LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober 08/2011

Bible Quotation for today/Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 07/07-12: " Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock. Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread? Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Do for others what you want them to do for you: this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Patriarch Rai: A Shephard Endorses A Wolf/By Ghassan Karam/October 07/11
Obama abandoning interest in Syria/By: Tony Badran/October 07/11
Masks drop on Damascus vote/By: Ahmed Al-Jarallah/for October 07/11
Islamism's Predictability, Apostasy, Execution, and Lies/By: Raymond Ibrahim/October 07/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 07/11
Assad warns Jordan against holding a war game like Turkey and Israel
Williams: Threats Made Against U.N. Targets in Lebanon
MP, Sami Gemayel condemns Syrian violation of Lebanese sovereignty
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai: World in need of partnership and love
Lebanese Patriotic and Pro Lebanon Christian leaders and intellectuals will meet to address Arab Spring
Qortbawi defends Lebanon silence on Syrian incursion
Hezbollah's activist Sayyed Hussein defends his Lebanese University appointment
Future bloc MP Kazem al-Kheir: Hezbollah is escaping STL funding
U.N. targets in Lebanon receive threats
Syrian army fatally shoots man in Lebanese territory
Future urge show of solidarity with Syrians
Rescue of lion cub in Beirut puts spotlight on illegal animal trade
Syria’s northern region boiling
World mourns death of Apple visionary Jobs
Shia activist freed in Saudi Arabia
Abbas calls on European countries to recognize Palestine

Patriarch Rai: A Shephard Endorses A Wolf ?
October 4, 2011
By Ghassan Karam/YaLibnan
http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/10/04/patriarch-rai-a-shephard-endorses-a-wolf/
When viewed through the prism of citizenship; and that is the only view that counts; then no country has any minorities. All citizens irrespective of their gender, race, physical attributes, educational skills, sexual preferences of religious persuasion are treated equally. In the eyes of the law of the land they are to have equal rights and equal protection. The state is not allowed to differentiate between any of its citizens as long as they are law abiding.
In a modern democratic state, as the one described above, the fears expressed by minorities are unfounded. Actually when a religious leader such as the Maronite Patriarch Rai express concern about the destiny of minorities then that flawed sense of identity is a reflection of his narrow vision of what a sense of citizenship entails. Citizens of a nation cannot be minorities in their own countries whereby the constitution does not discriminate between its residents. Yes inhabitants can always be classified by a myriad of characteristics that will result inevitably with a minority and a majority. But such distinctions are meaningless in determining qualifications for a political office or the ability to perform a certain job. If ones girth is not grounds for state discrimination and thus for fear that overweight people will not have access to political posts or financial institutions among other things then why should the issue of prayer or non prayer be any different.
A state is composed of different people who have different beliefs and who belong to different sub categories. That is what natural diversity, a hugely important feature for healthy evolution and growth, is all about. All countries will have conservatives, liberals, progressives, libertarians, highly skilled, rich, poor, Moslems, Christians, atheists… but each member of any of these groups belongs to only one class of citizens. That is why the scare mongering about minorities and the equally meaningless boast of some that this nation or that one is composed of minorities is based on a flawed logical understanding of muwatiniah. Citizenship has no minorities.
It is especially troubling when such discriminatory language is used by those that are expected to embody the highest of values of ethics and morality. Patriarch Rai, among others, is essentially a preacher and a servant of Jesus Christ the man who had the courage to never waver from his beliefs and who threw the money changers from the temple. He was also the one who said in the Sermon on the Mount “’Blessed are those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail; they shall be satisfied.’” It is with lots of trepidation that an atheist should be reminding the leader of a 1600 year old Catholic Church about the teachings of Jesus Christ whose message was about courage, love and forgiveness, not about political compromise and expediency. It was in the same sermon that Jesus went on to teach the multitude by saying:’ “But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” He did not say “If someone strikes you then support their oppression so that you may be protected “.
