LCCC ENGLISH
NEWS BULLETIN
JUNE 29/2006
News from miscellaneous sources for
June 29/2006
Syria says defenses fired on Israeli jets-Fort Wayne News
Israeli warplanes make 'warning' flight over Syria-ABC Online
In new crisis, Syria says its air defenses opened fire on
Israeli
jets-DEBKA file
Berri Travels to Syria for Talks with Assad on Eve of Dialogue
-Naharnet
Sfeir prepares for month-long trip to America-Daily
Star
Berri expects deal on defense strategy
Siniora: Lebanon, Syria have to talk eventually
Ain al-Hilweh factions agree to make most of Lebanese ministerial visit
Qabbani demands review for February 5 detainees
Bahia Hariri hosts dinner in honor of visiting Ashrawi
MPs loyal to Aoun press Constitutional Council to issue verdict on itself
Home-grown terrorists.By: STELLA L. JATRAS -The Washington Times
syria, iran: Defense agreement signed-Monday
Morning
Hamas leader in Syria is target for assassination: Israeli -People's
Daily Online
Swedish Palestinian Freed in Syria-SR
International
Lebanon to establish Judicial cooperation with Italy to solve Alsader
case.KNA
CCD's call to Canadian Muslim groups: Challenge
ul-Haq now!
Setting the
record straight-The Lebanese American effort in the USA. By: Joseph Gebeily
Hamas in Lebanon: Israeli Move into Gaza has not Changed its Demand for Prisoner
Swap-Naharnet
Mufti Qabbani Accuses Authorities of Torturing Detainees in Feb. Anti-Cartoon
Riots-Naharnet
Hamas in Lebanon: Demands unchanged-Jerusalem
Post
Syrian air defenses fire
on Israeli jets
DONNA ABU-NASR-Associated Press
DAMASCUS, Syria - Air defenses fired on Israeli warplanes that entered Syrian
airspace early Wednesday and forced them to flee, state TV said as Mideast
tensions escalated over the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian
militants.
State-run Syrian television said two Israeli planes flew near Syria's
Mediterranean coast early Wednesday, and "national air defenses opened fire in
the direction of the planes, and they dispersed."
The announcement did not mention a claim by Israeli military officials that the
fighter jets buzzed the summer residence of President Bashar Assad in the
coastal city of Latakia. The officials said on condition of anonymity that Assad
was targeted because of the "direct link" between Syria and Hamas, the
Palestinian militant group holding Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, in the Gaza Strip.
Syria hosts Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' exiled supreme leader.
"The overflight by two Israeli planes near the Syrian shores is an aggressive
act and a provocation," the television news said, quoting an Information
Ministry official it did not identify. Syria denied the Damascus-based Hamas
leadership had any connection to the kidnapping. "If the goal of this (overflight)
is to blame the political leadership of Hamas for the abduction of the Israeli
soldier, then Israel is making a big mistake that goes beyond logic," the
Information Ministry official said, according to the TV report. The official
said the abduction "is an operation that could not have taken place by remote
control."
He said the overflight "reflects Israel's failure and its domestic troubles,
which it is trying to export to the outside as it makes accusations against
others."
Wednesday's flyover was the second time Israel has buzzed Assad's summer palace.
In August 2003, warplanes reportedly flew so low that windows in the palace
shattered. At the time, Israel said the flyover was aimed at pressuring Assad to
dismantle Palestinian militant groups based in his country.
In October 2003, an Israeli warplane bombed an Islamic Jihad training base deep
in Syria. It was the first attack on Syrian soil in more than two decades. The
airstrike followed a suicide bombing by Islamic Jihad that killed 19 Israelis in
a restaurant.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have killed hundreds of Israelis in attacks. But this
was a rare example of the Syrian military firing back on Israeli forces. The two
militaries clashed in Lebanon in the 1980s during that country's civil war.
In 1996, Israeli warplanes raided positions in Beirut in response to rocket fire
by the militant group Hezbollah. During those raids, Israel said Syrian air
defenses fired on its planes, so the Israeli air force demolished a Syrian base.
But since then, the Syrians - whose military is far outmatched by Israel's - are
not known to have fired on Israeli forces.
