LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 08/12

Bible Quotation for today
Saint Luke 12/22-31: "He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Shoot at Lebanese soldiers, grow weed and you might get money from the state/Now Lebanon/ August 07/12
Terrorism in Sinai: Tests for President Morsi and the Egyptian Military/By: Robert Satloff and Eric Trager /August 07/12
Jihadists' goal: Israel-Egypt war/By: Ron Ben-Yishai/Ynetnews/August 07/12

Iran threatens US, Turkey after Israel with spreading Syrian conflict
DEBKAfile Special Report August 7, 2012/Tehran is not done with threats after shaking its fist at Israel: Tuesday, Aug. 7, Iranian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Hassan Firuzabadi pointed at Ankara and other Middle East capitals when he declared: “Turkey will be next in line for violence after Syria if it continues to work on behalf of Western interests.”
He went on to assert that “Ankara is toeing the Western (American) line in the region, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. They are therefore accountable for the bloodshed in the Arab Republic [Syria]”
The Iranian army chief warned: “If those nations carry on this way, they should realize that Turkey is the next in line.” He was in fact holding them all responsible for a potential outbreak of war with Turkey.
Spreading around responsibility for violence with accompanying threats appears to be Iran's latest diplomatic ploy.
Earlier Tuesday, Tehran passed a message to Washington in which the United States was held responsible for the lives of the 48 Iranians nabbed by Syrian rebels in Damascus last week. The message was dropped off at the Swiss embassy in Tehran which handles US interests in the absence of diplomatic ties. It denied that the hostages were Revolutionary Guardsmen and insisted they were pilgrims to Shiite shrines in Syria. All the countries “supporting current events in Syria, starting with the US,” would be held responsible for their safety by Tehran.
The rebel Free Syrian Army‘s Al-Baraa Brigade has threatened to execute its Iranian “prisoners” if Syrian army shelling continues against Aleppo. Three were reported already dead as a result of that shelling.
Gen. Firuzabadi addressed his threat to Turkey shortly before the arrival in Ankara of Iran’s foreign minister, Ali-Akbar Salehi, in the hope of galvanizing the Turks into forcing the Syrian rebels to let go of their Iranian hostages.
Tehran now holds at least three nations, the US, Turkey and Israel, in peril of military action in the context of the Syrian conflict. Israel was the object of the first threat of engulfment by the "Syrian fire."
Director of Iran’s National Security Council Saeed Jalili arrived Monday in Beirut for urgent talks with Hizballah leaders, as disclosed by debkafile in an earlier report.

Iranian ThreatNews Iran reaffirms 'unbreakable' alliance with Syria's Assad
By REUTERS 08/07/2012/
BEIRUT - Iran assured Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday that his country was a vital partner in its regional anti-Israeli alliance, a bond that would not be broken by a rebellion it said was backed by the two countries' common enemies. "Iran will not allow the axis of resistance, of which it considers Syria to be an essential part, to be broken in any way," Syrian state television quoted Saeed Jalili, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, as telling Assad.
Related: •Iranian lawmaker pushes for Syria transparency•'UK bank hid $250b. in Iran deals, may lose license'Jalili's meeting with Assad, shown on Syrian TV, was the first broadcast footage of the president in two weeks. Assad has been shown on television only twice since a July 18 bombing which killed four members of his inner circle, the biggest single blow he has suffered during an armed insurgency. Jalili said the 17-month uprising was not a domestic matter for Syria but a "conflict between the axis of resistance and its enemies in the region and the world."
The "axis of resistance" refers to Iran's alliance with Syria and Lebanon's Shi'ite group Hezbollah, which fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006, with Iranian and Syrian support. It also includes some Palestinian terrorist groups.
Also Tuesday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry condemned comments by an Iranian official blaming Ankara for the bloodshed in Syria and warning Turkey it would be next.
"It is unacceptable and irresponsible that Iranian officials in various posts continue to target our country through their statements, although Turkey's principled foreign policy is known to everyone," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"Everyone knows who, inside and outside Syria, is responsible for the human tragedy, caused by the Syrian regime. They will be called to account by history and human conscience."

Israeli PM: If Iran goes nuclear, it may actually use bomb
By HERB KEINON 08/07/2012/J.Post/ “This is a regime that has broken every rule,” Netanyahu says. “They very likely could use weapons of mass death.” Photo: GPO
If Iran gets a nuclear bomb it may actually use it, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday, rejecting the notion that Tehran would act responsibly if it became a member of the world’s nuclear “club.”
Netanyahu, in a meeting with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, spelled out five things that would likely happen, were Iran allowed to go nuclear: There will be nuclear proliferation in the Middle East as various other actors will then want to have a bomb; Iran will have a firmer hand on the “choke point of the world’s oil supply,” namely the Strait of Hormuz; there will be a magnification of global terrorism because the terrorists under Iran’s sway will believe that they have immunity; and Israel’s cities will be rocketed even more because those firing the rockets will feel that they enjoy a nuclear umbrella. That the Iranians might actually use the bomb is a reality that cannot be denied, Netanyahu said.
“This is a regime that has broken every rule in the book,” he added. “They very likely could use weapons of mass death.”
Netanyahu said there was an illusion among many in the world that if Iran acquired nuclear weapons, it would behave responsibly like the world’s other nuclear states.
The prime minister, during the discussion dominated by the Iranian issue, said Iran is governed by a “fanatical regime” that sees itself on a sacred mission of global Islamic domination, and destroying Israel was just one step toward its larger vision.
Everyone talks about the cost of stopping Iran, “but they shouldn’t ignore the cost of not stopping Iran,” he said.
Netanyahu’s comments come a week after he said that the decision to attack Iran would be taken by the country’s elected political leadership, and not by the defense and security establishment.
Those remarks followed media reports of Israel’s top security officials being opposed to an Israeli attack without US backing.
In a television interview last week, Netanyahu said that he sees “the regime of the ayatollahs declaring what it has etched on its banner – to destroy us. It is working to destroy us, and is preparing atom bombs to destroy us. As much as it is dependent on me, I will not let that happen.”