And finally I will let Billy Graham speak to the Patriarch about what the real historical message of Christianity has been about for over 2000 years: “”Christianity grew because its adherents were not silent. They said, ‘We cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard.’ … They stormed against the evils of their day until the very foundations of decadent Rome began to crumble.”
I sincerely and humbly think that Patriarch Rai ought to be reminded of the message that his church has stood for all throughout history but above all he must reconsider his stand of offer spiritual solace to those that represent moral decadence in the Middle East, those who have violated every shred of decency for over forty years, those who have used the full power of the military against unarmed civilians, the Ba’ath regime of Syria led by Bashar Assad. Unless Patriarch Rai finds a way to speak truth to power, to speak against dictatorship, oppression and violators of human rights he will have to endure the opprobrium of his stance on the dark side.
The above tale should also serve as a reminder about the dire need for secularism. Individuals should be free to practice their religious beliefs any way they choose but such beliefs must be banished from the public square. Let the Patriarch tend to his spiritual flock and have the Imams and uftiss do likewise to their followers but let civil society be a free place for all citizens to fulfill their earthly dreams and pursue their aspirations unhindered by a religion that is often bestowed upon them by birth.

MP, Sami Gemayel condemns Syrian violation of Lebanese sovereignty
October 6, 2011/Yalibnan
Phanage party MP Sami Gemayel condemned on Thursday the Syrian army’s incursion into the Lebanese territory.
“We consider that the Syrian army’s incursion into Lebanese territory is an assault by a foreign country against Lebanon and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” Gemayel said following his meeting with the EU Ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst.
Gemayel also said that “he holds the government responsible, because it did not issue any official stance or condemnation of the violation and did not summon the Syrian envoy or send a letter to the Arab League or the United Nations.”
Lebanon’s Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn tried to justify Syrian army violations of Lebanese territories by saying :” Those complaining about the Syrian move should be reminded about the daily Israeli land, maritime and airspace violations.”
He also tried to justify the killing of Syrian nationals by the Syrian troops inside Lebanon by saying
that unlike the US, Lebanon does not support the opposition in Syria.
“The US wants to support the Syrian opposition, but we don’t ,” Ghosn told Al-Manar TV after meeting with US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly.
Ghosn said that the Syrian army’s incursion into Lebanon “is being investigated in order to find out what happened !”
Ghosn represents president Michel Suleiman in the cabinet which is dominated by Hezbollah a close ally of Syria and Iran
Syrian troops entered Lebanese territory on Thursday and shot dead a Syrian national living in a remote border area of the eastern Bekaa region, a security official told AFP.
Another Syrian patrol crossed the Lebanese borders, but this time in the North which triggered panic among residents.
According to As-Sharq al-Awsat newspapers Thursday edition, “around ten Syrian soldiers entered the Lebanese territory in the northern town of Halwas and patrolled the area on Wednesday.”
The daily quoted an unnamed local resident as saying that “the people are scared of the behavior of Syrian soldiers.”
This incident follows another in the Bekaa , which took place on Tuesday. Syrian army tanks crossed the Lebanese border near the town of Arsal and fired several gunshots within Lebanese territory.
Media outlets reported that the tanks fired in the direction of a battery factory in Aarsal, adding that the Syrian troops suspected fleeing gunmen had taken refuge in the building.
The Lebanese army has until now maintained complete silence about both incidents
Thousands of Syrians have fled into Lebanon in recent months, often using illegal border crossings, to flee the unrest gripping their country.

Assad warns Jordan against holding a war game like Turkey and Israel
DEBKAfile Special Report/ October 7, 2011/Tensions peaked again around Syria's borders with Israel, Turkey and Jordan as the first two embarked on large-scale mobilization maneuvers near those borders Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 5-6 and the Jordanian armed forces prepared to follow suit.
debkafile's military and intelligence sources report that the United States and Turkey urged Jordan's King Abdullah to hold a similar maneuver or reinforce his units on the Syrian border. But Bashar Assad decided that being forced to build up his forces on Syria's borders with Turkey and Israel was enough and a Jordanian exercise must be stopped.
