LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 06/2013

Bible Quotation for today/Honor your father and your mother
Exodus 20:2/Fifth Biblical commandment: "Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you"
Proverbs 23:22: "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old".

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources

March 06, 2013/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri launched Wednesday a scathing attack on Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, accusing him of acting on Syria’s behalf at the Arab League, and reiterated his claims that the Lebanese government served the interests of Damascus and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.
“The Syrian regime has found someone to speak on its behalf at the Arab League and Lebanon's foreign minister has executed this dark mandate which is incompatible with the fundamental basis of Arab solidarity and erases all claims related to the policy of disassociation,” Hariri said in a statement. During a meeting in Cairo, Mansour called on the Arab League to reinstate Syria as a member of the organization in order to help find a political solution to the bloody conflict in Lebanon’s neighbor. Damascus' Arab League membership was suspended in November 2011.Hariri also reiterated his accusation that the Lebanese government served Hezbollah and Syrian President Bashar Assad. “The Lebanese are asking this government to unmask its true face and say to the Arabs and the world that it is the government of Bashar Assad and Hezbollah ... in Lebanon,” the opposition leader said. He also accused Mansour of carrying out orders for a political side in control of the government which he said forced Lebanon to take stances that jeopardizes its ties with other countries and its interests. The Lebanese government has a self-avowed policy of dissociating itself from developments in the region, particularly neighboring Syria. Voicing doubt over the Cabinet’s policy of dissociation, Hariri said Mansour’s request at the Arab League “summarizes very well the ugly role played by the Lebanese government in its approach to the bloody events in Syria.”The head of the Future Movement urged the government to clarify its position in light of the foreign minister’s remarks. “We not only voice our opposition to this stance and place it in the framework of obeying foreign orders, but we call on political parties entrusted with Lebanon’s safety and its Arab ties to publicly and fully reject the government’s arbitrary policy,” he said in the statement.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour urges Arab League to reinstate Syria
March 06, 2013 /Daily Star /CAIRO: Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour called on Wednesday for Syria's suspension from the Arab League to be lifted in order to help find a political solution to the conflict in the country.Damascus was suspended from membership of the Cairo-based League in November 2011, eight months into what began as a peaceful popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. "I call for Syria's membership of the Arab League to be unblocked," Mansour told a League ministerial meeting. "Communication with Syria ... is essential for a political solution."Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government is dominated by a coalition including Hezbollah and its allies who support Assad. Mikati, who has sought to follow a policy of "dissociation" from the conflict in Lebanon's dominant neighbour, has said his country would respect any decisions taken by the League over Syria. However, Mansour has been critical of the Cairo-based organisation's steps against Damascus. "We have held meetings over two years and taken decision after decision thinking that with them we will be providing Syria with security and stability by removing the regime and replacing it with another - while Syria sank into blood and destruction," said Mansour. Qatar, which has led efforts at the League against Damascus, blamed Assad for nearly two years of bloodshed in Syria in which an estimated 70,000 people have been killed."The person who brought a sea of blood is Bashar because he did not commit to the Arab decisions and did not cooperate with us," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani told the meeting. One million refugees have fled Syria, piling pressure on its neighbours, including Lebanon, which are struggling to support them, the United Nations refugee agency said on Wednesday.

West wants Syria destroyed: Jumblatt
March 06, 2013 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Low levels of military support to Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar Assad highlights Western aims to destroy the Arab state, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said in an interview published Wednesday.“The West will not change its position on what is going on in Syria. They want it destroyed,” Jumblatt told the local daily Al-Akhbar, citing poor arms supplies to Syrian rebels.
“Arms to the opposition only enters in trickles and only aims to prolong the war, which means more destruction,” he added. “The Syrian regime will not fall, but Syria will be destroyed,” he said. In response to a question, Jumblatt said he supported the Nusra Front, a radical Islamist group, against the government of President Bashar Assad. “I am with the Nusra Front against the Syrian regime,” he said, while stressing that the Syrian people have the right to deal with the “devil” to fight Assad, with the exception of Israel. The Nusra Front is a Syrian opposition brigade that has been labeled a terrorist group by the United States. On his anti-Assad stances that made him lose an overwhelming support of the Druze in Syria, Jumblatt said in his wide-ranging interview: “I don’t care ... my position is to protect them [Druze] as the Alawites will return to their mountains while the Druze live in a sea of Sunnis.” Turning to the thorny issue of an electoral law for the June elections, Jumblatt blamed Hezbollah for aiming to win an elections majority that excludes him. “The various opinions by the March 8 coalition toward an electoral law, appears to be an attempt by Hezbollah to win a parliamentary majority without me,” Jumblatt said. He described a recent electoral plan put forward by Speaker Nabih Berri as “Hezbollah’s proposal.”“The latest proposal by Mr. Berri is a Hezbollah proposal because it gives the party a parliamentary majority without me."“And for that reason, I will boycott any parliamentary session that does not look into a consensus proposal,” he said.
The PSP leader said a postponement of the elections would only be tolerated if it was a technical delay “because any political delay takes us to the unknown and hits the economy as well as investor confidence in Lebanon.”

