Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 12/12
Lebanon sets interrogation date for Syrian officials
Hariri on Syria arrest warrants: Assad a monster
Damascus issues warrants for Hariri, Saqr, FSA official
Maronite Bishops urge state to firmly impose security
Lebanon commemorates 7th anniversary of Tueni's death
Lebanon fall to shocking defeat with Palestine
Syrian Army destroys home in Lebanon border town
Mutual deterrence prevents Tripoli storm
Kahwagi: Army plan in north Lebanon ‘one of a kind’
MP Daher faces heightened security risk: Charbel
Lebanese Army receives six U.S. helicopters
Teachers take battle to street in march to Serail
Damascus: Failure to Hand over Hariri, Saqr, Meqdad is Violation of International Law
Cabinet in Lebanon Approves Handing Over Text Messages Content of 'Suspicious Numbers
100 countries back new Syrian coalition
Friends of Syria' recognise opposition coalition
Three bombs target Syrian Interior Ministry
Civil war splits Syria's artists
Official: Syria fires Scud missiles at rebels
Syria Opposition Chief Invited to U.S. after Recognition
Egypt crisis clouded by talks delay, opposition demands
Egyptians abroad vote, army to host "unity" talks
Egypt Christian sentenced over anti-Islam film
OPEC holds oil output level, keeps Libyan as head
New UN, international efforts to engage Iran
Israeli minister: World would sacrifice Israel
Kuwait names new government with no major changes

Syrian Army destroys home in Lebanon border town
December 12, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Syrian regime forces destroyed a house in Lebanon's eastern border town of Masharih al-Qaa by planting a landmine because it blocked the view from a checkpoint, sources told The Daily Star Wednesday.
Regime forces asked Hussein Ezzedine to evacuate his home in the town of Masharih al-Qaa before detonating a mine that destroyed it, according to sources. No casualties were recorded.
The sources said that the regime forces bombed the house because it blocked the view from a Syrian observance checkpoint at the eastern border. Masharih al-Qaa has repeatedly been victim to clashes between Assad forces and rebels. Many shells have hit the eastern border town, home to mainly Sunni-populated farms scattered across a flat agricultural landscape in the northeast corner of the Bekaa.

Damascus issues warrants for Hariri, Saqr, FSA official
December 12, 2012/By Wassim Mroueh/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Syria issued arrest warrants Tuesday for former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Future Movement MP Oqab Saqr and a member of the Syrian opposition over charges of providing “terrorist groups” in Syria with arms and funding. “Interpol’s office at the Internal Security Forces received them [the warrants] at noon,” Interior Minister Marwan Charbel confirmed to The Daily Star, adding that copies had been sent to all Arab states.
The move comes almost two weeks after a Lebanese television station aired audio recordings of Saqr allegedly discussing supplying Syrian rebels with arms and conveying Hariri’s hope that the rebels defeat the Syrian Army.
In a news conference last week, Saqr strongly denied that he had sent rebels arms, saying his quotes were doctored. He said that Hariri – the Future Movement’s leader – had tasked him only with providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. Commenting on the warrant, Saqr said Tuesday he considered it a badge of honor to be on “the list of those wanted by the regime of criminality.” “The release of the arrest warrants by [Syrian President Bashar] Assad’s regime based on forged recordings, and whose forgery has been proved by clear evidence, leaves no doubt that the process was fabricated from A to Z,” Saqr said in a statement, adding that the recordings were publicized by media outlets close to Assad, who he called “the butcher of our era.”
Syria also issued a warrant for Free Syrian Army official Louay Meqdad. Separately, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the Lebanese Army would retain a heavy presence in his home city of Tripoli as long as necessary.
His remarks came during a visit to the city a day after calm returned following a week of clashes between supporters and opponents of Assad, that left 17 dead.
“The Lebanese Army has deployed to restore security in the full sense of the term, and it will remain there as long as there is a security threat in the city,” Mikati told reporters at his Tripoli home. The clashes broke out between supporters of Assad in the neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen and rival gunmen in the district of Bab al-Tabbaneh who stand by the Syrian uprising.
Reiterating his denial that he received a list of potential targets for assassination, Mikati said he would nevertheless hold a meeting with security officials to discuss how to protect anyone under threat. Rifaat Eid, the head of the Arab Democratic Party, which is dominant in Jabal Mohsen, accused members of the Free Syrian Army of taking part in battles against Jabal Mohsen. “We have been saying for a while that these [fighters] are from the Free Syrian Army and not the Future Movement ... The decision [to cause trouble] is in the hands of the Free Syrian Army,” he told a news conference in Jabal Mohsen.
Eid said his party had conditions for reconciliation, which Mikati said he hoped to work toward. “We want all the rights of the Alawite sect, we want to nominate our MPs,” he said, adding that his party would not hand over its arms without guarantees that its opponents will do the same.
Eid said he expected the Tripoli truce to hold for “a long time.”
For his part, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that sectarian provocation had caused Tripoli’s clashes.
“What helped to ignite Tripoli’s clashes is sectarian provocation, which doesn’t take humanitarian or moral standards into consideration,” said Qassem.
Hariri’s Future parliamentary bloc, however, held the government responsible for the bloodshed in Syria, given its hesitance to implement a deterrent security plan “and particularly because groups represented in the government provide funds, arms and instructions to armed groups in the city so that they keep the security situation unstable.”
In a statement after its weekly meeting under Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, the bloc welcomed security measures by the Army and Internal Security Forces in Tripoli, but expressed its surprise that the Higher Defense Council had to redeploy the Army at all.
“The Army is supposed to have been in the two districts in line with a security plan announced few weeks ago,” the statement said.
The Future Movement reiterated its demands for the government to resign, while Mikati called for a comprehensive solution to the political deadlock, saying immediate resignation does not solve the problem.
“Even if the government resigns, we will be confronting another problem, that of parliamentary elections,” Mikati said.
“To avoid this, we should study a comprehensive solution which stipulates that we agree on a new law for parliamentary elections and refer it to Parliament. In parallel, a new government would be formed to hold elections, with its ministers not running for polls,” Mikati said.
For his part, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai called for drafting a new electoral law, and forming a new government to supervise elections on time.
Wadih al-Khazen, the head of the General Maronite Council, said that an agreement between rival groups on an electoral law is still far away.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Khazen said that he has spoken to all of the country’s political groups and conditions are not ripe for a deal.
“There are lots of issues that still need to be tackled in order to reach a just and modern election law that is supported by the majority of the Lebanese,” Khazen added.
He said that postponing elections would raise doubt over the effectiveness of democracy and freedom in Lebanon. – Additional reporting by Antoine Ghattas Saab and Antoine Amrieh

