LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
18/2011
Bible Quotation for today
Ecclesiastes 5/1-20: "Guard your
steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to
give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know that they do evil. Don’t
be rash with your mouth, and don’t let your heart be hasty to utter anything
before God; for God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be
few. For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool’s speech with a
multitude of words. When you vow a vow to God, don’t defer to pay it; for
he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow. It is better that you
should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay. Don’t allow your
mouth to lead you into sin. Don’t protest before the messenger that this was a
mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your
hands? For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, as well as in
many words: but you must fear God. If you see the oppression of the poor,
and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, don’t
marvel at the matter: for one official is eyed by a higher one; and there are
officials over them. Moreover the profit of the earth is for all. The king
profits from the field. He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with
silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.
When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is
there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes? The sleep of a
laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the
rich will not allow him to sleep. There is a grievous evil which I have seen
under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm. Those riches perish
by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.
As he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and
shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.
This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And
what profit does he have who labors for the wind? All his days he also
eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath. Behold,
that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and
to enjoy good in all his labor, in which he labors under the sun, all the days
of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion. Every man
also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of
it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of
God. For he shall not often reflect on the days of his life; because God
occupies him with the joy of his heart.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
The pro-Baath Lebanon/By:
Hazem al-Amin/September 17/11
Activism at the click of a button/By:
Shane Farrell/September 17/11
Jumblatt’s Sunni disposition/By:
Michael Young/September 17/11
You believed Erdogan when he was an
Islamist/By Tariq Alhomayed/September 17/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 17/11
Israeli-Greek-Turkish air sea forces prepare for first Cypriot gas drilling
Ban tells Lebanon it must
continue STL funding: report
Turkey: We don't need U.S.
mediation to end crisis with Israel
Russian Delegation in Damascus for Talks
PA official: U.S. Mideast peace offer convinced Palestinians to seek statehood at UN
Barak to set out for Washington to discuss Israel-Palestinian crisis
Attack on Egypt embassy marks beginning of Israel's end, Iranian officials say
Hezbollah official welcomes Rai’s visit to Baalbeck
Report: Miqati Promised Ban
Lebanon’s Payment of STL Funds Share
Suleiman to Stress Lebanon’s Right
to its Natural Resources at Security Council
Al-Rahi Urges Lebanese Not to
Become Followers of Other Countries
Do Rai’s remarks represent real
change?
Kidnappers of Estonians Go on the Offensive as ISF Closes in
Security Council would not act on Syria under Lebanese presidency: report
U.N.: Lebanon Hosting 3,580 Syrian Refugees
Lebanon's FM,Mansour Says Lebanon
Won’t Support Any U.N. Resolution Against Syria
Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat Lebanon
does not have Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israeli-Greek-Turkish air sea forces
prepare for first Cypriot gas drilling
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report September 17, 2011,/Military tension is building up
among Greece, Turkey and Israel as Cyprus prepares to start exploratory drilling
for gas offshore Monday, Sept. 19 in the face of threats from Ankara. All three
have placed their air and sea forces in a state of preparedness along with the
Cypriot army.
From Wednesday, Sept 14, Turkish warplanes and fighters kept watch on the Homer
Ferrington rig belonging to Houston-based Noble Energy as it moved from Israel's
offshore field Noa opposite Ashdod to Cyprus's Aphrodite (Block 12) field ready
to start work. It was the first time since the Mavis Marmara episode of May 2010
that Turkish warships came less than 80 kilometers from Israel's territorial
waters. debkafile's military sources report that Israeli missile ships and
drones kept watch from afar on the Noble rig's movement and tracked Turkish
surveillance. As the rig moved into position opposite Cyprus, so too did two
Turkish frigates. A Cypriot spokesman said Turkish warships and fighters had not
entered the island's territorial waters.
Ankara questions the rights of Israel and Cyprus to drill for hydrocarbon
reserves in the respective Exclusive Economic Zones marked out in an accord they
concluded last year.
The UN-approved Law of the Sea authorizes nations to mark out their Exclusive
Economic Zones for the exploration of natural resources to a distance of 200
miles outside their territorial waters. Israel has never signed this treaty.
Thursday, Sept. 15, in Tunis, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan continued to
inveigh against Israel declaring: "They will see what our decisions will be on
this subject. Our navy attack ships can be there at any moment."
Without specifically mentioning Cyprus, he said: "Israel cannot do as it pleases
in the Mediterranean" and "Turkey is committed to preserving the freedom of
navigation in international waters."
Erdogan avoided linking Israel to the Turkish dispute with Greece and Greek
Cyprus but is obviously galled by the connection and its three manifestations.
1. Cyprus's Block 12 where drilling starts Monday borders on the huge Leviathan
field Israel is developing in the eastern Mediterranean, whose proven gas
reserves are calculated to be 8.5 trillion cubic feet. This would supply the
entire US economy's needs for a year.
2. Noble Energy of Houston has a license to drill in Cyrus's Aphrodite while the
Israeli company Delek which is developing the Israeli offshore gas fields also
has an option in the Cypriot field.
3. Greece and Israel concluded a mutual defense pact on Sept. 4, 2011. Ten days
later, Prime Ministers George Papandreou and Binyamin Netanyahu agreed to
activate the pact in the light of Turkish threats against Israel and to
exploration activity in the Mediterranean basin.
Israel and Greece have therefore begun to coordinate their fleet movements in
the eastern Mediterranean and around Cyprus.
Erdogan's threats were followed up this week by a Turkish Foreign Ministry
statement saying: “It has been agreed that Turkey and the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus will conclude a continental shelf delimitation agreement should
the Greek Cypriot administration proceed with offshore drilling activities in
the south of the island.”
Ankara's problem is that the Turkish Republic of Cyprus is not recognized by any
country but Turkey.
Washington has not only given Noble Energy a green light to start drilling off
Cyprus but backed it up with a State Department statement Thursday: "The US
supports the efforts to enhance energy diversity in Europe, noting the fact a US
company was involved was also positive."
Since last Tuesday, Sept. 13, Turkish troop reinforcements are reported by
debkafile's military sources as having landed in North Cyprus along with
drilling equipment.