Canada on Sad Anniversary of the Torture of Daraa’s Children
March 5, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
“On March 6, 2011, the Assad regime arrested and brutally tortured 15 children from the Syrian city of Daraa for having painted graffiti calling for Assad to go.
“This deplorable overreaction marked the beginning of the regime’s public attack against its children and its people. It galvanized Syrians to take to the streets to demand the removal of the Assad regime and to demand their fundamental rights. “The events at Daraa—and many more since—have shown the world that Assad is unfit to govern.
“His attempts to suppress the popular will have so far left 70,000 Syrians dead and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.
“The Syrian people deserve better. Canada supports their calls for a better, brighter future. We support calls for Assad and those supporting him to face a justice of Syrians’ choosing. We continue to urge all those with influence to use every means at their disposal to end Syria’s agony and bloodshed.”Canada is among the world leaders in helping those affected by the crisis in Syria. The $48 million in assistance committed by Canada is being delivered through humanitarian organizations and international agencies to deal with the most acute needs arising from the Syrian crisis, with a particular focus on refugees. Canada’s humanitarian assistance will not be delivered through channels by which it could risk being diverted to support the Assad regime inside Syria. Canada pays what it pledges and will be encouraging others to do the same.

FSA: Hizbullah Preparing to Send 5,000 Fighters to Homs
Naharnet/The joint command of the rebel Free Syrian Army on Tuesday accused Hizbullah of “preparing to send between 4,000-5,000 fighters to Syria via Homs over the next few days.”
“On Sunday evening, Hizbullah trained its members in the Western Bekaa area near the Lebanese town of Mashghara, in preparation for sending a new batch of fighters to Syria,” the joint command said in a statement.
The FSA accused the Lebanese party of “setting up monitoring positions and deployment centers, some of them near the eight Syrian border towns occupied by the party, with the aim of providing protection and controlling the international highway connecting Damascus, Homs and the (Syrian) coast.”The rebel group charged that “over the past three months, Hizbullah staged operations of sectarian cleansing in several border towns, especially Jousiyyeh, while dozens of houses were torched and thousands of residents were expelled.”The joint command warned that “the future of the neighborly and brotherly relations with Lebanon is in danger and all options will be on the table if the blatant aggression against Syrian territory and citizens does not stop.”The FSA stressed that “today, the problem is with the Lebanese state, not only with Hizbullah, and it has gone beyond that to become an Arab, regional and international issues.”“We will deal with it within this framework,” the statement added.The Syrian opposition has accused Hizbullah of intervening "militarily" on the side of the Syrian regime.
Hizbullah has systematically denied sending fighters into Syria, though its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged in October 2012 that party members had fought Syrian rebels but said they were acting as individuals and not under the group's direction.Nasrallah clarified that Hizbullah fighters have been killed while defending Lebanese-inhabited border towns inside Syria. He explained that there are 23 Syrian border towns and 12 farms that are inhabited by Lebanese residents of various religious beliefs, adding that around 30,000 Lebanese residents live in these towns.“The residents of these towns took the decision to stay and defend themselves against the armed groups and did not engage in the battle between the regime and the opposition,” Hizbullah's leader added.
Louay al-Meqdad, spokesman for the Supreme Council of the Free Syrian Army, has accused Hizbullah of shelling Syrian territory with artillery and rocket launchers from bases inside Lebanon.
FSA chief of staff General Selim Idriss has threatened to shell positions of Hizbullah in Lebanon. "Hizbullah has been shelling into villages around Qusayr from Lebanese territory, and that we cannot accept," Idriss told Agence France Presse.

