LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 16/2013

Bible Quotation for today/The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luke 18/09-14: " Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else.  “Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, ‘I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there.  I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.’  But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner!’  I tell you,” said Jesus, “the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.”

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
 Anniversary of Hariri’s Murder/BY MATTHEW LEVITT /The Weekly Standard/February 16/13
 Iran: Impossible Talks with the "Great Satan"/By: Amir Taheri/Asharq Alawsat/February 16/13
 The Muslim Brotherhood's 213-Year Revolution/By:Eric Trager/The Atlantic/February 16/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 16/13
 Security Sources Advise Hariri Not to Return to Lebanon, Expect Syria Crisis to Spill Over to Country
MP: Judiciary letting pharmaceutical criminals off the hook
Paris May Label Hizbullah as Terrorist Group in Light of Findings of Burgas Attack Investigation
 Berri calls joint committees to convene over vote law
Bahrain summons Lebanon envoy over Aoun remarks
Three soldiers injured in Arsal clash
 Mikati averts strike by turning wage hike over to Parliament
Hariri: Hezbollah arms root of all woes
 Sleiman rules out poll law that deepens divisions
 Grand Mufti Qabbani stays, for now: Mikati
 Turkish electricity barge arrives in Lebanon
Mashnouq to Jumblat: Army Doesn't Need 'Newly-Found' Support, You're Expert in Attacking Allies
 First Power-Generating Ship Arrives in Lebanese Waters, but Cannot Dock due to Logistic Problems
 Aoun: I Won't Advocate Any Law Other than Orthodox Proposal
 Saudi Daily Apologizes over al-Rahi Caricature
 Bahrain Minister Describes Hizbullah as 'Militia,' Accuses it of 'Terrorism'
 Syria Mufti Urges Lebanon Politicians to Learn from Rahi: Syrians Don't Want Assad to Go
 Mashnouq to Jumblat: Army Doesn't Need 'Newly-Found' Support, You're Expert in Attacking Allies
 Jumblat Travels to Saudi Arabia for 1st Time in Over 2 Years
 Higher Islamic Council Does Not Meet at Dar al-Fatwa amid ongoing Dispute with Qabbani
 Miqati Meets Arsal Delegation, Rejects Assaulting Army
 Franjieh Meets Arslan: Parliament Will Vote on Orthodox Gathering Proposal
 Economic Committees to Boycott Economic Dialogue after PM Schedules Cabinet Session for Monday
 Syrian rebels: Israel assassinated Iran commander
France mulls labeling Hezbollah a 'terrorist group'
Six powers mull easing gold sanctions on Iran
France considers recognition of Hezbollah as terror group
 Iran points finger at Israel for IRGC general’s death, vows revenge
 'Security prisoners disappear in Israeli jails'
Bahrain police find bomb on causeway to Saudi Arabia
 Interviewer: Pope said in August strength dimming
 Australia 'deeply involved' in Israel spy case: report
G20 seeks to banish 'economic warfare' fears
Iran Supreme Guide Calls on Mursi to Follow Khomeinist Political Model
Syrian National Coalition Sets “Guidelines” for Assad Talks
Clashes near Syria airports as army bombs Golan: activists
Canadian minister quits over inappropriate lobbying
 

Syrian rebels: Israel assassinated Iran commander
By YAAKOV LAPPIN, JPOST.COM STAFF 02/16/2013 / After Iran blames "Israeli agents" for killing of IRGC leader earlier this week, rebel faction also points fingers at J'lem. Israel was responsible for the assassination of a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander in Syria, a faction of Syrian rebels said Friday according to the Wall Street Journal.According to reports, the man was killed in his car while traveling from Damascus to Beirut. However, the Syrian rebels dispute this account, claiming that the Iranian commander, identified as Gen. Hassan Shateri, also known as Hessam Khoshnevis, had actually been assassinated on January 30, when Israel attacked a convoy and military factory in Jamaraya, Syria, near the Lebanon border.’The account seems in line with Iranian allegations that “suspected Israeli agents” carried out the attack.Syrian rebels have repeatedly accused Tehran of sending fighters to help Syrian President Bashar Assad crush the 22-month-old uprising, a charge Iran has denied. Iran has strongly backed Assad during the uprising in which the United Nations says nearly 70,000 people have been killed. Details of Shateri’s killing, which Iranian news agencies said happened on Tuesday, were sketchy and Iran’s envoy to Beirut drew a link with Israel. Forty eight hours after his death no rebel brigade had claimed responsibility. “He served the oppressed, supporting the resistance to Israel,” Iran’s ambassador to Beirut Ghazanfar Roknabadi told reporters as he received condolences from senior Lebanese officials.
“Assassinating this dear martyr is a clear sign that the Zionist enemy does not accept his successful work.”In Tehran, a funeral service was held for Khoshnevis on Thursday, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported, attended by senior Revolutionary Guards commanders.Tehran’s IRNA news agency said Shateri was a military engineer during the 1980-88 conflict between Iran and Iraq, and later operated in Afghanistan.