Hariri on Syria arrest warrants: Assad a monster

December 12, 2012/By Youssef Diab /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri described Wednesday as a “monster” Syrian President Bashar Assad after Damascus issued arrest warrants for him and a lawmaker in his parliamentary bloc for allegedly arming and funding Syrian rebels. "Bashar al-Assad has all the characteristics of a monster,” Hariri said in a statement, adding that the embattled leader has “lost moral, humanitarian and political authority [to rule] and he will sooner or later stand before the justice wanted by the Syrian people.” His response came a day after Syria issued arrests warrants for him, MP Oqab Saqr, a member in Hariri’s parliamentary bloc, and Syrian opposition member Louay Meqdad. A judicial source said Wednesday that Lebanon would likely ignore the warrants. “The prosecutor’s office will examine the legality of the warrants today, but will likely ignore responding to the request or will refer it back to Damascus,” one judicial source told The Daily Star, pointing to the lack of evidence in the case. "Both Hariri and Saqr enjoy parliamentary immunity and therefore cannot be pursued,” the source added.
Syria issued arrest warrants Tuesday for Hariri, Saqr and Meqdad over charges of providing weapons and funds for “terrorist groups” in Syria.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said the Interpol’s office at the Internal Security Forces received the warrants at midday Tuesday, adding that copies had been sent to all Arab states.
The move comes almost two weeks after a Lebanese television station aired audio recordings of Saqr allegedly discussing supplying Syrian rebels with arms and conveying Hariri’s hope that the opposition defeats the Syrian Army. Saqr, however, strongly denies having sent rebels weapons, saying his quotes were doctored. He said that Hariri – the Future Movement’s leader – had tasked him only with providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.Commenting on the warrant, Saqr said Tuesday he considered it a badge of honor to be on “the list of those wanted by the regime of criminality.”
The move also comes a day after Lebanon’s Military Prosecutor called for three Syrian officials to be summoned over their role in the terror plot to destabilize Lebanon allegedly involving former Information Minister Michel Samaha. Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr asked Investigative Judge Riyad Abu Ghida to call in for questioning two Syrian officers charged in the plot to carry out attacks in Lebanon
Syrian National Security Bureau head Ali Mamlouk and another officer, identified as Brig. Gen. Adnan, are charged with plotting a terror attack with Samaha, who was arrested in August at his summer house in Khenchara.
Saqr also asked Abu Ghida to summon Buthaina Shaaban, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s senior adviser, to testify as a witness in the Samaha case.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea also criticized Wednesday Syria for issuing the warrants.
“After all that is going on in Syria, Assad and his aides have lost their right to claim any legitimacy that entitles them to issue arrest warrants,” Geagea said in a statement.

Maronite Bishops urge state to firmly impose security
December 12, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The Maronite Bishop Council Wednesday urged the state to be firm in imposing security throughout Lebanon, referring to the recent clashes in the northern city of Tripoli. “Security cannot be established by appeasing all sides, but by taking firm action,” the bishops said in a statement released following their monthly meeting in Bkirki.The bishops said there should be no thing as “security by consent,” asserting that negotiating security damages the state authority. “We appreciate the role and sacrifices of the army and all security forces,” said the bishops, adding that officials should grant “complete political” cover for the security forces in their mission to restore calm in Lebanon. The Army implemented a security plan in the northern city of Tripoli Monday, deploying in both the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh to end the fighting that spilled over into other neighborhoods in the city. The clashes were provoked by the death of a number of Lebanese fighters in the Syrian border town of Tal Kalakh.  The bishops also called for a new Lebanese electoral law and for the formation of a new Cabinet to supervise the 2013 parliamentary polls. “It is necessary to distinguish between the political crisis and the work of constitutional institutions, especially Parliament,” the bishops said, as they voiced concern over the failure to reach an agreement over a new electoral law. They urged Lebanon’s political parties to discuss suggestions on the electoral law in the Parliament. Parliamentary activity in Lebanon was frozen following the assassination of Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in a car bomb that targeted Beirut’s Ashrafieh on Oct. 19. The killing prompted the March 14-led opposition to boycott the Cabinet and parliamentary activities in which it is involved. However, the opposition said Monday that it would take part in talks pertaining to the electoral law, provided that the government absents from the meetings of the parliamentary sub-committee discussing the formation of a new bill for the coming polls

Lebanon sets interrogation date for Syrian officials
December 12, 2012 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A Lebanese magistrate Wednesday set the interrogation date for two Syrian officials for their role in a terror plot involving a Lebanese minister and intended to destabilize Lebanon.  Investigative Judge Riyad Abu Ghida set Jan. 14, 2013 as the questioning date for Syrian National Security bureau head Ali Mamlouk and his office manager, identified as Brig. Gen. Adnan. The two men are charged with plotting a terror attack along with former Lebanese Information Minister Michel Samaha, who was arrested in August at his summer house in Khenchara. Abu Ghida, however, decided not to summon Syrian President Bashar Assad’s senior adviser Bouthaina Shaaban at the same time.  On Tuesday Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr asked Abu Ghida to call in for questioning the two Syrian generals. He also asked Abu Ghida to summon Shaaban to testify as a witness in the Samaha case.Judicial sources said Shaaban will be summoned after the outcome of the interrogation with Mamlouk and Adnan.They said Abu Ghida will send the request to the investigative judge in Damascus via Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry through the Justice Ministry.