Mansour Says Mustaqbal Wants Enmity with Syria 'while it Previously Sought Regime Support'
Naharnet/Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said on Tuesday that al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc demands the adoption of a position of enmity towards Syria “while they sought Syrian support in the past”.
"We will not adopt a hostile stand towards,” Mansour confirmed in an interview with al-Manar television. He noted: “It is not the first time that al-Mustaqbal calls for dismissing the FM". "The cabinet and the premier are their targets but they attack the ministry instead," Mansour pointed out. The FM's statement comes after al-Mustaqbal bloc had demanded earlier on Tuesday discharging the minister of his duties following comments made by Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali after meeting with him at the Bustros Palace. Ali had said on Saturday that the Syrian Army is responding to the sources of fire along the Lebanese border to preserve the country's stability. “The Syrian territories are attacked by gunmen, from various nationalities, who are entering Lebanon and violating the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria,” he said.
The violence in Syria has increasingly spilled over into Lebanon, with cross-border shelling in the north and east. Two men were killed last week in the Wadi Khaled area that borders Syrian in northern Lebanon.
Artillery, mortar fire and automatic weapons were used in battles between Syrian troops and fighters on the Lebanese side of the border overnight Saturday to Sunday, said a senior Lebanese security official.

Saqr Charges 5 Lebanese with Collaborating with Israel
Naharnet/Five Lebanese people have been charged with cooperating with Israel, reported the National News Agency Wednesday.It said that State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged the suspects with collaborating with the enemy before referring their case to First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghida.The five suspects are currently residing in the Palestinian territories.Two of them have also obtained the Israeli nationality.

March 14 Slams Mansour: His Statements Threat Lebanese Interests, Serve Assad's Regime
Naharnet/The March 14 General Secretariat slammed on Wednesday Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour's statement that called for withdrawing the suspension of Syria's membership from the Arab League, warning that “the positions of the Syrian chargé d'affaires in Lebanon are a real threat to Lebanon”. “His statements given under the title of the foreign ministry are a real threat to Lebanese people and their interests, especially in the light of the countries of Gulf Cooperation Council's reactions,” March 14 remarked in a released statement.It urged: “We call on concerned authorities to take all necessary measures and lift the political cover-up under which Mansour works to serve the interests of (Syrian President Bashar) Assad's regime”.Mansour had called earlier on Wednesday during a meeting of Arab foreign ministers to “return the Syrian government its seat at the Arab League after Arab states failed to resolve the Syrian crisis”.Qatar's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, snapped back at him, saying “Bashar (Assad) is responsible for the bloodshed in Syria.”
Prime Minister Najib Miqati responded to Mansour in a released statement, confirming that “the cabinet is still abiding by the disassociation policy”.

Judge Demands Hard Labor Life Sentence for al-Hayek in Harb Murder Plot
Naharnet/State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr asked on Wednesday for a sentence of life in prison with hard labor for a Hizbullah member in the attempted assassination of Batroun MP Butros Harb.
Saqr referred the request against Mahmoud al-Hayek to Military Examining Magistrate Fadi Sawan to issue the indictment.Sawan issued last month an in absentia arrest warrant for al-Hayek after Saqr charged him with the assassination attempt on Harb last year and with carrying out acts of terror. Harb, a March 14 opposition lawmaker, escaped the assassination bid after residents of a building in which his office is located in the Beirut district of Badaro discovered individuals trying to booby-trap the elevator.A string of high-level assassinations struck Lebanon between 2004 and 2008, targeting political, media and security figures who vocally opposed the Syrian government, including former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who was killed in a powerful car bomb blast in February 2005.