France considers recognition of Hezbollah as terror group
Following Bulgarian investigation pertaining to Hezbollah involvement in Burgas terror attack, France says if probe's final results prove link, country is to announce Nasrallah's organization as terror group; EU expected to back decision /Roi Kais Published: 02.16.13,/Ynetnews
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said Saturday that his country was considering to officially recognize Hezbollah a terror organization, if, as Bulgaria had claimed, the Shiite group turns out to be behind the terror attack in Burgas that killed five Israeli tourists last July, Lebanese Al-Nahar newspaper reported. Lalliot added that the European Union is also likely to address the issue, as the Bulgarian foreign minister is expected to present the final results of a probe into the Burgas terror attack in an EU summit meeting in Brussles next week. The Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov reiterated Friday his claim that two of the terrorists who carried out the bombing attack on a bus in Burgas, Bulgaria in July 2012 were Hezbollah operatives. "The Burgas bombers were maintaining part of Hezbollah's structures in Canada and Australia and had contacts with other representatives of this organization," Tsvetanov said in a Friday interview with TV7.Tsvetanov added that investigators know the names of the attackers and are following them through Europe. According to the French spokesman, if the Bulgarian probe introduces solid evidence pointing to Hezbollah's involvement in the terror attack, the European Union will unanimously back the decision to announce Hassan Nasrallah's organization a terror group. European diplomats told the Lebanese Al- Joumhouria newspaper that EU foreign ministers intend to discuss Hezbollah status in a Monday meeting in Brussels.
In case the organization is indeed announced a terror group, it is expected to face economic sanctions to thwart its terrorist activity.
Earlier this month, Bulgaria's Interior Ministry stated that according to an investigation, two individuals with links to Lebanon's terror group Hezbollah were involved in the Burgas bomb attack.
In August, the Netherlands said that the EU should follow the lead of the United States, which designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in the 1990s, a move that would enable the EU to freeze Hezbollah's assets in Europe.

MP: Judiciary letting pharmaceutical criminals off the hook
Now Lebanon/Future bloc MP Atef Majdalani said Friday that the judiciary was not currently punishing criminals complicit in the pharmaceutical drug scandal rocking Lebanon’s health sector.“The judiciary charged eleven people, including Abdel Latif Fneish, in the drug forgery case. Will arrest warrants be issued against them? Why have they not been issued yet?” the head of the Parliamentary Health Committee said in an exclusive interview with NOW.“No measures were taken against [the companies involved in the scandal], and they continue to do business normally.”Earlier Friday Abdel Latif Fneish—the brother of Hezbollah minister Mohammad Fneish—surrendered to authorities after an arrest warrant was issued against him for his alleged involvement in a pharmaceutical forging ring. Majdalani also asked if “arrest warrants will be issued against the eleven people, [other than Fneish], charged in the case.”He added that Atef Latif Fneish’s surrender to authorities on the same day an arrest warrant was issued against him “raises questions.” However, the MP did not elaborate further. The MP also called on the Health Ministry to immediately shut down the companies until the investigation into the matter was finished.Earlier Friday, First investigative Judge Jean Ferneine issued an arrest warrant against Fneish in a drug forgery case in which over 100 types of untested non-brand name pharmaceuticals were illegally imported into Lebanon.

France mulls labeling Hezbollah a 'terrorist group'
By JPOST.COM STAFF 02/16/2013/ Pending result of Bulgarian investigation into Burgas bombing, Paris could raise issue of Hezbollah at European Union.
France is considering labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organizing, pending the results of a Bulgarian investigation into a terrorist attack in Burgas which killed five Israeli tourists and their bus driver, according to a report published Saturday by the An Nahar daily. Last week, Bulgaria openly charged the Iranian-backed Hezbollah with having carried out the bus bombing. Deputy Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem responded that Israel was directing "allegations and incitements and accusations against Hezbollah" because it had failed to defeat it militarily. Related: 'Hezbollah will gain immunity without EU blacklist'The conclusions of the investigation, citing a clear connection to an attack on European Union soil, might pave the way for the EU to join the United States in branding Hezbollah a terrorist organization. French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Philippe Lalliot said Saturday that though the issue of labeling Hezbollah a terror group is not on the European Union agenda, the group could discuss it should one of the EU ministers propose to. Lalliot also criticized Bulgaria for failing to present any tangible evidence of Hezbollah involvement, despite clearly fingering the group as culprits. Meanwhile, Canada urged the EU to blacklist Hezbollah, the National Post reported. “We believe there is overwhelming evidence to suggest Hezbollah has been not just complicit, but actively carrying out terrorist attacks around the world in support of Iran,” a government official said. “We hope that the European Union will follow Canada’s lead.”
At a UN Security Council discussion on the protection of civilians in armed conflict on Tuesday, Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor renewed his call for Hezbollah to be designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union, as it has been categorized by the United States. “Make no mistake: Hezbollah’s sole purpose is to commit terrorist acts both inside and outside the Middle East,” Prosor said. “Calling Hezbollah a charity is like calling al- Qaida an urban-planning organization because of its desire to level tall buildings.”
Reuters and Michael Wilner contributed to this report

