LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 25 /12

Bible Quotation for today/Teaching about Vows
Matthew 5/33-36: "You have also heard that people were told in the past, Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do. But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.37 Just say Yes or No—anything else you say comes from the Evil One."

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Is a strike on Iran approaching/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 24/12
Iran: an overt threat to Gulf national security/By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat/September 24/12
Are the Salafis the bad guys?/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat/September 24/12

Iran threatens attacks on US bases in event of war
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI | Associated Press –
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A senior commander in Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard warned that Iran will target U.S. bases in the region in the event of war with Israel, raising the prospect of a broader conflict that would force other countries to get involved, Iranian state television reported Sunday.
The comments by Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who heads the Guard's aerospace division, came amid tension over Iran's nuclear program and Israel's suggestion that it might unilaterally strike Iranian nuclear facilities to scuttle what the United States and its allies believe are efforts to build a bomb. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Hajizadeh said no Israeli attack can happen without the support of its most important ally, the United States, making all U.S. military bases a legitimate target.
"For this reason, we will enter a confrontation with both parties and will definitely be at war with American bases should a war break out," Hajizadeh said in remarks that were posted on the website of Iran's state Al-Alam TV. U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan would be targeted, he said.
"There will be no neutral country in the region," Hajizadeh said. "To us, these bases are equal to U.S. soil."
The U.S. Fifth fleet is based in Bahrain and the U.S. has a heavy military presence in Afghanistan.
The Iranian warning appears an attempt to reinforce the potential wider consequences of an attack by Israel. The message is not only intended for Washington, but to its Gulf Arab allies that are fearful of a regional conflict that could disrupt oil shipment and cripple business hubs in places such as Dubai and Qatar's capital Doha.
It also comes during a major show of naval power in the Gulf by U.S.-led forces taking part in military exercises, including mine-sweeping drills. The U.S. Navy claims the maneuvers are not directly aimed at Iran, but the West and its regional allies have made clear they would react against attempts by Tehran to carry out threats to try to close critical Gulf oil shipping lanes in retaliation for tighter sanctions.
Despite Israeli hints of a military strike, Iran's military commanders believe Israel is unlikely to take unilateral action against Iran. The Guard's top commander, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said last week that Iran believes the United States won't attack Iran because its military bases in the Middle East are within the range of Iran's missiles.
Iran has also warned that oil shipments through the strategic Strait of Hormuz will be in jeopardy if a war breaks out between Iran and the United States. Iranian officials had previously threatened to close the waterway, the route for a fifth of the world's oil, if there is war.
Israel believes that any attack on Iran would likely unleash retaliation in the form of Iranian missiles as well as rocket attacks by Iranian proxies Hezbollah and Hamas on its northern and southern borders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says international diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions against Iran have failed to deter its nuclear ambitions, and he has urged President Barack Obama to declare "red lines" that would trigger an American attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, coupling his appeals with veiled threats of an Israeli attack.
Obama has rejected these calls, saying diplomacy and U.S.-led sanctions must be given more time and that Iran will never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. American officials have pressed Israel not to attack Iran unilaterally, a move that could set off regional mayhem just ahead of the November election.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is currently in New York to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly and could seek to use his speech and meetings later this week to highlight the possible risks — including sharply higher oil prices — if military action is taken.

Lebanese Christian-Muslim summit slams anti-Islam film
September 24, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A Christian-Muslim summit convening in Bkirki condemned Monday a recent film that insults the Prophet Mohammad and said an offense to one religion was an assault on all the others.
“The participants denounced ‘Innocence of Muslims’ that insults Islam and its prophet and messenger Mohammad ... They stressed that violating the sanctity of any religion is a violation to all religions,” a statement issued following meeting said
Participants at the summit included the heads of the major Muslim and Christian sects in the country, including Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, Deputy head of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabala and Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hasan.
The meeting was headed by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai.
Prior to opening the session, Rai told reporters “Innocence of Muslims” – a film that originated in the U.S. and insults the Prophet Mohammad – was offensive to Christians “as well as to every other religion” and said action was needed at the U.N. level to ban such acts.
“A resolution must be adopted at the international level to prevent the insult to religions,” Rai said,
Rai has repeatedly called on the United Nations to issue a resolution on the film, which sparked a wave of sometimes violent protests against U.S. and foreign embassies.
While criticizing the summit, those gathered at Bkirki also denounced the “violent reactions that led to innocent casualties and harm to Christians and places of worship in a number of countries.”
The summit members called for Arab and international action to end attempts of insulting religions.
“They called on the United Nations, the Arab League and all relevant associations to take resolutions to curtail the misuse of the freedom of expression and preventing insults to religions and their sacred symbols and the damage this causes to Muslim-Christian religions,” the statement said.
Following the meeting, Qabbani said he had suggested inviting all the foreign ambassadors in Lebanon to Bkirki and to urge such a demand at the U.N.
“Once the summit’s recommendations are formulated, it is suggested that copies be handed to ambassadors in Lebanon for their countries to support them in the U.N.,” Qabbani said in a statement issued following the meeting. The participants at Bkirki agreed to set up a legal committee made of experts in international law to work on a proposed draft and to look into measures of protecting “celestial religions from insults and harm under [the threat] of legal action.” The summit also discussed the Apostolic Exhortation for the Middle East which was signed by Pope Benedict XVI during a visit to Beirut in mid-September. The final statement issued following the summit also said that the gathering voiced relief and appreciation over the pontiff’s “historical visit to Lebanon that came at the right timing.”
The gathering agreed that the Pope’s message to the Lebanese was first and foremost a reminder that their country represented a space for “interaction and dialogue, and not an arena for conflict.”
“Despite the Lebanese internal situation and the concern over the regional changes, the pope still believes that Lebanon holds a historical and civilized message to the whole world,” said the statement.
The gathering also agreed on conveying the pope’s message to spiritual leaders in other Arab countries and stressed the need for both Christians and Muslims to remain in their land and confront migration that causes the country “to lose its finest youth.” During his visit to Lebanon, Pope Benedict XVI called for Christians and Muslims to unite against violence. He also called for an end to the supply of arms to both sides in the civil war raging in Syria.

