LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِNovember 12/2010

Bible Of The Day
Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 4/24-32: "and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
4:25 Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another. 4:26 “Be angry, and don’t sin.”* Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath, 4:27 neither give place to the devil. 4:28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need. 4:29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. 4:30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you'

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
 The Arab slave of Iran/By: Farid Ghadry/November 11/10
 All top Hizballah commanders face indictment in Hariri murder/DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
Nasrallah provokes Iran: No such thing as Persian civilization/Ynetnews/November 11/10
Afflicted by the Junblatt syndrome/By Joseph A. Kechichian/November 11/10
Canada Welcomes Exclusion of Iran from UN Women Executive Board/November 11/10
Jumblatt Used Their Weakness and Slandered Them/By: Abdullah Iskandar/November 11/10
 No vote, no agreement/Now Lebanon/November 11/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 11/10
 Clinton reiterates US concern over Lebanese situation/Now Lebanon
Sleiman delays Cabinet vote on 'false witnesses'/Daily Star
An-Nahar: Hariri refuses making concessions to March 8/Now Lebanon
Hariri reiterates Lebanon’s commitment to UN/Now Lebanon
Not even military move can stop STL, says French source/Now Lebanon
Fneish warns against “blazing” STL indictment/Now Lebanon
Nahhas Accuses March 14 of Succumbing to Israel, Hariri Vows to Make Him Pay Dearly for his Comments/Naharnet
 MP, Sakr slams Nahhas for linking Hariri to Israel/Now Lebanon
 Delaying “false witnesses” issue helps further negotiations, says Youssef Saadeh/Now Lebanon
Williams: Resolution 1701 to be discussed at UN/Daily Star
Report: Egypt aided Israel's assassination of top Gaza militant/Haaretz
 IDF to sell confiscated enemy weapons/Ynetnews
 Fatfat: Hezbollah is in trouble/Ya Libnan
 2 wounded in Hezbollah stronghold near Beirut/Ya Libnan
 Nasrallah provokes Iran: No such thing as Persian civilization/Ynetnews
 Israel halts missile shield deployment/UPI
Michel Aoun's statement after his Parliamentary block's weekly meeting/NNA
Aoun Attacks Government: It has No Power over False Witnesses' Decision/Naharnet

Clinton reiterates US concern over Lebanese situation
November 11, 2010 /US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated US concern about the situation in Lebanon at a meeting in Washington with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmad Abu al-Gheit on Wednesday. "We reconfirmed our support for the work of the Special Tribunal [for Lebanon] and our shared commitment to strong, independent and stable Lebanon," Clinton said. "And I want to emphasize that the foreign minister and I are absolutely clear that we are critical of and condemning of any efforts to discredit, hinder, or delay the tribunal's work. That cannot be tolerated." Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports that the STL will soon issue its indictment in its investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. 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 Hezbollah took over half of Beirut.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Not even military move can stop STL, says French source
November 11, 2010 /An unnamed French source said in an interview published Thursday that “military acts in Lebanon cannot put an end to the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).”The source told As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that Hezbollah does not benefit by resorting to military scenarios in order to abolish the STL.
“[Such] acts drive the international community to insist even more on pursuing the STL’s probe.”Pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar newspaper reported last week that Hezbollah prepared a plan to take over Lebanon when the STL issues its indictment. Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports indicated that the court would soon issue its indictment for the Rafik Hariri murder. 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 Party of God took over half of Beirut.-NOW Lebanon

Hariri reiterates Lebanon’s commitment to UN
November 11, 2010 /Prime Minister Saad Hariri reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to the UN, especially UN Security Council Resolution 1701, several media outlets reported. He said during the opening of the UN regional meeting at ESCWA headquarters in Beirut that “national unity will not be harmed, regardless of tension between the Lebanese people.”
“We are committed to the Taif Accord.”Hariri also said that “Lebanon confronts Israeli threats through national unity.”Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will soon issue its indictment in its investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. 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 Hezbollah took over half of Beirut.-NOW Lebanon

An-Nahar: Hariri refuses making concessions to March 8
November 11, 2010 /An-Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday that Prime Minister Saad Hariri refused to abide by the demands imposed by the March 8 ministers during Wednesday’s cabinet session. According to the daily, Hariri believes that March 8 wants to obstruct the cabinet’s agenda and paralyze its work. “I do not accept the distraction aimed by the issue of false witnesses to [obstruct] the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),” An-Nahar quoted the PM as saying. He also told Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas that he has no right to say that the PM and his allies submit to Israeli and US pressures. Following Wednesday’s cabinet session, Information Minister Tarek Mitri said that the discussion of the “false witnesses file” has been postponed. March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. However, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter.
-NOW Lebanon

Fneish warns against “blazing” STL indictment
November 11, 2010
Minister of State for Administrative Reform Mohammad Fneish said on Thursday that “the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is a huge fire that targets the Middle East.”He told Al-Manar television that if the STL indicts Hezbollah members for assassinating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, it would be “assaulting the Resistance, Lebanon, and the country’s security.” He also said that the March 8 ministers insisted on putting the issue of “false witnesses” up for a vote during Wednesday’s cabinet session. “There is still a chance to reach a solution regarding the [false witnesses] issue.”Following Wednesday’s cabinet session, Information Minister Tarek Mitri said that the discussion of the “false witnesses file” has been postponed. March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. However, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter.-NOW Lebanon

Sakr slams Nahhas for linking Hariri to Israel
November 11, 2010 /Lebanon First bloc MP Okab Sakr lashed out at Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas over the latter’s Wednesday comments that Prime Minister Saad Hariri submits to Israeli pressure. Nahhas’ remarks do not serve him or the party he represents—the Free Patriotic Movement—he added. “Let Nahhas ask his colleague, [arrested FPM official] Fayez Karam, about Israeli collaboration. Let him also ask [FPM leader MP] Michel Aoun about a meeting he held with Karam during the 2006 July War.” Sakr called on Hariri and President Michel Sleiman to not remain silent regarding Nahhas’ comments. Retired Brigadier General Fayez Karam, who was also close to Aoun, was arrested earlier in September for suspicion of collaborating with Israel. Unconfirmed reports said that Karam informed Aoun in 2006 about his connections with Israeli officers, but Aoun did not turn him into the authorities.
-NOW Lebanon