Mashnouq to Jumblat: Army Doesn't Need 'Newly-Found' Support, You're Expert in Attacking Allies
Naharnet /Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Nouhad al-Mashnouq stated on Friday that the issues of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and Hizbullah's arms are the basis of any national dialogue, saying that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat has become “a specialist in attacking his allies”."We were not the ones to say that who abandons the STL is a traitor,” al-Mashnouq noted in an interview with Future television, during which he replied to Jumblat's Thursday talk in a televised appearance.Jumblat had advised former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Thursday to keep away from the issues of the STL and Hizbullah's arms, explaining that these are “minor details in the midst of what is happening in the Middle East”.Al-Mashnouq said that the Druze leader's support to the army is “newly-found”, explaining that he fought the military institution and contributed to “dividing it”.
"No one can compete with Jumblat in his absurd elimination wars on the army,” he said, "The army does not need his support," al-Mustaqbal MP stated.Mashnouq said the al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc's statements were clear regarding (the Bekaa town of) Arsal's incident and about the military institution's role.
He remarked: “We called for referring the case to the legal authorities and for lifting the imposed siege on the town”. “Both demands were relatively achieved and we are awaiting for the transparent investigation to reveal who is behind the incident,” he added, urging political factions in the country to stop exploiting what happened for personal gains.
Responding to the PSP leader's comments on the situation of “vacuum and chaos” in al-Mustaqbal movement, al-Mashnouq said only the prominent political figures in the party decide on the relation with Jumblat during the upcoming elections, not the supporters.“Meanwhile, (Former Prime Minister) Rafik Hariri's supporters blame al-Mustaqbal leaders for still believing in what Jumblat says or does,” he revealed.

First Power-Generating Ship Arrives in Lebanese Waters, but Cannot Dock due to Logistic Problems
Naharnet/The first of two power-generating vessels arrived in Lebanon on Saturday a week after it set sail to Lebanon.The “Fatmagul Sultan” arrived in Lebanon's regional waters, but it failed to dock in Beirut Port due to “logistic problems,” reported the National News Agency.The ship therefore cannot become functional until the "technical" problems are resolved.NNA said that the ship is currently anchored near the Zouk power plant and it “probably won't be able to dock in a port for days.”Reports in December had expected the ship to arrive in Beirut in April even though it was initially expected to dock in Lebanon in November 2012.
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil explained at the time that the delay was attributed to the government's failure to provide the costs of leasing the ships from Turkish power company Karadeniz.
The cabinet agreed in 2012 to lease power-generating vessels that would help provide 700 megawatts of electricity for a period of three years.
Lebanon has long suffered from electricity outages because of shortages at its power plants whose maximum capacity is less than 1,500 megawatts but the country’s actual need exceeds 2,300 megawatts.

Aoun: I Won't Advocate Any Law Other than Orthodox Proposal
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun criticized on Saturday sides claiming that the Orthodox Gathering electoral draft law is unconstitutional.
He told al-Mada radio: “I will not advocate any law other than the Orthodox Gathering proposal.” “Those criticizing the suggestion are the same powers that are controlling the Christian seats in parliament,” he noted.“Does the election of 64 MPs violate coexistence in Lebanon?” he wondered.“The only law that offers fair representation for all sects is the one that does not waste a single vote,” remarked Aoun.Addressing accusations of corruption against the March 8 camp, the MP said: “I don't have evidence that our allies had committed theft.” No settlement will be struck should any theft be found, he added.“I will not cover up for anyone if they have been found to be stealing public funds,” declared Aoun An electoral subcommittee has been meeting since January in order to reach an agreement over a new electoral law with discussions focusing on the Orthodox Gathering proposal and different versions of a hybrid law that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems. The Orthodox law calls for each sect to elect its own MPs under a proportional representation system based on a nationwide district.. The draft law was rejected by President Michel Suleiman, Premier Najib Miqati, the Mustaqbal Movement, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, and independent March 14 MPs.
It was criticized for fueling sectarian divisions. Different March 14 and 8 camp Christian parties had instead advocated the proposal, saying that it catered to the concerns of Christians in Lebanon.
The failure to reach an agreement over a new electoral law has sparked fears that the elections, set for June, may be postponed.