Lebanon commemorates 7th anniversary of Tueni's death
December 12, 2012ظThe Daily Star
BEIRUT: Lebanon commemorated Wednesday the seventh anniversary of the death of journalist Gebran Tueni who was killed in a car bomb on Dec. 12, 2005.
A Mass, headed by Beirut Greek Orthodox Archbishop, Elias Audeh was held at the St. Demetrius Church in Beirut's Ashrafieh district to commemorate Tueni in the presence of several Beirut MPs, the family of the deceased and dignitaries.Aoudeh said Tueni's killing had come as a big shock to the youth who dreamed of living in peace in their nation.
He added that the veteran journalist was a free man who defended the right of country to sovereignty and independence.
The bishop called on the Lebanese to unite and overcome their differences to make their country their top priority.
“Gibran placed the homeland as his top priority and he died for the country. We pray God to preserve our Lebanon and for us to make it our priority,” he said.
Tueni, an outspoken Lebanese journalist and anti-Syrian politician, was the former editor and publisher of An-Nahar newspaper and an MP.
He was killed in a car bomb in Mkalles a day after returning from Paris, where he had received information his life was no longer under threat.
His assassination was one in a series in which anti-Syrian officials were targeted in the aftermath of the Feb. 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri issued a statement Wednesday praising Tueni as a unique figure and staunch defender of freedoms, saying his death left a great vacuum in the country.
“The void Tueni left on our patriotic and media life was very big. Tueni was distinguished by a rare courage in expressing his stances and in his writings,” said Hariri.
He read a quote from the late Tueni, in which he said Christians and Muslims must remain united for the sake of great Lebanon, which he said still echoes on every occasion where there is a case of freedom or justice.
Tueni's daughter, Michele, said in a statement after the Mass that losing her father early was a difficult challenge and major loss to Lebanon.
She also said it was regretful that, seven years after Tueni’s killing, those behind the assassination still haven’t been brought to justice and punished for their crime.
“Our consolation is that they won’t be spared the celestial justice,” said Tueni.

'Friends of Syria' recognise opposition coalition
December 12, 2012/By Samia Nakhoul, Khaled Yacoub Oweis
ARRAKECH: Western and Arab nations sympathetic to Syria's uprising against President Bashar al-Assad gave full political recognition on Wednesday to the opposition, reflecting a hardening consensus that the 20-month-old uprising might be nearing a tipping point.
Meeting in the Moroccan city of Marrakech as rebels battled Assad's troops on the outskirts of his Damascus power base - and shortly before the capital was rocked by a huge explosion - the "Friends of Syria" group called on Assad to step aside.But tensions between the United States and the Syrian opposition coalition surfaced at the same meeting when its leader criticised Washington's designation of the Islamist Jabhat al-Nusra rebel brigade as a terrorist organisation.
Hours earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama announced Washington would recognise the coalition of opposition groups, led by Sunni Muslim cleric Mouaz Alkhatib, as Syria's legitimate representative, joining France, Britain, Turkey and Gulf states.
"Participants acknowledge the National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and the umbrella organisation under which the Syrian opposition are gathering," said the Marrakech declaration after a meeting attended by 130 ministers and officials.
The gathering brought together Western and Arab nations opposed to Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for 42 years. But it excluded Russia, China and Iran, which have backed Assad or blocked efforts to tighten international pressure on him.
"Bashar al-Assad has lost legitimacy and should stand aside to allow a sustainable political transition," said the text.
Qatar reinforced that message after the meeting, urging Assad to take the "brave decision" to step down, while Britain called on him to end a war it said he could not win.
Referring to Western reports suggesting Assad might use chemical and biological weapons, the text said "any use of chemical weapons in Syria would be abhorrent and that this would draw a serious response from the international community".

Participants announced the creation of a relief fund "to support the Syrian people", calling on states and organisations to make contributions to the fund.

The resolution called on the U.N. Security Council, which has been paralysed by major powers' splits over Syria, to come up with "a meaningful and robust response" to the crisis and urged nations that support Assad to reconsider their positions.
Although the text made no explicit commitment to arm the rebels, a diplomat following the talks said participants agreed on "the legitimate need of the Syrian people to defend itself against the violent and brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad". Another diplomat said Western powers did not rule out supplying arms to rebel units in the future, but would want assurances about where the weapons would flow - pointing to several atrocities committed by rebel fighters and the presence of radical Islamists in their ranks. "No option is ruled out. But there are big issues about the legality of intervening in a civil war. Any support to any group depends on the command control and the discipline on the ground," a Western diplomat at the Marrakech meeting said. France said at the talks it was not ready to supply arms. "For now we have decided not to move on this," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters in Morocco. "We shall see in the coming months." Western officials are due to meet commanders of a newly formed rebel military command in Turkey next week.
Syria's state news agency SANA said Obama's recognition of the political opposition, which coincided with Washington's designation of the radical Islamist Jabhat al-Nusra group, part of the rebel force against Assad, as a terrorist organisation "proves American hypocrisy".
Russia also criticised the U.S. recognition, saying it ran counter to an agreement to seek political transition. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that it appeared the United States was betting on "armed victory" of Assad's opponents. Coalition leader Alkhatib urged the United States to reconsider its decision to designate the militant Islamist Jabhat al-Nusra as a terrorist group. "The decision to consider a party that is fighting the regime as a terrorist party needs to be reviewed," he said. "We might disagree with some parties and their ideas and their political and ideological vision. But we affirm that all the guns of the rebels are aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical criminal regime." Alkhatib called on Syria's Alawite minority to launch a campaign of civil disobedience against Assad, an Alawite facing a mainly Sunni Muslim uprising against his rule.
Fighting is moving closer to Assad's residence in the centre of Damascus, and early on Wednesday government forces fired artillery and rockets at southwestern suburbs of the capital adjacent to the Mezzeh military airport, activists said. State television reported an explosion at the gate of the Interior Ministry in Damascus. The ministry is in Kafar Souseh, an area contested by rebels and forces loyal to Assad. A resident reported sirens and shooting after a "huge explosion." SANA said on Wednesday that "terrorists" detonated two bombs in the Damascus district of Jaramana, killing one person and wounding five, and another two bombs behind the Justice Ministry in Damascus, wounding one person. In central Syria, an attack on a village killed or injured as many as 200 members of Assad's Alawite minority sect, activists said, but it was unclear who was behind the assault.
The mainly Sunni Muslim rebels have scored a string of victories against Assad's forces, many of them from his Alawite religious minority. There is little evidence that the government is regaining control, residents say.
"We send a direct message to the Alawite brethren. The Syria revolution is extending its hand to you, so extend your hand back and start civil disobedience against the regime because it repressed you like it repressed us," said Alkhatib. Alkhatib, elected last month as leader of the National Coalition for Opposition Forces and the Syrian Revolution, urged Assad's allies Iran and Hezbollah to withdraw their support.
The Syrian army is using warplanes and heavy artillery to try to halt further advances by rebels, many of them die-hard Islamists. Opposition leaders say they need heavy weapons to sustain the momentum and change the military equation in a conflict that has killed 40,000 people since March 2011.
The rebels now hold a near continuous arc of territory from the east to the southwest of the capital. With conditions deteriorating, Damascus residents face power and food crises.
Assad's political and armed opponents, dogged by splits and rivalries throughout their battle to end his rule, have established a more unified political opposition and military command, hoping to win international support.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are already arming and financing the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and other militant groups, while Iran is bankrolling Assad. Brotherhood deputy leader Farouq Tayfour, speaking in Marrakech, said recent military gains by the rebels meant that Assad's end was rapidly approaching. "The rebels are now much closer to the palace. Bashar is under siege. His end will be like Gaddafi's end. Didn't Bashar say, 'I was born in Syria and will die in Syria'? This is what Gaddafi said as well, and that's it."

