LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 20/2007
Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16,23-28. On that day you
will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask
the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in
my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. I have told
you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to
you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you
will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to
believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the
world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
Free Opinions
Tomorrow's challenges demand action
from today's leaders. Daily Star. May 20/07
Will Pervez Musharraf's minions of
terror help him retain power?
By Pervez Hoodbhoy. May 20/07
Experience heaven on earth - Ecotourism in Lebanon.Ya
Libnan. May 20.07
Latest News Reports
From Miscellaneous Sources for May 20/05/07
11 Suspects in Madina Bank Scandal Identified.
Naharnet
UN`s Lebanon tribunal draft.Monsters
and Critics.com
100-day security plan sought in Lebanon.PRESS
TV
Beirut struggles to heal the scars of war.Times
Online
US envoy sees "momentum" in Security Council for resolution to ...International Herald Tribune
Unity gov't secures Lebanon: Russia.PRESS
TV
US expects Lebanon's future leader to safeguard national ...People's
Daily Online
Experience heaven on earth - Ecotourism in Lebanon.Ya
Libnan
No 'presidential polls unless crisis is resolved'.Gulf
News
US Role in Lebanon Debacle.Foreign
Policy In Focus
Chief Of Staff opens Qatari forces’ camp in Lebanon.Peninsula
On-line
Latest News Reports
From The Daily Star for May 19/05/07
Hizbullah draws line on presidency
UN draft on court prompts praise, anger
Murr to seek Egyptian support for army
Higher Relief Council tackles damage wrought by storm
March 14 leaders: Presidential poll must restore
Christian clout
10 suspects in Al-Madina case to be prosecuted
Solidere denies charges of shipping waste
Grateful Graziano decorates Qatari peacekeepers for
'dedication to duty'
Whatever happened to Ghajar?
Draft Security Council resolution on Hariri court
ISF arrests gang of highway robbers
NGO points to corruption in war-relief effort
Fuel oil spilled from Jiyyeh during war still fouls
parts of coast, stirs controversy over clean-up
How a bomblet took a teen's leg - and is slowly
killing her father
U.N.`s Lebanon tribunal draft
By William M. Reilly May 19, 2007
UNITED NATIONS, United States (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council Friday began
considering a draft resolution to establish an international tribunal to try
suspects in a series of political assassinations in Lebanon, beginning in
October 2004 and including the massive Beirut bombing that killed former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others the following year.
The slayings appeared to be of those who were anti-Syria, Lebanon`s longtime,
dominant neighbor that until recently -- and under a 2004 council resolution --
moved its armed forces and intelligence units out of Lebanon.
The measure was written by Britain, France and the United States and was
requested by Beirut, which had been blocked in obtaining ratification by the
opposition.
Both the government and the opposition fear another civil war in politically
volatile Lebanon, which had barely recovered from the 1974-1990 civil war when
it was invaded last summer by Israel pursuing members of the militant Shiite
movement Hezbollah.
The government fears civil war if there is no tribunal, while the pro-Syrian
opposition fears fighting if there is one.
A U.N. sponsored investigation, still under way, already has found that elements
in the security operations of both Lebanon and Syria had to have knowledge of
the Hariri assassination operation plans.
The opposition speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, refused to call the
legislature into session to approve the legislation necessary to ratify the
agreement by the anti-Syrian government of Prime Minister Foaud Siniora and the
United Nations in November 2006.
Monday, Siniora wrote U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon requesting the Security
Council`s help.
'The Security Council, and let me say France, and many countries were expecting
very much the Lebanese could find themselves the solution,' said Ambassador
Jean-Marc de La Sabliere of France, speaking of the Beirut deadlock.
'Many countries,' he said, had hoped the Lebanese could work it out themselves
to support such a tribunal.
'Unfortunately there is a deadlock that the Lebanese were not able to settle the
issues,' La Sabliere told reporters. 'Members of the Security Council are aware
we have to face our responsibilities.'Said Paris` envoy, 'What we are looking
for is to help Lebanon and I would say the draft will unlock what is locked. It
is a resolution which will establish a tribunal. It`s a very simple resolution.'
La Sabliere said, 'There is a real commitment from the beginning by the Security
Council. The Security Council has to face its responsibility and I am confident
it will do it.'He expressed hope it could be adopted before the end of the
month.
An informal count shows at least 11 yes votes and no vetoes. Russia, a longtime
ally of Syria, has not threatened a veto and, because there previously was an
agreement in the Security Council for a tribunal 'of an international
character,' Moscow can be expected not to vote it down.
