LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 14/2012

Bible Quotation for today/The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luke 19/09-14: "Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else. Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.  But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, God, have pity on me, a sinner! I tell you, said Jesus, the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Hassan Nasrallah’s ‘strip show/By: Ahmed Al Jarallah/February 13/12  
Muslim Persecution of Christians: January 2012/by Raymond Ibrahim/February 13/12

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 13/12  
Arabs end Syrian mission, seek joint UN force
The Free Syrian Army denies claims Israeli weapons seized in Homs
Arabs seek U.N. intervention in Syria
US admiral says forces prepared to confront Iran
Iran rebukes Azerbaijan for allegedly aiding Israel's Mossad
Iran blocks access to Facebook, Gmail ahead of Islamic Revolution anniversary
Khamenei pledges Iranian support to Palestinian 'resistance' against Israel
Germany: Israeli military strike on Iran unlikely to succeed
Report: Israel's Mossad still using foreign passports in undercover operations
Greece approves austerity bill as rioting engulfs country’s cities
Ban’s STL letter behind Mikati’s decision to suspend Cabinet sessions
Rai concludes pastoral visit to Maronite community in Cyprus
Cautious calm prevails in Tripoli after deadly weekend clashes
Mikati hopeful of resolving Cabinet crisis
A cycle of criminality besieges Baalbek
Released Syrian says $2 mln demanded for release of brothers, employee
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour denounces Syria resolution, fears Lebanon’s safety
Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora,: Hariri’s killers will be punished
Aoun: We Won't Leave Government, Let the PM Quit

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai concludes pastoral visit to Maronite community in Cyprus
February 13, 2012/ By Elias Mansour The Daily Star
NICOSIA: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai highlighted his sect’s unity Sunday as he headed a ceremonial Mass to commemorate Mar Maroun Day, on the third day of his pastoral visit to Cyprus.Attendees at the Mass, which took place in a church in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, included the country’s President Dimitris Christofias and his wife, its Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis and Cyprus’ interior minister, as well as the envoys of Arab and Western states and the papal ambassador to the island. Rai gave a sermon and reiterated his earlier statements that the patriarchate would continue working with great effort toward unification of the island. Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, which is predominantly Greek, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Turkey. Negotiations between the two sides aim at reuniting the island.
Rai took the opportunity to thank the Cypriot president and prime minister and all religious, political and social figures for their kind hospitality.
He said that the deep ecclesiastical relationship between Maronites in Lebanon and those in Cyprus and the Orthodox Church was very pleasing. The patriarch also gave thanks to Christofias for caring for the Maronite community in Cyprus. “One thousand two hundred years have passed of the presence of Maronites and other Lebanese on this island,” Rai said. “And they’ve been rooted there in love, security and loyalty and are completely loyal to Cyprus and its people.”Rai spoke of his visit to the four traditionally Maronite villages in the Turkish-occupied north whose inhabitants fled their homes after the 1974 invasion and now live in the predominantly Greek portion of the island. “I discovered [there] that the residents of these parishes are very attached to their lands, their churches and their social and cultural values,” he said. Rai called for the island to regain its unity based on just and permanent peace and diversity. For his part, Christofias said that Mar Maroun celebrations held particular importance this year because of Rai’s presence in Cyprus. He added that there is close coordination between the state and Maronites who hold decision-making positions.
“We deal with their issues positively, especially those in the Republic of Cyprus, and we are continuously working on removing the Turkish army to give the Maronites in northern Cyprus a chance to return their villages which are occupied. “The main obstacle with the Turkish army is that it does not want to withdraw and the Cypriot government cannot do anything about it,” he added. “We contribute to development projects that help Maronites return to their northern villages.”Christofias called on the United Nations to respect the sovereignty and the unity of the island. “We support respect for human rights and the rights of sects, and the solution will be a sectarian federal system in one republic in order to reach positive cooperation between the sects,” he said. At noon Rai attended an honorary lunch held by members of the Maronite community in Cyprus, at which Bishop Youssef Soueif presented him with a picture painted by Maronite Cypriots.The patriarch thanked Soueif and all who cooperated to make the pastoral visit a success. He also saluted the Orthodox Church and said that his meeting with the Orthodox archbishop had been very successful. He concluded by saying: “My visit ends tomorrow and I carry with me an important Cypriot cultural heritage as I carry in my heart and prayers the Cypriot cause to reach the unification of this island.” To end his visit, Rai laid the foundation stone for a Maronite Church and religious center in Nicosia and visited some elderly Maronites. He also paid a visit to a Maronite Church and in the evening attended a dinner at the home of Cypriot Maronite MP Antoine Russos. Speaking during the banquet, Russos told Rai that Cyprus’ Maronite community was among the most vulnerable groups in the small island because their villages were occupied, or transformed into buffer zones. The lawmaker also expressed hope that Lebanon’s Maronite Church would continue providing support to the Maronites of Cyprus.

