Bible Quotation for today/Warning against Prejudice
James 02/01-13: "My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance.  Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes.  If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,”  then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives. Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.  But you dishonor the poor! Who are the ones who oppress you and drag you before the judges? The rich!  They are the ones who speak evil of that good name which has been given to you. You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker. Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all.  For the same one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder. 12 Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment.
 

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Analysis: Sustaining the status quo In Lebanon/By:  Ariel Ben Solomon/J.Post/April 09/13
Iran and the Promising Prospect of Egypt/By: Hamad Al-Majid /Asharq Alawsat/April 09/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 09/13
CNN: Bahrain, first Arab country to put Hezbollah on terrorist list
Bahrain Wants Hezbollah Listed as Terrorist Group

Two Hizbullah Members Die in Syria as Party Buries Third on Monday

Salam Tours ex-PMs Ahead of Cabinet Formation, Says Seeking Govt. Comprising No MP Hopefuls

Parliament to Approve Urgent Draft-Law on Extension of Electoral Deadlines
Geagea: Saudi Arabia Had Nothing to Do with Salam's Nomination but Influenced Jumblat's Stance

Saudi Arabia Denies Halting Visas for Lebanese Laborers

Rahi, Fabius Meet in Paris, Stress on Disassociation Policy towards Regional Events

Al-Rahi before Traveling to Paris: Rival Parties Seeking to Strike Deal on Hybrid Law

Jumblat Rejects 'Political Maneuvering' over 1960 Law until Agreement on New One is Reached

Phalange Warns against Maneuvering around 1960, Urges Cabinet to Commit to Disassociation Policy

Raad Says 'National Interest Govt.' Suggested by Salam Opens Door to 'Serious, Honest Dialogue'

Franjieh Rejects Possibility of Forming Technocrat Government

KSA Hopes Salam's Assignment Contributes to Stability, Prosperity in Lebanon

Interrogations with Ain Zhalta Armed Group Kick Off under Supervision of Saqr

Relatives of Pilgrims Prevent Syrians from Heading to Workplaces

Madi Receives Names of 411 Suspects Involved in al-Madina Bank Scandal

Dar al-Fatwa slams call to boycott Islamic Council elections

NLP leader says to begin discussing election candidates

Saudi Arabia hopes for stability in Lebanon following Salam’s election

Tripoli feud, reignited
Syria rejects UN chemical team as proposed by Ban
Lebanon bloc leader says national interest govt will lead to dialogue

Arab press group laments persecution of journalists

Christians Killed, Mourners Attacked by Muslim Rioters in Egypt
Canada Concerned by Violence in Egypt
All Syria chemical arms claims must be probed: U.N.'s Ban
Suicide car bomber kills 15 in central Damascus

UNHCR Says Number of Syrian Refugees Exceeded 400,000 in Lebanon

Ban Says Syria Chemical Weapons Inspectors 'Ready to Deploy'

Syrian Army ousts rebels from E. Damascus, lifts threat to capital

Syria Rejects U.N. Chemical Team as Proposed by Ban

At Least 15 Dead in Huge Damascus Suicide Bomb
Margaret Thatcher, Britain's 'Iron Lady', Dead at 87

Arab Press Group Laments Persecution of Journalists

Bahrain Wants Hezbollah Listed as Terrorist Group
MPs' proposal to be forwarded to interior and foreign ministries
By: Abeed Al-Suhaimy /Asharq Alawsat
Shi’ite, Sunni Muslim and Druze Lebanese clerics listen to Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressing his supporters during a rally to commemorate Martyrs’ Day in Beirut. (R)
Manama, Asharq Al-Awsat—On Sunday, the Kingdom of Bahrain took a new step towards classifying Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, with the Bahraini government—at its weekly meeting—discussing a proposal submitted by the council of representatives last Wednesday to place the Lebanese party on its list of terrorist groups.
Samira Rajab, minister of state for media affairs and a spokeswoman for the Bahraini government, confirmed that the meeting, headed by Prime Minister Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, discussed the proposal on Hezbollah, which was put forth by Bahraini MPs. The proposal was then forwarded on to the kingdom’s internal and foreign ministries, in order to follow up and develop the necessary legal framework to implement it, in cooperation with the legislative authority. Rajab, speaking in response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat, said, “We are following international standards in this regard and we will apply them to protect Bahrain from the risk of terrorist organizations.” On Sunday, the Bahraini government spokeswomen appeared before members of the local and international media, and spoke about a variety of issues ranging from the ongoing national dialogue to economic affairs and security incidents. Returning to the issue of Hezbollah, the Bahraini government stressed that it is keen to protect its country’s internal front from external interference, especially from terrorist organizations that not only constitute a threat to Bahrain with their subversive acts, but to all member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The Bahraini MPs who submitted the request to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization released a statement supporting their move. They claimed that their request came as a result of “Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s increased activities, flagrantly interfering in the internal affairs of the countries of the region, becoming Tehran’s arm to export its revolution.”Although Bahrain’s latest step came during the visit of Canada’s foreign minister John Baird, who has encouraged Manama to move forward in its steps to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, Rajab rejected any link between the step taken by the Bahraini government and American pressure. She said, “The American initiative to place Hezbollah on the terrorism list has failed to get off the ground. Bahrain is genuinely suffering from these terrorist organizations.” Rajab considers the step taken by Bahrain on Sunday to be a step forward to protect the internal security of the kingdom from the danger of terrorist organizations. She added, “What happened is a step in the right direction, namely to do what is necessary towards these dangerous terrorist organizations.” Rajab concluded by saying that Bahrain will benefit from international experience in this regard.

CNN: Bahrain, first Arab country to put Hezbollah on terrorist list
The Bahraini cabinet on Sunday put Lebanon’s Shiite party Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations, CNN reported.The cabinet then referred the decision to the Interior and Foreign Ministries for implementation.
The Bahraini State Minister for Media Affairs Samira Rajab told CNN that “the decision was made by the the nation’s parliament, and will be implemented in accordance with international standards.”Rajad added that “the party, whose role opposing Israel has long since ended, started practicing terror that takes aim at Bahrain by training Bahraini nationals and provoking them towards acting violently against the state.”The Bahraini minister also stressed that her country “has evidence to back its accusations against the Shiite group.”Hezbollah has been on a United States terror blacklist since 1995, after a series of anti-American attacks including the bombing of the US embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut in the 1980s.Meanwhile, the issue is sensitive in Europe because of sharp differences in opinions that exist between member states.
The United States has urged the EU to join it in listing the group, saying the designation would make it harder for the organization to raise funds

