LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 04/09
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12:18-27. Some
Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and put this question
to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies,
leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up
descendants for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers. The first married a
woman and died, leaving no descendants. So the second married her and died,
leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no
descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection (when they
arise) whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus
said to them, "Are you not misled because you do not know the scriptures or the
power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in
marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God
told him, 'I am the God of Abraham, (the) God of Isaac, and (the) God of Jacob'?
He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled."
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
What Obama Should Tell the‘Muslim
World-By Walid Phares 03/06/09
The odd couple: Hizbullah and the general/Le
Monde Diplomatique 03/06/09
Lebanon First/Future News 03/06/09
The corrupt Republic of Aoun and
Hizbullah/Future News 03/06/09
Orange kalashnikovs & Canadian
plane tickets.By: zentor 03/06/09
The wider implications of the Bronx terrorists.By
Walid
Phares 03/06/09
ARKANSAS' LONE JIHADIST: HOW ALONE IS HE?By:
Dr. Walid Phares
03/06/09
The situation in some of Iran's
provinces is anything but 'normal' -
The Daily Star
03/06/09
Muslims expect more than words of goodwill-The
National 03/06/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for June
03/09
Lieberman: Israel to
Boycott Conference With Hamas or Hizbullah-Naharnet
Lebanon Detects Forged
Identity Cards ahead of Crucial Elections-Naharnet
Maronite Bishops: Voters Should
Realize Risks and Accept Poll Results for a New Lebanon-Naharnet
Geagea Warns from Syrian-Iranian
Influence if March 8 Wins Polls-Naharnet
Lebanon Detects Forged Identity Cards ahead of Crucial Elections-Naharnet
Sami Gemayel: to learn from
Armenian experience-Naharnet
Nadim Gemayel: Hizbullah wants to
implement Wilayat al-Faqih-Naharnet
Habib: Aoun’s tense rhetoric, a
sign of weakness-Naharnet
Hajjar: Third republic legitimizes
Hizbullah’s security zones-Naharnet
Zoghbi: Aoun exposed Hizbullah’s
secret-Naharnet
Baroud: no one will be capable of
using forged Identity Cards-Naharnet
Najjar: Historic accomplishment in
dismantling Mossad networks-Naharnet
Five facts about Zahleh’s
predicament-Naharnet
Suleiman Congratulates Security Forces on Unprecedented Achievement by
Uncovering Israeli Spies-Naharnet
At-a-glance: Lebanon politcal parties-Special
Broadcasting Service
Qassem Rejects Accusations Hizbullah Will Transform Lebanon into an Islamic
State-Naharnet
Report: George Mitchell in
Beirut June 14-Naharnet
Geagea Warns from Syrian-Iranian
Influence if March 8 Wins Polls-Naharnet
Electoral Battle Looms Over Beirut
2 District-Naharnet
Obama vows to get Middle East peace
talks back on track-(AFP)
Barak lobbies US officials on
settlements-Daily
Star
Israel plays down blunt criticism
from Obama-(AFP)
Lebanon poll no threat to status quo-The
National
Hezbollah No. 2 wants Lebanon unity government-The
Associated Press
Lebanon: 9 accused of spying
for Israel-Jerusalem
Post
Sirens heard in south Lebanon as
Israel rehearses 'doomsday'-Daily
Star
Five Lebanese confirmed on board
missing Air France plane-Daily
Star
Comprehensive reforms require 'will' for change - Sleiman-Daily
Star
US keeps Lebanon on 'Watch List'
for piracy, copyright infringement-Daily Star
NGO organizes health festival for
Palestinian children-Daily
Star
Egyptian and Lebanese journalists receive Samir Kassir
press freedom award-Daily
Star
Rifi sees more arrests ahead in spy
probe-Daily
Star
The odd
couple: Hizbullah and the general
In Lebanon’s legislative elections on 7 June, two members of the national unity
government will be pitted against
each other. Saad Hariri and his 14 March
group face the Maronite general, Michel Aoun, who has formed
a strong and
surprising alliance with Hizbullah
by Nicolas Dot-Pouillard
On 24 August 2008, the Maronite leader, General Michel Aoun, made his first
visit to south Lebanon in 33 years. As head of the Free Patriotic Movement
(FPM), he wanted to demonstrate the strength of his alliance with Hizbullah.
South Lebanon had been under Israeli occupation until May 2000, and in the war
of July and August 2006 its border villages were the scene of bloody battles.
Aoun met the regional Hizbullah leader Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, and Wafik Safa, one
of its military leaders. He went walkabout in Bint Jbeil beneath huge portraits
of Imad Mughniyeh, Hizbullah’s military chief assassinated in Damascus in
February 2008. He visited the Museum of the Resistance at Nabatiyeh and paid
homage to the victims of the 1996 and 2006 Israeli bombings of Qanaa.
General Aoun’s visit had symbolic importance for both the FPM and Hizbullah. It
was meant to show that the alliance between the two parties (who signed a
memorandum of understanding on 6 February 2006) is popular and durable, and not
merely a marriage of convenience.
It might seem strange that one of Lebanon’s Christian leaders should become the
close ally of Hizbullah, an Islamist-nationalist party allied to Syria and Iran.
But this bizarre reconciliation is part of the huge political reorganisation
that has been taking place in Lebanon since Syria pulled out its troops in 2005.
Aoun was a Lebanese army commander during the civil war, known for his fierce
opposition to interference from Syria, whose forces he had fought in March 1989.
He even went before the United States Senate in 2003 to argue in favour of
economic sanctions against Damascus.
But now, through Hizbullah, Aoun’s reconciliation with Syria is sealed: in
December he made a triumphant visit to Damascus and met President Bashar
al-Assad several times.
When Aoun returned to Lebanon from exile in France in May 2005, he and his party
refused to join the pro-western “14 March” alliance, formed after the
assassination of the Sunni prime minister Rafik Hariri. The anti-Syrian 14 March
grouping relies on support from Sunni and Druze Muslims as well as some
Christians, and is backed by France, the US and Saudi Arabia. It includes
Maronite groups who are particularly hostile to Aoun: Samir Geagea’s Lebanese
Forces (a Christian militia that Aoun’s forces fought against in 1989); the
Phalangists of former president Amine Gemayel (1); and the Qornet Shehwan
Gathering, a group of Christian intellectuals close to the Maronite patriarch
Nasrallah Sfeir. Relations between Aoun’s party and the patriarchate are
strained, since the FPM’s charter aims to “separate politics from religion to
facilitate the establishment of a secular state” (2) – a prospect the religious
authorities are not too keen on.