These preparations indicate that Turkey is planning to start drilling in the
Cypriot EEZ without reference to Nicosia. This would mean that Prime Minister
Erdogan, while spouting high-sounding pledges to "preserve "freedom of
navigation in international waters," is preparing a wildcat breach of
international law and treaties. Friday, the Greek government in Athens warned
Ankara against pursuing this step.
However, it would be in keeping with his past defiance of international norms.
Even though Turkey accepted the UN Palmer commission's mediation in its dispute
with Israel over the flotilla escapade, Erdogan declared its findings "null and
void" –- after the panel ruled that Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was
legal and justified.
Next Monday, therefore, many eyes will be alertly watching to see what happens
when the Noble rig starts drilling in Cyprus' Block 12 of the Mediterranean.
The Turkish prime minister has painted himself into a corner: If he orders his
naval and/or air units to strike the American rig, he will have to take the
consequences, possibly a confrontation with the US, Israel, Greece and Cyprus.
If he does nothing, or nothing more than a token drilling off the Turkish side
of the island, he will lose face as a leader able to back up his threats.
He could take a third course like other Muslim rulers and vent his ire on
Israel. The guessing in Washington, NATO and Israel is that the most likely
arena for a potential clash of arms in the Mediterranean is offshore Cyprus and
it is most likely to evolve into sea and air confrontatons involving Turkey,
Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
Ban tells Lebanon it must continue STL funding: report
September 17, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Ban Ki-moon has told Prime Minister Najib Mikati that Lebanon must pay
its share of the STL, reported An-Nahar newspaper Saturday. The prime minister
assured the U.N. secretary-general he would push the Lebanese government to pay
its full share of the tribunal’s budget during an unannounced meeting between
the two at the U.N., the An-Nahar New York correspondent cited high-level
diplomats as saying. The correspondent said Ban met with Mikati and told him
that "Lebanon must pay 49 percent” of the budget of the court which is
investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, as
it is obliged to do under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1757. The funding of
the tribunal has been a contentious issue, with members of the Hezbollah-led
March 8 coalition which dominates the government opposing its provision.
Hezbollah has rejected the tribunal entirely and said four of its members who
were indicted by the court earlier this year will not be apprehended.
Security Council would not act on Syria under Lebanese presidency: report
September 17 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: A U.N. diplomat has said that even if the
Security Council agrees on a resolution condemning Syria, it will not do so
while Lebanon is council president, according to the Kuwait News Agency. The
unnamed diplomat told KUNA that Lebanon “does not want to be remembered in
history” as the neighbor that allowed sanctions to be imposed on the government
of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The presidency of the Security Council rotates
monthly in alphabetical order. Lebanon currently holds the presidency for the
month of September. The Lebanese government – in which the March 8 coalition,
led by Syrian ally Hezbollah, holds a majority – has sought to avoid taking a
strong stand internationally on the uprising in Syria. In August it
disassociated itself after the fact from a United Nations Security Council
presidential statement condemning the violent crackdown there. Earlier this
month Prime Minster Najib Mikati said the country did not have the power to
confront the international community, adding that Lebanon “isolates itself” from
Syria.
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour Saturday told a Lebanese radio station that
Lebanon would not approve a U.N. Security Council Resolution condemning Syria.
"Even Russia will not accept a decision against Syria in the form that the West
wants," the minister said in an interview with Sawt al-Mada radio station.
British Ambassador to the U.N. Mark Lyall Grant told reporters Saturday that it
still hopes to present a resolution jointly drafted by Britain and France
earlier this year and supported by Germany and Portugal and the U.S., to the
Security Council. "We are continuing consultations with other Council members.
We are not taking it off the table and we do hope to put it forward to a vote
before too long,” KUNA quoted him as saying. Two permanent members with veto
power, Russia and China, still oppose the resolution, having argued that the
Syrian government should be given the chance to reform. According to the latest
U.N. figures, some 2,600 Syrian civilians have died and tens of thousands more
are detained or missing. Next in line to assume the presidency is Nigeria. A
Syrian delegation traveled to the country’s capital, Abuja, in August to lobby
the government not to support calls for international sanctions against Assad’s
government, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Hezbollah official welcomes Rai’s visit to Baalbeck
September 17, 2011 /Hezbollah official Ghaleb Abou Zainab on Saturday welcomed
the visit of Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai to Baalbeck, a Shia
majority district.
“Rai’s visit is the foundation for a new era between the Lebanese [sects]. We
are [witnessing] the impact of Rai’s slogan which is ‘partnership and love’,” he
told New TV station.
During the Patriarch’s Saturday visit to the Baalbeck district, he was received
by the region’s ministers, MPs, officials and residents.
The patriarch has faced criticism by some figures of the Western-backed March 14
coalition after his recent statements in France supporting the Syrian regime and
Hezbollah’s arms.
However, the patriarch said during his Tuesday visit to the Metn town of Al-Arbaniyya
that everyone "should forget all the statements that were taken out of context
and have nothing to do with my personal opinion.” -NOW Lebanon
8 Devil Worshippers Arrested in Mount Lebanon
Naharnet /Eight people, including several girls, were arrested on Friday on
suspicion of blasphemy and drug possession in Mount Lebanon. The National News
Agency said the suspects are devil worshippers and are self-harming. Military
Examining Magistrate Saqr Saqr is expected to charge the eight on Saturday, NNA
said. Lebanese law prohibits blasphemy and immoral conduct.
Rai says he hopes Hariri will return soon
September 17, 2011/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Patriarch Beshara Rai expressed hope
that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri will soon return to Lebanon to facilitate
reconciliation with Najib Mikati, during a meeting with the prime minister and
other Christian leaders, reported An-Nahar newspaper Saturday. At the meeting
Friday, the patriarch told the prime minister that he hoped French President
Nicolas Sarkozy "encourages Saad Hariri to return to Lebanon for a
reconciliation with him [Mikati] in the interest of the unity of all
communities.” Mikati welcomed the gesture, according to the newspaper. During an
interview conducted from Paris earlier this year, Hariri said Mikati, who was
his once his ally during parliamentary elections in 2009, had betrayed him and
was now “Hezbollah’s surrogate.” Mikati was nominated to the post of prime
minister earlier this year by the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, after
ministers from the bloc resigned from Hariri’s government, forcing its
collapse.The patriarch was speaking during a meeting following the controversy
sparked two weeks ago in France, when he said that the ongoing unrest in Syria
could incite sectarian conflict and pose a threat to Christians in the country,
adding that Syrian President Bashar Assad should be given a chance to implement
reforms. His comments, seen as tacitly supportive of the Syrian government,
prompted sharp criticism from many in the March 14 coalition.