The draft measure carries the weight of the U.N. Charter`s Chapter VII,
authorizing the use of force, making it mandatory and giving it the weight of
international law. It calls for the court to be established in a 'timely manner'
and sit in a location to be determined in consultations between the United
Nations and the government of Lebanon. The draft says if Lebanon cannot afford
the tribunal, the U.N. secretary-general may accept contributions for its
operation.
Discussion of the draft came up Friday while the panel of 15 members was in
closed door consultations on previously scheduled '... other matters.'
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
11 Suspects in Madina Bank Scandal Identified
State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza has referred 11 suspects purportedly involved in
the Al Madina Bank scandal to Beirut Public Prosecutor Joseph Maamari.
The daily An Nahar, citing judicial sources, on Saturday said the 11 were
believed to have a hand in the case of money laundering at Al Madina Bank in
2003.
It identified the suspects as, in addition to former executive secretary of Al
Madina scandal heroine Rana Qoleilat, her two brothers -- Taha and Basel
Qoleilat -- as well as Adnan Abou Ayyash. Among the names in the report were
bank employees Youssef al Hashi, Kazem Bahlawan, Fouad Qahwaji and Rene Kaado
Moawwad. An Nahar said Adnan Abou Ayyash's brother, Ibrahim Abou Ayyash, and his
son, Wissam Ibrahim Abou Ayyash, were also among the suspects.
It quoted the sources as saying investigation with this group of suspects will
only focus on the issue of money laundering.
The Daily Star said the suspects included a person who had a "strong work
relationship" with Qoleilat. Qoleilat, who is facing fraud charges in Lebanon,
is jailed in Brazil for allegedly trying to bribe security officers to release
her. She was earlier jailed in Lebanon for her supposed role in the
disappearance of more than $300 million from Al Madina Bank in 2003. Beirut, 19
May 07, 07:06
Tomorrow's challenges demand action from today's leaders
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Editorial-Daily Star
A new study by the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights the Middle East's
unique vulnerability to the potential intersection of two separate but
interlocking threats: climate change and energy insecurity. In addition, the
document explains how a variety of other factors make the region especially
susceptible to a wide range of other possible developments around the globe. As
though this part of the world did not have enough problems of local, foreign and
mixed origins, the report - appropriately titled "Middle East at Risk" -
underlines the need to plan now for what figure to be tomorrow's most difficult
challenges.
The simplest fix is better leadership. The impact of most, if not all, the
eventualities listed by the WEF can be mitigated if governments and the private
sector take cogent steps to shore up areas of vulnerability. One key issue is a
glaring lack of economic diversification, which makes the entire region
dependent on high world oil prices and would cripple its ability to cope with a
variety of long-term crises. Another is the fact that since much of the region
is already subject to extreme heat and aridity, one effect of global warming
could be to make sustainable agriculture virtually impossible. At best, that
would drive the price of many foods beyond the reach of tens of millions of
people; at worst, it would cause mass starvation.
Even the most responsible governance could not turn this situation around
overnight, but that is no excuse to further delay measures aimed at protecting
the interests and long-term security of all Middle Easterners. If non-oil
sectors are to become more than footnotes to the region's economic activities in
the foreseeable future, the necessary investment increases have to start taking
place today. And if the process of climate change is to be slowed and/or
reversed, what would be more just than to have a handsome percentage of profits
generated by carbon-based fuels allocated to research, education and the
development of innovations like new trading schemes aimed at reducing overall
emissions?
Few parts of the world contend with so many actual and potential quandaries as
does the Middle East. Conversely, few have so much capital with which to improve
their lots. In this regard the region's relatively low level of development
actually constitutes an advantage by conferring on it the ability to benefit
from the mistakes made elsewhere. Exploiting these happy consequences to
compensate for some less fortunate ones should be the goal of both government
and private enterprise. They have all the power and money required for the task.
All that need now is the common sense to appreciate the urgency with which they
must act.
Beirut struggles to heal the scars of war
By: Nicholas Blanford in Beirut
Times On line
Lebanon’s usually lucrative summer tourist season is about to start, and local
businesses are hoping for better luck after a year of war and social turmoil.
But a grinding political crisis, a war-shattered infrastructure and lingering
fears of another conflict with Israel threaten to keep the tourists and
investors away.
The restaurants and cafés lining the cobblestoned, pedestrianised streets of
downtown Beirut should be filled with tourists sipping cappuccinos or tiny cups
of Turkish coffee in the spring sunshine. But since December the district has
been a front line in the battle between the Western-backed Government of the
Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora, and the opposition led by the militant Shia
Hezbollah. Hundreds of opposition supporters, surrounded by razor wire and
troops, are camped in the city centre in an open-ended sit-in that has paralysed
local commerce.
