Bible Quotation for today/The Lord's Supper

Luke 22/14-23: " When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer! For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God.” Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks to God, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. I tell you that from now on I will not drink this wine until the Kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is God's new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you. “But, look! The one who betrays me is here at the table with me! The Son of Man will die as God has decided, but how terrible for that man who betrays him!”Then they began to ask among themselves which one of them it could be who was going to do this."

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

Last Supper: Sacraments, Humility and Temptation/By: Elias Bejjani/March 28/13
Lebanon didn't love Mikati but is weaker without him/By: Michael Young/The National/March 28/13
Muslim Persecution of Christians/By: Raymond Ibrahim/March 28/13
Lesson from Cyprus/By: Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat/March 28/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 28/13
Last Supper: Sacraments, Humility and Temptation/By: Elias Bejjani/March 28/13
3 Lebanese Kidnapped in Nigeria
Ban Holds Phone Conversation with Suleiman, Hopes for 'Dialogue' to Move 'Forward'
Suleiman Discusses Case of Abducted Pilgrims with Emir of Qatar
Arab Summit Urges Support for Lebanese Army, Calls for Adopting Cabinet's Refugee Plan
Lebanon's delicate sectarian system is in danger of falling apart
Opposition Hands Berri Petition on Change of Retirement Age for Security Leaders
March 14: Govt. Resignation Sign that Hizbullah's Regional Agenda Has Become Burden on it Allies
March 8 Calls on Berri to Hold Parliamentary Session for Adoption of Orthodox Proposal
Exports: Lebanon found a way to bypass Syria
Lebanon: the next Mideast war zone?
Lebanon: Ban voices support for President Sleiman in preserving national unity
Hizbullah Delegation Meets Aoun: Orthodox Law Must Be First Article of next Parliament Session
British PM's wife visits Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Lebanon didn't love Mikati but is weaker without him
Jumblat Stresses Cooperation with Berri to Guard National Unity
Arsal Residents Denounce Tit-for-Tat Kidnappings, Urge Jaafar Clan to Avoid Strife
Cleric Shot to Death in His Hasbayya Shop
March 8 Calls on Berri to Hold Parliamentary Session for Adoption of Orthodox Proposal
Arab League Summit: The empty leadership chair in Doha
Syria's Kurds, deeply divided, may determine the war's outcome
NATO head urges Syria political solution, rules out intervention
The Fear That Drives Russia's Support For Syria
Exclusive: Rebuff of missile request helps Assad - Syria opposition leader
Syria's Assad appeals to five-nation summit in South Africa for help in ending ...
Too late" for military intervention in Syria, Annan says
Nahlah Ayed: How Syria's war is reshaping the Middle East
Syrian opposition takes Syria's Arab summit seat
Syria rebel coalition calls for use of Patriot missiles
Swede to probe Syria chemical weapons use
Syria no longer exists'

Last Supper: Sacraments, Humility and Temptation
By: Elias Bejjani*
March 28/13
On the Thursday that comes before the "Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified, Catholics all over the world, including our Maronite Eastern Church celebrates with prayers and intercessions the "Thursday of the Holy Mysteries",  which is also known as the "Washing Thursday ",  the "Covenant Thursday", and the "Great & Holy Thursday". It is the holy day feast that falls on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with His 12 Apostles as described in the gospel. It is the fifth day of the last Lenten Holy Week, that is followed by the, "Good Friday", "Saturday Of The Light  and "Easter Sunday".
Christianity in its essence and core is Love, Sacrifice, honesty, transparency, devotion, hard work and Humility. Jesus during the last supper with His 12 Apostles reiterated and stressed all these Godly values and principles. In this holy and message proclaiming context He executed the following acts :
He, ordained His Apostles as priests, and asked them to proclaim God's message.   “You have stayed with me all through my trials; 29 and just as my Father has given me the right to rule, so I will give you the same right. 30 You will eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22/28 and 29)
He, taught His Apostles and every body else, that evil temptation and betrayal can hit all those who detach and dissociate themselves from God, do not fear Him, lack faith, lose hope and worship earthly treasures. He showed them by example that even a disciple that He personally had picked and choose (Judas, the Iscariot) has fell a prey to Satan's temptation. “But, look! The one who betrays me is here at the table with me! The Son of Man will die as God has decided, but how terrible for that man who betrays him!" Luke 22/21)
He, washed His  Apostles' feet to teach them by example modesty, devotion and humility. “So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13/12-16).
Modesty was stressed and explained by Jesus after His  Apostles were arguing among themselves who is the greatest: "
"An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them should be thought of as the greatest.  Jesus said to them, “The kings of the pagans have power over their people, and the rulers claim the title ‘Friends of the People.’ But this is not the way it is with you; rather, the greatest one among you must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant. Who is greater, the one who sits down to eat or the one who serves? The one who sits down, of course. But I am among you as one who serves." (Luke 22/24 till 27)
Thursday of the "Holy Mysteries", is called so because in His Last Supper with the 12 disciples, Jesus Christ established the Eucharist and Priesthood Sacraments when "He received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves, for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God comes.” "He took bread, broke it and gave it to the disciples saying: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me. And when He Likewise, took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you".
Thursday of the Holy Mysteries (Secrets-Sacraments) is the heart of the last Lenten holy week, in which the Maronite Catholic Church lives with reverence and devotion the Lord's Last Supper spirit and contemplation through prayers and deeply rooted religious rituals and traditions:
The Patriarch prays over and blesses the chrism (Al-Myroun), as well as the oil of baptism and anointing that are to are distributed on all parishes and churches.
During the mass that is held on this Holy Day, the priest washes the feet of twelve worshipers, mainly children (symbolizing the apostles numbers). Jesus washed His disciples feet and commanded them to love each other and follow his example in serving each other.
Worshipers visit and pray in seven Churches. This ritual denotes to the completion of the Church's Seven sacraments (Secrets) : Priesthood, Eucharist, Holy Oil, Baptism, Confirmations, anointing and Service.This tradition also denotes to the seven locations that Virgin Mary's went to look for Her Son, Jesus, after she learned about His arrest. The detention place, The Council of the Priests, twice the Pilate's headquarters, twice the Herod Headquarters, till She got to the Calvary.
Some Christian scholars believe that this tradition was originated in Rome where early pilgrims visited the seven pilgrim churches as an act of penance. They are Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter, Saint Mary Major, Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, and traditionally Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls. Pope John Paul II replaced St. Sebastian with the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Divine Love for the jubilee year of 2000.
The Mass of the Lord's Supper is accompanied by the ringing of bells, which are then silent until the Easter Vigil. Worshipers used to kneel and pray the rosary in front of the Eucharist (Blessed Sacrament) all Thursday night. The Blessed Sacrament remains exposed all night, while worshipers are encouraged to stay in the church as much as they can praying, meditating upon the Mystery of Salvation, and participating in the “agony of Gethsemane” (Garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives) in Jerusalem where Jesus spent his night in prayer before His crucifixion on Good Friday.
After the homily washing of feet the service concludes with a procession taking the Blessed Eucharist (Sacrament) to the place of reposition. The altar is later stripped bare, as are all other altars in the church except the Altar of Repose.
Thursday of the "Holy Mysteries", is called so because in His Last Supper with the 12 disciples, Jesus Christ established the Eucharist and Priesthood Sacraments when "He received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves, for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God comes.” "He took bread, broke it and gave it to the disciples saying: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me. And when He Likewise, took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you".
Jesus ordained His disciples as priests of the New Testament when he said to them during the Last Supper: "But you are those who have continued with me in my trials. I confer on you a kingdom, even as my Father conferred on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. You will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Before Celebrating the Resurrection Day (Easter) worshipers live the "Paschal Mystery" through the Thursday Of the Sacraments, Good Friday and Saturday Of The Light.
Because He loves us and wants us to dwell in His Eternal Heaven,  Jesus Christ for our sake willingly suffered all kinds of torture, pain, humiliation and died on the Cross to pave our way for repentance and salvation.
Let us pray on this Holy Day that we always remember Jesus' love and sacrifices and live our life in this context of genuine, faith, love, meekness and forgiveness.
Audio/To Listen to explanation of this piece in the Lebanese Dialogue, Click Here
http://www.clhrf.com/elias.editorials13/elias.khamies%20al%20asrar28.3.13.wma