Released Syrian says $2 mln demanded for release of brothers, employee
February 12, 2012 10/ The Daily Star /BEIRUT: One of four Syrians kidnapped in east Lebanon over the weekend was released Sunday and says his abductors are demanding a ransom of $2 million for the release of his two brothers and an employee. Osama Abdel Raouf, 50, told police he was released Sunday morning in Zahle, the district in which he and his brothers Hisham, 45, and Imad, 47, as well Khaled al-Hamadah, a 23-year-old employee, had been kidnapped in Saturday. The National News Agency reported Saturday that four Syrians were kidnapped in Taanayel, Zahle, after a group of armed men in a GMC Envoy obstructed their vehicle - a four-wheel drive Mazda with a Syrian license plate. The Syrians were then forced out of their vehicle after the men shot at their car.
The Syrians had been headed to the Masnaa border crossing, the NNA said. Last week, a Syrian man was kidnapped in Lebanon but was released five days later in return for a ransom estimated at $17,000 and some of his wife's jewelry.

Ban’s STL letter behind Mikati’s decision to suspend Cabinet sessions
February 13, 2012/By Hussein Dakroub, Hasan Lakkis /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent “a secret letter” to President Michel Sleiman asking for Lebanon’s comments by Feb. 15 on a plan to extend the mandate of a U.N.-backed court for another three years, a senior political source said Sunday.According to the source, Ban’s letter, which requires the government to meet to give a response, was at the root of Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s decision earlier this month to suspend the Cabinet’s sessions. “The U.N. chief wants to know if the Lebanese authorities have any observations about the Security Council’s plan to renew the mandate of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the Lebanese judges for another three years,” the source told The Daily Star. “The requested observations are over the three-year period only, not over the principle of renewal.” The three-year mandate of the STL, which is trying to uncover the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, expires on March 1. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said Ban sent the letter to Sleiman about 10 days ago seeking a response ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting to decide on the issue. The letter says the proposed three-year renewal came at the request of the STL’s general prosecutor. In view of the suspension of the Cabinet’s sessions and the split among ministers over the STL, the Cabinet will not be able to meet before Feb. 15 to discuss Lebanon’s observations, the source said.
Therefore, the most likely outcome is that Lebanon will not send any observations to Ban by Wednesday. Mikati, who paid a two-day official visit to France last week, said that he did not discuss with French officials the extension of the STL’s cooperation protocol with Lebanon, but added that Lebanon had received a letter from Ban in this respect. “We are consulting on this issue [renewal of STL’s mandate]. Our opinion on this subject is consultative. But the [final] decision is in the hands of the Security Council,” Mikati told Lebanese journalists based in Paris Saturday.
The Cabinet, which was split over Lebanon’s $32 million share to the tribunal’s funding, eventually had to pay the amount through the state-run Higher Relief Committee, thus averting a clash with Hezbollah and its March 8 allies. Hezbollah and its allies, who have a majority in Mikati’s 30-member Cabinet, strongly oppose the STL altogether, let alone financing it or renewing its mandate. Any Cabinet decision on the tribunal’s funding or renewal of its mandate was expected to be voted down by Hezbollah and its allies.
Mikati’s decision to suspend the Cabinet’s sessions was viewed as a solution for the government to avert a clash with the Hezbollah-led March 8 bloc over the renewal of the STL’s mandate.
Mikati has implicitly accused Aoun’s ministers of obstructing the Cabinet’s work, saying he will not allow anyone to undermine the prime minister’s prerogatives. He has since said that he will not resume Cabinet sessions before agreement is reached on a formula to make the government productive. Mikati called off Cabinet sessions on Feb. 1 following sharp differences with ministers from MP Michel Aoun’s parliamentary Change and Reform bloc over the thorny issue of civil service appointments. Meanwhile, Mikati will resume his activity from his residence in Verdun Monday after his return from an official visit to France amid signs that the Cabinet is unlikely to meet soon pending efforts by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to end the row between Mikati and Aoun’s ministers over the appointments in the public administration. Sleiman has entered the fray, taking Mikati’s stand when he said that Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, one of Aoun’s ministers, must sign the transportation allowance decree or else he should be replaced. Mikati has cited Nahhas’ refusal to sign the transportation allowance decree as a major bone of contention with Aoun’s bloc.
Nahhas, who has refused to sign the decree arguing that it should be made legal first by Parliament, hit back at Sleiman. “I will not sign [the decree] even if 29 ministers, and not only a two-third majority, agreed to dismiss me. Anyone who can dismiss me, let him try,” Nahhas told Al Jadeed TV Saturday. Parliamentary sources said that as Mikati and Aoun stood firm on their conflicting attitudes over the civil service appointments issue, the only possible solution for the Cabinet crisis is through a draft law in Parliament that would legitimize the transportation allowance and thus remove the labor minister’s excuse for not signing the decree. This solution would also satisfy Sleiman and Mikati who have been demanding the implementation of the decisions taken by the Cabinet, the sources said.
They added that such a solution would take at least two weeks to materialize after which contacts or serious mediation effort s would begin to resolve the inter-Christian differences over administrative appointments and other sticking issues. The possibility of launching the Cabinet’s productivity requires a change in Mikati’s approach toward the administrative appointments and other issues and his decisions should not emanate from nervousness that puts him in an impasse as happened with his recent decision to suspend the sessions, the sources said. They added that Mikati should play the role of a judge among the Cabinet members because Sleiman, in the eyes of many, has become a party to inter-Christian differences.
Aoun has repeatedly accused Sleiman of backing his political opponents in and outside the government.
The same sources said that Mikati’s constitutional partner, Sleiman, cannot secure a political cover to reconvene the Cabinet as the prime minister hopes.
On the contrary, Sleiman’s stance, especially his statement that a solution for the Cabinet crisis could either be with the dismissal of the labor minister – this is impossible because it does not have the consent of two thirds of ministers – or by changing his portfolio, which is constitutionally possible in agreement with the prime minister but politically impossible since there is no consensus on it in the Cabinet.