Bahrain Summons Lebanese Charge D'Affaires over Aoun's 'Irresponsible' Remarks as MP Defends Free Speech
Naharnet /Bahrain summoned on Friday the Lebanese charge d'affaires at the Lebanese Embassy in the Gulf state over remarks made by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun earlier this week, reported the Bahrain News Agency. Ibrahim Assaf was summoned over statements the MP made to Iran's al-Alam television on Wednesday, which Bahrain considered “irresponsible meddling in its internal affairs.” Undersecretary of Regional and Gulf Cooperation Council Affairs Hamad al-Amer presented Assaf with an official complaint over Aoun's statements, expressing his country's “great condemnation” of the remarks. He stressed the need for the necessary measures to be taken in light with the need to respect the fraternal ties between Lebanon and Bahrain. “The Lebanese government is obligated to issue an official statement to clarify its position from the remarks that do not serve the special fraternal relationship between the two countries,” reported the Bahrain News Agency. Aoun later responded to Bahrain's criticism of his remarks, by saying: “We have our own free opinion and enjoy freedom of speech.”He told al-Mada Radio on Saturday: “We support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Bahrain would incur a lot of criticism if it does not advocate it.”He noted the “massacres and takfiris” present in Syria, while highlighting the peacefulness of the Bahraini protests. “One must distinguish between a revolt that massacres and kills its people and another that demands their rights,” the MP said.The FPM leader had told al-Alam that the demands of the protesters in Bahrain are “fair and justified.”He criticized the Arab League and international community for failing to support the protests.Aoun added: “It's unfortunate that a peaceful revolution, which has been oppressed and going on for three years, has not been recognized enough by the world.”

The Muslim Brotherhood's 213-Year Revolution
Eric Trager/The Atlantic
February 15, 2013
Some believe Egypt's uprising began on January 25, 2011, but the Brotherhood begs to differ.
Two years ago this week, a popular uprising ended Hosni Mubarak's thirty-year reign. Egypt's revolution is still churning, of course, and that country is now deeply polarized between the ruling Muslim Brotherhood, which has embraced many of Mubarak's autocratic tendencies in its attempt to consolidate power, and a non-Islamist opposition that fears theocratic rule in Egypt. Yet the Brotherhood and its opponents don't only disagree on what Egypt's post-Mubarak polity should look like; they also apparently disagree on when Egypt's revolution actually started, and what Egyptians really revolted against.
Indeed, for the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's revolution has been going on for centuries, and essentially boils down to a long-term effort to resist western political influence and secularism, which it views as a foreign cultural import. To understand this hostile historical view, it is worth examining Muslim Brotherhood party leader Abdel Mawgoud Al-Dardery's recent talk at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Many think that the Egyptian revolution only started on the 25th of January [2011]," Al-Dardery told an audience of Washington policy wonks last week. "But I think the revolution was in the making for so many decades before that." According to Al-Dardery, Egypt's revolution took "213 years," beginning with resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798 and intensifying with resistance to Britain's invasion of Egypt in 1882.
"These two colonial attempts created a state of confusion not only in the Egyptian culture and political development, but also inside the Egyptian minds," said Al-Dardery, citing British controller-general of Egypt Lord Cromer's establishment of an Egyptian educational system to produce, in Cromer's words, "de-Muslimized Muslims." Al-Dardery then traced this foreign attempt to secularize Egypt in the writings of Egyptian thinker Taha Hussein, who "wrote a whole book about...which direction should Egypt take. Should it take the European direction or the Islamic direction? And in the writings of Taha Hussein, his vision was Egypt had to go European. It had to do everything the Europeans did in order to be able to create a new renaissance for Egypt."
According to Al-Dardery, Hussein's embrace of European values and development "was not...welcomed very much by the traditional thinkers and the Islamists at that particular time." But the 1952 military coup and the successive Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak regimes prevented Egyptians from providing "a popular answer" to the question of whether Egypt should embrace European secularism or Islamism.
Thus, Al-Dardery said, the significance of Egypt's 2011 uprising was that it represented the first opportunity for Egyptians to finally answer collectively, "What is the future of Egypt? Where Egypt should go?" And the Muslim Brotherhood's successive electoral victories have legitimized its preferred formula, which reconciles "the Islamic tradition with...Euro-American developments." Al-Dardery traced this approach back to late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Islamic thinkers such as Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida, as well as Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, who aimed "to take from Europe the best we could, add it to the best traditions we have, and try to create the third alternative."
It bears emphasizing that this "third alternative" takes "Euro-American developments" -- specifically western scientific advances and administrative procedures, such as electoral politics -- but uses them to advance the Brotherhood's "Islamic tradition," which emphasizes "instituting the sharia" and, thereafter, building a "global Islamic state." This approach makes it different from, say, traditional Salafists, who until recently largely rejected western advancements as illicit "innovations." But the Brotherhood's approach ultimately views western values -- such as political secularism and pluralism -- as imports against which, according to Al-Dardery, Egyptians have been fighting for 213 years. This is, of course, not what motivated most of the revolutionaries who bravely took to Tahrir Square two years ago, demanding political freedom and touting their ecumenism. But the Islamist organization that seized the revolutionaries' initial momentum has been fighting a very different battle for nearly a century, and Washington should note that the Brotherhood essentially views Egypt's revolution as part of an ongoing struggle against western influence and values. One of the Brotherhood's own spokesmen, after all, said as much in Washington.
**Eric Trager is the Next Generation fellow at The Washington Institute. Katie Kiraly, his research assistant, transcribed Al-Dardery's remarks.