Terrorism in Sinai: Tests for President Morsi and the Egyptian Military
Robert Satloff and Eric Trager /August 6, 2012
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/terrorism-in-sinai-tests-for-president-morsi-and-the-egyptian-military
Yesterday's deadly attack in the Sinai Peninsula, in which militants killed sixteen Egyptian soldiers while wounding seven others, was as predictable as it was devastating. Since last year's revolution, terrorists have worked continuously to manufacture tensions between Egypt and Israel, attacking the gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan fifteen times and launching a deadly cross-border raid on Israel last August that catalyzed a near-crisis in bilateral relations. Given the severe threat that Sinai's instability poses to regional peace, Washington should emphasize two points to Egypt's military and Islamist rulers.
First, it should inform President Muhammad Morsi that his response to this crisis will provide the first real evidence of his oft-stated commitment to foreign diplomats that he will respect Egypt's international agreements, that is, maintain the peace treaty with Israel. Unlike last week's flap over whether or not Morsi had responded to a letter from Israeli president Shimon Peres, yesterday's Sinai attack carries severe security ramifications for regional peace.
So far, Morsi has sought to cover his bets. On the one hand, he issued a strong declaration condemning the attack, vowed to catch and punish the culprits, and traveled to al-Arish with Field Marshal Muhammad Hussein Tantawi to assess the situation himself. On the other hand, he also permitted his Muslim Brotherhood colleagues to issue a venomous statement blaming Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, for the attack and warning Egyptians to beware of those trying to sabotage the revolution.
This is the moment for private but firm communication to Morsi that a responsible leader, one who wants international support to bolster his flagging economy, cannot play childish games that pander to the worst instincts of Egyptian public opinion. Indeed, any serious effort to prevent terrorist infiltration in Sinai requires coordination with Israel, which -- even if kept in the shadows -- cannot proceed in an environment of public vilification.
Second, U.S. policymakers should reaffirm to the Egyptian military that Washington views securing Sinai as an essential aspect of Egyptian-Israeli peace, and that continued provision of substantial military aid is contingent on good-faith efforts to invest adequate personnel and resources to do the job. Last year, under an annex to the treaty with Israel, Egypt was permitted to move an additional seven battalions into the Sinai. Yet these forces are reportedly underequipped and have avoided patrolling terrorist hotspots, particularly al-Arish and Rafah, where yesterday's attack occurred. Moreover, according to reports, Egypt's security presence along the border with Israel is dangerously deficient -- so much so that Israeli patrols are occasionally obliged to provide food and other essentials to their Egyptian counterparts.
With sixteen Egyptians killed yesterday, Cairo has ample reasons of its own to enhance both the quality and quantity of its military presence in Sinai. Nevertheless, Tantawi and his colleagues should know that there could be broader implications to how Egypt meets this challenge. Indeed, failure to direct the right people and resources to the peninsula could trigger an overall reassessment of the U.S. military assistance package, with an eye to updating this 1980s-era relationship for the current environment.
*Robert Satloff is executive director of The Washington Institute. Eric Trager is the Institute's Next Generation fellow

Egypt's Brotherhood: Mossad behind Sinai attack
Roi Kais/08.06.12/Ynetnews
Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Hezbollah say Jihadist terror attack in Sinai was perpetrated by Israel as means of destabilizing Cairo regime, ties between Gaza, Egypt . Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said on its website that the attack on a police station in Sinai on Sunday in which 16 policemen were killed "can be attributed to Mossad" and was an attempt to thwart Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's new regime. The statement claimed that the Israeli intelligence agency was trying to hinder the Egyptian uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and that it was "imperative to review clauses" of the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Israel dismissed the claim: "Even the person who says this when he looks at himself in the mirror does not believe the nonsense he is uttering," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. Egypt deployed at least two helicopter gunships to the Sinai Peninsula in the hunt for terrorists behind the terror attack. Morsi, who visited the scene on Monday vowed to bring the terrorists to justice, while Cairo officials added that if need be, "We'll strike Gaza, as well." Hamas rulers in Gaza are wary of an Egyptian response to the border attack, as other than the military implications of such retaliation, Egypt turning its back on the Gaza Strip is one of the worst case scenarios for the Strip's government. Gaza's rulers are likely to mount their own manhunts and boast any arrests made as show of both strength and cooperation. Hezbollah Chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah also condemned the terror attack on Monday, and echoed the Brotherhood assumption that Israel could be responsible for the deadly incident. Nassrallah, who spoke during a fast-breaking Ramdan dinner in Lebanon, claimed that the circumstances that led to the attack and its intended target remain unclear, and therefore Israel is the primary beneficiary of the incident. He noted that the fact that the act of terror was attributed to Islam is unfortunate.In a statement issued Monday night, Hamas also said that Israel was responsible for the deadly terror attack on the border. A top operative in the organization called for stricter supervision of the Salafi groups in Gaza, who he claimed are motivated by Israel to carry out terror attacks. The operative said that the incident, which undermined the ties between Hamas and Egypt, was meant to keep Gaza in dire economic straits.Meanwhile, Egyptian presidential spokesman Yasser Ali said Monday that the relations between the Egyptian government and Hamas "will not be affected by the horrible crime against Egyptian soldiers yesterday." He added that for the time being, closing the Rafah crossing was "essential to security."

'Number of threats from Sinai growing'
Yoav Zitun/08.06.12/Ynetnews
IDF says Military Intelligence, Shin Bet collaboration helped thwart potentially devastating terror attack in southern Israel; adds intelligence gathering tactics effective . Defense officials told Ynet Monday that the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence collaboration and intelligence gathering tactics have proven effective in thwarting a potentially devastating terror attack Sunday. A GOC Southern Command inquest into the events of Sunday night derived that the IDF had intelligence indicating an imminent threat of terror from the sector, including a Shin Bet alert suggesting that Sinai terror groups were planning a combined attack against Israeli and Egyptian forces. The information prompted increased IDF deployment near some of the more vulnerable points of the Sinai border, and allowed the military to prevent the terrorists' armored vehicle – taken from Egyptian patrolmen after killing 16 men – and a truck carrying half a ton of explosives, from reaching their destination – Israel's Gaza vicinity communities. The area along which the terror attack took place – from the Rafah crossing up to Gate 380 near the Kerem Shalom crossing – was considered "intelligence assets poor" until about six months ago. MI sources said that over the past year several terror cells have been identified in Sinai, some comprised of young Bedouins who defy the sheiks and act as hired guns or are motivated by their own radical views. Several indicators support the theory that militants forming a virtual "terror state" in Sinai have been able to outwit Gaza's bigger terror groups and carry out massive attacks. Another angle explored by Israeli intelligence is that Sunday's attack marks another direct hit at the heart of Cairo's new regime. Defense sources told Ynet that it is likely that Iran or Hezbollah were not part of this attack. Still, MI sources added that the number of threats from the sector is growing, at times exceeding the threats coming from Gaza. Earlier Monday, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said on its website that the attack "can be attributed to Mossad" and that it was a ploy meant to upset Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's new regime. Israel dismissed the claim as "ridiculous."