3 Lebanese Kidnapped in Nigeria
Naharnet/Three Lebanese have been kidnapped in Lagos, a rare case of expatriate kidnapping in Nigeria's commercial center, the state-run National News Agency reported Wednesday. NNA said the Lebanese foreign ministry was informed about the kidnapping, adding that contacts are underway to set them free. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said the kidnappers have asked for ransom. NNA did not specify how the kidnapping occurred. A British businessman was also abducted Saturday in Lagos. Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria, but most have occurred in its oil-rich southern delta. Lagos, a city of 17.5 million inhabitants, is in the country's southwest. In recent years, Nigeria has had a spate of ransom kidnappings, which usually last for a few days and which have focused on the country's oil-rich region. However, Nigeria's north has also started to see politically-motivated kidnappings which typically last much longer. Kidnappings there have been linked to Islamic extremist groups rather than criminal gangs. Islamist extremist group Ansaru recently claimed to have executed seven foreign hostages, including two Lebanese. But its claim could not be verified.

Opposition Hands Berri Petition on Change of Retirement Age for Security Leaders
Naharnet/A March 14 opposition alliance delegation handed Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday a petition that calls for the extension of the tenures of top security officials. The petition with nearly 69 signatures was handed over to Berri during a visit to Ain el-Tineh. It calls for holding a parliamentary session to discuss an urgent draft-law to modify the retirement age of officers in leadership posts in the army, the Internal Security Forces and other security agencies. MP Samir al-Jisr said after the meeting: “Berri agrees in principle to extending the term of security leaders.” He added however that he did not yet set a parliament session to discuss draft laws.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati signed the petition on Tuesday a day after Ministers Mohammed al-Safadi and Ahmed Karami did so. The opposition is pressing the extension of ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji to safeguard the country. The issue was among the major reasons that led to Miqati's resignation on Friday. The law that calls for modification of the retirement age has been drafted by al-Mustaqbal opposition bloc. Rifi will turn 59 – the ISF’s maximum working age – on April 1, while Qahwaji will turn 60 this year, the maximum age for the post of the army commander. Al-Mustaqbal's draft-law allows both Rifi and Qahwaji to stay in their posts until they reach respectively the age of 62 and 63. Berri told local newspapers published Wednesday however that the petition is not binding even if 127 MPs sign it. “I could abide by the signature of a single MP if I was convinced with his or her proposal,” he said.

Suleiman Discusses Case of Abducted Pilgrims with Emir of Qatar
Naharnet/The case of the nine abducted Lebaese pilgrims in Syria's Aazaz was the main topic of discussions between President Michel Suleiman and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on Wednesday.
Suleiman and al-Thani also tackled the latest developments in the Arab countries and the bilateral ties between the two countries. Suleiman attended on Tuesday the Arab summit which was held at the Qatari capital. The families of the nine pilgrims threatened on Tuesday to escalate their measures at beginning of April if the case wasn't resolved. Suleiman discussed the case with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Doha. Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo district in May 2012 as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage in Iran. Since then, two of them have been released, while the remaining nine are being held in Syria's Aazaz region. The families of the pilgrims have repeatedly accused the government of failing to exert enough efforts to ensure their release. They have also held Turkey and Qatar responsible for the ongoing abduction. On the sidelines of the Arab summit, Suleiman held talks with several Arab senior officials including Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, Jordanian King Abdullah ll, Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa.

Ban Holds Phone Conversation with Suleiman, Hopes for 'Dialogue' to Move 'Forward'
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon hoped on Tuesday that Lebanon's rival parties would “engage responsibly” with President Michel Suleiman to resolve the country's problems.
During a telephone conversation he held with Suleiman, Ban expressed his strong support for the Lebanese president's “leadership in preserving the security and stability of the country, and stressed the importance of Lebanon's disassociation policy.”A statement issued from the U.N. also said Ban “hoped that all parties in Lebanon would engage responsibly with him (Suleiman) and work together through dialogue to find a way forward in the national interest.”The phone conversation came against the backdrop of the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati last Friday over differences between cabinet members on the authority that would oversee the elections and the extension of the tenure of Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi.The U.N. chief “expressed his solidarity with Lebanon in its efforts to assist the growing influx of refugees fleeing the violence from Syria,” said the statement.It added that Ban advised Suleiman “to urge the international community to do more to help Lebanon to deal with this serious humanitarian situation.”

March 8 Calls on Berri to Hold Parliamentary Session for Adoption of Orthodox Proposal
Naharnet /Lawmakers representing the March 8 alliance called on Wednesday on Speaker Nabih Berri to hold a parliamentary session for the approval of the so-called Orthodox Gathering draft-law.
“The March 8 parliamentary blocs insist on holding the elections on time based on a law other than the 1960 law,” Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan told reporters at the parliament in Beirut's Nijmeh Square.
Kanaan, who is loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, said that the March 8 coalition is holding on the Orthodox Gathering proposal.
“We call on Berri to hold a parliamentary session for the adoption of Orthodox proposal... as an attempt to cancel the 1960 law,” the lawmaker said.
A consensus over an electoral law has yet to be reached among the political foes.The Orthodox proposal that considers Lebanon a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system, was opposed by President Michel Suleiman, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, al-Mustaqbal bloc, the PSP, and the independent Christian MPs of the March 14 opposition, saying it harms the social fabric and increases sectarian tension.The meeting included representatives of Berri's Development and Liberation, Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance, FPM's Change and Reform, Tashnag party and Marada Movement parliamentary blocs.“Our stance is clear, we conciser that there's a historical chance for Lebanon to adopt a new electoral law that represents all the (Lebanese segments) equally,” Kanaan said.
The MP pointed out that the coalition is keen to “preserve the country and maintain the state and its stability by filling the vacuum that shouldn't occur.”Suleiman and Miqati have signed a decree that sets the elections on June 9 based on the 1960 law that was used in the 2009 polls over the lack of agreement between the bickering parliamentary blocs.Their call have drawn the ire of the March 8 majority coalition, which has totally rejected the law. Berri kicked of on Tuesday consultations with March 8 and 14 foes on the electoral draft-law.