Thursday, he sent his powerful brother-in-law Gen. Asef Shawqat to Amman with a stern warning for the king: If the Hashemite Kingdom lines up with Turkey and Israel and deploys extra troops on the Syrian border, Assad will order his air force to bomb Jordanian towns.
And if Israel intervenes to engage Syrian bombers, Damascus would launch surface missiles against Jordanian cities.
It was the second time this week that the Syrian ruler had threatened to punish an enemy with ground-to-ground missiles. Tuesday, Oct. 4, debkafile revealed that Assad had threatened to demolish Tel Aviv by missiles within six hours of an attack on Syria.
Jordan's Abdullah told Gen. Shawqat he agreed to give up his planned military exercise, but not his opposition to Assad actions.
In Washington, Ankara and Jerusalem, the Syrian message to Jordan was taken as an implied warning to Turkey and Israel alike that Assad had no intention of taking their military exercises lying down either and a military response was coming.
The Turkish war game is taking place in the Hatay province which borders on northern Syria. It is scheduled to last nine days. Israel ended its two-day maneuver Thursday, deploying troops within sight of southwest Syria and Jordan. Israeli and Turkish military movements were coordinated by NATO's European commander Gen. James Staviris who he visited Tel Aviv and Ankara for this purpose in the last week of September. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave the exercises a seal of approval during his visit to Israel Monday, Oct. 3.
The next day, both armies were in the field. The United States informed both governments that US warships had been deployed in the eastern Mediterranean against any unforeseen events.
Turkish-Israeli military ties remain frozen and relations sour. But Ankara did not refuse American mediation for coordinating their exercises for the first time in more than a year.
The two-day Israeli war game was not announced. It entailed the call-up of the Northern and Central Commands reserve brigades without prior notice. The units were directed to collect the men and officers from home and drive them to their units on the assumption that a missile attack on Israel was already underway and road disruptions prevented them from making their own way. Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, summed up the exercise by telling the troops: "In the current instability around us, we must be sure that our forces are on the highest level of readiness and keep on enhancing it."

Threats made against UN targets in Lebanon, Williams says
October 6, 2011/Threats have been made against UN targets in Lebanon in recent weeks, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said on Thursday. "There were some credible reports that were shared with us, the UN, by the Lebanese army itself of potential threats" in past weeks, Williams told a press conference at United Nations headquarters. A French UN patrol was attacked on July 26 and Italian peacekeepers on May 27, and Williams voiced how no one has yet been detained for the attacks. "The perpetrators of the attacks are still present in Lebanon and may still have the intent to carry out further attacks against [UN mission] UNIFIL or against other UN targets," added Williams, who has been UN special coordinator for Lebanon since 2008. Lebanese authorities have tightened security in the past week around the UN ESCWA headquarters in Downtown Beirut. "There are risks as everybody knows," said Williams, who will now take up a seat in the House of Lords, Britain's upper house. "There is an abundance of weaponry in Lebanon," he said. "There has been a history over the years, tragically, of terrorist attacks."-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Shia activist freed in Saudi Arabia
October 6, 2011 /Saudi authorities have released a young Shia activist, following clashes in the east of the kingdom this week, rights activists said on Thursday. But another Shia, Fadhel Manasef, was being held for a fifth day. Hussein Hadhia was released on Tuesday, two days after his detention at a police station where he had gone to ask about the arrest of Manasef, one of the sources told AFP, asking not to be named. Manasef was arrested after calling for the release of two men in their 70s apparently detained in a bid to force their fugitive sons, accused of taking part in Shia-led protests, to surrender. The detention of the elderly men sparked clashes on Monday in the country's Eastern Province between Shia protesters and security forces, in which the Saudi Interior Ministry said 14 people were injured, 11 of them policemen.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Future bloc MP Kazem al-Kheir: Hezbollah is escaping STL funding
