LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِDecember 06/2010

Bible Of The Day
Metthew 7/7-12: “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. 7:9 Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 7:12 Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Islamists Target Christians 'Wherever They Can Reach Them/By: by Raymond Ibrahim/December 05/10
Lost in confessionalism? Major challenges to improving Lebanon’s Human Rights Record/By: Aline Sara/December 05/10
The WikiLeaks Era/By Diana Mukkaled/Asharqalawasat/December 05/10
WikiLeaks: U.S. frustrated by continued Mideast funding of terrorists/Haaretz/December 05/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 05/10
Residents flee Lebanon forest fire/Al-Ahram Weekly/Naharnet
Suleiman Inspects Fatri Fire that has Gotten Out of Control/Naharnet
Suleiman Continues Consultations, Arslan for Practical Measures to Solve Crisis/Naharnet
Hariri Meets with Sultan Qaboos/Naharnet
Gemayel: Hizbullah's Approach Has Become Well-Known, Indictment Not End of Road/Now Lebanon
Moqdad: Syria Will Not Return to Lebanon Militarily, STL is Politicized/Naharnet
Fatfat: Baroud was Lax in His Defense of the ISF, His Measures are Politically Motivated/Naharnet
Najjar: It's Necessary for Cabinet to Convene because Several Dangerous and Vital Matters Need to be Addressed/Naharnet
Tensions between Suleiman and Berri over False Witnesses File/Naharnet
Oghassabian: March 14 Forces Consider False Witnesses File to be a Political Issue/Naharnet
Houri: No Hariri Visit to Damascus in the Near Future/Naharnet
Hizbullah MP Nawwar al-Sahili: We will accept the result of a Cabinet vote on the false witnesses' issue./Naharnet
Qaouq: We Don't Need WikiLeaks to Learn about Size of US Conspiracy against Resistance/Naharnet
Jumblat: Judicial Tools Could Inflict Major Strife on Lebanon/Naharnet
Kanaan Calls for Urgent Parliamentary Meeting to Discuss Rifi Violations/Naharnet
Abboud: Syrian-Saudi efforts to reach dead end if political struggle continues/Now Lebanon

Residents flee Lebanon forest fire
AFP, Sunday 5 Dec 2010
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/1249/World/Region/Residents-flee-Lebanon-forest-fire.aspx
Residents of a Lebanese village began to flee on Sunday as a forest fire which has raged out of control for the past week threatened to engulf their homes Print Send Residents of a Lebanese village began to flee on Sunday as a forest fire, has raged out of control for the past week threatened to engulf their homes. President Michel Suleiman travelled to the village of Fatri, 45 kilometres (30 miles) north of Beirut to inspect efforts to control the blaze, which has devastated 150,000 square metres (1.6 million square feet) of woodland. Municipal council leader Imad Daou told AFP that rough terrain hampered the firefighting effort while high winds had fanned the flames. "Trees more than 100 years old, olive groves and pines have been lost," he said. The blaze has claimed no lives so far but six civil defence personnel have suffered minor injuries while combating it. A civil defence official said the emergency services had to combat "numerous fires" in different parts of the country fuelled by tinderbox conditions. According to the meteorological service, Lebanon has recorded just 51.2 millimetres (two inches) of rain since September, compared with 214.8 millimetres in the same period of last year. Lebanon's southern neighbour Israel, affected by the same extended summertime conditions and drought, has been battling a deadly forest fire since last Thursday.

Fire threatens homes in Akkar
December 5, 2010 /Residents fled their houses in the towns of Halba and Sheikh Taba in Akkar after a fire in nearby olive groves spread near their homes, the National News Agency (NNA) Civil defense and Internal Security Forces (ISF) members arrived and worked with residents to put out the blaze, the report said. Firefighters battled several major blazes on Sunday in various areas of Lebanon.-NOW Lebanon

Baroud fears arson
December 5, 2010
Interior Minister Ziad Baroud voiced fear on Sunday afternoon that some fires may be the result of arson.
While inspecting fire damage in the town of Fitri in Jbeil, he told LBCI that 120 fires have broken out in various areas of Lebanon, including four huge fires.
He also said that civil defense forces have not been adequately prepared over the past two years and Lebanese army helicopters are working to put out fires but that there are not enough.
-NOW Lebanon