Egypt's Most Violent Jihadis Being Released
by Raymond Ibrahim • Aug 2, 2012
Cross-posted from Jihad Watch
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/2012/08/egypt-most-violent-jihadis-being-released
According to the news site Massai Ahram, Egypt's Shura Council announced in a statement that it has agreed to begin taking steps to release convicts who have been imprisoned in Egyptian prisons for years from the nations two most notorious terrorist organizations, Islamic Jihad and Al Gama'a Al Islamiya—including several held under tight security and on death row by presidential decree for committing especially heinous acts of terror in Egypt. According to Tarek al-Zomor, the formal speaker of the Islamic party and a member of Parliament's Shura Council -- who himself was released from prison where he was doing time for his role in the assasination of President Anwar Sadat -- they have already begun taking steps to release 40 prisoners from Islamic Jihad and Al Gama'a Al Islamiya. Zomor refused to release their names until they have all been released onto the streets of Egypt.

Egypt's Christians Criticize Islamist Cabinet
Attacks Against Christians on the Rise, Says Bishop
Washington, D.C. (August 6, 2012) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Egypt’s president swore in a new cabinet on Thursday, giving leading roles to Islamists and military bureaucrats, but only token representation to Christians. The cabinet appointments came one day after a Muslim mob attacked Christians in a village near Cairo, prompting the entire Christian community to flee their homes. Christians are increasingly worried that the Muslim Brotherhood aims to Islamize the country.
On August 2, President Mohammed Morsi swore in a cabinet that included only one Christian, despite previous pledges to fairly represent Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority in his government. Bishop Pachomius, the interim head of the Coptic Church who replaced Pope Shenouda following his death in March, called the underrepresentation of Christians “unjust” and refused to congratulate Egypt’s Prime Minister Hesham Qandil on the formation of the new cabinet.
“This cabinet is unjust for Copts, especially as we expected higher representation for Copts in the government following the increase of ministerial posts to 35,” Bishop Pachomious told the independent daily newspaper Al Shorouk.
According to Bishop Pachomius, Coptic Christians represent 14 percent of Egypt's 82 million people and should therefore hold four cabinet posts. However, the only Christian appointee was Nadia Eskandar Zukhari as the Minister of Scientific Research, which is viewed as a “semi-ministry” position. Moreover, Zukhari is one of only two women in the new cabinet.
“We’re very upset with the formation of the new cabinet,” Bishop Augastanious, the head of the Catholic Armenian Church, told Daily News Egypt. “The revolution cabinet should have had much better representation for Copts.”
At least three of the key ministries were given to Islamist politicians, including the sensitive post of Education minister, despite Christian concerns that school textbooks teach the Quran and discriminate against minorities. An additional seven positions were handed to bureaucrats from the outgoing military-backed government.
Days after the appointments, a senior bishop warned that attacks against Christians will be on the rise and religious freedom will decline under an Islamist-led government. “The general climate is turning against Christians,” Bishop Morcos told Agence France-Presse. “Assaults on Christians have increased.”
On Wednesday, a Muslim mob burned and looted Christian homes and businesses in the village of Dahshur, south of Cairo. The violence erupted after a Muslim man was killed by a Christian laundry presser who was reportedly defending himself against an armed mob that had gathered outside his home because he had poorly ironed a Muslim’s shirt. The village’s entire Christian community—as many as 100 families according to some estimates—fled to nearby towns, The Associated Press reported.
Dozens of Christians have been killed and several churches have been destroyed by Islamists since Egypt’s uprising overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “There is grave concern that Egypt’s repressive policies, which have hindered the Christian community’s freedom of worship and has failed to prosecute those who incite violence against Christians, will continue to decline under an Islamist-led government, leaving Christians vulnerable and defenseless. Under Islamists, Christians have no assurance that they will be protected. Attacks, like what was seen in Dahshur last week, will continue without end and soon the world will see hundreds of thousands of Christians begin fleeing the country for a safe-haven in western countries. The international community must speak up before it’s too late, demanding that Egypt’s newly-elected government adhere to international human rights standards. The window of opportunity to safeguard Egypt’s religious minority is quickly closing.”
For interviews, contact Aidan Clay, Regional Manager for the Middle East: clay@persecution.org