Many restaurants were forced out of business, defeated by high rents and empty
tables. Scoozi, a popular Italian-style restaurant chain, reopened its doors at
the end of April, encouraged by a period of relative calm and hoping for a
revived tourist season to recoup its losses. Talal Gharib, the manager, said:
“Siniora says he’s optimistic for the summer. God willing, we will have some
business.”
The political tension peaked after last summer’s 34-day war between Israel and
Hezbollah. Shia Cabinet ministers resigned and the Opposition launched a
campaign to topple the Government. The country has been mired in political
gridlock and economic stagnation ever since.
The optimism brought by the Cedar Revolution of spring 2005, when street
protests led to the disengagement of neighbouring Syria, has long since
evaporated amid rising sectarianism and a worsening security climate. A recent
poll found that 30 per cent of Lebanese were considering emigrating, double the
figure recorded days after the war ended in August. The month-long war killed
more than 1,000 Lebanese and caused damage worth several billion dollars. The
Israeli bombing campaign targeted bridges, roads, airports, electricity and
water networks and oil storage facilities. In South Lebanon, several villages
were left in ruins.
Lebanon had promises of $1.3 billion (£657 million) in reconstruction aid. Mr
Siniora said this week that $318 million of the $707 million so far received had
been spent on compensation, infrastructure and housing refugees from South
Lebanon. The Government persuaded several Gulf states to sponsor the
reconstruction of southern settlements: Saudi Arabia alone has adopted 42
villages. Mr Siniora hopes that the patronage of Sunni Arab states will wean the
mainly Shia southern Lebanese from the Iran-funded Hezbollah. It is not lost on
Hezbollah that Qatar, which houses the largest American military base in the
Middle East and enjoys economic ties with Israel, is sponsoring the
reconstruction of four Lebanese villages where Shia militants waged their
fiercest resistance last summer. In January Mr Siniora’s Government won further
pledges from donor states totalling $7.6 billion in grants and soft loans to
help to service Lebanon’s massive public debt of more than $40 billion and to
offset private sector losses caused by the war. But much of the promised funds
were conditional on the Lebanese Government pushing through economic reforms
such as the privatisation of cash-strapped state utilities, which Hezbollah
opposes. “Planned reforms which have been prepared by the Government need
ratification from parliament,” Mr Siniora said in Beirut last week.
But Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Lebanon parliament and a Hezbollah ally,
refuses to schedule a parliamentary session for the proposals, and the
Opposition charges that the Government is allocating reconstruction funds
selectively, punishing Shia areas for supporting Hezbollah. Shia MPs from South
Lebanon plan public protests against alleged Government neglect. The Haret Hreik
district, in Beirut’s Shia-dominated southern suburbs, was almost flattened by
multiple Israeli airstrikes. After the war, Hezbollah offered $12,000 as an
initial compensation to everyone who lost their home. Referring to a
construction organisation linked to Hezbollah, banners on half-demolished
buildings read: “USA destroys and Jihad al-Bina rebuilds”.
Will Pervez Musharraf's minions of terror help him retain
power?
By Pervez Hoodbhoy
Saturday, May 19, 2007
After his ill-advised dismissal of the chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court
ignited a firestorm of violent protests, President General Pervez Musharraf may
be banking on Islamic fanatics to create chaos in the nation's capital,
Islamabad. Many suspect that an engineered bloodbath that leads to army
intervention, and the declaration of a national emergency, could serve as a
pretext to postpone the October 2007 elections. This could make way for
Musharraf's dictatorial rule to continue into its eighth year - and perhaps well
beyond.
This perverse strategy sounds almost unbelievable. Musharraf, whom President
George W. Bush describes as his "buddy" and supports an "enlightened moderate"
version of Islam, wears religious extremists' two close attempts on his life as
a badge of honor. But his secret reliance upon the Taliban card - one that he
has been accused of playing for years - increases as his authority weakens.
Signs of government-engineered chaos abound. In the heart of Islamabad,
vigilante groups from a government-funded mosque, the Lal Masjid, roam the
streets and bazaars imposing Islamic morality and terrorizing citizens in full
view of the police. Openly sympathetic to the Taliban and tribal militants
fighting the Pakistan Army, the two cleric brothers who head Lal Masjid, Maulana
Abdul Aziz and Maulana Abdur Rashid Ghazi, have attracted a core of banned
militant organizations around them. These include the Jaish-e-Mohammad,
considered to be the pioneer of suicide bombings in the region.