Suleiman Inspects Fatri Fire that has Gotten Out of Control
Naharnet/A major fire, which erupted in the town of Fatri in the Jbeil region a week ago, has threatened to reach the houses in the area after having had destroyed 150,000 square meters of land, the head of the municipality Imad Daou told AFP on Sunday. "Eighty percent of the land in the town has been destroyed. The entire town is on fire starting from the river and reaching the valley, and even the mountain. There aren't enough fire department teams to control the blaze," he told AFP in a phone call. Fatri, a town of about 2250 residents, is located 45 kilometers north of Beirut and is mainly comprised of forests and agricultural areas. Daou stated that fire trucks are standing by the houses that are under threat from the fire, adding that the teams combating the flames "are unable to control the blaze." Over the past week, the firefighters struggled to completely douse the fire as it erupted again as soon as they managed to extinguish it. Helicopters from the army and planes from the Civil Defense have taken part in extinguishing the flames, but to no avail. Daou explained that the firefighting process is difficult "due to a lack of roads leading into the burning areas, the roughness of the terrain, and the lack of sufficient manpower and means." He said that all sides are doing all they can, stressing that there are no shortcomings on their part, but just "modest means."Furthermore, he warned that the wind may blow the fire to neighboring villages.
The blaze has claimed no lives so far but six Civil Defense personnel have suffered minor injuries while tackling it.
A civil defence official said the emergency services were having to combat "numerous fires" in different parts of the country fuelled by tinderbox conditions.
According to the meteorological service, Lebanon has recorded just 51.2 millimetres (two inches) of rain since September, compared with 214.8 millimetres in the same period of last year. Lebanon's southern neighbour Israel, affected by the same extended summertime conditions and drought, has been battling a deadly forest fire since last Thursday.
Meanwhile, President Michel Suleiman stressed from Fatri on Sunday that a lack of planning is one of the main reasons that led to the exacerbation of the fire raging in the town. He added that the political disputes are delaying achievements in Lebanon and causing the loss of the country's green spaces. He explained that Lebanon is starting to lose its natural wealth, noting the failure to set up committees aimed at planning firefighting.(naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 13:30

Suleiman-Assad Contacts to Overcome Lebanon's Transition Period
Naharnet/Sources monitoring the contacts between Riyadh and Damascus noted that a race is underway between the indictment in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the solutions proposed by the Saudi-Syrian efforts over which one will be released first. They told An Nahar Sunday that the efforts would have reached a positive conclusion had it not been for Saudi King Abdullah's recent medical setback. They described the current situation in Lebanon as a "transition" period, but added that contacts are ongoing between President Michel Suleiman and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over how to overcome this phase. Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 10:37

Moqdad: Syria Will Not Return to Lebanon Militarily, STL is Politicized
Naharnet/yrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Moqdad stated that Lebanese-Syrian ties "cannot be normal if the situation in Lebanon is not normal," reported the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper on Sunday. He said: "Syria will not interfere in Lebanon in the interests of any side and the Lebanese officials are responsible for their country."
"Syria will not return to Lebanon militarily no matter how difficult the situation becomes," he stressed. "We want more independence and sovereignty in Lebanon," he said. Addressing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and its indictment, Moqdad noted: "Syria has cooperated with the investigation and Prime Minister Saad Hariri had stated that accusations against Syria were political." "Does a reasonable person waiting for a fire that he knows will come not prepare himself to extinguish it when it arrives?" he asked in reference to the indictment. "The STL is politicized and this is obvious through its structure, which gives the impression that it was politicized from the start … I know all the games that were played to establish the tribunal," the Syrian official continued. Furthermore, Moqdad stated that Hariri has fallen victim to conspiracies that were targeting Syria and its role in Lebanon. Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 10:16

Hariri Meets with Sultan Qaboos
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks on Sunday with Sultan Qaboos bin Said at the Bait al-Baraka Palace in Muscat on the latest regional and international developments and bilateral relations and ways to develop them. The meeting was attended by Minister of Information Tareq Mitri, Minister of State Michel Pharaon, the Lebanese Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman Afif Ayoub, former MPs Ghattas Khoury and Bassem Sabeh, and advisor Hani Hammoud from the Lebanese side, and the Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef bin Alawai bin Abdullah and the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Lebanon Mohammad bin Khalil al-Jazmi. Hariri and the accompanying delegation had arrived at the Royal airport for a two-day official visit to the Sultanate. They were greeted by the Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said, a number of ministers, ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and senior military personnel.Hariri and al-Said headed to the VIP Salon where they held a meeting in the presence of the Lebanese delegation.
Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 14:22