Two Hizbullah Members Die in Syria as Party Buries Third on Monday
Naharnet /Two Hizbullah members fighting alongside Syrian government forces in the Qusayr area near the border with Lebanon were killed on Monday, a source close to the party said. "Two members of Hizbullah who went to Syria to fight against armed groups in the Qusayr sector have been killed," the source said. Meanwhile, MTV had reported earlier on Monday that heavy gunshots were fired during the funeral of Hizbullah member Hamza Ibrahim Ghamlush who died in clashes in Qusayr's countryside on Sunday. On February 16, three fighters trained by Hizbullah were killed in fighting in the same area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A Hizbullah source said at the time that the three were residents of Syria and had died defending themselves. But the two killed on Monday were residents of Lebanon, the source said, without revealing their identities.
However, MTV identified the two men as Hasan Nasreddine and Mohammed Haidar Haidar. The party has acknowledged that its members living in Syrian villages on the border with Lebanon have taken part in battles against "armed groups" in self-defense. But it refuses to discuss allegations by Syrian rebels that it has sent fighters from Lebanon to bolster the forces of its ally, Syria's President Bashar Assad.
SourceAgence France PresseNaharnet

Rahi, Fabius Meet in Paris, Stress on Disassociation Policy towards Regional Events
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi met on Monday with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius upon his arrival to Paris, and both men agreed on "the importance of abiding by the policy of disassociation towards regional events", the state-run National News Agency reported. Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5) said: “During his meeting with al-Rahi, Fabius voiced a clear political stance on the need that Lebanon continue its dissociation towards everything taking place in Syria”. Meanwhile, LBCI television said the patriarch discussed with the French FM the situation of Christians in the Levant. Al-Rahi called for the establishment of a Muslim-Christian alliance, VDL noted.“The talks also tackled the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon,” LBCI remarked. MTV revealed that al-Rahi will meet with former deputy PM Issam Fares later on Monday, who will throw a dinner banquet in honor of the patriarch. Paris is the first stop in al-Rahi's European and Latin American trip, during which the patriarch is scheduled to hold talks with top French officials, among them President Francois Hollande on Tuesday.
He will later visit the Lebanese expatriates in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Colombia.

Salam Tours ex-PMs Ahead of Cabinet Formation, Says Seeking Govt. Comprising No MP Hopefuls
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam began on Monday to tour former premiers in a protocol measure ahead of holding consultations with parliamentary blocs on the type of the government and the division of portfolios. Salam's first stop was the residence of caretaker PM Najib Miqati in Verdun. Following their talks, the PM-designate said: “I heard Miqati's viewpoint. I am in need for all expertise to confront the formation of the government.” The caretaker premier also wished Salam luck in his mission. “No doubt we take examples from the experience of former PMs,” Salam later said following talks with ex-Prime Minister Salim Hoss. He hoped for results “soon” in his efforts to form the cabinet. He later met with former PM Rashid al-Solh and then Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun at his residence in Rabieh. “I hope that the atmosphere of consensus that prevailed during my appointment will carry on for the formation of the new government,” he told reporters after the meeting.
“I hope that members of my government will not run in the elections and this requires an effort from all political powers. The FPM can play a major role to that end,” Salam remarked. In addition, he stated: “Seeing as the new government will be tasked with staging the elections, I hope that it will be given the chance to hold them away from political tensions.”He refused to delve into the details of the government-formation process without having completed the consultations with political powers.The premier-designate then held talks with former PM Omar Karami before heading to Beirut for talks with former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora.
In remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper, Salam expressed relief over the optimism that the rival parties have expressed. “I only heard positive and constructive attitudes,” he said.
Asked about calls to avoid political deception, Salam said: “We hope that everyone would steer clear of deceit and replace it with the spirit of cooperation.”
The PM-designate reiterated that the overwhelming support he got during the two-day binding consultations between parliamentary blocs and President Michel Suleiman should be reflected on the cabinet formation process.
Salam concluded his talks with ex-PMs by telephoning former premier Saad Hariri. Discussions tackled the latest developments and the cabinet formation process.
Salam, a Beirut MP, is known for his moderation but politically leans towards the March 14 alliance. After his appointment by Suleiman over the weekend, he said he will work for the formation of a “government of national interest.”The son of the former premier, Saeb Salam, said he supports the freedom of the Syrian people while insisting his country remain neutral in its neighbor's civil war.
He also said the priority would be to hold legislative polls.

Parliament to Approve Urgent Draft-Law on Extension of Electoral Deadlines
Naharnet/Parliament will most likely approve an urgent draft-law on Tuesday to amend the deadlines for the submission of candidacies to the legislative elections without canceling them.Speaker Nabih Berri called for the parliamentary session at 10:30 am Tuesday. MP Marwan Hamadeh, who is a member of parliament's bureau that met on Monday to agree on the parliamentary session, told An Nahar newspaper that controversial vote laws will not be on the agenda. “We will work to extend the deadline for the announcement of candidacies and limit parliamentary campaigns to one month rather than two pending agreement on a consensual draft-law,” Hamadeh said.“We will seek to find a solution so that the public opinion is not surprised after a few days by the announcement of uncontested winners,” he added. Deputy Speaker Farid Makari said after the meeting of parliament's bureau that several formulas on the extension of the deadlines for the parliamentary elections were studied. “We decided to meet again before Tuesday's parliamentary session to agree on a final formula,” he told reporters after the meeting held under Berri in Ain el-Tineh. According to An Nahar, the interior ministry has suggested a three-month suspension of the deadlines after which the elections should take place.
During this timeframe, the rival parties would agree on a new law or strike a deal to resort to the 1960 law that was used in the 2009 elections.
As a first step, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel has amended a decree - that calls for the submission of candidacies - from April 10 to 24, which allows parliament to find a solution to prevent the announcement of uncontested winners if no candidacies have been submitted for certain seats. Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan confirmed that Tuesday's session will only discuss the amendment to the decree that Charbel referred to the prime minister's office.In the decree, Charbel said that the elections cannot be held on time given the failure to form the authority that will oversee the elections and the lack of around $20 million of funds to organize the polls.
An Nahar said that most political parties have reached an understanding to postpone the elections for three months by holding them in September before the start of the academic year.