Landmine blast north of Beirut kills one, wounds another
September 24, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: One person was killed and another wounded Monday in a landmine explosion north of Beirut, security sources told The Daily Star.According to the sources, the blast took place during excavation work on the Barbara road. The victim was identified as Rami al-Aweek, a man in his thirties from the town of al-Fouwar in Zghorta. The wounded, identified as Mohammad Wajih al-Duhaiby, was transported to a hospital in Jbeil, north Lebanon, for treatment. Investigations are underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Lebanese officer wounded in Beirut chase dies
September 24, 2012 12:14 PM The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A Lebanese Army officer, wounded while pursuing a wanted man in Beirut’s southern suburb last week, died of his wounds Monday.
A Lebanese Army statement said a funeral procession would be held Monday afternoon for Maj. Abbas Jomaa, “who died Monday after suffering critical wounds while carrying out a security mission in Ghobeiri.”On Friday, the Lebanese Army arrested Hasan Karaki, nicknamed Antar, after a chase in the southern suburb of Ghobeiri.
Karaki is wanted on several charges, including the attempted murder of Army soldiers and of being involved in a series of armed clashes with members of the Meqdad clan in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
In an earlier statement, the Lebanese Army said two officers and a number of soldiers were wounded during the pursuit for Karaki in Ghobeiri

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Sept. 24, 2012
September 24, 2012 /The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest.
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Monday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Ad-Diyar
Increase in flow of arms to Lebanon ...
Qatar primary source of arming
Security information made available to political officials said that the flow of arms to Lebanon is very high, with the amount of weapons almost half the size during the outbreak of the Civil War in 1975.
The sale of arms has become popular in all areas.
Weapons are coming via the port of Beirut and other ports, but primarily the port of Beirut. Ship manifests are being faked and the weapons – listed as clothes and other goods – are coming in.
The number of guns that entered Lebanon is estimated at 350,000, with millions of rounds of ammunition as well as thousands of rocket-propelled grenades.
An-Nahar
Mansour released after $600,000 ransom paid
Spiritual summit today to make statement about living conditions
Security remains a major concern in Lebanon, with the increase in kidnappings and bank robberies. These incidents are seen as a challenge to efforts exerted by security forces.
This prompted Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, who returned from India last night, to urge that “all arms, without exception, be controlled because the country is in a chaotic state and so are the weapons.”
“Is the spread of weapons everywhere [in Lebanon] logical? Is it logical for all politicians to stay home and not be able to go out?” Rai said.
Meanwhile, An-Nahar has learned from unofficial sources that Ali Ahmad Mansour, who hails from the Bekaa town of Gaza, was released after $600,000 ransom was paid.
Security forces had identified the kidnapper – Mohammad Saleh – through fingerprints but could not locate him.
Also in the Bekaa, the car of Mohammad Basil al-Mis, who was kidnapped over the weekend, was found after the captors removed the seats of the vehicle to hide evidence, investigators said.
At Bkirki, a Christian-Muslim spiritual summit will kick off Monday to discuss the deteriorating economic and social situation in Lebanon amid the government’s silence.
Al-Joumhouria
Controversy over Aoun convoy shooting incident, renewed kidnappings
Rai: Country is in state of chaos
Political concerns abroad will focused this week on several issues, foremost of which is the opening of the U.N. General Assembly in New York to discuss the Syria crisis and Iran’s nuclear program.
At the domestic level and in the absence of relative political activity – President Michel Sleiman readies to travel to South America at the end of September and Prime Minister Najib Mikati heads to New York to deliver Lebanon’s speech at the U.N. General Assembly – concerns remained focused on the security situation in the country.
Security concerns mounted in the wake of the latest development in the town of Arsal – when members of the Free Syrian Army attacked a Lebanese Army outpost – and ongoing kidnappings in Lebanon, the latest of which was the abduction of a man from Makseh, near the Bekaa city of Zahle.
Concerns were also voiced following the shooting incident which targeted MP Michel Aoun’s convoy as he returned home from Jezzine, south Lebanon.
Meanwhile, there was controversy over the shooting of Aoun’s convoy.
While the March 14 coalition voiced suspicions about the incident, the Free Patriotic Movement confirmed that a decoy vehicle belonging to Aoun’s convoy had been shot at.
However, security sources said there was no evidence so far that the convoy had come under fire.
Al-Mustaqbal
Charbel confirms shooting “but not sure when or where [bullet came from]”
Examination in Sidon invalidates claims
Aoun marketed his “electoral campaign" by inciting [hatred] against Future Movement
The flopped electoral film - MP Michel Aoun’s attempt to market that there was an assassination attempt against him when his motorcade passed in Sidon – has collided with irrefutable facts by security and judicial agencies in the southern city. It was clear that the purpose behind that claim was to [foment a culture of] incitement against the southern capital and its people and specifically against the Future Movement. Change and Reform MP Nabil Nicolas accused the Future Movement of “involvement” in the alleged attempt.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told Al-Mustaqbal newspaper that the "shooting was confirmed because forensic police who examined the car that belongs to Aoun’s convoy said the right door had been hit by a bullet. “But investigations have not yet determined the source of the fire or when the shooting took place,” Charbel said.