He has since held several meetings in an attempt to calm the controversy,
stating that his comments were taken out of context.
Do Rai’s remarks represent real change?
September 17, 2011/By Mirella Hodeib/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Patriarch Beshara Rai’s controversial comments on the unrest in Syria
and Hezbollah’s arsenal do not represent a schism with the historical stance of
Lebanon’s Maronite Church nor do they herald divisions within the clergy,
analysts agreed. “Different patriarchs can have different approaches or
priorities but they are all faithful to the constants of the Maronite Church,”
said researcher Antoine Saad, author of “Nasrallah Butros Sfeir the 76th
Patriarch,” a biography of the influential former head of Lebanon’s largest
Christian sect.
Referred to in Arabic as the famous “thawabit al-kanisa,” the constants to which
Saad refers are a set of principles on sovereignty, freedom, democracy, equality
and state-building that the Maronite Church and its patriarch have committed
themselves to.
During a visit to France earlier this month, Rai warned that a possible
emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria would pose a serious threat to the
Christians of the Levant, and also indirectly defended Hezbollah’s arms and
linked their divisive arsenal to Israel’s ending its occupation of Lebanese
territory.
Responding to derisive criticism against him, Rai said upon his arrival in
Lebanon that his comments were “misinterpreted” and “taken out of context.”
While the comments of the patriarch did not cause cracks in the clergy, they
triggered a flurry of angry reactions from politicians as they were considered a
major shift from the historical stances of the Church, which long espoused the
concept of statehood and democracy.
Rai’s stances were actually in sharp contrast with those of his predecessor
Sfeir, a relentless critic of Hezbollah and of nonstate weapons.
Also under the taciturn Sfeir, the Council of Maronite Bishops issued its
vociferous call in 2000 for Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
“We definitely have a change on the level of the head of the Maronite Church,
but that change is not 100 percent radical,” said Saad.
“There are long-standing traditions within the Maronite Church dating back to
hundreds of years ago, which Rai cannot and does not intend to alter.”
In fact, Father Hany Tawk, also a researcher on the Maronite Church who worked
closely with Sfeir, explained that regardless of the opinions of the patriarch,
the stance of the Church is usually determined in reference to the 1995 Synod
for Lebanon and the Council of Bishops.
“The patriarch is the face of the Church but the decisions are made at the level
of the Council of Maronite Bishops and based on clear texts,” he said.
Professor Fadia Kiwan, who heads the Political Sciences Department at the
French-language Universite Saint Joseph, argued that Rai’s latest comments were
based on a series of historical facts. “Rai made those comments with the plight
of Iraqi Christians in the back of his mind,” she said. “He doesn’t want
Christians to side with any of the groups in Syria, especially since the
outcomes of events there have yet to materialize.”Kiwan added that with the
nature of the conflict in Syria being sectarian, there was a big fear that
Christians will be used as “fuel” for the conflict. “The Druze, namely
[Progressive Socialist Party leader] Walid Jumblatt, understood that all along,
and now maintain balanced rhetoric with regard to events in Syria,” said the
analyst. However, a source close to the Church argued that Rai should have
chosen his words more carefully and should have remained vague.
The source also drew a comparison between the incumbent patriarch and his
predecessor, saying while Sfeir was reserved and composed; Rai’s vocal nature
“often gets him in trouble.”
Following his return to Beirut, figures from across the political spectrum
flocked to the seat of the Patriarchy in Bkirki to either show support, or
inquire about Rai’s controversial Paris remarks. “Although Rai’s latest stances
seem to overlap with those of the March 8 alliance, the patriarch thinks
differently than both the March 8 and the March 14 coalitions,” said Kiwan,
adding that she could not tell whether the remarks of 71-year-old Rai reflected
those of the Vatican. “Everyone in the region and the world understands and
realizes the dangers looming,” she said.
While Kiwan thought Rai’s fears about radical Muslim groups rising to power in
Syria were justified, Tawk for his part downplayed such concerns.
“The world has changed and groups like the Muslim Brotherhood have significantly
toned down their rhetoric and performance and are now forced to open up to other
religious groups they live with,” said the priest, citing Turkey’s ruling
Justice and Development Party as a clear example.
Tawk said Rai’s blunt mention of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the possible ties
it might build with Lebanese Sunni groups to dominate the Levant region, dealt a
blow to the “historical Sunni-Christian reconciliation” that took place in the
aftermath of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the
withdrawal of Syrian troops in 2005.
“The patriarch blatantly told Sunnis he did not trust the commitment they had
expressed to the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon as part of the Taif
Accord and later on in 2005 after the killing of Hariri,” Tawk said. “It’s like
saying I don’t trust Sunnis … this is a big disaster.”
Saad argued that the patriarch failed in genuinely expressing worries about the
growing extremism across the Middle East, which is an issue of concern to all
the ethnicities and sects cohabiting in the region. “Almost all the communities
and sects of the Levant and the Middle East in general have developed extremist
branches,” said Saad, adding that Rai ought to have reached out to the “moderate
Sunnis.” “Liberal Sunnis are a majority. They are affected and worried about the
growing influence of fundamentalist groups as much as other groups are and
Patriarch Rai realizes that,” he said.
Suleiman to Stress Lebanon’s Right to its Natural Resources at Security Council
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman will tackle during his speech at the United
Nations Security Council session on Sep. 21 Lebanon’s constant position on the
regional developments, he will also stress Lebanon’s adherence to the Arab peace
initiative and the importance of the peace process in the region, the Central
News Agency reported on Saturday. “The president will stress the importance of
recognizing a Palestinian state and Lebanon’s right to preserve its national
natural resources and oil,” high-ranking sources told the news agency.
The sources said that Suleiman will address the situation in the Middle East and
the popular uprisings in the region and its effect on the general situation. In
his speech before the Security Council under the title of ‘Preventive
Diplomacy,’ Suleiman will stress on the importance of diplomacy to avoid
conflicts, its role in preventing its recurrence and Lebanon’s experience in
this field. The sources noted that he will meet on the sidelines of his
participation in the Security Council session U.S. President Barack Obama,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. They told the news agency that
Suleiman will meet the heads of state including Slovenia, Serbia and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas. President Michel Suleiman is expected to go to New York
on Sept. 18 at the head of the Lebanese delegation that will participate in the
66th General Assembly meeting. Suleiman is scheduled to address the Assembly on
Sept. 21 and chair the next day a Security Council session on preventive
diplomacy.