Geagea: Saudi Arabia Had Nothing to Do with Salam's Nomination but Influenced Jumblat's Stance
Naharnet ظLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea asserted on Monday that Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with nominating Beirut MP Tammam Salam to head the new cabinet, revealing that Riyadh had only influenced Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat's stance. "March 14 is the party that named Salam,” Geagea stated in an interview on MTV.
He elaborated: “When we named him, the kingdom welcomed the step, exactly like it would have welcomed any other candidate.” "Hegemony is the Syrian regime's specialty while Saudi Arabia is not a regime of hegemony, regardless of our stance on the Saudi regime, which is a Wahhabist regime but only inside Saudi Arabia,” he noted. “Saudi Arabia has endorsed the stance of neutrality towards the domestic Lebanese issues.” Geagea explained that Riyadh's role was to “convince Walid Jumblat of March 14's candidate in light of his reconciliation with the kingdom.”
Denying Jumblat's remarks that he had suggested Salam for the premiership, Geagea said: “Tammam Salam was first nominated by the March 14 forces and Jumblat joined the settlement later on and this is the truth”.
“(Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen.) Ashraf Rifi's name was raised over the last five days, and I was with such a nomination, but then we started discussing non-provocative candidates and Salam's name was suggested. (Former premier) Saad Hariri then told Jumblat there are two candidates -- Salam and Rifi -- and Jumblat picked Salam.”
Salam assumed the position of prime minister-designate on the second day of binding parliamentary consultations on Saturday after garnering a total of 124 votes by lawmakers.
The MP had paid a visit to Saudi Arabia, shortly before he was nominated for premiership, where he met with Hariri and Saudi Intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, sparking rumors that his nomination is part of a Saudi-sponsored settlement that includes the formation of the cabinet and the staging of parliamentary elections. "March 8 wanted to renominate (caretaker PM Najib) Miqati, but (Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel) Aoun did not accept the renomination," Geagea said.
"Miqati's resignation was a local issue because he was fed up and reports of an agreement over the Iranian issue are incorrect as the confrontation between the Arab states and Iran is still at its climax," he added.
Geagea pointed out that Salam was “the only person who showed solidarity with Christians in their boycott of the 1992 elections.”
“I seriously wish PM-designate Salam all success and he is a man of principles,” he added.
On the cabinet's formation process, Geagea said the new government must be tasked with staging the elections “as the PM-designate said.”
“Therefore any cabinet similar to the cabinets we saw in the past will not be formed before months and the elections would be postponed indefinitely,” he remarked.
The LF leader said “Hariri wants a technocrat cabinet and the rest of March 14 parties are close to this approach.”
"Amid such a critical political situation, do we need a political government that would collapse from infighting? The March 14 camp wants to seek the assistance of the army and U.N. forces on the border with Syria, would the other camp accept that in a political government?" he cautioned.
Turning to the issue of the electoral law, Geagea noted that “the battle is not the battle of the Orthodox law, but rather the battle of the new electoral law.”
“We've been seeking a consensual law since two months. It's a good thing that all Christian parties have agreed to seek a hybrid law,” added Geagea.
“A hybrid law would achieve good Christian representation and it is wrong to discuss the numbers because the fate of the country is at stake,” he went on to say.
He also stressed that the LF “does not have a problem with the independent Christians, but every person must bear responsibility for his choices.”

Analysis: Sustaining the status quo In Lebanon
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON 04/09/2013
Media and politicians label next Lebanese prime minister a "moderate," say Tammam Salam may be spared wrath of Media reports and local politicians describe the newly appointed Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam as a “moderate,” meaning he will most likely maintain the status quo and not cross any red lines of any one political faction.
The fact that Salam was chosen to form the next government demonstrates that Hezbollah was not able to force a more preferred choice into the position. Salam is a Sunni – a requirement for the prime minister position – who identifies most closely with the March 14 forces made up mainly of anti-Hezbollah Sunnis and Christians.
Salam’s “moderate” position as a status quo figure was illustrated in his recent statement: “I’m very clear about the resistance [Hezbollah]. The resistance is a national need in the face of all the threats we get from Israel, but that is something, and using the arms of the resistance internally is something else,” according to a report in The Daily Star on Monday.
He went on to state, “Even in the resistance field, the decision to make war or peace should be a national decision, not a factional decision.”
In this statement, Salam wanted to express his acceptance of the resistance while rejecting it at the same time, and qualifying his support for Hezbollah’s armed fighters with the caveat that they are aimed at Israel and not domestic targets. Then, in the same breath, he went on to muddy the waters by implying that Hezbollah cannot go to war against Israel without the approval of his government and the other factions.
He did the same when speaking about the war in Syria. In an interview on Saturday with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), Salam said that while he supported the Syrian Sunni rebel fighters, Lebanon should stay out of the Syrian crisis.
How he plans on dealing with his cognitive dissonance is yet to be seen.
The choice of Salam seems to be an effort to temporarily ease sectarian tensions in the country and go through the motions of negotiating a new government, seeking to confine disagreements to the negotiating table, for the time being, and prevent a fullblown conflict in the streets.
This reshuffling of the deck comes after several failed attempts of governing by former prime minister Najib al- Mikati.
Hezbollah prevented Mikati from doing anything that seriously challenged its own interests.
The suspected Hezbollah assassination in 2012 of Wissam al-Hassan, the director of the intelligence branch of Lebanon’s internal security forces, and the obstruction of appointments of certain people to government security positions effectively paralyzed Mikati from doing anything the terrorist organization did not like.
According to an article by Bilal Y. Saab in the Lebanese website Ya Libnan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the US pressured Mikati to continue as prime minister in order to maintain stability. But his reputation with his Sunni base was crumbling and as a result of his catering to Hezbollah’s wishes, he resigned. However, Saab goes on to say that the Shi’ite party is misreading the situation.“Hezbollah is on the verge of losing one major regional ally if [Syrian President] Bashar Assad goes.... Further, a confrontation between Iran and Israel and the United States over the nuclear issue could spell doom for the Shi’a party.”Hezbollah’s fear of losing its status, Saab wrote, has it working full-time to eliminate its opponents. This, despite having failed to understand that, because of Lebanon’s divided demographics, it is impossible for the country to enforce its will.
With the terror group wanting to focus with Iran on preventing Assad’s fall, it does not currently want to open other fronts.
The London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat carried an article on Sunday saying that Hezbollah accepted Salam’s appointment as pragmatic because he is seen as a figure who will not make provocative moves – meaning no big changes to the status quo. “The consensus over designating Beirut MP Tammam Salam to form the next Lebanese government shows that all sides at the moment want to avoid any confrontation or escalation inside the country,” the article stated.So, for the moment, the situation in Lebanon is on pause while Hezbollah and the opposition within the country continue their efforts at supporting their respective allies in the Syrian conflict.