Israeli minister: World would sacrifice Israel

December 12, 2012/ Daily Star/
JERUSALEM: Israel's foreign minister is lashing out at Europe for criticizing Israel's policies toward the Palestinians. Avigdor Lieberman is drawing analogies with Europe's appeasement of the Nazis before World War II. Lieberman hit back at European foreign ministers for condemning Israeli plans to build settler housing in an especially sensitive area of the West Bank.He's also accusing the international community of ignoring threats to Israel, including weapons smuggling by Palestinian militants in Gaza and calls for Israel's destruction from Hamas and Iran. On Wednesday, he charged that world leaders would be prepared to abandon Israel as they gave up Czechoslovakia to the Nazis on the eve of World War II.Lieberman said, "When push comes to shove, many key leaders would be willing to sacrifice Israel without batting an eyelid."

Syria: America and terrorism
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
There is no doubt that everyone who cares for the Syrian state, and everyone who sympathizes with the Syrian revolution, is aware of the danger of the outbreak of terrorism there. The wise have warned, since the start of the Syrian revolution, of that danger. However it is striking today that Washington has announced it has put Jabhat al-Nusra, a militant group fighting in Syria, on its terrorism black list. Here some might ask, what is strange about this? What is strange of course is that Washington put this militant group on its black list before formally recognizing the most important group in Syria in the first place, namely the Syrian opposition coalition. Of course, we always expected the US to recognize the Syrian National Coalition, but this recognition should have come earlier. This is what wise have called for since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, i.e. for Washington to take the initiative and move closer to the Syrian opposition, specifically the Free Syrian Army. With the existence of a clear and coherent revolutionary body, the level of terrorism and terrorists will decrease in Syria. However, with the continuing brutal crimes of the al-Assad regime, no one should be surprised by extremism, even among moderates. The deaths of over 40,000 people can cause even the most rational Syrians to lose their minds.
Therefore it would have been better for Washington to take the initiative quickly, as the Arabs and Europeans did, by recognizing the Syrian National Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people earlier. This would have cut off the road for terrorism and terrorists today, and perhaps even after the fall of al-Assad. Of course there is no guarantee that terrorist groups won’t appear after the fall of al-Assad, but at least the rational Syrian bloc will have the upper hand by then, being a strong and internationally recognized force, and will be able to defeat these terrorists.
Washington has been late to adopt effective solutions in Syria, and the price to be paid for that is an increase in terrorism. What complicates matters especially is that Washington has shown great concern for minorities in Syria, at a time when the majority is suffering from al-Assad’s hell. The issue here is not one of minority versus majority; rather it is a case of a lack of clarity in the US vision towards Syria. There is a glaring contradiction between Washington [seeking to protect minorities in Syria] and its previous stances in Iraq, for example, and the well-known story of minorities and majorities there, and likewise its stance towards the proposed Egyptian constitution, despite the objection of minorities a substantial segment of Egyptian civil society. What the region needs, from all the key international players including America, is help in consolidating stability, on equal and fair terms across the entire Middle East. These terms are necessary; they are not a novelty, and they include the preservation of rights for all and the protection of the state. The break-up of region’s countries would have dire consequences for the security of the region and the international community, as well as for those seeking to defend the oppressed. Yet the Syrian case represents the most flagrant example of US inaction. It is not conceivable for al-Assad to kill his own people while America merely talks about protecting minorities and places a militant Syrian group on its terrorism blacklist before fully recognizing the Syrian National Coalition.
This article is not a message of support for Jabhat al-Nusra, rather I am trying to say in clear language that it would have been better for the US to fully recognize the Syrian National Coalition earlier. As soon as you acknowledge the existence of the wise you reduce the risk of evil, wherever you are.

How can we understand Washington today?
by Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat
Yesterday in Cairo I met with the American politician Robert Malley, a senior advisor to former US President Bill Clinton and current Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group in Washington. Robert Malley’s importance lies in the fact that he has a great understanding of the details of the Palestinian issue and has played a very important role in the legal drafting of various peace projects. I asked Malley about how he envisions the priorities of the current US administration now that President Obama has won a second term. He replied:
First: We cannot expect any major changes in the US President’s policy with regards to the Middle East because this region is not America’s number one priority in terms of foreign policy.
Second: The Palestinian issue ranks low down the list of Middle Eastern priorities from Washington’s perspective.
Third: Hamas, not the Palestinian Authority, is the US administration’s target for dialogue now.  Fourth: The Arab Spring experience is being closely followed up and reviewed by the US administration.
Fifth: Washington did not gamble on political Islam in the Arab world but it will deal with it now under the premise that it is a force with sizeable popular credit, and that it came to power through democratic elections.
Sixth: Washington supported Libya militarily because – in all simplicity – it was easier from a military perspective and less costly militarily and economically than the Syrian case.
Seventh: Syria is an influential country with a geographical extension that impacts upon Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and Israel. Based on the stable conditions now on the Syrian battlefield, any US intervention could have regional repercussions.
Eighth: No US decision has been reached so far on how to contain Iran. It has not yet been decided whether the solution will be negotiations or military action.
This interview with Robert Malley prompted me to come to several conclusions, the most important being that the US seems to completely lack conclusive policies. Sometimes it behaves like a Third World country, partially dealing with events on a daily basis depending on the changes by hour. There is no governing logic for America’s policies other than obtaining the maximum benefits and securing its interests regardless of the victims or those who fall along the way. This is the lesson that we must learn!