Jihadists' goal: Israel-Egypt war
Ron Ben-Yishai/Ynetnews
Analysis: Experienced terrorists in chaotic Sinai looking to ignite entire region, establish rule of Salafi-Wahabi Islam as threat to entire world
Sunday night's terror attack at Kerem Shalom highlighted the more severe ramifications of the upheaval in the Arab world: Salafi terrorists belonging to global jihad, arms smuggling from Sinai, the motivation to embarrass Egypt and to turn Israel and Egypt against each other. The incident also indicated that the jihadist terrorists, for whom Sinai serves as a safe haven, plan to ignite the region by creating a situation whereby the Egyptian army appears to be involved in an attack on Israel. The terrorists apparently planned to take advantage of the initial shock their infiltration into Israel could have caused to kidnap a soldier or citizen. Sunday's attack on an Egyptian army base showcased the terrorists' military experience, planning capabilities and audacity. The level of the attack itself would not have shamed an elite army unit. The terrorists were apparently carrying weapons transferred from Libya. These weapons helped them overtake the Egyptian soldiers securing the Kerem Shalom border crossing, who were inadequately armed. During the first phase of the attack, the terrorist took control over the Egyptian military base and seized an Egyptian-made armored truck. They later used the truck to breach the border with Israel.
A similar operation took place a few years ago in the same area. During that attack Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Popular Resistance Committees attempted to infiltrate Israel aboard large vehicles under cover of the early morning fog. That attack was thwarted by the Bedouin reconnaissance unit. Yesterday's attack was similar, and possibly not coincidentally.
This time the terrorists used vehicles they had seized from the Egyptian army to drive over barbed wire fences and infiltrate Israel. It is possible that they blew up the booby-trapped truck themselves to destroy the fence. In the operation's third phase, an armored vehicle carrying terrorists entered Israeli territory. Had they succeeded in avoiding IDF forces, they could have reached Highway 232, and from there they could have advanced to nearby Israeli communities such as Kerem Shalom. However, IDF forces in the area, which apparently had advance intelligence on plans for an attack, brought the operation to a halt with a few missiles.
The attack was not connected to the IDF's targeted killing on the same day of two global jihad terrorists in Gaza. The terror attack, had it not been thwarted, could have led to a direct clash between the Israeli and Egyptian armies. The third "victim" was supposed to be the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt, which global jihad deems too moderate.
Threat to entire world
Global jihad, as opposed to other groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, aims to establish the rule of Salafi-Wahabi Islam – which originated in the Arabian Peninsula. They seek to establish this rule first in the Muslim countries of the Middle East, and then throughout the entire world. Movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood have relatively moderate religious ambitions that incorporate the national goals of their respective counties. They also advocate social activity to help the poor. The jihadists have just one goal – to establish "global Islamic emirates" that are ruled in accordance with sharia law.
Chaotic regions have become safe havens for jihadists from the entire Muslim world, and from the Middle East in particular. This phenomenon began in Afghanistan and then spread to Somalia, Libya (following the Arab awakening) and to sub-Saharan countries such as Nigeria and Mali. In our region, these jihadists are concentrated in the Sinai Peninsula, north Lebanon, and now in Syria as well.
The IDF and the Egyptian military are continuing to cooperate in an effort to curb the jihadist threat. In their recent talks with senior Egyptian officials in Cairo, US Secretary of State Clinton and Defense Secretary Panetta stressed the urgent need to address the threat posed by al-Qaeda and jihadist groups operating in chaotic regions. These groups threaten not only Israel and the West, but also the recently-established Muslim regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and other countries. According to reports, the Egyptian army heads told the Americans they were aware of the problem, and Sunday's attack apparently served as an unpleasant reminder of the jihadist threat. In the future Israel and Egypt may have to secretly agree that the IDF will be in charge of directly thwarting such attacks.
Israel may also ask Egypt to erect a barrier (a ditch or a wall) to prevent explosive-laden vehicles from advancing towards Israel. In addition, further cooperation is required between Jerusalem and Cairo to prevent the jihadists from achieving their main goal – which is igniting the region and instigating war between Israel and Egypt.

Families of 11 ShiitsLebanese hostages in Syria stage sit-in until hostages released
August 07, 2012/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The families of 11 Lebanese hostages in Syria erected tents on the Airport Road Monday evening, hoping government officials will increase efforts to secure the captives’ release.
The families also staged a protest on the highway, temporarily blocking it, media outlets reported. Sheikh Abbas Zogheib, tasked by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up on the issue of the hostages, said that the sit-in would continue until the protesters’ demands are met and the pilgrims are freed.
He warned of escalatory moves by the hostages’ families if their loved ones were not released soon.“We are doing our best to keep the [hostages’] families patient. But if no results are achieved soon with regard to securing the release of the hostages, the families will resort to escalatory moves,” he said. He declined to say what these escalatory moves are, but stressed that they would not include blocking roads with burning tires, as happened previously. Zogheib implicitly urged former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other Lebanese politicians to intervene to help secure the release of the abductees.
“We ask any Lebanese figure with a sense of patriotism to intervene in this case. The figures that must intervene know themselves and there is no need to name them,” he told The Daily Star.
Asked whether he meant Hariri, Zogheib said: “Hariri or anyone who has a sense of patriotism must intervene to end this case.”
Several days after the pilgrims were kidnapped by Syrian rebels in May, Hariri intervened, along with Turkish authorities, to try and secure their release and even sent his private plane to Turkey to fly them to home. But the release was thwarted at the last minute by the kidnappers. Hariri’s mediation efforts were praised by Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.
Some relatives of the abducted men told media outlets Monday that Hariri and Zahle MP Oqab Saqr were still conducting mediation efforts to secure the release of the pilgrims.
Zogheib said that he was in contact with Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, director general of General Security, who has been tasked by President Michel Sleiman to follow up on the issue with Turkish and Qatari authorities. Abu Ibrahim, the head of the kidnappers, had refused to discuss the release of the pilgrims with General Security and demanded that negotiations be held with Saqr, from the Future Movement, or Col. Wissam Hasan, the head of the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch. In a statement earlier Monday, Zogheib described the issue of the Lebanese hostages as “a purely national and humanitarian case.” He said the hostage issue did not belong to the opposition March 14 coalition or the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance only.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Sleiman at Beiteddine Palace Monday, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour quoted the president as saying that despite the conflicting reports about the fate of the hostages in Syria, the Lebanese state was continuing its efforts to secure their release. A delegation of the hostages’ families met last week with Sleiman, who told them that the release of their loved ones was imminent. The Lebanese men, all Shiites, were abducted by Syrian rebels near the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on May 22 after had been on their way back to Lebanon following a pilgrimage to Shiite shrines in Iran.