Wednesday's overflights came as Israel bombed Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip,
knocking out electricity and water supplies for most of its 1.3 million
residents. Three bridges also were destroyed to keep militants from moving
Shalit.
The Hamas-led Palestinian government and the militants holding Shalit called for
a prisoner swap with Israel, saying the Gaza offensive would not secure the
soldier's release.
Call for prisoner swap to resolve Gaza crisis
By Middle East correspondent Mark Willacy
The Hamas-led Palestinian Government has called for a prisoner exchange with
Israel, warning that Israel's re-invasion of the Gaza Strip will not win the
freedom of a captured soldier. Israeli incursions and air strikes in Gaza have
left 700,000 people without electricity. Israel has sent thousands of troops
into southern Gaza to try to free Corporal Gilad Shalit who was captured by
Palestinian militants four days ago. Israeli air strikes have destroyed two
bridges connecting northern and southern Gaza, and severely damaged a power
station. Hamas has warned that the raid could jeopardise the life of the
abducted soldier.
In a statement, the Hamas-run Palestinian Government has called for a prisoner
swap with Israel in a bid to resolve the crisis.
Warning flight
Israeli warplanes flew over one of President Bashar al-Assad's palaces on
Wednesday to warn Syria against supporting Palestinian militants who abducted
Corporal Shalit, the Israeli army said.
Israeli media reports said four planes carried out the overflights at low
altitude, early in the morning, causing several sonic booms. "Air defences
confronted two Israeli planes near the coast," the official Syrian news agency
Sana said without elaborating. Israeli television said however no ground-to-air
missiles had been fired at the Israeli aircraft.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said the planes flew over President Assad's palace
near the city of Latakia, "because the Syrian leadership supports and harbours
terrorist leaders, among them Hamas, the kidnappers of the soldier".
Israeli media said President Assad was at the palace at the time. The armed wing
of the ruling Hamas movement was among the three factions that took part in the
cross-border raid into Israel from Gaza in which the soldier was seized on
Sunday, but it has not said it is holding him. Israeli leaders have accused
Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal of being responsible for the
kidnapping.
Exiled Hamas leaders say they were not involved in the operation to capture the
soldier, but are taking seriously Israeli threats to kill them. A senior Syrian
official told Reuters that two Israeli planes had penetrated Syrian air space
and that Syrian air defences forced them to leave. "This is a provocative action
and it is totally rejected," the Syrian official said.
In new crisis, Syria
says its air defenses opened fire on intruding Israeli air force jets
June 28, 2006, 10:42 PM (GMT+02:00)
Unofficial Israel sources confirm that 4 Israeli F16 fighters buzzed the Syrian
presidential summer palace in Latakia early Wednesday, June 28, as pressure on
Bashar Assad to bring about Hamas’ release of kidnapped Israeli corporal Gilead
Shalit. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal whom Syria harbors is accused of
orchestrating Hamas attacks and hostage-taking.
Syria accuses Israel of “a hostile and provocative act” and says its air
defenses opened fire and forced the Israeli warplanes to flee. The Syrian
president was at home at the time of the incident.
DEBKAfile reports: One Israeli official after another struck out against Meshaal
and the Syrian president during the day after the Olmert government and his
security and intelligence chiefs concluded that the missing soldier’s recovery
alive depends on military pressure being applied to the Syrian ruler and through
him on Meshaal. It is no secret that Assad gives Hamas and its political
leadership headed by Meshaal free rein to run the Hamas military arm in Gaza
from Damascus.
Our intelligence sources disclose that, straight after the Israeli buzzing early
Wednesday, Assad returned to Damascus and soon after, met Jordanian prime
minister Maaruf Bahait (former ambassador to Israel), who had come over to
discuss the Palestinian reconciliation document and the crisis in Gaza.
According to our sources, Assad kept on complaining agitatedly about the Israeli
over flights.
Berri Meets with Assad on Eve of Dialogue Talks
Speaker Nabih Berri made a surprise visit to Syria Wednesday and met with Syrian
President Bashar Assad, the National News Agency said. Berri discussed with the
Syrian President bilateral relations and developments in the region and the
situation in Lebanon, the NNA said. The speaker met also with Syrian
vice-president Farouk Sharaa and discussed with him the developments of the
national dialogue and the situation in Lebanon and the region, the NNA reported.
