LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJune
13/2010
Bible Of
the Day
Luke 18/10-14: "He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced
of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. 18:10 “Two men went up
into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you,
that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or
even like this tax collector. 18:12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all
that I get.’ 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift
up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a
sinner!’ 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than
the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Arab World: The covert murder capital?/By
JONATHAN SPYER/Jerusalem Post/June
12/10
Iran sanctions no threat
to Hezbollah/Paige
Kollock/June 12/10
Toronto's Love of
Diversity Is Tested by Islamists/by
Kathy ShaidleJune
12/10
Downtrodden by politicians/Daily Star/12 June/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June
12/10
Saudis Tests Clearing Skies for
Israel to Bomb Iran/Naharnet
Iran Could Have Enough Uranium
for N-bomb within 3 Years, Says Gates/Naharnet
Sfeir to Paris on Monday on
Official Visit to Tackle Local and Regional Developments/Naharnet
Lebanon is Obligated to Implement
1929 and Oglu Says Lebanon's Abstention Averted Civil Unrest/Naharnet
Lebanese-Syrian Summit: More
Development, Improvement, Fortification Based on Constitution/Naharnet
Geagea in Cairo to Meet Mubarak,
His Plane is Delayed for an Hour over Discovery of Suspicious Bag/Naharnet
Technical and Administrative Team
Left for Syria: We're Forming New Phase of Cooperation Based on Trust/Naharnet
Hezbollah: Lebanon ungrateful to Tehran/Ynetnews
Psychic's wife appeals for
husband's release from Saudi Arabia/Daily
Star
Beirut's UN vote on Iran generates controversy/Daily Star
Fines imposed on media 'restricting
press freedom/Daily
Star
Experts say polls prove need to
amend electoral law/Daily
Star
EU allocates $18 million to support Lebanese SMEs/Daily
Star
Gemayel: Old-style terms,
centralized setup needs reform/Daily
Star
Mustaqbal Slams Safadi, Abdul Aziz:
They Wouldn't Have Entered Parliament Had It Not Been for Our Votes/Naharnet
Fears
of Disputes at Tuesday's Plenary Session/Naharnet
Heated Mustaqbal and
Opposition Battle Expected in Minieh-Dinniyeh as Interior Ministry Completes its
Preparations/Naharnet
Teacher's Association
Suspends Boycott of Exams Correction/Naharnet
Crisis or No Crisis after
Lebanon Abstained from Iran Sanctions Vote?/Naharnet
LF Hits Back at Franjieh:
Militias Are Those Who Threatened Civil Peace on Jan. 23, May 7/Naharnet
Gemayel: Recent Cabinet
Session Demonstrates Need for Lebanon to Adopt Positive Neutrality/Naharnet
Berri Calls on MPs of
Islamic World to Take Part in Breaking Israeli Siege on Gaza/Naharnet
Sfeir to Paris on Monday on Official Visit to Tackle Local and Regional
Developments
/Naharnet/aronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir is set to arrive in Paris on Monday
upon an official invitation by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a visit that
will last until June 18.
Sfeir is expected to hold talks with Sarkozy and the President of the French
Senate Gerard Larcher and other officials on the political situation in Lebanon
and the region.
The Patriarch is also set to meet with a number of French religious officials.
Sfeir's last trip to France dates to May 2006 and Monday's visit will mark his
first meeting with Sarkozy where he is expected to discuss the situation of
Christians in the Middle East and their ongoing emigration from the region. The
daily An Nahar reported that the Patriarch will stress the need to defend the
Lebanese entity and its independence, discuss the threats it faces, and keep it
out of regional conflicts. He will also tackle the issue of arms outside the
authority of the Lebanese state, emphasizing that armed groups should be
incorporated within the army so there can only be one regular army in a nation.
