A ceiling meanwhile collapsed in the Jnah area, forcing the diversion of traffic to side roads. Strong winds also uprooted palm trees in Raouche, according to the National News Agency. The glass facade of a shop belonging to the Alfa telecom operator also collapsed in the Dekweneh area due to hail and strong winds. Citizens were meanwhile stranded in their cars in several areas in Beirut's eastern and southern suburbs, where some streets turned into water ponds. The Mount Lebanon areas of Aley, Upper Metn and Khalwat Falougha were also lashed by huge pellets of hail which damaged crops, apple trees and cars.

Hariri receives US Special envoy to Syria and French parliamentary delegation
Thu 25 Oct 2018/NNA - Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri received this evening at the Center House the US Special Envoy to Syria and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Levant Affairs Joel Rayburn, in the presence of the American Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard. After the meeting, Rayburn said: “We are very pleased to visit Beirut today, where we had a series of engagements with government figures, members of Parliament, and members of Lebanese private sector. We are here to get their advice on how the United States can help Lebanon move forward in a positive direction and also how the United States and Lebanon can work together in our shared interests for regional stability and security. We are very pleased to have the same exchange of views and advice with Prime Minister Hariri. I am here to talk about Lebanon, for Lebanon’s sake, because we have such a close partnership with Lebanon and we always want to extend that partnership. But I am also here because Syria is such a big concern for Lebanon just as it is for the United States in all the different elements of the Syrian conflict that has such a big significance for the surrounding region. So we are here with our Lebanese partners to work towards a common goal for the solution for Syria.” He also received a French delegation, led by the head of the Foreign affairs committee at the French National assembly Marielle de Sarnez and the head of the Foreign affairs committee at the French Senate Christian Cambon. The delegation was accompanied by the French Ambassador to Lebanon Bruno Foucher. Hariri also met with the Head of the Defense Office at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Dorothée Le Fraper du Hellen. Earlier, Hariri received the former President of Georgetown University Father Leo O’Donovan.

Bassil Departs for Warsaw on Official Visit

Naharnet/October 25/18/Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil departed on Thursday leading an official delegation to Warsaw on an official visit, the State-run National News Agency said. During his visit, Bassil will meet his Polish counterpart, state ministers for presidential affairs, economic development, agriculture and rural development, refugees and humanitarian affairs, and the president of the Senate, NNA said. He is also scheduled to meet the Lebanese community in Bologna.

Report: Meetings Related to Lebanese Situation Held in Saudi Arabia
Naharnet/October 25/18/Discussions about the “situation” in Lebanon will reportedly be held in Saudi Arabia in the “next hours” in parallel with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s presence in the Kingdom, al-Joumhouria daily said on Thursday. Center House sources of the Premier said the “announcement by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the extension of Hariri’s visit to Riyadh means there will be meetings in the coming hours related to the situation in Lebanon.”“Hariri will return to Beirut tonight at the latest," the sources added. Hariri is in Riyadh to partake in the Future Investment Initiative forum. He held talks Wednesday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and joined Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in addressing the global investment forum in the Saudi capital. The Saudi Crown Prince on Wednesday commented sarcastically on reports suggesting that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri had been held against his will in Saudi Arabia last year. “PM-designate Hariri will stay in Saudi Arabia for two days, so I hope there won't be rumors that he's kidnapped,” MBS quipped in remarks to an investment conference in Riyadh, flanked by Hariri and Bahrain's crown prince. For his part, Hariri told a session of the Future Investment Initiative that “Lebanon will form a national unity government that would address the concerns of Lebanese citizens.”Adding that “there should be women and young politicians in the new government. An all-women government would be better for Lebanon,” he said.

Miyeh Miyeh Clashes Subside after Two Wounded
Naharnet/October 25/18/Heavy clashes erupted Thursday at the Miyeh Miyeh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon between the mainstream Fatah Movement and the Hizbullah-backed Islamist faction Ansarullah. The sounds of shelling and gunfire were being heard across the city of Sidon, the National News Agency said. The agency later reported that the fighting had subsided following Lebanese and Palestinian political contacts and meetings. It also reported that two people had been injured -- a Fatah member and a civilian. NNA said stray bullets from the clashes reached areas that neighbor the camp such as the town of Hlaliyeh east of Sidon, where one of the gunshots penetrated the glass facade of one of the houses without causing casualties.The fighting also sparked panic among the region's residents, who have urged authorities to put an end to the recurrent clashes, the agency added. MP Bahia Hariri of al-Mustaqbal Movement meanwhile had held a series of phone calls aimed at reaching “an instant ceasefire,” NNA said. Hariri's contacts involved Fatah's most senior official in Lebanon Fathi Abu al-Ardat, Hamas' top official in Lebanon Ahmed Abdul Hadi, the chief of Lebanese military intelligence in the South Brig. Gen. Fawzi Hamadi, and the head of military intelligence in Sidon Brig. Gen. Mamdouh Saab. The clashes between the two movements had first erupted on October 16, leaving several people dead. Lebanese Army units had on Wednesday redeployed around the camp in order to “bring the security situation under control,” the army said in a statement. An army force had deployed Tuesday at the camp's entrance before withdrawing abruptly for “logistic reasons,” the National News Agency said.

LF Representation 'Obstacle' Lingers, Adwan Says ‘No Govt. without Us’
Naharnet/October 25/18/In light of persisting delay in the government formation, Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan stressed on Thursday that no government is going to be formed without the Lebanese Forces, amid “complaints that the party has been given more than it deserves.”“No government is going to be formed without the Lebanese Forces. Only Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is entitled to lineup the government, and he is the one entitled to grant us our demands,” said Adwan. Meanwhile, informed sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, told LBCI that “everyone agrees the LF has taken three things more than they deserve.”“The President (Michel Aoun) has conceded the deputy prime minister post, Hariri has given them an additional ministerial portfolio, while the Free Patriotic Movement has given them an additional seat,” they added, noting that “none of the political parties is willing to give anything more.”Wrangling over Christian shares is the main obstacle delaying the formation of the new government after the so-called Druze hurdle was resolved. Hizbullah-backed Sunni MPs opposed to Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement have also demanded that they be allocated a seat in the government but Hariri has played down the issue and noted that it does not represent an obstacle.

Judge Abu Ghaida Resigns
Naharnet/October 25/18/First Military Investigative Judge Riad Abu Ghaida has announced his resignation from the judiciary to run for the membership of the Constitutional Council, the National News Agency reported. Abu Ghaida submitted his resignation to the Supreme Judicial Council on Wednesday, which accepted the resignation and referred it to caretaker Minister of Justice Salim Jreissati to issue a decree to terminate his services and refer him to retirement, said NNA. Abu Ghaida has spent 38 years in the judiciary. He plans to submit his candidacy for the membership of the Constitutional Council.

Satellite Images Show Deployment of S-300 Missiles in Northern Syria

Agencies/hursday 25th October 2018/One of the S-300 aerial defense batteries deployed in Syria has been documented in an image produced by an Israeli-made satellite, Haaretz newspaper revealed. The images show the battery’s four launchers and the satellite’s manufacture, ImageSat International, believes it is not currently operational because some components are still missing. The battery is deployed in the Maysaf area north of the city of Homs in the northern part of the country. There is a network of Syrian security industries in this area, where Iran and Syria are reportedly attempting to manufacture precise weaponry for Hezbollah. According to Arab media reports the area has been attacked by Israel several times in recent years. The process of training Syrian soldiers to be stationed at the missile batteries is expected to take some time, and the new batteries have not yet reached operational readiness.
Over the weekend the Russian daily Izvestia reported that the three aerial defense systems that Russia supplied to Syria in late September following the downing of a Russian plane, are of the more advanced version of the S-300 missiles, which has higher radar and target identification capabilities. It was also reported that at least in the first stage, the batteries will be operated by Russian specialists. Israeli defense officials believe that the Israel Air Force can, if needed, overcome the new batteries and attack more targets in Syria.

Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Gemayel Addresses Gender Equality at IPCI Conference
Kataeb.org/ Thursday 25th October 2018/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel attended the 7th International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI) held in Ottawa, where he focused on Lebanon and the Arab countries’ challenges when it comes to unresolved issues related mainly to gender equality. This conference aims to promote dialogue among parliamentarians from all regions of the world on the implementation of the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action, with a view to achieving further commitment to collective action in the areas of resource mobilization and the creation of an enabling policy environment for population and development. Being one of the speakers in a panel discussion, Gemayel pointed out to the remarkable progress that Lebanon has witnessed in the past 10 years in terms of approving several laws that foster gender equality, notably the ones related to the abolition of honor crimes, protection of women and other family members against domestic violence, criminalization of human trafficking, abrogation of the Article 522 of the Lebanese Penal Code which used to exempt the rapist from any criminal responsibility if he marries his victim.
Gemayel also pinpointed the challenges that are still impeding full equality between women and men in Lebanon, especially amid the absence of a binding women’s quota in the parliamentary elections. In this framework, he provided an insight into the draft law proposed by the Kataeb lawmakers to adopt a quota of 30% in the municipal and parliamentary elections, noting that the Kataeb party was the only one to vote for it the Parliament. The Kataeb leader also addressed the flaws marring Lebanon's personal status law which still discriminates between men and women, especially when it comes to inheritance and children custody. The two-day event was organised by the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (CAPPD), the Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (IAPG), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF), and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. More than 90 parliamentarians from over 70 countries have agreed on a forward-looking declaration that aims to foster understanding of and consensus around the urgency to address current political discourse on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Dagher: Government Formation Stalemate Is a Joke
Kataeb.org/ Thursday 25th October 2018/Kataeb politburo member Serge Dagher on Thursday described the ongoing government formation stalemate as a "joke", saying that Lebanon can no longer bear the negative repercussions of further delay. In an interview on Voice of Lebanon radio station, Dagher renewed call for a technocrat government that is supported by political forces, stressing that such a Cabinet should be granted power to manage the country's affairs and put it on the right track. Dagher noted that it is unacceptable to form a government that is a miniature replica of the Parliament, adding that there will be no accountability if all parliamentary blocs are represented in the government. "If the Parliament is inside the government, then who will hold the Cabinet accountable for its performance?" Dagher asked. The Kataeb member stressed that the government formation would give a significant boost to the country, noting, however, that what really matters is that the new Cabinet sets out a clear economic plan and introduces reforms. "We want to live a normal life whereas hard economic risks are looming ahead. We must take action, carry out reforms and improve performance." Dagher assured that the Kataeb party will always stand up in the face of shady deals, saying that it will continue to fulfill its national task very seriously.