Fatfat: Baroud was Lax in His Defense of the ISF, His Measures are Politically Motivated
Naharnet/Mustaqbal MP Ahmed Fatfat stressed that Interior Minister Ziad Baroud's decision to take disciplinary measures against Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi came in light of the minister's lax approach in defending the ISF. Fatfat told the daily al-Mustaqbal Sunday: "It seems that Baroud is taking measures that appear as a political position or opinion."
On Friday, Baroud took disciplinary measures against Rifi for exceeding his prerogatives.For his part, the minister stated: "The fact that I am a minister forces me to work according to the laws.""That does not mean that I don't appreciate the ISF's role and achievements in uncovering spy networks" he added. "I will continue on applying the law and supporting the ISF's actions," he said. "I do not support one camp against the other and I will follow up on the matter with President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri," Baroud stressed.
Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 09:12

Tensions between Suleiman and Berri over False Witnesses File
Naharnet/House Speaker Nabih Berri was planning to boycott the launch of the new judicial year on Monday after President Michel Suleiman suggested during his recent consultations that the false witnesses file be discussed at the National Dialogue after failing to discuss it during Cabinet. Suleiman was quick to clarify, through his sources, that he was not behind this suggestion, reported the daily An Nahar Sunday. The president also stressed the National Dialogue's central role and aim at reaching a defense strategy. In light of these developments, the daily said that Berri will participate in the launch of the new judicial year, which is sponsored by Suleiman. Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 08:37

Gemayel: Hizbullah's Approach Has Become Well-Known, Indictment Not End of Road
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Sunday stressed that "Hizbullah's approach has become well-known – an approach of dictation and intimidation."Hizbullah "wants all initiatives to be in service of its interests," Gemayel told Voice of Lebanon Radio. "Let them remember our martyrs before they try to threaten us," the former Lebanese president added, noting that "Hizbullah's approach aims to torpedo the (Special) Tribunal (for Lebanon), without suggesting any alternatives."However, Gemayel stressed that the anticipated indictment the STL is expected to issue in the near future was "not the end of the road," noting that it will be thoroughly scrutinized. "It is important that the indictment be issued, and if the Lebanese State was not able to implement the ruling and arrest the accused, an international verdict will be issued, and it will be a sword hanging over their heads and they will be prisoners even without a prison," Gemayel warned. He reiterated his belief that Hizbullah and its allies were staging a "coup." "The coup is being put into practice everyday through crippling measures, such as the campaign against the president and the premier in addition to the issue of false witnesses. Everything happening is an attempt at changing the face of Lebanon," Gemayel claimed.
Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 16:52

Oghassabian: March 14 Forces Consider False Witnesses File to be a Political Issue
Naharnet/State Minister Jean Oghassabian stated that the March 14 forces consider the false witnesses file to be a political issue in Lebanon.He told the daily An Nahar in an interview on Sunday that there are several issues that have been put on hold that require discussion, adding: "Some priorities are proposed before Cabinet and Prime Minister Saad Hariri and President Michel Suleiman have the right to coordinate between each other to address them."These issues include Israel's violations of the telecommunications sector, the ongoing energy crisis, the security situation, discovery of Israeli agents, and the 2011 state budget, Oghassabian said."The false witnesses file does not currently exist before the judiciary, but once it's formed, it can then be addressed before the concerned judicial side," the minister noted. Beirut, 05 Dec 10, 08:57