Hariri, Geagea Slam Mansour's Syria Remarks: Govt. Asking Lebanese to Cover up Assad Crimes
Naharnet/Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned on Wednesday Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour's request that Syria's seat at the Arab League be restored, saying that the regime has “found a spokesman to speak at the League.” He said in a statement: “The Lebanese government is requesting all Lebanese to participate in covering up the crimes of Syrian President Bashar Assad.”
“The Lebanese people are not employees for Assad, Iran, and their political and military proxy in Lebanon,” he declared.
“The Lebanese people demand that this government reveal its real nature and announced to the Arabs and the world that it is the government of Bashar Assad and Hizbullah in Lebanon,” he added.
Furthermore, Hariri said: “Mansour's request to restore Syria's seat at the Arab League is the culmination of the true ugly role the Lebanese government is playing regarding the bloody developments in Syria.”
“Does this minister truly speak on behalf of the Lebanese republic, its president, government, and prime minister?” he wondered.
“Or are we faced with the foreign minister of Iran or that of a minister who abides by the political orders of a political power that has imposed on Lebanon positions that only serve to harm the country's national interests?” asked the former premier. “We not only condemn Mansour's remarks, but we consider them part of his following of foreign orders,” Hariri noted.
“We urge all political powers that are keen on Lebanon's safety and Arab ties to completely reject the government's random policies,” he said.
Mansour called on Wednesday for scrapping a decision to suspend the membership of Syria from the Arab League
Prime Minister Najib Miqati soon criticized the call, saying: “The foreign minister does not express the stance of the government.”
The Arab League suspended Syria in November 2011 as a sharp rebuke for Assad's leadership over its brutal crackdown on demonstrators seeking to topple his regime.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea later issued a statement to condemn the foreign minister's remarks, saying: “He should have first taken into consideration the positions of the majority of the Lebanese people before issuing a stance on the Syrian crisis.”
“He should have at least taken the approval of the government before proposing restoring Syria's seat at the Arab League in an attempt to regain some legitimacy to the regime on the Arab scene,” he stated.
“Does Mansour realize that his position places the whole of Lebanon and the Lebanese before grave dangers that may drag them from oppressive Arab isolation to a fatal international one?” he continued.
“Where is the commitment to the policy of disassociation that this failed and corrupt government has constantly advocated?” he asked.
“This is the same government, which includes a team that is fighting alongside the Syrian regime and whose foreign minister is allowed to insult the Lebanese people and who has become an official spokesman for Bashar Assad,” Geagea added.
“We ask the president and prime minister about the brand of shame that the minister has printed on the forehead of every free Lebanese citizen and we renew our demand for the resignation of this government,” declared the Lebanese Forces chief.
“We ask what has remained of liberals and for how long will this silence last?” he wondered.
“Is it not time for this failed and corrupt government to resign after it threatened to tarnish Lebanon's reputation all over the world after it distanced itself from all of its duties and the rights of Lebanese and only served to cover up the crimes of the Syrian regime?” continued Geagea.

Egypt court orders cancellation of elections decree
March 06, 2013/Daily Star/CAIRO: Egypt's administrative court ordered on Wednesday the cancellation of a decree issued by President Mohamed Mursi that had called parliamentary elections starting April 22, the court said in a statement. The court said the reason behind the cancellation was that the Shura Council, Egypt's upper house of parliament, did not return the amended electoral law to the Supreme Constitutional Court for final review before passing it. Under Mursi's decree, the lower house polls were due to be held under the amended electoral law over four stages.