Cleric Shot to Death in His Hasbayya Shop
Naharnet/Sheikh Salman al-Harfani on Wednesday evening was found dead in his textile shop in Hasbayya, the National News Agency reported. “Medical investigation revealed that the cleric has received five gunshots from a 5 mm caliber pistol,” it elaborated. Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan condemned the incident, calling on concerned authorities to reveal the circumstances behind it and try the perpetrators.
Dar al-Fatwa clerics Sheikh Mazen Hariri and Sheikh Ahmed Fakhran were attacked in the predominantly Shiite area of Khandaq al-Ghamiq earlier in March while two other clerics, one of them identified as Omar al-Imami, were attacked in the southern Beirut suburb of Shiyyah.

Hizbullah Delegation Meets Aoun: Orthodox Law Must Be First Article of next Parliament Session
Naharnet /A Hizbullah delegation held talks on Wednesday with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on the latest developments in Lebanon, most notably the parliamentary electoral law.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's political aide Hussein Khalil said after the meeting: “We hope that the Orthodox Gathering draft law will be the first article of the agenda of the next parliament session.”
The date and agenda of the session is up to the speaker, who is holding consultations with various political powers, he added. Asked by reporters about the talks with Aoun, Khalil replied: “We cannot reveal the details of all that was discussed, but we set red lines that should not be crossed.” The meeting addressed the parliamentary elections, resignation of the government, and the consultations to form a new one, he added.
Present at the meeting alongside Aoun and Khalil were caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil and Hizbullah Liaison and Coordination Officer Wafiq Safa. The Orthodox Gathering electoral law has been backed by the FPM, Phalange Party, Lebanese Forces, and Marada Movement, who all said it offered Christians in Lebanon best representation. It has however been rejected by President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, the Mustaqbal bloc, independent March 14 officials, and centrist Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, who deemed the law as fueling sectarian divisions in the country.

Arsal Residents Denounce Tit-for-Tat Kidnappings, Urge Jaafar Clan to Avoid Strife
Naharnet /The residents of the northeastern town of Arsal denied on Wednesday any link to the kidnapping of a man from the Jaafar clan, saying they were ready to hand over the suspect if he was a town resident.
“The kidnapping has nothing to do with Arsal residents,” said municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi at a press conference he held following a meeting of the town's residents. “If there was proof of the involvement of any Arsal resident in the abduction then we would hand him over,” he said. The residents decried in a statement read by al-Hujairi the tit-for-tat kidnappings, saying “Arsal is a Lebanese land and its residents are Lebanese so they enjoy the right of movement on all territories.”It is the role of the armed forces to guarantee such a right, said the statement. “Arsal residents ask the Jaafar clan to release the kidnapped men and express full readiness to reveal the fate of Hussein Kamel Jaafar,” it added. The statement also urged the Jaafar clan to avoid acts that lead to strife and called on the state to settle the case of the kidnapped men and punish the perpetrators. The wave of sectarian kidnappings began on Sunday when Jaafar was kidnapped by unidentified assailants, and reportedly taken into Syria. In revenge, armed men from the clan have kidnapped several residents of Arsal. Two have been reportedly released.On Tuesday, the army deployed in the Sharawneh district of Baalbek, where many members of the Jaafar clan live, searching homes for captives. Arsal is a majority Sunni town whose inhabitants generally support the revolt in neighboring Syria, while most of the population of Hermel and Baalbek are Shiites.
Al-Hujairi said there was unconfirmed information that the number of kidnapped Arsal residents has reached nine.

Lebanon didn't love Mikati but is weaker without him
Michael Young / The National
The resignation last week of Lebanon's prime minister, Najib Mikati, provoked contradictory feelings. It generated anxiety at the prospect that Lebanon may be entering into a prolonged period of vacuum, but it also removed a government that was a source of considerable national discord, paving the way for a new round of national dialogue sessions as Lebanese parties try to prevent a breakdown of civil peace.
The immediate impetus for Mr Mikati to step down was disagreement within the government over two important items: the formation of a commission to oversee parliamentary elections this summer, and the extension of the mandate of Ashraf Rifi, the head of the Internal Security Forces, who is supposed to retire on April .Mr Mikati has often been undermined from within his government, and disagreement over the election commission was a case in point. Hizbollah ministers and those named by the Christian politician Michel Aoun opposed formation of the commission, arguing that this would facilitate elections based on the so-called 1960 law, which they reject. The law is likely to lead to a victory by the March 14 coalition and candidates backed by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.
This in turn would prevent Hizbollah from implementing its strategy in the event of Bashar Al Assad's ejection from power in Syria. The party seeks a parliamentary majority, with its allies, which would allow it to name a prime minister and a speaker of parliament.
This majority could also elect a new president in 2014, giving Hizbollah control over the top three political posts in the state, facilitating efforts to protect the party's weapons in a post-Assad phase.
That is why Lebanon has been so divided over which election law is to apply next summer. Worse, the absence of an agreement, and Mr Mikati's resignation, make it likely that elections will be postponed. The vote on the election commission was a way for Mr Mikati and the president, Michel Suleiman, to build up momentum for elections to be held on time and on the basis of the 1960 law, if no alternative is found.
The Rifi affair was more personal for Mr Mikati. Like the prime minister, Mr Rifi is a Sunni from the city of Tripoli. He is also close to March 14, and his departure was regarded by the opposition coalition as Hizbollah's way of gaining control of the Internal Security Forces, and therefore effectively all Lebanese security agencies. Mr Mikati insisted that Mr Rifi's term be extended, to avoid a backlash from the largely pro-March 14 Sunni electorate in his city, where Mr Rifi is popular.
Faced with the prospect of humiliating failure on these fronts, Mr Mikati decided to step down. Mr Suleiman must now hold parliamentary consultations to find a new prime minister. The different blocs now must name a favourite and the president tallies the results, asking the individual with the most votes to form a government.
However, a question that must be answered first is what role the next government will play, since this will determine whom the parties name. If the government's primary role is simply to organise elections, then it would be easier for a politically unaligned prime minister to take over for a limited period at the head of a neutral government.
On the other hand, if elections are to be delayed, a political heavyweight is more likely as prime minister, to lead a government that includes all major parties.
Without consensus on the government's role, the formation process will be arduous and could take a long time. It could also lead to a constitutional dilemma. If there are to be no elections, parliament's mandate must be extended. But this can be done only through a request formulated by the government. Yet Mr Mikati's government cannot do so in its current caretaker capacity. So unless a new government can be formed by June, when the first round of elections are scheduled to be held, Lebanon could be without a functioning parliament.
Mr Jumblatt's role will be essential in the coming weeks. The Druze leader left the March 14 coalition in August 2009 and was instrumental in toppling Saad Hariri in 2011. His bloc can hand the parliamentary majority to either March 14 or the March 8 coalition led by Hizbollah.
This has given Mr Jumblatt a vital balancing role in the past two years. Yet he has also been a staunch backer of the uprising against Mr Al Assad's regime, which has pushed him closer to March 14, even if he prefers to remain independent .
Mr Jumblatt will probably follow the lead set by Mr Hariri's bloc, which enjoys Sunni backing. Whomever they name as their preferred prime minister, he will too.
If so, that means that March 14 and Mr Jumblatt will have a majority, and that their candidate will try to form a government. This would be a setback for Hizbollah and Mr Aoun, but they would almost certainly join the government, in order not to be marginalised, if or when Mr Al Assad is forced from office in Syria.
In an effort to paper over Lebanon's domestic divisions, many people are today calling for the resumption of national dialogue. The conflict in Syria has heightened sectarian tensions in Lebanon, and the political class is eager to calm the mood. The fall of the government means March 14 is now willing to participate in the dialogue. And all want to avoid the prospect of a new civil war as a consequence of the war in Syria.
And yet no one should expect the rapid formation of a new Lebanese government.
Dialogue is useful but it will not change the fundamental political calculations, often perceived as existential in nature, on all sides. Mr Mikati's government was often a calamity, but what lies ahead may well be further inter-Lebanese discord.