Obama snubs Netanyahu on Iran: My decisions - only what’s right for America
DEBKAfile Special Report September 24, 2012/ US President Barack Obama said Sunday night, Sept. 23 on CBS “60 Minutes” that he understands and agrees with Netanyahu’s insistence that Iran not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons as this would threaten both countries, the world in general and kick off an arms race. But he then added: "When it comes to our national security decisions – any pressure that I feel is simply to do what's right for the American people. And I am going to block out – any noise that's out there."
Obama went on to say: “Now I feel an obligation - not pressure but obligation - to make sure that we’re in close consultation with the Israelis on these issues because it affects them deeply.”
So, consultation? yes; cooperation? forget it. His comments removed the last hopes Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak may have entertained of cooperation with the US for curtailing Iran’s nuclear designs by military force.
The US president was crystal clear: By saying he will be ruled solely by American security interests, he showed them that they too were being left to be guided by Israel’s security interests. So forget about red lines for America, he was telling Netanyahu.
His blunt verging-on-contemptuous dismissal of Israel’s concerns as “noise out there” was not much different from the way Iran’s leaders referred to the Jewish state.
Their threats against Israel have different dimensions: On the one hand, they say that if Israel is even thinking of attacking Iran, it will be destroyed in a preemptive attack. On the other, Israel has neither the military capability nor the courage to strike Iran.
Asked on CNN Sunday whether he feared a war with Israel was imminent, Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said: "The Zionists are very much, very adventuresome… They seek to fabricate new opportunities for themselves and their adventurous behaviors."
Obama’ “noises” are Ahmadinejad’s “fabrications.”
The Iranian president had no need to explain how Iran would react, because the answer was broadcast ahead of his arrival in New York to address the UN General Assembly Thursday, by Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards missile section.
The general said Sunday: Should Israel and Iran engage militarily, "nothing is predictable... and it will turn into World War III" Addressing Iran’s Arab-language network, he said, "In circumstances in which they (the Israelis) have prepared everything for an attack, it is possible that we will make a pre-emptive attack. Any Israeli strike would be presumed to be authorized by the US. Therefore, “we will definitely attackUS bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan."
Tehran was therefore pulling against Obama by tying American and Israeli security interests into an inextricable bundle.
debkafile’s Jerusalem sources report that Netanyahu is now seriously considering calling off his trip to New York for a speech to the UN General Assembly scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 27. He realizes that by challenging US policy from the UN platform, he would lay himself open to criticism for gratuitous provocation of the president and interference in America’s election campaign weeks before a presidential election.
Obama’s Republican challenger Mitt Romney, in a separate CBS interview, attacked Obama’s reference to Israel’s legitimate concerns about a nuclear Iran as “noise out there,” calling it “just the latest evidence of his chronic disregard for the security of our closest ally in the Middle East.”
Earlier, Romney termed the president’s decision not to meet Netanyahu as sending a message throughout the Middle East “that we distance ourselves from our friends.”
As debkafile reported after that Obama snub, the wrangling with Washington has reduced Netanyahu’s options to start standing alone and making his own decisions.
Obama’s latest words underline this. The prime minister can no longer avoid his most fateful decision and one that is critical to Israel’s survival: to attack Iran and disrupt its nuclear program or live with an anti-Semitic nuclear Iran dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state and a threat to world stability.
For two weeks, the Israeli prime minister has dodged and ducked around the White House message. Instead, he has kept on bombarding Washington with high-powered messengers. They all came back with the same tidings: the US President is not only fed up with Israeli pressure but more determined than evade any military engagement with Iran.

Iran: an overt threat to Gulf national security
By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat
The statement issued yesterday by the Supreme Guide of the Islamic Republic [of Iran], Ali Khamenei, about ceasing the global activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force and confining its remit to the states neighboring Iran, requires our immediate attention. It must not pass by unnoticed because logically speaking, having analyzed the statement, the Supreme Guide is saying the following:
1- The Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force is currently carrying out external operations, as admitted by Ali Khamenei himself.
2- These operations are international in scale.
3- Khamenei has ordered the Quds Force's to focus its activities on Iran's neighboring states in the future, although he has failed explicitly name which ones.
Iran’s immediate vicinity includes Iraq, the Gulf States and Afghanistan. As for the states that lie within the scope of Iranian national security, these also extend to Turkey, Israel, Syria, Bahrain and Lebanon. It sounds as if the Supreme Guide is telling the Quds Force: Do not waste your time with Somalia, or with fighting Israel in Argentina, or with the Houthis in Yemen. Instead, focus your efforts on this smaller circle that is more important to Iran's national security.
If this is true, we can understand this move considering Iran's present-day priorities with its nuclear project and its consequences. The speculated Israeli military strike, the al-Assad regime's complicated situation in Syria, the political pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon and the crisis al-Maliki is facing in Iraq all are multiple stems of the same branch: "Iranian national security".
The Revolutionary Guards, the Supreme Guide's military arm, are these days considered a force parallel to Iran's regular army. Officially, their supreme commander is himself the leader of the Islamic Revolution. The Revolutionary Guards were established during the Ayatollah Khomeini era, with a subdivision for general mobilization commonly known as the "Basij". Now, they incorporate 95,000 regular soldiers and officers, alongside 300,000 reserve troops. The force is in possession of potentially devastating offensive weaponry including long and medium range missiles, modern tanks and fighter jets. A considerable part of these weapons are Iranian-made with Russian, north Korean and Chinese technical support.
It seems we are now facing an official and overt move from the highest Iranian authority to transform the Revolutionary Guards from a globally operating force to a regional one; to gather intelligence and fight battles within Iran's immediate vicinity. As such we cannot act as if Khamenei’s statement does not concern us, or as if it is a "purely domestic order" issued by the ruler of another country to his own troops, about a purely internal affair.
In summary, this statement represents an overt threat to Arab national security in general and Gulf national security in particular, especially at the time of al-Assad's massacres!