Electoral decree throws Cabinet into disarray
March 06, 2013/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman’s decree calling for the parliamentary elections to be held on time threw the Cabinet into disarray Tuesday as ministers quarreled over the move, with some saying it was aimed at holding the polls based on the 1960 law. The signing of the decree also sparked the ire of Speaker Nabih Berri, according to sources close to him, and drew fire from lawmakers from MP Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and Zghorta MP Suleiman Franjieh’s Marada Movement, which blasted the move as “a black day” in the history of the executive branch.
The confusion stirred by the decree, which was also signed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati Monday, has cast gloom over the possibility of holding the June 9 elections on time, let alone reaching a consensus on a new electoral law to replace the 1960 law, which has been rejected by leaders on both sides of the political divide.A heated debate erupted during Tuesday’s Cabinet session over the decree calling for the parliamentary elections to be held on June 9. During the session, chaired by Sleiman at Baabda Palace, ministers from the FPM, Hezbollah and Amal argued that the measure would resurrect the 1960 law, Baabda sources said.
“It is a black day in the history of the executive branch,” FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan told reporters after the MPs met in Parliament. He called for adopting the Orthodox proposal as a new electoral law.Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, from Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal Movement, said the move represented an attempt to resurrect the 1960 law: “Signing the decree is an attempt to revive the 1960 law, which was buried a long time ago.”
“We might as well appoint the members to Parliament,” Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami, speaking ahead of the Cabinet session, said in a sarcastic tone.
However, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, from MP Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party, praised the move as a normal procedure for holding the polls on time. “Signing the decree was the right thing to do, unless some parties have the intention of postponing the elections,” he said.
Sleiman, in turn, defended his decision, saying he was merely fulfilling his constitutional duty, the sources said.
Information Minister Walid Daouk acknowledged the split within the Cabinet, saying that Sleiman and Mikati had explained that the signing of the decree was “a constitutional and legal matter.”
“The participants affirmed the respect of the constitutional deadline to hold the elections based on a new law that ensures true representation by respecting the principle of equal power sharing [between Muslims and Christians] consecrated in the Constitution,” Kanaan said. Political sources said that while the scenario of extending the term of the incumbent Parliament until an accord is reached over a new electoral law was still the most viable option, Berri was still optimistic that rival groups would regain a “wise” attitude and agree on a new electoral law. Sources close to Berri told The Daily Star that he had approved of a March 8 lawmaker’s plan – in response to Sleiman’s move – to press the speaker to put the Orthodox Gathering proposal to a vote in Parliament’s general assembly after it had been approved by the joint parliamentary committees.
“Several ministers had their say on the signing of the electoral decree, but the president and the prime minister stressed that the 1960 law was clinically dead but remained valid until it was time to bury it completely,” Daouk told reporters after the meeting. Asked whether the signing of the decree meant a return to the 1960 law, Daouk said: “In principle, no. God willing, we will not reach this result. The president and the prime minister have affirmed that discussions are under way to find an alternative electoral law, especially since the Cabinet had presented a draft law that was referred to Parliament.”
The Baabda sources said during the Cabinet meeting that both Sleiman and Mikati had stressed that the decision to sign the electoral decree did not preclude the possibility of lawmakers agreeing on a new electoral proposal.
Sleiman is pushing for a consensus among the political parties over a new modern electoral law, a Baabda source said.
“The consensus on an electoral law will be followed by the formation of a new Cabinet to supervise the elections and the revival of the National Dialogue Committee,” the source said.
He stressed the need for an agreement on an electoral law before March 20 to allow the Interior Ministry to finalize logistical preparations for the parliamentary elections.
The signing of the decree comes against the backdrop of the possibility that the polls could be delayed given rival parties’ inability to reach a consensus on a new voting system.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary Future bloc renewed its call for the formation of a neutral Cabinet to oversee the polls, saying it would work toward agreement on a new electoral law.
“We are open to dialogue on any law that represents a solution to the current crisis,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. It expressed hope that efforts made by the concerned parties would lead to a legal formula that secures “the interests of everyone and protects the freedom and justness of choice and true representation.”
“However, such a solution can be reached only through [the formation of] a neutral Cabinet,” it added. – Additional reporting by Antoine Ghattas Saab

Four suspects involved in 2008 blasts released on bail
March 06, 2013/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The Judicial Council agreed Wednesday to set free four people detained over explosions in north Lebanon that killed a number of Lebanese Army soldiers in 2008.
Headed by Judge Jean Fahd, the Council accepted the request to release the four inmates on a LL2 million bail. The suspects are accused of being involved in two separate attacks in Tripoli, north Lebanon, in 2008 that targeted military personnel. In one attack in June of that year, a bus bombing killed four soldiers. A car explosion in September left 18 soldiers and civilians dead. The suspects were identified as Othman Sayyed al-Sabsabi, Razan Mufeed al-Khaled, Rasheed Ahmad al-Mustafa and Alaa Ahmad Mehrez.