A cycle of criminality besieges Baalbek
February 13, 2012 /By Rakan al-Fakih/The Daily Star
 BAALBEK, Lebanon: Umm Ahmad lives in an unfinished home that has been under construction for many years on arid land. Now in her 60s, she has a hunched back and deeply lined faced. She lives alone here, despite being mother to seven children. Her three daughters left when they married, while her four sons, one after the other, were arrested and went to prison on drug charges. Her story is just one of hundreds of similar tales in the Baalbek-Hermel province, where there are some 30,000 outstanding arrest warrants. The increase of the number of wanted individuals has left devastated a younger generation, many of whom themselves end up in prison, fleeing justice or committing crimes, some resulting in death. Michel Daher, an attorney, says that around 2,500 residents currently have arrest warrants for crimes, while another 500 are wanted for minor violations. According to Daher, those who are wanted by the police often fall prey to more serious criminal networks. The problem is also exacerbated by the terrible conditions in prisons which make fugitives all the more reluctant to turn themselves in and face the charges. “The problem is very grave, and cannot be solved from the security angle alone. It is complicated and has been compounded by years of trouble,” says Daher, who is working on the cases of many prisoners as well as fugitives in the area. “The number of wanted persons skyrocketed, leading to more crime. There is no solution except to issue a general pardon which would allow people to return to their daily lives and reduce the number of crimes,” he says. “The majority of wanted persons will have a fresh start after they stop running from the law.” The phenomenon can be traced to the tribal system of social values in the area, says Ali al-Moussawi, a sociology professor at the Lebanese University.
According to Moussawi, members of tribes traditionally view raids as a source of power and pride, and there is no alternative framework that focuses on respect for the modern state and laws, especially since the Lebanese state is itself based on religious, sectarian and tribal balances, and the enforcement of laws is weak and selective.
“Enforcing the law should either be comprehensive or it will fail. When members of a tribe notice that the law is often violated by citizens of the country, and see some individuals being treated as if they are above the law, then they revert to their traditional system of values,” says Moussawi. The professor argues that chronic underdevelopment is also responsible for the number of fugitives. During the Civil War, he continues, the area was secure and stable as it benefitted from illegal drug crops, which provided employment and steady income.
“This stopped with the return of the state, and the decision to end the drug crops. With this came the return of wanted persons, a problem that persisted due to underdevelopment projects in the area,” he says. “Baalbek residents are the victims of the economic and political system in the country,” he adds.He says that resolving the issue requires full scale development as well as prisoner rehabilitation in order to facilitate their return to the work force, adding that any solution based on security will not have any significant impact.
The relationship between the residents and the security forces has become one of cat and mouse. First charges are often for minor violation, but when wanted individuals flee from security forces, this leads to further violations, and can result in life of criminality or prison. According to Mefleh Allaw, a member of the Allaw tribe as well as the Hermel municipal council, the problem of fugitives can be traced to independence, when the northeast region started being marginalized and neglected by state. “There are still so many wanted persons because of the absence of development projects, which is the failure of successive governments since independence. The money that was allocated by the Lebanese government and international donors to these projects was wasted,” he says. “It was spent on superficial studies, as well as lining some people’s pockets.” Allaw also argues that upper class residents bear some of the blame.
“At the same time, wealthy residents in the area who have made their fortune from illegal drugs do not use their money for projects that could benefit the wider area and provide job opportunities for its in youth,” he says, adding that no one investigates the source of their wealth. Allaw argues that the long term solution is development. “The solution is the implementation of real development, but issuing a general pardon would be a temporary solution,” he says. “After the pardon, punishments could be made more severe.”