Hais Bais in Egypt
By Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat
We use a lot of expressions in our daily lives which we know the meanings of, yet we are unaware of their origins or how they came to become so widespread. The Arabic expression "Hais Bais" means a state of impasse, distress or confusion among a group of people. As for its etymology, some claim it was the alias of an Arab poet who was the first to use it, whilst others argue it stems from a term for a mixed food dish!
Generally speaking, Hais Bais is an expression that can be applied to the current Egyptian political sphere, where there is legal, constitutional and political distress and confusion, all of which require a great deal of wisdom in order to emerge with the least damage possible. In a short space of time we have seen roughly five constitutional declarations that have contradicted one another, ever since the initial referendum to determine whether the constitution or the elections should come first.
There has been a lot of confusion: Firstly, a constitutional declaration was issued by the president and rejected by the opposition. Then the president issued another declaration, which partially responded to the opposition's demands, but maintained the constitutional referendum that is scheduled to take place three days from now amidst a state of heated controversy. The National Salvation Front – an opposition coalition that has gained momentum recently – has called to boycott the referendum. In addition to this there have been several government decrees to increase taxes and prices, which were subsequently eliminated or frozen by the president merely a day after they were announced. Yet such measures are required within the framework of an agreement concluded with the International Monitory Fund (IMF), whereby it will offer US$ 4.8 billion in the form of a loan to stimulate the Egyptian economy and boost international confidence. Now, however, it seems that this loan will be postponed, along with the stimulation of the economy, and as a result a considerable portion of foreign currency reserves will be exhausted and production rates will continue to be adversely affected.
Many people attribute this state of confusion to the first referendum - to decide whether the constitution or elections should come first. Other people attribute the current climate to the way in which the transitional period was managed under the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and the decisions taken during that period. Yet the reality is that everyone must share the responsibly one way or another, for the reasons behind the current state are completely natural. When the former regime was overthrown, everyone was confused and no one had a clear map of the way forward. If it is true that some members of the political elite had a vision, then they lacked the necessary public mobilization on the ground as people remained cautious. As a result, it was only natural that the scene would be dominated by the most politically experienced organization on the ground, with the largest capacity to mobilize support, namely the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood went on to record sizeable victories in both the parliamentary and presidential elections, yet other powers, which considered themselves to be the driving forces behind the January 25th revolution, failed to impact upon the polls as a result of a lack of experience, organization and their internal divisions.
Now that nearly two years have passed since the January 25th revolution we have reached an important turning point; the referendum on a draft constitution that is not universally accepted. There are numerous questions that remain unanswered. How will the regime seek to conduct the referendum, what if turnout is low? What if the result is no? Will the road map change as a result of this? The most important question of all is how can harmony be achieved in a climate of sharp polarization between the two major fronts: the Islamists and the civil forces? Today, there are three separate calls for million man marches and no one knows how they will end.
We are witnessing an extremely complex and confused situation and no one can predict its course. However, there is one positive aspect: In Egypt now there is something we can call genuine civil opposition, with considerable public support. This can be mobilized and used to mount political pressure as a united front. It is crucially important for the opposition to maintain its momentum so that no one can monopolize power in Egypt.