Mass Arrest and Torture of Christians in Libya
by Raymond IbrahimظFrontPageMagazine.com
March 1, 2013
http://www.meforum.org/3459/arrest-torture-christians-libya
Last week's news of four Christian missionaries in Libya placed under arrest, possibly facing the death penalty for "proselytizing," is apparently the tip of the iceberg. Yesterday, Arabic media reported that over 100 Christian Copts from Egypt, who appear to have been living and working in Libya, were recently arrested in Ben Ghazi—also on the accusation, or pretext, of being "Christian missionaries."
One video made by the Libyan militia interrogators—most of whom look like Islamic Salafis, with long beards and clipped mustaches—appeared on the Internet yesterday. It shows a room full of detained Copts. They sit hunched over on the floor—with all their hair shaven off, looking like dejected, or doomed, concentration camp prisoners. According to one source, many of these Copts have been tortured. Some have had the famous Coptic cross often tattooed on the wrists of Copts burned off with acid.
Next, the camera-man zooms in on the material which got them in this predicament: atop a table, several Bibles, prayer books, and pictures of Jesus, Mary and other saints appear spread out. The Libyan interrogators complain about how these Christians could dare bring such material into Libya, and that they, their abductors, are sure that the Copts were going to use such Christian materials to proselytize Libya, to sporadic ejaculations of "Allah Akbar!" from across the room.
What is going on in Libya? Do these reports—first of four foreign Christian missionaries, including one American, now of more than 100 Christians from neighboring Egypt—indicate that Christian missionaries recently decided to flood Libya in droves? Or are these ongoing reports an indication that post-Gaddafi Libya is simply becoming increasingly intolerant of any Christian presence?
Concerning the four foreign missionaries whom the Western media picked up on earlier, it is difficult to say who they are and what they were doing, since they basically have been swallowed up by the Ben Ghazi prisons; their names and identities have not even been revealed. As for the 100 Egyptian Copts, it is hard to believe they were proselytizing. Christians in Egypt dare not proselytize to their fellow Muslim citizens, who speak the same dialect and share the same Egyptian culture. It is a dangerous thing to do. Is it reasonable, then, to believe that some 100 Copts decided to proselytize to Muslims in Libya—where it is common knowledge that the Obama-supported jihadis reign?
Even the Coptic Church in Egypt made statements to this effect. According to Coptic Bishop Pachomios, "This is a very serious incident, in which Egyptian citizens were arrested on the mere suspicion [of proselytizing] and tortured while in detention." The bishop confirmed that these imprisoned Egyptian Christians were working in Libya, adding that "it doesn't make sense that as many as 100 Egyptian Copts had decided to engage in proselytizing activities in another country." After all, they can simply proselytize in their own country. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Cairo-based Egyptian Union for Human Rights, also "expressed his dismay over the reports. He, too, voiced doubt that the Egyptians in question had been proselytizing in Libya," while correctly pointing out that, "Even if this were proven to be the case, they should not have been detained because of it."
Moreover, a recent Christian Post article points out the inconsistencies in official statements from Libya, including how the number of Christian material being found on these alleged missionaries keeps inflating. For instance, one Christian arrested under the accusation of having 30,000 Bibles in his possession, was later described by police as having 45,000 Bibles.
It is becoming clear that these arrests are increasingly less about actual Christian evangelism to Muslims, and more about Muslim hostility to Christians. When the Western media reported about the four foreign missionaries, they made it a point to state that the anti-proselytism law comes from the Gaddafi era. Yet, under Gaddafi, one did not hear of such back-to-back arrests of alleged missionaries—just as one did not hear of attacks on Christian churches in Libya, such as the one that took place only two months ago, leaving two Christians dead.
Here, then, is yet another indicator of the true nature of the "Arab Spring" and the Obama administration's wholesale support of it—hate and hostility for Christians.
**Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Al-Qaeda Deceives Saudi Arabia Again
By: Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Alawsat
For the past few days Saudi Arabia has witnessed an organized campaign of incitement and provocation on social media networks, with the support of satellite channels affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood, revolving around the story of a group of detainees in the city of Buraidah, suspected of being affiliated with Al-Qaeda. This campaign is organized and large-scale, with a stream of fake popular demands behind it, trading on every public issue in Saudi Arabia. The authorities have arrested some of the key proponents, including women who have been dragged in to gain popular sympathy, and it is clear that the goal is to merge Al-Qaeda’s agenda with public issues. This approach has become evident in Saudi Arabia ever since the outbreak of the so-called Arab Spring. A rush of famous and popular faces have added fuel to the fire, including advocates, journalists, and intellectuals, and even some seeking to portray themselves as non-sectarian, so what are we witnessing here? Of course this is nothing new. As usual, Al-Qaeda is interfering by merging an issue that is fundamentally its own problem, namely the detainees being held in Buraidah, with fake popular demands. Ibrahim Al-Rubaish, a Saudi leader of Al-Qaeda and one of the Saudi security services’ most wanted, issued a statement from Yemen in which he called for his followers to take up arms in order to secure the release of the detainees, who in turn he demanded to take up arms immediately after their release! Worse still, Rubaish highlighted the need to exploit the alleged public sympathy that the issue has garnered because of Al-Qaeda’s recent propaganda campaign. Rubaish is not an ignorant individual; he has made numerous statements on current affairs issues including his stance towards the present French intervention in Mali. When I say that what we are witnessing is nothing new, the reason is simple, namely that there is now ample fuel for every fire in Saudi Arabia. There are those trying to exploit false issues in order to gain popularity. How else can we explain calls for political and educational reform, and calls to give women their rights, intertwined with calls to defend Al-Qaeda and its detainees who have tried, and are trying, to undermine the security and stability of Saudi Arabia? Unfortunately, this is not the first instance of the people being misled by Al-Qaeda propaganda in the kingdom. Last year there was also a fierce campaign focusing on detainees who had been portrayed as prisoners of ideology, and yet it turned out they were Al-Qaeda associates. At the time, that campaign was being fought by those calling themselves human rights advocates! Before that, perhaps ten years ago or more, people still fell for Al-Qaeda’s tricks in Saudi Arabia, and Osama Bin Laden was being described as a sheikh! Now we see Al-Qaeda exploiting the Saudi people for at least the third time to convince them to defend their issues and justify their crimes under various names: reform, democracy, and the so-called Arab Spring. If the proponents of these campaigns are as honest and innocent as they claim, the question is: When will they learn from their mistakes? Once bitten, twice shy, but there are those in Saudi Arabia who have been bitten many times already