Lebanon’s delicate sectarian system is in danger of falling apart
Mar 30th 2013 | CAIRO The Economist
Mikati couldn’t hack it any more
IN THEORY Lebanon is an independent republic and in theory a democracy, which in theory rests upon a fair division of spoils between some 17 officially recognised religious “sects”. As long as everyone suspends disbelief, the tiny country and its enterprising people thrive. But then reality comes knocking. In 1975 it came in the form of a 15-year-long civil war that left Lebanon shattered and let its neighbours, Syria and Israel, stomp in with their armies.That storm passed but the stomping has renewed of late, in the form of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war. Lebanon managed, just, to maintain a pretence of aloofness from that imbroglio, despite a bitter polarisation among the Lebanese between supporters and foes of the beleaguered regime of Syria’s Bashar Assad. But the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister, Najib Mikati, on March 22nd has abruptly ended that pretence.Under Lebanese rules the prime minister must be a Sunni, the president a Maronite Christian, and parliament’s speaker a Shia. The reality is that Lebanon’s Shias, bolstered by the might of Hizbullah, their main party-cum-militia, have in recent years emerged as the strongest force. Prodded by Iran, Hizbullah backs Mr Assad to the hilt. Lebanon’s unruly Christians are divided, half aligned with Hizbullah, while the geographically dispersed Sunnis, whose hold on key parts of the Lebanese state has been slipping, cheer instead for Syria’s rebels.
Mr Mikati’s installation as prime minister two years ago was the outcome of a long period of manoeuvring by Mr Assad’s allies, led by Hizbullah and marked by serial assassinations, eventually forcing the resignation of his predecessor. Mr Mikati, a telecoms magnate, was seen as a competent, relatively neutral figure, but his position as the ostensible top Sunni was fragile. Along with Lebanon’s president, Michel Suleiman, he has tried to hold the balance between the country’s many sectarian interests. For instance, whereas Lebanon’s army is seen as closer to Christians and Shias, its internal security forces have tended to be Sunni-dominated.
As Mr Assad has weakened, Hizbullah has felt increasingly threatened, while Sunni rage has grown. With Lebanese elections scheduled for June, Mr Mikati found himself parrying demands that were sure to alienate his Sunni constituents. Hizbullah’s camp insisted on changing electoral rules to its advantage and on replacing the chief of Lebanon’s internal security, a powerful Sunni due soon to retire, with a more malleable figure. Increasingly frequent clashes between Sunni militants and pro-Syrian gunmen underlined the hazard, in Mr Mikati’s eyes, of tampering with Lebanon’s tenuous arrangements. His resignation increases this danger.
From the print edition: Middle East and Africa

British PM's wife visits Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Global Post
Young Syrians are having their childhoods "smashed to pieces" by the conflict, British Prime Minister David Cameron's wife said on Wednesday following a visit to a refugee camp in Lebanon.
Samantha Cameron visited Bekaa Valley, close to the Syrian border, on Tuesday on a trip with London-based charity Save the Children.
"With every day that passes, more children and parents are being killed, more innocent childhoods are being smashed to pieces," the 41-year-old said in a statement issued by the charity.
She added: "As a mother, it is horrifying to hear the harrowing stories from the children I met today. No child should ever experience what they have."
The UN says more than 1.1 million Syrians have fled -- mostly to Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey -- and some four million others have been displaced inside their war-torn country.
Lebanon has taken in some 360,000 refugees from the brutal conflict across the border, according to the UN's refugee agency.
Cameron spoke to children who had witnessed the violent deaths of their parents and siblings, as well as mothers whose children were killed by snipers, Save the Children said.
The mother-of-three was the creative director of upmarket British stationers Smythson until 2010, when her husband was elected and she switched to a part time consultancy role at the company.
The Camerons' eldest son Ivan, who had cerebral palsy and epilepsy, died aged six in 2009.

