LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
August 23/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint Matthew 22,34-40. When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the
Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested
him by asking, Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to
him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law
and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
Saint Basil (c.330-379), monk and Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Doctor of
the Church
Greater Rules, Q.2/"You shall love the
Lord, your God, with all your heart"
We have received from God a natural tendency to carry out what he commands us to
do and so we cannot rebel as though he were requiring something altogether
unusual of us nor boast of ourselves as though we were giving out more than what
has been given to us... By receiving the love commandment from God we have
automatically come to possess from the first the natural faculty of loving. We
did not find out about this from outside ourselves; each of us can realise it
for themself since we naturally seek the beautiful...; without anyone needing to
teach us, we love those who are related to us by blood or by marriage; and,
finally, we show kindness to those who are kind to us.
Now, what could be more beautiful than the beauty of God?... What other desire
is so burning as the thirst God stirs up in the purified soul who cries out with
heartfelt emotion: «I am faint with love»? (Sg 2,5)... This beauty is invisible
to bodily eyes; only the soul and the intellect can grasp it. Whenever it has
shone on the saints it has left within them the dart of such a great desire that
they cried out: «Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged» (Ps 120[119],5),
«When shall I go and behold the face of God?» (Ps 42,[41],3) and «I long to
depart this life and be with Christ» (Phil 1,23). «Athirst is my soul for the
living God» (Ps 42[41],3)... This is how people naturally aspire towards the
beautiful. But the good is also supremely lovable. Now, God is good; therefore
all seek the good; therefore all seek God...
If children's love for their parents is a natural feeling that manifests itself
in both animal instinct and in the human disposition to love the mother from
babyhood, let us not be less intelligent than children nor more stupid than the
wild animals! Don't let us stand before the God who created us like loveless
strangers! Even if we haven't learned what he is from his goodness, yet we
should love him above all else simply because we have been created by him, and
hold fast to the remembrance of him as children do to the remembrance of their
mother.
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Europe must realize:
Jihadism is an Ideology not only a theology. By: Dr. Walid Phares 22/08/08
All of Lebanon Is
Not Hezbollah-Forward - New York,NY,USA
'Hezbollah will
avenge Mughniyeh assassination as soon as ...Ha'aretz 22/08/08
Is Lebanon Georgia
or South Ossetia?Dar Al-Hayat 22/08/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August
22/08
Chamoun's NLP Wants to Join National Dialogue-Naharnet
Saniora: Cabinet Not Split Over Army Commander-Naharnet
Mkhaiber Calls for Disbanding Syrian-Lebanese Council-Naharnet
Karami: Only Saudi-Syrian
Reconciliation Can help Lebanon-Naharnet
New Air Defense Systems
Supplied to Hizbullah by Russia, Report-Naharnet
Lebanon Pursues 9
Employees for Issuing Driving Licenses to Deceased, Disabled People-Naharnet
Mashaal: Palestinians Will
Not Accept Deal at Lebanon Expense-Naharnet
Hizbullah to Israel:
Expect Huge Surprises Soon-Naharnet
Security Council to Extend
UNIFIL Mandate Next Week-Naharnet
More Messages to Lebanese
Mobile Phones from 'Israel'-Naharnet
Mitri: Issue of Deputy
Premier Privileges Should be Resolved by Dialogue-Naharnet
Hezbollah TV live in Australia-NEWS.com.au
Livni: Hasty peace agreement can lead to violence-AFP
Kremlin baulks at missiles for Syria-Financial
Times
Syria official denies agreement over Russian missile system deployment-Jerusalem
Post
Lebanese Cabinet issues decree to establish ties with Syria-Daily
Star
Israel to continue indirect talks with Syria-Xinhua
Lebanon to Complain to UN about Israeli Threats-Naharnet
Salloukh dismisses Israeli threats against Lebanon as 'ravings'-AFP
After 30 years, Imam Sadr's message of unity lives on-Daily
Star
Lebanese bombarded with more phone messages from 'Israel'-Daily
Star
Green Party aims to enforce laws that protect environment-Daily
Star
Lebanon's remittance inflow reaches $5.5 billion in 2007 - report-Daily
Star
Douma food festival strives to promote co-existence among Lebanese-Daily
Star
Lebanon's Qadisha Valley boasts more than staggering aesthetics-Daily
Star
Hizbullah to Israel: Expect Huge Surprises Soon
Naharnet/Hizbullah threatened "earth shattering" retaliation against Israel
which the group accuses of killing its top commander Imad Mughniyeh in a car
bombing in Damascus last February. "Retaliation is coming soon," Hizbullah
official in south Lebanon Sheikh Ahmad Mrad said in remarks published by the
daily Al Akhbar on Friday. "Retaliation is going to be earth shattering and
there will be huge surprises," he vowed. "Resistance weapons will stay in the
hands of Hizbullah until Palestine is liberated," Mrad pledged. He declared that
Hizbullah would go deep into Palestine and vowed that "Israel will no longer
exist on the map."
Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 10:09
Security Council to Extend UNIFIL Mandate Next Week
Naharnet/The U.N. Security Council is expected to extend the mandate of the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another year on August 27,
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Farhan Haq told An Nahar daily. The newspaper
said Friday that Ban sent a letter to Belgium's U.N. envoy Jan Grauls, the
Council chair this month, recommending the extension of UNIFIL's mandate until
August 31, 2009. Ban's move came after the Lebanese government asked the U.N.
secretary general to extend for another year the peacekeepers' mission, which
ends at the end of this month. An Nahar quoted a diplomatic source as saying
that a new draft resolution will be circulated among Council members to adopt it
next Wednesday. Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 10:13
Lebanon Approves Diplomatic Ties with Syria, Postpones Key Security Appointments
Naharnet/The Lebanese cabinet has agreed to establish diplomatic ties with Syria
and open an embassy in Damascus, but has decided to postpone the delicate issue
of appointing a new army commander. "The cabinet has decided to establish
diplomatic relations between Lebanon and the Syrian Arabic Republic, including
setting up an embassy in Damascus," Information Minister Tareq Mitri announced
after the 5-hour Cabinet meeting which ended around 10:00 pm Thursday.
The decision came following a landmark summit between President Michel Suleiman
and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus last week in which the
two leaders agreed on establishing diplomatic relations. Mitri said that
Suleiman has decided to postpone the issue of key security appointments,
including the post of the army commander, until next week. News reports on
Friday said that the dispute over the appointment of a new army commander was
not one between government loyalists and the Hizbullah-led opposition, but
rather within the majority camp itself. The Daily As Safir said Druze leader
Walid Jumblat has a different point of view from the rest of the March 14
coalition with regard to the two candidates who could be considered to the army
command post.
News reports had said that the two candidates with the highest chances to become
new army commander were Intelligence chief Brig. Gen. George Khoury and Brig.
Gen. Jean Qahwaji. Mitri said the debate over giving the deputy premier
privileges has also been put off. Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra has
complained that he should be given more constitutional privileges. He called for
establishing his own office at the Grand Serail so he could "keep an eye" on
Premier Fouad Saniora. Mitri said Saniora also condemned the latest Israeli
threats to hit all of Lebanon if Hizbullah takes over and pledged to complain to
the U.N. about the issue. At last week's summit in Damascus, both Lebanon and
Syria pledged to take concrete steps toward setting up embassies in their
respective capitals for the first time. They also pledged to take formal steps
to demarcate their borders and normalize relations after years of tension.