The gulf between the FPM and the 14 March alliance is all the deeper because the
two have a different analysis of the regional situation following Syria’s
withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005. Aoun and his supporters believe that defending
national integrity no longer depends merely on opposing Syrian interference, but
all foreign interference, including from the West and Saudi Arabia. Reflecting
the aspirations of marginalised, middle-class Maronite Christians, the FPM
opposes sectarianism and wants the country to move towards secularism, whereas
it believes the 14 March alliance wants to perpetuate the traditional sectarian
order.
But although Aoun’s supporters argue for secularism and state reform, it doesn’t
stop them analysing events in sectarian terms. Rima, a young FPM activist living
in Ashrafiyyeh, a Christian quarter of Beirut, says: “Syria and Iran are no
longer the biggest threat to Lebanon. For years now the threat has come from a
Sunni fundamentalism that is extremely hostile to Christians (3), a
fundamentalist ideology funded by Saudi petrodollars. So we have to unite with
the Shia but also with non-sectarian Sunni. I prefer Iran – a country with
intellectuals, elections and some rights – to Saudi Arabia, where women aren’t
even allowed to drive.”
The alliance between the FPM and Hizbullah can be seen in the context of
opposing regional and denominational blocs: Iran and Syria on one side, Saudi
Arabia, Jordan and Egypt on the other. Before setting off for Tehran on 13
October last year, Aoun condemned “Lebanon’s subservience to Riyadh and the US
administration”. This strategic visit, at Iran’s invitation, was unprecedented
for a Maronite political leader.
The bitterness remains
Lebanon’s Christian political camp has never truly been united. Admittedly, it
was hostile to Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser’s pan-Arab project in the
1950s and 1960s. In July 1958, President Camille Chamoun, leader of the NLP
(National Liberal Party), called on the US military to intervene in Beirut
against pro-Nasser movements. And in the 1970s, the Maronite bloc showed some
degree of unity in opposing pan-Arabism: there were the Maronite militias such
as Etienne Sakr’s Guardians of the Cedar and Georges Adwan’s Tanzim militia, as
well as the alliance between Bashir Gemayel (commander of the armed wing of the
Phalangists) and the Israeli army in 1982, against the Palestine Liberation
Organisation (4).
But the political unity at the beginning of the 1980s was achieved through the
barrel of a gun and masked deep divisions within the Christian community. After
the killing of the (Christian) family of Tony Frangieh (5), leader of the Marada
Brigade, at Ehden in northern Lebanon in June 1978 by Phalangist militias, and
the elimination of dozens of NLP activists in January 1980, Bashir Gemayel
asserted that “for the first time in 14 centuries, Lebanese Christians are
united militarily”. But they had paid a high price and the bitterness remains.
Unity among ordinary Christians themselves is even more tenuous on account of
the differing denominations. For instance, the Maronites have shown a certain
ideological consistency but other Christians, notably the Greek Orthodox and
Greek Catholics, have filled the ranks of secular (non-denominational) parties
such as the Communists and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP). The
current division between the Aounists on the one hand, and the Phalangists and
Lebanese Forces on the other, is not a historic aberration: it confirms the
rivalry and the ongoing political and denominational struggle within the
Christian camp (6).
What is new is the ideological shift at the heart of the Maronite Christian camp
created by the alliance between Aoun and Hizbullah. For the first time, a mass
Maronite movement has allied itself politically and strategically with an
organisation that is Islamist, nationalist, anti-American, anti-Israeli and
inside the Arab and Islamic sphere of influence.
This represents a minor revolution among the Maronite public. For the Aounists
have altered Lebanon’s political and sectarian landscape. They have created a
situation where a national Maronite movement can explicitly support Hizbullah’s
right to keep its weapons, in the context of the Lebanese-Israeli conflict:
“Bearing arms is not an end in itself, but a noble and sacred means that is
exercised by any group whose land is occupied, on the grounds of political
resistance” (7).
The alliance has also brought communities together. In July and August 2006,
during the Israeli war on Hizbullah, many Shia took refuge in the mountains of
Christian areas, at the behest of the FPM. This popular dynamic grew with the
opposition demonstrations and sit-ins in Beirut, led by Hizbullah and the FPM in
December 2006 against the government of Fouad Siniora.
What the Aounists are calling for is a strong, secular, regulatory state and a
new relationship (8) between Christians and Muslims within a nationalist
context. But this position has already thrown up contradictions. In July 2008,
an inter-Christian meeting at Dbayeh (near Beirut) brought together more than
200 Christian opposition leaders to discuss a summary of “Christian principles”
unveiled by Aoun in December 2007. Aoun is now presenting himself as a leader of
the Christian community, capable of leading the Maronites – in spite of the
inherent contradiction with the secular, non-sectarian policies professed by his
party.
Will it be worth it?
What’s more, Aoun sees himself as the defender of eastern Christians, a position
he reinforced with his visits to Iran and Syria in 2008. The FPM’s acceptance of
the new electoral law creating “small constituencies” does give Christians
better representation in parliament (9), but it also endorses the sectarian
argument. Only the Lebanese Communist Party, the SSNP and small leftwing or
Nasserist movements voiced their opposition to the new electoral law – which is
just as sectarian as the last – by staging demonstrations in front of parliament
last August.
Aoun’s supporters may have taken part in demonstrations to defend public
services in May 2006, alongside Hizbullah and the Lebanese Communist Party, but
three years later, the new Aounist telecommunications minister, Gibran Bassil (Aoun’s
son-in-law), has completely accepted privatisation of the telecoms industry.
The June elections will be decisive for General Aoun. If the FPM simply
maintains its seats (currently 19 out of 128), its alliance with Hizbullah will
have been justified. But it will provoke a leadership crisis among the
Christians. However, if the FPM and Hizbullah win the elections, Michel Aoun
will face a different challenge: that of reconciling his new status as leader of
Lebanon’s Christians with his reformist, secular policies.
Maronite
Bishops: Voters Should Realize Risks and Accept Poll Results for a New Lebanon
Naharnet/Maronite Bishops urged the Lebanese on Wednesday to accept the results
of the parliamentary elections in high spirits and realize the risks posed on
Lebanon and the region.