Sfeir is expected to comment on Lebanese-Syrian ties and express his fears of
Syrian hegemony returning in Lebanon and consequently have Iran control the
country. Beirut, 12 Jun 10, 09:39
Saudis
Tests Clearing Skies for Israel to Bomb Iran
Naharnet/Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defenses to
allow Israeli jets to use its airspace in a bombing raid on Iran's nuclear
facilities, The Times newspaper reported Saturday. "The Saudis have given their
permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way," a
U.S. defense source in the area told the paper. "They have already done tests to
make sure their own jets aren't scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has
all been done with the agreement of the (U.S.) State Department." Israel, which
regards Iran as its principal threat, has refused to rule out using military
action to prevent Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear
programme is aimed solely at power generation. The Times said Riyadh, which
views Iran as a regional threat, had agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow
corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance in
the event of any bombing raid on Iran. A source in Saudi Arabia said the
arrangement was common knowledge within defense circles in the kingdom. "We all
know this. We will let them (the Israelis) through and see nothing," the source
told The Times.(AFP) Beirut, 12 Jun 10, 14:31
Report:
“Saudi Arabia Gives Israel Air Corridor to Bomb Iran”
Manar/12/06/2010 “Saudi Arabia has practiced standing down its anti-aircraft
systems to allow Israeli warplanes passage on their way to attack Iran's nuclear
installations,” a British newspaper reported on Saturday. “The Saudis have
allocated a narrow corridor of airspace in the north of the country that would
cut flying time from Israel to Iran,” the London Times reported. “The Saudis
have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the
other way,” the Times quoted an unnamed U.S. defense source in the area as
saying. “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t
scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement
of the [U.S.] State Department.”
Once the Israelis had passed, the kingdom’s air defenses would return to full
alert, the Times said. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis]
through and see nothing,” the Times quoted a Saudi government source as saying.
According to the report, the four main targets for an Israeli raid on Iran would
be uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, a gas storage development at
Isfahan and a heavy-water reactor at Arak. “Secondary targets may include a
Russian-built light water reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade
plutonium when complete”. “Even with midair refueling, the targets would be as
the far edge of Israeli bombers' range at a distance of some 2,250km. An attack
would likely involve several waves of aircraft, possibly crossing Jordan,
northern Saudi Arabia and Iraq”, the report said. Aircraft attacking Bushehr, on
the Gulf coast, could swing beneath Kuwait to strike from the southwest, the
Times said. Passing over Iraq would require at least tacit consent to the raid
from the United States, whose troops are occupying the country. So far, the
Obama Administration has refused this, the report claimed.
Iran Could Have Enough Uranium for N-bomb within 3 Years,
Says Gates
Naharnet/Iran could have enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb within three
years, perhaps even next year, according to intelligence reports, U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said Friday. "Intelligence estimates range from one to
three years," he told the press after a meeting with his NATO counterparts.
However he stressed that these projections were only for the production of
weapons grade uranium and not its weaponization or the development of a delivery
system. Gates added that the United States remained in close consultation with
Israel on the fresh set of sanctions imposed on Iran by the U.N. Security
Council. In keeping with the U.S. doctrine of not excluding any initiative to
tackle Iran's nuclear ambitions, he mentioned the risk that Iran "could face
military action from Israel or somewhere else," should it pursue nuclear arms.
Tehran maintains its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful civilian
purposes, while Western nations have charged that Iran is covertly seeking to
develop nuclear weapons.(AFP) Beirut, 11 Jun 10, 22:46
EU's Spanish Presidency Urges 'Strong, Joint' Gaza Position
Naharnet/Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose country
holds the European Union's rotating presidency, called Saturday for a "strong,
joint E.U. position" on Gaza and Israel's blockade. "We want to forge a strong,
joint E.U. position towards what happened in Gaza and the humanitarian situation
in that area," he said after talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
Zapatero said his foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, would propose to his
E.U. colleagues at a meeting on Monday that the 27-nation bloc "clearly declare
itself in favor of ending the blockade of the Gaza Strip." Moratinos said in a
television interview this week that the ministers would discuss "a plan for
lifting the blockade" in order to "ensure the entry" of humanitarian aid,
commercial goods and people. A draft text prepared for the ministers meeting in
Luxembourg said Israel's blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza is "unacceptable and
counterproductive, including from the point or view of Israel's security." The
ministers are to take into account the security concerns of Israel, which fears
that arms and other military materials could be smuggled in with legitimate aid.