Delaying “false witnesses” issue helps further negotiations, says Youssef Saadeh
November 11, 2010 /Minister of State Youssef Saadeh said on Thursday that postponing the issue of “false witnesses” gives a chance for further talks to resolve it. He told OTV that the March 8 coalition will accept any outcome if the issue of “false witnesses” is put up for a vote in the cabinet. “March 8 is not interested in paralyzing the government.”He also said that the current Lebanese situation is “very delicate.” Following Wednesday’s cabinet session, Information Minister Tarek Mitri said that the discussion of the “false witnesses file” has been postponed. March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the investigation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. However, March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the matter.-NOW Lebanon

No vote, no agreement
November 11, 2010
Discussions on the issue of “false witnesses” have been put off until next week. (NOW Lebanon)
Lebanon's political deadlock continued on Wednesday after the cabinet failed to agree on what to do about alleged false witnesses in the probe of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. “We need time; the discussions have been put off until next week,” Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters following the four-hour meeting.
The March 8 coalition wants a vote on its demand for an inquiry by the nation's highest court – the Justice Council – into people it claims fed false information to investigators of a UN-backed court probing the murder. The move is widely seen as an attempt to torpedo the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), an international court based in The Hague set up in the aftermath of Rafik Hariri's killing along with 22 others. President Michel Sleiman has urged rival parties to come to an agreement without subjecting it to a vote.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah accused the March 14 alliance of protecting what it said were false witnesses against prosecution.
"We denounce... attempts to halt the process of uncovering who was behind these witnesses, who were fabricated to destabilize Lebanon and harm Lebanon's relations with Syria," it said in a statement. "The information leaked from the tribunal... confirms beyond a shadow of doubt that as a result of its politicized course... the tribunal is working for the benefit of Israel and its benefactors." March 14 slammed Hezbollah's request as an attempt to discredit and derail the STL, which is reportedly set to indict members of the party in connection with the assassination. Hezbollah and its allies hold one-third of seats in the cabinet formed last year under Prime Minister Saad Hariri – son of the slain ex-premier – following more than four months of arduous talks. But as political alliances have shifted over the past year, March 8 could now tie or even win a cabinet vote against the March 14 coalition.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has warned against any accusations by the STL and said further cooperation with the court would be tantamount to an attack on the Lebanon’s Resistance. Despite Nasrallah's warnings, Hariri has vowed to see the STL through and has received strong support from his Western allies, including the United States and France. Meanwhile, US Senator John Kerry warned Wednesday that the world must defuse dangerously escalating tensions in Lebanon over the STL.
The UN Security Council must "pay very close attention to this right now," Kerry told reporters on a conference call from Israel, pushing for "preemptive diplomacy" to calm the volatile situation. The senator said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had told him he would travel to Lebanon "in a few weeks" and would "act as a responsible mediator" in the standoff. "Clearly there is a risk, it is a tense moment, it is an important moment," said Kerry, who visited Lebanon earlier this week and met with President Sleiman and PM Saad Hariri.
Kerry, who chairs the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he found "a significant amount of tension" and declared "it is being fomented by Hezbollah and Hezbollah supporters, that includes Iran, who are stirring the waters." The US lawmaker emphasized that "you cannot allow violent intimidators" to try to cow the tribunal.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Jumblatt Used Their Weakness and Slandered Them
10 November 2010
By: Abdullah Iskandar/Al Hayat
Ever since his last political turn, Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has been moving on dual bases. He is firstly trying to confirm that his turn toward yesterday’s rivals is sincere, and secondly trying to avoid military confrontation in the country between his new allies and his current rivals.
In a situation such as the one seen in Lebanon where the rounding of the corners requires a lot of know-how and expertise due to the acuteness of the confrontation and the conflicting programs, Jumblatt is aware of his difficult position. On one hand, he knows that the protection of civil peace for which he is calling, is not only limited to defusing the consecutive crises, among which for the time being is the crisis of the false witnesses file and the tribunal. It also requires the state institutions to regain some of their prerogatives, whether at the level of decision-making power or at the level of security. This realization is obstructed by the positions of his new allies who consider that the reinstatement of the state’s intervention would imply obligations that all the sides would have to respect and some of which would topple their demands, especially at the level of the witnesses file and its branches inside the Cabinet and the re-discussion of the role of the arms outside the context of the state institutions, including Hezbollah’s arms on the long run.
On the other hand, Jumblatt knows he is subjected to daily tests to confirm his sincerity toward his new allies. Media outlets close to Hezbollah thus carried, more than once, reports saying that the main purpose behind the party’s insistence on settling the false witnesses file inside the Cabinet is to test the credibility and seriousness of the Druze leader at the level of his new turn. For his part, he is trying to elude this test, considering it might sever the last ties still linking him to the prime minister and what he represents on the Lebanese and Arab levels. He is trying to uphold these ties that allow him maintain Arab contact. Although his current option is a Syrian one, Jumblatt needs this contact, especially with Saudi Arabia. He is thus reiterating - along with the other officials in his party and his parliamentary bloc - the importance of this dimension in the context of the equation of the Saudi-Syrian understanding.
It is in that sense that Jumblatt’s theory regarding the “revival of the Lebanese right wing” in light of the results of the American midterm elections and the advance of the “American right-wing” (the Republicans) in them can be interpreted. On one hand, he criticized this Lebanese right-wing which in the Jumblatti rhetoric means the March 14 Christians - at the head of whom is Samir Geagea - while on the other, he went in line with the American conspiracy theory of his new allies.
The reintroduction of the talk about the “Lebanese isolationist right wing” has a purpose in the current Jumblatti rhetoric because it allows him to succeed in the sincerity test, without this costing him any political repercussions. It also brought back to mind the nature of the division witnessed in Lebanon during the civil war, and his position toward this division. This showed he truly returned to the alliances he enjoyed during that stage, regardless of the major difference between the political nature of that stage and the current one, especially at the level of sectarian alignment. While it is difficult to directly criticize the Sunni alignment in Lebanon and its “isolationist” tendencies (Lebanon First and the support of the Lebanese state), the weakest sides in the equation are the Christians of the March 14 forces and their spiritual reference represented by the Maronite patriarchate.
Moreover, the targeting of these “isolationists” might meet the demands of the new allies who do not hesitate to classify them as being the ones who should be politically-eliminated at the very least. The new allies’ need for Jumblatt’s campaign on the “isolationist” right-wing is increasing, at a time when Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is refusing to disengage from this right and continuing to defend this alliance, thus transforming Jumblatt into the spearhead of this campaign.