Arab League Summit: The empty leadership chair in Doha
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 27, 2013,
After patching up the feud between Israel and Turkey, US President Barack Obama faces a much tougher ordeal: brokering ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, debkafile’s Middle East sources report. To address the looming Syrian chemical arms crisis, President Obama needs a unified Arab-Islamic front to join the campaign against Bashar Assad. He must therefore confer the seal of leadership on either of the two rival blocs: Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Abu Dhabi, or Turkey and Qatar.
The rivalry between the two camps is unresolved for lack of an acknowledged leader.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made the gesture of apologizing to Ankara for the 2010 flotilla incident on the assumption that Obama had put in place an anti-Assad front consisting of Israel, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt for grappling with the escalating Syrian menace.
Pushed by the US president, Netanyahu followed the Turkish-Qatari-Egyptian track established in Cairo last November through which the US ended Israel's Gaza Strip operation against Hamas.
But this track has since been superceded by subsequent events and innate cross-divisions.
In the first place, most Arab rulers, especially the Saudi and Jordanian kings and the United Arab Emirates, look askance on what they regard as Qatar’s outlandish connection with non-Arab Turkey and want no truck with its prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan. This has led him to vent his frustration on Israel in search of an Arab consensus for his leadership role.
Because the US president needs Jordan’s cooperation, which is subject to Saudi approval, he must approach the uphill task of establishing a working relationship between Riyadh and Ankara, which is just as necessary as the Israeli-Turkish reconciliation.
The Arab summit in Doha, Qatar (Tuesday-Wednesday, March 26-27), while divided on a whole gamut of issues, has agreed that rapprochement with Turkey is a non-starter.
Saudi King Abdullah and his strategic advisers will on no account follow the course Prime Minister Netanyahu accepted at the end of Obama's visit Friday, March 22, which placed the Syrian issue in the hands of Turkey and Qatar, any more than he tolerated the US-brokered deal for assigning the Gaza Strip to Turkish-Qatari patronage.
On top of his antipathy for the Turkish leader, the Saudi monarch still harbors a deep grudge for the way in the 2011 Libyan war that Qatar’s secret service and special forces took charge with Obama’s blessing of running the Arab support-and-arms pipeline to the various Libyan opposition militias.
The fallout of this policy is manifest from Tripoli to Benghazi to this day. It accounts for the failure of central government to take hold in the face of the vigorous radical Islamic militias rampant in the country – some of which are tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, others to al Qaeda.
The Saudi and Jordanian monarchs are resolved at all costs to prevent a repeat of the Libyan debacle in Syria. In no circumstances will they put up with Muslim Brotherhood and/or al Qaeda rule succeeding Bashar Assad in Damascus.
The deep divisions among the Arab rulers in Doha found absurd expression in their steps on Syria: One was to seat the Syrian opposition leader Mouaz al-Khatib against his will in Bashar Assad’s old chair at the round table. A week earlier, al Khatib resigned as president of the Syrian National Coalition.
The other was summit endorsement for Arab arms supplies to the Syrian rebels, more than a year after those supplies came on tap - without, however, achieving their purpose of toppling Assad.
These exercises in futility were dictated by two facts:
1. The rift between the Saudi-UAE-Jordan bloc and the Qatar-Turkey bloc persists.
2. This rift is reflected in the deepening frictions among the disparate Syrian rebel groups and serves to aggravate their already towering difficulty in choosing a consensual leader for their cause.The leadership failure malaise not only afflicts Tripoli, Tunis, Cairo, Sana and Damascus, but the Arab League itself as would-be spokesman for a world region.
debkafile's Middle East sources report that Turkey’s Erdogan eyes the empty chair at the head of the Arab summit table when he touts Israel’s apology as a “huge victory” for his foreign policy.
In truth, this “huge victory” exists only in Erdogan’s mind. The apology formula finalized in the three-way phone call between himself, Netanyahu and Obama on Friday, March 22, was put before him three months ago. It wasn’t Israel who had to be persuaded to make this gesture for shelving their quarrel, as he claims, but Erdogan who refused to accept it.
In fact, his hand was forced into reconciliation by the US president, just as Netanyahu’s was. The Turkish premier’s claims that he is holding Israel on trial for making good on the conditions he laid down are so much swagger. In fact, Ankara is on trial in Washington: The next steps on Syria will be determined by President Obama and his choice between the Saudi-Jordanian-Abu Dhabi bloc and the Qatar-Turkish partnership for leading the Muslim-Arab front against Bashar Assad. But Erdogan prefers to keep his awkward position from becoming known to the Turkish public as well as Israel's response to Ankara's need for cooperation in essential fields as debkafile revealed on March 23.

Lesson from Cyprus
By: Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat
If, just a few years ago, someone had prophesied the current economic state of affairs, nobody would have believed them. It would have been unbelievable that an economic crisis could arise whereby a country would be forced to close its banks for over a week, ATM machines would run out of cash, and depositors would be obliged to pay a very high rate of tax in order to rescue the economy. However, it seems that the twenty-first century has brought with it unpredictable events. The collapse of giant financial corporations, and the subsequent deep recession experienced by major industrial states, have served to remind everybody that in the world of finance, nothing is without risk. Indeed everything carries with it a certain risk.
The painful agreement was reached at the eleventh hour, or shall we say at the last possible moment, before the EU cut the last lifeline to the island that was forced to shut one of its large but troubled banks. Reports indicate that a 40 percent tax will be levied on deposits in Cyprus, with deposits exceeding EUR 100,000 to be taxed at an even higher rate.
Cyprus is paying an exorbitant price, the impact of which will continue to be felt over the next five to ten years. This is not mentioning the job cuts that will have to be enforced in the hopes of avoiding possible bankruptcy. The consequences of this could even reach the EU itself, particularly as some of the EU’s southern states have faced unprecedented financial trouble over the past two years. This includes major industrial states such as Italy, which are facing unprecedented financial troubles. These countries have been forced to take unpopular austerity measures that have incited protests that are still ongoing today, particularly in countries like Spin and Greece.
Cyprus could be taken as a classic case of an economic crisis that arises from an environment of rapid growth combined with an abandonment of banking rules and regulations with the objective of attracting foreign capital, particularly Russian depositors. These banks offered higher interest rates, particularly when compared to other EU states. Another advantage was that these bank accounts were considered to be safer, particularly as Cyprus is an EU member state.
However Cyprus was not the only country to do this. Many other economies resorted to a similar approach in search of investment, although they were well aware that high interest rates mean that the return on this capital must be even higher in order to pay back depositors and still make a profit. While such practices can work in times of prosperity and growth, they can be fatal during periods of economic crisis and decline. Iceland experienced a similar crisis years ago; Icelandic banks were attracting depositors from other European states by offering high interest rates. However these depositors realized that their cash was unsafe, and, thus, Iceland’s overseas assets were frozen in order to cover these deposits.
So, can the Arab nations learn anything from the Cypriot crisis?
Certainly, there are lessons to be learned. An Arab version of the Cyprus crisis is not out of the question. Half of the Arab world is at risk of more than the threat of bankruptcy today, particularly following the political turmoil that has swept through the region and which also affected their economies. Some of these unwise banking practices and irrational expansionist policies can now be found in the Arab world.
The most important lesson is to follow the correct rules. Caution over the future must be observed by adopting international safety regulations. We must also limit unwise expansion in terms of spending and consumption. When such measures are correctly applied, our economies will be stabilized, and become resistant to any detrimental changes bought about via foreign markets. Indeed, the reality of modern economics is that all states are interconnected and affect one another, for better or worse.
We must also note the tough negotiation conducted by the major EU states—particularly Germany—and the IMF, with the Cypriot government. They put together an agreement stipulating that the government will bear part of the financial burden, otherwise threatening to cut-off financial assistance to the island. The international mood has changed following a series of crises that arose as a result of expansionary fiscal policies. We are now facing a situation in which nobody wants to offer funding but must do so under political pressure. In the case of Cyprus, this involves exiting the EU, which would be the first move of its kind.
The most important thing to bear in mind is that the world is today experiencing an economic crisis that has no parallel over the past few decades. Estimates indicate that this is not part of a regular recessionary cycle, which concludes within one or two years. However due to the lack of financial liquidity and loans—which were readily available in times of growth and prosperity—this current economic crisis may last until the end of the decade. This means that it will be very difficult for stalled or stalling Arab countries to restart their economies and get out of danger. Even if the necessary financing can be secured, the terms and conditions for this will be similarly harsh and unpopular; accepting them would require a strong political will.