So the EU will call for the opening of borders under a "new mechanism" with a
list of prohibited goods and "strict control over the destination of imported
and exported merchandise," according to the text.(AFP) Beirut, 12 Jun 10, 13:45
Lebanon is Obligated to Implement 1929 and Oglu Says Lebanon's Abstention
Averted Civil Unrest
Naharnet/Diplomatic sources stated Saturday that the Lebanese government should
appoint a committee dedicated to place a program over Lebanon's obligations in
implementing the recent sanctions against Iran, in order that it not be accused
of violating U.N. Security Council resolution 1929. The said that UNIFIL's naval
force could handle the naval aspect of the resolution, while Lebanon tackles the
airport and the activity of the Iranian airline, as well as monetary activity of
Iranian banks in Lebanon. Social Affairs Minister Salim Sayegh, who is an expert
in international law, stressed that Lebanon and other nations that signed the
U.N. charter are obligated to abide by the resolution and inform the U.N.
General Secretariat of the mechanisms it is adopting in implementing it.
Meanwhile, a Turkish television stated reported that Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmed Oglu had a three-hour phone call between Turkish President Abdullah Gul,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and
other officials ahead of Cabinet's session that decided on abstention.
Information from Turkey said that Turkish efforts were successful in saving the
Lebanese government from collapse. Oglu said that civil peace in Lebanon would
have been at risk had Lebanon voted for or against the sanctions. Beirut, 12 Jun
10, 14:23
Lebanese-Syrian Summit: More
Development, Improvement, Fortification Based on Constitution
Naharnet/A summit between Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and his Syrian
counterpart Bashar al-Assad is expected to take place in Syria on Tuesday, while
the technical and administrative team arrived in Damascus Saturday in an
unrelated visit. Minister of State Adnan Al-Sayyed Hussein told the daily An
Nahar Saturday that the Suleiman-Assad talks will address coordinating stances
on Arab-Arab ties, and coordinating bilateral ties ahead of modifying side
agreements that the government will handle. The minister also did not rule out
the possibility that the summit may pave the way for a meeting for the
Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council. He added: "What we are witnessing today is more
development, improvement, and fortification based on the constitution,
diplomatic work, and mutual respect." As Safir reported informed sources as
saying that Suleiman's trip will be short and he will be accompanied by a small
ministerial delegation that includes ministers Ali al-Shami and Adnan al-Qassar.
Meanwhile, informed official sources said that the summit will tackle joint
Lebanese-Syrian issues, but will leave the technical details to later
presidential or ministerial summits, or possibly the Lebanese-Syrian Higher
Council later in the year. Beirut, 12 Jun 10, 08:32
Technical and Administrative Team Left for Syria: We're Forming New Phase of
Cooperation Based on Trust
Naharnet/The technical and administrative team headed by Minister of State Jean
Ogassapian arrived in Damascus Saturday on a two-day visit to study suggested
modifications to agreements between Lebanon and Syria. Ogassapian told the daily
An Nahar Saturday the team's visit is aimed at reaching final drafts for
modifications that had been discussed before and others that require further
discussion, in order to sign agreements during Lebanese Prime Minister Saad
Hariri's upcoming visit to Syria. A date to Hariri's visit at the head of a
ministerial delegation has not yet been set. The technical and administrative
team includes 37 individuals representing 16 ministries, and includes general
managers, advisors, and military officers.Before leaving Beirut, the minister
had headed a meeting for the team at the Grand Serail to place the finishing
touches over the topics that will be discussed in Damascus. Ogassapian said
after the meeting: "What has been reached so far should serve to establish a new
phase of cooperation based on solid foundations of trust between the two sides."
Beirut, 12 Jun 10, 12:53
Geagea in Cairo
to Meet Mubarak, His Plane is Delayed for an Hour over Discovery of Suspicious
Bag
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea arrived in Cairo Saturday on an
official visit that will last a few days during which he is expected to hold
talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The daily An Nahar reported
Saturday that he arrived at the head of a delegation that includes MPs Strida
Geagea and Antoine Zahra, as well as LF foreign affairs official Joseph Nehmeh
and Free Lebanon radio manager Tony Murad. It added that the delegation is set
to visit other nations besides Egypt, and they will be revealed eventually. The
daily also reported that Geagea's flight was delayed for an hour after a bag was
discovered on board the plane without an owner. It was later revealed that it
belonged to Riad Hatem who was interrogated over why his bag was on the plane
while he wasn't. Beirut, 12 Jun 10, 08:47
Fears of Disputes at Tuesday's
Plenary Session
Naharnet/Fears are growing that disputes may erupt during Tuesday's plenary
session over the division that was witnessed in Cabinet over reaching a decision
over Lebanon's vote at the U.N. Security Council over imposing new sanctions on
Iran. Al-Liwa' reported on Saturday that the conditions in the country are ripe
for the dispute seeing as a plenary parliamentary session has not been held in
nearly three months and talks have failed to ease tensions that have emerged in
light of Lebanon's abstention from the Security Council vote.