Berri's visit comes in the light of a flurry of statements in Beirut and
Damascus about Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's long-awaited visit to the Syrian
capital to discuss the sour relations between the two counties.
It also comes on the eve of Thursday's session of national dialogue talks which
are expected to focus on Hizbullah's proposal for a national defense strategy to
protect Lebanon from possible Israeli aggression. Berri held a meeting late
Monday with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to discuss their positions
on the defense plan.
Top rival political leaders meeting at the reconciliation talks in March
assigned Saniora with the task of visiting Damascus to discuss delineating the
common border, establishing diplomatic relations as well as other issues agreed
on at the talks.
Assad said in an interview published Monday that Saniora was twice invited to
Damascus but he failed to respond.
The Premier responded Tuesday saying that he was prepared to go the first time
but the Syrians never followed up on the agenda he proposed. With regards to the
second meeting, he asked for a two-day delay but Damascus refused, he added.
Beirut, 28 Jun 06, 12:54
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Local families take pride in relatives 'martyred' in Iraq
Lebanese, palestinian fighters 'teaching infidels a few lessons'
By Mohammed Zaatari -Daily Star staff
SIDON: "He is a martyr! May God grant him salvation and entrance into heaven ...
He fell for the sake of God," with these words, Wafa Hitti welcomed the news of
her son's death in Iraq two days ago. Mohammad Hitti headed to Iraq three months
ago. There, he enrolled in a jihad organization along with a friend who died by
his side.
The report about their deaths did not mention how the two were killed.
Speaking to friends who came to grieve with the family, Wafa said she was
receiving "best wishes, not condolences, because this is what one does when
victims fall during confrontations with Israel."
"The good news" of the deaths was repeatedly announced on Tuesday by the Isbat
al-Ansar group through the loudspeakers of mosques in the Ain al-Hilweh
Palestinian refugee camp.
Conveying his sister's words, Wafa's brother said she was "content with God's
will and satisfied about the martyrdom."
Darwish Hitti, who works as a doorman, said although he has six children,
"nothing can compensate for the loss of Mohammad, who was the calmest and most
handsome of his brethren."
Mahmoud described his brother as a devout Muslim who "left us too soon."
Wafa is not the only mother in the area to lose a son to "jihad."
The deaths are commonplace after the departures of dozens of Muslim youths, both
Lebanese and Palestinian, from Sidon and nearby camps to fight "the enemies of
religion, who are Americans and neo-crusaders."
"They thus earn the blessing of jihad by either dying or winning," said Abu
Obeida, who recently returned from Iraq.
Abu Obeida said that the militants were "teaching the infidels a few lessons in
fighting."
"We are proud of these youths who sacrifice their precious lives for the sake of
their nation," Abu Obeida added, holding the pictures of the fallen fighters and
one of Al-Qaeda's former commander in Iraq, Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi, recently
killed by a US air strike on his hideout in Iraq. The news about Mohammad
Yorshali, who died with Hitti, was received with the same bittersweet mixture of
emotion at his home in Ain al-Hilweh. According to informed sources in the camp,
Lebanese and Palestinians started heading into Iraq through Syria during the
first months of war. Although they left individually at first, the operations
soon became organized by groups connected to Al-Qaeda. The sources said more
than 20 Palestinians and Lebanese have died in Iraq, and that most of them were
affiliated with Isbat al-Ansar, including five who were leading members of the
group and had received extensive combat training. According to the sources, all
mujahideen leave only a note justifying their enrollment in jihad based on
Koranic verses and urging their relatives not to cry, but to instead rejoice for
their death.
In his letter, Ayman Sayegh, who died two months ago in Iraq, asked for his
parents' forgiveness and urged them not to mourn him. He also relinquished his
future home to his brother and asked his fiancee to keep the jewelry he had
given her.
Sheikh Maher Hammoud, the imam of the Quds Mosque in Sidon, described the
youths' journey to Iraq as "natural," saying it "showed that their feelings were
honest and that they were ready to sacrifice their lives and their families to
defend the dignity of the nation against the occupying forces."
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT:
THE LEBANESE-AMERICAN EFFORT IN THE U.S.