The clerics openly defy the state. Since January 21, baton-wielding, burqa-clad
students of the Jamia Hafsa, the woman's Islamic university located next to Lal
Masjid, have forcibly occupied a government building, the Children's Library. In
one of their many forays outside the seminary, this burqa brigade swooped upon a
house, which they claimed was a brothel, and kidnapped three women and a baby.
Male students from Islamabad's many madrasas are even more active in terrorizing
video-shop owners, whom they accuse of spreading pornography. Newspapers have
carried pictures of grand bonfires made with seized cassettes and CDs. Most
video stores in Islamabad have now closed. Their owners duly repented after a
fresh campaign on May 4 by militants blew up a dozen music and video stores,
barbershops and a girls' school in Northwest Frontier Province.
Astonishing patience has been shown by the Pakistani state, which on other
occasions freely used air and artillery power to combat such challengers. The
Lal Masjid clerics operate with impunity - no attempt has been made to cut off
its electricity, gas, phone, or Web site - or even to shut down its illegal FM
radio station. The chief negotiator appointed by Musharraf, Chaudhry Shujaat
Husain, described the burqa-brigade kidnappers as "our daughters," with whom
negotiations would continue and against whom "no operation could be
contemplated."
Clerics realize that the government wants to play ball. Their initial demand -
the rebuilding of eight illegally constructed mosques that had been knocked down
by Islamabad's civic administration - became a call for enforcement of Sharia
law across Pakistan. In a radio broadcast on April 12, the clerics issued a
threat: "There will be suicide blasts in every nook and cranny of the country.
We have weapons, grenades, and we are expert in manufacturing bombs. We are not
afraid of death
The Lal Masjid head cleric, a former student of my university in Islamabad,
added the following chilling message for our women students: "The government
should abolish coeducation. Quaid-e-Azam University has become a brothel. Its
female professors and students roam in objectionable dresses. I think I will
have to send my daughters of Jamia Hafsa to these immoral women. They will have
to hide themselves in hijab, otherwise they will be punished according to Islam.
Our female students have not issued the threat of throwing acid on the uncovered
faces of women. However, such a threat could be used for creating the fear of
Islam among sinful women. There is no harm in it. There are far more horrible
punishments in the hereafter for such women."
Indeed, on May 7, a female teacher in QAU's history department was assaulted in
her office by a man who screamed that he had instructions from God.
What's next? As Islamabad heads the way of Pakistan's tribal towns, the next
targets will be girls' schools, Internet cafes, bookshops, and stores selling
Western clothing, followed by purveyors of toilet paper, tampons, underwear,
mannequins, and other un-Islamic goods.
In a sense, the inevitable is coming to pass. Until a few years ago, Islamabad
was a quiet, orderly, modern city no different from any other in Pakistan. Still
earlier, it was largely the abode of Pakistan's hyper-elite and foreign
diplomats. But the rapid transformation of its demography brought with it
hundreds of mosques with multi-barreled audio cannons mounted on minarets, as
well as scores of madrasas illegally constructed in what used to be public parks
and green areas. Now, tens of thousands of their students with little prayer
caps dutifully chant the Koran all day. In the evenings, they roam in packs
through the city's streets and bazaars, gaping at store windows and lustfully
ogling bare-faced women.
The stage is being set for transforming Islamabad into a Taliban stronghold.
When Musharraf exits - which may be sooner rather than later - he will leave a
bitter legacy that will last for generations, all for a little more taste of
power.
**Pervez Hoodbhoy is professor of physics at Quaid-e-Azam University in
Islamabad, Pakistan. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration
with Project Syndicate (c) www.project-syndicate.org.
Unity gov't secures Lebanon: Russia
Fri, 18 May 2007 22:14:05
Russian official says the only way out for the current political dilemma in
Lebanon is the formation of a national unity government.
Alexander Torshin, vice speaker of Russia's Federation Council, during a visit
to the Lebanese capital on Thursday said that the "only" solution to Lebanon's
ongoing political deadlock is "to form a national unity [government] that is
likely to bring together all view points." "The history of Russia witnessed a
number of stalemates similar to the one currently happening in Lebanon and it
was only through the formation of national unity governments that problems got
solved," he said following a meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel
Aoun." Torshin added that there is "no major hurdles" in the way of a national
unity government, "especially as I sensed during my talks with the Lebanese
politicians that they were all willing to collaborate together for the welfare
of Lebanon." Lebanon ought to "solve pending conflicts with neighbors in order
to proceed with solving its own internal problem," Torshin said, referring to
the tensions between Beirut and Damascus.
Torshin reiterated his country's refusal of "any form of foreign intervention in
Lebanese domestic affairs."