Kataeb Leadership Meets EPP Delegation

Kataeb.org/ Thursday 25th October 2018/A delegation from the European People's Party met with the Kataeb leadership earlier this week, with talks featuring high on the recent developments in Lebanon as well as the ongoing partnership between the two parties. Participants hailed the Kataeb party’s actions and the role it is playing in the Lebanese political life, praising its commitment to fighting corruption, respecting the state institutions, as well as preserving Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence. The meeting took place at the Kataeb headquarters in Saifi and was attended by the party's Deputy-President Salim Sayegh, Secretary- General Nazar Najarian, MP Elias Hankache, Kataeb's Deputy Secretary-General Patrick Richa and the International Affairs Officer Marwan Abdallah.

Jumblatt, Rampling tackle political developments

Thu 25 Oct 2018/NNA - "Progressive Socialist Party" head Walid Jumblatt, on Thursday evening welcomed at his Clemenceau residence the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, with talks between the pair reportedly touching on most recent political developments in Lebanon and the broad region.

Rampling visits Beirut Chamber, affirms ongoing UK support to Lebanon
Thu 25 Oct 2018/NNA - A work meeting was held on Thursday at the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chamber of Commerce and industry, attended by the economic bodies, led by Mohammed Choucair, and British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, accompanied by the Embassy's Trade Department head, Paul Khawaja, and the Embassy's Second Secretary Natasha Stotesbury. As per a statement by the Beirut Chamber, the two sides discussed means to bolster economic relations and enhance cooperation between the private sectors in both countries. Discussions also covered measures needed to be taken in this context after the British exit from the European Union, as per statement. Choucair welcomed the British ambassador at the Chamber, highlighting the deeply rooted relations between the two countries. Choucair hailed Britain's economic status in the world, saying the Lebanese private sector is highly interested in strengthening bilateral cooperation in a bid to develop trade exchange and benefit from the available investment opportunities, and most importantly to benefit from the expertise and modern technology adopted in Britain on more than one level. "Lebanon has promising investment opportunities, which are related to the infrastructure development projects approved by the CEDRE conference, as well as in other sectors, especially oil and gas," Choucair corroborated. Choucair also underlined the paramount importance of bolstering bilateral economic relations. Ambassador Rampling, for his part, said he was pleased to be in Lebanon, especially in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chamber, to discuss investment and trade opportunities between the two countries and how to continue to support the Lebanese economy and strengthen cooperation between the two sides. Rampling also shed light on the longstanding historical relations between Lebanon and Britain, which extend for decades in the field of economy, education and many other services. The ambassador affirmed the UK's ongoing support to Lebanon. "We have a lot of opportunities to strengthen trade relations and cooperation between the UK and Lebanon," Rampling said, announcing the holding of an investment conference in the UK on December 12 to explore investment opportunities. The British ambassador also highlighted the importance of forming the Lebanese government and the role it plays in advancing the Lebanese economy.

The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 25-26/18
Saudi Says Turkish Probe Shows Khashoggi Murder 'Premeditated'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/18/Saudi Arabia acknowledged on Thursday that the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi appeared to have been premeditated, based on information from Turkey, as it sought to draw a line under the crisis. It was the latest twist in the shifting official narrative of the October 2 killing which U.S. President Donald Trump has derided as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history. The Saudi public prosecutor said he was making the latest assessment on the basis of evidence supplied by Turkey which has been the source of the spate of grisly revelations about the government critic's death that triggered an international outcry. After first insisting Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, Saudi authorities said he was killed in an argument that degenerated into a brawl, then admitted he was murdered before finally accepting what Turkey had said virtually from the start -- that he was killed in a premeditated hit. As the Saudi public prosecutor made the new admission on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Riyadh still needed to provide answers to remaining questions, such as who ordered the hit and what happened to Khashoggi's body. "Information from the Turkish authorities indicates that the act of the suspects in the Khashoggi case was premeditated," the office of public prosecutor Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. "The public prosecution continues its investigation with suspects... to complete the course of justice." The slow drip of admissions cast a pall over a showcase three-day investment forum that was closing on Thursday with organizers putting a brave face on the array of no-shows among big-name guests. The Saudi energy minister said foreign companies which boycotted the Future Investment Forum (FII) had "apologized" and vowed a return to normal ties. "Some companies abstained from the conference due to political pressure as a result of an odious campaign directed from outside the kingdom which has failed," Khalid al-Falih told state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel. "All the companies that abstained have been calling us during the past 48 hours to apologize and express regret," and vowed to open offices and restore normal relations, Falih said.
Turkey says questions remain
Economy and Planning Minister Mohammed al-Tuwaijri told the conference that Saudi oil giant Aramco was "absolutely ready" for its long-awaited massive IPO although several regulatory procedures remained. The investment conference, dubbed "Davos in the desert", aimed at drawing foreign investors to help Riyadh diversify its oil-reliant economy. A long list of investors and international policymakers declined to show up in Riyadh over the Khashoggi murder. Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser, corporate chiefs from JP Morgan, Ford and Uber, and media powerhouses like CNN and the Financial Times all scrapped plans to attend. Ministers from Britain and France and the United States also stayed away. On Saturday, more than two weeks after Khashoggi's disappearance, Riyadh said the Saudi journalist was murdered during "a brawl" inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate. Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denounced the "repulsive" murder and vowed justice will prevail, in his first public comments on the case at the investment forum on Wednesday. Saudi authorities have also announced the arrest of 18 Saudis in connection with his death. But "there are still questions that need answers" over the murder, the Turkish foreign minister said Thursday, demanding that Riyadh explain why the 18 were arrested. "Who gave them the orders?" Cavusoglu asked, pointing out that Khashoggi's body had still not been found. "Where is (the body)? You admit they did it, but why are they not saying (where)?" he told a press conference in Ankara.

Saudi Prince Attends Intelligence Meeting
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 25/18/Saudi Arabia says the country's powerful crown prince has attended the first meeting of a committee aiming to restructure the kingdom's intelligence services after the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi. The state-run Saudi Press Agency made the announcement on Thursday. It comes after the kingdom announced over the weekend that 18 Saudis had been arrested in the writer's slaying, while four senior intelligence officials and an adviser to the crown prince had been fired. The kingdom is trying to distance Prince Mohammed bin Salman from Khashoggi's Oct. 2 slaying at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish reports said a member of his entourage was involved in the crime. On Wednesday, the prince called the killing "heinous" and "painful to all Saudis" in his first extensive public remarks on the topic.
 
Saudi public prosecutor: Turkish report says Khashoggi killing was premeditated
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya/English Thursday, 25 October 2018/The Saudi Public Prosecutor on Thursday said that a Turkish report has found that the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul earlier this month was premeditated. "The Public Prosecution received information from the Turkish side through the Joint Task Force between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkey indicates that the suspects in that incident had carried out their act with a prior intention," a statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency read. "The Public Prosecutor's Office continues its investigations with the accused in the light of what has been reported and the results of its investigations to reach the facts and complete the course of justice."
Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that 18 people were arrested over the killing of Khashoggi.

Intense shelling around Syria truce zone despite deal
AFP, Beirut /Thursday, 25 October 2018/Militants and extremists fighters traded fire with the Syrian regime forces in northern Syria overnight, their fiercest exchanges since a buffer zone deal was announced for the area last month, a monitor said Thursday. A 15- to 20-kilometre wide “de-militarised zone” was announced by militants, backer Turkey and government ally Moscow on September 17 to separate government troops from militants fighters in their last major bastion in Idlib province and adjacent areas. Shelling has continued intermittently, however, and escalated dramatically late Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “It was the fiercest bombing yet since September 17,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Britain-based monitoring group. “Syrian government rocket and artillery fire killed one girl in Kafr Hamra,” an Aleppo province town inside the declared buffer zone. Militants shelling from inside the zone killed three civilians in government-held territory earlier this week. Late on Wednesday, rocket fire by both extremists and Turkish-backed militants hit second city Aleppo, wounding 10 people, Abdel Rahman said. State news agency SANA gave the same casualty toll and said the army responded against the sources of the fire north and northwest of the city. The National Liberation Front, the Turkish-backed militant alliance which is the main armed group in that area, said it was responding to government violations of the truce deal with “light and medium weapons.” Under the deal agreed by Russia and Turkey, the rebels were supposed to have removed all heavy weapons from the buffer zone by October 10. “Radical” fighters- taken to mean Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the extremist alliance which is the dominant faction in Idlib, and other hardliners- were supposed to leave the zone by October 15. But 10 days on there is still no sign of any pullout or of the planned monitoring patrols by the deal’s co-sponsors, the Observatory said. Syrian pro-government newspaper Al-Watan said the extremists’ failure to withdraw “provides the justification for the Syrian army and Russian air force to start a military operation to oust (HTS) from the area.” But both Russia and Turkey have said the truce deal remains on course despite the missed deadline, and their leaders are to be joined by their French and German counterparts for a four-way summit on Syria in Istanbul on Saturday.

UN Rapporteur: A new wave of executions, suppressions in Iran

Saleh Hamid, Al Arabiya English/Thursday, 25 October 2018/The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Javid Rehman, presented his report in his first mission, in front a UN panel in New York on Wednesday, with the United Kingdom, United States and the European Union criticizing the increase in executions and suppressions inside the Islamic Republic. Rehman, a British-Pakistani legal scholar, reported that Iran has witnessed lately a wave of protests against the economic and living conditions which the authorities tried to suppress. Rehman called on the Iranian government to allow him to visit the country in order to assess the human rights situation through interviews with Iranian citizens and to provide information on reports provided by international human rights organizations on violations, particularly executions, torture, suppression of freedom of assembly, opinion and expression, as well as depriving religious and ethnic minorities of their fundamental rights.
Concern
Following the UN meeting, Javed held a press conference at the UN building where he expressed concern about the fate of the environmental activists held for months in Iran. The UN Special Rapporteur also considered the arrest of women against the compulsory hijab as a violation of human rights and international laws, while expressing concern about the fate of the detainees of protests in recent months in various cities in Iran. Rahman stressed that the United Nations monitors the protests in Iran, especially the suppression and abuse of detainees, which led to the death of some people in prisons. The UN Rapporteur pointed to a wave of suppression and threats against journalists, as well as the imprisonment of dual citizens and the execution of political prisoners, especially members of minorities. He called on the Iranian government to interact with him to bring about positive changes in the human rights situation. He revealed that he held two meetings with representatives of Iran in Geneva and New York, wrote letters and held talks to decide on his request to visit the country.