Michel Aoun statement after his block's weekly meeting
November 10, 2010 /The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) carried the following report on November 9:
The Change and Reform bloc held its weekly meeting in Rabieh, headed by Michel Aoun. Following the sit-down, Aoun spoke to reporters about the issue that were debated, saying, “Welcome to our weekly meeting. Today, we tackled several issues starting with the Bkirki meeting and the statement that was issued by it. In my opinion, this statement was unimportant because it featured the judging of intentions as well as general accusations and concerns. All these things are not fit to be considered a call, since a call is made when the country is facing an imminent threat. Now the people are more aware and this wrongful psychological preparation will no longer work on anyone.
We also discussed financial issues. This file has become massive and too wide to be debated in a few words following the meeting of some deputies. It will have major repercussions because it is pointing to the incompetence of the political team managing the financial affairs, as well as to the lack of integrity of some. It is unfortunate that every time we talk about a lost billion, the answer we receive is ‘that’s no problem, it was a mistake.’ In their opinion, the disappearance of a billion is a simple mistake that should not be looked into and should be disregarded. We expected reactions from the people working in the financial and economic sectors or from the press, but no one talked about or commented on this issue except in rare cases. Anyway, we have all the documents and we will have plenty of time to tackle these topics.
The current government, and in order to cover up a certain issue, evades it and moves on to another. We all witnessed the retreat affecting the political rhetoric which moved to lying and falsification in the media by issuing false statements and adopting false documents. This started a long time ago and we are continuously seeing new facets. I believe they have become greedy, especially when things are related to me personally. They started lying since 2005 and there are many lawsuits which have not yet been settled. There is slowness in the judiciary and I always reiterate the saying, ‘Deferred justice is not justice.’ These delays are encouraging anarchy. On the other hand, I say to you that the Finance Ministry is in a miserable state and that Lebanon is stolen not broken. I say to you that the state organization is a mafia organization that does not respect the law. All those who occupied sensitive positions have a financial and moral responsibility and should be tried in court because they did not respect the law. Every day, there is a scandal somewhere and this is a violation of the law.
However, I lost hope in seeing any moral accountability because no one is writing about the scandals and the corruption. I do not know how this taming emerged. A few years ago, I wrote an article about auto-censorship which tamed the Lebanese media. I am talking about self-censorship and not outside censorship. When someone writes an article in which he notices a few disruptive words, he removes these words. The next time he writes, he does so based on the ceiling he set in the first amended article. He thus continued to retreat until he eventually adopts the opinion of the authorities and defends everything they are doing. This is called self-taming through auto-censorship. Consequently, when our statements are being falsified, our history is being falsified and everything is being falsified without anyone responding, this is being reiterated by the media outlets without any restraint. In any case, we will soon have our say and hopefully we will meet tomorrow to provide you with additional information.”
What if Prime Minister Hariri were to pull out from tomorrow’s cabinet session, or what if there is no session to begin with? Prime Minister Hariri’s sources consider there will be no voting tomorrow on the false witnesses file. Then there will be no voting. That is very simple. We will take into account the new reality and know there is a government evading its prerogatives and responsibilities. So, there is no insistence on voting? We want to vote but if there is no quorum, there is nothing we can do. What about the reaction? You will see it the day after tomorrow, or in a week. That is another issue. The reaction will be announced in due time. Bkirki said it did not invite anyone to this meeting and that some gathered and came to it because it is open to everyone. Do you not share the concerns conveyed by the meeting held in Bkirki?
Not at all. I have no concerns. Assuming that the Christians have concerns, the Takfiris are the ones attacking them in Iraq. In Lebanon, all the parties participated in the kidnappings and killings one way or the other. This meeting pointed the fear toward Hezbollah. How is that logical? It is the only one that did not take part in the domestic problems. It had some problems with the Amal [Movement] in the eighties but they were due to political reasons. So why would the Christians fear Hezbollah although its record is clean and is that of resistance? Why spread concerns toward it even though it never attacked a bomb or a mosque, never killed anyone and never kidnapped anyone? On the other hand, they say that Hezbollah’s arms are illegitimate and illegal, but there is a difference between the two expressions. What is legal is what stems from the law, while what is legitimate is what stems from the natural rights of the people.
All resistance movements enjoy legitimacy. When their lands are taken away and occupied and where their rights are violated, they are entitled to carry arms to liberate their land based on the UN Charter. No one can say [to Hezbollah] “your arms in the south are illegitimate” as long as Israel is attacking us. That is the legitimacy of the resistance. Secondly, they say that the peace and war decision is in Hezbollah’s hands. No one holds the peace and war decision in Lebanon and the Middle East except for Israel and America which are threatening Iran, Syria and Lebanon. General, you talked about the authorities but are you not directly responsible for the obstruction of dialogue today through the obstruction of the dialogue table? It is as though you do not want to engage in dialogue with the other side. If this is not seen inside the cabinet, inside parliament or around the dialogue table, where can it take place? On the street?
It seems you are not aware of the issue of the dialogue table? Its role is precise and solely tackles the defense strategy. During the first session, we proposed the introduction of the main issues of dispute to it and this demand was obstructed by the majority forces. Therefore, after four years, I will not go waste my time around the dialogue table and talk about a defense strategy which I previously said was the object of disagreement. There are many things I could have done during these last four years apart from wasting time. Are you happy with this play that is presented every two months? We go there and meet while you wait for us. Then we come out and do not say anything new to you or use vague terms. No, I am not ready to put myself in this position [again].