October 6, 2011 /Future bloc MP Kazem al-Kheir said on Thursday that “Hezbollah is trying to escape [discussing] the clause on funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)” probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Kheir told Al-Akhbar al-Yawm news agency that “the government will [face] an impasse now that President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Lebanon’s commitment to the STL and international resolutions.” “This impasse will [plunge] Lebanon into a crisis and confrontation with the international community,” he added. The Hezbollah-led March 8 parties – which currently dominate Lebanon’s cabinet – have opposed a clause in the Lebanese annual state budget pertaining to the funding of the tribunal, while Mikati has repeatedly voiced Lebanon’s commitment to the STL.  Four Hezbollah members have been indicted by the STL for the Rafik Hariri murder. However, the Shia group strongly denied the charges and refuses to cooperate with the court. Lebanon contributes 49 percent of the STL’s annual funding. The MP also called for approving the right of Lebanese expatriates to vote from their countries of residence.-NOW Lebanon

Sayyed Hussein defends his Lebanese University appointment
October 6, 2011/Newly appointed Lebanese University President Adnan as-Sayyed Hussein said on Thursday that “he was appointed because of his competence.”“Everything gets politicized in Lebanon, and it is normal that [critics] find something to accuse me of,” Sayyed Hussein told MTV television. Sayyed Hussein also refused statements saying that he was appointed as the Lebanese University president “as a reward for his resignation from the government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.” The ministers who represent MP Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party were reticent regarding the appointment of Sayyed Hussein. An-Nahar newspaper’s Thursday edition reported that PSP ministers “were reserved about the issue, because there were political [motives] behind the appointment.” Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi also said that Sayyed Hussein only speaks Arabic while one of the other candidates for the Lebanese University presidency speaks three languages. Sayyed Hussein, a Shia, was part of President Michel Sleiman’s cabinet share when Saad Hariri served as the country’s premier. However, the then-minister resigned along with the Hezbollah-led March 8 ministers in January, forcing the collapse of Hariri’s government over a long-running dispute concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). The UN-backed tribunal indicted Hezbollah members for the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.
Najib Mikati was then appointed as new premier after his nomination by the March 8 parties.-NOW Lebanon

Obama abandoning interest in Syria
Tony Badran, October 6, 2011 /With the Syrian revolution on the verge of formally calling for intervention against the Assad regime, the Obama administration's refusal to lead will result in the US effectively taking itself out of the picture, and thereby ensuring an outcome detrimental to American regional interests. Over the last week, the administration has emphasized its unwillingness to draft a serious Syria policy. In response to the Syrian protest movement converging on a demand for international protection and the creation of safe zones, the State Department reacted feebly. “The number one thing that we can do to help them is to get international monitors in there,” spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said last Wednesday. “We need witnesses so that we can hold Assad to account.”
This language, more befitting a human rights organization than a great power, has become increasingly prevalent in the administration’s public statements on Syria. For instance, consider how Washington has defined the mission of the recently confirmed Ambassador Robert Ford. His job, according to the White House and the State Department, is “to bear witness” to Assad’s brutality. This passivity is consistent with the administration’s reluctance to lead and reflects its muddled thinking regarding Syria. In a flurry of recent interviews and in a note on his Facebook page, Ambassador Ford laid out the parameters of what could only be dubbed a posture of disinclination. He told TIME magazine that the Syrian opposition should not expect a repeat of the Libya scenario. Instead, “The main thing for the opposition to do is figure out how to win away support from the regime, and not look to outsiders to try and solve the problem.” He added, “This is a Syrian problem and it needs Syrian solutions.” The last comment exemplifies the bizarre obsession to stay detached, as though this “Syrian problem” had no bearing on US interests. As I previously noted, this is a direct result of the administration’s failure to frame the Syrian uprising strategically. In reality, compared to Libya, the stakes are much higher for the US, as Assad's demise would deal a critical blow to the Iranian alliance system.