Syrian troops were forced to leave Lebanon – ending nearly 30 years of military
presence -- after the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri. Syria has denied accusations that it was behind Hariri's murder. Both
countries also agreed to reactivate the work of the joint committee to demarcate
the Lebanese-Syrian borders as well as activate and step up the work of the
joint committee on people missing from both countries. They have pledged to take
measures to achieve "results as soon as possible." Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 07:57
Chamoun's NLP Wants to Join National Dialogue
Naharnet/The National Liberal Party on Friday said it would be
interested in joining the National Dialogue Conference should its sponsor,
President Michel Suleiman, decide to expand the list of participants. The NLP,
in a statement released after the weekly meeting by its higher council under
chairman Dory Chamoun, said most of the decisions adopted by the previous
dialogue sessions have not been implemented. The NLP asked why the cabinet
doesn't shoulder the responsibility of tackling the issue of Hizbullah weapons
and the defense strategy as long as it is termed a cabinet of national unity.
The party said it would not be possible to organize the forthcoming general
elections in 2009 if Hizbullah maintained its weapons. Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 18:31
Saniora: Cabinet Not Split Over Army Commander
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora on Friday denied reports that
members of his cabinet are split over nominating a new commander for the army.
Saniora, talking to reporters at the Grand Serail, said the topic of choosing a
new commander for the army has not been discussed during cabinet meetings. "The
issue is still subject to consultation," Saniora added, indicating that leaders
of the various political factions have not reached consensus on the new
commander. He said the various differences could be settled only through the
"constitution." Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 16:59
Mkhaiber Calls for Disbanding Syrian-Lebanese Higher
Council
Naharnet/MP Ghassan Mkhaiber on Friday termed the government's
decision to set up diplomatic ties with Syria a "first step in the right
direction," calling for disbanding the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council. Mkhaiber,
who is member of Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc, said "several other steps
should be adopted, including reconsidering agreements between the two sides"
reached during the 30-year deployment of Syrian troops in Lebanon.
However, he emphasized on the need to "disband the SLHC because it violates the
constitution and does not serve development of the Lebanese-Syrian relations."
Mkhaiber also called for a "final settlement to the issue of (Lebanese)
detainees in Syria." He said an agreement would be reached next week on a new
commander for the Lebanese Army. Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 17:46
Karami: Only Saudi-Syrian Reconciliation Can Help Lebanon
Naharnet/Ex-Premier Omar Karami on Friday said only a
Saudi-Syrian reconciliation could help Lebanon overcome its differences. Karami
made the remark to reporters in the northern city of Tripoli. He added: "I see
no other way to help Lebanon." In answering a question about calls to give the
deputy prime minister specific powers in the cabinet, Karami said: "The
constitution does not include any reference to the post of deputy premier."
Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 18:46
Lebanon Pursues 9 Employees for Issuing Driving Licenses to
Deceased, Disabled People
Naharnet/Lebanese authorities have decided to take punitive
measures against nine employees with the Traffic Management Office for issuing
driving licenses to deceased and disabled people. Interior and Municipalities
Minister Ziad Baroud has referred the decision to the concerned authorities to
withdraw the illegal licenses. Baroud has also referred to the foreign ministry
a dossier regarding the issuing of 40 fake driving licenses to non-Lebanese.Baroud
suggested giving instructions to the Lebanese embassy in Bucharest so that it
coordinates with Romanian authorities and take legal measures against the
lawbreakers.
Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 11:42
Mashaal: Palestinians Will Not Accept Deal at Lebanon Expense
Naharnet/Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal has said Palestinians will
continue to reject naturalization and a substitute homeland. "We will not accept
any deal at the expense of Lebanon or Jordan or any other side," Mashaal said in
a speech on behalf of Palestinian factions. Beirut, 22 Aug 08, 10:38
More Messages to Lebanese Mobile Phones from 'Israel'
Naharnet/Lebanese citizens have been receiving recorded phone
messages asking for information about missing Israeli soldiers. The messages ask
people to view an Israeli Web site or call a phone number in Britain if they
have any information on the soldiers. The Web site, www.10million.org, belongs
to a foundation set up by the Israeli government. It shows five missing Israeli
soldiers, including Ron Arad, whose plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986.