Furthermore, the newspaper noted a number of issues that have caused division
among MPs such as the issue of the state budget and the U.S.-ISF security
agreement.
Meanwhile, parliamentary sources told Al-Liwa' that the 2010 state budget may be
approved over two phases next week, starting during Monday's cabinet session and
followed by another one Wednesday. Beirut, 12 Jun 10, 11:40
Iran
sanctions no threat to Hezbollah
Paige Kollock, June 12, 2010
Now Lebanon/Iranian Ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaee speaks after a vote on
broader military and financial sanctions on Iran. (AFP photo/Emmanuel Dunand)
The United Nations Security Council has passed a fourth round of sanctions
against Iran, the strongest and most comprehensive wrist-slapping measures to
date. While this set of sanctions may not effectively stall the country’s
nuclear program, they could have an effect on the region, where Iran has not
only economic, but political ties.
As expected, council members Brazil and Turkey voted against the sanctions
Tuesday, while Lebanon abstained from the vote entirely, a reflection of the
pressures it faces from local parties with Iranian ties. Some have speculated
the sanctions may affect Hezbollah, which receives a large amount of weapons and
funding from Iran, but journalist Waddah Chrara, who writes about Hezbollah for
Al-Hayat, says that’s unlikely.
“The basic source of Hezbollah funding comes from clerical foundations, and the
main one is the Imam al-Rida Foundation… which in 2006 supplied the party with
$800 million,” Chrara told NOW Lebanon. “So, these sources are outside the list
[of things to be] sanctioned and therefore I don’t assume that the sanctions, as
they are listed, would affect Hezbollah.”
Nor will they affect Lebanon. Of the 40 entities targeted by the sanctions, not
one of them has direct ties to Lebanon. The only Iranian bank in Lebanon, Bank
Saderat Iran, is not on the list. Plus, Chrara says, if Iran wanted to send
Hezbollah money and was denied access through the banking system, there are
always other methods.
“Back in 2006 when the Iranians wanted to pay Hezbollah after the war… they
couldn’t do so using the bank branches of Saderat Iran… so they had to send the
funds… in bags.”
Iran has been under some sort of sanctions since 1979 and has thus found ways to
circumvent the traditional ways of transferring money or goods. As a result, the
powerful nation has learned to wield its political influence through proxy
groups like Hezbollah.
“The sanctions won’t affect Hezbollah, unless they have an effect on Iran’s
ability to get hard currency,” said a Lebanese banking official, who preferred
to remain anonymous. The only possible effect, he said, might be that the
sanctions would force Iran to re-shuffle its priorities, with Hezbollah falling
behind. “Frankly, it’s all a blur of speculation at the moment,” he said.
While Lebanon is likely to be unscathed, its Arab neighbors will not be. “The
place where [the sanctions] will probably have the biggest impact is likely to
be the UAE because so much trade into Iran goes through Dubai,” said David
Butter, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa with the
Economist Intelligence Unit.
The UAE serves as a re-export hub, meaning that goods from large producers like
China and the US, such as flat-screen TVs and computer chips, come in and are
then shipped to Iran.
Turkey too has strong trade ties with Iran, and as a result of previous
sanctions, has been forced to look elsewhere for investment.
“Turkey’s trade with Iran has been going down, whereas they have been going up
elsewhere in the region. Turkey is exporting a lot more to Iraq, Egypt, Libya or
Algeria. It’s gradually getting harder and harder to make progress in Iran,”
said Butter.
Perhaps one country that may suffer the most economically is China, which last
year did more than $29 billion in business with the Persian Gulf nation. Iran
serves roughly 11 percent of China's energy needs, and Chinese companies have a
firm foothold in Iran, namely in energy and construction projects. But
economists point to the fact that UN sanctions are targeted toward Iran’s
nuclear program, so technically, oil trade with China and others should not be
affected.
Others insist all this speculation about the effects of stepped-up sanctions may
be moot, as in the past, economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations have
proven unsuccessful.
“We’ve seen what happened with Iraq. [The sanctions] never brought them into
line. There are always ways to get around these sanctions,” said the Lebanese
banker. “There will always be people who do business with you.”