"Accept the election results in high spirits. The state is keen on providing the
freedom and security of (the polls). Congratulate each other after the victory,"
said Monsignor Youssef Tawq, who read the appeal of the bishops four days before
the polls. "Open a new page under the headline 'A new Lebanon for everyone and
with everyone,'" he said on the period after Sunday's elections. "We hope the
Lebanese would realize the risks posed on our nation and the region," the
Bishops, who are holding their yearly conclave under Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir,
said.
Differences of opinion, according to the appeal, do not mean disagreement on the
nation. That's why "the Lebanese are urged to cooperate to find solutions to
their different problems."
"Responsibilities should be shared by all under the new parliament," it said.
The bishops also urged voters to avoid external influence, bribe and violence
and compete in the elections in a civilized manner "befitting the reputation of
Lebanon." "Civil peace is your responsibility. That's why we urge you to
consolidate what has been agreed upon," the appeal said. "Protect Lebanon so
that it protects you." eirut, 03 Jun 09, 11:42
Lebanon Detects Forged Identity Cards ahead of Crucial
Elections
Naharnet/Lebanese authorities have detected forged identity cards only four days
ahead of crucial parliamentary elections, which pit the anti-Syrian
parliamentary majority against the Hizbullah-led alliance. The report on
evidence of dozens of fake identity cards was uncovered by Prime Minister Fouad
Saniora during an ordinary Cabinet session on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said the ministry had "put its hand on the issue."
"We have taken strict measures and we will take even stringiest measures to
bring the situation under control," Baroud was quoted as telling Cabinet
ministers. The daily An Nahar on Wednesday, citing ministerial sources, said
those involved will be brought to justice. Baroud also vowed "not to remain
idle." "Regardless of the number of forged identity cards, the culprits will not
be able to use them. This is not easy and we are active." Al Akhbar newspaper,
meanwhile, also spoke of "sealed envelopes" to be used to enable election fraud.
Baroud said, however, that the 2009 electoral process will be the first in the
history of Lebanon where it would be impossible to see envelopes outside the
polling stations. The long-delayed 2009 state budget was not on the Cabinet
agenda Tuesday. Saniora indicated the likelihood of holding two more Cabinet
sessions after parliamentary elections since government term expires June 20.
Beirut, 03 Jun 09, 07:52
Nadim Gemayel: Hizbullah wants to implement Wilayat al-Faqih
Date: June 2nd, 2009 Source: NNA
Nadim Gemayel, a Kataëb party candidate for the Maronite seat in Beirut first
district, said Tuesday that he is not willing to have a dialogue with someone
who does not believe in Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence. Gemayel told the
National News Agency: “We are ready to conduct dialogue within the national
constants.
“Until this moment, Hizbullah’s equation is to either hold talks with them or
they would invade Beirut. Can anyone guarantee that the paper of understanding
between Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement will prevent Hizbullah from
invading the Christian regions?” Gemayel said that Hizbullah is trying to
dominate the Lebanese Christian opinions by the force of arms, but “we will not
give it this privilege.”He added: “During the dialogue sessions Hizbullah
constantly reiterated that the majority of the Lebanese support their weapons,
because of the coverage provided by the Christian Aounists. We must withdraw
this coverage. You have to choose between Hizbullah’s weapons that threatens the
peace and freedom of the nation and its people.
Dominating Lebanon is one of our fears, Hizbullah wants to implement the project
of the Iranian Wilayat al-Faqih.
Zoghbi: Aoun exposed Hizbullah’s secret
Date: June 2nd, 2009 /Future News
March 14’s Elias Zoghbi pointed Tuesday to MP Michel Aoun’s ‘slip of tongue’
during the latter’s speech last Sunday in Batroun. Leader of the Free Patriotic
Party, Aoun asserted that if the opposition camp wins the June 7 parliamentary
elections, Israel will not attack Lebanon. Zoghbi, a former aide of Aoun’s,
believes the pro-Syrian leader’s revelation “exposes the truth of the interest
exchange between the resistance and March 8,” assuring that it aims at striking
Lebanese and Arab moderation.”Zoghbi attributes the reason behind his claim to
Hizbullah’s allegations “permanently based on Israeli documents and reports”.He
noted that Aoun “no longer hides his hunger for the presidency and consequently
does not take into account all the norms, restrictions and red lines he
trespasses in his electoral campaign.”Zoghbi clarified that the Christian
opposition leader trespasses include document forgery, exploitation of religious
affiliations and the ferocity of his supporters, expecting that March 8 will
plan a coup over President Michel Sleiman.
Lebanon First
Date: June 3rd, 2009
Future News
The power of the will is tested during tough times, and today Lebanon is amidst
a crucial electoral battle which will determine its destiny. This is what urges
us to go through this democratic issuance unified and with a resonant will
power.
The objectives of this electoral battle motivate us to engage through elections
with an unyielding will power. We will go through elections:
-For Lebanon to become a unified, fully-sovereign state.
-For one legitimacy based on the constitution and nothing else.
- For one army which is submissive to one authority and has the exclusive right
to own weapons and defend Lebanon against the Israeli enemy.
- For Lebanon to stay governed through equal sharing between Muslims and
Christians regardless of sizes and numbers.
- For preventing nationalization and to support the right of Palestinians to
establish their state.
-For Lebanon to remain an absolute country for its entire people.
It is no more an individual case; we are now fighting the battle of our country,
a battle to smear all conspiracies woven against Lebanon, starting from the
declaration of the inspirer of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Ali Khamenei to
the statement of Mahmud Ahmed Nejad about building a frontier in the region
centered in Lebanon.
Fighting these conspiracies knitted against the country and its stability cannot
be through words, but it is through casting our ballots to let the whole world
know that the Lebanese have said their word: Lebanon First.
Sami Gemayel: to learn from Armenian experience
Date: June 2nd, 2009 /Future News
Kataeb party candidate for the Maronite seat in the North Metn district Sami
Gemayel called on the Lebanese to learn from the Armenian experience in their
struggle to preserve their identity, heritage and national memory. “We shall
benefit from past tragedies to be able to build a prosperous nation,” he said.
Gemayel attended a meeting with the Hanshak party during which he expressed his
gratitude to the party for providing continual support to the Kataeb in the
elections. The meeting was attended by head of the Hanshak Mardiros Jamkodjian,
Armenian MPs Yagia Dejerjian, Serge Torsarkissian, uncontested candidate in
Beirut II district Sebouh Ohannes Kalpakian and member of the Hanshak party.