Iran: Impossible Talks with the "Great Satan"
By Amir Taheri
Asharq Alawsat
Until a week ago, the global punditry was abuzz with rumors about a “grand bargain” between Washington and Tehran. The buzz started last month with President Barack Obama renewing his demand for talks with the “leadership in Tehran.”
Next, Vice President Joseph Biden went further by insisting that Washington wanted talks without preconditions. That meant ignoring five resolutions passed by the United Nations’ Security Council demanding that Iran stop aspects of its nuclear project. An expert in putting his foot in his mouth, Biden encouraged Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi to provide positive accompanying music. Then, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Islamic Majlis and a virtual candidate for the Islamic presidency, joined the chorus by welcoming talks with the US. A number of American pundits claimed that Obama’s personal charm and creative diplomacy was about to succeed where five previous US presidents had failed. Last Monday, however, that optimism was shattered when Ali Khamenei, the Khomeinist regime’s “Supreme Guide”, rejected any negotiations with the United States.
Some commentators inside and outside Iran have interpreted Khamenei’s stance as further proof that he has lost touch with reality.
A closer look at the context, however, might show that Khamenei’s stance is very much based on reality: his reality. Khamenei does not see Iran as a nation-state but as a vehicle for a revolution with global ambitions.
“I am not a diplomat,” he said amid cheers from a crowd of supporters. “I am a revolutionary.”The regime that Khamenei heads is not meant to act in the interests of Iran as a nation-state, but in the interests of the Khomeinist cause. Where the interests of Iran as a country clashes with those of Iran as a vehicle for revolution the latter ought to prevail. Thus any harm done to Iran as a country, and any sufferings inflicted on the Iranian people, should be tolerated as the price to pay for protecting the revolution.
Like other regimes with messianic pretensions, the Khomeinist regime is based on an ideology. On the surface, that ideology is built around one of the many Shiite versions of Islam. In reality, however, the hard core of the Khomeinist ideology is a rather primitive form of anti-Americanism. The United States is “The Great Satan” and, as Khamenei claims in his latest speech, “the core of evil in the world.”
Not surprisingly, Khamenei’s speech was more often interrupted by cries of “Death to America” than shouts of “There is no God but Allah!”For the past two decades at least, destruction of the United States has been an openly acknowledged aim of the Khomeinist regime. Every February Tehran hosts a conference on “The End of America” drawing a crowd of professional anti-Americans from all over the world including the United States. Since 1984 Khamenei’s office has financed a group of African-Americans “studying” the creation of a secessionist state for blacks.
Khamenei fears that normalization with the US could deprive his regime of the hard core of its ideology. If the slogan “Death to America” is set aside, what might take its place? Like other totalitarian ideologies, Khomeinism needs an external enemy that can be blamed for all that goes wrong. Thus, the US is blamed for Iran’s economic meltdown, mass unemployment and inflation.
Also like other totalitarian ideologies, Khomeinism has a low opinion of the capacity of “ordinary people” to know what is good for them. If relations are normalized with the US, the “ordinary people” would not be able to resist the seductive charm of America’s satanic culture. After all, before mullahs seized power in Tehran, the US was the number one destination for Iranians studying abroad. Today, the US is the biggest magnate for the Iranian brain drain. Even former Khomeinist officials do not resist America’s charm. Former Khomeinist ministers, ambassadors, Majlis members, mullahs and Revolutionary Guard officers are scattered all over the United States. Some have joined think-tanks but many more have set up businesses ranging from restaurants to import-export companies. Officials who do not defect to the “Great Satan” send their children there to study and, in time, obtain the coveted “Green Card” which is the key step to US citizenship.
Now imagine the re-opened US embassy in Tehran.
Who would prevent long queues formed by Iranians anxious to travel to the land of the ”Great Satan”?
Khamenei has always feared an American “cultural invasion”.In 1994 he led a nationwide campaign against American pop-music, T-shirts, baseball caps and videos and, in a vitriolic sermon, lambasted Michael Jackson as “the symbol of corruption”. Trying to jam satellite television broadcasting US-made programs has remained a top priority of the “Supreme Guide.”
In his latest speech, Khamenei warned that “those who want to restore America’s domination in this country” would be ”taken by the throat” and presumably strangled.
Khamenei deserves credit for his constant position vis-a-vis the United States. Talks might be acceptable only if they result in total victory for Iran as a vehicle for revolution. That would require an unambiguous surrender by the United States on a cluster of issues, starting with the acceptance of Iran’s nuclear project without any “ifs” or “buts”. Next, the US would have to abandon its regional allies, especially Israel, and terminate its military presence in the Middle East.
The more Washington talks of talks the less likely they become. Khamenei interprets Washington’s position as a sign of weakness that, in turn, justifies an even tougher Iranian stance in the hope of securing more concessions.
The problem is that, as a nation-state, Iran needs and craves normal relations with the US. As a revolution, however, normalization with the US would mean ideological suicide.
As long as Iran suffers from its historic schizophrenia, no one, not even Obama with his mystique and charm, could cut this Gordian knot through negotiations. To normalize relations with the US, and the rest of the world for that matter, Iran must first normalize itself, that is to say start behaving like a normal country rather than a vehicle for a mad ideology.