Muslim Persecution of Christians: January,2013
March 27, 2013 | Raymond Ibrahim
Gatestone Institute
The 2013 year began with reports indicating that wherever Christians live side by side with large numbers of Muslims, they are under attack. One report said that “Africa, where Christianity spread fastest during the past century, now is the region where oppression of Christians is spreading fastest.” This is certainly true: whether in Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, or Tanzania, attacks on Christians in those countries are as frequent as they are graphic.
As for the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, a new study by the Pew Forum finds that “just 0.6 percent of the world’s 2.2 billion Christians now live in the Middle East and North Africa. Christians make up only 4% of the region’s inhabitants, drastically down from 20% a century ago and marking the smallest regional Christian minority in the world. Fully 93% of the region is Muslim, and 1.6% is Jewish.”
How Christianity became all but eradicated from the region where it was born is made clear by yet another report concerning Egypt’s Christian Copts, the Middle East’s largest Christian minority. Due to a “climate of fear and uncertainty,” Christian families are leaving Egypt in large numbers. Along with regular church attacks, the situation has gotten to the point that, according to one Coptic priest, “Salafis meet Christian girls in the street and order them to cover their hair. Sometimes they hit them when they refuse.” Another congregation leader said “With the new [Sharia-heavy] constitution, the new laws that are expected, and the majority in parliament I don’t believe we can be treated on an equal basis.”
Elsewhere, Christians are not allowed to flee. In eastern Syria, for example, 25,000 Christians, including Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Chaldeans and Armenians, were prevented from fleeing due to a number of roadblocks set up by armed Islamic militia groups, who deliberately target Christians for robbery and kidnapping for ransoming, often slaughtering their victims.
Categorized by theme, January’s batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and in country alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity:
Church Attacks
Egypt: Reminiscent of the 2011 New Year’s Eve church bombing in Alexandria, which left over 23 Christians dead, a car packed with explosives was discovered by a Coptic church celebrating Christmas [which is in January] and neutralized before detonating. A car with masked men was seen speeding away as patrols seized the explosives-packed car. Separately, hundreds of Muslims in the village of Fanous destroyed a social services building belonging to a Coptic Church while chanting Islamic slogans. Security forces arrived only after the building was completely destroyed. According to the report, the social services building “had all the necessary government permits; it had a reception hall on the first floor and a kindergarten on the second. But the Muslims insisted that it would become a church.” Mosques in surrounding areas had earlier called on Muslims through their megaphones to go and help their Muslim brethren in Fanous, because Christians were “building a church.” Hundreds of other Muslim protesters rioted outside yet another church in Upper Egypt, throwing stones at the building, on claims that a Christian man had sexually assaulted a 6-year-old Muslim girl. Four stores owned by Copts were also torched. Police are investigating the accusations.
Nigeria: A total of 30 Christians were slaughtered in two separate attacks carried out by armed men ahead of the New Year in the Muslim-majority north: on Sunday December 30, 15 people were killed when armed jihadis stormed a church and opened fire on worshippers. The night before, Muslim terrorists broke into selected homes and slaughtered 15 other Christians in their sleep. “The victims were selected because they were all Christians, some of whom had moved into the neighbourhood from other parts of the city hit by Boko Haram attacks,” said a relief worker. Meanwhile, Nigerian president Jonathan revealed that Boko Haram has enablers even within his own government: “the saboteurs in government condoning terrorism by Boko Haram, you do not love this nation. Those of you who leak secrets to Boko Haram do not love this nation.”
Pakistan: On Christmas day, “when Christian worshipers were coming out of different Churches after performing Christmas prayers, more than one hundred Muslim extremists equipped with automatic rifles, pistols and sticks attacked the Christian women, children and men,” according to a report. Several were shot or beaten relentlessly. Much of this appears to have been exacerbated by a fatwa, or an Islamic edict, that came out right before Christmas, saying that, “Christmas cannot be celebrated by Muslims because it is against the concept of monotheism in Islam.” Due to the subsequent chaos, Christians “were under siege from Christmas day and running out of food supplies and milk for children on fear of safety and security of life from further attacks of [the] Muslim mob…. The news of this attack on Christians on Christmas Day was intentionally blocked by media and administration of capital city Islamabad.”
Russia: Security forces in a North Caucasus province on Sunday killed three Islamic militants suspected of planning attacks on church services during the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday, which comes in January. Security forces tried to stop a van in a Muslim-majority province but its occupants opened fire and were killed in the ensuing battle. Guns and ammunition were subsequently discovered in the van indicating that the men were planning attacks on churches during services marking Russian Orthodox Christmas. “Deadly exchanges of gunfire between police and suspected militants at road checkpoints are common in Russia’s North Caucasus, a string of provinces hit by an Islamist insurgency rooted in two separatist wars in Chechnya,” adds the report.
Murders and Plots of Murder
Algeria: According to a local man who escaped an Islamic raid in the Sahara, the Islamic gunmen who seized hundreds of gas plant workers told staff they would not harm Muslims but would kill Western hostages whom they referred to as “Christians and infidels”: “The terrorists told us at the very start that they would not hurt Muslims but were only interested in the Christians and infidels. ‘We will kill them,’ they said.”
Egypt: Two bearded men, apparently Salafis —those Muslims who most try to pattern themselves after Islam’s prophet—in what appears to have been a random act of violence, stabbed a Christian woman in Alexandria. The two men were riding a motorcycle when they intercepted Mary and stabbed her in her abdomen as she was crossing the street, causing a serious wound in her peritoneal membrane. The Coptic woman was transported to the hospital where she underwent surgery. Although Mary’s family filed a complaint with the police, as usual, the head detective refused to go out and inspect the assault scene. An activist confirmed that this is not the first attack on Coptic women in Alexandria. Indeed there have been several such cases reported in January without any response from authorities.
Iraq: The nation’s ever dwindling Christian minority continues to suffer untold atrocities. A Christian university medical student was killed by a car bomb a day after the body of a 54-year-old female Christian teacher was found with her throat cut. The slain Christian woman was discovered in the same area where attacks have been perpetrated in the past against members of the city’s Christian minority, some abducted and murdered.
Turkey: An assassination plot against a Protestant pastor was thwarted when police arrested 14 suspects, two of whom had been part of his congregation for more than a year, pretending to be interested in Christianity; one went so far as to be baptized. “These people had infiltrated our church and collected information about me, my family and the church and were preparing an attack against us,” said the pastor, a native Turk and convert to Christianity. “Two of them attended our church for over a year and they were like family.” Also, an 85-year-old Christian Armenian woman was repeatedly stabbed to death in her apartment. A crucifix was carved onto her naked corpse. Another elderly Christian Armenian woman was punched in the head and, after collapsing to the floor, repeatedly kicked by a masked man. According to the report, “the attack marks the fifth in the past two months against elderly Armenian women (one has lost an eye)…. Opinion remains divided as to whether these are organised hate crimes targeting non-Muslims or just random theft.” Yet according to Turkey’s Human Rights Association, “The attacks were carried out with racist motives,” that is, the victims were intentionally targeted for being Christian Armenians...