Moreover, the notion that the Syrians were looking to outsiders to “solve the problem” was unseemly. For seven months, Syrian protesters have braved death while the Obama administration hesitated even to endorse the opposition’s demand that Assad leave power. It was not until President Obama did so that any semblance of real pressure on the regime began to be applied, namely in the shape of energy sanctions by the European Union.
By dismissing the possibility of even threatening the use of force, the administration eliminates incentives for elements within the regime hierarchy to jump ship. In fact, Ford went even further, saying that the US would “support only peaceful protests and peaceful expression.”
This narrow-minded and inflexible policy has already been taken over by events. As leading Syrian dissident Radwan Ziadeh remarked, “The people inside Syria are calling for a no-fly zone and an intervention.” In response to this pressing demand, the recently formed Syrian National Council (SNC) formally adopted the call for “international protection” in its platform.
Moreover, as the representative of the young protesters in the SNC told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, just as the council adopted that call, it will equally adopt any other demand the protest movement inside Syria makes. He added that while it was perhaps undesirable, a call for military intervention of sorts is not being ruled out. What is the administration doing to prepare for such an eventuality?
The administration’s elimination of even the threat of force, especially in light of Russia’s protection of the Assad regime at the Security Council, will only embolden Assad to intensify his violent war to crush the revolution. As a result, the administration’s policy ironically leads to the course of events it dreads most. As the State Department spokesman explained, “The longer the regime continues to repress … the more likely that this peaceful movement’s going to become violent.”
With the administration’s representative in Syria having preemptively declared that the US would not support a non-peaceful movement, the likely alternative for the Syrian protesters and the army defectors fighting for their lives will be to procure weapons and seek material support from other, regional sources.
But if the US is content sitting on the sidelines, Iran is not so charitable. Already it has made public warnings to Qatar and Turkey against any type of intervention (especially after Arab officials told the Wall Street Journal that establishing “safe havens” was a scenario under discussion).
These allied countries could either be deterred, or they could decide to press ahead with supporting an armed resistance covertly, bypassing the US and pressing their own interests and agendas. Either way, the Obama administration would end up as a spectator, not a leader setting the policy and coordinating the actions of regional allies toward a strategic objective that advances its interests.
Already willfully abandoning influence in the region, the Obama administration may be wishing for someone else to carry the burden of leadership. However, that is simply not an option.
*Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He tweets @AcrossTheBay

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai: World in need of partnership and love
October 07, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The world today is in great need of “partnership and love” because it has distanced itself from spiritual life, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said Thursday. Speaking during a mass at the Saint Romanos Church in Saint Louis, Missouri, Rai said that the world has been living in conflicts and wars, which has created a distance between people. “But there is no way to build true partnership between humans and with God without love,” Rai added. In his 19-day pastoral visit to the United States, Rai is expected to hold wide-ranging meetings with Maronite bishops in the Americas. “The goal of my pastoral visits to the Arab world and other countries where Lebanese expatriates live is to spread the word of partnership and love,” said the Maronite patriarch. The 19-day pastoral visit to the U.S. will mainly focus on the relationship between the Maronite churches abroad and Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Church in Lebanon.

Syrian army fatally shoots man in Lebanese territory
October 07, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A Syrian farmer died from a gunshot wound after the Syrian Army fired into the Bekaa village of Arsal Thursday afternoon, a high ranking security source told The Daily Star.
After the incident, the Syrian Army unit which had crossed into Lebanon withdrew into Syrian territory without offering any explanation. The Syrian army did not initiate contact with Lebanese authorities. The body of Ali al-Khatib was still at the location where he was shot, the source said. Khatib, who is married to a Lebanese woman, hails from the Syrian border town of Meshrfeh. Two Syrian armored vehicles crossed the Lebanese border into Arsal Tuesday, firing at an abandoned battery factory in the area, before heading back to Syria.