Jumblat Rejects 'Political Maneuvering' over 1960 Law until Agreement on New One is Reached
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed on Monday his commitment to staging the parliamentary elections on time.
He rejected “political maneuvering over the 1960 electoral law until an agreement over a new one is reached.”
He made his remarks in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website. He remarked: “The 1960 law remains in effect until an agreement over a new one is reached and until an agreement is reached to stage the polls away from intentions to postpone them.”“Parliamentary elections are a central process in the transition of power,” Jumblat added.
Commenting on the appointment of MP Tammam Salam as premier-designate, he noted that he was right in labeling the government he is set to form as that of “national interests.”
“Such a cabinet should remain above all considerations and we will exert all efforts and support to help him achieve his mission during this critical political phase,” the MP stated.
“All political powers that nominated him should help facilitate his mission and cease making impossible conditions as had happened during past processes to form a government,” he remarked. “The current situation requires all political powers to halt bickering over ministerial portfolios and pave the way for the speedy formation of a cabinet, which will be faced with several missions,” Jumblat added.
The first of these missions should be “committing to the policy of disassociation from the Syrian crisis,” he stressed.

Phalange Warns against Maneuvering around 1960, Urges Cabinet to Commit to Disassociation Policy
Naharnet/The Phalange Party warned on Monday against trying to maneuver around the 1960 law before reaching consensus over a new draft, urging the adoption of the Baabda Declaration's principles after the formation of a new cabinet. "There is a wrong spread impression that a new law has been adopted through aiming at postponing constitutional time limits while the 1960's law has not been replaced yet,” the party said in a released statement after the political bureau's weekly meeting. It pointed out: “The political bureau is always holding talks and working on submitting an electoral draft law that assures just Christian representation and preserves national partnership”.Phalange Party deputy chief Sejaan Qazzi told reporters after the meeting that the party would accept a postponement of the elections "if a new electoral law was adopted”, noting that it is because this is the party's “top priority”.The politburo hailed the national consensus reached over naming Beirut MP Tammam Salam to head the new cabinet, hoping it would positively reflect on the council of minister's formation.
"We reiterate our support to PM-designate Salam and we hope he will be capable of forming a cabinet that can safeguard the country,” the Phalange said, stressing that it must draw its governmental Policy Statement from the principles of disassociation adopted in the Baabda Declaration. “The new cabinet needs to be able to face upcoming decisive stages such as the parliamentary elections”. The statement urged the new cabinet to pay special attention to the Syrian conflict, through disassociating Lebanon from the neighboring country's war and dealing with the “worsening crisis of refugees”.
“A rescue cabinet is one that is strong and effective and can deal with regional and international developments,” Azzi remarked. The Baabda Declaration was reached during the first national dialogue session that was held in June 2012 after a 19-month absence. The Declaration calls for political and media calm in Lebanon, supporting the army, and keeping Lebanon away from regional and international disputes.
The presidency announced Salam's election on Saturday after a meeting was held between President Michel Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri, during which the latter was informed by the president of the parliamentary consultations' details.The Beirut MP assumed the position of prime minister on the second day of the binding parliamentary consultations after garnering a total of 124 votes by lawmakers.

Syria Rejects U.N. Chemical Team as Proposed by Ban
Naharnet/Syria will not accept a chemical weapons team, as proposed by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons in the country's conflict, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
Ban has "suggested a supplementary mission allowing the mission to deploy throughout Syrian territory, which is contrary to the demand Syria made to the United Nations," a ministry official said, cited by state news agency SANA.He said "Syria can not accept such manoeuvres on the part of the U.N. secretariat general, bearing in mind the negative role that it played in Iraq and which cleared the way to the American invasion" of that country in 2003. The foreign ministry "regretted" that Ban had "given in to pressure from states known for their support of the bloodshed" in Syria, he said, referring to supporters of the two-year-old revolt in the country.
He said Syria had specifically requested "a neutral and honest technical team to visit the village of Khan al-Assal" in the northern province of Aleppo.
Ban said earlier on Monday that a U.N. inspection team was in Cyprus and ready to deploy to nearby Syria to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons in the conflict.
"I can announce today that an advance team is now in Cyprus, the final staging point" before the mission heads to Syria, Ban said in The Hague.
"The U.N. is now in the position to deploy in Syria -- in less than 24 hours all logistical arrangements will in place," Ban said after President Bashar Assad called on the U.N. to probe allegations rebels had used chemical weapons. "All we are waiting for is the go-ahead of the Syrian government to determine if any chemical weapons have been deployed," he added. "We are still in the process of discussing it with the Syrian government."
Syria asked for the investigation into its allegation that the opposition had used chemical weapons in Khan al-Assal on March 19. The rebels charge that government forces had deployed the munitions.
SourceAgence France Presse

At Least 15 Dead in Huge Damascus Suicide Bomb
Naharnet/A massive suicide car bomb ripped through the heart of Damascus on Monday, killing at least 15 people and littering a central street with dead bodies and the carcasses of charred cars.
"Terrorists detonate car bomb between Sabaa Bahrat Square and Shahbander Street," state television reported, adding that initial information suggested it had been a suicide attack."The preliminary toll from the terrorist bombing... is more than 15 martyrs and 53 injuries," the broadcaster added.
An Agence France Presse correspondent said the blast caused extensive damage and that intense gunfire was heard shortly afterwards. The blast damaged the AFP Damascus office, blowing out the windows, but no staff were hurt.State television broadcast scenes of devastation as huge plumes of thick black smoke billowed up around buildings in the area, partly obscuring them.
Dozens of vehicles were damaged, some crumpled almost beyond recognition, others with their windows blown out or cracked by the blast. Several were completely gutted, only their charred chassis remaining.
Firefighters rushed to the area, attempting to control blazes started by the explosion, which one state broadcaster said took place near a school, adding that children were believed to be among the dead and wounded.
The footage showed bloodied bodies with limbs askew and chunks of flesh strewn on the streets, with bystanders draping clothes or cardboard boxes over them.
One group of men worked to retrieve a body from a badly damaged yellow taxi, tugging at its jammed doors. A veiled woman wept as she walked from the scene, passing a man holding a terrified, sobbing young girl.
"I was in the street with my colleague when the ground shook beneath our feet," 32-year-old Anana told AFP, not far from Sabaa Bahrat Square.
"People started to scream 'explosion, explosion' and we saw a cloud of thick, black smoke emerge from the scene of the attack.""We have to stop this bloodbath! When we leave home we don't know if we'll return alive," sobbed Mayssa, who worked near the scene of the blast.
"We say to those behind these attacks that the Syrian people... will move forward to crush these armed terrorist gangs," Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi said, speaking to media at the scene.
The attack, which was not claimed by any group, occurred near the Syrian central bank, and security forces and the army quickly moved into the area to prevent people from approaching the site of the attack.
On March 21, a huge explosion ripped through a Damascus mosque killing at least 49 people, including a key pro-regime Sunni cleric. And a month earlier, on February 21, at least 83 people were killed in a spate of bombings in the city.Elsewhere, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that a U.N. inspection team was in Cyprus and ready to deploy to Syria to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons in the conflict.
"I can announce today that an advance team is now in Cyprus, the final staging point" before the mission heads to Syria, Ban said in The Hague. "We are ready."
"The U.N. is now in the position to deploy in Syria -- in less than 24 hours all logistical arrangements will in place," Ban said after President Bashar Assad called on the U.N. to probe allegations rebels had used chemical weapons."All we are waiting for is the go-ahead of the Syrian government to determine if any chemical weapons have been deployed," he added.
"We are still in the process of discussing it with the Syrian government."
Syria's conflict, now in its third year, is believed to have killed more than 70,000 people. On Sunday alone, 157 people were killed throughout the country, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog.
SourceAgence France Presse