Al-Rahi Urges Lebanese Not to Become Followers of Other Countries
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi vowed on Saturday to echo the same
principles of Shiite Imam Moussa al-Sadr, urging the Lebanese to unite and
reject being the followers of other countries. In his visit to Baalbek towns,
al-Rahi said he would be “the echoing voice of Imam Moussa al-Sadr.” Al-Sadr was
a charismatic Shiite cleric who disappeared during a trip to Libya more than 30
years ago in a case that many blame on Moammar Gadhafi. Most of al-Sadr's
followers are convinced Gadhafi ordered al-Sadr killed in a dispute over Libyan
payments to Lebanese militias. He was last seen on Aug. 31, 1978. During his
trip, al-Rahi urged the Lebanese not to sell their lands, saying “the land is
the identity of each person and family.”“No matter what the reasons are,
properties should not be sold,” al-Rahi added. The patriarch rejected violence
and said “God wants us a single family.”“Let’s overcome our differences and
conflicts and … build a beautiful nation,” he added. Al-Rahi also said he
supported all sects without any discrimination, hinting his visit to Baalbek was
aimed at honoring all confessions.
Al-Rahi to Miqati: I Asked Sarkozy to Convince Hariri to Return to Beirut for
Reconciliation
Naharnet /During his meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Friday,
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi told the premier that he had asked French
President Nicolas Sarkozy to convince ex-PM Saad Hariri to return to Beirut and
reconcile with Miqati, MTV and LBC television networks reported. “I am ready for
any positive step,” MTV quoted Miqati as telling al-Rahi. In a statement issued
by his office after the talks, Miqati noted that “Lebanon has no interest in
engaging in regional axes, something the government had stressed in its Policy
Statement.” “We share His Eminence the patriarch’s concerns over the attempts to
fragment the Arab world into sectarian states,” Miqati said in the statement,
adding that he has “always called for national unity, solidarity and
consolidation because these choices are apt to achieve the national immunity
needed to foil any suspicious plots that might target our country.”
Miqati also lauded “the responsible role being playing by Lebanon’s Christians
in the Arab east and in the entire region.”
“We are all citizens, not majorities or minorities … Sunni Muslims in the Arab
region represent the majority, and one should not generalize in tackling the
phenomenon of extremism,” he added. “In Lebanon, Sunnis were the constructive
partner in building the independence, and one cannot forget their historic role
and their leaders’ role, especially the role of (slain) PM Riad al-Solh,
alongside his comrades the independence heroes, without whom the Lebanese
formula and real partnership between Muslims and Christians would not have been
possible,” Miqati went on to say. In a recent interview in France with Al-Arabiya
television, al-Rahi warned sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shiites might
emerge if the Syrian government was overthrown. “If the regime changes in Syria,
and the Sunnis take over, they will form an alliance with the Sunnis in Lebanon,
which will worsen the situation between the Shiites and the Sunnis,” al-Rahi
said. He warned that the Christians will pay the price if the Muslim Brotherhood
succeeded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s meeting with the patriarch, Miqati voiced
his satisfaction with al-Rahi’s “wise” assessment of affairs.
“The patriarch issues his positions based on his convictions … I don’t believe
that he will retract his stands,” he added The premier said his talks with the
patriarch addressed “all issues,” refusing to reveal further details. Miqati’s
visit to the summer seat of the Maronite patriarchate in Diman is a tradition
followed by prime ministers during the tenure of former patriarch Nasrallah
Sfeir. Al-Rahi on Sunday noted that his recent statements in France on the
Syrian crisis and Hizbullah’s arms -- which stirred a storm of controversy in
Lebanon -- were not interpreted in a proper manner. He stated: “I lament the
fact that most of us observe things in a shallow manner and not in depth.”
During his trip to France, al-Rahi said “Syrian President Bashar Assad must be
given a chance because he is implementing reforms in Syria.” He also called on
the international community to force the implementation of resolutions issued by
the U.N. Security Council in order to strip Hizbullah of excuses to possess
arms.
Turkey Refuses U.S. Mediation in Crisis with Israel
Naharnet /Turkey does not need United States' mediation to solve a long-lasting
crisis with Israel over a deadly 2010 flotilla raid, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said Saturday.
"We do not need mediation ... for Israel in any way," Davutoglu said during a
televised press conference in the central province of Konya when asked to
comment on the possibility of the U.S. helping to resolve their differences.
"There is no such situation in which mediation is needed. The demands of Turkey
are clear" if its former ally Israel wants to improve relations, Davutoglu said.
"No one should test our resolve on this matter," he said, adding that
Israeli-Turkish relations might be on the agenda among other issues of a meeting
between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Barack
Obama next week on the sidelines of the UN general assembly. "The Americans are
probably the people who best understand Turkey's position on this issue,"
Davutoglu added. Israel and Turkey have been locked in a bitter dispute since
May 2010 when Israeli naval commandos stormed a convoy of six ships trying to
reach the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade, killing nine
people. Earlier this month Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador and froze
military ties and defense trade deals. Relations plummeted still further when
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to send warships to escort any
Turkish vessels trying to reach Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Obama will discuss the political crisis in Syria and wider turmoil throughout
the Middle East in talks in New York on Tuesday with Erdogan, deputy U.S.
national security advisor Ben Rhodes said on Friday. Obama will also likely
address the rift between Turkey and Israel.*Source Agence France Presse
Report: Jumblat Seeks to Mend Ties with Democratic
Gathering
Naharnet National Struggle Front parliamentary bloc leader MP Walid Jumblat is
reportedly seeking to normalize ties with the Democratic Gathering bloc to
confront the new electoral law that is based on proportional representation. Al-Liwaa
daily said Saturday that Social Affairs Ministers Wael Abou Faour, who is loyal
to Jumblat, made a speech on Friday during an event organized by the lawmakers
of the Progressive Socialist Party. Several members of the Democratic Gathering
attended the event, including Karim Hamadeh, the son of deputy Marwan Hamadeh.MP
Hamadeh along with three other lawmakers split with the Democratic Gathering
over the naming of a prime minister in January.