Local residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Star Wednesday that the vehicles were two armored personnel carriers and those vehicles fired at farmers’ homes.
Politicians of the March 14 coalition voiced their condemnation of Tuesday’s incident and criticized the government’s silence regarding the incursion.
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi Thursday defended the government’s decision not to issue a statement on Tuesday’s incident. Speaking before Thursday’s fatal incursion, he said: “The government did not issue any statement condemning the Syrian incursion in Arsal [because] Lebanese security and army services are fulfilling their duties and this issue is being handled by security forces.” Speaking before Thursday’s incident, Syria’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali said that the Syrian incursion earlier in the week was blown out of proportion in the Lebanese media for political purposes.

Lebanese Patriotic and Pro Lebanon Christian leaders and intellectuals will meet to address Arab Spring
October 07, 2011/By Elias Sakr /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A large gathering of Lebanese politicians and activists allied with the March 14 Forces to be held later this month will urge Christians in the Arab world not to fear democratic changes in the region, as international pressure mounts on the government in neighboring Syria.
Many see the gathering as coming in response to Patriarch Beshara Rai, whose recent comments on Syria and Hezbollah have sparked controversies within the community.
The “Lady of the Mountain” gathering will seek to dismiss concerns among Lebanon’s Christian community over its political and social standing as events in Syria move toward what many see as the inevitable fall of President Bashar Assad’s ruling Baath party. “This is an intellectual, political and social gathering to elaborate on the historic position of Christians after we saw indications of confusion by some,” March 14 Secretariat General Coordinator Fares Soueid told The Daily Star.
Some Christian groups have recently argued that the fall of Assad’s regime would empower Sunni extremist movements in Damascus, threatening the presence of Christians in both Syria and Lebanon. For some of Lebanon’s March 8 Christian parties, such concerns justify backing Assad to stay in power.
But Soueid disagrees. “The objective of the gathering is to clarify this false picture,” Soueid said, arguing that Christians have long upheld principles of freedom and democracy against authoritarian regimes. “We should be in favor of the Arab Spring that began in Lebanon in 2005 with the independence revolution,” Soueid said, recalling the wave of mass popular protests that drove Syrian troops out of Lebanon, after 29 years of presence, in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Soueid added that Christians saw their political and social standing flourish in Lebanon thanks to the freedom of speech and democracy, warning against any alliances that would tie the fate of Christians to fading authoritarian regimes.
The establishment of a civil state, the promotion of national coexistence and the preservation of peace in Lebanon will be the focus of talks on Oct. 23 at the “Lady of the Mountain” monastery in the town of Afqa in the district of Jbeil, according to Soueid.
Soueid said discussions will seek to define the foundations of a civil state, highlight the importance of coexistence in Lebanon as a model for the Arab world in the wake of popular uprisings, and to preserve peace by restricting the decision of war and peace to the hands of the Lebanese state.
“We will join hands with those who struggle for peace, starting with the Palestinians, who recently set an example for others,” Soueid said, referring to the Palestinian request for statehood in the U.N. last month.
Though he said the gathering will not lay the foundations for a political movement, Soueid said the its communiqué would constitute a platform for inter-religious dialogue.
“The communiqué of the Lady of the Mountain will pave the way for political discussions based on these principles and to touch base with other religious groups,” Soueid said.
Unlike recent meetings held by the Maronite Church in a bid to bridge the gap between Christian groups of the rival March 8 and 14 coalitions, organizers of the Lady of the Mountain meeting reject the association of the gathering with one particular political camp over another.
Soueid, one of the gathering’s organizers, said individuals, rather than political parties, will be invited.
Those who will receive invitations must believe in the importance of Arab movements to bolster democracy, according to Soueid, who ruled out the attendance of officials of the March 8 Free Patriotic Movement who continue to side with Assad’s regime.
It is still unknown whether Kataeb (Phalange) Party officials would participate in the meeting.