Asked whether his comments reflected "tensions in the relationship between
Russia and the US," he said the Russian-American relationship "is built on
mutual respect and cooperation while acknowledging divergence in viewpoints."
The US has been vocal in its support of the government of Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora.
Siniora's western-backed government has refused to comply with the majority's
demand to form a national unity government over the past few months.
U.S. expects Lebanon's future leader to safeguard national
independence, sovereignty
The United States said on Friday that the future Lebanese leader should strive
for democracy, independence and sovereignty of the country.
"We are firm supporters of Lebanon's democracy...independence and sovereignty...
And I would expect that the next president of Lebanon would be someone who is no
less a supporter of those ideals and those principles," State Department
spokesman Sean McCormack said "But, ultimately, it is going to be up to
the Lebanese people, Lebanese political leadership to decide upon who is going
to lead them as president," he added.
The spokesman also reiterated U.S. support for Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad
Siniora, saying Siniora, in the face of a threat of violence and intimidation,
has stuck fast to the principles of political reform, democracy and sovereignty
in the country. Lebanon's MPs are due to assemble on Sept. 25 to elect a new
president to succeed incumbent pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose term
expires in November. Washington accuses Iran and Syria of meddling in Lebanon's
affairs, and has been boycotting Lebanon's pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud,
who allegedly wants to bring down Siniora's government.
Source: Xinhua
No 'presidential polls unless crisis is resolved'
Reuters
Beirut/New York: Presidential elections cannot be held in Lebanon until a
solution is reached to the six-month old political crisis between the
Hezbollah-led opposition and the ruling anti-Syrian majority, a senior Hezbollah
figure said. The term of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, extended at the
behest of Damascus in 2004, expires in November. Since last year, the country
has been locked in a standoff over opposition demands for greater power and its
rejection of the government's calls for an international tribunal to try
suspects for the killing of ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Mohammad Fneish, a former Hezbollah minister, told Al Hayat daily in an
interview published yesterday that rival parties had to find an agreeable
government formation.
"It is not feasible that this [presidential elections] happens in the midst of
the current political divisions and while there is a party [ruling coalition]
that is resorting to monopolising power and getting strength from external
support," he said referring to US support of Siniora's government.
Fneish, who along with other pro-Syrian ministers resigned from cabinet last
November in protest against Siniora's refusal to give the opposition a greater
say in government, added:
"If there is no real consensus on partnership, on the political future of the
country and on the identity of the president, the opposition will not allow this
faction [ruling coalition] from ruling the country...," he added.
The rival camps accuse each other of working to foreign agendas to the detriment
of Lebanon. Hezbollah describes the cabinet as a US puppet while the governing
coalition says the opposition takes orders from Iran and Syria.
Lahoud has said he will not hand over his authorities to the current government,
a procedural step towards the election of a new head of state. He might instead
appoint a new government, leaving Lebanon with two cabinets.
Meanwhile, the United States, France and Britain circulated a UN resolution on
Thursday that would unilaterally establish a tribunal to try suspects in the
2005 murder of a former Lebanese premier and 22 others.
The draft resolution, distributed to the UN Security Council, asks the 15
members to approve an earlier agreement of draft statutes for the court that the
government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora signed in November 2006.
Political impasse
Siniora on Monday asked the Security Council to help break the political impasse
in Beirut over the creation of the court by adopting a binding resolution.
But he is opposed by Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, who warned on
Tuesday that the tribunal's creation could lead to violence in Lebanon, which is
undergoing its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
France's UN ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, said the measure "was aimed at
helping the Lebanese find a way out of the current dead end."
He said he hoped the resolution would be adopted by the end of the month. The
measure invokes Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which would make the creation of
the court mandatory.
Experience heaven on earth - Ecotourism in Lebanon
Saturday, 19 May, 2007 @ 5:35 AM
Bekaa, Lebanon - For a Colombian hermit thousands of miles from home, Lebanon's
Qadisha valley is a heaven on earth where he hopes to end his days.
Yet Father Dario Escobar (pictured right) may lose some of his solitude when
hikers learn about a fledgling national trail that passes near his cliffside
hermitage as it meanders nearly 400km over Lebanon's mountain spine from the far
north to the south.
The creators of the Lebanon Mountain Trail see the Qadisha valley, with its
limestone crags, waterfalls, rich vegetation and ancient monasteries, as a
showcase of what can attract Lebanese and foreigners willing to explore the
country on foot.
Fortunately, Escobar does not seem to mind when hikers test-walking a section of
the trail intrude on his privacy. "Usually I speak to nobody, but I speak with
you because someone knocked on my door," laughs the black-cowled monk as he
emerges from his cave cell near a rock-cut chapel.