June 16, 2006
By Joseph Gebeily
The Lebanese-American efforts aimed at restoring the sovereignty of Lebanon are
truly admirable. Hundreds of Americans of Lebanese origin have been discreety
active over the past few years in support of Lebanon’s freedom. Their motivation
was never the need for fame or recognition but the desire to save and free their
beloved native land. Thousands among the Lebanese-American Community were
sympathetic to this endeavor and supportive of it.
Now that some who have chosen a different path are minimizing and questioning
the sacrifices of these patriotic activists, and for the sake of history and
truth, it is time to set the record straight and to mention a few facts.
The Lebanese-American effort and the Syria Accountability and Lebanese
Sovereignty Restoration Act,
While the idea-concept of a bill in Congress imposing sanctions on Syria was
introduced by a particular group, many Lebanese-American Organizations worked
relentlessly to ensure the passage of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese
Sovereignty Restoration Act (SALSRA). The ones who opposed it are just few and
well-known.
Among the supporters, I will specifically mention the groups, with which I am
involved, namely the Lebanese Forces (LF) of North America, the Lebanese
Information Center and the American Lebanese Coalition. I shall leave it to
other groups to further clarify their contribution, for the sake of fairness and
objectivity.
Here is an outline of the efforts undertaken by the LF in North America, the
Lebanese Information Center in the US and the American Lebanese Coalition:
- Letters, faxes, e-mail campaigns, thousands of calls to members of Congress
from Florida to Maine and from Maryland to Washington State, made in conjunction
with other groups.
(See Annex 1: Sample of the letter sent by LIC to all members of Congress, House
and Senate, in support of the SALSRA)
- Fund raisers and campaign contributions to members of Congress.
(Numerous contributions were made by members of LIC, LF North America and ALC to
US Representatives who were supporting the SALSRA. Recipients specifically
included members of the Middle East Subcommittee in the House like Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, Eliot Engel, Robert Wexler, Darrell Issa and others.)
- Position papers and discussions with the US Administration, particularly the
State Department. The main intent was to explain the purpose of the bill and its
importance to the success of the US war against terror and to ask for their
backing.
(It is no secret that the Administration in general and the Bureau of Near East
Affairs at the State Department in particular, and for multiple and complex
reasons, were originally opposed to the Bill. The State Department sent letters
in that respect to Congress, and at one point, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
NEA Ambassador David Satterfield was going to testify against the Bill. This had
no effect whatsoever on our position and efforts.)
- Meetings and conference calls with our grassroots and Lebanese-American
communities all over the US to mobilize them to lobby their representatives in
the House and in the Senate to vote for the SALRSA.
- Endorsement of the Bill by our representatives in the Maronite Congress of
2002.
- My own presentation and subsequent discussion at the National Apostolate of
Maronites convention of 2002, in support of SALSRA.
- Distributing flyers, T-shirts and advertising for SALSRA by members of LF and
LIC,
And then, around the time of the hearings,
- the ad page in Rollcall magazine, signed by 14 Lebanese-American organizations
in support of SALSRA. (See Annex 2:Ad in RollCall)
- Attendance at the congressional hearing, mostly by members of LIC, LF and ALC,
in a show of support for SALSRA.
A written testimony presented by LIC in support of SALSRA, which was entered
into congressional records (See Annex 3: The Syrian Threat- a paper by the LIC),
- Discussions we had with the American Task Force for Lebanon ahead of the
hearings to convince them not to testify against the Bill,
- The "minority letter" sent by ALC Board member Mr. Tom Harb to ATFL members in
support of SALSRA.
It is possible that important work was done “inside” the Capitol by a certain
group or individual to lobby for this Bill. However, a lot of work, as important
if not more, was done on the “outside”, at the same time, with the
Administration, with the various Lebanese-American communities and with members
of Congress in the different states.
SALSRA would have never passed without the support of the majority of
Lebanese-American organizations.