Lost in confessionalism?
Major challenges to improving Lebanon’s Human Rights Record
Aline Sara, December 5, 2010
Lebanon’s 18 confessions are “deadly poison”, and the country’s political system is “fundamentally flawed.” So said US activist Franklyn Lamb during last week’s Human Rights Watch (HRW) roundtable on obstacles to improving Lebanon’s human rights record. “We need to take the civil rights move to the streets,” said the director of the local Sabra and Shatila Foundation, questioning the mere potential of improving the human rights’ situation from within. The move will come from the outside, he added.
This past Tuesday, activists, journalists and several HRW staff and international committee members came together to address key challenges to reforming the situation of human rights in Lebanon, with a particular focus on a women’s right to transfer her citizenship, Palestinian refugees’ rights, and those of refugees and migrants who have served time in prison. Though opinions varied, the confesssionalist system, unreliable state institutions, and lack of political will to address key issues, were the most pressing concerns.
“We appreciate the Lebanese sophistication for human rights,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of HRW's Middle East and North Africa division, qualifying Lebanon’s civil society of dynamic and reputable in the region. On Wednesday, during its Voices for Justice diner, the international watchdog launched its first non-western committee, to be based in Beirut.
Lawyer and human rights activist, Nizar Saghieh, opened the debate by addressing refugees’ plight following the end of any sentence they might have served. He stressed on the disconnect between the legal authorities and the country’s security apparatuses, pointing to examples in which the Internal Security Forces have blatantly ignored the judicial process and decisions. According to him, the ISF are obnoxious, question legal authorities, and frequently react with the attitude that “we detain and free whoever we want.” He questioned the role of the various state institutions and spoke of the country’s tangled web of authority.
Sari Hanafi, a Palestinian activist and associate professor at AUB’s department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, echoed Saghieh’s concern. “We know for instance, about the autonomy of the Resistance vis-à-vis the state, but [that of the security apparatuses from the legal authorities] is something new, and it is very scary,” Hanafi told NOWLebanon. Headded that all the Palestinian problems in Nahr el Bared, and Ain el Helweh are related to this, with the increasingly wretched conditions likely to push camp inhabitants towards a life of violence.
Palestinians always come up as a “security issue,” said Head of Norwegian People’s Aid Wafa’ Yasir, reiterating their lack of right to own property and their restriction of freedom. She also noted that while many hailed the amendment to lift certain restrictions on Palestinian employment rights last August, the small print remains ambiguous. “What is the exact mechanism to obtain a work permit? Do they need a sponsor?” she asked.
For head of the women’s right to pass on their nationality campaign Rola Masri, who pioneered the campaign back in 2008, the country is drowning in a pool of legal issues. Although Interior Minister Ziad Baroud attempted to support the relevant reform, the bill has yet to pass in parliament, she said, while multiple versions of the draft law are still floating around. A first proposal consists in allowing the woman to transfer nationality to her children and husband as long as her husband is not Palestinian or belongs to a “recognized state.” A separate proposal for the law gives the woman a right to transfer citizenship to her children but not to her husband.
According to Masri, the main problems are confessionalism and the religious authorities, which hinder progress, she said. “Lebanon is based on consensus between religions, and not on equality, and lip service solutions are unacceptable,” she said.
Like Hanafi and Saghiyeh, Masri also voiced concern over state institutions’ attitude toward the judiciary, noting the case of Judge Azzi, who was allegedly removed from office after allowing a Lebanese woman married to an Egyptian to pass on her Lebanese nationality to her children.
Although Change and Reform Bloc, MP Ghassan Moukheiber, the single representative of the government, emphasized the positive increase from approximately four human rights organizations in the 90s to 103 today, he did not offer any explanation as to why certain draft laws related to human rights’ issues were still gathering dust in parliament’s drawers. He did however mention that many organizations are politically affiliated, which thwarts their efficiency.
But if Nadim Houry, head of HRW in Lebanon, had to pinpoint what he thought prevents the reform of human rights, he stressed the lack of effective and accountable state institutions. “Investigations are opened but you rarely see what they lead to…There’s a lot of paying lip service, without concrete action,” he said, noting the lack of political will as another significant factor to Lebanon’s failing formula, despite the presence of important ingredients, such as a vibrant civil society and media as well as certain key ministers. When asked about confessionalism, he told NOW Lebanon it was directly related to the aforementioned problems.
Director of SOLIDE (Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile) Ghazi Aad however thinks otherwise. The country’s different confessions are not the main problem, it’s the incontestable lack of political will, he said. “The same perpetrators of the war are governing the country. Whenever you raise the issue, they react with accusations that we are trying to implicate them,” he said; “The process will be slow, and you have to do your own work, but we are still there, and we are hanging on.”

Abboud: Syrian-Saudi efforts to reach dead end if political struggle continues
December 5, 2010 /In an exclusive interview with NOW Lebanon on Sunday, Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud said Syrian-Saudi efforts will reach a dead end if the domestic political struggle between the March 14 and March 8 coalitions continues. Abboud said that political parties should not bet on Syrian-Saudi efforts to solve domestic issues, as such concerns do not only involve the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), but also include political arguments within the cabinet. The Change and Reform bloc minister also said that this political argument needs to be resolved, and added that trust between members of the Lebanese government must be restored. “We notice that Prime Minister [Saad Hariri] acts as if he is his party’s PM and not [the entire country’s] PM… Lebanon needs [Hariri] to take a decisive position pertaining to the STL’s indictment.” Abboud said it is unlikely that the tribunal’s indictment will lead to domestic strife because the necessary conditions are not present in Lebanon, and added that there is no regional interest in domestic friction. Tension is high in Lebanon amid unconfirmed reports that the UN-backed probe will soon issue an indictment in its investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events – when gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that his party will "cut off the hand” of anyone who tries to arrest any of its members in the case and that telecom evidence reportedly used by the STL is worthless. Saudi and Syrian officials are reportedly working on a compromise deal that would defuse the situation.-NOW Lebanon

Commission to follow up on Islamist prisoners’ conditions
December 5, 2010 /The Higher Islamic Council formed a commission on Saturday to follow up on the conditions of prisoners in Lebanese jails, especially Islamists who have been detained without charge, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Sunday.-NOW Lebanon