"This is paradise," the 72-year-old greybeard says, looking out at a verdant,
steep-sided valley from the tiny 13th-century monastery of Our Lady of Hawka. "I
am here for good."
The calm beauty of the spot where Escobar spends his time in prayer and
contemplation is a far cry from Lebanon's image as a tinderbox for Middle
Eastern conflict an image that the trail organisers say tells only part of the
story.
"Despite all the trouble Lebanon is going through, this is a different
universe," says Karim El-Jisr, the project's deputy manager. "Hopefully the
Lebanon Mountain Trail will bring people together ... and appeal to people in
Lebanon from all walks of life, religions and political affiliations."
The project, funded by a US$3.3 million ($5 million) grant from the US, suffered
a few delays due to last year's July-August war between Israel and Hezbollah
guerrillas.
But Ecodit, a US-based consultancy which has a two-year contract to set up the
trail, hopes to have the route mapped, marked and ready to hand over to a
non-governmental association by the end of the year. A guide book in English,
maps and a website (www.lebanontrail.org) are also in the works.
"It's all about connecting the dots, linking things up," says Jisr, explaining
how the trail will take walkers to nature reserves, archaeological sites, holy
places and villages at altitudes from 800 to 2,000 metres.
The idea is also to promote ecotourism, a relatively new concept in Lebanon,
where tourism has long relied on attractions such as the temples of Baalbek, the
ancient port of Byblos and the Cedars, along with Beirut.
Unlike wilderness routes popular in North America, the Lebanon trail includes
many villages, with money spent on guides and accommodation intended to
stimulate the rural economy. It uses centuries-old paths, some disfigured by
litter careless dumping, hunting, tree-cutting and illegal building are among
many threats to Lebanon's landscape and wildlife.
The 20-km stretch between the towns of Ehden and Bsherri via the Qadisha valley
proves exhilarating, if strenuous.
The little stone church of Mart Moura on the outskirts of Ehden, where the walk
begins, is an immediate plunge into the arcane but bloody Christian quarrels of
the Byzantine era. "It's one of a series of churches built by the Jacobites
until they were pushed out of the area or killed by the (Maronite) people of
Ehden in the 1400s," says Paul Khawaja, a climber and cave explorer who advises
Ecodit's environmentalist team on mapping issues. The feud was rooted in a
theological conflict over the divine nature of Christ. The narrow path leads
past a ruined water mill to Ain Tourin village and then winds steeply down,
crossing and recrossing a cascading stream.
In the woods, botanist Nizar Hani points out clumps of thyme and other edible,
medicinal or aromatic plants. "People collect wild plants like oregano or cress
and offer them to customers in restaurants. They are delicious," he says.
In the valley lies the St Anthony monastery of Qozhaya, dating to the Seventh
century or earlier, while the Maronite monastery houses a 17th Century printing
press, one of the oldest in the Middle East.
After a steady climb to Hawka village comes a knee-punishing descent down
hundreds of man-made steps to Escobar's eyrie. The path then winds past more
monasteries, chapels and caves to a river rushing through a gorge alongside
Qannoubin, the only permanently inhabited village in Lebanon without road
access.
Finally the trail ascends sharply from the Qadisha valley floor to the apple
orchards on the edge of Bsherri, the birthplace of Lebanese-American poet Gibran
Khalil Gibran. By that time, weary hikers racing nightfall might need Gibran's
exhortation:
"March on. Do not tarry ... March on and fear not the thorns or the sharp stones
on life's path."
Source: Reuters
Editorial Comment: A message to Lebanese women: Hezbollah wants an
Islamic State in Lebanon. The following is an example of what the “Resistance”
will be doing in the streets of Beirut once they “liberate” the Shebaa Farms and
Jerusalem. Is this what Lebanese women really want?
Iranian Police Enforces "Islamic Dress Code" on Women in the Streets of Tehran
Following are excerpts from various TV reports on the enforcement of the Islamic
dress code in Iran. The reports were aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN)
on April 15, 2007.[From MEMRI TV].
Iranian Interior Minister Mustafa Pour-Mohammadi: There have been cases in the
past and in the present when [the Muslim dress code] came under attack, and it
is our duty to protect this most valuable cultural treasure.
[...]
Dress code enforcer: The manteau you are wearing is tight and has a long slit.
Don't you think it violates our society's norms? You live in an Islamic country,
right? Your head is completely uncovered as well. Your make-up is too heavy.
Dress code enforcer: As an Iranian citizen, do you think the way you are dressed
is appropriate?
Woman: My trousers aren't short, and nor is my manteau.