Williams: Resolution 1701 to be discussed at UN
By The Daily Star /Thursday, November 11, 2010
BEIRUT: The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon confirmed Wednesday that Security Council Resolution 1701 is set to be discussed when member states meet this month in New York.
Michael Williams, following talks with Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami, said that he would soon travel to the UN to brief the Security Council on Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s report on the implementation of 1701. “The Minister took the opportunity to reaffirm Lebanon’s strong commitment to 1701 and I expressed my appreciation of this and that I will inform the Security Council about this,” Williams told reporters after the meeting. “The minister underlined to me, he stressed to me, that Lebanon wishes to see further progress in the implementation of 1701 and I understand his concerns in this regard.” In his latest six-monthly report, Ban wrote that both Lebanese and Israeli governments needed to redouble efforts to visibly mark the Blue Line, which is the boundary of Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanon. His sentiments were echoed Tuesday by United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Force Commander Major General Alberto Asarta Cuevas, who said that visible marking of the Blue Line would help avoid any future clashes between the two sides. Lebanon and Israel both complain to the UN on a regular basis that the other is breaching 1701, which was drafted to end Israel’s 2006 summer war with Hizbullah. Israel accuses the government in Beirut of allowing Hizbullah’s rearmament and storage of weapons within UNIFIL’s mandated area; Lebanon objects to continual violations of its airspace by the Israeli air forces near-daily over flights. – The Daily Star

Sleiman delays Cabinet vote on 'false witnesses'
Adjournment of session could prompt March 8 ministers to boycott future meetings
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Thursday, November 11, 2010
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman adjourned Wednesday a Cabinet meeting debating the controversial issue of “false witnesses,” averting a divisive vote that could have threatened the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and escalated Lebanon’s political crisis. The adjournment of discussions until next week disrupted the meeting and prevented discussion of other items on the agenda after March 8 ministers refused to debate any topic before the issue of “false witnesses” is closed. Political sources said the March 8 move could indicate that the opposition coalition, which had demanded a vote on whether to refer the case to the Judicial Council, would from now on block any Cabinet meetings before the “false witnesses” issue is settled. Hariri’s Future Movement and its allies say the issue should be referred to the judiciary after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) releases its indictment.
Sleiman proposed forming an adhoc parliamentary committee to investigate the controversial issue. But the suggestion fell through after March 8 opposed it.
Hariri said the country could not afford further political shocks and called for calm dialogue.
In an indirect criticism of March 14, Hizbullah said earlier Wednesday that certain parties insist on protecting the “false witnesses” who misled investigations into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. “The insistence of some to protect ‘false witnesses’ and obstruct attempts to put them on trial and uncover those who fabricated them … is a worrying and condemned fact,” Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc said. The bloc said the course of the STL was undoubtedly politicized and aimed to serve Israeli interests, describing visits by Western envoys to Beirut as attempts to foment strife. In a similar tone, MP Walid Jumblatt, after meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad’s political aide Mohammad Nassif in Damascus, warned against Western attempts “to deal a blow to Saudi-Syrian efforts to preserve stability in Lebanon.” Jumblatt added that the STL proved to be politicized after news reports in Western and Israeli media accused Hizbullah of involvement in the crime. He said current circumstances were a replica of those preceding the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Meanwhile, in a show of support for the STL, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit that her country would challenge any attempts to hinder the tribunal’s work. The March 14 Secretariat General said March 8 groups aimed to pressure the government by exploiting the issue of “false witnesses” to eventually force an official decision that relinquishes the state’s commitment to the STL. The secretariat reiterated that the March 14 alliance would pursue every possible effort to defend the STL and Lebanon’s state institutions. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the March 8 coalition could decide to withdraw from the government and consequently assume the responsibility for paralyzing its work but added that March 14 parties would not barter over the STL. Geagea said his earlier remarks with regard to supporting the STL, even at the expense of government stability were misinterpreted. “The government is more important than anything else, however if the other side wants to threaten withdrawal from the Cabinet … should we continue to support the STL, then they can do that and forget about trying to barter [over the court],” he added.