3,000 Foreign Jihadis to Terrorize Egyptian Opposition?
by Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPageMagazine.com
December 11, 2012
http://www.meforum.org/3396/egypt-foreign-jihadis
The title of a recent Al Khabar News report declares: "Morsi summons 3,000 jihadis from Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, Somalia and Iran to be an Islamic army to strike the police and army forces" of Egypt.
According to the report, Ibrahim Ali, a lawyer of various Islamic groups, said that 3,000 leaders and members of the Jihad Groups and the notorious Islamic Group—including the brother of Khaled al-Islambouli, the army officer who planned and participated in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat—will arrive in Egypt in a few days.
Ali added that most of these leaders are coming from Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, Kenya, Iran, and even London. Similar reports had appeared earlier, in November: these seasoned jihadis may already be in Egypt. Moreover, back in August, days after Morsi assumed Egypt's presidency, he released jihadi convicts from the nation's two most notorious terrorist organizations, Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Group—including several held under tight security and on death row for committing especially heinous acts of terror in Egypt.
It is often forgotten that Morsi himself, Egypt's president, was a former convict in Egypt, imprisoned for his designs to impose Sharia on the social order—precisely what he is doing now unfettered, including by summoning and releasing jihadis to subdue his fellow Egyptians who oppose the Islamization of Egypt—which has millions of Christians and liberal Muslims.
At the very least, one can argue that, at the time of the elections, half the nation was against Islamization, as the vote between Morsi and the secularist Ahmed Shafiq was split down the middle (some authoritative sources even say that Shafiq won). Now, even more Egyptians are going against Morsi, as evinced by these popular revolts. A recent talk show on El Balad TV expressed the popular resentment being felt by the average Egyptian, when a Muslim woman called in saying to the MB official on the show:
You people [Muslim Brotherhood] must give people and their ideas some room, you can't always get angry and fight—it's unacceptable…. Come on you guys, what's the deal? We have come to hate the world. I swear to God, if there is an empty mountain for me to live in, I would take my children and go there! You've made us hate our lives! Let me tell you something: I voted for Morsi. May God have paralyzed my hand! May a car have run me over when I went to the voting booth!
In other words, Morsi needs all the help he can get, and it is certainly not far fetched to believe that he would summon the aid of foreign jihadis. For example, here is a list circulating on twitter by the jihadi organization Ansar Al Sharia—"the Supporters of Sharia"—indicating who it will kill should Muhammad Morsi fail; among the names is new Coptic Pope Tawadros.
Moreover, the amount of violence inflicted so far on Egyptian protesters certainly can be described as terrorism. Aside from those killed by Brotherhood forces, here are some pictures of those beat and tortured. Many of these victims tell the same story: they were threatened to admit publicly that "outside" sources had hired them to protest otherwise they were severely beat and tortured.
In typical Islamist projection fashion, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is enlisting the aid of fellow but foreign jihadis, is trying to portray the grassroots revolts against it as a foreign conspiracy.
Nor is there any doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood was always more interested in empowering Islam over improving Egypt—a natural consequence of the Islamist mentality, which sees the triumph of Islam and Muslims, the collective Umma, more important than the triumph of one's nation and immediate neighbors.
A couple examples: Brotherhood representative Safwat Hegazy—who earlier predicted the group would be "masters of the world"—is more interested in seeing Jerusalem become the capital of the Islamic caliphate than Cairo prospering for Egypt; and the former General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Muhammad Akef, when pressured to talk more about Egypt and less about Islam, declared "the hell with Egypt," clearly indicting that the interests of his country are secondary to Islam's.
Speaking of the General Guide, only recently, more evidence emerged demonstrating that Morsi is little more than a tool of Islamization: although many accused Morsi of simply being a stooge to the General Guide—currently Muhammad Badie, who, as head of the Muslim Brotherhood, has one goal, the enforcement of Sharia in Egypt—Morsi brushed aside such talk, saying he was his own man, that his policies for Egypt would have nothing to do with Brotherhood interests, that he was a president for all Egyptians, etc., etc.
Amazingly, however, a couple days ago on Egyptian satellite TV, a Muslim Brotherhood official actually admitted that "Yes, the General Guide rules Muhammad Morsi," to a flabbergasted host, who in resignation, said, "Well that's it; it's over. What else is there to say?"
Indeed, what else is there to say about an Egyptian president who terrorizes Egyptian citizens into accepting Sharia law?
Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Muslim Persecution of Christians: October, 2012
by Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute
December 7, 2012
http://www.meforum.org/3395/muslim-persecution-of-christians-october-2012
These reports of the persecution of Christians by Muslims around the world during the month of October include (but are not limited to) the following accounts, listed by form of persecution, and by country, in alphabetical order—not according to severity.
Church Attacks
Canada: As happens regularly in Egypt (see below), a Molotov cocktail was hurled through the window of a newly opened Coptic church near Toronto. Unlike in Egypt, however, firefighters came quickly and little damage was done: "Police have no suspects or motive in the incident."
Egypt: A Muslim mob, consisting mostly of Salafis, surrounded St. George Church in the Beni Suef Governorate. Armed with batons, they assaulted Christians as they exited the church after Sunday mass; five were hospitalized with broken limbs. The Salafi grievance is that Christians from neighboring villages, who have no churches to serve them, are traveling and attending St. George. The priest could not leave the church for hours after the mass, even though he contacted the police; they came only after a prominent Coptic lawyer complained to the Ministry of the Interior concerning the lack of response from police. "I want the whole world to know," he said, "that a priest and his congregation are presently held captive in their church, afraid of the Salafi Muslims surrounding the church." Separately, a group of Muslims, led by Mostafa Kamel, a prosecutor at the Alexandria Criminal Court, broke into the Church of St. Mary in Rashid near Alexandria and proceeded to destroy its altar, on claims that he bought the 9th century church; in fact it had earlier been sold to the Copts by the Greeks, due to the Greeks' dwindling numbers in Egypt. Two priests, Fr. Maximos and Fr. Luke, rushed to the police station to try to bring the police to help. Kamel and his two sons also came to the police station, where they openly threatened to kill the two priests and their lawyer. "We stayed at the police station for over six hours with the police, "Fr. Maximos said, "begging prosecutor Kamel and his two sons not to demolish the church." Fr. Luke said that the prosecutor had so far lost all the cases he brought against the church, "So when this route failed, he tried taking the matter into his own hands."
Indonesia: On a Sunday, "unknown assailants" set fire to the Madele Pentecostal Church in the city of Poso by dousing a collection box with petrol and setting it alight. Flames eventually spread to the pastor's residence. Only the intervention of the fire department and volunteers prevented the blaze from causing major damage to the two buildings. Weeks earlier in the same region, Christian homes were attacked and bombed. Also, two law enforcement agents who were investigating a recent attack on the Christian community were kidnapped; their murdered bodies were later found dumped near an "extremist Muslim" group's training ground. Because Poso has a large Christian presence, Muslim attacks are frequent, including the 2005 beheading of three Christian girls going to school. Meanwhile in Aceh, Indonesian officials, using the famous pretext that a permit had not been issued, shut down nine [more] Christian house-churches and six Buddhist temples; they argued that homes cannot be used "for religious ceremonies or functions." According to the report, "Local Muslim extremists welcomed the decision. Yusuf Al-Qardhawy, head of the Aceh branch of the Islamic Defence Front (FPI), called on other jurisdictions to follow Banda Aceh and enforce Islamic law and stop any non-Muslim worship activity that is not approved." Further, the province of Aceh is the only one "which is subject to Sharia. Compliance is ensured by the 'morality police,' a special force that punishes violations in dress and behaviour."