Is a strike on Iran approaching?
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Wars begin with words, and all indications today suggest that we have reached an advanced stage of Israeli decision making with regards to launching a military strike on Iran. Tehran itself has even become more expectant of this military strike, intended to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, and therefore today we now hear the beating of the war drums between the Israelis and the Iranians!
It is best for us to believe that we are now approaching the critical moments in terms of Israel’s potential decision to strike Iran, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that Iran had not yet crossed the red line, but was in the “red zone”. Officials in the region also believe that we have reached a critical moment, and there are other important indicators, such as the volume of statements about the situation in Syria but without any tangible action. This suggests that the Israeli decision to direct a military strike against Iran could be what is disabling any action towards Syria, because launching a military strike on Tehran would greatly affect the Syrian issue, especially if al-Assad is thinking about opening a combat front against Israel to ease the pressure on Iran, as we expect.
There are other important indicators that suggest we are approaching critical moments in the decision to launch a military strike against Iran. These are the recent Iranian statements at the military level, and they show that Iran’s generals, not mullahs, have become convinced that the strike is inevitable. Furthermore, their reactions show a sense of confusion more than confidence. Two days ago an Iranian statement said that in the event of Israel attacking Iran, it would mean the end of the Jewish state. Then yesterday there was another statement from the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, saying that if Iran believes that an Israeli strike is imminent, it might launch a preventative attack. The Iranian commander then claimed that such a strike would lead to a third world war, despite Iran saying the day before that a military strike would lead to the end of Israel!
These recent Iranian statements, within the space of one week, show the size of the confusion and concern in Iran, especially the statement that Iran may launch a preventative attack and that all US objectives in the region will be targeted. This statement alone actually serves to support Netanyahu in his political campaign in America, in order to convince President Obama, currently preoccupied with the US presidential election, of the need to take action against Iran now, which is what Obama appears to be rejecting at this moment. Indeed, Iran’s moves and statements could push matters toward another course, and could accelerate the strike which is now closer than ever. The end result would undoubtedly be a storm. Whatever the Iranians say, the strike would be devastating to Iran, and it would mean that for the first time during this era of Iranian tampering in our region, the game will be played on Iranian soil. Certainly this strike, if it happens, will not be easy, but it would change the rules of the game completely in our region. So the question is: Is our region prepared for such a severe storm, with its winds on the verge of blowing in our direction? I hope so, in the sense that our region, and us as its people, are like hostages in a war that we have nothing to do with, rather it is Iran’s war seeking to extend its influence in our region.

Are the Salafis the bad guys?
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed
Asharq Alawsat
More often than not, whenever a terrible act is committed in our region the Salafis are accused. Even before a single bullet was fired from the Syrian opposition, President al-Assad had attributed heinous crimes of slaughter and destruction to them, and claimed that it was the work of Salafis affiliated with Saudi Arabia and the West!
Prior to the fall of Hosni Mubarak, the voices of young revolutionaries in Egypt accused the Salafis of supporting Mubarak and the West, but then their ranks were blamed for the attack on the US Embassy.
In Tunisia, Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the ruling Ennahda movement, has previously praised the Salafis but has since begun to criticize them. Now he is calling on confronting them by force, with the former security forces of ousted President Ben Ali – now the forces of the Ennahda movement - pursuing them and surrounded their mosques, headquarters and leaders under the pretext that they were the ones who attacked the vicinity of the American Embassy and two American schools. In Libya, the Salafis face an even greater predicament having been expelled from the city of Benghazi with their political headquarters burned down, after being accused of the attack on the US Consulate and the killing of the US Ambassador.
Of course, there are many other serious events I could mention, such as the attack carried out by Salafi jihadist groups on Egyptian forces in Sinai, who then crossed the border with Israel and killed a soldier there. So are the Salafis actually the bad guys, and the Muslim Brotherhood the good guys?
Before we come to that, who exactly are the Salafis?
In my opinion, such terminology and names no longer really express the truth of the matter. The Salafis now represent the raw state of the Muslim Brotherhood; they are not like the old, traditional Salafis known for their hardline stances on social issues such as women’s clothing, beard shaving, the length of a man’s thobe, music and so on. The traditional Salafi did not have an opinion politically speaking, because they believed in the Wali al-Amr, i.e. absolute obedience to the governor or the state, who, as long as they did not prevent the application of God’s law, were responsible for the management of political affairs. This notion is now almost extinct. As for the new Salafis, they are the Brotherhood in its rudimentary form, i.e. they are the hardliners. The notions of Salafism and the Muslim Brotherhood have been intermingled in Afghanistan, and hence today we see the emergence of what are called the “Salafi jihadists” – militant religious groups, like the traditional Salafis, but with a political project, like the Muslim Brotherhood.
My opinion is that there is no such thing as an “Islamist” who is politically engaged or ascribes to a political ideology from the outset. Rather, what happens is that they encounter the discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood and slowly become more politically active under its influence, participating with money, votes or in person. Therefore I think it is perhaps partly correct to label extremist groups with terms such as political or jihadist Salafi, but the fact is that they are all Muslim Brotherhood entities in a rudimentary phase. After such groups mature ideologically, they will be labeled as Brotherhood affiliates or offshoots. In my opinion, this raw state is the most dangerous phase, even more so when the Muslim Brotherhood was an underground movement working outside of the spotlight. Now however, operating in broad daylight, the Brotherhood is a political party exercising its right in a legitimate manner like any other party. Of course, this theory is still doubted by many, and perhaps it is too early to confirm or disprove it until we see the performance of the Muslim Brotherhood over the next three years.
All Islamists are affiliated with the Brotherhood in some respect, whether they go by the name “Freedom and Justice”, “Salafis”, the “Ennahda movement” or even “al-Qaeda”. However, there are differing degrees within the Brotherhood, from the moderates such as Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh to the extremists such as Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Salafis in the Gulf have criticized the Muslim Brotherhood in order to distance themselves from them or in order to side with the traditional Salafis. Yet in the end, all of them are affiliated politically, and they all suffer the defect of those who resort to arms, denounce others as infidels – which can be even more dangerous, or exploit their position in the pulpit. Because of this, many demand a separation between men of religion and men of politics.