Assad’s Latest Lie: “The Last Bastion of Secularism”
By: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed /Asharq Alawsat
During his interview with the British Sunday Times, embattled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad further attempted to intimidate the Arabs and stir their emotions. He claimed they have two options, either his regime or Al-Qaeda. He then attempted to exploit Western public opinion by saying, “If you worry about Syria in that sense, you have to worry about the Middle East because we are the last bastion of secularism in the region. If you worry about the Middle East, the whole world should be worried about its stability.” So now Assad is claiming to be the leader of a secular regime!
Intimidating the Arabs and the West by warning that Al-Qaeda is the alternative to his regime has been the backbone of Assad’s propaganda strategy ever since the outbreak of the Syrian popular revolution. His political and media discourse has focused on this threat because he knows the West supports popular movements such as those in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, but strongly opposes extremist religious groups such as those in Afghanistan.
Assad has described his regime as secular in an attempt to embellish its image. In reality, the Assad regime has nothing to do with secularism. It is a fascist, oppressive, security and military dominated system. Bashar inherited it from his father, who previously established it following a military coup forty years ago. The Assad regime most resembles that of North Korea, and just because its leader does not adopt a religious discourse does not mean it is secular. On the contrary, Bashar Assad follows an abhorrent policy of sectarianism, whereby positions and benefits are exclusively granted to those close to him from the Alawite sect. Secularism—as an expansion of liberal thought—is based on respecting freedoms. Syria, however, is ruled by a strict culture of security. Until recently, the regime arrested citizens if they were discovered to own fax machines, which had to be licensed under state approval! Similar strict measures apply to other details of everyday life, from opening shops to making financial transactions.
Syria has never been a secular country and its regime has never been liberal, regardless of the portrayed elegance of Assad’s wife, Asma. Regimes cannot be described on their outward appearance alone, otherwise we would conclude that Cuba is an Islamic state because of President Castro’s long, thick beard!
Tunisia was formerly a security regime and Libya, during Gaddafi’s reign, was like modern-day Syria under the Assad family. Neither of these regimes were religious, security was the fundamental element; the citizens complained of suppression and of living under a police siege. There is not a single Arab country with a ruling system that can be described as secular, or an Arab society than can be described as liberal. Even Lebanon, which is relatively moderate by Arab standards, is ruled by a sectarian quota of Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, and Druze.
As for the besieged Assad, he knows that since the beginning of the Syrian revolution he has pushed the opposition towards the extremists. He knows that if he can convince the world that the opposition groups are affiliates of Al-Qaeda then he may be able to turn public opinion, not only in the West but in the Arab world as well. Half of Assad’s speech during the Sunday Times interview was directed towards Western public opinion, trying to portray himself as a key player in the fight against Islamic extremism. However, in reality, Assad is a key supporter of extremist groups. He is a supporter of the radical Shiite regime in Iran, and the extremist Hezbollah party. He also has ties with extremist Sunni organizations such as Fatah Al-Islam, which fought against Hariri’s government in Lebanon, as well as Al-Qaeda movements in Iraq, which have wreaked death and destruction there.
We cannot overlook the convergence of several contradictions in the region, and although this may seem strange at first, the reasons are clear. Iran, with its hardline Shiite regime, supports Al-Qaeda, an extremist Sunni organization, despite the historical enmity among the fanatics of both sects, because they agree on the same goals. In fact, most veteran Al-Qaeda leaders are currently in Iran. Seif Al-Adel has been living there since the 1990s. Likewise, Osama Bin Laden’s children took refuge in Iran after fleeing Afghanistan, and did not leave until three years ago.
Although he is not overtly religious, Syria’s president is the main supporter of jihadi groups in the region like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah Al-Islam, almost all extremist groups in Iraq, and of course Hezbollah.
Assad today is trying to convince the West that he is secular and liberal, and that he is fighting Islamic extremism. Those who work in the field of politics, however, know the Assad regime very well. They know it is nothing more than an extension of the Iranian regime. Hafez Assad adopted the cause of Arab Ba’athists in order to justify his seizure of power and consecrate his sectarian rule. Following on from him, his son has sought the company of numerous bearded men from Supreme Leader Khamenei to Hassan Nasrallah. He has even held Islamic jihad conferences in Damascus.
Now, two years after the Syrian revolution erupted, Assad now speaks of secularism as if he advocates it.