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour denounces Syria resolution, fears Lebanon’s safety
February 13, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour slammed an Arab League resolution calling for greater cooperation with the Syrian opposition Sunday, warning that it would only bring further instability to the country. “What do we really want from Syria? Do we want regime change or do we want a political solution? ... If we want a political solution then should we stand with one side or the other?” he asked. “The resolution also leads to politically and financially supporting the opposition, but will this bring stability to Syria?” he said Arab Foreign Ministers meeting in Cairo to discuss the unrest in Syria. During its meeting, the League approved a resolution calling for “opening communication channels with the Syrian opposition and providing all forms of political and material support to it,” and urging the Syrian opposition to unite. In his address, Mansour also denounced proposals to recognize the Syrian National Council as the representative of the Syrian people.
“This decision would be very dangerous and shouldn’t be adopted it. It would lead the country into darkness ... the Arab League would bear a historic responsibility because this resolution would upset the stability of Syria and the region,” he said. Mansour was critical of the League’s performance, telling members: “After every meeting, the Council has issued new resolutions and this shows that the Arab League has failed to produce dialogue and achieve security.” Mansour told a Kuwaiti newspaper in comments published earlier Sunday that Lebanon has nothing to gain by recognizing the SNC, and described Russia and China’s veto of a Western-backed resolution calling on President Bashar Assad to hand over power “realistic.”
“I think Lebanon does not have any interest in recognizing [the SNC],” Mansour told Al-Ray newspaper.
“We found that the U.N. Security Council proposal was unbalanced given that it takes into account one point view and not the other ... we should take into account points of views from all sides in order to [draft a resolution],” he said. “Recognizing the Syrian National Council could lead us down dangerous path,” he added, criticizing former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s calls last week for Arab countries to recognize Syria’s opposition as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. “If Lebanon’s policy is to disassociate itself then how can it recognize the Syrian National Council? Isn’t that considered interference in the internal affairs of Syria? Would the recognition serve the long-term mutual interests of Lebanon and Syria?” Mansour asked.
In a statement issued Friday, Hariri urged the Arab and the international community to recognize the SNC as the official representative of the Syrian people.He also encouraged countries to deny Assad political cover for his lethal crackdown on protesters. But Mansour felt opening up the conflict to international intervention would be problematic. “We are against the internationalization of the Syrian crisis because that will not bear fruit and will not offer Syria any stability, but instead it will complicate matters further.”“And perhaps there are countries who want to settle scores with Syria,” he added. Taking the case of Syria to the U.N., according to Mansour, was evidence that the Arab League was incapable of resolving the crisis.
Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati, have said that the country’s policy of disassociating itself from ongoing unrest in Syria would benefit Lebanon given that the country cannot afford to be embroiled in another nation’s affairs again. Mansour said that Lebanon was directly concerned with developments in Syria, adding that Syrian, Arab and international officials have all understood Lebanon’s “sensitivities” and its policy toward the crisis. “Our action stems from our keenness of not interfering in the internal affairs of others,” Mansour said. “We are working on establishing peace and stability in Syria because it concerns us,” he added.

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora,: Hariri’s killers will be punished
February 13, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, head of the parliamentary Future bloc, said Sunday justice will eventually be achieved and the criminals who killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri seven years ago will be punished. In an interview with Ash-Sharq radio station on the eve of the 7th anniversary of Hariri’s assassination Tuesday, Siniora said: “Those who carried out this crime had thought that they will get rid of Rafik Hariri and that within 15 days the Lebanese will weep over him and later, because of the barriers of silence and fear, they will return to exercising their daily lives and forget Rafik Hariri. But they were wrong ... The truth is that the presence of Rafik Hariri has increased despite his absence. What Rafik Hariri has done for Lebanon is that he has always constituted a glimmer of hope for the Lebanese.” Siniora added that Hariri, who was killed along with 22 people in a massive suicide truck bombing in Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005, constituted “the will of the Lebanese to stand fast and to believe in Lebanon’s ability to overcome difficulties.”

The Free Syrian Army denies claims Israeli weapons seized in Homs
12/02/2012/By Yousef Diab/Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Free Syrian Army [FSA] and Syrian revolution coordination committees have categorically rejected reports published in the Syrian Al-Watan newspaper that "the competent authorities were able after violent clashes with gunmen in Baba Amru (in Homs) to kill several of them, wound others, and arrest others as well. It became evident that they included ones who carry Lebanese, Libyan, and Afghan nationalities and had Israeli weapons." They labelled this information deception and lies.
The regime-affiliated Al-Watan newspaper said that "during the chasing of the terrorists in Baba Amru neighbourhood, the competent authorities seized Israeli-made (LAW) rockets, US and Israeli-made highly accurate and rapid-fire sniper guns never seen before, in addition to weapons and shells of various calibers. Some of these elements were also arrested and it became evident that some of them carry Lebanese, Libyan, and Afghan nationalities. The information indicates their association with "Al-Qaeda" organization."
Al-Baath newspaper, the ruling party's mouthpiece in Syria, also announced the capture of Israeli-made weapons and said "the competent authorities dismantled an explosive device weighing 1.5 kg that a terrorist group planted under the car of a school headmaster in Lattakia. It was discovered after it was dismantled that the device contained the highly explosive C4 material." It pointed out that "this material is made abroad and Syria does not produce it and the Israeli occupation entity is considered its largest producer in the region."
A leading "FSA" officer considered the "aim of this information is to deceive and fabricate lies because this (Syrian) regime is built on lies and deception to solicit the people's sympathy and justify its crimes." As to the seizure of Israeli weapons in Homs, the officer who refused to be named told Asharq Al-Awsat: "This is a scenario to scare the people. The fact is that Al-Assad family's regime alone has been the agent of Israel for 40 years. It is starting today to claim that it is the target of an Israeli-American conspiracy and at times claims it is targeted by Al-Qaeda organization. We assert there are no foreign gunmen in Syria other than the fighters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah who are fighting alongside this regime for its survival." He asked: "Why Bashar al-Assad does not allow the media to enter Syria and report the truth as it is?" He pledged to the Syrian people that the "FSA will live to their expectation and will continue to defend our people until the regime is brought down, especially after the international community has let us down."