Margaret Thatcher, Britain's 'Iron Lady', Dead at 87
Naharnet/Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the controversial "Iron Lady" who shaped a generation of British politics, died following a stroke on Monday at the age of 87, her spokesman said. Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron led tributes to Britain's first woman premier, a right-wing titan and key figure in the Cold War."It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," spokesman Lord Tim Bell said, referring to Thatcher's children.
The former premier, who led Britain from 1979 to 1990, suffered from dementia and has appeared rarely in public in recent years. She was last in hospital in December for a minor operation to remove a growth from her bladder.The former Conservative Party leader remains the only female premier in British history and was the 20th century's longest continuous occupant of Downing Street.
Her daughter once revealed that the former premier had to be repeatedly reminded that her husband Denis had died in 2003. She was told by doctors to quit public speaking a decade ago after a series of minor strokes.
"The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family," Buckingham Palace said. Cameron said: "It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Lady Thatcher. We have lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton."
Michael Howard, Conservative leader from 2003-2005, told Sky News television: "It's terribly sad news. She was a titan in British politics.
"I believe she saved the country, she transformed our economy and I believe she will go down in history as one of our very greatest prime ministers."
Right-wingers hailed her as having hauled Britain out of the economic doldrums but the left accused her of dismantling traditional industry, claiming her reforms helped unpick the fabric of society.
On the world stage, she built a close "special relationship" with US president Ronald Reagan which helped bring the curtain down on Soviet Communism. She also fiercely opposed closer ties with Europe.
Thatcher was born Margaret Hilda Roberts on October 13, 1925 in the market town of Grantham, eastern England, the daughter of a grocer.
After grammar school and a degree in chemistry at Oxford University, she married businessman Denis in 1951 and two years later had twins, Carol and Mark.
She was first elected to the House of Commons in 1959 and succeeded former prime minister Edward Heath as opposition Conservative leader in 1975 before becoming premier four years later.
Her enduring legacy can be summed up as "Thatcherism" -- a set of policies which supporters say promoted personal freedom and broke down the class divisions that had riven Britain for centuries.
Pushing her policies through pitched Thatcher's government into a string of tough battles, though.When Argentina invaded the remote British territory of the Falkland Islands in 1982, Thatcher dispatched troops and ships, securing victory in two month. SourceAgence France Presse

Syrian Army ousts rebels from E. Damascus, lifts threat to capital
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 8, 2013
In a series of lightning strikes, the Syrian army’s 4th Division-Republican Guard was able to drive most of the rebels out of the eastern suburbs of Damascus Monday, April 8, debkafile’s military sources report.
The division’s armored units cornered the rebel forces which had massed in the Ghouta suburb ready to take the center of Damascus. Few will survive the merciless pounding by the Syrian tanks and artillery. In two other eastern suburbs, Daria and the Sayida Zainab, the rebels were surprised while preparing to storm the international airport and made a panicky rush for the exits when they saw the Syrian forces driving toward them.
By this operation, Bashar Assad, aided by his brother Maher at the head of the 4th Division, were able to surprise the rebel forces in time to curtail their advance from the eastern suburbs on the center of Damascus and seat of government.Syria’s rulers owe this landmark success to the speed of their operation and the positioning of tanks and heavy artillery in the vanguard to lay down a hellish carpet of fire as they moved.
This tactic was almost certainly designed by Assad’s foreign military advisers, either Iranian or Russian, as the largest-scale military operation to be seen on the battlefield in Syria’s two-year uprising-turned-civil war.
The rebels fought back Monday with a suicide car bomb attack in the Sabaa Bahrat Square of central Damascus. At least 15 people were killed, many others injured and heavy damage caused dozens of cars and buildings. Although it was one of the most powerful explosions the war has seen, it did not slow the 4th division’s relentless advance on rebel positions.
The Syrian army’s victory pivots the war into a new phase by sharply reversing its low state just last Wednesday, April 3 when, in desperation, an unnamed officer warned the rebels and their leaders of “certain death” if they continued to advance on Damascus.This was interpreted as a threat of chemical warfare as a last resort after the 4th and 3rd divisions had failed to halt the rebel drive into the capital.
The message set alarm bells ringing in Washington, Jerusalem and Amman, who feared the use of chemical weapons was imminent.
This threat receded Monday with the Assad’s army’s success in repelling the rebel advance into the heart of Damascus. From this defeat, the rebels will need time to recover and regroup before they are in any shape to launch another onslaught on Assad’s center of government.The Syrian army’s Damascus operation was prepared a day in advance by extensive air force strikes Sunday on seven rebel-held downs in the South along the Israeli and Jordanian borders. They left at least 20 dead, scores of people injured and heavy damage to many buildings. Rebels under air attack in those towns found text messages on their cell phones saying, “The Syrian army is coming to get you.”The air assault kept the rebels from seizing border posts on the Israeli and Jordanian frontiers, which are still held by Syrian troops. They are also being chased out of their former strongholds in the capital by Assad’s tanks and artillery.