Kataeb and Hanshak leaders underlined the importance of unity and full
coordination between the electoral machines in order to achieve a sweeping
victory in the elections. Sami Gemayel is a candidate on 'The Metn Salvation
List,' along with Elie Karami (Kataeb), Eddie Abi Lamaa (Lebanese Forces),
Sarkis Sarkis, Elias Mukhaiber, Emile Kanaan and Michel Murr (Independents).
The corrupt Republic of Aoun and Hizbullah
Date: June 3rd, 2009 /Future News
Masks fell and the real faces appeared at a time all political factions are
intensifying their potential and powers to guarantee a victory in the pivotal
electoral process on June 7. The Lebanese people can choose according to their
convictions and awareness of the important phase which Lebanon experiences,
where “vague” promises do not cheat the Lebanese who are politically experienced
and will know who to choose to represent him in the parliament.
March 14 alliance is walking confident towards Sunday, as a date for renewing
the public confidence in its option and political program which it declared more
than once, while the minority is wrangling in the dilemma of getting out of its
status by all means. Facts show that the minority is getting more and more away
of its dream to reach authority especially that the last days carried numerous
surprises that started with the “Aounist cheating” to its supporters and allies
in relation to the memorandum of understanding and fighting corruption, which
the Free Patriotic Movement depended on to enhance its wealth, and stab
Hizbullah its strategic ally in the back, to reach the Presidency.
Ambiguity…and corruption
Information exposed dangerous files that show MP Michel Aoun’s involvement in
contacts with the Israeli Mossad during his residence in France, which poses a
question about the ambiguity that carries the leader of the “Change and Reform”
and what he prepares for Lebanon and the Lebanese if he became a President. Aoun
is following the strategic preparations with member of Hizbullah’s political
council Hajj Ghaleb Abu Zeinab in the framework of what he called “adding the
final touches,” while the first is sensing the critical electoral situation in
Jezzine after he was told that Hizbullah will distribute the votes of its
supporters “in half” between the list backed by Aoun and the competing list
headed by MP Samir Azar which is backed by Speaker Nabih Berry.
Vote joyfully
With the approach of the major confrontation, President Michel Sleiman called
the Lebanese to “vote intensely and in joy, preventing our cultural and
historical values from being dishonored.” He called the citizens to “stay away
from sectarian line-ups and hurtful rhetoric and accusations between political
competitors which affect the faith of Lebanese in themselves.” Sleiman stressed
that a workshop for “political, judicial and administrative reforming is
requested in contribution of everyone starting from June 8,” pointing that
“elections is part of the reform which is an occasion to renew democracy.”
Committed to Doha
Leader of Almustaqbal movement MP Saad Hariri considered that “some are
spreading rumors about security issues on June 7 and make scenarios and fake
news to prevent you from voting in four days,” assuring the Lebanese citizens
that “these news are incorrect” and calling to respond to such rumors in the
electoral boxes.
Leader of the parliamentary majority stressed on the “commitment to the Doha
agreement in relation to Beirut Two, despite the attempts of the other group to
escape from and not fulfill their pledges in this concern. He said: “we respect
the agreement which we signed, even if the others are not committed to, and we
will run the elections in this district according to this agreement, and we call
the supporters of Almustaqbal movement to participate intensively on June 7 and
vote for those who represent them in the parliament.”
Hizbullah…a concern
Minister Bahia Hariri stressed from Sidon on her “full commitment with Al Jamaa
Al-Islamiya “hand in hand and one electoral machine,” pointing that Sidon will
represent a symbol of stability on June 7 through the will power of its people
who will fill the arenas and will not allow anyone to mess with the security of
the city.”
From Tripoli, member of Almustaqbal parliamentary bloc Samir El-Jisr stated that
June 8 is a fateful day in Tripoli’s history which is a choice between the
sovereign independent path and the path of axis which brings destruction. El-Jisr
considered that the victory of March 8 camp is a source of concern for regional
forces which puts March 8’s victory and attaining majority based on Hizbullah in
the context of Iranian spread, in addition that such victory will enhance
Hizbullah’s power in its regions and terminate its competitors and will spread
to all regions through its allies, and all this will lead to political stress
which is the source of explosion.
Bassil and failure
In Batroun, member of the Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra stressed that “Sunday
is the date for March 14’s victory,” assuring that the battle in Batroun is
semi-settled and Minister Gebran Bassil the candidate for Batroun district
“could not cheat people despite the media and advertising campaign through which
he invested every paper he signed and every decision he took.” Zahra pointed
that the cost of communications became higher, hoping that the situation of
telecommunication would go back to its prior condition before Bassil held the
Ministry.
Bassil’s involvement in his Ministry has reached the highest level, while the
judge in the investigation of Bohsas explosion Nabil Sari continued his
investigation, and interrogated three detainees, and called for a session held
on June 16 both chief of the Information sector in the Internal Security Forces
Colonel Wissam Al-Hassan and the Director of the Minister of Telecommunications
Office Gilbert Najjar to question him for the delay in providing Data and
information about telecommunication.
Baroud: no one will be capable of using forged Identity
Cards
Date: June 3rd, 2009 Source: newspapers /Minister of interior Ziad Baroud has
pledged to fellow ministers that his ministry is investigating the origin of the
large quantity of forged identity cards and that no one will be capable of using
them on the June 7 elections day, As-Safir and An-Nahar papers reported
Wednesday.“We have taken all measures to prevent the usage of the forged ID
cards in elections, and all details will be announced afterwards.” Baroud told
An-Nahar paper. “Regardless of the quantity of forged identity cards, no one
will be capable of using them. This is not easy, and we are prepared.”Baroud
told As-Safir paper that he is satisfied with the administrative, logistic and
security preparations for the elections.
“The elections have already started and an important part of it will be carried
out tomorrow. The 11 thousand official delegates in the polling stations will
cast their ballots tomorrow” he said.
Najjar: Historic accomplishment in dismantling Mossad
networks
Date: June 3rd, 2009 /Future News
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said Wednesday that capturing 29 Mossad networks
by Lebanese security services, is a historic accomplishment that honors Lebanon
and fortifies the state.
“Uncovering 29 Israeli spy networks is a historic accomplishment that honors the
Lebanese and strengthens the state,” Najjar told almustaqbal.org.
On the issue of Hizbullah’s Secretary General demand to execute the members of
the spy network, Najjar said “Sayyed Nasrallah called for executing Shiite
agents and not to impose capital punishment, or amend laws. Yet, if he meant
executing the suspects immediately without a trial, then he would be wrong,
because of his excessive enthusiasm.