Hamadeh and the three MPs nominated Saad Hariri while Jumblat’s faction
supported Najib Miqati, who was eventually named prime minister.
Al-Liwaa said that the presence of both parties in Friday’s ceremony was a sign
that Jumblat was seeking to bring the four MPs back to his camp to confront the
proportional representation which he has rejected. Upon his return from Paris,
Jumblat will invite the Democratic Gathering MPs to the ceremony organized by
the Association of Social Work, the daily added.
Russian Delegation in Damascus for Talks
Naharnet /A group of Russian lawmakers arrived in Damascus Saturday to meet
Moscow ally President Bashar Assad and opposition figures in a bid to broker
talks aimed at ending violence in the country, news agencies reported. "Russia
cares about the fate of the Syrian people. That's why we want to find a way to
stop a negative scenario developing," Russia's Interfax quoted Ilyas Uumakhanov,
vice president of the Russian upper house, as saying. "Russia is against any
external interference in Syria's domestic problems and is ready to assist where
it can with internal political dialogue, which should take place in a peaceful
atmosphere, without victims," he said. "We intend to assess the situation, lead
the consultations with the different political forces," he added. Syria's SANA
news agency said the group began a four-day visit to meet "independent
politicians and the opposition."No date was given for the meeting with Assad,
and it was not clear which opposition forces the delegation intended to meet.
Russia has continued to support the Syrian regime despite its crackdown on
protests that the United Nations estimates to have killed around 2,600 people.
The Russians arrived a day after security forces in Syria shot dead at least 22
people in operations across the country, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said, as pressure mounted on the regime to end the crackdown. Moscow has refused
to support Western sanctions against Assad and argued that equal pressure should
also be placed on the protesters who refuse to engage Assad in direct talks.
President Dmitry Medvedev has said that some of those taking part in the Syrian
demonstration had links to "terrorists."*Source Agence France Presse
Report: Miqati Promised Ban Lebanon’s Payment of STL Funds
Naharnet /Premier Najib Miqati has promised U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to pay
Lebanon’s full share of funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a
high-ranking diplomat said. The diplomat told An Nahar daily published Saturday
that Miqati’s pledge came during an unannounced meeting he held with Ban on the
sidelines of the Friends of Libya conference in Paris earlier in the month.
Lebanon will pay its full share of funds to the STL, Miqati allegedly told Ban.
Media reports had said that the prime minister’s office would most likely
transfer the funds to the foreign ministry, which in turn would pay the $32
million owed this month. Asked by An Nahar about his meeting with Miqati, Ban
confirmed he held talks with him and said the Lebanese premier is a “nice
person.”“Lebanon should pay its 49 percent share to the court,” he added.
Mansour Says Lebanon Won’t Support Any U.N. Resolution Against Syria
Naharnet /Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour stressed on Saturday that Lebanon,
which is the president of the U.N. Security Council for the month of September,
will not support any resolution that condemns the Syrian regime in its violent
crackdown on protestors. “Even Russia rejects a resolution against Syria in the
form that the West wants,” he told Voice of Mada radio station.“The security
situation in Syria today is better than it was five months ago,” Mansour
said.Lebanon last month dissociated itself from a statement by the Security
Council condemning Syria’s President Bashar Assad for unleashing a fierce
campaign against civilians and violating human rights.Mansour said the
government will not dissociate itself from international resolutions but would
invest its presidency of the Security Council diplomatically.
Kidnappers of Estonians Go on the Offensive as ISF Closes
in
Naharnet /Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi confirmed that
the armed ambush of two ISF officers in the Bekaa Valley on Friday was made by
collaborators of a member of the group that kidnapped the seven Estonian
tourists in March. In remarks to al-Joumhouria daily published Saturday, Rifi
said Friday’s confrontation between the ISF Intelligence Branch patrol and the
members of the kidnapping gang at a bridge that connects Shtaura to Jlala was
the second in less than a week. Two officers were injured in the ambush by the
three armed men driving a stolen Mercedes at dawn Friday. The vehicle was later
in the day found set ablaze near Jeb Jenin. Rifi said the gunmen who opened fire
on the ISF patrol are collaborators with al-Hujairi who on Sunday clashed with
security forces in Ersal. “We received information that he was badly wounded but
his death is not confirmed.” “It seems that the security measures we have taken
against the terrorist group have put it in a direct confrontation with us,” Rifi
said. “We look at (Friday’s) attack as an attempt by this group to move from a
defensive to an offensive position.” He warned that the ISF was closely
monitoring the network and would do all it can to arrest its members and refer
them to judicial authorities. The Estonians were freed in July almost four
months after armed men abducted them as they entered the country on a bicycle
tour from neighboring Syria. High-ranking security forces confirmed to pan-Arab
daily al-Hayat that the Intelligence Branch is seeking to arrest the remaining
members of the network that kidnapped the tourists. It had arrested 9 people a
few days after the abduction and later another person. More than 17 people are
members of the “secret organization” that carried out the kidnapping, security
sources told al-Liwaa newspaper.
Activism at the click of a button
Shane Farrell, September 17, 2011
There is a wonderful array of synonymous colloquialisms that describe the sort
of behavior that accounts for people who take a back-seat approach to front-line
involvement. My personal favorite is “armchair warrior,” a term that in my mind
conjures up the image of a Spartan in full combat gear, shouting war cries,
though he is comfortably seated in a reclining chair. He is outspoken in support
of a war but is nowhere near the line of fire.
Less sexy, but equally vivid and more relevant to the Arab Spring is slacktivism,
which Foreign Policy blogger Evgeny Morozov describes as “feel-good online
activism that has zero political or social impact.”This includes “liking” a
Facebook group or tweeting about an issue but taking it no further than that.
Of course, this activity—or inactivity, rather—is widespread in Lebanon, as it
is elsewhere. It must be questioned, Morozov says, whether social media actually
encourages people to become active in the traditional sense, or whether,
conversely, people feel their personal moral obligations are fulfilled with the
click of a mouse.
Anecdotal evidence from participants and organizers of several demonstrations in
Lebanon in support of the Syrian uprising suggests that social media has
undoubtedly helped activists organize, but whether it has encouraged more
physical participation is disputed.