Iran points finger at Israel for IRGC general’s death, vows revenge
DEBKAfile Special Report February 15, 2013/The depth of Iran’s loss by the death of senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards general Hassan Shateri aka Hossam Khosh-Nevis was signified by the rank of mourners at his funeral in Iran Thursday, Feb. 15. Among them were Iran’s Defense Minister Ahmed Wahidi, Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi and Al Qods Brigades commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Gen. Shateri was in fact the live wire of the tremendous military effort Iran is investing in Syria for keeping President Bashar Assad in power, DEBKAfile’s Iran and Persian Gulf sources say. He acted additionally as the vital Iranian link in the military partnership between Assad and the Lebanese Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Iran is reported by Gulf intelligence sources to have initially drawn a veil of secrecy over the time and place of his death for fear exposure would force a military confrontation with Israel. They reveal that Gen. Shateri was in fact killed two weeks ago Saturday, Jan. 30, in the course of the alleged Israeli air strike against a Syrian military complex and arms convoy destined for Hizballah in Lebanon.
Those sources claim that that the Iranian general and two aides who were driving in the same car were the real targets of that air strike.
After the event, Damascus reported two people killed and five injured, without identifying them or releasing their photos as would normally have been routine.
Targeted assassinations by foreign hands claimed by no one are not unusual Syria. In February 2008, Hizballah’s security chief Imad Mughniyeh, who carried out many of the same functions for Tehran as Gen. Shateri, was assassinated in Damascus. Eight months ago, in July 2012, a mysterious explosion wiped out half of Assad’s inner circle, targeting the men running the war against the Syrian uprising.
Tehran was taken aback this time by the precise foreknowledge of Shateri’s movements and the accuracy of the attack, which presumed deep intelligence penetration in Tehran and Beirut as well as Damascus. Now, the Iranians appear to have decided not to take this setback lying down after all. Israel is in their sights for payback – either directly or through their allies, Syria or Hizballah, which both suffered loss from the general’s death.
DEBKAfile has learned that the IRGC general was in the process of rapidly establishing a small guerrilla army of 5,000 Revolutionary Guardsmen and 5,000 Hizballlah operatives for strengthening the defensive ring around Assad’s governing institutions in Damascus and its outskirts, secure the main Syria-Lebanon road routes and keep them open to free military movement between the two countries.
For Tehran, an open highway between Syria and Lebanon is an overriding strategic goal in view of its determination to get Hizballah’s stock of sophisticated weapons out of Syrian stores and across to Lebanon whatever it takes - despite Israel’s reported action to frustrate the transfer.
In Tehran, the influential IRGC preacher, Hojjat-ol-Eslam Mehdi Ta’eb, declared Wednesday in a sermon that Syria’s importance to the Islamic Republic is greater even than the oil region of Khuzestan in southern Iran.