Jumblatt: Arms should only exist to defend Lebanon
August 07, 2012 /The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said Monday arms should only exist to defend Lebanon, praising remarks made by the president who said that the Army should have no partner in defending security and sovereignty.“We want arms to defend Lebanon and only Lebanon and we do not want it to defend the straits of Hormuz or any other,” Jumblatt wrote in the PSP’s Al-Anbaa newspaper. Jumblatt also said that a national defense strategy should specify who gives the orders in accordance with the national interest “away from regional and foreign interests,” praising President Michel Sleiman’s remarks last week in which he said that Lebanon was in dire need of a defense strategy that relies on the Army in confronting Israel.
Sleiman has said he would formulate a defense policy aimed at incorporating Hezbollah’s arsenal and that his proposal would meet the demands of both the March 14 and the March 8 parties.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has proposed his own defense strategy, based on coordination between his party and the Army. Nasrallah also called for a liberation strategy to free Israeli-occupied Lebanese territory. He said last week that Hezbollah could not fall under the command of the Army, as the state lacked the ability to resolve basic challenges.
Jumblatt noted that the current phase requires a defense strategy to deal with Israel but “without turning Lebanon, as in the past, into an arena for the exchange of political and military messages – as happened in the days of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Syrian tutelage.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s deportation to Damascus of 14 Syrian citizens has sparked a political row between Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Jumblatt.
Mikati has defended General Security’s decision to deport the men last week, but Jumblatt remains unconvinced by the decision.
“Those who were deported pose a threat to the daily security of Lebanese citizens because of their criminal cases,” Mikati said. Jumblatt, however, has been critical of the decision since the men were deported Wednesday. “I am against the handover of any person to Syria ... because I cannot guarantee their safety,” he said.

Hariri and Jumblatt slam Jalili’s visit to Lebanon
August 07, 2012/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt slammed Monday a visit by a senior Iranian security official to Lebanon while Syrian people are being killed by the Iranian-backed regime of President Bashar Assad.Saeed Jalili, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who arrived in Lebanon Monday on an official visit, held talks with President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati on bilateral relations and developments in the region, particularly the 17-month uprising in Syria.
The talks also covered Iran’s preparations to host the Non-Aligned States’ Conference at the end of August.
Hariri said the Iranian official was unwelcome in Lebanon at “this sensitive stage during which the Syrian people are facing the worst types of massacres and destruction at the hands of the Bashar Assad regime and its foreign protectors. “The visit is against the interest of the Lebanese people who stand by their brothers in Syria, and against the unified Arab position that calls upon Bashar Assad to step down and demands that the Iranian regime stops meddling in the Arab affairs in general – the Syrian and Lebanese affairs in particular,” Hariri said in a statement.
He said Jalili’s visit raised suspicion about its objectives at this particular time, which followed Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem’s visit to Tehran and warnings by Iranian political and military leaders against attacks on Syria.
“In any case, Iran should know that all these threats and suspicious moves will not delay the fall of its ally Bashar Assad, and one of the most recent announcements of this fall was the defection of the Syrian prime minister [Monday],” Hariri added.
For his part, Jumblatt also slammed Jalili’s visit, saying the Iranian official should focus attention more on issues facing his own country than on those affecting Lebanon. “It would be better for Mr. Jalili to [concern himself with] the internal affairs of his own country, where some areas witnessed a popular uprising known as the ‘chicken uprising’ as a result of what poor people are suffering from,” Jumblatt said in an article published in the PSP’s weekly newspaper Al-Anbaa Tuesday.
He jokingly said that the price of chicken in Tehran has become more expensive than rockets, adding that Iran should focus on its own problems rather than “distributing its military arsenal here and there.”
Jalili praised the wave of Arab Spring uprisings in the region, calling it “an Islamic awakening” that provided an opportunity for resistance movements.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Sleiman at the Beiteddine Palace, Jalili highlighted the role of the Lebanese resistance in liberating territory from Israeli occupation. “Bolstering the resistance provides a big chance for confronting Israel’s ambitions,” he said.
In a statement issued after meeting with Berri at Ain al-Tineh, Jalili said Lebanon has been turned into “a star and an example to be followed in the resistance field at regional and world levels.”
Referring to the popular uprisings that have led to the overthrow of authoritarian regimes in some Arab countries, Jalili said: “Among the blessings of this resistance is the Islamic awakening we have seen in the region. We consider this awakening as a very appropriate opportunity for the resistance.”
“Today, we see that the United States’ allies who kept silent in the past on the treacherous Israeli attacks on Gaza’s residents are no longer in the positions of power,” he added, referring to Egypt’s ousted President Hosni Mubarak. “As a result of this Islamic awakening, we see that the will of people in this region undermined and destroyed the pillars of these regimes that were either agents of, or subservient to, Israel and America,” Jalili said. “Today, there is no longer Mubarak or [ousted Tunisian President Zein al-Abiddine] Ben Ali. No doubt, this matter has dealt a severe blow to the Zionist enemy,” the Iranian official added. Jalili also visited the grave of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh at a cemetery in the Ghobeiri neighborhood, south of Beirut, where he laid a wreath and recited a Quranic verse. Jalili was expected to meet Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah during his visit. He attended an iftar banquet Monday night organized by the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon on the occasion of Jerusalem Day as Tehran intensifies its campaign to support the Palestinian cause. On the bilateral front, Iran has offered to provide arms to the Army and build power plants to boost the deteriorating electricity infrastructure in Lebanon.

Hariri blasts Jalili’s Lebanon visit
August 6, 2012 /Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday blasted Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili’s visit to Lebanon, according to a statement issued his press office. “[Jalili’s visit is] unwelcome at this sensitive stage during which the Syrian people are facing the worst types of massacres and destruction at the hands of [the] Bashar al-Assad regime and its foreign protectors,” the statement quoted Hariri as saying. "The visit is against the interest of the Lebanese people who stand by their brothers in Syria.”
Jalili arrived in Beirut earlier on Monday to discuss local and regional developments with top Lebanese officials. Hariri also sent a letter to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi expressing his condolences over the fatal attack against an Egyptian army post on Sunday. “Hariri said in his message that this criminal terrorist attack will not deter Egypt from pursuing its path towards stability and progress,” according to a statement issued by the former premier. Gunmen on Sunday killed 16 guards in Egypt near the border with Israel before stealing two armored vehicles and crossing into the Jewish state where one vehicle was destroyed by a helicopter.-NOW Lebanon

Jalili: Hezbollah to benefit from ‘Islamic awakening’
August 6, 2012 /Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili said on Monday that Hezbollah would benefit from the current “Islamic awakening” in the region.
“One of the Resistance’s blessings was the Islamic awakening in the region’s countries, and we consider this awakening an opportunity for the Resistance,” the National News Agency quoted Jalili as saying following his meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri. The Iranian official also voiced his hope to work with Lebanon to "benefit from the Islamic awakening and reinforce the axis of resistance against the Israeli enemy." Jalili arrived in Beirut earlier on Monday to discuss local and regional developments with top Lebanese officials.-NOW Lebanon