Concerning reports about the release of Lebanese held in Syrian prisons, Najjar
said “A German newspaper reported that the Syrian authority intended to release
300 Lebanese held in its prisons. As soon as I received the news, I contacted
the Lebanese Judicial authority and the Secretary-General of the Lebanese-Syrian
higher council Nasri Khoury to inquire about the issue. I was told that the
information published in the newspaper is not official and the Syrians said that
they have released 20 Lebanese who had served their term in Syrian prisons.”
“According to agreements between Syria and Lebanon, neither of the two countries
is entitled to notify the other if it releases convicted criminals who had
served their term in prison,” he added. Concerning Hussein Jaafar, the key
suspect in the attack on the Lebanese army in Bekaa on April, 2009 who is
detained by the Syrian authorities, Najjar said “the Lebanese authorities
believe that the Syrians hand over the suspect as soon as it finishes
interrogating him.”
Marouni: Hizbullah at the lead of ‘March 8’ and others are
tools
Date: June 3rd, 2009 Source: Future News /Minister of Tourism Eluie Marouni,
candidate for the Maronite seat in Zahleh district, said Tuesday Hizbullah, the
Lebanese Shiite party, is the actual leader of the ‘March 8’ opposition
alliance, and considered the rest of the counterparts “executive tools that do
not make decisions”.He pointed that MP Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic
Movement and the Change and Reform parliament’s bloc, “has provided the
‘Christian cover’ to Hizbullah’s project in the region”.Marouni said the list of
‘March 8’ in Zahleh district represents the Syrian-Iranian axis. He pointed that
Syria’s intervention in Lebnaon’s parliamentary elections was translated through
opening Damascus’s airport before the incomers to Lebanon to participate in
parliamentary elections.”
Suleiman Congratulates Security Forces on Unprecedented
Achievement by Uncovering Israeli Spies
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman visited Wednesday the headquarters of the
General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) in Ashrafiyeh to
examine the achievements made in the arrests of Israeli spy cells.Suleiman
congratulated security forces on their "unprecedented achievement" by uncovering
Israeli espionage rings. Police chief Gen. Ashraf Rifi on Tuesday expected more
arrests in the investigation into spying for Israel that has already led to
dozens of people being arrested. "We have not completed the mission," Rifi said.
"We have files that are still being prepared for arrests." The wave of arrests
began in April with the detention of former ISF Brig. Gen. Adib al-Alam. His
wife and nephew also were detained. The latest arrests made included two serving
colonels in the Lebanese army as well as at least five members of the security
forces. "Most played central spying roles and confessed to falling into the
snares of the Israeli enemy," Rifi said. He cited sex, money and politics as
possible motives behind the detainees' decision to spy for the Israeli secret
service, Mossad. Some of the detainees were involved in operational missions,
including the assassination of Hizbullah commander Ghaleb Awali in 2004,
according to Rifi. He was killed by a bomb in Beirut's southern suburbs. Rifi
declined to discuss the thread that led to the arrests. Beirut, 03 Jun 09, 09:05
Report: George Mitchell in Beirut June 14
Naharnet/The U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, is expected
to visit Beirut on June 14 as part of his tour to the region, the Central News
Agency reported Tuesday.
CNA said that Mitchell will be accompanied by Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for Near Eastern Affairs David Hale during his tour that will include
Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and possibly a few other Arab countries. A State
Department official confirmed that Mitchell will travel to the region next week
but did not give an exact date.
"He is planning to travel to the region next week," the official said. "At this
point I can't be more specific on travel itinerary." CNA said that Mitchell will
meet during his visit to Beirut President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri
and Premier Fouad Saniora. Well-informed sources said that Lebanese officials
will stress to the U.S. envoy the importance of finding a solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the Arab initiative and the right of the
Palestinians' return to their homeland. The officials will also discuss with
Mitchell the issue of the border village of Ghajar, the Shebaa farms and
Kfarshouba hills. Diplomatic sources told CNA that Mitchell's visit to Lebanon
could last for two days. Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 20:35
2nd Detained Colonel Confesses to Spying, New Arrests Include School Teacher
Naharnet/Arrested Col. Shahid Toumiyeh has admitted in his interrogation that he
was recruited by Israel in the mid-1990s and entrusted with spying on both the
Lebanese and the Syrian armies as well as on Hizbullah. The daily Al Akhbar on
Tuesday quoted well-informed sources as saying that communication devices –
which were being used by Toumiyeh to stay in touch with his Israeli employers --
had been confiscated from his house. The sources said Toumiyeh and Mansour Diab,
also a Lebanese army colonel arrested last week, work independently of each
other. In a related development, Lebanon's General Security Department known as
Surete Generale arrested an Egyptian in the southern village of Aita al-Shaab on
suspicion of spying for Israel. They said a security force raided his house and
seized a computer set and a number of CD ROMs. A police patrol also arrested a
school teacher in the southern town of Qsseibeh. The teacher, in his 60s, was
not identified. But media reports said a computer set was confiscated from his
house. Beirut, 02 Jun 09, 10:01
ARKANSAS' LONE JIHADIST: HOW ALONE IS HE?
By Walid Phares
In an armed attack outside the Army-Navy Career Center which handles recruiting,
in Little Rock, AR, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 23, killed one soldier wounded
another. Muhammad, an American citizen who is a convert to Islam and previously
known as Carlos Bledsoe, already had been under investigation by the FBI at the
time of the shootings. He had traveled to Yemen, received indoctrination from
radical clerics, according to a watch group, and possessed a false Somali
passport. He was charged in the death of Pvt. William Long, 23, while a
prosecutor said Muhammad admitted shooting Long and another soldier "because of
what they had done to Muslims in the past."
Here we have a new case of an individual U.S. citizen who committed an act of
terror in the name of his ideology (Government officials have called it
inaccurately a "political and religious motive") against U.S. military targets.
Do we see a pattern here? Are we witnessing a repeat and copycats? In fact, as
we review several previous cases, from the Miami cell case, to the Fort Dix Six,
the Georgia two, the New York Four, the Virginia Paintball network, and many
other cases, we're witnessing the surge of a phenomenon we have been warning
about. I have repeatedly coined it Mutant Jihad, including in my book Future
Jihad. Two important elements are to be taken into consideration: One is the
fact that in many of these cases, U.S. military personnel and targets have been
on the short list of these "homegrown terrorists." If you study the repeated
targeting process of these urban Jihadists, they systematically focus on
military deployment inside the United States. In a sense, even as the
perpetrators are separate, dispersed, and not connected, their targeting seems
war-like: attacking the enemy's forces on the homeland. The second element to be
taken into consideration is the clear fact that in all these cases, without
exception, we're seeing one ideology: Jihadism. Despite various levels of
understanding and sophistication, the cells and lone wolves who were involved in
the terror acts, legitimized their action under the label of "Jihad."