Arabs end Syrian mission, seek joint UN force
12/02/2012/CAIRO, (Reuters) - The Arab League called on Sunday for the U.N. Security Council to send a joint U.N.-Arab peacekeeping mission to Syria and decided to scrap its own monitoring team, according to a resolution approved by ministers and obtained by Reuters. Arab ministers met in Cairo to revive diplomatic efforts after Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution that called for President Bashar al-Assad to step aside. That resolution was based on an Arab peace plan and had Western backing. The Arab League called for "opening communication channels with the Syrian opposition and providing all forms of political and material support to it". It also urged the opposition to unify its ranks.
As part of the Arab efforts, Tunisia said it would host the first meeting on Feb. 24 of a "Friends of Syria" contact group made up of Arab and other states and backed by Western powers.
"How long will we stay as onlookers to what is happening to the brotherly Syrian people, and how much longer will we grant the Syrian regime one period after another so it can commit more massacres against its people?" Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal asked ministers at the start of the League session. "At our meeting today I call for decisive measures, after the failure of the half-solutions," he said. "The Arab League should ... open all channels of communication with the Syrian opposition and give all forms of support to it."
The resolution said Arabs would scrap their monitoring mission which had been sent to Syria in late December but which was criticised by Syria's opposition as ineffective from the outset. It also faced internal dissent and logistical problems. The Sudanese general leading the observers quit on Sunday.
"I won't work one more time in the framework of the Arab League," General Mohammed al-Dabi, whose appointment had been criticised because of Sudan's own rights record, told Reuters.
"I performed my job with full integrity and transparency but I won't work here again as the situation is skewed," he added. In place of the Arab team, the League called for the U.N. Security Council to issue a resolution setting up a joint U.N.-Arab peacekeeping mission to go to Syria. League chief Nabil Elaraby has already proposed such a joint mission to the U.N. secretary-general but the plan has drawn lukewarm support from diplomats at the United Nations in New York. The United States and Germany said they were studying it.
SUPPORT FOR THE OPPOSITION
The resolution said violence against civilians in Syria had violated international law and "perpetrators deserve punishment". It also reaffirmed a call for Arabs to implement economic sanctions on Syria and decided on ending diplomatic cooperation with Damascus.
Analysts and diplomats say sanctions that Arabs agreed to impose last year had limited impact so far because Iraq and other neighbours have not implemented them. Although the ministers lent their support to the opposition, the resolution did not recognise the opposition.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Ben Abdessalem told reporters that recognising the Syrian National Council was "premature and requires the opposition get unified".
Earlier he had told ministers: "The Syrian people deserve freedom as much as their brothers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other Arab states that witnessed major political change."
Ben Abdessalem also announced that Tunisia would host the meeting of "Friends of Syria", a plan proposed by France and the United States after Russia and China blocked the Security Council resolution.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said the new forum would provide "a good opportunity to try to create a clear international direction to help the Syrian people to exit the crisis"
Gulf states have been leading moves to isolate Assad. They announced last week that they were recalling their ambassadors from Syria and expelling Syria's envoys.
Libya and Tunisia, both countries where popular revolts toppled authoritarian rulers last year, have done likewise. The Saudi minister criticised the Security Council's failure to back the Arab plan for Syria. Elaraby said the veto, cause of much Arab frustration, exposed the failings of the Council's voting system.
The League resolution expressed the "disappointment towards the Russia and Chinese stance which used a veto against supporting the Arab peace plan".
Diplomats at the United Nations said Saudi Arabia had circulated a new draft resolution backing the Arab plan for the General Assembly, rather than the Security Council, to consider. Assembly resolutions are non-binding but cannot be vetoed. However, Riyadh denied on Sunday reports that it had formally presented the resolution to the assembly. Egypt's news agency said Elaraby had proposed appointing former Jordanian minister and U.N. envoy to Libya, Abdel Elah al-Khatib, as the League's special envoy to Syria. But a source in the meeting said Khatib's name was not put forward.