Arab World: The covert murder capital?
By JONATHAN SPYER
06/11/2010 16:59
http://www.jpost.com/Features/FrontLines/Article.aspx?id=178104
/Jerusalem Post
Are Middle Eastern assassinations homegrown acts of defiance, or part of a wider
shadow war with Israel?
Once viewed as perhaps the most lockeddown and policed city in the Middle East,
the Syrian capital of Damascus has been the scene of a number of bombings and
assassinations in the last few years. Most famously, of course, Hizbullah
master-operative Imad Mughniyeh was killed by a car bomb in February 2008.
Last year, in a much messier affair, a number of Iranian pilgrims were killed in
a bus bombing which the Syrian authorities did their clumsy best to conceal.
In the last month, an additional item must be added to the list of curious and
unexplained acts of lethal violence to have taken place in the Syrian capital.
On May 16, Khaled Sultan al-Abed, a businessman and a senior member of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards, was shot dead outside his home in the same smart
Damascus neighborhood in which Mughniyeh met his end. Mezzeh, which is also home
to a number of foreign embassies, is one of the most closely watched as well as
one of the most fashionable districts of Damascus.
Abed was the official head in Syria of Iran Khodro, a car franchise established
by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. He had been resident in Damascus for
10 years, owned a 25 percent stake in the company, and had reportedly succeeded
in forging close ties with prominent figures in the Syrian business community.
However, according to a report by veteran journalist Georges Malbrunot in Le
Figaro this week, this position and Abed’s additional extensive business
activities in Syria were intended to serve as a cover for his other duties –
those of a liaison officer between the Iranian regime and Hizbullah.
The Syrian authorities are clearly deeply embarrassed at this latest breach of
the daily tranquility of their capital. The murder was not reported by official
news sources, and Syrian officials have made no comment upon it. An
investigation into the killing of Abed has reportedly been launched.
WHO MIGHT have carried it out? A number of competing theories have emerged. One
of these appeared on a Syrian opposition Web site and was picked up in Haaretz
last week. According to this theory, Abed’s murder was carried out by a Sunni
organization and is related to growing fear among Sunnis in Syria and beyond at
the growth of Iranian influence in Syria.
This view would gibe with a larger perspective, accepted by many in Israel’s
defense establishment, which identifies widespread dissatisfaction and fear at
many levels in the Syrian establishment and society with the growing link with
Iran. According to this explanation, certain elements are trying to sow discord
between Iranians and Syrians, and are serving notice that Damascus should not be
considered uncontested ground for the free activities of the Shi’ite Islamist
Iranian regime.
Some versions of this theory suggest that even senior figures in the Syrian
regime are deeply concerned at the growing link with Iran, and may be involved –
explaining how the killing was able to take place in one of the most densely
policed areas of the Syrian capital, with no one being apprehended.
However, proponents of this view need to ask themselves whether elements close
to the regime would wish to suggest its vulnerability in quite so blatant a way.
Police states such as Syria, after all, derive what legitimacy they possess from
their ability to police effectively.
This ability is surely starkly called into question by the recent murder of Abed
and the other incidents to have taken place in Damascus recently.
An alternative explanation, given greater credence by both Malbrunot and other
sources, sees the killing of Abed as the latest act in Israel’s “shadow war”
against Iran.
Malbrunot noted Abed’s close links with the Kuds force, the clandestine external
wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Both he and other sources hinted
at the possibility that the murdered man may have been involved in the transfer
of Iranian weaponry to Hizbullah. An unnamed source claims that “one thing is
for sure: Most of those murdered in Syria in recent years were on the list of
those wanted by Israel.” Is this a coincidence, Malbrunot asks by way of
conclusion.
In the usual manner of things Syrian, the real perpetrators of the murder and
their motives are likely to remain shrouded in mystery and to remain the subject
of much speculation.
But as with many such affairs, perhaps the most interesting aspects are
ultimately those clearly visible to the naked eye. A senior operative in the
most clandestine element of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is gunned down
in broad daylight in the heart of one of the most heavily watched areas of the
Syrian capital. The Syrian authorities delay the announcement of the killing and
make no comment upon it.
Rumors of who might be responsible abound.
The regime of Bashar Assad has shown itself to be an enthusiastic practitioner
of the “strategy of tension” in Lebanon, in Iraq and elsewhere over the last
halfdecade.