In several media interviews and defense and security workshops conducted over
the past few years and months, I've made the case for the existence of a "force"
behind these activities, pushing the Jihadi agenda and indoctrinating the
"militants" into "fighting elements." As I studied the cases and compared them
to each other, I found out that in each one case, there is a "clicking moment."
Several U.S. and European legislators asked me about defining the "clicking
moment" where a militant becomes a terrorist. My answer has been and continues
to be: once one is indoctrinated into Jihadism, the mutation into a terrorist is
at the discretion of the militant. We need to stop the terrorists at the
indoctrination level.
In this case, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad had been under investigation by the
FBI after he traveled to Yemen and was arrested there for using a Somali
passport. How come he was under surveillance and yet he committed this attack?
Even though he was on some list, so are many others. The countering policies are
challenged by a much wider issue, i.e the radicalization process which is
touching hundreds if not thousands of individuals. The speed of radicalization
is more rapid than the speed of counter radicalization.
Some argued that Mr. Muhammad — a U.S. citizen who is a recent convert to Islam
and was previously known as Carlos Bledsoe — studied jihad with an Islamic
scholar, and thus raises the issue of religious conversion and the parties
responsible for it. In fact, conversion by itself isn't the front issue but
studying Jihadism under radical ideologues is the stage where individuals turn
into Jihadi militants, regardless of their affiliation with a group or a
conspiracy. Which brings us to law enforcement’s understanding of what we're
dealing with. According to AP, a U.S. local official said: "Muhammad was not
part of any terrorist group, nor was his attack part of a larger conspiracy."
But is this relevant? If anything, this is evidence that some official does not
understand that Jihadi terrorists aren't necessarily part of a terrorist group
and or of a vast conspiracy. This is a new type of threat which is penetrating
the United States that we need to be aware of. Similarly, a local official told
AP: "We believe that it's associated with his disagreement over the military
operations." This is further evidence that authorities may not comprehend the
true motives of the Jihadists. It is not about "disagreement over military
operations." It is about indoctrination of individual U.S. citizens or residents
to turn them against their own society for a much larger purpose.
************
Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the author of The Confrontation:
Winning the War against Future Jihad. Phares@walidphares.com
June 2, 2009 06:44 PM Print
Orange kalashnikovs & Canadian plane tickets
By zentor
Doing a Kanaan in the land of Canaan
Mitch Prothero went to one of Aoun’s election rallies in the Metn last saturday
and witnessed an interesting real-life materialisation of the precarious
balancing act going on within the ranks of the opposition: ‘What remains unknown
is how Mr Aoun, who easily won the Christian vote in 2005, will fare now that he
is aligned with Hizbollah and Amal. In the campaign rally, before a crowded room
at the upscale Forum de Beirut shopping centre in al-Metn, a Christian suburb of
Beirut, it became clear that balancing his message of nonsectarian governance
and battling corruption is often overshadowed by his partnership with a Shiite
community that has perhaps the worst relationship with the Christians of any
group in Lebanon. Managing the perception that he is aligned with a pro-Syrian,
conservative Muslim community dedicated to armed resistance to Israel and the
West remains a tricky balancing act of not just religious and political values
but also of economic class and culture.
Dozens of teenage boys waved Hizbollah flags and chanted “Allah, Nasrallah, and
all of Dahiya” about an hour before Mr Aoun was due to take the stage. An
organiser from the FPM immediately saw the sectarian nature of the chanting and
politically problematic images that might upset Christian swing voters in the
election’s most critical district. But getting rid of the youths posed no easy
problem. As they were hustled off the floor, an Aoun official confronted the
teenagers in the car park as they continued chanting Hizbollah-themed slogans.
“You are acting in a terrible way. You must stop these slogans; you can’t chant
about being Shiite here,” the frustrated official, who would not give his name,
said to the group of teenagers. When he stopped yelling at them, the crowd once
again began chanting: “We are all Shiite, We are the Shiite.” Now visibly
annoyed, the official tried to force them further from the venue before the
media noticed them.
“Just leave, go back to Dahiya; we don’t want you here,” the man shouted.
“Nasrallah, Nasrallah! No fear, No fear. All of Dahiya will turn into a
Kalashnikov!” responded the group, pushing the rhetoric into even more dangerous
territory.
“Back on the buses,” Aoun officials shouted. “We don’t need you here. They need
you back in Dahiya!” As the teenagers were hustled onto the buses – charted by
Amal and Hizbollah to bring supporters to Mr Aoun’s rally – one young man
holding a Hizbollah flag in one hand and a drum in the other, denied there was a
problem with the Aounists.
“We are leaving because Sayid Hassan [Nasrallah, leader of Hizbollah] is
speaking tonight and they need us in Dahiya to get ready for it,” he sheepishly
claimed before refusing to give his name and scampering away.
After packing them back on to their buses for a return trip to the Shiite
section of town, the visibly relived organisers then returned to the rally,
where about 500 people waved the orange flags of the FPM and waited for the
general to speak. Only a handful of Hizbollah flags could be seen in the back of
the room, waved by dignified older women in headscarves.’
Despite the precarious nature of the Aoun-Nasrallah alliance, the M14 forces are
worried enough to spend untold amounts of money to get expat Lebanese to come
over and vote. MEA is flying in up to 8 extra planes per day these days. Offered
a free holiday to the homeland, many enthusiastically accept the offer –
although how many will actually vote – and for which party – is not entirely
clear. A friend of mine who works in Saudi Arabia, for example, accepted the
ticket (from the Future Movement, although he is not specifically ‘with’ them)
but is leaving the country again before the elections even take place…:
‘Corporate sponsors are paying for hundreds of supporters of the pro-Western
Future Movement in Calgary and in other Canadian cities to vote on June 7, CBC
News has learned. Dual citizens must be physically present in Lebanon to cast a
ballot in its elections. “This is a big election, and it is a lot of people who
[would] love to vote but they cannot vote because of funds … so those companies
are making it easy for them,” said Faouzi Salem, a Future Movement co-ordinator
in Calgary.”There [are] sponsors in the world who [pay] for those tickets …
European companies, Middle Eastern companies who … they would love to see free
Lebanon, independent Lebanon. They want to see democratic government in the
future, so they’re dedicating all their supports.” (…) The majority of the 1.5
million people that left Lebanon in the last 30 years — including during the
civil war from 1976 to 1990 — for Canada, the United States and Australia oppose
Hezbollah, which is why there’s such an effort to have their votes counted, said
Elias Bejjani, chairman of the Lebanese Canadian Co-ordinating Council in
Toronto. (…) There are rumours in the Lebanese-Canadian community that the
pro-Hezbollah side is also paying to fly supporters to Lebanon for the election.