US admiral says forces prepared to confront Iran
News agencies /Ynetnews
In Bahrain, commander of the 5th Fleet says Navy 'built wide range of potential options to give the president.' Adds: Iran has 'suicide boats,' large mine inventory The top US Navy official in the Persian Gulf said Sunday he takes Iran's military capabilities seriously but insists his forces are prepared to confront any Iranian aggression in the region.  Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of the 5th Fleet, told reporters at the naval force's Bahrain headquarters that the Navy has "built a wide range of potential options to give the president" and is "ready today" to confront any hostile action by Tehran. He did not outline specifically how the Navy might respond to an Iranian strike or an effort to shut the entrance to the Persian Gulf, though any response would likely involve the two US aircraft carriers and other warships cruising the waters off Iran. "We've developed very precise and lethal weapons that are very effective, and we're prepared," Fox said. "We're just ready for any contingency." Faced with tightening Western sanctions, Iranian officials have stepped up threats to close the Strait of Hormuz if the country's oil exports are blocked. A fifth of the world's oil supply passes through the narrow waterway, which is only about 30 miles (50 kilometers) across at its narrowest point. Iran and Oman share control of the waterway, but it is considered an international strait, meaning free passage is guaranteed. Iran's army chief, Gen. Ataollah Salehi, early last month warned an American warship not to return to the Gulf shortly after the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and another vessel left. Another carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, entered the Gulf without incident on Jan. 22. Fox acknowledged that Iran's military is "capable of striking a blow" against American forces in the Gulf, particularly using unconventional means such as small attack boats or mines laid along shipping lanes. "We're not bulletproof. There are people that can take a swipe at us," Fox said. They have increased the number of submarines ... they increased the number of fast attack craft," he told reporters. "Some of the small boats have been outfitted with a large warhead that could be used as a suicide explosive device. The Iranians have a large mine inventory." But he added that he has reminded officers under his command that they "have a right and an obligation of self defense" if attacked. The admiral's comments echo those of other Western officials, who say they will respond swiftly to any Iranian attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CBS' "Face the Nation" last month that Iranian forces could block shipping through the strait "for a period of time," but added, "We can defeat that." Fox's command encompasses the bulk of the Middle East, including the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and a large swath of the Indian Ocean along the east African coast. There are about 25,000 sailors under his command. AP, Reuters contributed to the report

Aoun: We Won't Leave Government, Let the PM Quit
by Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Sunday stressed that his ministers “will not leave the government.”  “Let the premier quit” instead, Aoun said in an interview on Al-Jadeed television. “We're not putting obstacles in the government's path, we're rather confronting the wrongdoing, but the premier (Najib Miqati) is paralyzing the cabinet,” Aoun charged. He noted that any president of the republic “will have no role until we restore his powers,” calling on President Michel Suleiman to play his “real role” and “become an arbitrator according to the (current) constitution.” “Simply, those who don't have (parliamentary) representation cannot rule,” Aoun added.“If we had elected Suleiman as a president, that doesn't mean that he can ‘sit on our shoulders’,” he went on to say.
Commenting on his bickering with Suleiman over the issue of Christian posts, Aoun stressed that he was “the one who represents Christians in power.”
“I must select the Christian (civil servants) and until now we haven't gained anything in the administrative appointments,” he noted. On the other hand, Aoun stressed that “the government is not Hizbullah's government.”“Aren't (Progressive Socialist Party leader MP) Walid Jumblat and the premier part of the March 14 camp? The cabinet has 12 ministers who vote according to March 14's policies, as they (Jumblat and Miqati) have only quit that camp verbally and not truly,” Aoun claimed.Launching a vehement attack against ex-PM Fouad Saniora, Aoun said: “Let Saniora tell us where did the donations go.”
“He does not have any trait a statesman should have and he is responsible for many scandals. He is the biggest scandal and let him and those defending him meet us in court,” Aoun added.
Asked about recent accusations that he had breached the protocol by showing up late to church on St. Maroun Day after the arrival of the president of the republic, Aoun said: “Sixty people other than me arrived late to the St. Maroun mass and I told the archbishop beforehand that I would not attend the lunch banquet” held after the mass.  “I will not respond to assumptions … as we are also subjected to insults and let's see the popular support each one of us enjoys,” Aoun said, in an indirect attack against Suleiman