It appears that someone or other is currently keen on demonstrating to the
Syrian leader that this can also be a game played by two sides.
The writer is a senior researcher at the Global Research in International
Affairs Center, IDC, Herzliya
City of Mississauga Park Renamed in Honour of Fallen Soldier
Jun 11, 2010/Mississauga News
Today, the City of Mississauga honoured the life of fallen soldier Trooper Marc
Diab during a ceremony at the St. Joseph Secondary School in Mississauga,
followed by a visit to the newly renamed Trooper Marc Diab Park. “Trooper Marc
Diab was the epitome of courage and strength. He was known for his fervent
faith, his zest for life and the inspiring leadership he provided to youth
through the summer camps he led through his church. He will be remembered for
the unconditional love he had for his family and friends, his wonderful sense of
humour and ultimately, the sacrifice he made for his country,” said Mayor Hazel
McCallion. “It is an honour and a privilege for the City to recognize him in
this special way by renaming a park in his memory.”“We are proud Canadians and
this tribute means more than words can ever describe,” said Jihan Diab, mother
of fallen soldier Marc Diab. “His footsteps are in that park and his memory will
live on.”
A plaque commemorating the life of Trooper Marc Diab was unveiled by Mayor Hazel
McCallion and Members of Council on March 10, 2010 during a ceremony in the
Council Chamber. The plaque was installed today in the park which is now renamed
Trooper Marc Diab Memorial Park.
“This plaque is a symbol of what a young person can do in a short period of
time,” said Ward 6, Councillor Carolyn Parrish. “Marc Diab wanted to protect his
country and make a difference in the world, and this tribute will forever show
his dedication and hopefully motivate others.”
Marc was an active member of the Mississauga community and a former student of
St. Joseph Secondary School. He is being honoured for his passion to help and
serve others, which lead him to join the Canadian Military in 2006.
As Canada’s sixth largest city, Mississauga is home to 730,000 residents and
55,000 businesses, including 61 Fortune 500 companies with Canadian head offices
or major divisional head offices. A diverse, progressive and award-winning
municipality located on the shores of Lake Ontario in the heart of the Greater
Toronto Area, Mississauga is one of Greater Toronto's Top 90 Employers for 2010.
Enhancing its citizens’ quality of life by providing superior services,
revitalizing its infrastructure and conserving the environment, Mississauga is
committed to innovation, operational excellence and fiscal responsibility which
is reflected in its motto: “Leading Today for Tomorrow.”
Toronto's Love of Diversity Is Tested by Islamists
by Kathy Shaidle
Pajamas Media
June 9, 2010
http://www.meforum.org/2671/toronto-islamists
Toronto's motto is "Diversity Our Strength." According to the city's official
website, it is where "more than 150 languages are spoken daily and where 50
percent of [its 2.7 million] residents are born outside of Canada."
When multiculturalism was declared official national policy in 1971, some
citizens bristled, but others merely envisioned — to employ one Canadian
blogger's cynical expression — "more pavilions at Folkfest." Already the
destination of choice for many immigrants, Toronto duly appointed itself the
country's capital of multiculturalism.
Decades later, though, a large influx of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan,
Somalia, and elsewhere is putting "tolerant" Toronto to the test.
Like newcomers before them, Muslims are eagerly courted by politicians, who are
accustomed to treating Canada's urban "ethnics" as colorful yet mostly harmless
voting blocks. And, in turn, Muslims are requesting accommodation for various
religious and cultural practices, just like every group before them — except
that sometimes these demands are at odds with Canada's Judeo-Christian heritage
and "liberal" self-image.
All the while, the number of Muslims in the city is growing rapidly. Unlike a
comparable city such as New York, which is about 9% Jewish and 3.5% Muslim, the
same demographic ratio in Toronto is reversed: 6.7% Muslim to 4.2% Jewish. This
is a fairly recent development and the trend seems destined to continue.
According to the latest Statistics Canada report, "Toronto's population of Arabs
and West Asians could more than triple between 2006 and 2031. ... People with a
non-Christian religion could represent nearly 31% of the census metropolitan
area's population by 2031, up from 21% in 2006."