“The other side too, they’re doing the same thing, no? They’re taking people
from all over the world,” said Salem. Marie-Joelle Zahar, a political science
professor at the Université de Montréal and a former journalist who covered the
Lebanese civil war, said the election could ring up record-breaking
expenditures. “It is a phenomenal amount of money. This is shaping up to be the
most expensive election of all times, anywhere, per capita. We’re talking
something that will be more expensive than elections in the U.S. That is quite
mind-boggling. There’s a lot riding on this election internally.”‘
And as a final trinket, watch this Youtube video featuring Sleiman Frangieh,
leader of the Marada party (basically a small local fiefdom in the north, allied
with M8). It is called ‘Sleiman Frangieh politely addressing his civilised
supporters ‘. No subtitles I’m afraid, but the general atmosphere is pretty
clear without translation anyway…
The wider implications of the Bronx terrorists
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
By Walid Phares
Spero News
A successful counterterrorism operation led by the FBI and the NYPD ended with
the arrest of four New York City men in connection with plots to bomb Jewish
temples, other city locations, and gun down military planes in upstate areas.
According to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, the suspects—identified as James
Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen—allegedly "wanted to
commit Jihad." A first reading official statementts and of material made
available by authorities prompt several questions and raise a number of points
for debate.
Law Enforcement Victory
First, one must acknowledge the success of the counterterrorism agencies'
efforts to stop a "Jihadi" attack against the country. According to the
Associated Press, the arrests came following a nearly year-long undercover
operation that began in Newburgh, New York, roughly 70 miles north of New York
City. The patience, professionalism, and sophistication of the law enforcement
procedures used in engaging the cell indicate that the first lines of defense
are efficient. Since the 9/11 attacks, New York task forces have been able to
arrest suspects in a number of plots including against the Ft. Dix, New Jersey
military base, JFK International Airport, the Herald Square subway station in
Manhattan, and the Brooklyn bridge. This leads us to realize that both New York
and the nation have been attacked, but that the shield has worked well—so far.
The dismantling of this cell is certainly good news, but it should also be a
stark reminder that we as a nation are still under attack. And if we are under
attack, it only means that we are still at war, a real one, not a "man-made
disaster."
What's next for jihadism after Mumbai massacre?
The U.S., NATO, and the three democracies in South East Asia: India, Pakistan,
and Afghanistan, need to combine strategies in order to address the menace of
Muslim extremism.
Central Asia
Pakistan: Bomb blast closes church facilities
A bomb that targetted Pakistani police and intelligence agencies also damaged
the nearby Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Lahore. Several other
church-affiliated properties were also damaged and now have since been closed.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the alleged plot shows "that the homeland
security threats against New York City are sadly all too real and underscores
why we must remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent terrorism." However, even
though the Big Apple (and New York state) seems to get the largest share of
Jihadi terror attempts, we must remember that they are targeting the United
States as a whole, and not relax defenses elsewhere. The radical forces we
confront worldwide and the ideology behind the attacks do not necessarily have a
private feud with the city of New York, but this, the largest metropolitan area
of America, happens to receive a significant amount of their attentioon.
Jewish Targets?
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters outside the Bronx temple that
one of the men said, "If Jews were killed in this attack... that would be all
right." Undoubtedly, American Jewish targets are prime choices to Jihadi
terrorists, homegrown or infiltrated. With the extreme anti-Semitic material
their propaganda machine produces, the hatred of recruits of anything Jewish is
only the logical result. This is additional evidence that the war of ideas waged
by the terrorists' propagandists on TV and online is inherent to terror
campaigns against civil societies. Where would these four terror apprentices get
the idea that destroying Jewish temples and killing congregants was "all right"?
Well, from the ideologue who communicates with them via the networks. Attention
needs to be paid to the scope of targeting. Even if the news-grabbing focus of
this plot was Jewish targets, military planes were to be shot down and civilians
were to be killed indiscriminately. The Jihadis target all Americans, from all
creeds. Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their allies have decreed the "duty to
massacre up to four million Americans." So far, there's been no counter order.
Mayor Bloomberg, who stressed that Riverdale Temple "is open to people of all
faiths," including a Muslim girl who sometimes prays there, warned against
stereotypes. Bloomberg, Kelly and other city leaders met privately with
congregants early Thursday to address security concerns. Sadly, New York
officials should not be too worried about the so-called sectarian backlash.
First, Americans are by now well aware of the difference between Jihadists and
Muslims. Second, the Jihadists have targeted Muslims in huge numbers around the
world. Unfortunately, at least one Muslim has died every day this year in the
course of Jihadi terror actions. Interfaith outreach is not what worries the
perpetrators.
Who are these Terrorists?
NBC, New York, underscored that the four men are Muslim, all U.S. citizens, and
one of Haitian descent. Being Muslim is not the issue here. The problem is that
they are "Jihadists" and US citizens at the same time, i.e., homegrown
terrorists. The common image of the Jihadi terroris is changing. They can be of
all ethnic backgrounds and their knowledge of faith and ideology can also be at
different levels. There has also been a broadening of nationality of origin:
Haitian, Albanian, Asian, African, and European; not just Middle Eastern.
Motives
According to the criminal complaint, "Cromitie began working with an FBI
informant in June 2008 when he told the official that his parents has lived in
Afghanistan and that he was upset with the ongoing war there, including about
the deaths of many Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan by U.S. military forces."
Compare this statement with many statements made by previously thwarted cells:
they are the same, almost to the word. They are produced by the same
"ideological war room." Cromitie didn’t mention the killing of more Muslims by
the Taliban, al Qaeda and their allies.
The same rationale has been presented by previous Jihadis. One must be careful
and not buy the propaganda served by the alleged terrorists; at the same time,
one needs to not be naïve. NBC, for example, said, "the motives behind the
alleged plot are not yet known, but authorities said that Cromitie was
apparently upset over the war in Afghanistan." After eight years of conflict
with the Jihadists and with dozens of cells dismantled and their literature
reviewed, there is no question about "motives." It is a war, and in each one of
its attacks, the overarching motive is the ideology.