The WikiLeaks Era
05/12/2010
By Diana Mukkaled/Asharqalawasat
It seems we have officially entered the era of WikiLeaks.
Is this website the most significant achievement for freedom of expression, or rather a dangerous manifestation of the postmodern press?
One journalist’s description of the website's founder, Julian Assange, as an "Information Terrorist", highlights the problematic issue that Assange has raised by throwing these classified documents in our faces in this sporadic manner.
The information disclosed by WikiLeaks was significant, but it hardly came as a surprise. One wonders about the implications of such information and how it can serve to further transparency, when we all know that governments, having been alarmed by these leaks, will start working to ensure that no additional classified documents or embarrassing secrets are disclosed in the future.
The numerous questions, regarding the content of the leaked documents themselves have drawn attention away from the actual propriety and ethicality of making these disclosures.
These classified documents prove what had previously been suggested about a contrast between the public positions of governments in international politics and their actual stances, with the language of this contrast resembling the everyday talk of the man on the street. On the other hand, the majority of the content revealed in these leaks is nothing more than gossip, but on the international and intercontinental level. While this adds a certain thrill and excitement to the material, it lacks serious journalistic substance.
Yet because we are dealing with official documents, rather than verbal news spread through idle chatter, leaking such content online is an act of piracy. However, to condemn what Assange has done is to condemn the disclosure of such information, and this is information that the public – which has been exposed to the lies and hypocrisy of their governments – has a right to know, and it is these lies and hypocrisy that the leaked documents revealed. In other words, this condemnable act has performed a function which cannot be condemned. This leads us to think of how we came to be in this predicament. Should we condemn WikiLeaks, or praise it and sit on the edge of our seats, waiting for its next batch of revelations?
We must also not forget that officials managed to keep all of this information from us until a cunning pirate managed to expose it and bring it to light.
However, this does not mean that we are going to praise WikiLeaks, because this act of piracy has failed to achieve its primary objective. It has failed to use the leaked diplomatic cables in order to prevent a recurrence of such non-diplomatic practices, or to hold the perpetrators to account. WikiLeaks has essentially done little more than provide documentation for what we already know. However the question that remains is whether WikiLeaks can be classified as investigative journalism. Assange basically compiled a set of documents, and threw them in our faces, without placing the incidents in their chronological, social and geographic context; which is what a true investigative journalism would have done.

Palestinian firefighters come to Israel's aid
By JPOST.COM STAFF /12/05/2010 16:34
PA's EU-donated firetrucks, driven 5 hours from Bethlehem, are more advanced than Israel's; Hamas leader fires are God's punishment. Firefighters and firefighting personnel from all over the world came to Israel's aid over the weekend, responding to the most devastating fire the country has ever seen. While most of the aid that arrived had to be flown in, early Sunday morning, four fire engines manned by 21 firefighters began a five-hour drive to the Carmel mountains.Leaving the southern West Bank at 4 a.m., the Bethlehem civil defense team spent five hours driving through Israel before joining up with Israeli and international firefighters battling the deadly blaze that has destroyed over 12,000 acres (50,000 dunams) and killed at least 41 people since Thursday.

WikiLeaks: U.S. frustrated by continued Mideast funding of terrorists
Haaretz/05.12.10/'Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide,' according to classified memo.
By Reuters Top U.S. officials have grown frustrated over the resistance of allies in the Middle East to help shut the financial pipeline of terrorists, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing secret diplomatic dispatches. Internal State Department cables, obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to news organizations, indicate that millions of dollars are flowing to extremist groups, including Al-Qaida and the Taliban, despite U.S. vows to cut off such funding. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010.A classified memo sent by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last December made it clear that residents of Saudi Arabia and its neighbors were the chief supporters of many extremist activities, the newspaper said. "It has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority," according to the cable cited by the newspaper. It concluded that "donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide" and offered similarly critical views about other countries in the region. The United Arab Emirates was described as having a "strategic gap" that terrorists could exploit, while Qatar was seen as being "the worst in the region" on counterterrorism and Kuwait was dubbed "a key transit point".
The publication of the leaked U.S. embassy cables, which began late last month, has embarrassed Washington as well as foreign governments. Clinton has sharply criticized the leaks but said they will not harm important U.S. alliances.  The cables cited by the Times detailed a long list of methods that suspected terrorists are using to finance their activities, including a bank robbery in Yemen last year, drug activity in Afghanistan and the annual pilgrimages to Mecca.
One memo reported on a possible plot by Iranians to launder 5 billion to 10 billion euros through the UAE banks as part of a broader effort to "stir up trouble" among the Persian Gulf states, the Times said. The Clinton cable stressed a need to "generate the political will necessary" to block money to terrorist networks -- groups she said were threatening stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan and targeting coalition soldiers, the Times said. But foreign leaders have resisted U.S. pressure for more aggressive crackdowns on suspected supporters of terrorism, according to the newspaper. In private meetings they have accused U.S. officials of pursuing Arab charities and individuals in a heavy-handed manner and on thin evidence.
Although many State Department cables conclude Al-Qaida generates money almost at will from wealthy individuals and sympathetic groups in the Middle East, they suggest there is little evidence of significant financial support in the United States or Europe for militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"UK financing is important, but the real money is in the Gulf," a senior British counterterrorism official told a U.S. Treasury Department official, according to a cable last year from the U.S. Embassy in London, the Times reported.