Iran: Security forces dismantled a network of four underground house churches and arrested seven Christians on a Sunday night. Iranian propaganda media described the churches as a "network of criminals" affiliated with "Zionist propaganda." Sunday's arrests are the latest in a wave of detentions in Shiraz. In the past few weeks, Iranian Intelligence Ministry agents in the city have arrested around 30 Christian converts and transferred them to detention centers. According to another report, "State security agents have been permanently stationed at two churches in Esfahan, Iran, in the latest effort by the Islamic regime to frighten people off Christianity. The agents constantly interfere in the activities of St. Luke's and St. Paul's, and harass those present. They order the pastors around and stop church elders from talking to Muslim seekers. They also try to frighten away visitors by warning them of dire consequences if they continue attending, and create tension among the members by spreading false rumours. The children of church members are also threatened and often forbidden from attending…. This campaign of harassment by the Islamic authorities is not confined to churches in Esfahan. Similar tactics have been deployed at the central Assemblies of God church in Tehran."
Kazakhstan: Two Protestant churches were raided, according to members, under the ruse of a criminal case launched 15 months ago. First, masked police raided Grace Church and seized computers, valuables and religious books they insisted were "extremist;" then police requested church members to give blood samples, to see if the church uses "hallucinogenic" substances for communion. Nine days later the New Life Church was raided, also under the pretext of the unrelated criminal case: "Members of both churches fear the authorities will use the case to prevent them gaining the mandatory re-registration," which critics say is being used to shut down Protestant churches.
Kenya: A grenade was thrown into the Sunday school building of St. Polycarp Anglican Church; it blew off the roof, killing one boy and injuring eight other children who were attending Sunday school; some required surgery. The attack came soon after a Somali member of the Islamic terrorist organization Al Shabab, who had earlier targeted four other churches, was sentenced to prison after he confessed to planning attacks on Parliament. According to the mother of one of the children, "We are in Eastleigh [a region with a large Somali population]. Many Christians, including myself, thought that something might happen. Every week we'd wonder 'What if it's this Sunday?' But we'd still go to church." Likewise, a parliament member said, "The life of an innocent child has been taken and others have been cruelly injured and traumatised in what should be the safest of places. The sanctity of life has been heartlessly breached in a sanctified place. Such acts seem to be designed to spark civil unrest and intimidate the Christian church. In the face of such an outrage we ask, with the prophet Habakkuk, 'O Lord, how long?' and let us trust that God in his mercy will bring justice and relief as we cry out to him."
Nigeria: After a renewed spate of church attacks, thousands of Christians continue to flee northern areas of Nigeria, which are predominantly Muslim, and where the jihadi organization Boko Haram holds sway. An Islamic suicide bomber rammed an SUV loaded with explosives into St. Rita Catholic Church holding Sunday Mass; he killed eight people and wounded more than 100. One "journalist saw the bodies of four worshippers lying on the floor of the church after the blast, surrounded by broken glass. The body of the suicide bomber had been blasted into nearby rubble." The church building, charred black, was devastated. Also, the Church of Brethren was raided by Islamic gunmen who killed at least two people and set the church ablaze. Many churches, fearing further attacks, are shutting down.
Pakistan: The Catholic Church of St. Francis, the oldest of the archdiocese of Karachi, was attacked by a Muslim mob of 600, who destroyed property but did not manage to break through the front door. According to a priest: "Fr. Victor had just finished celebrating a wedding, when he heard noises and shouting from the compound of the church. Immediately all the faithful, women and children were sent to the parish house. The radicals, shouting against the Christians, broke into the building and started devastating everything: cars, bikes, vases of flowers. They broke an aedicule and took the statue of the Madonna. They tried to force the door of the church, throwing stones at the church and destroying the windows." Police arrived an hour later, giving the terrorists plenty of time to wreak havoc. The Archbishop of Karachi lamented that "the church of San Francesco has always served the poor with a school and a medical clinic run by nuns. For nearly 80 years it carries out a humble service to humanity without any discrimination of caste, ethnicity or religion. Why these acts? Why are we not safe? "
Syria: Two churches were attacked. One bomb was detonated near the historical gate of Bab Touma ("Thomas' Doorway") which is largely populated by the nation's Christian minority. The bomb exploded as people were going to their churches for Sunday Mass; up to 10 people were killed. "Terrorists are doing this," said George, a Christian who, like many residents in Bab Touma, lives in fear of the rebel fighters trying to gain control of the capital. Another car bomb exploded in front of the only Syrian Orthodox Church in the town of Deir Ezzor, currently under opposition control. Five people near the church were killed. In September, the same church was desecrated and vandalized by armed gangs.
Tanzania: Muslim mobs burned several church buildings in various parts of the nation after an argument by two children concerning the supernatural powers of the Quran allegedly led a Christian boy to defile Islam's holy book: two church buildings were set ablaze, while the roof of another one was destroyed. On the island of Zanzibar, Muslim rioters also demolished a building belonging to the Evangelical Assemblies of God; and in Dar es Salaam, three more church buildings were set on fire and another destroyed. "We shall continue attacking the churches until they are no more in Tanzania" was echoed in several mosques in Tanzania," said one source.
Rape and Murder of Christians
Egypt: Ali Hussein, a Muslim gang leader—accompanied with his two ex-convict brothers—broke into the home of a Christian family on a Sunday morning, demanding that Hiyam Zaki, a mother of two children, to "come and live with him." Earlier, Hussein had demanded that the family either pay him one million Egyptian pounds, or forfeit the Christian woman to him. Because the family had refused his demands, the gang opened fire indiscriminately, killing one of her relatives and her father. Earlier, to terrorize the inhabitants of the village, the Muslim gang went to the stables and slaughtered all the animals. Hussein was killed under the hail of bullets, although it is not clear who shot him. A Muslim mob then surrounded the hospital demanding revenge for the "Christian killing of a Muslim man," even as they chanted that Hussein the gangster is "the beloved of the Prophet." Similarly, although the abduction and forced Islamization of Christian minor girls is common in Egypt, especially with the ascendancy of Muslim Brotherhood, the case of 14-year old Sarah, who was kidnapped on her way to school by the son of a Salafi leader, actually caused a stir. After filing a missing persons report with police, Sarah's father received an anonymous call telling him that he will never see his daughter again. Security is believed to know the girl's whereabouts but is not acting. After several human rights organizations called for the girl's release, "the Salafist Front issued a statement on October 28, warning human rights organizations, especially the National Council for Women, not to attempt to return Sarah to her family, as she has converted to Islam and married a Muslim man." Moreover, Salafis projected Islamic mores on the Christian family by saying that if Sarah returns to her family, she will be "killed" by her father," to which her father replied, "I want my child back in my arms, even if she became a Muslim."
Nigeria: Up to 30 Christian college students were shot or had their throats slit at a university in the Muslim-majority north. During the night, masked gunmen went door-to-door in the off-campus housing section of Federal Polytechnic College in the city of Moby: "the gunmen separated the Christian students from the Muslim students, addressed each victim by name, questioned them, and then proceeded to shoot them or slit their throat." Among motives cited are reprisals against the fact that former Boko Haram Muslims, renouncing terrorism, converted to Christianity. Other former Boko Haram members have not converted to Christianity but have seen the "goodness of the Christian religion" and now warn Christians before there is an attack.