Urban Jihad
Examining the threads common to the Fort Dix plot, Virginia Paintball, the Miami
Sears Tower group, Oregon training, and many more, and in light of the attacks
on Mumbai early in 2009, one can spot a developing trend, and extrapolate that
the threats to come will most likely look like a combination of all the above.
It is an Urban Jihad.
The Bottom Line
These arrests, added to all previous arrests, tell us one thing: The Jihadists
are still at war with America and all other democracies. They haven’t stopped,
they will continue to try, citizens or not, of all ethnic backgrounds, united
under one ideology, protected by our laws and taking full advantage of our
wrongly focused debate on national security. If we don’t see them as an "army"
spreading across the country and if we do not educate our public as much as
needed about them, one day—despite the bravery and good work of our law
enforcement people—one cell will not be stopped. One must hope that that day
won’t come.
Walid Phares writes for the Cutting Edge News is the author of The
Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad. He is the Director of the
Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a
visiting scholar at the European Foundation for Democracy.
**The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author only, not of
Spero News.
What Obama Should Tell the ‘Muslim World’
By Walid Phares
June 3rd, 2009
Terror Expert/FOX News Contributor
In his address to the “Muslim world” to be delivered from Cairo, President Obama
can move the wheels of history forward in the formation of a grand alliance
against terrorism, oppression and extremism, or he could move them backward. All
depends on his words, ideas and concepts, many of which have been framed by
advisers and experts. Based on 30 years of writings and observation of
international relations and on nine years of analysis of the terror wars waged
against democracies, including within the “Muslim world” (yet to be defined), I
propose the following suggestions:
First: What not to say
Obama must not fall into the trap engineered by the Jihadi ideologues and their
sophisticated propagandists for years: to accept the premise that America (and
the West) has been waging a “War against Islam.” This sort of apology will only
be used by the Islamist extremists to increase the dose of conviction among
followers that indeed the U.S. has been waging a war on a religion. The only
return to expect from the Salafists and Khomeinists is to doubt “the sincerity”
of the new administration and withhold the acceptance of the so-called
“apology.” Obama should not begin by acquiescing that his country was waging an
“unjust” war on Islam but by exposing those who have been claiming such a charge
and spreading it in order to inflame feelings and sourness across the oceans.
He should not project the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the highest problem in
the whole region. Such a stereotype will result in emboldening the Jihadists and
the authoritarians in dodging international law and further engaging in violence
or oppression in their neighborhood. If the “Palestinian question” is presented
as the sole path to resolve all other dramas in the region, bringing justice and
peace to millions peoples in many countries will be hostage to those radicals
blocking the resolution of just one crisis. Just the opposite, the president
must commit to address injustices to nations and minorities from the Atlantic to
the Indian Oceans, as one sure way to solve even the most difficult of all.
Palestine, Darfur, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and beyond all suffer and must
receive attention.
Defining the global threat
Obama must openly address public opinion in Muslim majority countries about the
global threat to all, Westerners, Muslims, and all other cultures. He should
identify what he coins as “extremists” in clear terms and point his finger at
the radical ideology producing them. Any terminology is fine as long as he
explains to the “Muslim world” that Jihadism is at the root of many wars and
violence, including inside their countries. The president needs to stress the
idea that Americans and other nations, including the Muslim ones, are and should
be battling shoulder to shoulder the totalitarian and intolerant vision promoted
by the Salafists and the Khomeinists; that human rights and freedoms, as well as
social justice inside the “Muslim world” are threatened by these specific
ideologies. Hence, the president must rally his audiences against the
“extremists” who promote such doctrines and perform terror in their name. He
must ask Muslim governments to condemn Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah and
their likes, inasmuch the West has condemned the Nazis and fascists.
Promoting a universal set of values
Obama must urge Muslim governments and organizations to continue to recognize
International Law and principles as advanced by United Nations as the highest
set of legal and human values and above all religious and other considerations.
The president should call on the Organization of the Islamic Conference to
abandon the so-called declaration of “Defamation of Religions” in their own
countries and on the United Nations, which will have devastating effects on
reformists and democracy seeking groups in Muslim and non-Muslim societies
alike. He should invite Muslim authorities to address the root causes of the
so-called “Islamophobia”, particularly the rise of radical Jihadi ideologies
which have generated violence worldwide.
Help the weak inside the Muslim world
The president must call on all Muslim governments and organizations to lend
their support to the marginalized, weak and oppressed segments of the “Muslim
world” such as: ethnic and religious minorities, women, youth, reformists,
democratic groups, and human rights activists. He must ask the oil producing
regimes to engage in a fair distribution of wealth within their own societies.
Rich Muslim elites should share their immense wealth with poor and
disenfranchised Muslim communities.
Stop Genocide and help minorities
Obama must call for a massive effort in the Muslim world to save the Muslim
African population of Darfur from genocide at the hands of a regime indicted by
the International Criminal Court. He should also remind his audience of the
oppression of minorities such as the Berbers, Kurds, Bahais, Yazidis, Baluch,
and as he will speak from Egypt, the Copts. The president must establish a
parallel between integrating Muslim minorities in the West and protecting
non-Muslim minorities, including Christians, Jews and Hindus in the Muslim
world.
Stand by Muslims fighting terrorism
Obama must commit to help Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria,
Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, central Asia, the Sahel and many other regions as they
are fighting terror. He should stand by the Lebanese people as they are under
Hezbollah’s wrath and ask the Saudis to de-fund radical ideologues.
Standing by reformers and dissidents
The president must stand by reformers and dissidents across the region and more
particularly stand by the civil societies of Iran and Syria as they strive for
freedoms and pluralism.
Just solution to Israel/Palestine
The President must commit to a just and lasting resolution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict via a two states solution based on a mutual
recognition between Israel and any Palestinian state to be.
Reminder of American sacrifices for Muslims
Obama must remind his audiences of U.S. sacrifices in freeing Afghanistan’s
Muslim people from the terror regime of the Taliban and in helping Muslims and
other minorities in Iraq defend themselves from massacres and terrorism. Also to
recognize U.S. interventions to save the Muslim populations in Bosnia and Kosovo
from ethnic cleansing and recognize the significant humanitarian assistance
provided by the American people to Muslim communities around the world,
particularly in zones stricken by natural disasters, as after the Tsunami in
south Asia.
**Dr. Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of “The War of Ideas:
Jihadism against Democracies.”