Nasrallah: Alternative to dialogue is chaos
August 07, 2012 /By Dana Khraiche/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned Monday that the alternative to dialogue among rival political leaders was chaos.
He also rejected repeated demands by the opposition March 14 coalition for Hezbollah to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese Army, saying that there was no alternative for the resistance to retain its arms in the face of Israel’s threats to attack Lebanon.
“I hope that the parties in Lebanon will not put conditions on dialogue and that the Lebanese will be able to talk to each other because the alternative to dialogue is chaos, which is intended to be spread in the region,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
“There is no choice but to sit and launch dialogue as no one aims to eliminate the other. I hope that they [the March 14 figures] are allowed to continue dialogue,” he added.
Addressing an iftar banquet held by Hezbollah’s women committee south of Beirut, Nasrallah said that dialogue is the means to dispel fears regarding the party’s arsenal. Nasrallah’s speech came as the March 14 coalition has yet to decide on whether to attend a new round of National Dialogue scheduled next week to discuss defense strategy.
President Michel Sleiman
last month postponed a third session of intra-Lebanese National Dialogue until Aug. 16, in a move reflecting continuing rifts between rival political leaders over the thorny issue of Hezbollah’s arms and the release of telecoms data.
Now that the issue of telecoms data has been settled after the government approved the release of data to security bodies, the March 14 coalition has called on Hezbollah to clarify its position on the discussion of its arms as part of a national defense strategy.
Nasrallah also rejected March 14 allegations that his party sought to control the state, saying: “We never did and would never do such a thing.”
He said Hezbollah had the opportunity to control the state when its gunmen briefly took over West Beirut during street clashes in May 2008 between pro- and anti-government supporters, but it did not.
Nasrallah rejected March 14 allegations that Hezbollah’s arms prevented the rise of a true state in Lebanon. He said sectarianism and rampant corruption in the public administration were the main obstacles to the establishment of such a state.
“There is a fundamental problem. You cannot build a national, modern state based on sectarian quotas, leverage and disputes. No true state can be created but the one we are living in now,” Nasrallah said.
He added that political corruption and a lack of national affiliation also stood in the way of a genuine state.
The Hezbollah chief spoke of the fear of Hezbollah’s arms being solely in the hands of one party and one sect, but said that there was no real alternative to the resistance party in defending Lebanon against Israeli aggression. He stressed that Hezbollah’s military might provided a deterrent force against any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon.
“Is there a deterrent force equal to the resistance’s capabilities?” he asked. “For the Army to become a deterrent force it requires reinforcements if it is to at least equal the strength of the Israeli army. We must have an air force similar to the Israeli army,” he said.
He added that there has not yet been any initiative to strengthen the military.
The March 14 coalition insists that Hezbollah’s arsenal be incorporated into the Lebanese Army, while Nasrallah has said that cooperation between Hezbollah and the military would serve as a better defense mechanism. Nasrallah said that Israel’s primary fear in the region was the resistance party, which served as a deterrent for attacks against Lebanon.
“For Israel, the resistance is considered the main threat to its interests,” Nasrallah said. He also condemned Sunday’s attack in the Sinai peninsula that killed 15 Egyptian guards, lamenting that the perpetrators linked the incident to Islam and the resistance.

Aoun calls on Christians to remember mountain roots
August 07, 2012 /The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun called Monday on Christians hailing from the Chouf, Aley and Upper Metn to turn Assumption Day, which falls next week, into an occasion to renew confidence in their villages from which they were displaced more than two decades ago. “I call on you people of Chouf, Aley and Upper Metn ... to turn this occasion into an annual tradition to restore confidence in the mountain,” Aoun told them in a letter. “The time has come for us to go back to our roots and celebrate our feasts with our children in the churches of our villages in the mountains,” added Aoun. Christians in Chouf, Aley and Upper Metn were displaced in the 1980s during armed clashes between the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party. While many Christians rebuilt houses in their villages, they still don’t have a strong presence there. The FPM leader said he was confident that Christians in the mountains were still determined to turn a new page despite past sufferings.

Lebanese Cabinet establishes Baalbek-Hermel committee
August 07, 2012 /By Nafez Kawas/The Daily Star
BEITEDDINE, Lebanon: The Cabinet formed a ministerial committee Monday to address underdevelopment in Baalbek-Hermel, where a campaign to eradicate cannabis fields has thrown residents and security forces into conflict in recent weeks. However, it stopped short of granting the farmers’ demand for compensation for the crops’ destruction.
The Cabinet also approved parts of a draft election law for next year’s parliamentary elections and is set to pass the remaining items when it meets Tuesday.
“It was agreed that a ministerial committee will be formed, chaired by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and comprising the finance minister, the agriculture minister, the social affairs minister, the interior minister, the economy minister and Ministers of State Nicholas Fattoush and Panos Manjian,” said acting-Information Minister Wael Abu Faour.
“Its task will be to forward swift and practical proposals to address the sufferings of Baalbek-Hermel and make its proposals within a month,” Abu Faour added, speaking to reporters following the session, which convened under President Michel Sleiman at his summer residence in Beiteddine.
An ongoing crackdown on cannabis fields in Bekaa has outraged local residents, who have demanded compensation for their destroyed fields.
Protesters blocked roads and held a sit-in in the Bekaa village of Yammouneh over the weekend in protest of the crackdown. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel paid a visit to the area Sunday and convinced protesters to end the sit-in after promising to propose ideas to the Cabinet Monday on how to tackle the issue, vowing that one of the ideas would be to pay them compensation.
However, residents of the area said they would re-block roads if the destruction of their crops resumes before they receive compensation.
Abu Faour also said the Cabinet passed a number of items in a draft law proposed by Charbel for the 2013 parliamentary elections based on proportional representation.
“Discussion continued and a number of items were passed related to campaign spending, campaigning via media outlets and advertising ... the election of the physically disabled, proportional representation, preferential vote, the voting process for expatriate Lebanese and female quota for candidate lists – which was agreed to be 10 percent,” said Abu Faour.
Sleiman will chair another session at Baabda Palace Tuesday to decide the number and size of electoral districts and present the draft law to Parliament later that day.
Abu Faour, from Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party, said that ministers from the Druze leader’s bloc would oppose the draft law when it is put to the vote inside Cabinet Tuesday, adding he expected other groups would join the party in its opposition to the draft law once it is passed to Parliament.
“As you know, many political factions represented in the Cabinet and in the parliamentary majority are holding dialogue with groups outside the Cabinet,” said Abu Faour. “The Bkirki committee, for example, has agreed on 48 electoral districts without proportional representation,” he said in reference to a committee of rival Christian groups that is currently studying proposals for the election draft law.
Jumblatt argues that proportional representation is aimed at curbing his political influence.
Sleiman left the session before it was over to receive Jumblatt who left the palace without making comments to reporters.
Abu Faour denied that Jumblatt’s visit was related to the draft election law under discussion, explaining that it had been scheduled ahead of time.
Addressing ministers at the beginning of the session, Sleiman said that Lebanon had avoided strife more than once in recent months, saying that the state behaves wisely and does not succumb to pressure or blackmail.