The Arab slave of Iran
Farid Ghadry
Ynetnews/11.11.10
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3982234,00.html
Op-ed: President Assad flexing his muscles, but behind the scenes Iran is calling the shots
In Islam, slavery was institutionalized and promoted as a necessity during wars. We find throughout our history, during al-Foutouhat (Conquests), many occasions upon which the “enemy” was subjected to servitude by a Muslim master abiding by his Koranic beliefs.
Even today, we see its enduring finger prints in Islamic societies in the form of sex trade, premature forced marriages, abusive household masters, female mutilations, etc… But we also witness slavery today in Machiavellian form across many Islamic societies in the Middle East. On that basis, there is ample evidence to suggest that Assad has become Iran’s Arab slave.
The conclusion is based on several circumstantial factors. In 2000, Assad ascended to power at the age of 34. While still learning how to use power, he was supposedly attacking the greatest power in Iraq with suicide missions. Given his background as a trained healthcare provider, it is quite a stretch to think he was capable of such a bold policy without Iranian assistance and help.
Another factor is the futility of the US State Department to peel Assad from Ahmadinejad even though the stars were aligned for such a successful outcome with a new US president eager for dialogue. That failure remains a mystery to many who are still scratching their heads. If you add, as well, how Assad has yielded to Hezbollah in Lebanon, one cannot but come to the same conclusion of how an Arab slave functions under the Iranian grip.
However, to confuse this relationship, Iran spreads misinformation to the fact that Assad is about to battle Hezbollah in Lebanon and believe it or not, some very smart people actually believe it.
In September, and according to several intelligence sources, Assad has reshuffled the heads of his four security pillars, some with Generals favored strongly by Iran. One specifically is Maj. Gen. Zouhair Hamad, probably hand-picked by the IRGC, to run Syria’s internal security. Again, this demonstrates clearly the inconsistency one can detect between Assad’s boldness on the world stage and his subjugation to Iran over Syria’s internal affairs.
For the chess players amongst us, how is it possible to jump from a player with less than a 1,000-rating to a master overnight? The explanation is simple.
Long list of Iranian demands
Assad has become a slave of Iran because his father dictated to him that he is not to lose power at any cost. It also seems that Iran was present in the same room. In 2004, hypothetically speaking, Assad asked himself a question: Who can protect my rule best, the Americans or the Iranians? Under an American umbrella, his rule would be safe from another war but he will continuously be playing the music chair in a room of old Arab leaders he cannot associate with and a new rising power in his neighborhood. With Iran, his back would be protected but he can play the role of the spoiler against the West and other Arab rulers the way his father taught him how.
In return, Ahmadinejad asked for and received a long list of demands to include weapon delivery to Hezbollah, a big footprint of Iranian military and religious assets and symbols inside Syria, a NATO-like weapon exchange program to include storage and upgrade of missile systems to protect Iran, and more importantly, a Hezbollah footprint inside Syria just in case Assad turns his back on Iran.
But as master chess players, the Iranians also asked Assad to keep the West on its heels by feeding the US with intelligence on al-Qaeda-type terrorists who also happen to be enemies of Iran and Syria and provide hope that he would be willing to switch sides.
The region is settling into this new master/slave arrangement between Ahmadinejad and Assad that few believe exists as they watch Assad flex his muscles. But behind the scene, Iran is pulling the levers and it is in the interest of the Iranians to provide Assad, the Arab, with a long leach he can use to bite his neighbors on behalf of the Mullahs. As an example, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah sold Lebanon for pennies because he feared Iranian intrusion into Shia-majority Dammam in the Eastern Province through Iraq. Guess who indirectly fed Abdullah with such hogwash? None other than Iran.
While Bashar Assad’s father treated power as a soft asset to be exploited in a discreet manner, his son exploits it to grandstand the Arab League, the West and Israel. The funny part is that Assad, the Arab slave of Iran, believes that his own supremacy is what keeps him in power. That’s what happens when an ophthalmologist fails to check his own eyes

All top Hizballah commanders face indictment in Hariri murder
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report November 10, 2010, 2:12 PM (GMT+02:00) Monday, Nov. 8,The Wall Street Journal disclosed the name of Mustafa Badr al-Din, Hizballah's No. 2 after Hassan Nasrallah as deputy for special security affairs. debkafile's sources name at least three more leading lights of the Lebanese Shiite militia who face summonses to stand trial before the international tribunal for planning and executing the Hariri assassination. They are:
Wafiq Safa: Head of Hizballah's special security and intelligence apparatus, one of Nasrallah's closest cronies.
His powers are broader than his title would indicate: Safa acts as deputy of the Iranian Al Qods officer, Gen. Hossein Mahadavi, who has taken command of the Hizballah militia as chief of staff. In this capacity, Safa would be assigned to spearhead the grab for power Hizballah is planning for the moment the STL issues indictments. Safa is also charged with coordinating military cooperation between Hizballah and its two Lebanese allies, Michel Aoun's Christian militia and Walid Jumblatt's Druze forces. Given the tactical talents he displayed by engineering the cross-border abduction of Israeli soldiers in 2006 and other Hizballah border encroachments, Wafa may be wily enough to wriggle out of being extradited to The Hague for trial.
Talal Hamiya: Head of the Special Duties branch of Hizballah's Jihad Council. A former operations deputy under Hizballah's late military commander Imad Mughniyeh (who died in a bomb explosion in Damascus in 2008), his current duties include command of the special details securing Hizballah's various branches and the conduct of "special" (terror) operations around the world. Hamiya is also responsible for Hizballah's intelligence service. Ibrahim Muhammad Akil, incumbent military commander of southern Lebanon, i.e., the front against Israel.
debkafile's sources say that the tribunal's special prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, has obtained proof that on the day of the Hariri assassination, the four Hizballah officials named here had set up a makeshift command center for running the operation - a huge explosion which killed another 22 people. From there, they used Hizballah's internal military telephone network to post their orders and coordinate the tasks of the field teams. Bellemare's investigators have been going around Beirut looking for evidence of this telephone network - often in unlikely places. Last month, their search at a military clinic ran into violent resistance from Hizballah, drawing a complaint from UN secretary Ban Ki-moon. If Hizballah makes good on its threat to overthrow the Lebanese government and so preempt the STL's indictments and its officers' extradition, debkafile's sources fear Lebanon could find itself governed by terrorists who, moreover, have been inculpated for political assassination by an international tribunal. In these circumstances, the UN Security Council would have little choice but to lead an international boycott of Lebanon, impose stiff sanctions aimed at toppling the Hizballah regime or even mandate an invasion to restore legitimate government in Beirut.
Hizballah's first act on attaining power would almost certainly be a demand for the UN Secretary General remove the 20,000 UNIFIL peacekeepers policing South Lebanon

Khoury to CR News:
Brace for the consequences of indicting Hezbollah
Washignton DC, CR News
Oct 13th 2010
Sheikh Sami Khoury, President of the World Maronite Union told CR News "an overhwelming majority of the Lebanese Diaspora, about 15 millions from Lebanese descent around the world considers the so-called false witnesses charade as a cheer propaganda by Hezbollah to delay the forthcoming decisions by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon." Khoury said "we are waiting the decisions of the STL not the rdiculous debate about who said what, orchestrated by the Iranian allies in Lebanon. What is taking place inside Lebanon's media circus stays there. It has no effect on international justice. Our people inside Lebanon should brace for the serious consequences of indicting a dangerous armed organization not follow the empty exchanges about irrelevant stories produced by the propaganda arm of the terrorists