Islamists Target Christians 'Wherever They Can Reach Them'
by Raymond IbrahimظPajamas Media
December 3, 2010
http://www.meforum.org/2791/islamists-target-christians
In 2006, when Pope Benedict quoted history deemed unflattering to Islam, Christians around the Muslim world paid the price: anti-Christian riots ensued, churches were burned, and a nun was murdered in Somalia. That was then. Days ago, when a Christian in Egypt was accused of dating a Muslim woman, twenty-two Christian homes were set ablaze to cries of "Allah Akbar." Countless other examples of one group of Christians in the Muslim world being "punished" in response to other Christians exist.
In fact, the recent carnage in Baghdad, wherein Islamists stormed a church during mass, killing over fifty Christian worshippers, was a "response" to Egypt's Coptic Christian church, which Islamists accuse of kidnapping and torturing Muslim women to convert to Christianity (even if the well documented reality in Egypt is that Muslims regularly kidnap and force Christian women to convert to Islam). Moreso, the al-Qaeda affiliated Islamists who perpetrated the Baghdad church massacre have further threatened Christians around the world:
All Christian centres, organisations and institutions, leaders and followers, are legitimate targets for the mujahedeen (holy warriors) wherever they can reach them… Let these idolaters [Christians of the world], and at their forefront, the hallucinating tyrant of the Vatican [Pope Benedict], know that the killing sword will not be lifted from the necks of their followers until they declare their innocence from what the dog of the Egyptian Church is doing.
Of course, the clause "wherever they can reach them" is an indicator that it is the Islamic world's Christians who will especially be targeted — since they are most easily reached.
This phenomenon — attacking one set of Christians, or non-Muslims in general, in response to another — has roots in Islamic law. The Pact of Omar, a foundational text for Islam's treatment of dhimmis (i.e., non-Muslims who refused to convert after their lands were seized by Islam) makes this clear. The consequences of breaking any of the debilitating and humiliating conditions Christians were made to accept in order to be granted a degree of surety by the Muslim state — including things like giving up their seats to Muslims, as a show of "respect" — were clear: "If we in any way violate these undertakings for which we ourselves stand surety, we forfeit our covenant [dhimma], and we become liable to the penalties for contumacy and sedition [that is, they become viewed as "unprotected" infidels, and thus exposed to the same treatment, including slavery, rapine, and death.]."
Moreover, the actions of the individual affect the entire group — hence the "hostage" aspect (everyone is under threat to ensure that everyone behaves). As Mark Durie points out, "Even a breach by a single individual dhimmi could result in jihad being enacted against the whole community. Muslim jurists have made this principle explicit, for example, the Yemeni jurist al-Murtada wrote that 'The agreement will be canceled if all or some of them break it…' and the Moroccan al-Maghili taught 'The fact that one individual (or one group) among them has broken the statute is enough to invalidate it for all of them'" (The Third Choice, p.160).
This notion, that the actions of one affect all, plays out regularly in Egypt. According to Bishop Kyrillos, "every time there is a rumor of a relationship between a Coptic man and a Muslim girl [which is forbidden under Islamic law], the whole Coptic community has to pay the price: 'It happened in Kom Ahmar (Farshout) where 86 Coptic-owned properties were torched, in Nag Hammadi we were killed and on top of that, they torched 43 homes and shops and now in Al-Nawahed village just because a girl and a boy are walking beside each other in the street, the whole place is destroyed."
Worse, as the world continues to shrink, the Muslim world's indigenous Christians become conflated with their free coreligionists in the West: perceptions of the latter affect the treatment of the former; race or geography is no longer important; shared religion makes them all liable for one another. A dhimmi is a dhimmi is a dhimmi.
For example, aside from the Baghdad church massacre, Iraq's Christians have long been targeted "over their religious ties with the West … Christians specifically were targeted by Church bombings and assassination attempts owing to a perceived association with the aims and intentions of the occupying forces." Little wonder more than half of Iraq's Christian population has emigrated from the country since the U.S. toppled Saddam's regime.
Historical precedents to this phenomenon are aplenty. Whereas the Copts today are cited as the reason behind the massacre of Iraqi Christians, nearly a millennium ago, Copts were massacred when their western coreligionists — the Crusaders — made inroads into Islam's domains. Again, the logic was clear: we will punish these Christians, because we can, in response to those Christians.
It should be noted that this approach applies to all non-Muslim groups — Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. — living amidst Muslim majorities. Yet, because Christians are the most visible infidel minority in the Islamic world, most modern examples relate to them. The Copts are especially targeted because they comprise the largest Christian bloc in the Middle East. (Centuries before the Muslim conquests, Egypt was a bedrock of Christianity, and Alexandria arguably equal to Rome in authority. The result is, after centuries of persecution, there is still a viable Christian presence in Egypt — much to the Islamists' chagrin.)
Treating non-Muslim minorities as hostages can even have international consequences. According to Jewish writer Vera Saeedpour, the Turkish government pressured Israel's policies, including by threatening "the lives and livelihood of the 18,000 Jews" in Turkey:
In the Spring of 1982 when Jews scheduled an International Conference on Genocide in Tel Aviv, they invited Armenians to participate. Ankara protested. The Israeli Government moved swiftly to get organizers to cancel insisting that the conference as planned would threaten "the humanitarian interest of Jews." The New York Times explained what "humanitarian interest" meant. Organizers were told by Israeli officials that Turkey meant to sever diplomatic relations and had threatened "the lives and livelihood of the 18,000 Jews" in the country. (NYT 6.3.82 and 6.4.82) To drive home the message, Ankara even sent a delegation of Jews from Istanbul who warned that they could be in jeopardy if the conference included Armenians. Chairman Elie Wlesel was first quoted as saying, "I will not discriminate against the Armenians, I will not humiliate them." Later, citing threats to the lives of Jews in Turkey, he resigned.
All this is a reminder that yet another aspect of Islamic doctrine and history — to be added to jihad, taqiyya, wala wa bara, etc. — is alive and well in the 21st century. Treating one set of non-Muslims as hostages, to be abused as a form of retaliation to their coreligionists — far or near, singly or collectively — is just another tactic to assume leverage against the infidel.
**Raymond Ibrahim is associate director of the Middle East Forum, author of The Al Qaeda Reader, and guest lecturer at the National Defense Intelligence College.