Suicide Bomber Strikes Nigerian Church
VOA/ABUJA — Nigerian authorities say a suicide bomber has killed two people and wounded more than 45 at a Catholic church in the northern city of Bauchi.
Twenty minutes after the blast, rescue workers transport injured worshipers to the hospital while women weep outside the church.
Handbags and ladies' shoes are strewn around the grounds, abandoned as parishioners fled. The suicide bomber’s burnt-out sedan near the cement walls surrounding the church is cut in half.
This woman says some worshipers at Saint John’s Catholic Church were leaving one service while others were arriving for the next service when the suicide bomber was stopped outside the gates.
Wants Nigeria to adopt strict Islamic law
Some politicians, criminals believed to be acting under Boko Haram guise
“I was very close to the gate and stopped to say hello to some people when this big bomb went off," she said. "And after that we heard others. I do not know how far. We have lost friends. It is just terrible."
Bauchi State Deputy Police Commissioner Steven Opitoju says the bomber was killed, along with an unidentified woman and a boy under 10 years old.
“They attempted to go into the church when the service was going on," he said. "Fortunately the barrier created and the security men prevented them from gaining church access into the church premises.” At the hospital, there are not enough beds for the more than 45 injured. Many victims are on the floor, some sitting in pools of their own blood. Red Cross workers and medics move from person to person.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the Islamist militant group known as Boko Haram has conducted similar attacks, bombing churches in several parts of the country.
Boko Haram has been blamed for 1,400 deaths since it began violent operations in 2009. Besides churches, the group has targeted security forces, government offices, the media and the local U.N. headquarters

US Senate Passes Resolution Against Iran's Nuclear Program
VOA/The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved a resolution that reaffirms U.S. efforts to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The senators on Saturday voted 90-to-1 in favor of the non-binding measure, which they said should not be interpreted as an authorization for the use of military force or a declaration of war. The decision comes a day after Senator Joseph Lieberman, the head of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security committee, accused Iran of sponsoring cyber attacks against major American financial institutions. The web sites of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup Inc. have been disrupted repeatedly over the past year due to a flood of incoming web traffic. Lieberman told U.S. television network C-SPAN on Friday he believes that the attacks were carried out by Iran's Quds Force, a unit of its elite Revolutionary Guards, not by random hackers. He said he believes the attacks were a response to "increasingly strong" economic sanctions that the U.S. and its European allies have put on Iranian financial institutions. The United States and several other Western countries have united to impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, which they suspect is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its uranium enrichment program is solely for peaceful purposes.

UN's Ban Says Syria to Top Agenda at General Assembly
VOA/September 23, 2012 /United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Syria will be on top of every leader's mind at this week's General Assembly session in New York. More than 120 world leaders will attend the annual meeting at U.N. headquarters to discuss and debate wars, political crises and humanitarian concerns. The major meetings get under way Tuesday. Mr. Ban says Syria will be on the top of his agenda. He says it is an issue that has to be addressed most urgently. The world is deadlocked on how to deal with the civil war in Syria, which has killed more than 20,000 people, mostly civilians. Russia and China have vetoed tough sanctions against the Syrian government in the Security Council, and the United States has expressed no desire for military intervention.
Other major issues expected to dominate the General Assembly include tensions between Israel and Iran, and the deadly protests over the anti-Muslim film made in the United States.

Clashes Continue Across Syria As Rebels Move Command Center
VOA/September 23, 2012 /Syrian activists say government and rebel forces continue to clash across the country, a day after the rebel Free Syrian Army announced it was moving its command center from Turkey to Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that most of the casualties from fighting Sunday occurred in the northern part of Syria. The Britain-based group also said the government was using aerial support to target rebel forces in central Homs province. A day earlier, the Free Syrian Army - formed mostly of military defectors - released a video saying it is moving its command to what it called "liberated areas" of Syria. FSA chief, Colonel Riad al-Asaad, said the group hopes to launch an offensive on the capital, Damascus.
On Sunday, a group of 16 Syrian opposition parties met in Damascus and called for an end to what it described as Syria's "authoritarian regime." Ambassadors from Iran and Russia - two countries that support President Bashar al-Assad - also attended the meeting. It is unclear how much sway this statement will have. President Assad's government strongly restricts criticism in the areas it controls, and the rebels fighting throughout Syria typically dismiss this so-called "internal" opposition grouping. The Syrian conflict is expected to be a main topic of discussion when the 193 members of the United Nations gather this week for the organization's annual General Assembly session. On Saturday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the international envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, discussed how to address what they called the "appalling levels of violence" in Syria and how to progress towards an inclusive political solution. They also said they hoped the U.N. session will increase support for addressing the grave humanitarian situation in Syria and its impact on neighboring countries.