Dress code enforcer: But your head is uncovered, and that scarf you are wearing
– do you think it is appropriate?
Woman: So the problem is only with my hair?
Dress code enforcer: Of course. Your head is uncovered. Please rearrange your
scarf. What you are wearing is a sarafan. In the Islamic dress code, this is not
acceptable as an appropriate covering.
Woman: Why not? It has sleeves, and it is not short...
Dress code enforcer: No, what you are wearing is a sarafan. Do you admit that
it's a sarafan?
Woman: So what's the difference between a sarafan and a manteau? It's got
sleeves like a manteau.
[...]
Dress code enforcer: Come here, please. Good day. You are an Iranian citizen and
a resident of Tehran, just like me. Don't you think that what you are wearing is
problematic with regard to the Islamic social norms? What do you think, dear
lady? Is it or is it not problematic? Do you agree that it is problematic? Your
scarf is too thin, your hair is showing, and your manteau is short and tight.
Please be more careful. When you go out, make sure you follow the social norms
of this country.
Dress code enforcer: Please wait here for a few moments. Your hair is showing
from the back. Your manteau is... Your trousers are too short. Please come with
us into the bus. We have some things to discuss with you...
Woman: We are visitors in Tehran.
Dress code enforcer: From where?
Woman: Kermanshah.
Dress code enforcer: So make sure you don't wear that again.
Editorial Comment: Naim Qassem acknowledges that everything that Hezbollah
does in Lebanon is based on instructions from Iran. How can Hezbollah claim to
be acting in the interests of Lebanon? How can Gebran Bassil continue to tell
the Lebanese that the FPM-Hezbollah alliance is good for Lebanon?
Deputy Secretary-General of Hizbullah, Sheik Naim Qassem: We Received
Jurisprudent Permission from Iran to Carry Out "Martyrdom" Operations”
Al-Kawthar TV on April 16, 2007 [Translated by MEMRI TV]
Naim Qassem: As for the issue of the culture of death, the culture of martyrdom,
the culture of life – with all its different names... It is no secret that the
materialistic West, and the atheists in general, and all those who see that the
power of Islam is on the rise, and that it is gaining influence – and especially
with regard to the philosophy of martyrdom-seeking... They all take a negative
position and exert pressure, in order to make the believers abandon the culture
of martyrdom. What is the reason? They seek (the pleasures of) this world and
compete in this world. They know that if we competed with them according to the
rules of this world, they would overcome us, because they are more materialistic
than us. Therefore, by materialistic criteria, they would be victorious. But if
they compete with us on the issue of faith, we will overcome them, because the
competitive power of faith is greater, stronger, and more influential.
So they challenge us, or provoke us, by saying that we have a culture of death.
They call martyrdom "death," in order to make us renounce martyrdom. If we
renounce martyrdom, we will only have the strength of our weapons and our
numbers, and then they will be able to overcome us. The enemies will be able to
overcome us.
[...]
Do we really believe in a culture of death? Absolutely not. We believe in the
culture of martyrdom. Martyrdom is valuable, sacred, respectable, and great, not
something that can be used as an accusation. It is an honor for us to be accused
of believing in the culture of martyrdom. What is martyrdom? It is death for the
sake of Allah, and in defense of what is just. Can martyrdom change the fact
that a person dies when his time has come? "When their time comes, they shall
not remain another hour, nor go before it." We say that one way or the other, a
person dies at a specific time. Brother, instead of dying – when your time is up
- in your bed, die – when your time is up - on the battlefront, through
martyrdom.
[...]
Let's see if this culture of martyrdom is a culture of death or of life. It is,
in fact, a culture of life, because whoever strives for martyrdom does so in
order to improve his materialistic life, to prevent the enemies from occupying
his land, and to live in pride, honor, and freedom. Therefore, he is improving
his life circumstances, by preventing the enemies from accomplishing their
goals. Therefore, this is the most noble culture of honorable life in this
world, and of life in the world to come – in the event that his life comes to an
end.
[...]