The Web site, in English, Arabic and Farsi, offers a $10 million reward. Several
journalists were among those who received the calls on their mobile phones
Thursday. A foundation spokeswoman refused to say if it was behind the calls.
Last month, similar messages in Lebanon criticized Hizbullah leader Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah, which prompted Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil to
send a letter of protest to U.N. chief Ban Ki Moon.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 22 Aug
08, 09:35
Mitri: Issue of Deputy Premier Privileges Should be
Resolved by Dialogue
Naharnet/Information Minister Tareq Mitri said Thursday that the
issue of privileges of the deputy prime minister should be resolved by dialogue.
"The issue of privileges of the deputy premier is a just cause, but should be
resolved by dialogue and in line with the Constitution and the Taif Accord,"
Mitri said at a press conference. Deputy Premier Issam Abu Jamra has called for
establishing his own office at the Grand Serail so he can "keep an eye" on Prime
Minister Fouad Saniora. Abu Jamra said he would suggest amending the text of the
prime minister performance management system "such as it preserves the role of
deputy prime minister." Beirut, 21 Aug 08, 16:08
Europe must realize: Jihadism is an Ideology not
only a theology
By Walid Phares
The following short piece is a summary of an analysis I discussed during this
summer June-July with European officials as a Visiting Fellow with the European
Foundation for Democracy in Brussels. Among the main groups and fora I presented
these ideas to were: The Majority Party EPP at the European Parliament in its
Conference in Paris; the secretariat for international relations of the European
Socialist Group; the Center for International Affairs in Rome with the
participation of the Chief of Staff of the Italian Armed Forces; members of the
Budenstag on National Security and Foreign Affairs in Berlin, counter terrorism
officials at the European Union including from the UK, Germany, Spain, Czech
Republic, Rumania, Belgium, Slovakia, Poland, Estonia, as well as top officials
at the interior ministries offices on radicalization in Germany, France and the
UK. I will expand in another posting on the circulation of ideas and the various
challenges facing Europe and the West in general per these discussions. The
summary below was initially presented at the Paris Conference and shared with
the various officials I met with.
Europe must realize: Jihadism is an Ideology not only a theology
Jihadi terrorism is one of the largest threats Europe and the international
community are facing in this era. Hence studying Jihadi terrorism beyond the
formation and the dismantling of cells is highly relevant to Europeans because
of the impact of its actions on security, politics, and economy.
Jihadism is putting significant pressure on European foreign policy regarding
where and when Europe can intervene in an international crisis such as those in
Afghanistan, Lebanon and Darfur. It is also putting pressure on the European
economy through the choices made in foreign policies. But the inability to
explain these pressures is a major reason behind the strategic failure in
containing and reversing the threat which continues to expand and grow across
the continent.
As one of the European Parliament (EPP) leaders, Jaime Major-Oreja said, the
issue is about identification of that threat. We need to "ID" it so that we can
address it properly. Western democracies have had a failure in perception of the
threat; for the countries that have been fighting this movement are still
debating it seven years after 9/11 and several years after Madrid and London
attacks. World War II took five years to win, and, in this confrontation, the
identification of the menace is still not completed properly after seven years.
Hence, we will offer a few suggestions of strategic guidelines to address this
issue.
First: The Identification Problem
1. Self Identification: The Jihadists talk about themselves, their agenda and
their views. Let's not ignore this literature, but let's analyze it and learn
from it. These movements certainly use theology in their discourse, but they
have developed an ideology. They do define themselves as Jihadis, Islamists,
Takfiris, and others, but the most accurate term to identify them is
"Jihadists."