Iran and the Promising Prospect of Egypt
By: Hamad Al-Majid /Asharq Alawsat
Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former Iranian foreign minister, has recently become involved in the politicized issue of Egyptian-Iranian relations. He said, “The Muslim Brotherhood is closer to Tehran than any other Islamist group, and closer ideologically than any other Islamist current,” underscoring that “Iran supports the Muslim Brotherhood regime.”
Given the shrewd nature of Iranian politics, I doubt he was unaware that this type of comment would embarrass Mohamed Mursi and Egypt’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Mursi heads a country that is going through a transitional stage that is both critical and turbulent, and he is in urgent need of making amends with rest of the Egypt’s powerful Islamist factions.
These factions include the Salafist movement, which boasts significant sway in the Egyptian street and, more than any other group, has opposed Iranian attempts to spread its influence in Egypt. Velayati is aware that sectarian tension has reached unprecedented levels across the region. Iran has allied with Bashar Al-Assad’s regime on both an ideological and political level, willing to turn a blind eye to his crimes and the slaughter of his own people, which in turn has provoked outrage against the Iranian regime.
Velayati’s statement is embarrassing to the new Egyptian leadership, as evidenced by the quick reply offered by Muslim Brotherhood official spokesperson Dr. Ahmed Aref, who said, “The Muslim Brotherhood has nothing to do with Shia Islam, and it will never condone anything except Sunni Islam . . . The Muslim Brotherhood has repeatedly confirmed on numerous occasions that the Sunni faith is a red line which we will not allow anyone to cross. If there are any attempts by any faction to infiltrate Egyptian society, we will stop them.” He highlighted that relations between Egypt and Iran are, “ . . . political in nature and have nothing to do with religion whatsoever.”
Iran has adopted a method characterized by self-restraint and patience in its rapprochement efforts with the hitherto reticent Egyptians. Before Velayati’s comment, former Iranian president Khatami tolerated the awkward situation that Al-Azhar had put him in when while on a visit he was surprised by an unscheduled press conference after his meeting with the Sheikh of Al-Azhar. However, the biggest surprise came from the Sheikh of Al-Azhar’s adviser when, with Khatami at his side, he stated that Al-Azhar and the Egyptians reject the slandering of the Companions of the Prophet and that they will not tolerate any attempts to Shi’a-ize the Egyptian people. Iran also failed to take the hint when Mursi cut short his first visit to Tehran to a mere couple of hours and excused himself from meeting with the Supreme Leader and President Ahmadinejad. Moreover, during his speech in Tehran, Mursi praised the Four Caliphs, which was considered by some to be a breach of diplomatic norms.
All of this brings us to the conclusion that Iran’s long-term strategy to expand its regional influence had originally planned to start in earnest once the revolution in Syria had been crushed. It turned out instead that Syria itself was crushed, and consequently Iran needed to find an ally equal to or greater than Syria in strategic importance, and thus its gaze settled on Egypt. It is incumbent upon the Gulf, its governments, media, and cultural elites, to curb their frustration over the Brotherhood’s rise to power, and prevent Iranian rapprochement with Egypt. Opposing Egypt politically, economically, and in the media would only create a rift that will later grow into a chasm that Iran will certainly exploit. If Iran does succeed in expanding its influence over Egypt, the results would be disastrous for the entire region, and especially for the Gulf states.

All Syria chemical arms claims must be probed: U.N.'s Ban
By Anthony Deutsch | Reuters –
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - An advance team of U.N.-mandated experts has gone to Cyprus and is awaiting permission from the Syrian government to investigate allegations of chemical weapons attacks, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday. The move puts pressure on Syria to grant access to the team, as Damascus resists extending the investigation beyond a government claim that rebels used chemical munitions near Aleppo to include rebel claims that President Bashar al-Assad's government has used them. Syria's ally Russia has backed Damascus against demands from Western powers that the probe be widened. Ban made clear that he wanted an all-encompassing inquiry, saying it was the "firm principle" of the United Nations that investigators be granted access to all areas where chemical weapons were allegedly used. After meeting the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is providing scientists and equipment, in The Hague, Ban said an advance team was in Cyprus, ready to go to Syria within 24 hours. "All we are waiting for is the go-ahead from the Syrian government to determine whether any chemicals weapons were used, in any location," Ban said. "I urge the Syrian government to be more flexible, so that this mission can be deployed as fast as possible," he said. "We are ready, it is a matter of time." Ahmet Uzumcu, head of the OPCW, said the full mission would comprise 15 experts, including inspectors, medical experts and chemists. It will be headed by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, a former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq, whom Ban also met in The Hague. Sellstrom was to join the advance team on Monday. Ban said all serious claims regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria should be examined, and urged speed so that evidence was preserved. "The use of chemical weapons by any side, under any circumstances, would constitute an outrageous crime with dire consequences," he said. Britain and France want to broaden the probe to include Homs and Damascus, where rebels say state forces used chemical munitions. They also blame the government for the incident near Aleppo. Russia, which has used its veto-wielding seat on the U.N. Security Council to counter Western pressure on Syria, has suggested that Western countries are using the specter of weapons of mass destruction to justify intervention in Syria, as they did in Iraq. The OPCW, established to oversee the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, has helped to destroy roughly 80 percent of chemical weapons stockpiles declared by 188 members. Syria is one of just eight countries not to have joined, along with Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia and South Sudan. Syria is believed to have one of the largest remaining stockpiles of undeclared chemical weapons in the world, making it a priority security issue for Washington and its European allies.(Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Suicide car bomber kills 15 in central Damascus
By Oliver Holmes and Mariam Karouny | Reuters –
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb killed at least 15 people and wounded 53 in the main business district of Damascus on Monday in what the Syrian prime minister said was a response to army gains against rebels around the capital.
The bomb near a school in the Sabaa Bahrat district, which also houses the Central Bank and Finance Ministry, set cars ablaze and damaged buildings, state television footage showed.
A Damascus resident who described the blast as the biggest she had heard in the capital during the two-year-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad said large plumes of black smoke were rising from the Sabaa Bahrat district. Car bombs and attacks on civilians are commonplace in the Syrian conflict, which the United Nations estimates has killed more than 70,000 people, without so far producing a winner.
Each side has accused the other of using chemical weapons, among other breaches of international law, although it remains unproven whether such weapons have actually been fired.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said an advance team of experts had gone to Cyprus and was awaiting permission from the Syrian government to investigate the conflicting assertions.
After the car bomb blast, Syrian television showed footage of seven bodies in the street, including at least two charred corpses in the wreckage of an overturned bus. Other vehicles were still on fire, lined up in what appeared to be a car park. A woman with a blood-covered face was carried away on a stretcher. Panic-stricken women in long black dresses and headscarves ran towards the scene. Some children in school uniform were shown in bandages. The state TV presenter described the attack as unprecedented and said: "We only have one choice, either win or die."
Angry and terrified residents interviewed by the channel called for decisive army action. "Look at Damascus. Is this Damascus? Look what is happening to it," said a weeping man.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but each side blamed the other.
Russia said the blast occurred about a kilometre (half mile) from the Russian embassy and that Moscow "decisively condemns the latest cruel foray by terrorists whose criminal activity is killing and causing suffering among peaceful people".
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said the bombing was the second major "terrorist act" near the embassy in about six weeks, "which creates a real danger to the lives and security of its employees".
It said "extremist groups in Syria that resort to terrorist explosions and mortar attacks on residential areas must receive a consolidated and uncompromising rebuff from all members of the international community".
GOVERNMENT OFFENSIVE
Syrian insurgents based in the outskirts of Damascus have pushed into areas near the government-held heart of the city, stepping up mortar and car bomb attacks in recent weeks.
But rebels said the army had intensified attacks on villages in the rebel-held Ghouta area to the east of the city since mid-March, besieging some of them under siege to pin rebels back.
"The entrance of Ghouta from the north is under siege," said a rebel commander in the area. The military, he said, was trying to disrupt rebel preparations for a "big battle" to break into central Damascus, the seat of Assad's power.
Osama al-Shami, an activist from southern Damascus said Assad's forces had launched a big tank-led assault on eastern Ghouta from the side of the International Airport to the south.
If successful, he said, the offensive would dislodge rebels from their footholds around the airport and cut their supply line to eastern Ghouta from the southern border with Jordan.
Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said on state television that Monday's bombing was a response "to the great achievements of the Syrian army, especially in the Damascus countryside."
He said the Syrian army was "determined to go forward and will crush them", referring to Assad's foes.
In the divided northern city of Aleppo, where a military stalemate has lasted for months, government troops took the outlying village of al-Aziza, which sits next to the main highway and near the airport, opposition activists said.
They said the capture of the strategically important village could allow the army to push on into districts captured by insurgents in the south of the Syria's biggest city.
Syria's conflict started with peaceful protests against four decades of Assad family rule that were violently suppressed. An armed struggle ensued, forcing more than a million Syrians to flee abroad, and displacing millions more inside the country. U.N. chief Ban, who met the head of the global chemical weapons monitoring body in The Hague on Monday, said the U.N. investigators only needed a green light from Damascus.
"We are ready," he said. The full team will consist of 15 experts, including inspectors, medical experts and chemists.
"All we are waiting for is the go-ahead from the Syrian government to determine whether any chemicals weapons were used, in any location," Ban said. He urged the Syrian government to be more flexible so the mission could deploy as fast as possible. Syria has asked the United Nations to investigate an alleged chemical attack on Khan al-Assal village, near Aleppo, on March 19 which it blames on insurgents. The opposition, which says the government was behind the attack, wants the U.N. team's remit to include other alleged chemical attacks in Damascus and Homs.
Western powers back the opposition stance, but Russia has resisted broadening the U.N. inquiry. Ban said all serious claims about chemical weapons use in Syria should be examined.
"The use of chemical weapons by any side, under any circumstances, would constitute an outrageous crime with dire consequences and constitute a crime against humanity," he told delegates to a chemical weapons conference.
(Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in The Hague and Steve Gutterman in Moscow; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Canada Concerned by Violence in Egypt
April 8, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
“I am concerned by recent violence at Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo.
“We welcome the condemnation by President Morsi, and his commitment to protect the Coptic community following this troubling incident.
“It is our hope that increased dialogue will help quell any tensions that may exist.
“Canada believes in the fundamental right to practise one’s faith in peace and security, free of persecution and free of fear.
“Canada will continue to promote religious freedom and pluralism around the world through our newly established Office of Religious Freedom.
“Our thoughts go out to the friends and families of the victims.”
 