Russia and Israel each warn trouble building up on Golan border
DEBKAfile Special Report March 5, 2013/At UN Center in New York, Israeli and Russian delegates separately warned Monday, March 4, of a dangerous situation developing in the area of separation on the Golan captured by Israel in the 1967 war. Syrian troops were forbidden to enter this area under a ceasefire formalized in 1974 between Syria and Israel. Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor complained to the Security Council about five shells fired from this very area which landed in Israel Saturday, March 2. "Israel cannot be expected to stand idle as the lives of its citizens are being put at risk by the Syrian government's reckless actions," Proser wrote in a Note to the council. "Israel has shown maximum restraint thus far."
Russia’s UN Ambasador Vitaly Churkin then spoke of “a very new and dangerous phenomenon” of armed groups operating in the Golan area of separation. “It’s something which potentially can undermine security between Syria and Israel,” said Churkin, who is acting Security Council president for March. He pointed out that the UN peacekeeping force is unarmed and unable to cope with this new situation. Israel and Syria are technically in a state of war. debkafile’s military and intelligence sources note that the exchange of warnings between Israel and Russia touched two sensitive nerves:
1. It occurred the day before definitive talks open in Moscow between the Syrian government and opposition. The Russians fear Israel might embark on military action in response to the round of shells fired from the Syrian Golan Saturday, and force a delay in the talks. The last time this happened, in late January, Israel reacted with a cross-border attack on Syrian military installations.
2. Saturday, too, debkafile exposed the no-man’s lands unfolding along Syria’s borderlands with Israel and Jordan following the withdrawal of the bulk of Syrian forces from these areas. Moscow fears additionally that Israel’s armed forces will seize strategic points in the abandoned territory to clear out armed bands of the pro-al Qaeda Jabhat al Nusra, which are believed responsible for the latest round of shelling into the Israeli Golan.
Churkin’s warning referred to “armed groups” as the potential troublemakers, but he was also cautioning Israel to desist from fighting back so as not to upset Moscow’s diplomatic initiative for resolving the Syrian civil war.