Aoun says survives bid on life
September 24, 2012 /By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said he escaped an assassination attempt when his convoy came under fire in southern Lebanon in the latest of abortive bids targeting leading Christian politicians. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel confirmed one of several decoy vehicles belonging to Aoun’s convoy was shot at in the southern city of Sidon Saturday night when he was returning to Beirut following a visit to the Christian town of Jezzine.
“One of the convoy’s cars was hit with a bullet. Aoun was not in the targeted car and none of his bodyguards were injured,” Charbel told The Daily Star. A report by forensic experts who examined the convoy confirmed that one vehicle was hit with a bullet. “Investigation is trying to determine who was responsible for the gunfire,” Charbel said.
Aoun, a key ally of Hezbollah, said the perpetrators of the attempted attack would be identified, just as previous would-be assassins of the FPM leader were discovered.
“I have been exposed to three assassination plots [in the past] and the perpetrators were uncovered. This is the fourth one and we hope they will be uncovered,” Aoun told supporters in Batroun, north Lebanon, Saturday night after returning from the south. “Do not be concerned about the incident we encountered, which is to be expected, as I am addressing you now and I am in perfect health,” he said. Security sources also confirmed a shot was fired at a vehicle belonging to one of two decoy convoys accompanying Aoun during his return trip from Jezzine.
Aoun headed to Jezzine earlier in the day in a convoy of three cars. The three took separate routes during the voyage to and from Jezzine, where Aoun had earlier addressed supporters in an apparent primer for the upcoming 2013 elections.
Meanwhile, a probe was launched Sunday at the alleged site of the shooting incident in Sidon.
Sidon’s General Prosecutor Sameh al-Haj, accompanied by Lebanese Army Intelligence personnel, judicial police and the Internal Security Force’s Information Branch, conducted an investigation at the end of the eastern Sidon highway leading to Beirut – the alleged site of the shooting on the convoy vehicle.
Media reports said the shooting took place near the Bahaeddine Hariri mosque in the coastal city.
Before heading to the site of attack, which lies about 1 kilometer from the Bahaeddine Hariri mosque, Haj met officials at Sidon’s Justice Palace to discuss and review security reports of the incident. Haj listened to testimonies of residents and workers. Authorities are also conducting a search of nearby, unfinished buildings and an orchard as part of their probe.
Prior to his arrival in Jezzine, members of the Internal Security Forces and Lebanese soldiers, accompanied by police dogs, searched places Aoun was expected to visit.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is in New York to attend a U.N. General Assembly meeting, called Aoun to congratulate him on his safety following the shooting incident.
Mikati stressed that “relevant security apparatuses are stepping up their investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident and pursue the perpetrators,” according to a statement released by his office.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and other March 8 politicians also called Aoun to congratulate him on his safety. “Sayyed Nasrallah contacted Gen. Aoun to check on his health and congratulated him on surviving the assassination attempt,” Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station reported.
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai condemned the attack on Aoun’s convoy and thanked God for the FPM leader’s safety.
“We thank God’s hand, which saved us from all these problems. Hasn’t the time come to solve the security problem in Lebanon?” Rai told reporters at Beirut airport upon his return from India following a pastoral trip. “Is it logical for all politicians to stay at their homes, and they cannot come out? Is this Lebanon, which we call a country of coexistence and which we demand to be a land of civilizations and religions? And can we live in fear?” Rai asked. The attack on Aoun’s convoy was the latest reported security threat to prominent politicians in Lebanon, where divisions between the opposition March 14 coalition and the Hezbollah-led March 8 bloc over the 18-month-old uprising in neighboring Syria have stoked sectarian and political tensions.
Two other Christian politicians, Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, and Batroun MP Boutros Harb, Aoun’s political foes, have said they were the targets of assassination attempts earlier this year.
Geagea said shots were fired at his residence in Maarab, north of Beirut, in April; and Harb said security forces found a bomb in an elevator at his office building in July in another alleged assassination attempt. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Progressive Socialist leader MP Walid Jumblatt were reported to have taken precautions in their travels in Lebanon after they had been warned about security threats against them. Kataeb MP Sami Gemayel said he had also been warned by security forces of attempts to kill him.
Former PM Saad Hariri, leader of the March 14 coalition, has been living outside Lebanon for nearly a year and a half, mainly due to fears for his security.
Lebanon has also witnessed a spate of kidnappings of foreign nationals, reminiscent of the Civil War days, and in August a former Lebanese minister was charged with plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in the country, as well as assassinate religious and political figures.
Batroun Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra said he was the target of at least two assassination attempts and that his colleague, MP George Adwan, also faced similar risks.
“We have clear-cut information that another MP in the Lebanese Forces is threatened with an assassination attempt, and he is our colleague George Adwan,” Zahra told MTV in an interview Saturday.
“Security measures are being taken,” he added. Zahra, who moved to stay at Geagea’s residence in Maarab, said he was also the target of at least two assassination attempts. “There were at least two attempts in the most recent period ... this is why Samir Geagea insisted that my permanent residence be in Maarab,” he said.
Addressing his supporters at a dinner in Batroun, Aoun spoke briefly about the shooting. “Why do they want to assassinate me? I have not killed anyone, nor have I robbed anyone,” he said.
Referring to the FPM’s long-standing battle against corruption in the public administration, Aoun said: “We are taking the opposite course ... They are setting the entire [Middle] East and the Mediterranean Basin on fire. That’s what they want to do in Lebanon. But we in Lebanon have managed to stop this fire.”

Puppet, Lebanese FM, Mansour: Lebanon will reaffirm its disassociation policy at U.N.
September 24, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour said over the weekend that Lebanon will hold fast to its policy of disassociation from events in Syria during the U.N. General Assembly session scheduled for this week. “Since the beginning of the events in Syria, Lebanon has had a clear position – to not interfere in others’ affairs, and the Syrian situation in particular. Therefore, we have disassociated ourselves from decisions about Syria,” Mansour told reporters at Beirut airport prior to his departure for New York.
“It’s the right policy for Lebanon’s national unity, security and stability,” he added.
Despite criticism from the opposition March 14 coalition, Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet has maintained the policy of disassociation it adopted last year in the face of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanon’s political arena is divided between the March 14 coalition, which supports the Syrian uprising, and the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance, which backs the regime.
Mansour added that a series of meetings to accompany Tuesday’s General Assembly session will tackle issues concerning Lebanon and the Arab world.
He said that Mikati, who is heading the delegation, will hold meetings with several international officials that will focus on current events.
“On the sidelines, I will have meetings with several foreign affairs ministers of Arab and foreign countries. “We will discuss bilateral relations and other issues that concern the region, particularly the events in Syria and the Arab situation as a whole,” Mansour said. Media reports have indicated that Mikati’s speech at the General Assembly will affirm his government’s policy of disassociating Lebanon from the 18-month-old crisis in Syria. The prime minister will reportedly ask the international community to help Lebanon aid tens of thousands of displaced Syrians on its soil who escaped the violence in their home country. As for Mansour’s call for the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting aimed at discussing a film insulting the Prophet Mohammad, the minister told reporters that Arab foreign affairs ministers might meet in New York to discuss the issue.