The party’s leader, former President Amin Gemayel, said earlier this week that Christian parties should steer clear of media debate with the head of the Maronite Church and should instead seek direct dialogue with Rai.
During a recent visit to France, the patriarch said that Assad should be given a chance at internal reform in Syria, voicing concerns over the fate of Christians in the region should civil war break out between Alawites and Sunnis. March 8 officials say that the gathering is intended as a response to Rai’s statements.
Rai, who later said his remarks were taken out of context and dismissed any concerns over the future of Lebanon’s Maronite community, also tied the disarmament of Hezbollah to Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah’s justification for carrying arms would collapse when Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory.

Arslan opposes funding of ‘politicized’ STL
October 07, 2011/
The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan said Thursday he opposed the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon before the government reconsiders the structure of the U.N.-backed court.
Arslan said the court’s performance over the past years have proved that it served a foreign agenda in a bid to spark sectarian strife in Lebanon as a favor to Israel.
The STL has so far indicted four Hezbollah members in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“This court has led the Lebanese to question its credibility after a cumulus of judicial and political decisions over the past few years … and this proves that the court is not seeking to uncover the truth but rather political revenge,” Arslan said.

Masks drop on Damascus vote
By: Ahmed Al-Jarallah/Arab Times
THE positions taken by Russia and China in the Security Council regarding the Syrian Revolution are not strange, because both countries lack the ability to shed their own skins or humanely view the massacres committed by the Damascus regime in all parts of Syria. Russia has its own history of oppression and intervening in the affairs of neighboring countries, while China still lives within the Iron Curtain, so it will not hesitate in repeating what happened in Beijing in 1989 and the horrendous massacre at the Tiananmen Square. The noise of oppressing people fills the air. Despite these issues, Moscow and Beijing should have taken into consideration the most basic human rights of the Syrians. They should have put pressure on the Syrian regime to stop the killings and arrests, and to implement reforms promised by President Bashar Al-Assad. They should take these steps if they want to be forgiven by the Arabs in the future and to preserve a space for their interests in the post-Baath Syria.
We may understand the positions of the two countries, but what is really appalling is the Arab silence on the incidents in Syria, especially since the Arab nations have taken a stand on the events in Tunisia and Egypt, or their support for the Libyan uprising during the initial stage. They took a unified position in the Arab League Council and have frozen Tripoli’s membership in all of the league’s establishments. Some countries have even been involved militarily to protect the civilians; hence, the anticipation for a similar step against the Damascus regime.
It was expected that the same stand will be adopted in dealing with the Damascus regime, but it seems Al-Assad’s threat to burn the Middle East in six hours if a disciplinary action is taken against his regime, has sent tremors to the Arab countries, Turkey, the US and Israel. Calls have been made in all directions to repeatedly give this regime a chance, even if it has taken advantage of the Arab world’s weakness and international community’s confusion to continue committing atrocious crimes against the Syrians.
Apparently, the Arab countries have given up on the Syrian issue and the entire world is ignoring the most horrible crime in modern history. The popular revolution has been going on for seven months, banking on the strength of faith in righteousness and the legitimacy of demands, without any Arab or European support.
This revolution has not only defied the Syrian regime, but also Iran, Venezuela, China, Russia and all countries that still view the Ba’ath regime as an effective regional force or fear its threats, which are just ‘talks’ for consumption and exaggeration. The regime, which has remained silent for 40 years in spite of the occupation of its territories and the attacks by Israeli fighter jets, is much weaker than most of us think. This weakness is clearly manifested in the revolution that has removed all masks of fear - a proof of the authenticity of the revolution, which does not need anything to succeed except the sense of right and wrong.

Islamism's Predictability,Apostasy, Execution, and Lies
by Raymond Ibrahim/Jihad Watch
October 6, 2011
As one ponders the fate of Yousef Nadarkhani, the Iranian pastor on death row for refusing to renounce Christianity, it is well to reflect that, for all the talk that Islam is perpetually "misunderstood," it is actually immensely predictable and consistent; not only do its patterns cross time and space, but their manifestations are often identical.