Egypt plans relocating eight million citizens to Sinai
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Thursday, 25 October 2018/The Egyptian government has announced on Thursday that it will relocate eight million Egyptians to Sinai. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, prime minister of Egypt, said that Sinai’s development is a strategic goal at the top of Egypt’s priorities. Madbouly also said on Wednesday night that the Northern Sinai area has many promising investment potential in the sectors of agriculture, pisciculture, and tourism, in addition to the availability of exporting ports and a network of tunnels which will connect Sinai to the delta. He added that creating a well-developed environment will provide the locals in Sinai with more job opportunities and will prevent them from being victims of terrorist extremist group. Egypt is keen on benefiting from the relevant international organizations’ experience, and hence why it is currently working with the World Bank as the main funding source, the Egyptian prime minister said. Madbouly also suggested forming a team that brings the representatives of the programs together to hold meetings with their Egyptian counterparts and look into the possibilities of the programs that the Egyptian government intends to execute in Sinai, saying that this would allow the immediate start of the cooperation between Egypt and the relevant international organizations. Egypt had announced earlier a comprehensive plan to change life in Sinai, especially with the drawing end of the military operations “Sinai 2018”. The goal is to prevent terrorism from considering the peninsula its base, and to support the dimension of security and politics of the eastern borders of the country. The plan included redistributing Egyptian citizens on the country’s lands, and finding a way to attract investments and residents through industrial, agricultural, and tourism sectors.

Iranian journalist arrested over ‘insults’ to Imam
AFP, Tehran/Thursday, 25 October 2018/Iran’s judiciary has arrested a journalist over “insults” to Imam Hussein, one of the most revered religious figures in the Shiite Islamic republic, its news agency reported on Thursday. Pouyan Khoshhal, who was being prosecuted over insults to Imam Hussein and (other) Imams, was arrested last night as he was trying to exit the country,” Mizan Online reported. The official Shiite narrative says that Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, was killed in the seventh century while refusing the Caliph Yazid’s right to rule the Islamic world. The annual commemoration of Ashura, which marks Hussein’s death, is one of the holiest days in Shiite Islam. Khoshhal worked at the reformist Ebtekar daily and wrote a report on October 21 referring to Imam Hussein’s death as “passing away” instead of the officially accepted “martyrdom”. According to Mizan, this sparked “considerable outrage and criticism”. The judiciary also said that its investigations showed Khoshhal had repeatedly insulted Imams before on social media and that “reports by the people” drew its attention to the case. Khoshhal’s personal Twitter account has since been deleted and the phrase changed on Ebtekar’s website. Ebtekar’s editor in chief, Reza Dehaki, apologized to all those offended and told a Mizan journalist that they have changed the report and cut ties with the author, the agency reported. Another journalist, Mir Mohammad-Hossein Mir-Esmaili, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August over “insulting” Imam Reza, one of the 12 revered figures of Shiite Islam. He was similarly arrested while trying to leave the country in April 2017.
 
Iran thwarted in attempt to manipulate new Iraqi govt
Arab News/October 25/18
BAGHDAD: An Iraqi Cabinet met outside the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on Thursday for the first time in 15 years. The meeting, chaired by new Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, followed an acrimonious session of the Iraqi Parliament that had lasted into the early hours of Thursday. The session was supposed to be a rubber stamp for new government ministers agreed by the coalition of the two largest Shiite parliamentary blocs — Reform, sponsored by the influential cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, and Al-Binna’a, the Iran-backed alliance led by Hadi Al-Amiri, commander of Badr Organization, the most powerful Shiite armed faction. Instead, the session descended into bickering and arguments over the background and history of some of the ministerial candidates, and two in particular: Proposed Interior Minister Falih Al-Fayadh, a former national security adviser and a key ally of Amiri, and Defense Ministry candidate Fener Faisal, former commander of dictator Saddam Hussein’s private jet squadron. Both men were nominated by Al-Binna’a, but the Iran-backed group was out-maneuvered by Sadr’s allies in the Reform alliance. After the prime minister and 14 of the 22 proposed ministers had been approved, Reform staged a walkout — leaving the Parliament without a quorum, and therefore unable to proceed. “Amiri and his allies broke their deals with us,” a leading Reform negotiator told Arab News. “We told them clearly that the candidates for the security posts had to be independent, and exclusively nominated by Abdul Mahdi, but they insisted on putting partisan names forward at the last minute. “They thought they could twist our arm and embarrass us so we would vote for their candidates without any consideration of their previous ties. But a deal is a deal. We said no to those eight candidates, and that means no.” The attempt to manipulate the ministerial appointments was led by the Iranian military officer Gen. Qassim Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force, the overseas unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He met most of the Iranian Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political allies in Iraq this week to promote his candidates, negotiators told Arab News. “Iran is seeking to tighten its control over the security issue in Iraq and the ministries of Defense and Interior are the cornerstones of this,” an Al-Binna’a negotiator told Arab News. “Suleimani has been pressuring to back them. Sadr and his allies were smart enough to abort his attempts. They won this round.” After the disputes of the night before, there were simple and quiet decrees in Baghdad on Thursday morning to exchange authorities and offices between Mahdi, his predecessor Haidar Abadi and the members of their governments. The new prime minister was sworn in, followed by a meeting of the new Cabinet at Mahdi’s temporary office outside the Green Zone. “We have presented an ambitious and detailed ministerial program with clear time limits and will work to implement it,” Mahdi said during a televised ceremony. “We have many challenges and have to work hard to develop the economy, activate the labor market, provide services and meet all the demands of our people.”

Manhunt underway after bombs sent to US Democrats, Trump critics
Reuters, Washington/Thursday, 25 October 2018/Another suspected bomb was found in New York City on Thursday morning as a manhunt was underway for a serial bomber targeting high-profile Democrats and CNN, less than two weeks ahead of elections that could alter the US political landscape. The New York City bomb squad removed the latest device, which was addressed to actor Robert De Niro and similar to the other packages, police said. None of the eight devices went off and no injuries were reported, but some top Democrats called the threats a symptom of a coarsening brand of political rhetoric promoted by Trump, who also condemned the acts. At a Wisconsin rally Wednesday night Trump called attention to “how nice I’m behaving tonight” but on Thursday morning he attacked the media. “A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News,” Trump wrote. “It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!”. All the people who were targeted are frequently maligned by right-wing critics, including former US President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder. Former CIA Director John Brennan, prominent Democratic Party donor George Soros and California Representative Maxine Waters, an outspoken critic of Trump, were also targets.
The bomb packages were sent as the nation prepared for November, 6 elections that will decide whether Democrats take control of one or both houses of Congress from Republicans and deny Trump the majority his party now holds in both chambers. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. An FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies “will continue to work to identity and arrest whosoever is responsible for sending these packages,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. Several politicians, including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, described it as an act of terrorism. Investigators were trying to track down another suspicious parcel they believe was addressed to Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden, a federal official told Reuters late Wednesday.
The CNN bureau in New York received a package addressed to Brennan, who has appeared as a CNN analyst, leading police to evacuate the Time Warner building in a busy Manhattan neighborhood near Central Park. The package contained an envelope of white powder that experts were analyzing, New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill said. Trump told the Wisconsin rally his government would conduct “an aggressive investigation.”“Any acts or threats of political violence are an attack on our democracy itself,” Trump said. “We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony.”Last week, Trump, who joined other Republicans in accusing Democrats of encouraging “mob” tactics, heaped praise on a Montana congressman who assaulted a reporter in 2017. At an event in Texas on Wednesday, Brennan faulted Trump for frequent inflammatory rhetoric. Manila envelopes. The first package, which turned up on Monday, was addressed to Soros, the billionaire financier and advocate of liberal, open-border values who is a frequent target of right-wing conspiracy theories. The parcel intended for Holder ended up rerouted to the return address printed on all the packages- the Florida office of US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, according to the FBI. The FBI late Wednesday confirmed that two additional packages, similar in appearance to the others, were addressed to Waters. The other packages consisted of a manila envelope with a bubble-wrap interior containing “potentially destructive devices.” Each bore a computer-printed address label and six “Forever” postage stamps, the FBI said. Other officials said the devices contained in the envelopes were all similar to the one found in the mailbox of the Soros home and later detonated by police. At least one bomb was packed with shards of glass, one federal source said.

Trump says ‘bringing out the military’ to protect US border
Reuters, Washington/Thursday, 25 October 2018/US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was “bringing out the military” to protectthe US border as a caravan of Central American migrants continued to trek through Mexico to the United States, but gave no other details. “I am bringing out the military for this National Emergency. They will be stopped!” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.White House and Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the military deployment or the national emergency. On Monday, Trump said he had alerted “Border Patrol and Military” that the migrant caravan, a group of 7,000 to 10,000 Central Americans fleeing violence, poverty and government corruption, was a national emergency. A second group of more than a thousand people has started a similar journey from Guatemala. But a Pentagon spokesman said at the time the defense department had not been asked to provide additional support. As the Republicans seek to maintain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Trump and his political party have sought to use immigration and the migrant caravan to secure votes. It is not new territory for Trump, who promised before the 2016 presidential election to build a wall along the southern border between U.S. and Mexico. However, funding for his signature campaign promise has been slow to materialize. In April, frustrated by lack of progress on the wall, Trump ordered the National Guard to help secure the border in four southwestern states. There are currently 2,100 National Guard troops along the borders of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Trump also criticized the media coverage, saying in in a tweet: “A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News. It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!”