The 2013 year began with reports indicating that wherever Christians live side by side with large numbers of Muslims, they are under attack. One report said that “Africa, where Christianity spread fastest during the past century, now is the region where oppression of Christians is spreading fastest.” This is certainly true: whether in Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, or Tanzania, attacks on Christians in those countries are as frequent as they are graphic.
As for the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, a new study by the Pew Forum finds that “just 0.6 percent of the world’s 2.2 billion Christians now live in the Middle East and North Africa. Christians make up only 4% of the region’s inhabitants, drastically down from 20% a century ago and marking the smallest regional Christian minority in the world. Fully 93% of the region is Muslim, and 1.6% is Jewish.”
How Christianity became all but eradicated from the region where it was born is made clear by yet another report concerning Egypt’s Christian Copts, the Middle East’s largest Christian minority. Due to a “climate of fear and uncertainty,” Christian families are leaving Egypt in large numbers. Along with regular church attacks, the situation has gotten to the point that, according to one Coptic priest, “Salafis meet Christian girls in the street and order them to cover their hair. Sometimes they hit them when they refuse.” Another congregation leader said “With the new [Sharia-heavy] constitution, the new laws that are expected, and the majority in parliament I don’t believe we can be treated on an equal basis.”
Elsewhere, Christians are not allowed to flee. In eastern Syria, for example, 25,000 Christians, including Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Chaldeans and Armenians, were prevented from fleeing due to a number of roadblocks set up by armed Islamic militia groups, who deliberately target Christians for robbery and kidnapping for ransoming, often slaughtering their victims.
Categorized by theme, January’s batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and in country alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity:
Church Attacks
Egypt: Reminiscent of the 2011 New Year’s Eve church bombing in Alexandria, which left over 23 Christians dead, a car packed with explosives was discovered by a Coptic church celebrating Christmas [which is in January] and neutralized before detonating. A car with masked men was seen speeding away as patrols seized the explosives-packed car. Separately, hundreds of Muslims in the village of Fanous destroyed a social services building belonging to a Coptic Church while chanting Islamic slogans. Security forces arrived only after the building was completely destroyed. According to the report, the social services building “had all the necessary government permits; it had a reception hall on the first floor and a kindergarten on the second. But the Muslims insisted that it would become a church.” Mosques in surrounding areas had earlier called on Muslims through their megaphones to go and help their Muslim brethren in Fanous, because Christians were “building a church.” Hundreds of other Muslim protesters rioted outside yet another church in Upper Egypt, throwing stones at the building, on claims that a Christian man had sexually assaulted a 6-year-old Muslim girl. Four stores owned by Copts were also torched. Police are investigating the accusations.
Nigeria: A total of 30 Christians were slaughtered in two separate attacks carried out by armed men ahead of the New Year in the Muslim-majority north: on Sunday December 30, 15 people were killed when armed jihadis stormed a church and opened fire on worshippers. The night before, Muslim terrorists broke into selected homes and slaughtered 15 other Christians in their sleep. “The victims were selected because they were all Christians, some of whom had moved into the neighbourhood from other parts of the city hit by Boko Haram attacks,” said a relief worker. Meanwhile, Nigerian president Jonathan revealed that Boko Haram has enablers even within his own government: “the saboteurs in government condoning terrorism by Boko Haram, you do not love this nation. Those of you who leak secrets to Boko Haram do not love this nation.”
Pakistan: On Christmas day, “when Christian worshipers were coming out of different Churches after performing Christmas prayers, more than one hundred Muslim extremists equipped with automatic rifles, pistols and sticks attacked the Christian women, children and men,” according to a report. Several were shot or beaten relentlessly. Much of this appears to have been exacerbated by a fatwa, or an Islamic edict, that came out right before Christmas, saying that, “Christmas cannot be celebrated by Muslims because it is against the concept of monotheism in Islam.” Due to the subsequent chaos, Christians “were under siege from Christmas day and running out of food supplies and milk for children on fear of safety and security of life from further attacks of [the] Muslim mob…. The news of this attack on Christians on Christmas Day was intentionally blocked by media and administration of capital city Islamabad.”
Russia: Security forces in a North Caucasus province on Sunday killed three Islamic militants suspected of planning attacks on church services during the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday, which comes in January. Security forces tried to stop a van in a Muslim-majority province but its occupants opened fire and were killed in the ensuing battle. Guns and ammunition were subsequently discovered in the van indicating that the men were planning attacks on churches during services marking Russian Orthodox Christmas. “Deadly exchanges of gunfire between police and suspected militants at road checkpoints are common in Russia’s North Caucasus, a string of provinces hit by an Islamist insurgency rooted in two separatist wars in Chechnya,” adds the report.
Murders and Plots of Murder
Algeria: According to a local man who escaped an Islamic raid in the Sahara, the Islamic gunmen who seized hundreds of gas plant workers told staff they would not harm Muslims but would kill Western hostages whom they referred to as “Christians and infidels”: “The terrorists told us at the very start that they would not hurt Muslims but were only interested in the Christians and infidels. ‘We will kill them,’ they said.”
Egypt: Two bearded men, apparently Salafis —those Muslims who most try to pattern themselves after Islam’s prophet—in what appears to have been a random act of violence, stabbed a Christian woman in Alexandria. The two men were riding a motorcycle when they intercepted Mary and stabbed her in her abdomen as she was crossing the street, causing a serious wound in her peritoneal membrane. The Coptic woman was transported to the hospital where she underwent surgery. Although Mary’s family filed a complaint with the police, as usual, the head detective refused to go out and inspect the assault scene. An activist confirmed that this is not the first attack on Coptic women in Alexandria. Indeed there have been several such cases reported in January without any response from authorities.
Iraq: The nation’s ever dwindling Christian minority continues to suffer untold atrocities. A Christian university medical student was killed by a car bomb a day after the body of a 54-year-old female Christian teacher was found with her throat cut. The slain Christian woman was discovered in the same area where attacks have been perpetrated in the past against members of the city’s Christian minority, some abducted and murdered.