Sleiman praises Army’s response to FSA attack
September 24, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman praised over the weekend steps taken by the Lebanese Army following an attack on the military by the Free Syrian Army in the northeast. “Sleiman hailed the actions taken by the Lebanese Army Saturday on the outskirts of Arsal to protect Lebanese territory and prevent it from being used by any side,” the president said Saturday in a statement, according to his office.
In an earlier statement, the Army said members of the Free Syrian Army attacked a Lebanese military post Friday night near the northern border with Syria. No causalities were reported.
“For the second time in less than a week, a unit from the Free Syrian Army [consisting of] a large number of gunmen entered Lebanese territory overnight via the outskirts of Arsal, where it attacked one of the Lebanese Army’s posts,” the statement said.
Following the incident, Army reinforcements were dispatched to the area, while soldiers began pursuing the assailants who escaped toward the mountains as well as some border towns, the statement added.
“The Army’s leadership affirms that it will not allow any party to use Lebanese territory to implicate Lebanon in ongoing events in neighboring countries,” the Army said.
Residents in Arsal, located 10 km from the border with Syria, told The Daily Star that earlier Friday the Army caught an unspecified number of members of the Syrian rebel group, but released them hours later due to pressure by the town’s notables. In his statement Saturday, Sleiman noted that the actions taken by the Lebanese military came within the framework of keeping Lebanon “neutral from the conflicts of others,” as per a recent Cabinet decision as well as an agreement by “all members” of the National Dialogue Committee.
Rival March 8 and March 14 politicians agreed during the first session of the National Dialogue in almost 18 months on June 11 to “keep Lebanon away from the policy of regional and international conflicts and spare it the negative repercussions of regional tensions and crises.”
The participants also agreed on the need to control the increasingly tense Lebanese-Syrian border, rejected the idea of a buffer zone between the two countries, and said a “base or corridor for the smuggling of arms and gunmen” would not be tolerated. In his statement, Sleiman called on border residents to “stand beside their Army and assist its members.”
He also urged them to abide by the agreements of National Dialogue, which stipulates a “keenness to control the situation along the Lebanese-Syrian border, prevent the establishment of a buffer zone in Lebanon, and prevent the country from being used as a base for smuggling weapons and fighters.”
Tensions have been running high on the 550 km long Syria-Lebanon border since the uprising began against President Bashar Assad’s government in mid-March of last year.
Syria has repeatedly claimed that rebel groups are operating in Lebanon’s border towns, and have asked authorities to crack down and prevent the smuggling of arms and gunmen.
Earlier this year, Lebanon’s Cabinet asked the Army to deploy heavily along the border and take all necessary measures to prevent smuggling.
The government’s decision in July came after Syrian shelling killed two Lebanese in the Wadi Khaled border region and in light of repeated Syrian incursions into Lebanese territory.
In its statement Saturday, the Army reiterated its determination to protect Lebanese territory, adding that it would respond with force to any violation regardless of the party behind it.