De Niro, Biden Latest Suspected Targets as Trump Slams Media
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/18/Former U.S. vice president Joe Biden and Hollywood megastar Robert De Niro were the latest targets Thursday of a spree of suspicious packages and pipe bombs sent to opponents of Donald Trump as the U.S. president lashed out at the media for stirring up "anger." Political foes of the Republican commander-in-chief accused him of inciting violence after pipe bombs were sent to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, CNN and other figures who are loathed by Trump supporters. With midterm elections less than two weeks away, the president reacted first by calling for unity, but then reverting to attacking the media, which he stepped up early Thursday. "A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News," Trump tweeted. "It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!" The spree began Monday with a device found at the New York home of billionaire liberal donor George Soros.  The FBI said a total of seven suspicious packages were sent in New York, Washington and Florida, including to Obama's attorney general Eric Holder and two to Maxine Waters, a California lawmaker. On Thursday, a New York police bomb squad removed a similar looking package sent to De Niro at the TriBeCa Productions company he co-founded, sending it for analysis. In June, 75-year-old De Niro received a standing ovation at the Tony Awards in New York for using an expletive to condemn Trump. During the 2016 campaign, the actor slammed the Republican as "blatantly stupid."
'Endless hostility'
U.S. media reported that a suspicious device was also addressed to Obama's former vice president, Joe Biden, often rumored as a potential Democratic presidential candidate for 2020, in Delaware on Thursday. The packages were sent in manila envelopes with bubble wrap, marked with computer-printed address labels. Each listed Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, as the sender, including misspellings of her last name, the FBI said. CNN evacuated its New York bureau after a pipe bomb was found in the mailroom together with an envelope containing white powder. The packaging was addressed care of CNN to former CIA director John Brennan, who has appeared on the channel as a guest and is perhaps Trump's toughest critic from the national security community. CNN is known for its often critical coverage of the Trump administration and has constantly provoked the ire of the president. On Wednesday, Trump condemned the mail-bombs, saying "acts of political violence" have "no place in the United States." "The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and stop the endless hostility and constant negative, and often times false attacks and stories," he later told a campaign rally in Wisconsin. #MAGABomber trended as users flooded Twitter with accusations that Trump had incited the attempted attacks and highlighting the toxic remarks he has leveled against the pipe bomb targets in the past. The FBI, U.S. Secret Service and local police have mounted a full-scale criminal investigation, appealing to members of the public to come forward with any information they may have.
'False attacks and stories'
Liberal and left-wing critics accuse Trump's rhetoric-laden "Make America Great Again" presidency of emboldening right-wing extremists. He recently endorsed the body-slamming of a reporter and routinely denounces critical press as "fake news." Top Democrat lawmakers Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on Wednesday accused Trump of condoning "physical violence and dividing Americans." "It's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together," said Clinton, who has remained an outspoken political force despite her stunning loss to Trump in 2016. "There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media," said CNN president Jeff Zucker. There has been no claim of responsibility and no one was yet known to have been arrested. The Secret Service said the Clinton and Obama packages were "identified during routine mail screening procedures" and that neither were ever at risk of receiving them. Republican lawmakers followed the White House in issuing condemnations. Soros, the target of the first device, has long been a hate figure for right-wing groups and lives in Bedford, New York, not far from the Clintons.The 88-year-old is one of the world's richest men and supported Clinton in 2016. He has been accused by nationalists of sponsoring protests and seeking to push a liberal, multicultural agenda.

Ethiopia appoints first female president
AFP, Addis Ababa/Thursday, 25 October 2018/Ethiopia on Thursday, appointed a woman to the largely ceremonial position of president for the first time. In a unanimous vote, Ethiopian lawmakers picked career diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde to replace Mulatu Teshome who resigned. Sahle-Work, who is in her late 60s, has been Ethiopia's ambassador to France, Djibouti, Senegal and the regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Just prior to her appointment as president she was the UN's top official at the African Union. She is fluent in English and French as well as Amharic. As president she is expected to serve two six-year terms. Political power in Ethiopia is wielded by the prime minister with the president's role is restricted to attending ceremonies and functions. Ethiopia's reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week appointed a slimline 20-person cabinet in which half the posts are held by women. They include defence minister Aisha Mohammed and Muferiat Kamil who leads the newly-created Ministry of Peace, responsible for police and domestic intelligence agencies.

Egyptian officials: Roadside bomb kills three workers in Sinai

AP, Egypt /Thursday, 25 October 2018/Egyptian security officials say a roadside bombing has killed three workers contracted to build a security wall in the northern Sinai city of el-Arish. The officials say another 10 workers were wounded in the explosion on Thursday. The officials blamed an ISIS affiliate, which is active in that part of the Sinai Peninsula, for the bombing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Suspected ISIS militants on Sunday shot and killed three workers outside their homes in el-Arish. Egypt has been struggling to contain an insurgency by extremist militants in northern Sinai. The insurgency intensified after the military’s 2013 ouster of Mohammed Morsi, an elected but divisive extremist president.
 
School Students among 17 Killed in Jordan Flash Floods
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/18/Flash floods in Jordan swept away a school bus Thursday, killing at least 17 people, mostly pupils, emergency services said. Several more students were injured in the incident near the Dead Sea, said an official from the civil defense, Jordan's fire service, who asked not to be named. "Heavy rains caused a flash flood close to the Dead Sea that washed away a school bus carrying 37 students and seven minders," the official said. Rescue workers were continuing to search for survivors, he said. "The students were on a school trip and it appears that a mudslide along the road swept their bus away," the official said. Israel's military said it was helping with the operation, sending helicopters and search and rescue soldiers. "Currently assisting Jordan in rescuing a bus full of children swept away in a flood on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea," it wrote on Twitter. Heavy rains hit Jordan on Thursday afternoon, causing floods in several areas. The Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth, is surrounded by steep valley slopes that frequently witness flash floods and landslides.
 
The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 25-26/18
Saudi says Turkish probe shows Khashoggi murder 'premeditated'
Mohamad Ali Harissi/AFP News/AFP News24 October 2018
Saudi Arabia acknowledged on Thursday that the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi appeared to have been premeditated, based on information from Turkey, as it sought to draw a line under the crisis.
It was the latest twist in the shifting official narrative of the October 2 killing which US President Donald Trump has derided as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.
The Saudi public prosecutor said he was making the latest assessment on the basis of evidence supplied by Turkey which has been the source of the spate of grisly revelations about the government critic's death that triggered an international outcry.
After first insisting Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, Saudi authorities said he was killed in an argument that degenerated into a brawl, then admitted he was murdered before finally accepting what Turkey had said virtually from the start -- that he was killed in a premeditated hit.
As the Saudi public prosecutor made the new admission on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Riyadh still needed to provide answers to remaining questions, such as who ordered the hit and what happened to Khashoggi's body.
"Information from the Turkish authorities indicates that the act of the suspects in the Khashoggi case was premeditated," the office of public prosecutor Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
"The public prosecution continues its investigation with suspects... to complete the course of justice."The slow drip of admissions cast a pall over a showcase three-day investment forum that was closing on Thursday with organisers putting a brave face on the array of no-shows among big-name guests.
The Saudi energy minister said foreign companies which boycotted the Future Investment Forum (FII) had "apologised" and vowed a return to normal ties.
"Some companies abstained from the conference due to political pressure as a result of an odious campaign directed from outside the kingdom which has failed," Khalid al-Falih told state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel.
"All the companies that abstained have been calling us during the past 48 hours to apologise and express regret," and vowed to open offices and restore normal relations, Falih said.
- Turkey says questions remain -
Economy and Planning Minister Mohammed al-Tuwaijri told the conference that Saudi oil giant Aramco was "absolutely ready" for its long-awaited massive IPO although several regulatory procedures remained. The investment conference, dubbed "Davos in the desert", aimed at drawing foreign investors to help Riyadh diversify its oil-reliant economy.
A long list of investors and international policymakers declined to show up in Riyadh over the Khashoggi murder.
Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser, corporate chiefs from JP Morgan, Ford and Uber, and media powerhouses like CNN and the Financial Times all scrapped plans to attend.
Ministers from Britain and France and the United States also stayed away.
On Saturday, more than two weeks after Khashoggi's disappearance, Riyadh said the Saudi journalist was murdered during "a brawl" inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.
Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denounced the "repulsive" murder and vowed justice will prevail, in his first public comments on the case at the investment forum on Wednesday. Saudi authorities have also announced the arrest of 18 Saudis in connection with his death. But "there are still questions that need answers" over the murder, the Turkish foreign minister said Thursday, demanding that Riyadh explain why the 18 were arrested.
"Who gave them the orders?" Cavusoglu asked, pointing out that Khashoggi's body had still not been found."Where is (the body)? You admit they did it, but why are they not saying (where)?" he told a press conference in Ankara.

The pullout from the nuclear treaty stilll leaves the US with one major problem: how to stop rogue states from proliferating?

Con Coughlin/The national/October 25, 2018
Even if the Kremlin takes the fallout over the treaty seriously, the bigger issue is broadening its scope to include China and Iran, which are producing similar weapons
The Trump administration's announcement that it is withdrawing from a key Cold War-era missile treaty has prompted predictable howls of protest from the Kremlin.
The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Ronald Reagan and his Soviet opposite number, Mikhael Gorbachev, is regarded as one of the lasting achievements of the age of detente, helping to achieve a massive reduction in the number of nuclear-armed, medium range, nuclear warheads that threatened the globe.
About 2,700 ground-based ballistic missiles were scrapped with the implementation of the agreement, which banned the deployment of missiles with a range of between 500 and 2,500 kilometres by both the US and the Soviets, thereby helping to ease tensions between the two superpowers and ultimately resulting in the collapse of the Iron Curtain.
But with Russian President Vladimir Putin intent on rebuilding Russia's military strength, concerns have been growing in Washington that the Russians have been violating the treaty, and working on the development of a new generation of land-based missiles that threatens to alter significantly the military balance of power in Europe.
Furthermore, the Pentagon believes that if Russia is allowed to get away with flagrant violations of the treaty, this will encourage the likes of China and Iran to work on development of new weapons systems of their own.
It is these concerns that have now prompted US President Donald Trump to announce he is cancelling the INF, which he argues puts his country at a major disadvantage with other rival powers. And the White House is threatening to allow the Pentagon to commence work on a new generation of land-based missiles of its own, unless a revised version of the treaty can be negotiated. Unlike the 1987 agreement, which was a bilateral arrangement between Washington and Moscow, the Trump administration is now seeking a broader treaty, one that includes both Russia and China.
Mr Trump's move has already drawn heavy criticism from the Kremlin. Mr Gorbachev, the last remaining signatory to the original agreement, said America's withdrawal would represent a major blow to global arms control efforts while Mr Putin warned that the American move was "very dangerous" and that, if it went ahead, "there would be nothing left except an arms race". The Russian leader has also warned that Moscow would respond to any move by Washington to deploy new weapons systems into Europe.
The Russians, though, will have only themselves to blame if the White House follows through on its threat to scrap the 1987 agreement.
Suspicions that Moscow was violating the treaty first surfaced in 2014 when then US president Barack Obama raised concerns about the range of Russia's new land-based Novator 9M729 missile, or SSC-8, to give it its Nato classification.
But, as was so often the case with Mr Obama's handling of global security issues, he was reluctant to threaten the Russians over the breach, believing that simply by raising Washington's concerns, he could persuade them to change their conduct.
Moreover, Moscow has denied that the new missile breaches the treaty, claiming its range falls well below the 500km threshold stipulated in the agreement.
Moscow's protestations of innocence, though, have been greeted with deep scepticism in Washington, particularly after satellite intelligence reports showed the Russians had deployed a missile battalion to the Russian province of Ekaterinburg in the Urals this summer.
Even the notably cautious head of Nato, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, has weighed into the controversy, warning that Russia "had probably violated the deal".
The big question now is whether, following Mr Trump's dramatic decision to cancel the agreement, the president's action has the desired effect and persuades the Kremlin to take the issue seriously.
This week's visit to Moscow by John Bolton, Mr Trump's hawkish national security adviser and a long-standing advocate to tearing up the agreement, should certainly help to concentrate minds.
But the bigger issue is whether Washington has any chance of broadening the treaty's scope to include other powers which are also producing similar weaponry, such as China.
China's military build-up is a major headache for the Pentagon, which views Beijing's emerging military strength as radically changing the power balance in Asia. The ability to deploy land-based ballistic nuclear-armed missiles would significantly enhance China's ability to threaten the region. Washington will also want any new arrangement to apply to rogue states like Iran, which continue to work on new missile systems capable of delivering nuclear warheads.
Iran has taken advantage of the Syrian conflict to test its missile technology, most recently firing a volley of missiles at alleged terrorist positions, following the recent attack on the Ahvaz military base. This action, together with Iranian missile strikes against Kurdish positions, has reinforced Washington's determination to bring Iran to heel when the new round of sanctions are imposed next month as part of the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. If the concept of arms control is to have any relevance to the modern age, then it must place the same restraints on rogue states like Iran as it does major powers like Russia, China and the US.
*Con Coughlin is the Daily Telegraph's defence and foreign affairs editor