Report: Egypt aided Israel's assassination of top Gaza militant
By Haaretz Service /11.11.10
Time Magazine claims Egyptian intelligence tipped Israel off ahead of the arrival of a senior Army of Islam militant as part of its attempts to thwart terror activity in Sinai.
Egypt assisted in the recent assassination of a high-ranking Gaza militant, Time Magazine reported on Thursday, saying Cairo was prompted to aid Israel as a result of its desire to damage Hezbollah's efforts in the Sinai Peninsula.
Mohammed Nimnim, 37, a senior member of the Army of Islam, an extremist group that kidnapped British reporter Alan Johnston in March 2007, was killed when his car exploded outside a police station in Gaza City over a week ago.
Israel initially refused to comment on the attack but the Israel Defense Forces later confirmed it had carried out a joint operation with the Shin Bet security service.
The IDF spokeswoman referred to Nimnim as a "ticking bomb", saying he was part of an al Qaida-linked group that was planning attacks on Israel and U.S. targets in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
On Thursday, however, Time magazine quoted security sources as saying that Egyptian intelligence had managed to get word of the intended plot against U.S. forces in the region from Army of Islam operatives captured in Sinai.
Referring t to the significance and rarity of such an intelligence exchange between the two states, a security source was quoted by Time as saying that Egypt was "helping much more."
As to the reason for the uncommon cooperation, Time cited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's animosity toward terror activity in the Sinai Peninsula, specifically in the wake of Egypt's uncovering of a major Hezbollah terror ring in the area last year.
In April of 2009, Egypt announced that a cell of 49 men with links to Hezbollah were planning attacks aimed at destabilizing the country. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, rejected the accusations but confirmed over the weekend that the group had dispatched a member to Egypt - a rare acknowledgment that the Lebanese militant group was operating in another Arab country. In his first comments on the accusations, Mubarak told Lebanon's prime minister during a phone call on Sunday that Egypt "will not allow anyone to violate its borders or destabilize the country."

Iran loses, Saudi Arabia wins seat on UN Women board
By ASSOCIATED PRESS AND JPOST.COM STAFF
11/11/2010 11:21
Saudi Arabia gains seat on the board despite one of "the most repressive" records on women's rights; Iran gets lowest number of votes.
Iran failed to win a seat Wednesday on the board of the new UN agency to promote equality for women after strong opposition from the United States and human rights groups to Tehran's treatment of women.
In the election by the 54-nation UN Economic and Social Council, Iran got the lowest number of votes of the 11 Asian nations vying for 10 seats on UN Women's board. Iran received just 19 votes compared to 36 for East Timor, which broke from 24 years of Indonesian occupation in 1999 and declared independence in 2002.
US Ambassador Susan Rice welcomed the result, saying "we've made no secret that Iran joining the board of UN Women would have been an inauspicious start to that board ... and we think it was a very good outcome today."
Philippe Bolopion, UN advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, expressed relief that Iran was denied a seat "not only because of their dismal record on women's rights, but also because they have actively undermined the very principles that UN Women was created to promote, including by cracking down on women's rights advocates."
Some rights groups were also upset that Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive and are barred from many facilities used by men; Libya, where Moammar Gadhafi's regime indefinitely locks up women suspected of violating moral codes in "social rehabilitation" facilities; and Congo, where rape is widely used as a weapon of war, won uncontested seats on the board.
"It's morally perverse to reward a country that lashes rape victims, and that systematically subjugates women in every walk of life, with the power to negatively influence the global protection of women's rights," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based UN Watch.
The General Assembly resolution adopted in July that merged four UN bodies dealing with women's issues into a single agency with greater clout to represent half the world's population calls for a 41-member executive board, with 35 members chosen by regional groups and six representing donor nations.
The resolution earmarks four seats from the 10 top donor nations and the United States, Britain, Spain and Norway won those seats. It allocated two seats to contributors from developing countries and those winners were Saudi Arabia and Mexico.
"I am not going to deny that there were several countries that are going to join the board of UN Women that have less than stellar records on women's rights, and indeed human rights," Rice said, but the key issue for the US was Iran's defeat.
Bolopion said Human Rights Watch also has "serious concerns" with some other board members, especially Saudi Arabia, which "was able to buy their way to the board" despite having one of "the most repressive" records on women's rights in the world. He expressed hope that putting the spotlight on the Saudis would pressure the government to end its system requiring a male relative to sign off on any decision involving a woman, including travel, medical care and opening a bank account

Nasrallah provokes Iran: No such thing as Persian civilization
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3982830,00.html
(Video) In video posted on YouTube, Hezbollah leader says Ayatollah Khomeini was an 'Arab and son of an Arab, descendant of Muhammad'; praises Khamenei's handling of post-election unrest
Dudi Cohen Published: 11.10.10, 20:49 / Israel News
VIDEO - "Today there is no such thing as Persian civilization in Iran. There is an Islamic civilization in Iran. There is (prophet) Muhammad's religion in Iran," Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a YouTube video which angered many in the Islamic Republic.
The head of the Lebanese Shiite group went as far as saying that the leader of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, as well as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are of Arab descent.
Nasrallah's YouTube video
"Khomeini is an Arab and the son of an Arab who is a descendant of Muhammad. Khamenei is a descendant of the Arab dynasty of Muhammad's descendants," he said.
In the video, Nasrallah also addressed the civil unrest that followed the disputed presidential elections of June 12, 2009 and praised Khamenei's handling of the crisis. "Iran – the regime, government and people were blessed with a wise, courageous and merciful leader in the imam Khamenei," said the Hezbollah chief.
Anti-Nasrallah Facebook page
The comments were made in two separate speeches delivered by Nasrallah. It is not known who posted the video on YouTube, but some estimate it may be elements trying to drive a wedge between Iran and Hezbollah in the aftermath of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent visit to Lebanon.
The remarks elicited numerous responses, particularly from Iranian bloggers and internet surfers abroad. A group of Iranian exiles even set up a Facebook page titled, "We, Iranian, hate Nasrallah." More than 6,000 people have already joined the online protest against Nasrallah.
The "Green Embassy Campaign," which was set up by Iranian diplomats who defected to the West, called Nasrallah's comments "worrying" and "baseless." They said the remarks are indicative of the price the regime in Tehran is willing to pay in order to be considered the leader of the Islamic world, even at the expense of Persian history.
The majority of Iranians are Shiite Muslims, while most Arabs are Sunni Muslims.