Nasrallah’s ‘strip show’
By: Ahmed Al Jarallah/Arab Times
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/179494/reftab/36/Default.aspx
“NASRALLAH has yet to fully strip himself from his political attire. At least he will not shed all his ‘attire’ all at once as we see in a strip tease show. There is no doubt he is firing his last political salvo and this is perhaps because he depends on a majority of his supporters. Events unfolding on the political arena have not given this opportunist politician who wears a religious cloak a chance to compose his ingenious speeches heaping threats on others. He is well-known for flexing his muscles in front of the media. The situation has exposed him and he has very little to cover himself.
In his last speech, Nasrallah said his people don’t need any wealth as long as they have plenty in Allah’s state - a clear reference to Iran. He is not only admitting that he is a mercenary of Tehran, he has elevated the regime in Iran to a divine level. He has ascribed the regime as sacred and infallible. There is no doubt he has violated the most uncomplicated principles of Islam and the Shiite doctrine which he claims to uphold. He says there is no government official in Tehran who can dare say so. The witty Nasrallah does not mind violating religious doctrine just to please his masters - masters who have ended up inviting upon themselves the international embargo amidst the crumbling walls of Damascus, their only ally in the region.
Their dreams and hopes are on the verge of collapse. They desperately try to brighten the spirits of those who are held in Lebanon as hostages.
Perhaps, Nasrallah may not be peddling drugs personally, but he is sheltering an empire of drug smugglers. He and his ‘henchmen’ are closing an eye to the phenomenon of the spread of drugs. This poison has seeped even into the school premises and a majority of the areas controlled by Hezbollah (in terms of security and military).
He prevents the government of Lebanon from entering these areas. This phenomenon reminds us of a joke which is circulating in Lebanon about a Hezbollah religious man who was given Zakat by a drug baron. The baron gave the religious man a quantity of heroin and asked him to bless his charity. He subsequently wiped some of the white powder on the sheikh’s beard while the words ‘Blessings, Blessings’ were being repeated.
Also maybe, Nasrallah himself is not involved in money laundering, but everyone who is involved in this crime is associated with him. Even those skillful money launderers who donate money for his party while thousands impoverished families in the south and other areas suffer, Hezbollah smuggle their ‘haram’ money - which according to Nasrallah is ‘halal’. This is done with the blessings of the so-called ‘resistance group’.
As all these heinous crimes are committed by this group, Nasrallah keeps telling the people of Lebanon that he controls the entire country.
He exposed himself when he prevented the government of Lebanon from resigning. This is a clear indication that the government of Lebanon can be just a toy which Nasrallah uses to control decisions. There is no veil left to cover him apart from waiting for the events to fold and subsequently be forgotten.
Shows never end until a comedian cracks a joke. On one hand Nasrallah condemns the massacre in Homs and various other places and on the other he considers the killings of infants, young women and men skirmishes between the regime forces and ‘terrorist groups’.
The funniest part is when he had the audacity to say the demands of Syria’s freedom fighters is a conspiracy against his party.
The strip show which Nasrallah orchestrated was very entertaining, and indeed it finally it fully stripped him. He has nothing to cover himself not even the ‘resistance’ which he used to boast about attended his speech about the destruction of Israel...
No wonder (Benjamin) Netanyahu, (Ehud) Barrak and other enemy leaders slept soundlessly on the night Nasrallah was giving his imaginary speech which was full of threats. In the speech, he was defending himself and his mob, and perhaps, with reservations which will preserve the soft side of his masters in Tehran.
It has been long said, “Whenever there is a smoke, there is fire.” Why is he defending himself? Isn’t it this a person who is guilty without being accused by anyone?
 

Muslim Persecution of Christians: January 2012
by Raymond Ibrahim
http://www.meforum.org/3171/muslim-persecution-of-christians-january-2012
Stonegate Institute
February 9, 2012
The beginning of the New Year saw only an increase in the oppression of Christians under Islam, from Nigeria, where an all-out jihad has been declared in an effort to eradicate the Muslim north of all Christians, to Europe, where Muslim converts to Christianity are still hounded and attacked as apostates. According to the Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, "The flight of Christians out of the region is unprecedented and it's increasing year by year"; in our life time alone, he predicts "Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt."
An international report found that Muslim nations make up nine out of the top ten countries where Christians face the "most severe" persecution. In response to these findings, a Vatican spokesman said that "Among the most serious concerns, the increase in Islamic extremism merits special attention. Persons and organizations dedicated to extremist Islamic ideology perpetrate terrible acts of violence in many places throughout the world: the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria is but one example. Then there is the climate of insecurity that unfortunately in some countries accompanies the so-called "Arab spring"—a climate that drives many Christians to flee and even to emigrate."
Categorized by theme, January's batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed in alphabetical order by country, not severity of anecdote.
APOSTASY
Iran: A Christian convert who was arrested in her home has been sentenced to two years in prison. Previously she endured five months of uncertainty detained in the notorious Evin prison, where the government hoped she would come to her senses and renounce Christianity. She was convicted of "broad anti-Islamic propaganda, deceiving citizens by formation of what is called a house church, insulting sacred figures and action against national security." Likewise, Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani continues to suffer in prison. Most recently, he rejected an offer to be released if he publicly acknowledged Islam's prophet Muhammad as "a messenger sent by God," which would amount to rejecting Christianity, as Muhammad/Koran reject it.
Kenya: Muslim apostates seeking refuge in Kenya are being tracked and attacked by Muslims from their countries of origin: An Ethiopian who, upon converting to Christianity, was shot by his father, kidnapped and almost killed, is now receiving threatening text messages. Likewise, a Ugandan convert to Christianity is in hiding, his movements severely restricted since "the Muslims are looking to kill me. I need protection and help."
Kuwait: A royal prince who openly declared that he has converted to Christianity, confirmed the reality that he now might be targeted for killing as an apostate.
Norway: While out for a walk, two Iranian converts to Christianity were stabbed with knives by masked men shouting "infidels!" One of the men stabbed had converted in Iran, was threatened there, and immigrated to Norway, thinking he could escape persecution there.
Somalia: A female convert to Christianity was paraded before a cheering crowd and publicly flogged as punishment for embracing a "foreign religion." Imprisoned since November, "the public whipping was meant to mark her release." She received 40 lashes as hundreds of Muslim spectators jeered. An eyewitness said: "I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away." Likewise, "Somali Islamists arrested a Muslim father after two of his children converted to Christianity" and fled. He is accused of "failing to raise his sons as good Muslims, because "good Muslims cannot convert to Christianity."