The advent of this "inverse ratio" coincides with the growing influence of
Toronto's organized Islamists. After all, Toronto is where Israeli Apartheid
Week got its start, at the city's two major universities back in 2005. York
University in particular has become a hotbed of anti-Israel activism — and
worse. Last year, Jewish students were forced to barricade themselves in the
Hillel office after being set upon by an angry pro-Palestinian mob shouting
racist slurs.
Such an occurrence would have been unthinkable ten years ago. Today, it takes
its place in a litany of distressing post-9/11 developments. From the arrest of
the "Toronto 18," charged with plotting to behead the prime minister, to
revelations about rampant polygamy and "welfare harems," the picture painted of
the city's Muslim community is not always flattering or reassuring.
For instance: throughout January 2009, during Operation Cast Lead, thousands of
area Muslims gathered each Saturday outside the Israeli consulate at one of the
city's busiest intersections. American and Israeli flags were burned, Jewish
counter-protesters were verbally threatened, and Hezbollah standards were raised
— even though Hezbollah is deemed an illegal terrorist group by the Canadian
government.
Protesters faced off again on April 2 of this year. The Jewish Defence League of
Canada organized a rally outside the Palestine House Educational and Cultural
Centre in suburban Toronto, which was hosting an event featuring Abdul Bari
Atwan. The editor-in-chief of Al-Quds Al-Arabi has declared publicly that "if
the Iranian missiles strike Israel, by Allah, I will go to Trafalgar Square and
dance with delight."
When not providing a forum for such guests, Palestine House, according to its
website, "offers counseling on immigration, family problems, citizenship, legal
matters, and housing, in addition to referrals to specialized professionals and
institutions" — for which it receives millions of taxpayer dollars a year.
According to one report, approximately two dozen men assembled in the Palestine
House parking lot to confront the Jewish Defence League. These men were captured
on video calling Jews "monkeys" and shouting: "You guys need another Holocaust"
and "We love jihad. We love killing you."
Videotape of this incident was disseminated on the web, leading to calls for the
federal government to revisit its funding of Palestine House. Of course,
Palestine House presumably could stay afloat with injections of Saudi cash, as a
number of other Canadian Muslim institutions already do.
However, given the dependence of every political party in Canada upon balkanized
ethnic voting blocks, Palestine House could not be defunded without the kind of
ugly public battle that politicians are learning simply to avoid.
Ontario politicians are understandably wary about taking up causes that combine
religion and the public purse. A poorly received promise to fund all "religious
schools," including madrassas, made in the run-up to the 2009 provincial
election cost the candidate who supported the idea — before he was against it —
the race. A few years earlier, Toronto found itself the focus of international
scorn when a proposal to set up Islamic Shari'a tribunals, alongside Ontario's
longstanding Catholic, aboriginal, and Jewish arbitration panels, proved equally
unpopular with taxpayers. Local Muslim women led the successful fight to stop
the tribunals; the other faith-based panels were subsequently abolished as well,
in the interest of "fairness."
That 2005 battle introduced Toronto residents to Muslim voices against creeping
Shari'a and jihadism. Despite their differences on some other issues, generally
pro-Western writers Tarek Fatah and Tahir Aslam Gora — a translator for former
Torontonian Irshad Manji — as well as the pseudonymous ex-Muslim Ali Sina of
Former Muslims United, contributed to the success of the anti-Shari'a campaign.
So did Canadian immigrant, author (Islam's Predicament: Perspectives of a
Dissident Muslim), academic, and longtime critic of official multiculturalism
Salim Mansur, who also scolded pandering non-Muslim politicians who would
sacrifice Western Enlightenment values just to get themselves elected. But as
the outcomes of the school funding and Shari'a tribunal fights prove, says
Mansur, the nation's politicians and powerbrokers have it exactly backwards.
He explained in an exclusive interview: "I support the moves made by the Quebec
assembly to begin demanding that immigrants settling in Quebec need to adjust to
the culture of Quebec and not the other way around. In my view, a political
party in English Canada that took an assertive stand would then harvest votes.
But for this to happen, political leaders or aspirants must first come to grab
hold of the false doctrine of multiculturalism and refuse to be browbeaten by
the elite in the media, government, and universities."
Mansur notes that Islamist activists are simply imitating the "identity
politics" strategy that has worked so well for other groups of immigrants to
Canada, while the nation's establishment — which constructed the system for its
own purposes — has only itself to blame. Meanwhile, ordinary Canadians are left
feeling helpless and resentful.