Britain's Grooming Gangs: Part 3
Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/October 25/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13169/britain-grooming-gangs-part-3
This reformist activity in the migrant community needs to be encouraged and backed by government resources.
"On one level, most imams in the UK are simply using their puritanical sermons to promote the wearing of the hijab and even the burka among their female adherents. But the dire result can be the brutish misogyny we see in the Oxford sex ring." — Taj Hargey, imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation.
There are decent Muslims everywhere who work hard to counter all the anti-social and criminal activities in which so many of their co-religionists engage and the theological positions through which they try to justify what they do. But terrorist attacks, anti-Semitic hate speech, and sexual harassment of young white women are real crimes committed by a different kind of Muslim and must be addressed as such.
"Women in some communities are facing a double onslaught of gender inequality, combined with religious, cultural and social barriers preventing them from accessing even their basic rights as British residents. And violence against women remains all too prevalent...." — Dame Louise Casey, The Casey Review, 2016.
The Islamic Society of Britain (ISB) has spoken out strongly about grooming culture. Julie Siddiqi, chief executive of the ISB, coordinated a Muslim-led coalition to campaign against offenders, known as The Community Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.
Not all Muslims remained silent about the grooming gang problem. We have already seen how the new Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, a Muslim of Pakistani origin, took rapid action to open an enquiry into the crimes. A number of Muslim organizations and individuals have spoken out against the gangs, and condemned them for bringing their faith into disrepute. The integrative Islamic Society of Britain (ISB), for one, has spoken out strongly about grooming culture.
In May 2013, Julie Siddiqi, chief executive of the ISB, coordinated a Muslim-led coalition to campaign against offenders, known as The Community Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, which, in turn, was launched in Bradford with the backing of the Bradford Council of Mosques. The following month, a Muslim group called Together Against Grooming (TAG) declared that a Friday prayer sermon (khutba) would be read out in around 500 mosques across the country to draw attention to the grooming issue. The sermon was written by Alyas Karmani, an imam who has a background in psychology and serves at several mosques around Bradford. Karmani specializes in sexual counselling from a non-fundamentalist perspective and has worked on a PhD entitled, "The Crises of Masculinity and Urban Male Violence". His detailed understanding of the grooming gangs and their various motivations are perhaps the most sophisticated yet advanced by a Muslim expert and should be taken into account by any present or future investigation.
Some other Muslim organizations such as the progressive Islamic Society of Britain have sent out sermons on the same issue. There can be no question that there is an important and growing range of Muslim reaction to the shame brought on the communities by the grooming gangs and the reluctance in many places even to talk about sexual matters. This reformist activity in the migrant community needs to be encouraged and backed by government resources.
There are, however, other, sometimes deeper aspects to the problem that still remain to be explored. Not all mosques agreed to read Karmani's sermon, and some claimed -- quite incorrectly, as it happened -- that the grooming issue was a thing of the past. Many of those deeper aspects are directly related to the persistence of religious fundamentalism and a wide refusal among many to integrate within British society. Despite the efforts of moderate Muslims, mosques and institutions to stop young men and women travelling abroad to take part in jihad or bring back wives from abroad, many have done so. Sermonizing, even with good intentions, may not address the underlying reasons for seemingly anti-social behaviour.
Also in 2013, Taj Hargey, imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation, and a controversial reformist, spoke out following the trial and conviction of six members of a child sex ring from Oxford. He contended that some imams were indirectly inspiring the grooming gangs through their contempt for non-Muslim women:
On one level, most imams in the UK are simply using their puritanical sermons to promote the wearing of the hijab and even the burka among their female adherents. But the dire result can be the brutish misogyny we see in the Oxford sex ring.
He wrote at length about the ways in which fundamentalist attitudes influenced some men:
True Islam preaches respect for women but in mosques across the country a different doctrine is preached - "one that denigrates all women, but treats whites with particular contempt"....
The men are taught that women are "second-class citizens, little more than chattels or possessions over whom they have absolute authority"...
The view of some Islamic preachers towards white women can be appalling. They encourage their followers to believe that these women are habitually promiscuous, decadent, and sleazy — sins which are made all the worse by the fact that they are kaffurs [sic for kuffar, pl. of kafir] or non-believers.
Their dress code, from miniskirts to sleeveless tops, is deemed to reflect their impure and immoral outlook. According to this mentality, these white women deserve to be punished for their behaviour by being exploited and degraded.
The largest and most influential of all UK mosques are those of the Deobandis, a highly conservative majority denomination in Pakistani Islam that also dominates the seminaries within the UK and in which future imams are trained.[1]
According to the author and Investigations editor at BBCNewsnight, Innes Bowen:
What most Deobandi scholars have in common is a conservative interpretation of Islamic law: television and music for the purposes of entertainment, for example, are frowned upon if not banned; attitudes towards women are deeply conservative, with, for example, some scholars advising Muslim women that their religion does not permit them to travel any distance unless accompanied by a close male relative. That this description of such an austere brand of Islam sounds similar to that propagated by the Taliban in Afghanistan should not be surprising – the Taliban movement grew out of the Deobandi madrasas of Pakistan.[2]
Many Deobandi and other fundamentalist preachers and online fatwa sites promulgate the doctrine of al-Wala' wa'l-Bara', which may be roughly translated as "loyalty [to Islam] and avoidance [of unbelievers]". This belief reinforces the need to stay away from, and even to have enmity towards, the inferior non-Muslim world. It is not far-fetched to see how, through this doctrine, a sense of total difference from, and contempt for, non-Muslims in general -- and non-Muslim girls and women in particular -- may have given many of the grooming gangs a debased level of justification, even self-righteousness in the members of the grooming gangs.
Hargey's link between the grooming gangs and hard-line religious leaders is borne out by an article published in 2018 by the serious liberal newspaper, The Independent. The author is Ella Hill, one of the girls abused in Rotherham and now part of the largest child sexual abuse investigation. She begins:
As a teenager, I was taken to various houses and flats above takeaways in the north of England, to be beaten, tortured and raped over 100 times. I was called a "white slag" and "white c***" as they beat me.
They made it clear that because I was a non-Muslim, and not a virgin, and because I didn't dress "modestly", that they believed I deserved to be "punished". They said I had to "obey" or be beaten.
Later, she refers to a Swedish government meeting in 2017, when it was stated that:
Sexual and gender-based violence is used as a tactic of terrorism by a range of today's violent extremist groups. This makes it essential to address violence against women and girls as an integrated part in countering and preventing violent extremism.
She then argues that: Religious indoctrination is a big part of the process of getting young men involved in grooming gang crime. Religious ideas about purity, virginity, modesty and obedience are taken to the extreme until horrific abuse becomes the norm. It was taught to me as a concept of "othering". "Muslim girls are good and pure because they dress modestly, covering down to their ankles and wrists, and covering their crotch area. They stay virgins until marriage. They are our girls."
[Author's note: Italicized in the original, but should probably have been in quotation marks. The passage is evidently meant to be words spoken by gang members who used her.]
She also emphasizes this religious background to her treatment, stating that "My main perpetrator quoted scriptures from the Quran to me as he beat me." Nevertheless, she goes on to say that "Most grooming gang survivors I know absolutely condemn anti-Islamic hate, and we're uncomfortable with English Defence League protests. We certainly don't want random attacks on 'all Muslims'. You can't cure harm with more harm."
The connection between fundamentalist religiosity, terrorism and gender crime is not as fanciful as it might have seemed at first. There are decent Muslims everywhere who work hard to counter all the anti-social and criminal activities in which so many of their co-religionists engage and the theological positions through which they try to justify what they do. But terrorist attacks, anti-Semitic hate speech, and sexual harassment of young white women are real crimes committed by a different kind of Muslim and must be addressed as such.
In a report published on December 12, 2017, the important Muslim counter-extremism think tank, the Quilliam Foundation, addressed at length the problem of the grooming gangs. Written by Quilliam's CEO, Haras Rafiq with media strategist and researcher Muna Adil, the report, "Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation: Dissecting Grooming Gangs", consists of a comprehensive data analysis of grooming gang cases identified in the UK since 2005. Ten case studies from 2010-2017 are also analysed in depth to help determine any similarities and identify any patterns that exist across the cases.
At the root of the problem seems to lie the fact that many Muslim men have failed to integrate into British society. According to Muna Adil: There are elements from within the British Pakistani community that still subscribe to outdated and sexist views of women embedded within their jaded interpretations of Islam. These backward views are passed down from generation to generation until the lines between faith and culture dissolve, making it increasingly difficult to criticise one without being seen as a critic of the other.
Quilliam's findings echo a number of earlier reviews and surveys of the British Muslim community as a whole. In her 2016 government-commissioned review into integration and opportunity in isolated and deprived communities, Dame Louise Casey found evidence that the hardest group to integrate was the Muslim community. In her Executive Summary, she notes (paragraph 30) that: People of Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnicity tend to live in more residentially segregated communities than other ethnic minority groups. South Asian communities (people of Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi ethnicity) live in higher concentrations at ward level than any other ethnic minority group. These concentrations at ward level are growing in many areas.
She adds that that, "Compared to other minority faith groups, Muslims tend to live in higher residential concentrations at ward level". She continues:
[Paragraph] 32. The school age population is even more segregated when compared to residential patterns of living. A Demos study found that, in 2013, more than 50% of ethnic minority students were in schools where ethnic minorities were the majority, and that school segregation was highest among students from Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic backgrounds relative to other ethnic groups.
Again:
[Paragraph] 44. Polling in 2015 also showed that more than 55% of the general public agreed that there was a fundamental clash between Islam and the values of British society, while 46% of British Muslims felt that being a Muslim in Britain was difficult due to prejudice against Islam. We found a growing sense of grievance among sections of the Muslim population, and a stronger sense of identification with the plight of the 'Ummah', or global Muslim community.
She also highlights problems with the national language:
[Paragraph] 52. English language is a common denominator and a strong enabler of integration. But Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups have the lowest levels of English language proficiency of any Black or Minority Ethnic group and women in those communities are twice as likely as men to have poor English.
Finally, we should note her statement on gender equality, which is clearly linked to the Muslim communities:
[Paragraph] 57. ... in many areas of Britain the drive towards equality and opportunity across gender might never have taken place. Women in some communities are facing a double onslaught of gender inequality, combined with religious, cultural and social barriers preventing them from accessing even their basic rights as British residents. And violence against women remains all too prevalent in domestic abuse but also in other criminal practices such as female genital mutilation, forced marriage and so-called "honour" based crime.
Casey was not the first to draw attention to most of these issues. In 2007, the British think tank Policy Exchange, published a detailed report titled "Living apart together: British Muslims and the paradox of multiculturalism", written by three young Asian researchers. Their most striking finding, drawn from a survey, was that the youngest generation (16-24 year olds) were more radical in their beliefs than their grandparents (55+ year olds). Thus, 37% of the youngest would prefer to live under shari'a law than British law, compared to only 17% of their elders; 36% of the youngest believe that if a Muslim converts to another religion they must be punished by death, compared to only 19% of the oldest; a high 74% of 16-24 year olds prefer Muslim women to wear the veil, compared to a mere 28% of 55+ year olds -- an astonishing reversal. Most immigrant communities -- notably Jews, Italians, Irish, Poles and others in the United States' "melting pot" -- come to identify with their host country within the second and third generation, and that has been largely true of the United Kingdom.
One particular feature that distinguishes Muslims from the rest of the increasingly secular UK population is the extent to which religion plays a major role in people's lives. Figure 2 of the report shows that 66% agree strongly and another 20% of Muslims tend to agree that "My religion is the most important thing in my life". In Figure 1, 49% say they pray the full 5 times a day, and 22% 1-3 times a day, with a tiny 5% replying "never". It is important to read the report in full. for it has many supportive things to say about British Muslims:
However, there is also considerable diversity amongst Muslims, with many adopting a more secular approach to their religion. The majority of Muslims feel they have as much, if not more, in common with non-Muslims in Britain as with Muslims abroad. There is clearly a conflict within British Islam between a moderate majority that accepts the norms of Western democracy and a growing minority that does not. For these reasons, we should be wary of treating the entire Muslim population as a monolith with special needs that are different to the rest of the population.
An extensive poll of Muslim opinion conducted in 2016 by ICM showed that things were much the same or worse than in 2007. It was reported on by Trevor Phillips, a son of Caribbean immigrants and former chairman of Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission. In an article for the Sunday Times[3], he expressed his deep frustration with the Muslim failure to integrate:
...for a long time, I too thought that Europe's Muslims would become like previous waves of migrants, gradually abandoning their ancestral ways, wearing their religious and cultural baggage lightly, and gradually blending into Britain's diverse identity landscape. I should have known better.
Another 2016 survey, carried out by a Czech think tank, European Values, found that some 44% of Muslims held views corresponding to radical Islamic fundamentalism.
"The survey discovered 57 percent of Muslims reject homosexuals as friends, 45 percent said they don't trust the Jews and 54 percent think of the West as an enemy of Islam. Among fundamentalist Muslims, 72 percent of respondents said they would use violence to defend Islam. Among regular Muslims, that number amounted to 35 percent.
"An incredibly large number of Muslims want Islamic Sharia law to dominate over local laws. For instance, 72 percent of Muslims in France want to see Sharia as the main or only source of law in the country. That figure remains astonishingly high in the United Kingdom at 69 percent."
**Dr. Denis MacEoin taught Arabic and Islamic Studies at a British University and is a Senior Distinguished Fellow at New York's Gatestone Institute.
[1] For a well-researched study of Deobandism in the UK, see Innes Bowen, Medina in Birmingham, Najaf in Brent: Inside British Islam, London, 2014.
[2] Bowen, pp. 11-12.
[3] Trevor Phillips, "An Inconvenient Truth", The Sunday Times, 10 April 2016.
© 2018 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.