The US Administration’s reaction
The President’s initial reaction to the Bill was lukewarm at best. (“My approval
of the Act does not constitute my adoption of the various statements of policy
in the Act as U.S. foreign policy. Given the Constitution's commitment to the
Presidency of the authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs, the
executive branch shall construe such policy statements as advisory, giving them
the due weight that comity between the legislative and executive branches should
require, to the extent consistent with U.S. foreign policy”. George W Bush-Dec
12, 2003 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031212-3.html )
US Administrations and Presidents, particularly this President, do not
appreciate the imposition by Congress of foreign policy actions. Congress can
definitely influence and pressure a President to adopt certain positions on US
foreign policy, but in the end, the American Constitution grants this
responsibility to the Executive branch.
Change in US foreign policy with regards to Syria
It is rather naïve to assume that the passage of the Syria Accountability and
Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act “changed US foreign policy”. It is really
the other way around: the change in policy by the Administration led to the
passage and signing of SALSRA. To believe that President George W. Bush became
convinced one day that he should adopt a more aggressive attitude towards Syria,
just because Congress wants him to, is not knowing George W. Bush at all…
The increasing animosity of this Administration and this President towards Syria
is a result of multiple factors, some strategic, related to the Global War on
Terror and to George W. Bush’s vision of the “forward strategy of freedom” in
the Middle East, and some tactical, born out of frustration with Syria’s
behavior in Iraq, in Palestine, and, last but not least, in Lebanon.
What drove Syria out of Lebanon?
SALRSA was no doubt an achievement. It was a clear victory for the promoters of
democracy over the apologists and the appeasers. It was also a major
accomplishment of the anti-Syrian lobby against the pro-Syrian political machine
in the US.
But if we had only relied on SALSRA, like some wanted us to do, Syria would
still be occupying Lebanon today. SALSRA is more like a statement of policy and
one minor tool to impose diplomatic and economic sanctions on Syria. It was
unrealistic and illogical to believe that the Syrian Baath Regime would have
been affected by these sanctions alone to the point of withdrawing from Lebanon.
What drove Syria out of Lebanon are two major factors:
- The international community’s stance, led by the US and France, which was
manifested through United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, for which
Lebanese-Americans worked relentlessly, except for (and this is unfortunate)
those who introduced SALSRA. (See Annex 4: The American Lebanese Coalition and
UNSCR 1559)
- The rallying of the Lebanese, political and religious groups, through the
March 14th and the Cedar Revolution movements to demand the withdrawal of Syria
from Lebanon.
To continue salvaging Lebanon, we absolutely must preserve those two elements:
the international stance and the Lebanese solidarity for the freedom of Lebanon.
How to keep the spirit of the SALSRA?
- It is definitely not by repeatedly attacking the Lebanese March 14 groups and
leaders. These patriots continue to be intimidated, threatened, and murdered for
opposing the Syrian Baathist rule and its hegemony over Lebanon.
- It is definitely not by allying ourselves with the pro-Syrians in Lebanon and
all the remnants of the Syrian occupation, e.g. Emile Lahoud, Omar Karame,
Sleiman Franjieh, Michel Murr, Talal Arslan, the Syrian National Socialists, and
their ilk.
- Is it definitely not by catering to Hezbollah, while knowing that the SALSRA
is especially focused on Hezbollah and has clearly linked the sanctions against
Syria to its support for Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations (See Annex
5: Hezbollah in the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act).
- Just recently, the chief sponsor of SALSRA in the US House of Representatives,
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, reiterated the condemnation of the Syrian
regime because of its support to Hezbollah. (“The government in Damascus has
done nothing to address the principal complaints regarding its support of
terrorism and weapons programs”. "Syria harbors Islamist terrorists at home and
sponsors them abroad," "Syria also continues to allow Iran to use Damascus as a
trans-shipment point to re-supply Hezbollah in Lebanon. Regrettably the
Syrian-Iran alliance extends into other problematic areas, such as
proliferation." Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. June 7, 2006)
- It is definitely not by alienating those Lebanese-Americans, individuals and
organizations who stood at the forefront of the struggle to liberate Lebanon.
It is rather by consolidating the alliance among all pro-sovereignty movements
in Lebanon and abroad, and especially in the US to achieve a victory for
Lebanon, in a similar manner to our collective efforts during the work for the
Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act.
Joseph Gebeily, MD
President
Lebanese Information Center
American Lebanese Coalition
4900 Leesburg Pike, Suite 203
Alexandria, VA 22302
Phone 703-578-4214
Fax 703-578-4615
email jgbeily@licus.org
CCD's call to
Canadian Muslim groups: Challenge ul-Haq now!