“[Social media] has changed activism,” said Saleh Mashnouk, a leading member of
Lebanese in Solidarity with the Dignity and Freedom of the Syrian People. The
group organized two events, a conference in Sin al-Fil on May 24 and a gathering
at Samir Kassir Gardens on September 8, which were expressions of support for
Syrian anti-regime demonstrators and were heavily attended by March 14 figures.
“I am reluctant to assert, but I would say it would be perhaps unlikely for a
group of young men and women to plan such [events] without Facebook,” he added.
Youssef Bazzi, who helped organize the largest of the solidarity gatherings,
which took place in Martyrs Square on August 8 and which drew in some 800
participants, agrees. “Facebook has made ideas easier to implement in a short
timeframe and has made communication with the masses possible.”
To illustrate his point, Bazzi notes the events preceding the Martyrs Square
rally. “When the Hama massacre occurred [on July 31, 2011], there was an outcry
on Facebook denouncing the attack on Syrian protesters. The spontaneous reaction
[led to] a sit-in at Samir Kassir Gardens, planned on Facebook and held just
several hours after news of the massacre broke. It was an immediate response,
without requiring media coverage or previous invitations.”
Interviewees also highlighted the fact that social media has enabled ordinary
citizens to be more active in organizing demonstrations, something that was
previously largely confined to the elite. As writer Hazem Saghieh put it,
“[Social media] replaces the old role that was meant to be played by political
parties.” Or community leaders, unions, religious authorities and other
prominent figures, for that matter.
But while social media has widened the platform of event organizers, has it
actually encouraged more participation?
Mashnouk, Bazzi and Saghieh believe so. However, novelist and critic Elias
Khoury, who participated in the Martyrs Square rally, told NOW Lebanon he does
not believe social media made a significant difference in the number of
participants at that particular event and that he was disappointed with what he
saw as a poor turnout. “I think there is a moral crisis due to the fact that the
Lebanese social and political system is totally in the cage of different
religious groups. Nothing will help,” he said, “neither social media nor any
other [platform].”
But others were more optimistic about the turnout at Martyrs Square, arguing
that numbers were substantial, especially considering actions taken by
supporters of the Syrian regime to thwart attendance at earlier rallies.
A conference held in May at a warehouse next to the Beirut Art Center was
originally supposed to be held at the Bristol Hotel, but staff cancelled due to
“security concerns.” Mashnouk told NOW Lebanon at the time that they were
concerned that “pro-Syrian regime protesters might gather outside the hotel,
break into it, and set it on fire if the conference was held.”
More dramatic were the beatings of demonstrators outside the Syrian Embassy on
August 2 by regime supporters. Fists, sticks and belts were used, leaving at
least five injured and one requiring surgery. The Martyrs Square rally took
place less than a week later.
Regardless, some activists contend that numbers of attendees at all these
rallies could have been larger had organizers combined events. But Mashnouk
opposed this notion, arguing that the event at Samir Kassir Gardens, with
speeches from a Lebanese and a Syrian activist, “complemented” the larger
Martyrs Square event.
Bazzi agreed, telling NOW Lebanon that “this variety is healthy.” He went on to
say that the warehouse and Samir Kassir Gardens events, the Syrian Embassy
demonstration, and the Martyrs Square rally represent different facets of
Lebanese public opinion in Beirut, namely the political, civil society and
intellectual.
The pro-Baath Lebanon
Hazem al-Amin , September 16, 2011
“Lebanon supports the Syrian regime and is against the Syrian uprising.” This is
our country’s image abroad. When you hear it and try to repel or change it, you
quickly revert to agreeing with your Arab or non-Arab interlocutor on this
truth. This interlocutor is so malicious that he leaves you no room for maneuver
and has enough evidence to thwart any article you write about your being biased
in the Syrian people’s favor and against its overpowering regime.
The Lebanese cabinet stands by the Syrian regime’s side and so does the majority
– albeit by a slight margin – in parliament. The same holds true for the three
main religious leaders and the leaders of communities of medium-to-little
influence. Audiovisual and written media outlets in Lebanon stand by the regime,
as four out of six local TV stations are biased in its favor. At least three out
of five key newspapers are with the Syrian regime, whereas the fourth one is
hesitating between its owners’ political stance against the Syrian regime and
its Syrian editors’ pro-regime stance, which leads to discrepant news from one
day to another.
This opinion harbored by non-Lebanese observers may be arbitrary, but it remains
nonetheless true. Rather, it is a self-evident act we disregarded and ruled out
as unlikely as we were engrossed with the events in Syria. This goes without
mentioning the various forms of solidarity displayed by the Lebanese toward the
Syrian uprising, many of which denote a misunderstanding this uprising. For
instance, the slogan of the latest action on the Samir Kassir Square in downtown
Beirut was: “Lebanon’s interest lies in supporting the Syrian uprising.” This
genuinely ambiguous slogan implies that being biased toward the victim occurs
only when one has an interest in doing so. The phenomenon of Lebanese thugs who
are rising up against the modest manifestations of solidarity with the Syrian
people is also an extension of Lebanon’s image in the Arab and Western world
since the capacity to mobilize thugs has so far been greater than that of
mobilizing people who express their solidarity. This was yet another observation
made by this malicious – albeit accurate – non-Lebanese observer.
What is even more important and dangerous is the fact that several foreign
circles now know that Lebanon is putting displaced Syrian nationals under arrest
and that Lebanese security apparatuses have handed many Syrian activists back to
the Syrian regime’s apparatuses. This rumor is persistent outside Lebanon and
has led to a bleak image not only of our cabinet and security services, but also
of “an environment that lacks solidarity with victims who are exposed to the
most brutal kinds of killing.” Some people abroad even call for documenting
reports about Lebanese actions denoting a lack of solidarity with the Syrian
people on YouTube and spreading them along with the violations committed by
Syrian thugs.
Indeed, the latest chapter of Lebanon’s bias toward the Baath regime in Syria is
the culmination of Lebanon’s bleak status. As far as the Arab and world public
opinion is concerned, such actions are tantamount to direct involvement in the
killing machine at work in Syrian cities. This threatens in the most blatant
manner a reputation long cultivated by Lebanon with regard to supporting the
right of displaced people to protection.