Canada Welcomes Exclusion of Iran from UN Women Executive Board
(No. 359 - November 10, 2010 - 7 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today welcomed the exclusion of Iran from the Executive Board of the newly established UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Canada had been deeply concerned by Iran’s candidacy for the Board because of the country’s deplorable human rights situation, in particular for women. Canada did not support Iran’s membership on the Board of this body and made efforts with our like-minded partners to oppose its candidacy.
“Canada was deeply troubled by the prospect of Iran’s membership on the Executive Board of UN Women,” said Minister Cannon.
“Even when it comes to their own citizens, Iranian authorities continue to threaten the most fundamental human rights.
“Canada will continue to urge the Iranian authorities to improve their human rights record and will take every opportunity to do so publicly. The Government of Canada strives to promote freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Canada expects all Iranians to be able to enjoy the same rights and freedoms to which all people are entitled.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Jacques Labrie
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Afflicted by the Junblatt syndrome
Lebanese need to urgently abandon the culture of sectarian rhetoric and focus on nation-building
By Joseph A. Kechichian, Special to Gulf News
Published: 00:00 November 11, 2010
Image Credit: Illustration: Guillermo Munro/©Gulf NewsEven if the government in Lebanon is nearly paralysed, with the moribund ‘National Dialogue' in a state of perpetual suspension, life is good in the Land of the Cedars. To be sure, legitimate accusations against the president of the republic, the prime minister and the speaker of Parliament fill the airwaves, with political preoccupations dominating most conversations.
Yet, these are not as prevalent as many assume, for more important concerns dictate everyday life. Moved by an enviable entrepreneurial spirit, the Lebanese argue and fight, but seldom stop building. A few leaders bank on sectarianism to fuel unquenchable thirsts for power although many more display courage as they plan for the future. Who will prevail?
Speaking at a secondary school a week ago, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement in parliament, General Michel Aoun, rejected any reliance on Westerners to support Lebanon. Allegedly, leading countries like the US, France and Britain, targeted Hezbollah and wished to destroy it. Aoun reiterated the claim that the Party of God never used its weapons against fellow citizens that conveniently glossed over the tragic May 7, 2008 clashes.
Aoun affirmed that when he was in Washington in 2005, former US president George W. Bush and his French counterpart, Jacques Chirac, planned to overthrow the Syrian Baath regime too, only to replace it with a Sunni Islamist entity. In what was a truly bizarre turn of logic, Aoun insisted that the Shiite community was the only one with which he had no problems. He claimed that in 1943, 1957, 1958, and 1975, Lebanon's predicaments were with Sunnis.
"Sunnis," he avowed, "were engaged in a struggle for power at home and have no principles like the Shiites and us." "My solidarity," he continued, "is with the Shiites."
This was not the first time that the parliamentarian was spewing ethnic hatred and, under normal circumstances, such demeanour would be laughable. Yet, Aoun was not the only representative who altered perspectives and dramatically distorted his beliefs for specific political goals.
Walid Junblatt, the scion of a leading Druze clan, embarked on a similar path. A foe of the Syrian regime after the 1977 assassination of his father, the erudite and spiritual Kamal Junblatt, Walid became a founding partner of the 2005 Cedars Revolution.
At the height of the 2008 political crisis, which delayed the election of a new president, Junblatt maintained that Syrian and Iranian interferences in the country's internal affairs prevented a normal constitutional process. More adamant than most, and after the Doha conference, Junblatt declared that it would be a significant failure for the United Nations if its inquiry into the assassination of prime minister Rafik Hariri failed to identify culprits.
The skillful politician's latest epiphany occurred earlier this year when he issued a formal apology to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, asking for forgiveness for any offences he may have committed "during a moment of anger." "I used inappropriate language," he told Al Jazeera interviewers, which was enough to secure a visit to Damascus where a full-fledged reconciliation was duly consummated.
Junblatt was soon followed by Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri, the son of the murdered official, who literally exonerated Damascus when he told Asharq AlAwsat that it was a "mistake to accuse Syria."
In the event, while Aoun, Junblatt and even Hariri complicated the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), discussing the pending STL indictment is a largely futile exercise. In time, the STL will issue indictments, which may or may not lead to a renewed civil war even if few have the courage to correctly assess the repercussions of such confrontations.
In politics, one is entitled to change one's mind but one is seldom allowed to bargain with principles. Going back and forth, which is the very definition of the Junblatt syndrome, illustrates a lack of principles. Lest one assume that such criticism is levelled at the named officials, one might as well add President Michel Sulaiman to the list, whose electrifying inauguration speech — in which he pledged to stand by the country's democratic institutions — was peerless. Little of those commitments survived.
Lebanon needs nationalists. Men like Ahmad Asaad, Dory Chamoun, Tammam Salam, Carlos Edde, and others to assume a far greater share of responsibilities.
Like Hezbollah leaders themselves, who perfectly illustrate what it means to have principles and to stick to them, a new generation of dreamers must step up to the plate to replace those who spew venom and who seek self-aggrandisement.
It is time to turn the page without falling into new traps as contemplated by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who revealed a "desire" to achieve a new agreement on Lebanon. It may be useful to remind the Frenchman that an accord inked in Ta'if awaits implementation.
The Lebanese need to urgently abandon the culture of the loud mouth that threatens ad nauseam, for Beirut was founded on the rule of law, even if few were applied. Those with convictions, who have clear visions, and who are willing to co-exist are the solution.
Those afflicted with the Junblatt syndrome cannot possibly prevail because merchants who sell the sectarian elixir are little more cheap soothsayers.
As for Junblatt himself, no one should be surprised when he switches back, as that is bound to happen sooner than many assume.
Dr Joseph A. Kechichian is a commentator and author of several books on Gulf affairs.