Shoot at Lebanese soldiers, grow weed and you might get money from the state
August 6, 2012 /Now Lebanon/Just when we thought that Marwan Charbel had learned from his pervious gaffes, on Sunday he pledged to compensate Lebanon’s cannabis farmers after 200,000 square meters of crops had been destroyed by the state during a three-day operation. The baffling announcement came after days of violence and protests by local farmers, during which two soldiers and a state-employed worker were wounded by gunfire. Instead of seeking to arrest the perpetrators and bring charges against those who staged a subsequent sit-in to protest the state’s efforts to stamp out the narcotics industry, there is now apparently a move to reward those who break the law and attack officers of the state.
This was not a case of a vital and legal crop being lost to the weather. In such circumstances, government support would be understandable. But cannabis farming is not only against the law, it is a conduit for organized crime (local drug barons claim to be able to raise an “army” of 5,000 men) and has given Lebanon an unflattering reputation as an important nexus in the global narcotics trade.
Yammouneh municipality head Mohammed Sharif complained over the weekend that the government has done nothing to promote the cultivation of alternative crops in the area, but the simple fact of the matter is that the state does not care for the Beqaa, and in the absence of the state, the drug czars—with the full knowledge and in some cases protection of many of Lebanon’s political parties—are being allowed to ply their trade. If there is to be any serious effort by the state to convert land being used to grow cannabis for the cultivation of, say, wine grapes, then there must also be a radical redeployment of the state in an area that has for so long been virtually lawless.Sadly, this government has neither the political teeth to grip the security situation in the Beqaa, nor the focus to set about drawing up a blueprint for alternative, legal and profitable farming options. Charbel is once again putting out fires with pledges that will only serve to erode what credibility this government has left and reinforce the idea that disruption of daily life with the veiled threat of violence is the only way to talk to the state.This was further highlighted over the weekend when he announced that his ministry was drawing up a security plan for Sidon in the wake of the relatively peaceful 35-day sit-in by Salafist cleric Ahmad al-Assir and his supporters, who had been protesting Hezbollah’s arsenal. Charbel promised a greater police presence, warning that tensions in Sidon were similar to that in 1975 before the Lebanese civil war and that “this cannot be allowed to happen in 2012.”It is, on the face of it, a sound initiative in the sense that any way to improve security is never a bad thing. But those listening to our interior minister would have no doubt felt like reminding him that Sidon is relatively calm compared to the situation in North Lebanon, in Tripoli and the border area, where there is virtually no state presence and where a low-intensity border war is being waged by elements of the Free Syrian Army against troops loyal to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But the North, like those areas in the Beqaa where Lebanon’s drug lords operate with impunity, has become a no-go zone for the state, and no amount of checkpoints or extra police cars in Sidon can hide this fact. On a weekend when even Prime Minister Najib Miqati said he didn’t care if the cabinet collapsed, the state once again showed just how weak it is.

Lebanese General Security confiscates passport of Syria activist
August 6, 2012 /General Security on Monday confiscated the passport of a leading Lebanese activist for the Syrian opposition at Beirut’s Rafiq Hariri International Airport before his flight to Turkey.
“General Security confiscated Wissam Tarif’s passport [as] he headed to Turkey as per a memorandum issued by General Security Director General Abbas Ibrahim,” fellow rights activist Omar Harous told NOW. Harous added that no judicial order was issued to ban Tarif from leaving the country, “which goes against any law or regulation.” Meanwhile, a well-informed source told NOW that Tarif was given a three-day deadline to review the issue at the General Security’s Information Branch. Tarif is a Lebanese rights activist who heads non-governmental organization Avaaz’s Syria-related activities.
Harous also noted that the General Security had done the same for journalist and historian Samir Kassir, who was killed in a car bomb on June 2, 2005 in Beirut’s Ashrafiyeh neighborhood.
Kassir was a staunch critic of the Syrian regime and a supporter of the Cedar Revolution.-NOW Lebanon

Watchdog condemns Lebanon's confiscation of Syria activist’s passport
August 6, 2012 /Media Against Violence on Monday condemned the confiscation of a Lebanese activist’s passport by General Security. “Wissam Tarif’s passport was confiscated [just] because he supports the Syrian uprising and is a human and media rights activist,” a statement issued by the organization read. “How can an activist be [banned from traveling] by an administrative order instead of a judicial order, and without giving any kind of justification?” The organization also held the cabinet responsible for the “tragic situation” in Lebanon. “The continuance of this cabinet is a threat against the constitution and the nature of Lebanon,” the statement added. Earlier on Monday, activists told NOW that General Security confiscated Tarif’s passport at Beirut’s Rafiq Hariri International Airport before his flight to Turkey.
Tarif is a rights activist who heads non-governmental organization Avaaz’s Syria-related activities. -NOW Lebanon