What is under threat here is not a political regime or a cabinet affiliated to
the Syrian regime. It is not Lebanese security and military services, and not
even media outlets whose inclinations are well known. Rather, what is at stake
is the image of Lebanon, all of Lebanon. Whoever does not rise up against the
cabinet and security services for handing a Syrian activist back to his
executioners is directly involved in killing this activist should he be killed
by those to whom he has been sent back.
This is what our malicious observer said, and he is probably right.
*This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic
site on Friday September 16, 2011
Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat Lebanon does not have Ministry of Foreign Affairs
September 17, 2011 /Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat said on Saturday that Lebanon
does not have a Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that the latter “is a kind
of farce” and “belongs” to the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also said
that if the Syrian regime falls, the Lebanese cabinet “will be shocked.” “There
was stupidity in the meeting of Arab ministers of foreign affairs,” Fatfat told
the Free Lebanon radio station. Commenting on paying Lebanon’s share of funding
for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), Fatfat said most of the ministers
are against the issue. “The decisions of the cabinet are in the hands of
[Hezbollah Secretary General] Sayyed [Hassan] Nasrallah and [Syrian] President [Bashar]
al-Assad.” Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have cracked down on
protests against almost five decades of Baath Party rule which broke out
mid-March, killing over 2,600 people according to the UN Human Rights Committee,
and triggering a series of sanctions by the US and EU. The Arab foreign
ministers met in Cairo last month to discuss the Syrian situation, during which
Lebanese FM Adnan Mansour supported the position of the Syrian regime. -NOW
Lebanon
Jumblatt’s Sunni disposition
Michael Young, September 16, 2011
To write that Walid Jumblatt is shifting political direction is a conspicuous
waste of perfectly good words. Changeability, we know, is par for the course
with the Druze leader. And Jumblatt’s acrobatics, particularly his efforts to
curry favor with a Sunni community from which he has been alienated for months,
were always expected.
Jumblatt’s most recent foray into defending the Sunnis was his response to
Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, who publicly warned last week that the Muslim
Brotherhood might win out in Syria if the regime of President Bashar al-Assad
were to fall. Jumblatt described Rai’s statement as “inaccurate,” and was
rewarded with condemnation from the patriarch’s partisans. Jumblatt was right,
but to compensate for his disapproval and preserve good relations with the
Maronites, he prepared a warm Druze welcome for Rai on his tour of the North
Metn and the Chouf, and will reportedly visit the patriarch soon.
There are two principal reasons why Jumblatt cannot endure lasting Sunni
resentment: Lebanese parliamentary elections and the Druze leader’s view of the
long-term interests of his community.
Jumblatt’s influence is closely tied in to the size of his bloc in parliament.
The Druze leader knows well that his political representation is exaggerated,
given his community’s scant numbers. What lets Jumblatt punch above his weight
is the current election law, which allows him to dominate in the Chouf and Aley
districts, and at one time gave him a significant say in Baabda. However, in the
Chouf Sunnis form a third of the electorate (with the Druze and Maronites each
making up a third), and in 2009 they were numerically the largest single voting
bloc. For Jumblatt to have his way in the district, since he can never be sure
of how the recalcitrant Christians will lean, he must guarantee that Sunnis stay
on his side.
That’s not all. Two of Jumblatt’s closest Druze collaborators, the
parliamentarians and ministers Ghazi al-Aridi and Wael Abu Faour, were
essentially elected in 2009 on Sunni-dominated lists backed by Saad al-Hariri:
Aridi in Beirut and Abu Faour in the West Bekaa. Were Jumblatt to enter the 2013
elections on bad terms with Hariri and the Sunnis, the pair would almost
certainly fail to be re-elected, representing a major setback for the Druze
leader.
In parallel, between now and election time expect Jumblatt to lead efforts to
undermine an election law based on proportionality. Such a law would threaten
the Druze leader’s tight hold on the mountains. Nor will he be alone. Lebanese
election laws grant winning candidate lists all the seats in voting districts.
This system favors major politicians and factions—who in turn perpetuate the
system.
Beyond elections, however, Jumblatt has long regarded it a strategic necessity
for the Druze to be allied with the Sunnis in Lebanon and outside. Quite
sensibly, he has grasped that a minority like his only gains by tying itself to
the community forming a majority in the Arab world. This partly explains
Jumblatt’s reflexive recourse to Arab nationalist symbolism, but also his
persistent efforts to situate his actions, when possible, in the context of an
Arab consensus. During the postwar period, and until 2004, he managed to
maneuver with ease because Saudi Arabia and Syria, and with them most Arab
states, were on the same wavelength in Lebanon.
More prosaically, Jumblatt is well aware that a close affiliation with the
Sunnis opens doors to Saudi Arabia and the vast resources allowing the Druze
leader to exercise his power of patronage. Jumblatt sounded appropriately glum
earlier this year when he announced that the Saudis had severed their ties with
him following his break with Saad al-Hariri. That was indeed costly—and yet
Jumblatt had positioned himself at the crossroads of a Syrian-Saudi deal to
neutralize the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, urging Hariri to endorse such an
arrangement. In the end it was to no avail.
For now Jumblatt is inching closer to the Sunnis, but he’s not there yet. He
faces several obstacles. The first is that Syria and Hezbollah are not pleased
with his realignment, so that his relations with both have noticeably cooled.
However, the Druze leader will not permit a full-fledged divorce. The notion
that he will return to March 14 seems almost absurd. Jumblatt aims to mend
fences with Hariri specifically, but he has no interest in fully reintegrating a
cumbersome coalition that would limit his latitude to pursue his own agenda.
Moreover, Jumblatt holds the balance of power in parliament. He can hand the
majority either to March 14 or to Hezbollah and the Aounists depending on how
his bloc votes. The Druze leader will not soon surrender such leverage, which
requires him to play March 14 and the Hezbollah-Aoun alliance off against one
another.
A second obstacle for Jumblatt is the uncertainty surrounding Saad al-Hariri’s
intentions. Rumors have been swirling about the former prime minister’s
political future, his cash flow problems and even his relations with Saudi
Arabia. Whatever the truth, Hariri has been perplexingly absent for months,
probably because the Saudis don’t want him in Beirut during the Syrian uprising.
This makes planning difficult for his allies—and for Jumblatt, who needs to
discern better where Hariri stands before preparing his next move.