He explains: "The elite in this country has abandoned its own history out of any
number of reasons — too tired to procreate, too despondent about the future, too
concerned about the immediate present, too many guilty feelings about the past,
too little pride in the achievements of those who built this country — and
decided that the better way of securing 'peace, order, and good government'
[Canada's official motto] is to appease the demands of immigrants rather than
demand of them an acceptance of the country's history which they have chosen to
make their home."
However, political correctness is deeply entrenched within the nation's
institutions and the country's human rights commissions make the questioning of
received wisdom an actionable offense, with costly consequences.
If Mansur's wish comes true and a political movement springs up that is
dedicated to bringing down multiculturalism once and for all, it will face its
fiercest fights in "Toronto the Good."
Only time will tell if diversity really turns out to be the city's strength — or
its downfall.
Kathy Shaidle blogs at Five Feet of Fury. This article was sponsored by Islamist
Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum.
Related Topics: Muslims in Canada | Kathy Shaidle This text may be reposted
or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete
information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original
URL.
Saad
Hariri
June 11, 2010
On June 10, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri participated in the inauguration of the fifth
Arab-Turkish Forum in Istanbul… During the inauguration session, Prime Minister
Al-Hariri delivered the following speech: First of all, I would like to extend
my condolences to our friend Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and through
him to the Turkish Republic, its president, government and people, for the lives
of the innocent martyrs who fell at the hands of Israeli criminality as they
were trying to offer a peaceful civilian aid to our brothers in Palestine and
particularly in Gaza. I bow respectfully before their sacrifices and Turkey’s
sacrifices for Palestine, our central cause.
The participation of this exceptional Arab and Turkish elite from the private
and public sectors in the fifth forum, reflects the importance of the
development of relations between the Arab world and Turkey. We all know that our
region is currently going through a highly sensitive stage on all levels, the
biggest proof being the painful incident we witnessed last week. On the
political and security levels, our region has suffered from Israeli arrogance,
criminality and barbarism for so long, at a time when Arab and Islamic states
are seeking just and comprehensive peace in the region based on the Madrid
Conference and the initiative of the Beirut Arab summit for peace. We in
Lebanon, this small country, are well-aware of the importance of coordination
and understanding between the Arab brothers and Turkey and are exploiting all of
our political and diplomatic capabilities to enhance Arab strength and form a
unified power that would secure the right of Palestinians to return to an
independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. On the national level, our main
goal today is to protect Lebanon from Israeli adventures and arrogance and
enhance domestic stability.
The global financial crisis allowed the resurfacing of voices, whether in our
region or in other areas around the world, calling for a closed economy.
However, I disagree with all the advocates of isolation under the pretext of
protecting national economies, since this protection is firstly ensured by the
adoption of sound legislation, policies and monitoring systems. Isolation will
waste many work opportunities for our youth and I consequently call – from this
platform – for the activation of Arab-Turkish cooperation. I am certain that the
Arab countries, the young and creative human capabilities they have and the
various natural resources they enjoy can set the foundation for real partnership
and economic cooperation with Turkey. Many Arab states decided to proceed down
that path and I am sure that it will bear its economic fruits in the medium
term, enhance the positions of Arabs and Turkey in the face of the challenges in
the region and strengthen the status of Turkey and the Arabs in economic and
political international forums. For our part, we in Lebanon want
Lebanese-Turkish relations to move toward a strategic partnership in all areas…
I conducted a successful visit to Turkey last January and we signed numerous
cooperation agreements and memorandums, the most prominent of which being the
annulment of the visa requirements for the citizens of both countries. Today, we
are seeing the positive effects of this agreement, as the number of Turkish
visitors to Lebanon multiplied by four as of last April. We are also looking
forward to Prime Minister Erdogan’s visit to Lebanon in July, in order to
translate the cooperation ideas and the new draft agreements into palpable
steps… I would like to point out that the Lebanese government wants to see the
Lebanese, foreign and especially Turkish private sector participating in the
implementation of developmental projects in different areas, based on the
principle of partnership between the private and public sectors. This will
alleviate the burden on the budget and allow the private sector to invest in
Lebanon, create new job opportunities and provide services to the community.
Again, I would like to thank you for your invitation and hope that the
Turkish-Arab economic forum will contribute to the establishment of economic
Arab-Turkish cooperation and prosperity for the people of the region.