For Immediate Release
Ottawa, Canada, Wednesday, 28 June, 2006 - Six well-known Muslim organizations
held a press conference in Ottawa on June 8, 2006 in which they issued a joint
commitment "to take a leadership role in challenging extremism". We look forward
to these groups publicly challenging the extremist message of Britain's Sheikh
Riyadh ul-Haq who has been invited to Canada to "educate" Muslim youth, and to
publicly call on the government to bar his entry to Canada.
Sheikh ul-Haq's message is no secret. On June 15th, CCD released audio
recordings of Sheikh Riyadh ul-Haq in which he is calling for martyrdom and
jihad while presenting Hindus, Jews and tolerant Muslims as enemies of Islam.
Many groups, including the CCD, Muslim Canadian Congress, Egale (Equality for
Gays and Lesbians Everywhere), B'nai Brith Canada, Canadian Jewish Congress,
Hindu Dharma Mission, and others have called on Immigration Minister Monte
Solberg to exercise his prerogative to bar entry to Canada of those who promote
hatred and violence, as Canada has done in the past with members of the Ku Klux
Klan.
"It was an extremist message that turned young British Muslims into mass
murderers," said Alastair Gordon, CCD president. "Minister Solberg has a duty to
keep incitement out of Canada."
The six Muslim organizations that issued the statement on combatting Islamic
extremism were the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN),
Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association (CMCLA), Islamic Circle of North
America (ICNA), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Islamic Social
Services Association (ISSA), Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), Muslim Students
Association - National (MSA-National), and the Council for the Advancement of
Muslim Professionals (CAMP).
"It was reported that the local chapter of one of these Muslim organizations
invited Sheikh Riyadh ul-Haq to speak to students at McMaster University,"
Gordon continued. "Now that actual audio recordings of the Sheikh's sermons have
been made public, we hope that this organization and its co-signatories will
join responsible Canadians in condemning ul-Haq's views and calling for a denial
of his entry into Canada."
Unfortunately, ul-Haq's statements have been defended by some Canadian imams as
being "taken out of context". However, there is no context that could explain
away his comments about Hindus, Jews, moderate Muslims and homosexuals. Ul-Haq's
call for martyrdom is unequivocal: "Among the believers there are those who ...
are martyred in the way of Allah. And the rest of the believers, they are
waiting for martyrdom. They are waiting for shahada [martyrdom]."
Canadians look forward to timely public action from the six Muslim organizations
in keeping with their expressed opposition to extremism.
Founded in 2003, the Canadian Coalition for Democracies is a non-profit,
non-partisan, educational think-tank dedicated to promoting democracy and
freedom, and countering the ideologies that drive terrorism. CCD combines policy
research, investigative journalism, education and strategic communications to
support its mission.
-30-
Let your voice be heard in Ottawa! If you would like to send a message to
Minister Monte Solberg, Minister Stockwell Day and Prime Minister Stephen Harper
on this topic, please click here.
If you would like to comment on this statement or other topics relating to
foreign policy or national security, please visit our public message forum and
post your comments:
http://canadiancoalition.com/forum/messages/17395.shtml
For more information, please contact:
David Ouellette
Director, Canadian Coalition for Democracies
Mobile: 514-704-8581
Office: 416-963-8998
Background:
A copy of the statement by the six Muslim organisations can be read at:
http://www.caircan.ca/itn_more.php?id=2508_0_2_0_C
Audio recordings of Sheikh Riyadh Ul-Haq's sermons can be heard at:
http://canadiancoalition.com/forum/messages/17082.shtml
Statement by national
Canadian Muslim Organizations calling for summit on combating extremism
Thursday, June 08, 2006 4:33 pm
For Immediate Release
(Ottawa, Canada - 08/06/05) - The Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations
and other prominent national Canadian Muslim organizations held a press
conference today to discuss the issue of youth extremism and how government and
law enforcement officials can support Canadian Muslims as they move forward to
address this pressing issue.
This statement was supported by the Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN); Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association (CMCLA);
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA); the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA);
Islamic Social Services Association (ISSA); Muslim Association of Canada (MAC),
Muslim Students Association - National (MSA-National) and the Council for the
Advancement of Muslim Professionals (CAMP).