Canadian minister quits over inappropriate lobbying
By David Ljunggren | Reuters
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan resigned unexpectedly on Friday after admitting he had inappropriately written a letter to a tax court on behalf of a constituent. Duncan leaves a month after thousands of unhappy natives mounted protests across Canada about poor living conditions.
Duncan is the first minister to resign on a point of accountability since the Conservatives of Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to power in early 2006 vowing to clean up Ottawa. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was formally reprimanded last month for urging the telecommunications regulator to grant a radio license to a company in his Parliamentary constituency. He kept his job. Duncan said he had sent a character reference letter to the court in June 2011 on behalf of a constituent who was dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency. "While the letter was written with honorable intentions, I realize that it was not appropriate for me, as a Minister of the Crown, to write to the Tax Court. I have therefore offered my resignation," Duncan said in a statement. Government ministers are not allowed to lobby regulators or other authorities in their capacity as cabinet members. The official opposition New Democrats said the case showed the government had ethics problems and complained that it was inconsistent for Duncan to resign and Flaherty to stay in his job."It seems like they're increasingly out of touch with everyday people in terms of how you apply fair rules," senior legislator Paul Dewar told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
WRITING TO JUDGE "A DEFINITE NO-NO"
A government official said there was a big difference between writing to a regulator about a radio license and Duncan's lobbying of the federal Tax Court. "Writing a letter to a judge ... is a definite no-no," the official told Reuters, referring to Duncan's case.Parliament is not sitting next week so the opposition will not have a chance to raise Duncan's resignation quickly in elected House of Commons.Although Harper is in no danger of losing power - the Conservatives have a majority of seats in the House of Commons and the next election is not until late 2015 - the resignation follows a series of setbacks. Earlier this week, a Conservative member of the upper Senate chamber was suspended after being charged with sexual assault. Two other Conservative senators are being probed over whether they claimed excessive expenses.Last March, the federal ethics commissioner ruled that Industry Minister Christian Paradis had violated ethics rules by telling bureaucrats to set up a meeting with a former Conservative legislator who wanted to do business with Ottawa.After the same commissioner reprimanded Flaherty last month, he said he had meant to send the letter in his capacity as a legislator and not as a minister. He blamed staff for the error. The government official told Reuters that after the Flaherty case, ministers had been told to review their correspondence. Duncan then discovered the tax letter and offered his resignation to Harper. "Minister Duncan was very involved in his portfolio ... I don't think any prime minister is happy to lose a minister," the official said.Aboriginal affairs is one of the trickier portfolios. Last month some native leaders said they were ready to damage the economy unless Ottawa addressed the poor living conditions and high jobless rates facing many of Canada's 1.2 million natives. Heritage Minister James Moore will take over Duncan's duties until a new minister can be named. Duncan, who had heart valve replacement surgery in December 2010, will continue to serve as a legislator representing his constituency in British Columbia.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

Anniversary of Hariri’s Murder
FEB 14, 2013
BY MATTHEW LEVITT /The Weekly Standard
Eight years ago today, February 14, 2005, former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated, along with 22 others, when a massive explosive detonated as his motorcade drove past Beirut’s St. George Hotel. European leaders were aghast, especially the French president, Jacques Chirac, who was particularly close to Hariri. Today, as many of those same European officials debate whether or not to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group over its recent operations in Europe, they should take to heart the fact that over a year ago a U.N. tribunal charged four Hezbollah members with Hariri’s murder, including the group’s current chief operations officer, Mustapha Badreddine.
For years, European countries have pushed off the issue of adding Hezbollah to the EU’s list of banned terrorist groups, citing the fact that the group had not carried out terrorist attacks on the continent since the 1980s. Sure, it raised funds across the continent hand-over-fist, and provided logistical support to operatives carrying out attacks elsewhere, but that fell below the European threshold, which is bombs exploding in Europe. Now, recent Hezbollah plots in Bulgaria and Cyprus in particular are forcing reluctant European leaders to seriously debate the issue of designating Hezbollah, in whole or just the so-called “military wing.”
Perhaps the greatest reservation European leaders have about banning Hezbollah, however, has nothing to do with the group’s activities on the continent but rather with concerns that blacklisting the group in Europe might further destabilize Lebanon, where Hezbollah is now one of the most dominant political parties. This is a well-founded concern, given the history of Lebanon’s devastating civil war. But upon further examination, it is clear no party has played a more destabilizing role in Lebanon over the past few years than Hezbollah.
In July 2006 Hezbollah drew both Israel and Lebanon into a war neither country wanted by crossing the U.N.-demarcated border between the two countries, killing three Israeli soldiers, and kidnapping two more in an ambush. In 2008, Hezbollah took over parts of West Beirut by force of arms, and attacked the Druze community in the Chouf mountains, turning its weapons of “resistance” against fellow Lebanese citizens, several of whom were killed. Hezbollah’s activities in Syria, where U.S. authorities describe the party as playing an active part in the Assad regime’s “killing machine,” have drawn that sectarian conflict across the border into Lebanon. Hezbollah members are accused not only of assassinating Hariri, but are also key suspects in the assassination of several Lebanese journalists, political figures and security officials, including General Wissam al-Hassan who was killed in a massive car bombing, like Hariri, late last year.
There are plenty of reasons why, as a matter of policy, European leaders need to carefully consider the ramifications of designating all or part of Hezbollah as a terrorist group. But no one should delude themselves into thinking that preserving Lebanese security is one of them. Time and again, Hezbollah has made it clear through its own actions that its commitment to Iran and Iranian interests trumps its identity as a Lebanese political movement. From political assassinations at home, to fighting alongside the brutal Assad regime in Syria, to bombing busloads of tourists abroad, Hezbollah is anything but a force for peace and stability.
An EU designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group is critically important, if for no other reason than the fact that it would send a clear message that the group can no longer muddy the waters between politics and terrorism. Only then, if and when Hezbollah forsakes violence for politics, can it play a stabilizing role in Lebanon or beyond.
As European leaders take a moment today to remember Rafiq Hariri, they should consider what they can do now to prevent further such atrocities in the future. High up on that list should be designating Hezbollah as a terrorist group, in the name of both European security and Lebanese security.
**Matthew Levitt directs the Stein program on counterterrorism at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and is the author of the forthcoming book Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God (Georgetown University Press, 2013).