Siniora seeks assurances on Hezbollah arms use
September 24, 2012/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called on Hezbollah Sunday to reassure the Lebanese that its arms would not be used in any regional conflict, in a clear reference to the possibility of the party attacking Israel in response to any Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.The leader of the parliamentary Future bloc also stressed the need for Hezbollah to put its arsenal under the command of the Lebanese state in order for National Dialogue among rival factions to be productive. “What is needed is for Hezbollah to put forward a clear and unambiguous statement that its weapons are Lebanese and will not be used for regional purposes in any form or beyond the Lebanese will in order for us to commence dialogue,” Siniora told reporters at his office in Hilaliyeh, a neighborhood in the southern city of Sidon. Rejecting the presence of two powers – the state authority and Hezbollah’s arms in one land – Siniora said: “We say that these [Hezbollah’s] arms should eventually be put under the authority of the state, which must have the exclusive right to use them. This is what we are seeking from Dialogue.”
Siniora’s remarks came as officials from both sides of the political divide welcomed President Michel Sleiman’s proposal for a national defense strategy as a major step toward tackling the divisive issue of Hezbollah’s arms. During a National Dialogue session he chaired at Baabda Palace Thursday, Sleiman presented to March 8 and March 14 leaders a defense strategy that would allow Hezbollah to keep its weapons but place them under the command of the Lebanese Army, which would have exclusive authority to use force. Under the proposal, Hezbollah would not hand its arms over to the Army, as demanded by the opposition March 14 coalition, nor would there be coordination between the resistance and the Army, the defense strategy that Hezbollah has backed. The March 14 coalition has long demanded that Hezbollah surrender its weapons to the Lebanese Army. The resistance party has strongly rejected local and international calls to disarm, arguing that its arsenal was needed to face any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon.
Siniora criticized recent statements by Iranian officials that Hezbollah’s arms would be used against Israel if Iran’s nuclear plants were attacked by Israeli warplanes.
Reiterating that the Future bloc opposed any attack by Israel or another state on Iran, Siniora said: “But at the same time we cannot accept that our country becomes a launching pad for rockets and an arena to be used for purposes of confrontation. We reject that Hezbollah’s weapons be used to serve regional interests or regional battles.”
Siniora said his party would continue to attend National Dialogue, which he described as the “only way we can resolve issues that we are facing but on a clear and frank basis that we need to adhere to the rules of the Constitution, which sums up how the relationship among the Lebanese should be.”
He said Sleiman’s proposal for a national defense strategy would be deeply and thoroughly discussed and examined by the Future bloc.
“There is only one authority which has no substitute or competitor, that is the authority of the Lebanese state which must have the exclusive right in the issue of security and the issue of defending and protecting Lebanon and how to defend it,” Siniora added.
He recalled that decisions taken by previous Dialogue sessions have not been implemented, including the removal of arms from outside Palestinian refugees camps, the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian borders, the lack of consensus on the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the handover of four Hezbollah members indicted by the STL of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Meanwhile, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour praised Sleiman’s blueprint as a basis for the rival parties to reach agreement on a national defense strategy.
“We consider President Sleiman’s plan for a defense strategy as a basis for a national debate [aimed] at ironing out differences and urging all the parties to show modesty and reach an agreement,” Abu Faour told a ceremony in Rashaya. Abu Faour, who belongs to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt’s parliamentary bloc, said that while it was unlikely that the resistance would be disarmed, it was also unacceptable to strip the state of its authority and command. He added that “rejection” of Sleiman’s defense strategy proposal by both sides of the political divide indicated that it was “the right [proposal] that can produce a national accord on this divisive issue.”March 14 MP Marwan Hamade praised Sleiman’s proposal, but stressed that he was against any defense plan for the time being.
“Any defense plan now will consecrate the independence of Hezbollah’s arms from the Army, the state and the government’s decision,” he told MTV. Hamade said he supported placing Hezbollah’s arms under the authority of the government and the Army. “The decision on the use of [Hezbollah’s] arms should be taken by the Lebanese Army on political orders taken by the government,” he added.
Hamade said he opposed Hezbollah’s monopoly over the decision of war and peace. For his part, Future MP Ahmad Fatfat said he expected Sleiman’s proposal to lead to “a serious dialogue” on a national defense strategy if Hezbollah agreed to discuss the issue on the basis that its arms should be used only for defending Lebanon.
In an interview with MTV, Fatfat said Hezbollah’s failure to comment on recent Iranian statements meant that the party accepted what Iranian leaders have said. “This greatly contradicts with the contents of [Sleiman’s] proposal,” he said. Last week, the Future bloc strongly denounced remarks made by the top commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard in which he said that he had sent some Guard members to Lebanon and Syria. Sleiman has demanded official clarification from Tehran over remarks made by Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, who said his forces have a number of high-level military advisers in Syria and Lebanon. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied that Iran had any military presence in the region, particularly in Syria.

Pope visit must yield deeds, not just words
September 24, 2012/By Antoine Ghattas Saab/The Daily Star
The following is an interview conducted by The Daily Star with former Tourism Minister and head of the General Maronite Council Wadih al-Khazen.
Q: How do you assess the last National Dialogue session in light of recent local developments? A: First it must be said that what President Michel Sleiman is achieving is noteworthy. The most important achievement is Pope Benedict XVI’s historic Lebanon visit, which was very positive given the pope’s repeated calls for dialogue. [Dialogue is needed] to ensure sustainable political and economic stability and security, the country needs understanding among its people. Based on this need, the president is insisting that National Dialogue ... convene at Baabda Palace regardless of who attends because it is the only means to restore the state’s authority and the people’s trust in it. Sleiman, who always relies on the Constitution upon which he took his oath, is eager to increase the Lebanese people’s trust [in the government] as much as possible in order to reassure them of their present and future. That is his main concern.
As for the his proposal for a national defense strategy, it is very important because it is written in a way that satisfies the president’s conscience and suits all Dialogue participants. There is a great need for all those engaging in dialogue to study the proposal in detail and take its contents seriously, and look with a positive attitude at the suggestions the president included in the proposal in order to reach the necessary solutions and put an end to this turmoil. After that, officials can start improving the [country’s] economic and living situation which needs great care due to the deterioration which has taken place on all levels. Q: Are you satisfied with the pope’s visit to Lebanon and its results?
A: The pope’s visit must yield results and not just words. The experience we had in 1997 after Pope Jean Paul II issued the first Apostolic Exhortation was not good because we implemented only a little of the exhortation. We can summarize all the sermons and guidance Pope Benedict XVI gave us in one word and that is dialogue. Let us, Christians and Muslims, engage in dialogue and strengthen Lebanon’s stability because without it there are dangers that can harm our coexistence and destroy our country’s special characteristics.
Q: What is the latest on inter-Christian reconciliation and what is the fate of appointments?
A: The president and [Maronite] Patriarch Beshara Rai are always concerned with the fastest means to reach an inter-Christian reconciliation [between parties] and resolve this thorny and explosive issue, which we as Christians and as Maronites in particular have suffered from. In the General Maronite Council, we have sought to bring opposing views together and bridge gaps while coordinating with the president and patriarch in order to revive the situation of the Maronites and establish a renewed Christian role in and outside government that integrates with the Muslim role, which [also] represents an essential part of the Lebanese mosaic. As for appointments, it is strange and surprising that a country can continue without appointing civil servants in vacant posts, especially today when we have a great need to fill these posts given the ongoing delay in public institutions’ meeting people’s needs. If we look back, we see that since the country’s independence in 1943 we have always had problems with administrative appointments. But, now the president has developed a mechanism, in agreement with premier Najib Mikati and Speaker Nabih Berri, that will allow appointments to take place based on qualifications