The statement reads in part:
For all of us, Canada is more than our home; it is our family and our "vivre
ensemble"; a common commitment to build a better world based on shared values.
Canadian Muslims care deeply about the safety of our country and stand behind
our security forces, the Canadian government and all Canadians in their desire
to protect Canada.
Terrorism is antithetical to Muslim belief and is a perversion of its teachings.
Terrorism is a global issue, not a Muslim problem. And we, as Canadian Muslims,
stand firm in our denunciation of this gross ideology. The victims of terror
around the world have been equally Muslim and non-Muslim.
The Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations, the Muslim Association of
Canada, the Islamic Society of North America-Canada, the Islamic Circle of North
America, the Muslim Student Association-National, the Islamic Social Services
Association, the Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association, and the Council
for the Advancement of of Muslim Professionals believe that it is important for
us, if we want to move forward to protect and safeguard Canada, to take a
leadership role in challenging extremism...
The full declaration can be read here: www.caircan.ca/downloads/SS-06082006.pdf
STELLA L. JATRAS : Letter to The Washington Times
28 June 2006
Home-grown terrorists
Regarding the article "Miami terrorism suspects planned 'war' against U.S."
(Nation, Saturday), the defense will come up with excuses like, "They were just
talking," or "Nothing happened." I guess we were supposed to wait until we
actually saw the terrorists light the fuse before we could do anything.
Jerry Seper wrote, "The indictment said one of the suspects, Narseal Batiste,
met several times in December with the informant, to whom he swore his
allegiance to al Qaeda and from whom he requested boots, uniforms, machine guns,
radios, vehicles and $50,000 to help build an "Islamic army to wage jihad."
Will the words "al Qaeda," "Islamic army" and "jihad" connected to these men
mean anything to the defense?
This trial will go on for a very long time at the expense of the American
taxpayer, and, in the end, some [shyster] lawyer will get them off for being
"misguided."
STELLA L. JATRAS
Camp Hill, Pa.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jewish, Christian leaders denounce United Church Toronto
anti-Israel boycott -
Call on Government to suspend CIDA funding to KAIROS
TORONTO, June 28, 2006 – Leaders of B’nai Brith Canada and the Canada Christian
College today denounced the decision by the task group of the Toronto Conference
of the United Church of Canada to endorse a boycott against Israel.
“This latest anti-Israel move by the Toronto branch of the United Church of
Canada comes as no surprise,” said Frank Dimant, B’nai Brith Canada’s Executive
Vice President, currently in Israel for meetings with government and NGO
officials. “This group has a long history of looking at the conflict solely from
the point of view of the Palestinians, while at the same time ignoring the
ongoing Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians. The United Church
cannot claim on the one hand to promote peace and understanding amongst Arabs
and Jews and then work to the detriment of one party to the conflict, namely
Israel. This negative campaign along with the recent anti-Israel CUPE Ontario
boycott is one more blow in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice in the
Middle East.”
Dr. Charles McVety, President of Canada Christian College, also communicated his
opposition to the boycott: “The United Church of Canada-Toronto has revealed its
blind sightedness and hatred for Israel by adopting a strategy that does nothing
to advance the cause of peace. Instead it seeks to undermine the Jewish State of
Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East on the frontlines in the global
war against terror. It is not the Christian way to turn one’s back on one’s
friends.”
The two leaders also called on the Government to withdraw its funding of KAIROS,
an ecumenical society of which the United Church of Canada is a prominent
member. “Why should the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) fund an
entity whose agenda runs counter to Canadian foreign policy?” McVety continued.
Although KAIROS claims that it does not support a boycott of Israel, it
prominently features the literature and positions of one of its other partners,
Sabeel, whose leadership has in the past used antisemitic imagery and rhetoric
to push for an openly anti-Israel agenda and for divestment, just as the United
Church Toronto is now calling for. “The United Church of Toronto’s recent
announcement puts it well in line with the most anti-Israel extremists of the
KAIROS ecumenical partnership,” said Dimant.
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B’nai Brith Canada has been active in Canada since 1875
as the Jewish community’s foremost human rights agency