Question: "What is the meaning of Lent?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: Lent is a period of fasting, moderation, and self-denial traditionally observed by Catholics and some Protestant denominations. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. The length of the Lenten fast was established in the 4th century as 46 days (40 days, not counting Sundays). During Lent, participants eat sparingly or give up a particular food or habit. It’s not uncommon for people to give up smoking during Lent, or to swear off watching television or eating candy or telling lies. It’s six weeks of self-discipline.
Lent began as a way for Catholics to remind themselves of the value of repentance. The austerity of the Lenten season was seen as similar to how people in the Old Testament fasted and repented in sackcloth and ashes (Esther 4:1-3; Jeremiah 6:26; Daniel 9:3).
However, over the centuries Lenten observances have developed a much more "sacramental" value. Many Catholics believe that giving something up for Lent is a way to attain God’s blessing. But the Bible teaches that grace cannot be earned; grace is “the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17). Also, Jesus taught that fasting should be done discreetly: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:16-18). Jesus’ command to “wash your face” seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on one’s face on Ash Wednesday.
Fasting can be a good thing, and God is pleased when we repent of sinful habits. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting aside some time to focus on Jesus' death and resurrection. However, repenting of sin is something we should be doing every day of the year, not just for the 46 days of Lent.
If a Christian wishes to observe Lent, he is free to do so. The key is to focus on repenting of sin and consecrating oneself to God. Lent should not be a time of boasting of one’s sacrifice or trying to earn God's favor or increasing His love. God’s love for us could not be any greater than it already is.
Recommended Resources: Logos Bible Software and A Hunger for God by John Piper.
What's new on GotQuestions.org?

The 'Epidemic' of Sexual Harassment -- and Rape -- in Morsi's Egypt
February 15, 2013 | Raymond Ibrahim
Since the “Arab Spring” came to Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood assumed power, sexual harassment, abuse, and rape of women has skyrocketed. This graph, which shows an enormous jump in sexual harassment beginning around January 2011, when the Tahrir revolts began, certainly demonstrates as much. Its findings are further supported by any number of reports appearing in both Arabic and Western media, and from both Egyptian and foreign women.Hundreds of Egyptian women recently took to the streets of Tahrir Square to protest the nonstop harassment they must endure whenever they emerge from their homes and onto the streets. They held slogans like “Silence is unacceptable, my anger will be heard,” and “A safe square for all; Down with sexual harassment.” “Marchers also shouted chants against President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails,” wrote Al Ahram Online
The response? More sexual harassment and rapes.
One woman recently appeared on Egyptian TV recounting her horrific experiences. On the program, she appeared shaded, to conceal her identity—less because she felt personal shame or guilt at what happened and more to protect her and her family from further abuses. She recounted how she had seen a Facebook notice that Egyptian women were going to protest the unsafe conditions for women on the Egyptian street and decided to join them on their scheduled march in Tahrir Square on January 25, the anniversary of the revolution. “I did not realize I would become the victim,” she lamented. When it started to get dark, her group heard that “strange looking men” were appearing and that it was best to leave the area.
During some chaos she was lost from her group. One man told her “this way,” pretending to help her to safety—“I was so naïve to believe him!”—only to lead her to a large group of men, she estimated around 50, who proceeded to encircle and rape her. “This was the first time someone touched me” quietly recounted the former virgin: “Each one of them attacked a part of my body.” Several pinned her down while others pulled off her pants and stripped her naked, gang-raping her for approximately 20 minutes. She explained how she truly thought she was going to die, and kept screaming “I’m dying!” In response, one of her rapists whispered in her ears: “Don’t worry. Take it,” even as the rest called her derogatory names she would not recite on the air.
Considering that in late November last year, when many Egyptians, including women, were protesting President Morsi’s Sharia-heavy constitution and the Muslim Brotherhood responded by paying gangs and thugs to rape protesting women in the streets, anecdotes like the above are becoming commonplace. Indeed, to appreciate the regularization of sexual harassment and rape in Egypt, consider the words of popular Salafi preacher Abu Islam, who openly, and very sarcastically, blamed the victims:
“They tell you women are a red line. They tell you that naked women—who are going to Tahrir Square because they want to be raped—are a red line! And they ask Mursi and the Brotherhood to leave power!” Abu Islam added that these women activists are going to Tahrir Square not to protest but to be sexually abused because they had wanted to be raped. “They have no shame, no fear and not even feminism. Practice your feminism, sheikha! It is a legitimate right for you to be a woman,” he said. “And by the way, 90 percent of them are crusaders [i.e. Christian Copts] and the remaining 10 percent are widows who have no one to control them. You see women talking like monsters,” he added. ... Continue reading.