Pakistan: A 14 year-old Christian girl, Timar Shahzadi, was kidnapped by Muslim men as she was returning from school. According to the pastor close to the family, the girl was with friends when the abductors pounced and dragged her away, and her family fears that she will be "forcefully converted to become a Muslim and then married off if immediate steps are not taken." The family reported the incident to the local police station, but police have not yet conducted any investigation. Also, a court decreed that a Christian girl, known as Rebecca—who was kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam, and married to her abductor—to be returned to her kidnapper "husband," despite her father's pleas and the girls traumatized presence in court. And 24 year-old Shumaila Bibi, another Christian woman, was "seized at dawn, forced to endure sexual abuse and to marry the young Muslim man who abducted her with the help of his family" and forced the woman to convert to Islam. Days later, Shumaila managed to escape. However, with the help of his family, her "husband" denounced her flight and, reversing the facts, reported her family as "kidnapping" her. The police accepted his version of the facts and opened an investigation claiming that the girl converted and married "of her own free will." The future of Shumaila is hanging by a thread. Kidnapping and forcing girls to convert to Islam and/or be sex-slaves sold to wealthy Muslims is a common occurrence in Pakistan. Read here for a list concerning the "Rape and Murder of Pakistan's Christian Children."
Sudan: Asia Omer, a Christian mother of seven, the youngest of which is four months old, was killed in an aerial bombardment near a church by "Sudanese government forces as they continue a ruthless campaign of ethnic and religious cleansing in the predominantly Christian regions of the Nuba Mountains." Another Christian mother of seven sustained a critical injury but did not receive medical care. Other Christians were also wounded in the bombing, including the teenage son of a church leader. "President Omar al-Bashir's forces have been targeting the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state, which has one of the largest Christian populations in Sudan, since June 2011. The Islamic regime is trying to 'cleanse' the region of non-Arabs and non-Muslims as Khartoum pushes forward its plans for a '100% Islamic"' constitution."
Syria: A Greek Orthodox priest, Fr. Fadi Jamil Haddad, was kidnapped by armed groups from among the opposition. Days later, his body, which was "horribly tortured and his eyes gouged out," was found dumped near the place he was abducted. Earlier, the kidnappers had asked the priest's family and his church for a ransom of 50 million Syrian pounds (over $550,000 euros)—a sum impossible to raise. A source of Fides condemns "the terrible practice, present for months in this dirty war, of kidnapping and then killing innocent civilians." Also, the last remaining Christian in the center of Homs, an 84 year-old Greek Orthodox, was killed, and the convent of the Jesuits hit again. A top Russian Orthodox official expressed the church's concern, saying "We are deeply worried by what is going on in Syria, where radical forces are trying to come to power with the help of Western powers. Where they come to power, Christian communities become the first victims."
Dhimmitude
[General Abuse and Suppression of Non-Muslims as "Tolerated" Citizens]
Bosnia: According to a new report, Christians are leaving the Muslim majority nation in mass "amid mounting discrimination and Islamization." Currently there are just 440,000 Catholics left in the Balkan nation, half the prewar figure. As standard in Muslim nations, "while dozens of mosques were built in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, no building permissions were given for Christian churches. The cardinal already waits 13 years on permission to build just a small church." "Time is running out as there is a worrisome rise in radicalism," said one authority, who added that the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina were "persecuted for centuries" after European powers "failed to support them in their struggle against the Ottoman Empire."
Egypt: On Al Hafiz TV, a Muslim cleric explained why it is that Christianity cannot be taught in Egyptian classrooms: because, among other things, it bans polygamy and divorce, and allows females an equal inheritance with the male -- all things that contradict the teachings and practices of the Muslim prophet. The cleric complained that, based on such Christian teachings, Muslim men who try to exercise their Islamic rights—including polygamy, double-inheritance, and easy divorce (including via text-messaging)—become "criminals, and the religion [Islam] that taught them such things taught them crimes." Two Christian boys, one 10 the other 9 years-old, were arrested under accusations from a local cleric that they defiled a copy of the Quran. After the boys were released, the Egyptian media, following the claims of the Muslim Brotherhood, credited President Morsi with their release, even though the boys' lawyer insisted that the Islamist president had nothing to do with their release.
Iran: Many reports more than usual, are appearing of Christian men and women, especially Evangelical Protestants and Muslim apostates, being "dragged to prisons". According to a council member of the Church of Iran house-church movement, "We have learned that at least 100, but perhaps as many as 400 people, have been detained over the last 10 days…. [I]t has become clear that Protestant Christians are now viewed as enemy number one of the state." Some of those arrested, after serving time and being tormented, are "forced to say that in exchange for freedom, they will no longer attend church services." At least five apostates were confined in cells housing dangerous criminals on charges of "creating illegal groups," "participating in a house church service," "propagation against the Islamic regime," and "defaming Islamic holy figures through Christian evangelizing."
Maldives: Customs officials at the Male' Ibrahim Nasir International Airport seized 11 books about Christianity, from a Bangladeshi expatriate who came to the Maldives via Sri Lanka. According to the Maldives Religious Unity Regulations, "it is illegal in the Maldives to propagate any faith other than Islam or to engage in any effort to convert anyone to any religion other than Islam. It is also illegal to display in public any symbols or slogans belonging to any religion other than Islam, or creating interest in such articles." Violation of the Religious Unity Act is subject to two to five years in prison and fines.
Pakistan: A 16 year-old boy, Ryan Stanten, was arrested on "charges of blasphemy, terrorism, and cybercrimes," because he forwarded text messages to his friends which were intercepted and deemed blasphemous by Muslims. Accordingly, a "furious Muslim mob" attacked the boy's home, setting furniture on fire and shouting "death to the blasphemer" and "kill Christian infidels." Other Christians in the region fled.
Saudi Arabia: Despite promises to reform school textbooks, the Saudi education system continues to indoctrinate children with hatred and incitement, especially against Christians and Jews. The textbooks teach – among a long list of hate-filled passages, all of which originate in the Qur'an and the Hadith [stories of the life and sayings of Mohammed] -- that "Christians are the enemies of the Believers" and that the "the Apes are the people of the Sabbath, the Jews; and the Swine are the infidels of the communion of Jesus, the Christians."
Switzerland: Muslims in the nation are complaining about a billboard campaign from Swiss International Airline, which has a logo taken from the Swizz flag, of a cross, with the words "the cross is trumps." According to the report, "Muslims in Switzerland have responded negatively to the advertising, which they believe promotes Christianity over other religions…. Many Muslims feel this Christian slogan (of Swiss) is a provocation and an assault against Islam." The airline maintains that its ad campaign does not carry any religious or political message—in fact, that the word "trumps" is a pun for a Swiss card game—and apologized for upsetting Muslims.
Turkey: A history textbook used in 10th grade classrooms portrays the nation's oldest most indigenous inhabitants, the Christian Assyrians, as traitors. Although objections were raised back in 2011 and the Turkish Ministry of Education eventually issued a statement promising to revise the texts in the next printing of the book in 2012, the books were reprinted without any changes. "In fact, the negative and slanderous portrayal of Assyrians has increased in the new edition. The book now not only portrays Assyrians as traitors in the past but says the Assyrians continue their betrayal of Turkey today."
About this Series
Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching pandemic proportions, "Muslim Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month. It serves two purposes:
To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
To show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.
Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws that criminalize and punish with death those who "offend" Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like dhimmis, or second-class, "tolerated" citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination.
Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the West, to India in the East, and throughout the West wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.
Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.