It’s a sign of how bad things are in Syria that Walid Jumblatt is slipping out
from the Assads’ embrace while still relatively confident that he is not a top
priority for assassination. Nonetheless, the Druze leader must be careful. The
Assads don’t forgive or forget. Jumblatt will pursue his balancing act with the
precipice rarely far away.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut and
author of The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life
Struggle. He tweets @BeirutCalling.
You believed Erdogan when he was an Islamist
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Many people objected to what I wrote in my previous article “Erdogan of
Arabia…but” [14/09/2011] and rushed to defend the Turkish prime minister,
especially when I said that he was trying to use the “leadership trump card” in
our region [the Palestinian Cause]. However thanks to God, who facilitates
matter, the wedding guests were shocked on the wedding-night, when it was the
Arabs and Islamists themselves who first began to attack Erdogan!
This was after Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Muslim Brotherhood-like Prime
Minister of Turkey, announced that the establishment of a secular state was the
best option for the future of Egypt. Erdogan said that “now during this
transitional period in Egypt and beyond, I believe that the Egyptians will
closely assess the issue of democracy, and they will see that a secular state
does not mean that the people are atheists, it means respect for all regions and
granting each individual the freedom to practice his own religion.” He added
that “the Egyptians shouldn’t worry about this issue, and those who have been
assigned to write a new constitution in Egypt should clarify that the State
maintains the same distance from all religion, and guarantees that every
individual is able to exercise his religion.”
One of the impacts of Erdogan’s statement in this regard was that the welcome
that he had received from the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian Salafists turned
into criticism and protest. The Muslim Brotherhood announced its rejection of
any interference in Egypt's internal affairs, even if this was by Mr. Erdogan
himself, who the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian Salafists had warmly received
at Cairo Airport with welcoming slogans like “Erdogan Erdogan…the Muslim
Brotherhood welcomes you” and “Egypt and Turkey – we want an Islamic Caliphate.”
My God! The praise turned to mockery, and joy turned to shock, and this was all
while Mr. Erdogan was still in Cairo. Indeed this was on the same day that some
people chided me for writing that the Turkish Prime Minister wanted – through
his Arab League speech – to ride the raging bull through the Arab region.
Following this, we saw Mr. Erdogan’s friends being unable to handle the first
public advice he gave them, indeed they were the first to attack him!
The fact of the matter is that what Mr. Erdogan advised is in the interest of
the Egyptian state, and its future. A secularist state in Egypt would not
marginalize religion or be anti-faith; rather it would protect and guarantee all
religions. What is required in Egypt is not the exclusion of religion; rather
what Egypt – and indeed the rest of the Arab world – must understand is that
what is required is separation of religion from government, not separation of
religion and state. Here we see that the US, despite its secularist nature, is a
country that respects all religions, whilst its leaders do not absent themselves
from [attending] church. This is despite the fact that the US rigidly implements
a system based upon separation of church and state, in the interests of the
people. Therefore, what Erdogan said about the necessity of establishing a
secular state in Egypt is something that deserves further discussions by the
people of Egypt themselves, as well as between the Muslim Brotherhood
intellectuals and the organization’s youth, who desire renewal and change.
Indeed all other Egyptian political forces, particularly the youth, must also
take part in such discussion, whether this is via the Egyptian media, internet
forums, universities, or even in coffee-shops. The Egyptian people must closely
monitor the results of such discussion, particularly the discussions between the
Islamist forces like the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian Salafists. This is
because these discussions will reveal much of the hidden motives and desires of
Egypt’s Islamists regarding the future of the country. Therefore it is up to
everybody in Egypt today, particularly the civilian political forces and the
youth, to exploit the ripples from the huge rock thrown by Erdogan into the
still Egyptian waters, for they believed him when he was an Islamist.
Did God create evil?
GotQuestions.org
God is the Creator of the world. Not only that, He’s the Creator of the cosmos
and all reality. He is not confined to the reality humans have access to, but He
did design it and speak it into being. Everything humans experience is in
existence because God’s power holds all things together. If this is so, what is
responsible for the origin and continuation of evil? If God made everything and
holds everything together, is He accountable for evil as well?
Looking at things from a human perspective, it would make sense. If God created
all things, He must have created evil. However, evil is not a ‘thing’ like a
rock or a puppy. Just as cold is the absence of heat, evil is merely the absence
of good. Therefore, creating good was all that was necessary for its opposite to
come into being. Although God’s creation was good, He put in it two humans with
volition, the choice to obey or rebel. Sadly, they chose the latter. Just as
Lucifer rebelled against His perfect Creator in the perfect heaven, so Adam and
Eve chose to rebel against Him and evil was born out of that rebellion.
This is the definition of evil: rejection of the purpose and the operating
system God intended for His creation. The existence of “evil” requires the
standard of an outside authority. That authority is the Creator—God. His
purpose, His standard as Creator is by definition good. He is not an imperfect
computer programmer who constantly has to come up with updates. His ways are
perfect, and His creation reflects His character. Anything that does not reflect
the character and purpose of the Creator is, by definition, wrong, or evil.
The real question of evil is, Why did He allow Satan and the other fallen angels
and the first two humans the choice to reject Him? We do not know the mind of
God, but as an omniscient Being, He knew of the rebellion long before it
happened. This is not to say He created evil, however. But He did allow it. If
He didn’t, He would not be sovereign. The only conclusion we can come to is that
God’s purpose was to create a world in which His glory could be manifest in all
its fullness, and that included His allowing evil to exist. The universe was
created to display God’s glory (Psalm 19:1), and the wrath of God is revealed
against those who fail to glorify God (Romans 1:23), just as His glory is on
display through His mercy and love to the fallen creatures.
The glory of God is manifest when His attributes are on perfect display, and the
story of redemption, which necessitates the existence of evil, is part of that.
In the end, God will be glorified as His chosen people worship Him for all
eternity with the angels, and the wicked will also glorify God as His justice
and righteousness will finally be vindicated by the eternal punishment of all
unrepentant sinners (Philippians 2:11). None of this could have come to pass
without the rebellion of Satan and the fall of Adam and Eve. God did not create
evil, but He did allow it for His perfect purpose.
Recommended Resource: If God, Why Evil?: A New Way to Think about the Question
by Norman Geisler.