Question: "How can we recognize the voice of God?"
Answer: This question has been asked by countless people throughout the ages. Samuel heard the voice of God, but did not recognize it until he was instructed by Eli (1 Samuel 3:1-10). Gideon had a physical revelation from God, and he still doubted what he had heard to the point of asking for a sign, not once, but three times (Judges 6:17-22, 36-40). When we are listening for God's voice, how can we know that He is the one speaking? First of all, we have something that Gideon and Samuel did not. We have the complete Bible, the inspired Word of God, to read, study, and meditate on. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When we have a question about a certain topic or decision in our lives, we should see what the Bible has to say about it. God will never lead us or direct us contrary to what He has taught or promised in His Word (Titus 1:2).
Second, to hear God's voice we must recognize it. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Those who hear God’s voice are those who belong to Him—those who have been saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. These are the sheep who hear and recognize His voice, because they know Him as their Shepherd and they know His voice. If we are to recognize God's voice, we must belong to Him.
Third, we hear His voice when we spend time in prayer, Bible study, and quiet contemplation of His Word. The more time we spend intimately with God and His Word, the easier it is to recognize His voice and His leading in our lives. Employees at a bank are trained to recognize counterfeits by studying genuine money so closely that it is easy to spot a fake. We should be so familiar with God’s Word that when God does speak to us or lead us, it is clear that it is God. God speaks to us so that we may understand truth. While God can speak audibly to people, He speaks primarily through His Word, and sometimes through the Holy Spirit to our consciences, through circumstances, and through other people. By applying what we hear to the truth of Scripture, we can learn to recognize His voice.
Recommended Resource: Hearing God's Voice by Henry & Richard Blackaby.
**What's new on GotQuestions.org?