Muslim Brotherhood Front Organizations, U.S. and Canada
Tom Quiggin/Gatestone Institute/January 31/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9770/muslim-brotherhood-front-organizations
The 2008 Holy Land Relief terrorism funding criminal trial resulted in multiple convictions and was touted as the one of the largest terrorism financing trials in American history. Expectations were high that the 2008 trial would be followed by further trials involving the listed unindicted co-conspirators such as CAIR USA and the Islamic Society of North America.
However, with the appointment of Eric Holder as the U.S. Attorney General in 2009, all further actions on this file appear to have been frozen. Holder would later speak at a conference supporting one of the unindicted co-conspirators.
It is not clear if the ongoing criminal investigation focuses only on those individuals leading IRFAN at the time of its delisting as a charity and listing as a terrorism entity, or if the investigation also includes those who helped found IRFAN. This may be an important distinction, as the Canada Revenue Agency stated that IRFAN was deliberately created and designed to circumvent Canadian terrorism-funding rules.
It appears possible that the Trump Administration will crack down on Islamist extremist groups in the USA. This would likely have a spill-over effect into Canada and Europe, though greater attention to border security and issues of funding terrorism.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz last week submitted legislation to designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization.
Cruz (R-TX) earlier had a bill in the Senate which would not only ban the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S. but also three of its front groups: Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) USA, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). These American-based front groups have corresponding chapters or organizations in Canada as well.
Muslim Brotherhood front organizations and their members have an ongoing problem with criminal activity, terrorism-funding activities and overall negative relations with legal authorities. These problems range from being listed as terrorist groups, being charged for weapons possession and an even an arrest for alleged sexual charges involving a 12-year-old girl. Several of the charges are consistent with the extremist nature of the Muslim Brotherhood itself, given its commitment to violent political change. Both criminal investigations and terrorism listings in North America, for instance, have been directly related to terrorism funding for Hamas, itself a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The emblem of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its founder, Hassan al-Banna.
The future is also uncertain for a variety of groups and individuals related to the criminal trials surrounding the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, formerly known as the Occupied Land Fund. The 2008 criminal trial resulted in multiple convictions and was touted as the one of the largest terrorism financing trials in American history. Expectations were high that the 2008 trial would be followed by further trials involving the listed unindicted co-conspirators such as CAIR USA and the Islamic Society of North America. However, with the appointment of Eric Holder as the Attorney General of the United States in 2009, all further actions on this file appear to have been frozen. Holder would later speak at a conference supporting one of the unindicted co-conspirators. It is not yet clear if the next U.S. Attorney General will direct that the files be re-activated.
CAIR USA has been repeatedly identified as a Muslim Brotherhood front organization. It was listed as a Muslim Brotherhood front organization and as a terrorism entity by the United Arab Emirates in 2014. CAIR USA employees and former employees have a rather dubious history of criminal activity. Among those CAIR USA employees charged with criminal offences or deported have been Randall Ismail Royer (weapons and explosive charges), Bassam Khafagi (bank and visa fraud), Ghassan Elashi (terrorism financing of Hamas), and Nabil Sadoun (deported for ties to terrorist groups). Other members and fund-raisers for CAIR USA have also been charged.
In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation (Project Sapphire) into the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy (IRFAN) continues. IRFAN was one of four Muslim Brotherhood front groups identified during testimony to the Canadian Senate in 2015. The others were Islamic Relief Canada, the Muslim Association of Canada and the National Council of Canadian Muslims, formerly known as CAIR CAN. CAIR CAN, according to the U.S. State Department and a multiplicity of other sources, is the Canadian chapter of CAIR USA.
IRFAN had its charitable status revoked for funding terrorism in 2011 and was subsequently listed as a terrorism entity by the Government of Canada in 2014. It is not clear if the ongoing criminal investigation focuses only on those individuals leading IRFAN at the time of its delisting as a charity and listing as a terrorism entity, or if the investigation also includes those who helped found IRFAN. This may be an important distinction, as the Canada Revenue Agency stated that IRFAN was deliberately created and designed to circumvent Canadian terrorism-funding rules.
Another of the four front groups, the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), also made the news in 2015. At that point, it was alleged that IRFAN continued to received funding from the Muslim Association of Canada even after IRFAN had its charitable status revoked for funding terrorism in 2011. This information came from an RCMP search warrant that was used to raid IRFAN premises in Mississauga and Montreal. In addition to funding issues, the MAC and IRFAN are connected to each other through common board members and their association to Hamas. IRFAN was funding Hamas and the MAC is one of only two organizations outside of Egypt that openly states it is a Muslim Brotherhood adherent group.
The Islamic Society of North America (Canadian Chapter) has also had its problems. Along with a variety of internal fraud issues, the ISNA Development Fund had the charitable status of its "Development Fund" revoked for terrorism funding. The terrorism-funding money in question was sent to the Relief Organization for Kashmiri Muslims (ROKM) with the ultimate aim of supporting Jamaat-e-Islami, widely known as the Muslim Brotherhood's sister group in south Asia.
The Muslim Student Association
Another group, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) of the United States and Canada was established in January 1963 by members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus. Its creation was the result of Saudi-backed efforts to create a network of international Islamic organizations in order to spread its Wahhabist ideology. It was essentially "an arm of the Saudi-funded, Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Muslim World League."
The following individuals have all been identified as members of the MSA at a variety universities in Canada. They have all been either charged with terrorism offences or died as suicide bombers at the behest of ISIS:
Ahmed Sayed Khadr from the University of Ottawa. Khadr was killed on October 2, 2003, along with al-Qaeda and Taliban members, in a shootout by Pakistani security forces near the Afghanistan border. An al-Qaeda website profiling "120 Martyrs of Afghanistan" described him as a leader in Bin Laden's organization and praised him for "tossing his little child [Omar] in the furnace of the battle."
Chiheb Esseghaier was convicted in 2015 for his role in the attempted bombing of a cross-border VIA Rail train.
Khadar Khalib has been charged with terrorism-related offenses and is believed to have killed in Syria while fighting for ISIS.
Awso Peshdary, born in Ottawa, was arrested in February 2015 as part of operation "Project Servant" by the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. He was charged with participation in the activity of a terrorist group.
John "Yahya" Maguire was also born in the Ottawa area, but went off to Syria and become infamous for his ISIS recruiting video. He has also been charged with terrorism offences in absentia.
Youssef Sakhir, Samir Halilovic and Zakria Habibi are/were from Sherbrooke Quebec, but are now listed as missing and believed to be fighting in Syria.
Muhannad al-Farekh, Farid Imam and Maiwand Yar have all had charges laid against them for terrorism-related offences. Their whereabouts are unknown, but they may be in Pakistan.
Calgary suicide bomber Salma Ashrafi was the President of his Muslim Student Association before dying in a suicide bombing in Iraq.
Chiheb Battikh and the Muslim Association of Canada
In December 2012, Chiheb Battikh of Montreal attempted to kidnap the son of a billionaire and hold him for ransom. The Tunisian-Canadian was identified by the Tunis Tribune as being "close to Ennahda" or the Muslim Brotherhood. The French language Journal de Montréal did a five-page story on him following his conviction. Among the issues raised by the paper was Battikh's long time position on the board of directors for the Muslim Association of Canada as well as his position as the director of education for them. The issue of whether the kidnapping was intended to help fund the new Canadian Institute of Islamic Civilization was raised as well. Battikh had been in charge of that fundraising effort and the project had been in trouble.
The Trump Administration
Some of President-elect Donald J. Trump's advisors have strong views on the Muslim Brotherhood. Included among these are Walid Phares, who favors banning the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S. Other advisors include Frank Gaffney, and Pieter "Pete" Hoekstra, both of whom are well acquainted with Muslim Brotherhood activities
Outlook
A variety of Muslim Brotherhood front groups have drawn attention to themselves through terrorism funding and other forms of alleged criminal behavior. CAIR USA (and others) have also been involved in lawfare -- suing critics to silence them. Altogether, this activity and their own allegedly criminal actions have drawn greater attention to them and increased, rather than decreased, the amount of research done on them. With the rising, often Islamist-inspired, violence in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia, more attention will be drawn to the sources of the extremism that are producing and funding terrorism.
It appears possible that a Trump Administration will crack down on Islamist extremist groups in the USA. It also appears probable that this will have a spill-over effect into Canada and Europe though greater attention to border security and issues of funding terrorism. These groups, which have already drawn attention to themselves, may start feeling the heat sooner rather than later.
© 2018 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.