Consider: Muslims have no qualms proudly declaring the particulars of their religion for all and sundry to hear—no matter how absurd or how it reflects on them or Islam. Thus talk about the legitimacy of adult "breast feeding," pedophilia as marriage, insistence that the earth is flat, commands not to yawn (lest Satan flies down one's throat), the salutary effects of drinking prophet urine, the need to execute the "infidel" Mickey Mouse, and any number of other oddities and perversities are regularly evoked by Islam's sheikhs and clerics throughout the Muslim world.
There is, of course, one caveat: whenever Islam is vulnerable vis-à-vis the international infidel, as it is today, caution is called for regarding the declaration of those things that might backfire, things that might make Islam look like a threat—things that might incline other civilizations to go on a preemptive offensive, while they have the advantage.
Jihad is a perfect example. Despite the fact that "holy war" to conquer infidel territories and spread Islamic hegemony is an ironclad aspect of the religion—an integral part of its history, its doctrines, its very being—Muslims are careful not to evoke it around infidels.
Even Islamist organizations, including al-Qaeda, while regularly pontificating to fellow Muslims about how Islam demands the subjugation of non-Muslims—simply because they are infidels—always back-peddle when communicating with the West, opting instead to use language and paradigms that comport with Western sensibilities.
It is in this manner that many in the West have come to believe Islam's nonstop aggression around the globe is a byproduct of "grievances," of "Zionism," of U.S. "foreign policy," of anything and everything, not Islam.
Now consider how this identical pattern—Muslims proudly displaying Islam's particulars, only to deny them once they become counterproductive—has played out in the Iranian Christian pastor saga:
First, Iran's Supreme Court made it unequivocally clear that apostasy is punishable by death. Why shouldn't it? All legitimate schools of Islamic law—including Shia—mandate death for the apostate, in accordance with their prophet's command: "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, kill him."
Then, to the chagrin of Iran's government, which likely expected to get away with its barbarities unnoticed, the Western mainstream media actually picked up the story, resulting in widespread condemnation from Western politicians, many highlighting Iran's hypocrisy, thereby undermining its constant calls for "justice" and "humanitarianism" in its attempt to demonize Israel.
So what did the taqiyya masters of Shia Iran do? In the face of all the documented evidence otherwise, they decided to change the whole story, to use language intelligible to the West: now the pastor is supposedly being executed because he is a "Zionist traitor," a "rapist" and "extortionist," a "brothel owner," etc.—all epithets Iran knows will resonate with the West.
Of course, none of these charges exist in Iran's Supreme Court ruling, which clearly and unequivocally asserts that pastor Yousef Nadarkhani
is convicted of turning his back on Islam, the greatest religion the prophesy of Mohammad at the age of 19. He has often participated in Christian worship and organized home church services, evangelizing and has been baptized and baptized others, converting Muslims to Christianity. He has been accused of breaking Islamic Law that from puberty (15 years according to Islamic law) until the age of 19 the year 1996, he was raised a Muslim in a Muslim home. During court trials, he denied the prophecy of Mohammad and the authority of Islam. He has stated that he is a Christian and no longer Muslim.
Thus, just like all the other Muslims who boldly and proudly declare the things of Islam, except of course when counterproductive to Islam's wellbeing, those in Iran who unashamedly sought to execute a man in accordance to Islam's apostasy laws, once exposed, cringed and dissembled, as usual: lack of religious freedom, like jihad, is equally codified in Sharia, and equally detested in the West.
For anyone following the patterns of Islamic behavior, this is all too predictable—almost as predictable as the fact that many wishful thinkers in the West will happily accept Iran's lies, simply to validate their own worldview, despite all the evidence otherwise.
**Raymond Ibrahim, an Islam specialist and author of The Al Qaeda Reader, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.