Question: "Is it wrong to feel disappointment with God?"
Answer: Disappointment with God is not necessarily wrong or sinful; rather, it is a part of the human condition. The word "disappointment" means "a feeling of dissatisfaction when one’s hopes, desires, and expectations fail to come to pass." When God somehow fails to satisfy our hopes or doesn’t live up to our expectations, disappointment inevitably follows. If God doesn’t perform in the manner we think He should, we are disillusioned with Him and dissatisfied with His performance. This can lead to wavering faith in God, especially in His sovereignty and His goodness.
When God doesn’t act when we think He should act, it isn’t because He is unable to do so. Rather, He simply chooses not to. While this might seem an arbitrary or capricious act on His part, the exact opposite is true. God chooses to act or not to act according to His perfect and holy will in order to bring about His righteous purposes. Nothing happens that is out of God’s plan. He has control of every molecule that floats around in the universe, and God’s will encompasses every act and decision made by every person throughout the world at all times. He tells us in Isaiah 46:11, “From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” Even the birds are somehow part of His foreordained plan. Furthermore, there are times when He chooses to let us know His plans (Isaiah 46:10) and times when He does not. Sometimes we understand what He is doing; sometimes we do not (Isaiah 55:9). One thing we do know for sure: if we belong to Him, whatever He does will be to our benefit, whether we understand it or not (Romans 8:28).
The key to avoiding disappointment with God is to align our wills with His and to submit to His will in all things. Doing so will not only keep us from being disappointed with God, but it will also preclude grumbling and complaining about the events that occur in our lives. The Israelites in the desert griped and questioned God on several occasions, despite having seen miraculous displays of His power in the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna and quail in the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord that followed them in the form of a pillar of fire (Exodus 15–16; Numbers 14:2-37). Despite God’s continual faithfulness to His people, they grumbled and were disappointed with God because He did not act as they thought He should. Rather than submitting to His will and trusting Him, they were in a constant state of turmoil and confusion.
When we align our wills with God’s will and when we can say, with Jesus, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42), then we find the contentment Paul spoke of in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and Philippians 4:11-12. Paul had learned to be content with whatever God sent his way. He trusted God and submitted to His will, knowing that a holy, righteous, perfect, loving, and merciful God would work all things together for his good because that is what He promised. When we see God in that light, we can’t possibly be disappointed with Him. Rather, we submit willingly to our heavenly Father, knowing that His will is perfect and that everything He brings to pass in our lives will be for our good and for His glory.
**Recommended Resource: Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey.

Question: "What does the Bible say about ghosts / hauntings?"
Answer: Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on what precisely is meant by the term “ghosts.” If the term means “spirit beings,” the answer is a qualified “yes.” If the term means “spirits of people who have died,” the answer is “no.” The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there are spirit beings, both good and evil. But the Bible negates the idea that the spirits of deceased human beings can remain on earth and “haunt” the living.
Hebrews 9:27 declares, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” That is what happens to a person’s soul-spirit after death—judgment. The result of this judgment is heaven for the believer (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23) and hell for the unbeliever (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24). There is no in-between. There is no possibility of remaining on earth in spirit form as a “ghost.” If there are such things as ghosts, according to the Bible, they absolutely cannot be the disembodied spirits of deceased human beings.
The Bible teaches very clearly that there are indeed spirit beings who can connect with and appear in our physical world. The Bible identifies these beings as angels and demons. Angels are spirit beings who are faithful in serving God. Angels are righteous, good, and holy. Demons are fallen angels, angels who rebelled against God. Demons are evil, deceptive, and destructive. According to 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, demons masquerade as “angels of light” and as “servants of righteousness.” Appearing as a “ghost” and impersonating a deceased human being definitely seem to be within the power and abilities that demons possess.
The closest biblical example of a “haunting” is found in Mark 5:1-20. A legion of demons possessed a man and used the man to haunt a graveyard. There were no ghosts involved. It was a case of a normal person being controlled by demons to terrorize the people of that area. Demons only seek to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). They will do anything within their power to deceive people, to lead people away from God. This is very likely the explanation of “ghostly” activity today. Whether it is called a ghost, a ghoul, or a poltergeist, if there is genuine evil spiritual activity occurring, it is the work of demons.
What about instances in which “ghosts” act in “positive” ways? What about psychics who claim to summon the deceased and gain true and useful information from them? Again, it is crucial to remember that the goal of demons is to deceive. If the result is that people trust in a psychic instead of God, a demon will be more than willing to reveal true information. Even good and true information, if from a source with evil motives, can be used to mislead, corrupt, and destroy.
Interest in the paranormal is becoming increasingly common. There are individuals and businesses that claim to be “ghost-hunters,” who for a price will rid your home of ghosts. Psychics, séances, tarot cards, and mediums are increasingly considered normal. Human beings are innately aware of the spiritual world. Sadly, instead of seeking the truth about the spirit world by communing with God and studying His Word, many people allow themselves to be led astray by the spirit world. The demons surely laugh at the spiritual mass-deception that exists in the world today.
**Recommended Resource: The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena by Ron Rhodes.