Turkey: An assassination plot against a Protestant pastor was thwarted when police arrested 14 suspects, two of whom had been part of his congregation for more than a year, pretending to be interested in Christianity; one went so far as to be baptized. “These people had infiltrated our church and collected information about me, my family and the church and were preparing an attack against us,” said the pastor, a native Turk and convert to Christianity. “Two of them attended our church for over a year and they were like family.” Also, an 85-year-old Christian Armenian woman was repeatedly stabbed to death in her apartment. A crucifix was carved onto her naked corpse. Another elderly Christian Armenian woman was punched in the head and, after collapsing to the floor, repeatedly kicked by a masked man. According to the report, “the attack marks the fifth in the past two months against elderly Armenian women (one has lost an eye)…. Opinion remains divided as to whether these are organised hate crimes targeting non-Muslims or just random theft.” Yet according to Turkey’s Human Rights Association, “The attacks were carried out with racist motives,” that is, the victims were intentionally targeted for being Christian Armenians.
Apostasy, Blasphemy, Proselytism
Egypt: A court sentenced an entire family—Nadia Mohamed Ali and her seven children—to fifteen years in prison for converting to Christianity. Seven other people were sentenced to five years in prison, primarily for facilitating the formal conversion of the family. A born Christian, Nadia had earlier converted to Islam to marry a Muslim man; reconverting back to Christianity after the death of her husband, she attempted to reflect this change formally on her identity card and her children’s, which created suspicions among security, who arrested the family, followed by the subsequent fifteen year prison sentence.
Iran: Saeed Abedini, an American-Iranian Christian pastor was arrested and, in a sham trial, sentenced “to eight years in prison for threatening the national security of Iran through his leadership in Christian house churches. He will serve the time in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, known as one of the most brutal.” “This is a real travesty—a mockery of justice,” said the American pastor’s attorney. “From the very beginning, Iranian authorities have lied about all aspects of this case, even releasing rumors of his expected release. Iran has not only abused its own laws, it has trampled on the fundamentals of human rights.” This would certainly not be the first time Tehran behaves in such a manner.
Malaysia: Threats to burn Bibles in the Malay language were the latest in a series of attacks on Christianity in a nation regularly touted in the Western press as an example of a “moderate” Muslim nation. A note, written in Malay, was sent to a Christian priest saying a Bible-burning festival would soon take place; it ended with a warning in English: “Let’s teach ‘em a lesson.” This latest threat “has had the desired effect of adding to the despair of Malaysian Christians. A fortnight ago the Sultan of the State of Selangor forbade Christians from using the word ‘Allah’, defying practice and convention in the country. The Arabic term for God, in usage in religious and cultural contexts before the dawn of Islam, has been used in Bibles in the Malay language and litany for more than 400 years.” Attacks on Christianity in the nation are often framed in fear that Christianity will spread if not kept in check.
Dhimmitude
[General Abuse and Suppression of Non-Muslims as “Tolerated” Citizens]
Egypt: A Muslim preacher, Hisham al-Ashri, appeared on primetime television saying that women not wearing the hijab, or veil, in public, are asking to get raped. He framed his discussion around Christians, who in Egypt are obviously most likely not to wear veils.
“I was once asked: If I came to power, would I let Christian women remain unveiled? And I said: If they want to get raped on the streets, then they can,” said the Muslim preacher. He further said that, “In order for Egypt to become fully Islamic, alcohol must be banned and all women must be covered,” a remark that clearly does not take Egypt’s large Christian minority—whose own religious beliefs do not mandate veils or ban alcohol—into consideration.
Indonesia: After being threatened with closure, six Catholic schools in the nation which has the largest Muslim population in the world, finally agreed to hire Islamic teachers and offer Islamic lessons to Muslim students. While this seems equitable, in reality, Muslim schools habitually refuse to offer Christian lessons to Christian students in public schools, which teach Islam to all students. As one Indonesian commentator put it, “If the regulation is upheld, will Islamic schools, which are more exclusive than Catholic schools when it comes to accepting students of different faiths, also be required to provide Buddhist, Christian or Hindu lessons for their non-Muslim students?” Separately, the Indonesia Ulema Council’s East Java chapter urged other regions in the province to issue similar decrees so that all schools, be they state-run or managed by Christian foundations, provide Islamic lessons for their Muslim students.
Pakistan: A powerful government official’s aide running a prostitution ring abducted a 15-year-old Christian girl from her home, forcing her to convert to Islam and marry him. A tenant of the Christian family, the Muslim man was evicted after police exposed his prostitution ring. After he left, the girl disappeared; he called the girl’s family, and according to the mother, “He also claimed that Asma [the girl] had converted to Islam and asked us not to look for her, as she won’t be returning home. I could not believe my ears, because Asma is hardly 15 and Ghaji [the Muslim man] is thrice her age,” she said. “I told him that I wanted to speak to Asma for the last time, so he handed over the phone to her. ‘What have you done my child, my child?’ I asked as Asma burst into tears. (She said), ‘They are not going to let me return home, mother—do something.’” Police, as usual, refused to register a case, telling the devastated parents, “Do you know Ghaji works for Siraj Durrani [a governmental official]? I’d suggest that you forget your daughter and stop creating problems for your other children.”
Tanzania: During a Friday mosque sermon, a cleric called on Muslims “not to cooperate with Christians because they were infidels. He insisted that Muslims should not take part in Christian festivals like Christmas, Easter and other celebrations, including baptism and confirmation.” He also called on Muslims not to go to Christian funeral services, because infidel Christians are to be buried as dogs: “Let me tell you if you came from a Christian father or mother, but you got assimilated [converted to Islam], consider yourself you are lucky. But if one of your parents is deceased, you shouldn’t burry [sic] him or her, but just put him/her in the grave as if you [were] doing it to a dead dog.” The report further adds that, “Since the founding of the Saad bin Mwazi mosque in Makorora half a decade ago [where the above sermon took place], most residents of the area, including Christians and Muslims have been listening to hate sermons uttered in the mosque.”
Uzbekistan: Police detained 80 church leaders in a raid on a ministry training gathering. In the process they insulted the Christians and confiscated their Bibles and Christian books, which were later destroyed by a court order. According to the report, “Four leaders were charged with offences under the country’s harsh laws regarding religious practice, including violating the procedure for holding religious meetings, carrying out unauthorised religious activity and teaching religious beliefs without permission. They were each fined more than a year’s salary in Uzbekistan and are appealing against the ruling. On 24 December, a court ordered that Bibles confiscated during the raid must be destroyed, despite the fact that the Committee on the Religious Affairs of Uzbekistan officially recognises the Bible as a legitimate text.”
About this Series
Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching pandemic proportions, “Muslim Persecution of Christians” was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month. It serves two purposes:
Intrinsically, to document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, increasingly chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
Instrumentally, to show that such persecution is not “random,” but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.
Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; apostasy and blasphemy laws; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (tribute); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed “dhimmis” (barely tolerated citizens); and simple violence and murder. Oftentimes it is a combination thereof.
Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to India in the east, and throughout the West, wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.