Attackers target homes of Christians in Baghdad
Mortar shells and bombs kill three and injure dozens in Baghdad
AFP/November 10, 2010
People gather at the scene of a bomb attack in Baghdad on Wednesday. A string of bombings targeted Christian houses in Baghdad early yesterday, killing and wounding several people, police said. Image Credit: APBaghdad: A spate of early morning bomb and mortar attacks on homes of Christians in Baghdad on Wednesday left at least three people dead and 26 wounded, an interior ministry official said. "Two mortar shells and ten homemade bombs targeted the homes of Christians in different neighbourhoods of Baghdad between 6am and 8am,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The toll is three dead and 26 wounded.”
The attacks come ten days after 44 Christian worshippers, two priests and seven security forces personnel died during the seizure of a Baghdad cathedral by Islamist militants and the ensuing shootout when it was stormed by troops.
On Tuesday, three homes in the Mansur district of western Baghdad belonging to Christians were firebombed without causing any casualties, an interior ministry source said.
Last Wednesday, Al Qaida claimed responsibility for the Baghdad cathedral bloodbath and warned it would further step up attacks on Christians.
'Legitimate targets'.
The extremists said they had carried out the church attack to force the release of converts to Islam allegedly being detained by the Coptic Church in Egypt. Days afterwards it declared Christians everywhere “legitimate targets.”
A senior Iraqi clergyman said at the weekend Iraq’s Christians should leave the country or face being killed at the hands of Al Qaida. “If they stay they will be finished, one by one,” Archbishop Athanasios Dawood told the BBC.
Iraq’s premier however on Tuesday cautioned other countries not to encourage Christians to abandon their homeland, after France took in dozens of people wounded in the October 31 cathedral attack.
On his first visit to the church targeted on October 31, Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said that at a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 he had asked the pontiff “not to let the east be emptied of Christians, nor the West of Muslims.”
“The countries that have welcomed the victims ... of this attack (on the church) have done a noble thing, but that should not encourage emigration,” he said on a visit to the Syriac Catholic cathedral where the massacre occurred.
Thirty-four Iraqi Christians and a Muslim guard wounded in the incident flew in to France on Monday for admission to hospitals for treatment.
French Immigration Minister Eric Besson has said this fitted France’s “tradition of asylum” to take them in, and that asylum would be “handed out generously” to those who seek it.
Second evacuation
France plans a second evacuation flight in the coming weeks to bring out a further 93 Christians.
Besson said that 1,300 Iraqi Christians had been granted asylum in France since autumn 2007, an acceptance rate of 85 per cent for asylum-seekers from among the community.
An estimated 800,000 Christians lived in Iraq before the US-led invasion of 2003 .

Why Do Christians Remain Silent About the Persecution of Christians in Muslim-Majority Societies?
By Barry Rubin /November 10, 2010
Christians in Iraq have been, and not for the first time, deliberately targeted in a major terrorist attack. Indeed, from Indonesia to Pakistan to Iraq, from the Gaza Strip to Egypt to Sudan to Nigeria, Christians are being assaulted, intimidated, and murdered by militant Muslims.
Yet virtually never do Christians in any of these countries-perhaps with some occasional exceptions in India--attack Muslims. In the West, there have been no armed terrorist attacks on Muslims or the deliberate killing of Muslims. There does not exist a single group advocating such behavior.
Have you seen any of this in the Western mass media? Have any Christian church groups-some of which find ample time to criticize Israel-even mentioned this systematic assault? Indeed, on the rare occasions that the emigration of Christians is mentioned, somehow it is blamed on Israel, as one American network news show did recently.
I'm not writing this to complain about double standards, since one takes this problem for granted, but out of sheer puzzlement. Presumably, much of the Western media and intelligentsia-along with a lot of the church leadership, assumes that it is impossible for a non-Western, "non-white" group to ever be prejudiced. There is also a belief that if one dares report the news about pogroms carried about by Muslims against Christians it will trigger pogroms by Christians against Muslims.
The Catholic Church is quiet because it fears that complaints will increase persecution. Indeed, at a recent high-level Synod for the Middle East, leading Catholic clerics from the region blasted Israel and talked about how wonderfully Christians are treated in Muslim-majority countries. Iraq was singled out as a country where there were no problems in Muslim-Christian relations. Apparently, though, appeasement isn't working.
The al-Qaida terrorists said that all Iraqi Christians would be "exterminated" if two "Muslim women" in Egypt were not freed. Apparently, these were two young women, both married to Coptic Christian priests, unlikely candidates for conversion to Islam. They were in fact kidnapped and forcibly converted.
Thus, aggression against Christians is turned into a rationale to persecute Christians, a pattern we have often seen used elsewhere by Islamists. Yet many of the attacks in these countries are not carried out by revolutionary Islamist groups but simply by regular people, sometimes in large groups.
Here's a very partial chronology of such attacks and for the situation in Egypt go here.
According to the Iraqi terrorists' statement, the church was a, "Dirty place of the infidel that Iraqi Christians have long used as a base to fight Islam." Increasingly, Islamists are making it clear that any presence of Christians in Muslim-majority countries is unacceptable, just as the existence of a Jewish state in the Middle East is unacceptable.
I just cannot understand how this factor and these attacks so often go unnoticed, and certainly unprotested. Isn't it time for Christians to try to help their persecuted brethren before they are wiped out--or at least forced to flee--altogether?
PS: I'm tempted to write an article entitled, "Why Do Feminists Remain Silent About the Persecution of Women in Muslim-Majority Societies." But Phyllis Chesler has already covered that subject extensively.
* Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), with Walter Laqueur (Viking-Penguin); the paperback edition of The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan); A Chronological History of Terrorism, with Judy Colp Rubin, (Sharpe); and The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley). To read and subscribe to MERIA, GLORIA articles, or to order books, go to http://www.gloria-center.org. You can read and subscribe to his blog at http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com.