The Kataeb Party committed to principle of dialogue
August 6, 2012 /The Kataeb Party on Monday reiterated its commitment to the principle of dialogue and said it was ready to participate in the next dialogue session “in collaboration with our allies, unless a negative development takes place.”The statement issued following the party’s weekly meeting also called on Hezbollah to “facilitate President Michel Suleiman’s mission to set a defense strategy based on his speech on the occasion of the army’s day.”It also warned of “disorder” along the Lebanese-Syrian border and called on the cabinet and the security forces to “prevent the infiltration of fugitives and terrorists… especially amid [disquieting] reports.”On July 19, March 14 suspended its participation in national dialogue sessions following the assassination attempts against Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in April and March 14 MP Boutros Harb in early July.-NOW Lebanon

Defected Riad Hijab, the Syrian prime minister : From inner circle to 'soldier of Syria revolt'
August 6, 2012/Riad Hijab, the Syrian prime minister who defected on Monday, was a staunch Baathist who rose through the party's ranks before reaching the top thanks to his loyalty to President Bashar al-Assad. Subdued and short on charisma, the 46-year-old Sunni Muslim holds a doctorate in agricultural engineering, but owes his steep ascent in Syria's ruling party to his unwavering loyalty.
Hijab hails from Deir az-Zour in the east, where most tribes have joined the revolt, seen as a factor that swayed his decision to abandon the regime just two months after Assad tapped him to head the government.
It was there that he began his career in politics, as president of the Deir az-Zour branch of the National Union of Syrian Students, which he headed between 1989 and 1998.
He then held various senior positions within the Baath party until 2004 when he became its leader in Deir az-Zour.
In 2008, Hijab was entrusted with the job of governor for Quneitra, a sensitive role as it covers the Golan Heights most of which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.
He was named governor of the coastal province of Latakia in February 2011, about a month after the first pro-reform protests that Assad's forces brutally crushed, triggering the bloody uprising.
Less than two months later, Hijab was on the move again when he was appointed agriculture minister.
It was a thankless task, however, as the embattled Assad regime had long favored urban areas and the service sector but was now seeking to appease people in neglected rural communities.
Assad issued a decree appointing him as prime minister on June 6, a month after a parliamentary election boycotted by opposition groups and branded a farce by the West and many Arab states.
On Monday, a news banner on state television abruptly declared that "Prime Minister Riad Hijab has been dismissed."
His spokesman announced soon after that Hijab had actually joined the rebellion in protest at the "genocide" that President Assad, a member of the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam, is carrying out against his own people. "I announce my defection today from the regime of killing and terror, and I join the ranks of the revolt," he said in a statement read by his spokesman Mohammed al-Otri on Al-Jazeera news channel from Amman. He said his defection comes at a time "when Syria is passing through the most difficult war crimes, genocide, and barbaric killings and massacres against unarmed citizens."
Hijab, the highest-ranking official to defect from Assad's regime, has "become a soldier in the ranks of the soldiers of the revolt," Otri said.
The defected premier, a father of four, was in a "safe haven" with his family and headed for Qatar.
Abdel Basset Sayda, leader of the opposition Syrian National Council, hailed his decision, saying it showed Assad's regime was "disintegrating."
"This is a personality of national stature who is loved by all the people, not only Sunnis but Alawites and others as well," said Mohammed Sermini, spokesman for the SNC coalition.
But two months ago at the time Hijab was appointed premier, the opposition said "it is the [Assad] clan that governs and there has been no real change" in the cabinet.
-AFP

Church Attack Raises Concerns that Radical Islam is on the Rise in Kenya
Washington, D.C. (August 7, 2012) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that an evangelical church was attacked by Islamic militants in central Kenya last month. The attack came only a week after gunmen hurled grenades at two churches in Garissa, eastern Kenya, killing 15 worshippers. Christians are concerned that Islamic extremism, linked to the Somalia militant group al-Shabab, is on the rise in Kenya.
On July 7, Evangelical Victory Church of Game-Loitiki, a village located 7 kilometers outside of Isiolo, Kenya, was raided by an armed mob that is believed to be sympathizers of the al Qaeda-linked Somali group al-Shabab.
“At three PM, the attackers armed with guns stormed the compound and immediately began pulling down one iron sheet after another,” Pastor Joseph Lokuruku told ICC. “I could not shout for help because the attackers could have gunned me down.”
A day before the incident, church leaders had reportedly warned police about a potential attack on their congregation. “On Friday, we met the District Commissioner of Isiolo to register our fears of a possible attack, but no action was taken,” said Boku Yayu, the church’s associate pastor. “One of our [church] members had heard people threatening the church, saying, ‘we do not want infidels in this area.’”Following the attack, Pastor Lokuruku immediately reported the incident to the local police station, but the officer on duty was unable to carry out an investigation. Lokuruku estimates the cost of repairing the damaged church at 80,000 Kenya shillings (approximately 950 USD).
The destruction of the church in Game-Loitiki came only one week after al-Shabab militants hurled grenades into the African Inland Church of Garissa and opened fire on congregants, killing 17 people, including 15 worshippers. Grenades were also thrown at the local Catholic church.
Escalating violence targeting Kenyan churches has Christians concerned that Islamic extremism is on the rise in the East African country. “Pastors and Christians are very afraid,” said Imam Hussein, a Christian convert and an Ethiopian refugee who came to Kenya after fleeing persecution in his home town. “I know people, mainly Christian converts [from Islam], who had to leave their homes and their families because of pressures from these terrorists. It’s very dangerous. Although these militants are very few in Kenya, they are very fanatic, like al-Qaeda or the Taliban. Many Muslims are even against them and stand with the Christian community.”
ICC’s Regional Manager, Aidan Clay, said, “In Somalia, al-Shabab adheres to a strict interpretation of Sharia, amputating of the hands of thieves, stoning adulterous women, and brutally murdering, and even beheading, Christians. In fact, there are few places in the world, if any, where Christian persecution is more severe. Now, al-Shabab and its sympathizers are growing bolder, trying to infiltrate their radical Islamic ideology into the predominantly Christian country of Kenya by attacking churches and murdering worshippers. While the Kenyan government has taken steps to prevent terrorism in their country by sending troops into Somalia last October, more must to be done to protect the Christian community. Kenyan authorities must take every action possible to go after al-Shabab in their homeland and prevent militants from crossing the border or else all Kenyan citizens, not only Christians, will continue to be mercilessly slaughtered.”