2. European Debate: Today's debate in Europe about the origin and nature of the
Jihadist movement is still struggling with the so-called "root causes" of this
terror phenomenon. In my discussions across the continent, including my sessions
with many of the 27 counter-terrorism teams at the European Union level, one can
summarize the Euro-debate on this matter as follow. Four points and
counter-points are made:
a. Many in the EU claim that Jihadism is a response to European (and Western)
foreign policy. The counter-arguments are that Jihadism as an ideology and as a
movement has preceded all relevant European policies in modern times. The
Salafists rose in the 1920s long before the UN and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Foreign policy impacts these movements but does not create them.
b. Others have stated that economic disenfranchisement is at the root of these
movements. But there are many counter arguments: First, the Jihadi agenda does
not talk about economic justice. Second, there are multiple layers of social
classes among Jihadists from the lower social class, the middle class and the
upper class as well. In addition, the Jihadi ideology creates takfeer which is a
display of hatred between segments of societies. The Jihadists in Sudan, for
example, have clearly displayed racism in Darfur.
c. New theories are claiming that the root causes are socio-psychological
stresses such as racism. But the counter-argument is that racism is a phenomenon
linked to immigration and exists for all immigrants not just the Arab Muslim
communities.
d. From the other side of the debate, some intellectuals are charging that the
roots of terrorism are found in Islamic religious texts. But the
counter-argument is that texts alone cannot mobilize and organize movements.
There need to be ideological forces that create the movement while using
references to theological texts.
Thus in the final analysis Jihadism is an ideology not a theology.
Second: The Strategies of the Jihadists
If Europe and the West are facing an ideology, and thus a movement, one has to
learn about their war room, their policies and strategies. We need to understand
these so that governments and societies are able to confront them.
The Jihadists have had great debates about their strategies. Al Qaeda, the "hot
headed," wants to target the United States and Europe with terror so that they
can rise in the Arab and Muslim world. But you have the other "long-term"
Jihadists who are creating the pools of indoctrination. With their large, funded
mechanism they produce the young minds from among which al Qaeda recruits. I am
not only concerned about those who have already became Jihadists between ages 15
and 25, but more so about those who are between ages 8 and 13. What we need
today is strategic law enforcement in addition to the local one.
Why were we (governments and NGOs) not aware of this ideological warfare?
The answer is simply because the Jihadists are good in the war of ideas; good at
deceiving their foes by raising other issues, using our system against us. Hence
between 1945 and 1990, as the West was engaged in the cold war, they infiltrated
the Arab Muslim. They have produced four generations with the support of oil
production revenues. In a second war of ideas they put additional efforts inside
the West and Europe. They have seized the microphone inside the Muslim
communities and had an impact on a segment of these societies marginalizing the
democracy seekers.
Since 2001, in a third war of ideas, the Jihadis have put pressure on our
democracies in Europe to affect foreign policies that could help democracies in
the Middle East and oppose the radicals. The various violences in Europe are
aimed at changing foreign policies so that Europe (and the West), instead of
helping the weak as in Darfur and Lebanon, and instead of supporting women and
minorities, would abandon them.
Three: Strategic Advice
Some strategic advice to address the challenge:
1. A European priority should be to define the ideology. Advance work has been
done over the past years. The largest party at the European Parliament has
produced a document clearly identifying the Jihadi terrorists as being at the
root of the crisis. More has to be done at the level of other groups and the
European Union.
2. Another priority should be to educate the European public about the ideology,
movement and strategies of the Jihadists. The advantages of such massive public
information are numerous. One, it will give direction to national communities to
get to the root of the problem. It would reduce racism as it would separate
radical ideology from religious communities. It would also help Muslim
communities make that separation between the radical militants and the
mainstream in their societies.
3. Last, but not least, a European priority should be to support pro-democracy
forces inside the Muslim communities so that these communities are better
protected against racism and back-clashes on the one hand, and are freed from
control by the Jihadists on the other hand.
— Dr. Walid Phares is Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation
for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) in Washington, D.C., and a visiting scholar
at the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels. He is the author of the
recently released book, The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad;
August 21, 2008 10:56 PM