Christians Killed, Mourners Attacked by Muslim Rioters in Egypt

http://au.christiantoday.com/article/egypt-christian-killed-in-attack-on-coptic-mourners/15226.htm

 By: Morning Star News
Monday, 8 April 2013/(Morning Star News)Coptic Christians attending a funeral service here today for four Copts killed two days earlier in an anti-Christian rampage were in turn attacked themselves by at least 200 Muslim rioters. The incident, which started with a few dozen men pelting the mourners with stones, quickly escalated into a massive attack against Christians at St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Abbassia area of Cairo involving firearms, flash-bang grenades, tear gas, fire bombs and other improvised weapons, besides cars set ablaze.
A Morning Star News reporter observed that police took more than an hour to respond, and when they arrived, they did nothing to stop the attack. Instead, most stood and watched men throw rocks at the Christians gathered at the gates of the cathedral compound or hurl stones over walls at the Christians trapped inside.
Police also did nothing as the attackers scaled the walls of the cathedral compound. Morning Star News witnessed one police officer sitting in a riot-control vehicle who fired a tear-gas grenade into the cathedral compound. Multiple, military-style tear gas grenades, similar to the one the police officer fired, were shot into the compound with regular frequency.
Almost three dozen Coptic Christians suffered injuries in the attack, and one was thought to have been killed; Mahrous Hanna Ibrahim reportedly died from gunshot wounds.
Sunday’s funeral was held to remember the loss of four Christians killed Friday in a riot against Christians in Khusus, a poor section on the outskirts of Cairo.
During afternoon prayers, an imam in Khusus called for anyone who had a weapon to, “Kill the Christians and cleanse Al Khusus” of “infidels.” A mob formed over a couple of hours, according to numerous residents, and then swept through a Christian part of the neighborhood.
As they screamed “Allahu Akbar [God is greater],” the mob attacked a Baptist church building, and then moved on to a Coptic Orthodox Church. The Baptist church building wasn’t significantly damaged, but a preschool nursery run by the Church of St. George was destroyed. The mob also destroyed several Coptic-owned homes and looted several Coptic-owned businesses.
Victor Manqarious, 37, of Khusus, had just gotten off from work when the riot started. He parked his cab and was walking to his home across from the Orthodox church when the mob set on him, said Micheal Anis, Manqarious’ uncle.
“He was met by people who punched him in the eye, stabbed him in the neck and shot him in the head,” Anis said.
In addition to Manqarious, the identity of four others killed in the riot have been confirmed: Morqos Kamal Mitry, 25, and Essam Qadri Zakhary, 37, were shot in the chest. Marzouq Attiya Nessim, 45, was shot in the head. Mohamed Mahmoud, an 18-year-old Muslim, was found dead.
Relatives of those who were killed in the riot gathered Saturday night (April 6) outside a hospital morgue in downtown Cairo. They said that four other Christians had died in the attack, but their families chose to have them buried without autopsy on Saturday afternoon.
Origins of Attack
There were multiple versions of events leading up to the imam’s call on Friday (April 5) for Muslims to kill Christians.
Some villagers said a fight between a Coptic Christian and a Muslim man that led to the Muslim’s death was the cause. Others said that someone had painted graffiti on the outside of a mosque that resembled a cross but was actually swastika.
On Sunday afternoon (April 7), thousands gathered in St. Mark’s Cathedral for the funeral of the four who were killed. Noting the funeral had become part religious ceremony and part protest against persecution, the Rev. Raphail urged the crowd to remember that, “Blood shed for us makes us more faithful, and [we] insist on our faith.”
After the service ended, the four coffins were carried outside to waiting vehicles. People who had attended the service were watching vehicles depart when Muslims began throwing rocks at them from an alleyway lined with buildings five and six stories high that runs perpendicular to the road in front of the cathedral. At first the Copts outside seemed unaware of what was happening, but soon they started throwing stones back and taking cover behind parked cars.
The Coptic Christians seemed to make headway in the fight, but then someone among the Muslims began throwing flash-bang grenades down the alleyway into the crowd, which immediately caused a panic. The Copts ran into the cathedral compound and threw rocks to hold back the Muslims, who by then had poured into the streets.
Once back inside the compound, screaming matches broke out among Copts. One side urged the men involved in the fighting to respond in a Christian manner and not retaliate. The other side saw this argument as foolishness. After a group poured a box full of throwing stones at the feet of one woman, she began screaming for the youths and men to leave the rocks where they were. The response of the group was mixed.
The attack on the funeral and cathedral marks a shocking new low in persecution of Christians in Egypt. The cathedral compound is the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church, site of the Coptic pope’s home and a major, unifying physical symbol of the Christian faith in Egypt for Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians alike.
The attack also shows the boldness with which Christians are now being attacked in Egypt.
“It’s so sad, it’s very sad,” a 47-old-woman at the cathedral said who requested anonymity. “I’m so scared, but God is great; He is able to stop them.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4/8/2013 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that one Christian was killed and at least 21 were injured by Muslim rioters during a violent assault on mourners attending a funeral at St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Cairo on Sunday. The attack was the third day of anti-Christian violence in Egypt which has claimed five Christian lives.
A funeral procession held at St. Mark's Cathedral in Abbassia, Cairo honoring four Christians who were killed on Friday was attacked by a mob of some 200 Muslims on April 7. The assault started when Muslims began pelting mourners with stones on Sunday morning. This quickly escalated into a massive attack on the cathedral involving firearms, Molotov cocktails, and tear gas, Morning Star News reports. At least one Christian was killed from gunshot wounds and more than a dozen were injured.
Tensions leading up to the assault ignited Friday when youth spray-painted inflammatory symbols, including a swastika, on an Islamic institution that led to a quarrel with onlookers in Shubra el-Kheima, located just north of Cairo. The argument spiraled into a street fight involving automatic weapons, Deutsche Welle reports. Meanwhile, a local imam called on Muslims who own weapons to, "Kill the Christians and cleanse el-Kheima [of] infidels," during Friday prayers, Morning Star News reports. The mob attacked a Baptist church and damaged a nursery run by St. George Coptic Church, in addition to destroying and looting several Christian-owned businesses. Four Christians and one Muslim were killed in the violence.
"It was a problem between a few people. The church and others had nothing to do with it," Wagih Yacoub, a Coptic human rights activist, told ICC. "But, since one person was Christian, the Muslims decided to unleash their rage against the entire Christian community and the church."
Hundreds of Christians and sympathetic Muslims had gathered at the funeral procession, calling on President Mohammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party to step down from power. The protestors accused the Brotherhood of failing to protect religious minorities. "With our blood and our soul we will sacrifice ourselves for the cross," chanted protestors, according to The New York Times.
"The Brotherhood doesn't like Christians, it's that simple," said Yacoub. "They believe Egypt is their own country and that Christians are inferior, second-class citizens. It's in their books and a core value of their beliefs. Christians will never have freedoms until the Brotherhood steps down."