Hizbullah, when it comes to matters of jurisprudence pertaining to its general
direction, as well as to its Jihad direction, based itself on the decisions of
the Jurisprudent. It is the Jurisprudent who permits, and it is the Jurisprudent
who forbids. When the resistance of Hizbullah was launched in 1982, it was based
on the jurisprudent position and decision of Imam Khomeini, who deemed fighting
Israel to be an obligation, and therefore, we adhered to this opinion. How
Israel should be fought, what equipment you should prepare, when you should or
shouldn't attack – there questions are guided by principles in Islamic religious
law, and you can act in this direction, according to your abilities. Therefore,
we covered our Jihad position with regard to fighting Israel with the decision
of the Jurisprudent. With regard to all the other details – whenever we need
jurisprudent clarifications regarding what is permitted and what is forbidden on
the Jihad front, we ask, receive general answers, and implement then. Even with
regard to martyrdom operations – a person cannot kill himself unless he has
jurisprudent permission. Since, as a Shura council, we have the authority to
make decisions on martyrdom operations, and then there are operative channels to
carry this out... Let's assume that some Lebanese citizen gets it into his head
to carry out a martyrdom operation without consulting anybody - it is not
certain that he is carrying out his duty according to religious law. He might be
committing a sin, because despite the sanctity attributed to an act of such a
high level, it requires permission, it requires operative channels, and it
requires someone who can evaluate whether this is good or not, because lives are
at stake. Even with regard to the firing of missiles on Israeli citizens, when
they were bombing citizens on our side... This was done in order to put pressure
on them. Even that required general permission based on Islamic law. As for
Hizbullah, it receives general permission from the Jurisprudent, and if we have
questions regarding the religious law, there are channels through which we can
learn what is permitted and what is forbidden, what is our obligation, and what
is the extent of our freedom of choice.
Editorial Comment: Religious backwardness cannot override nature. It can repress
it and suppress it, but it won’t eliminate it. Islamic fundamentalists claim
that Islam has the answer to what they call the “degeneracy” of all other
cultures, religions, and secularism. Like the Church of the Middle Ages, they
don’t want the world to know is that all manner of sexual practices go on behind
closed doors – from homosexuality, the sexual abuse of children and even
bestiality, which in some cases are even permitted by the religious texts
themselves.
Following are excerpts from a TV report on Saudi women and web cams, which aired
on LBC TV on April 18, 2007 [From MEMRI TV]:
Reporter: Behind closed doors and far from any supervising eyes, they remove
their shame and turn their backs on all customs and traditions. Girls display
their bodies in chat rooms on the Internet, in most cases, free of charge. As
soon as one of these girls places the camera in front of her, she begins to
strip, displaying her seductive charms to more than 300 young men of different
ages. Some believe that the phenomenon of stripping over the Internet may be
understood within the framework of social hypocrisy, especially since they
believe that our religious and educational discourse does not attribute
importance to the strengthening of self-restraint, and prefers the appearance
over the essence. This drives some people to play several roles and wear several
masks.
Commentator: Women are seeking emotions and admiration. This way, she gets words
of admiration for her personality and even her body. She might remove one piece
of clothing after another, in order to gain this admiration.
[...]
Reporter: On the other hand, many believe that web stripping has not reached the
proportions of a phenomenon, and that these are merely isolated cases. They
emphasize that the vast majority of our girls protect their modesty and respect
the customs, and traditions. These people believe that web cams can be useful
tools. They can be used to maintain family ties, and can have educational
applications, in lectures and conferences, for example.
Many young men and women believe that the endless prohibitions drive them to
hide behind closed doors, and surf in relations that rebel against all costumes
and traditions, in search of love, in some cases, and in order to satisfy their
urges, in other cases, especially since the Internet gives them the opportunity
to openly declare their repressed desires without fear.
Young Saudi woman in shopping mall: The girls misuse the web cams. They take
them into their rooms, and even their families do not know that they have
cameras, or what the girls use their laptops or web cams for.
Young Saudi man in shopping mall: A girl can buy a web cam for a very cheap
price, 70-75 riyals. She takes it to her room, closes the door, and begins the
show.
Reporter: Although Saudi Arabia has a strict mechanism to block access to site
that are immoral, these chat rooms are available to all. Teenagers are the most
frequent visitors to these sites.
The camera scans her body, sending an image, with all the details, to the other
party. The further she goes with her stripping, the mare admiration she
harvests, until she becomes a star, applauded by the masses – or so she
imagines.
Saudi psychologist Samira Al Ghamadi: Instead of becoming upset that such images
are being broadcast, we should ask why such things happen in our homes. Why do
our children enter these sites? Out of curiosity. They seek answers to things we
never explain to them. We tell them that this is forbidden, and shameful,
shameful, shameful, shameful... We never answer them. We always say: "They will
learn in the future." But they learn the wrong things, I am very sorry to say.
We do not give them a sense of security. We do not give them enough room to
express themselves, so they go to chat rooms. Many women might be upset with me
for saying so, but there are married women whose husbands constantly pressure
them, while they themselves go out at night and hang out. So the wife withdraws
into the Internet and meet many people. She chooses an imaginary name, and meets
guys who value her and treat her properly, while on the other hand, her husband
humiliates her. Why wouldn't she go there?