Canada Supports, Infantilizes Jihadis
جوديث بيرغمان: كندا تدعم الإرهابيين، وتعاملهم كأطفال
Judith Bergman//Gatestone Institute/June 26/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/68387/%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AB-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%BA%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%8C-%D9%88/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12522/canada-jihadis

The Canadian government is willing to go to great (and presumably costly) lengths to "facilitate" the return of Canadian jihadists, unlike the UK, for example, which has revoked the citizenship of ISIS fighters so they cannot return.
Attempts at deradicalization elsewhere have frequently turned out to be ineffective. In the UK, for example, a new government report shows that the vast majority of deradicalization programs are not only ineffective, but even counterproductive, and that those tasked with executing the programs "...would refuse to engage in topics over fears of bringing up matters of race and religion without appearing discriminatory"
In France, the country's first and only deradicalization center closed in September 2017 after just one year, without having "deradicalized" a single individual. On the contrary, three participants reportedly behaved as if the center were a "Jihad academy".
Canadians who go abroad to commit terrorism – predominantly jihadists, in other words – have a "right to return" according to government documents obtained by Global News. They not only have a right of return, but "... even if a Canadian engaged in terrorist activity abroad, the government must facilitate their return to Canada," as one document says.
According to the government, there are still around 190 Canadian citizens volunteering as terrorists abroad. The majority are in Syria and Iraq, and 60 have returned. Police are reportedly expecting a new influx of returnees over the next couple of months.
The Canadian government is willing to go to great (and presumably costly) lengths to "facilitate" the return of Canadian jihadists, unlike the UK, for example, which has revoked the citizenship of ISIS fighters so they cannot return. The Canadian government has established a taskforce, the High Risk Returnee Interdepartmental Taskforce, that, according to government documents:
"... allows us to collectively identify what measures can mitigate the threat these individuals may pose during their return to Canada. This could include sending officers overseas to collect evidence before they depart, or their detention by police upon arrival in Canada."
Undercover officers may also be used "to engage with the HRT [High Risk Traveler] to collect evidence, or monitor them during their flight home."
In the sanitizing Orwellian newspeak employed by the Canadian government, the terrorists are not jihadis who left Canada to commit the most heinous crimes, such as torture, rape and murder, while fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq, but "High Risk Travelers" and "High Risk Returnees".
The government is fully aware of the security risk to which it is subjecting Canadians: According to the documents, "HRRs [High Risk Returnees] can pose a significant threat to the national security of Canada". This fact raises the question of why the government of Canada is keen to facilitate these people's "right of return" -- when presumably the primary obligation of the government is to safeguard the security of law-abiding Canadian citizens.
The government also does not appear hopeful that the returning terrorists will face criminal charges. By the end of 2017, the Trudeau government had only charged two returned ISIS fighters, and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said at the time, "This is an issue that is bedeviling countries around the world in terms of how you actually... move from intelligence to evidence and make a case stick".
The documents describe terrorism cases as "complex and resource intensive," citing the difficulties of terrorism investigations and caution that "there may not be sufficient evidence for charges", and that, therefore, the government will have to "mitigate the threat through efforts outside the criminal justice system."
Such efforts might include sending an "intervention team" that can "engage with the returnee and the returnee's family to open up dialogue with the individual and to help support the returnee's disengagement from their radical ideology and past behavior... While they may have engaged in terrorism abroad and broken the law, not all returnees continue to post [sic] a threat — they may now be disillusioned with the cause" or "...may no longer be interested in violence."
How comforting for Canadians that their government is pandering to terrorists while pretending that there is a chance that returning jihadis will suddenly change their ways.
Attempts at deradicalization elsewhere have frequently turned out to be ineffective. In the UK, for example, a new government report shows that the vast majority of deradicalization programs are not only ineffective, but even counterproductive, and that those tasked with executing the programs "...would refuse to engage in topics over fears of bringing up matters of race and religion without appearing discriminatory". In France, the country's first and only deradicalization center closed in September 2017 after just one year, without having "deradicalized" a single individual. On the contrary, three participants reportedly behaved as if the center were a "Jihad academy".
The Canadian government is willing to go to great lengths to "facilitate" the return of Canadian jihadists. But attempts at deradicalization in Western countries have frequently turned out to be ineffective. In France, the country's first and only deradicalization center (pictured) closed in September 2017 without having "deradicalized" a single individual. (Image source: 28 minutes - ARTE video screenshot)
Some members of the Canadian government are evidently aware of the near-futility of such deradicalization efforts. In November 2017, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said "You have to prevent the problem before it exists. Once a person has been in a war zone, once they've been actively engaged in terrorist-related activities, the capacity to turn them around is pretty remote."
These facts, however, are unlikely to bother Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who appears to compare returning ISIS fighters to Italian and Greek immigrants who settled in Montreal in the post war years. Trudeau has said, "We know that actually someone who has engaged and turned away from ... hateful ideology can be an extraordinarily powerful voice for preventing radicalization" -- but he appears to disregard the evidence that few actually turn away from jihadism.
Perhaps the Trudeau government simply cares more for jihadists and Islamists than for Canada. In early May, the Toronto Sun revealed that the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), which has ties to terrorist organizations, would receive 10 grants from the government's Canada Summer Jobs Grant[1] to fund its activities across Ontario.
According to the Toronto Sun, "MAC provided $296,514 between 2001 and 2010" to IRFAN-Canada. Within that period, from 2005 and 2009, "IRFAN-Canada transferred approximately $14.6 million worth of resources to various organizations associated with Hamas". Both MAC and IRFAN-Canada are considered linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2014, Canada's government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper designated IRFAN-Canada a terrorist entity.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is facilitating the return of ISIS terrorists and granting government funds to Islamist organizations who end up funding banned terrorist groups. So, whose interests is the Canadian government really looking out for?
*Judith Bergman is a columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
[1] Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ), according to the government website, provides wage subsidies to employers to create employment for secondary and post-secondary students. It welcomes applications from small businesses, not-for-profit employers, public sector and faith-based organizations that provide quality summer jobs for students.
© 2018 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The need to resolve crises in the Middle East
Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/October 25/18
In his speech addressed to the participants of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly last September, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed highlighted four major obstacles that threaten the security and stability of the region, and they are “foreign interferences in affairs of the Arab world, the spread of extremism and terrorism (including the exploitation of modern technology by terrorists to spread their dangerous ideas), settling with managing current crises amid the absence of solutions, and finally the exacerbation of economic, social and humanitarian conditions.”
These complex overlapping obstacles have turned consecutive and inherited problems into a state of an “ongoing crisis” that cannot be resolved by the individual effort of one state or by focusing on a specific aspect of its many branches.
Collective, persistent effort. Instead, these issues require collective, strong and persistent effort that neutralizes points of dispute and focuses on points that constitute a common threat thus taking it from here and moving forward by promoting trust among all parties and establishing this trust via joint action since the crisis surrounds all of the countries in the Middle East and its repercussions spare no one.
These complex overlapping obstacles have turned consecutive and inherited problems into a state of an “ongoing crisis” that cannot be resolved by the individual effort of one state or by focusing on a specific aspect of its many branches.
In his book ‘For a Crisiology’, French philosopher Edgar Morin points out that there has been a change in the meaning of the word ‘crisis’, which originally meant “decision” in Greek, i.e. “the decisive moment, which during the development of an uncertain process, allowed a diagnosis.”
According to Morin, in the present times, the meaning has taken on a contradictory meaning, which is “hesitation”, explaining that now the word refers to “the moment out of which uncertainties as well as disruption originate.”
Going back the speech of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, we find that there has been in fact ‘uncertainty’ which characterizes policies in the Middle East regarding the issues he has pointed out and there is a reluctance to come up with radical solutions, which prompted him to call upon the international community to “take an assertive stance towards countries with hostile policies that violate international law and the charter of the organization,” because this inconsistent policy towards rogue states or groups would exacerbate crises and make the latter more difficult to resolve.
Regional security
According to the UAE Foreign Minister: “It has become inevitable that we become more effective in maintaining regional security by strengthening partnerships to address existing challenges. We are aware that we cannot continue to rely on other countries to resolve the crises of the region, and that no single country, irrespective of its capacities, can alone restore security and stability.”This frank call by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to “remove problems” should be taken seriously by major capitals.
These states should work to find some sort of formula for serious dialogue and understanding, not just make meaningless slogans or statements because ongoing crisis would mean that terrorism, fundamentalism, wars, poverty and illiteracy will find suitable environments for growth and wise men and wisdom will have no influence whatsoever and the region will drown in a sea of crises, which will produce more of them.