Jihad Erupts on Egypt's Christians, Again
Raymond Ibrahim
Over the weekend, Muslims launched yet another all-out jihad, replete with cries of “Allahu Akbar,” on Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority—also known as the original, indigenous inhabitants of Egypt, before Muslims invaded in the 7th century. Different reports are citing different sources as prompting this latest Islamic assault: some say Muslim children drew swastikas on a mosque, which prompted the imam and others to scapegoat and attack Christians; some say the source of the conflict is a feud between a Christian family and a Muslim family (over the latter’s sexual harassment of Christian girls).
Smoke rises near St. Mark Cathedral from Molotov cocktail attackWhatever the source or pretense of this latest jihad on Egypt’s Christians, the hate has led to the deaths of several Christians—including one Copt set on fire—and the wounding of hundreds. The next day, after the funeral of the slain Christians, Muslims again attacked and opened fire on Christians, this time in the St. Mark Cathedral, one of the most sacred spots for Copts.
Worse, various elements of Egypt’s military, police, and security, have not only failed to protect the beleaguered Christians, but, according to numerous sources, have even joined in the attack on the cathedral.
This should be unsurprising, considering the Egyptian military slaughtered some 23 Coptic Christians—including by intentionally running them over with armored vehicles—during the Maspero Massacre of October 2010, when Copts dared protest against the constant Islamic attacks on their churches.
Similarly, just as the White House issued a statement during the 2010 Maspero Massacre, saying “Now is a time for restraint on all sides”—as if to imply Egypt’s beleaguered and unarmed Christian minority needed to “restrain” itself against the nation’s military—one expects more whitewashing and relativism from the White House. For, just as the Obama administration tried to cover up the fact that the Benghazi attack, where American diplomats were killed by the same jihadi forces that Obama helped empower, so too will it naturally try to dissemble the fact that Egypt’s Christians are being terrorized and killed by the same Islamic forces—in this case, the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis, who routinely incite Muslims against Christians—it helped empower.
Because there is so much startling and disturbing information concerning this latest attack on Egypt’s Christians in the Arabic-language media—much of which will never make it to the English-language media—over the next few days, I will be combing through the many Arabic reports and videos to bring you the facts and details of this latest atrocity.

Lebanese Center for Human Rights
Press Release
Soldier Tortures in Private Female Domestic Worker
A member of the Lebanese military has tortured a female domestic worker whom he suspected of stealing his service weapon and jewelry from his home. The soldier initially identified several suspects, but then fifteen days after the theft he is alleged to have taken a female domestic worker – who had denied any contact with the missing items – to a house in the countryside accompanied by other individuals, and proceeded to hang the young girl upside down by her feet in the bathroom using handcuffs. He is also alleged to have subjected her to electric shocks during most of the night, as well as burns using a red hot knife, in order to force her to incriminate herself and admit guilt in the theft. 
Despite her complaints, and with traces of torture on her body, the domestic worker was sentenced to one year in prison for theft, and her appeal in court was dismissed.
Worse yet, at the end of the young woman's trial in early 2013, her employer refused to pay for her plane ticket to return to her home country. The CLDH (Lebanese Center for Human Rights) financed her repatriation, a full ten months after she had served her sentence. The CLDH requests that an investigation be launched in this matter, and that this member of the military be held accountable in a manner commensurate with the perpetrated acts. The Judiciary is requested to take all allegations of torture consistently and seriously, short of which egregious acts of this nature will continue.
Beirut, April 8, 2013
Press contact: Wadih Al-Asmar, Secretary General of CLDH: 70 950780