Will Moscow host Syria-Israel peace talks?

Shehab Al-Makahleh/Al Arabiya/October 25/18
Russian sources believe that Moscow would play the role of a peace mediator between Israel and Syria, benefitting from the current situation in the Middle East and the political status in both Damascus and Tel Aviv in the aftermath of the opening of the Qunaitra Crossing in the Golan Heights. The Russian role is in line with the American initiative towards an “Ultimatum Deal” or the so-called “The Century Deal”, which is a comprehensive settlement of Arab-Israeli conflict with full normalisation of ties between both countries.
On October 15, Russian forces deputy commander in Syria expressed enthusiasm for resumption of normal life on both sides of the Golan after assuring the United Nations Disengagement Observe Force (UNDOF) that Iranian and Hezbollah fighters are far away from the ceasefire. This is a key to the concerted efforts of both Washington and Moscow.
Reopening the Qunaitra Crossing
The reopening of the crossing in the Golan Heights is viewed in Moscow as more than mere resumption of tribal visits between residents on both sides of the ceasefire line as Russian military had given this event great importance as a prelude to the role that Moscow would play in the near future between Damascus and Tel Aviv to settle their conflict through negotiations, which Russia, would host early next year. Moscow has proposed the direct opening of Qunaitra Crossing to both Syrians and Israelis after launching local, regional and international media campaigns to shed light on the importance of this stride which shows the goodwill from both Damascus and Tel Aviv to end the many decade rancour. Any progress in peace talks between both Tel Aviv and Damascus via Moscow cannot be achieved without a green light from Washington. With opening the crossing, Moscow has fulfilled its assurances to Tel Aviv in particular and the international community in general that Russian forces are the closest to the borders along with Syrian troops and that Iranian-Hezbollah presence is far from Jordanian and Israeli borders. Thus, the source of threat no more exists. According to the information received, Moscow managed to disperse Israeli fears about the Iranian and Hezbollah troops’ presence in South West of Syria, away from the town of Hamrit and Al Amal Farms in the countryside of Qunaitra, and the towns of Deir Makkar and Deir al-Adas in the countryside of Dera’a.
Direct peace talks
Russians believe that they can host and organise a meeting for Syrian and Israeli officials in Sochi or in Moscow to start first with indirect talks akin to those hosted by Turkey in 2008. Then, when both sides agree on the process, Syrian and Israelis can resort to direct negotiations.
This justifies why the Russian army has been working hard in the past few months to restore peace and security to the Golan Front to give assurances to Israel and at the same time to send signals to all parties concerned that Moscow can play a pivotal role in a sustainable and resilient peace in the Middle East. Will Syria be ready for talks with Israelis? As more than 90 percent of the Syrian territories has become under the government’s control, the Syrian leadership could take any decision in this regard, especially after head and prime minister of the Republic of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov’s visit to Damascus early October 2018. The Crimean official extended an invitation to Syrian President Bashar Assad to visit Russia. The visit, slated to be in mid-December 2018 is in line with Russian initiative to launch indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel.
Bashar Assad may need at present to reach a peace treaty with Israel as this will be beneficial to both countries since this process would be conducive to the restoration of the Golan Heights for this is tantamount to a historic, political and strategic achievement for all parties concerned. What would entice Syria to resume talks with Israel in Russia?
Syria can reap huge economic revenues from the peace treaty, mainly if this is backed by the United States and the EU as well as the Gulf countries. Simply, this would end political rift with Syria and help the country regain its seat at the Arab League. Once talks start between Israelis and Syrian in Moscow, Syria will receive huge international investments and economic assistance to reconstruct the country. This is the Russian bet because during the war era, political isolation and economic sanctions on Damascus have thwarted Syrian bids to sign a partnership agreement with the EU, or to join the World Trade Organization, or to attract foreign investments. The world is looking at a change in Syrian policy to open the door for international investments. This could be any time soon. Israel benefits more when a treaty is signed with Syria as this will neutralize the last active Arab Front, Syria, after Tel Aviv had peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt. Israel would support the Russian move to host such talks because if any agreement is reached, this would narrow the strategic options of both Hezbollah and Hamas and pave the way for the re-launch of the Arab peace initiative aimed at establishing a lasting peace between Israel and all Arab states.
Win-win talks
Such talks will also help Russia improve its status internationally as a peacemaker. Moreover, Russian will in this case reduce the Iranian influence in this part of the Middle East once a peace treaty between Israel and Syria is reached. The majority of Israelis do not deny the importance of peace with Syria and consider that a peace treaty would conclude that Syria cannot be a direct threat. For Syria, however, if talks do not lead to peace, both countries will have their own strategic options. If peace is not achieved, proxy wars will continue between both countries. For Syria, it has two options: a hardline and a moderate.
If peace is not achieved, Syria’s hard-line option is to cooperate with Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and other groups to create a new reality on the ground in a form of attrition to Israeli forces. On the other hand, the moderate option is to stabilize the current status quo based on the formula of no war, no peace.
As for Israel, it is not easy to adopt a specific strategy as all strategies rely on politicians. Such options vary from exploring the possibility of concluding a comprehensive peace treaty with Damascus to proxy wars to direct war. At present, Israelis prefer the option, which is based on talks with Syria to neutralize the Syrian army and isolate Assad from Iran and Hezbollah. The third option is to hold talks with Syria on how to calm the situation on Israel’s northern border by encouraging Syria to play a bigger role in Lebanon to manage the threat posed by Hezbollah. The fourth is that Syria regains the Golan Heights through peace talks with guarantees to Israel based on the various rounds of negotiations from 1995 to 2000 between Israeli and Syrian negotiators. Will Israel pull out from the Golan Heights? During 1995-2000 peace talks between both sides, Israelis and Syrians agreed on the peace treaty to include some clauses vis-à-vis borders, water, security, military and diplomatic ties. They agreed that peace would prevail in phases over 10 years. Russia now realises the main reasons for the rift during these talks which is the 1923 and 1967 borders. Israel believes in the deployment lines of June 4th, 1967 while Syria adheres to the 1923 official borders. Israel insists to keep the control over the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias Water resource while Syria rejects this. Both Syria and Israel understand that the Golan Heights have no strategic importance as before due to development in military technologies. Thus, any progress in peace talks between both Tel Aviv and Damascus via Moscow cannot be achieved without a green light from Washington which should play an active role to achieve a final settlement for the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Iranian propaganda seeks to create discord and influence elections
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 25/18
The 2018 midterm elections in the US will be held in less than two weeks. These elections are critical because many seats in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, as well as state governorships, will be contested. The results of the midterm elections are important due to the fact they will have an enormous impact on both US domestic and foreign policy for many years to come.
As a result, it is crucial that confidence in the democratic process is guaranteed by making sure that free and fair elections are held without the interference of other state and non-state actors.
While Russia has grabbed the media spotlight for the part that it may be playing to influence the outcome of the midterms, the Iranian regime’s role has received much less attention. It is important to point out that, in the last few years, Iran has made significant technological advances, which are partially being directed toward affecting the results of elections both domestically and in foreign nations.
Domestically speaking, the Iranian leaders enjoy significant control over their own elections. Generally only a few candidates, who have been selected by the regime’s apparatuses, are permitted to run for office. The ruling mullahs fulfill this task through the Guardian Council, which is loyal to the fundamentalists and particularly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The 12 members of the council are all appointed directly or indirectly by the supreme leader — six directly and the other six nominated by the head of the judiciary, who is, in turn, appointed by Khamenei.
Iran is spreading dishonest, fake news and misinformation in various languages on popular social media outlets.
But, since the theocratic establishment cannot exercise such control over other nations’ elections, it resorts to other, more sophisticated means. One approach that Iran has been increasingly relying on is to launch disinformation campaigns by spreading dishonest, fake news and misinformation in various languages on popular social media outlets, which have hundreds of millions of users. The regime also generates and disseminates fabricated headlines and videos, and propagates inaccurate pictures.
In fact, Iran has already been engaged in such propaganda campaigns ahead of the US midterm elections. In a joint statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Justice Department, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security recently stated that: “We are concerned about ongoing campaigns by Russia, China and other foreign actors, including Iran, to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies.”
The Iranian regime is using propaganda in an attempt to influence voters to elect candidates who are in favor of pursuing appeasement policies toward Tehran and maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, which provides the regime with sanctions relief, extra revenues and lucrative business deals with Western firms. Iran is also trying to undermine people’s confidence in the democratic institutions and norms, create deep division and discord in the US, and ultimately shape the political discourse in a way that advances the ruling clergy’s ideological and geopolitical interests.
One of the popular outlets Iran uses in order to inflict damage on other nations’ internal politics is Twitter. Twitter recently released a treasure trove of data that demonstrates in detail the underlying role the Iranian regime plays. According to the bevy of data, suspect tweets had come from “3,841 accounts affiliated with the IRA (Internet Research Agency), originating in Russia, and 770 other accounts, potentially originating in Iran… They include more than 10 million tweets and more than 2 million images, GIFs, videos and Periscope broadcasts.”
In addition, although Facebook is banned in Iran, the Tehran regime has become skillful at targeting people from other countries who use this giant social media outlet. In fact, Facebook acknowledged in a statement that it had removed “652 pages, groups and accounts for coordinated inauthentic behavior that originated in Iran and targeted people across multiple Internet services.”
The Iranian regime is engaged in inauthentic behavior, spreading propaganda and disinformation campaigns on social media platforms in many countries. But it is worth noting that two key targets of the Iranian leaders are the US and Saudi Arabia. American voters and the US government must be extremely cautious about Iran’s disinformation campaigns in the upcoming midterm elections. Iran must be held accountable for its propaganda campaigns in other nations.
One way to counter the Iranian regime’s malignant activities is to raise awareness among the public about the accuracy of the information they gain access to on various social media outlets and the role that the Iranian regime’s agents may be playing in distorting the facts and the truth. In addition, engineers, journalists, scholars, policy analysts and politicians ought to cooperate and set up a joint institution that can effectively detect and reverse engineer Iran’s destructive behavior.
• 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.