Zanzibar: After being robbed, a Muslim convert to Christianity called police to his house; they discovered a Bible during their inspection. The course of inquiry immediately changed from searching for the thieves to asking why he "was practicing a forbidden faith." He was imprisoned for eight months without trial, and, since being released, has been rejected by his family and is now homeless and diseased.
CHURCH ATTACKS
Azerbaijan: A pastor has been threatened with criminal proceedings following a raid on his church during Sunday service. Earlier, he was told that "a criminal case had been launched over religious literature arousing incitement over other faiths," and was pressured by authorities to leave the area, which he did, traveling great distances each week to lead church services.
Egypt: Before a bishop was going to inaugurate the incomplete Abu Makka church and celebrate the Epiphany mass, a large number of Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood members entered the building, asserting that the church had no license and so no one should pray in it. One Muslim remarked that the building would be suitable for a mosque and a hospital.
Indonesia: A sticker on the back of the car of a member of the beleaguered Yasmin church saying "We need a friendly Islam, not an angry Islam," distributed by the family of the late Muslim president, prompted another Islamic attack on the church: scores of Muslims "terrorized the congregation and attacked several church members." Since 2008, the congregation has been forced to hold Sunday services on the sidewalk outside the church and then later in the home of parishioners. Not satisfied, hundreds of Muslims later searched and found the private home where members were congregating and holding service and prevented them from worshiping there as well: "It crosses the line now. The protesters now come to the residential area, which is not a public place." A new report notes that anti-Christian attacks have nearly doubled in the last year.
Nigeria: Soon after jihadis issued an ultimatum giving Christians three days to evacuate the region or die, armed Muslims stormed a church and "opened fire on worshippers as their eyes were closed in prayer," killing six, including the pastor's wife. Then, as friends and relatives gathered to mourn the deaths of those slain, "Allahu Akbar" screaming Muslims appeared and opened fire again, killing another 20 Christians. Several other churches were bombed, and seven more killed.
Pakistan: Enraged by the voices of children singing carols at a nearby church, Muslims praying in a mosque decided to silence them—including with an axe: "The children were preparing for mass to be celebrated the next day which was a Sunday. The loud cheers became terrified whimpers when suddenly four men, one of them with an axe, barged into the church. The men slapped the children, wrecked the furniture, smashed the microphone on to the floor and kicked the altar. "You are disturbing our prayers. We can't pray properly. How dare you use the mike and speakers?" (Islam forbids Christians from celebrating loudly in church, banning bells, microphones, etc.) Also, a center owned by the Catholic church for 125 years, and used for "charitable purposes"—it housed a home for the elderly, a girls' school, a convent and chapel for prayer—was demolished, after it was discovered that its land is worth much money; in the process, demolition workers destroyed Bibles, crosses, and a statue of Our Lady.
Zanzibar: Muslims destroyed two churches: one was torched, while the other demolished—all to yells of "Allahu Akbar."
DHIMMITUDE
[General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of non-Muslim "Second-Class Citizens"]
Denmark: In Muslim majority Odense, an Iranian Christian family had two cars consecutively vandalized—windows smashed, seats cut up, and set ablaze—because the cars had crucifixes hanging in them; the family has since relocated to an undisclosed location. Likewise, "Church Ministry" will change its name to "Ministry of Philosophy of Life" to accommodate Muslims.
Egypt: In the latest round of collective punishment, a mob of over 3000 Muslims attacked Christians in a village because of a rumor that a Coptic man had intimate photos of a Muslim woman on his phone (denied by the man). Coptic homes and shops were looted before being set ablaze. Three were injured, while "terrorized" women and children who lost their homes stood in the streets with no place to go. As usual, it took the army an hour to drive 2 kilometers to the village and none of the perpetrators were arrested.
Nigeria: Boko Haram Muslims set ablaze a Christian missionary home. Occupants of the home, mostly orphans and the less-privileged, were rendered homeless as a result. Meanwhile, a top officer allowed the mastermind behind the Christmas Day church bombings to escape, evincing how well entrenched Islamists are in government.
Pakistan: A judge has denied bail to the latest Christian charged with desecrating the Koran, under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, despite the lack of evidence against him: according to Sharia, the word of a Christian is half that of his Muslim accuser (his landlord).
Saudi Arabia: Officials strip-searched 29 Christian women and assaulted six Christian men after arresting them for holding a prayer meeting at a private home. Imprisoned last month without trial, they have not been told when or if they will be released. Authorities conducted the strip searches of the women, who insisted they had committed no crime, in unsanitary conditions. As a result, some of the women have been injured and are suffering illnesses, but authorities have provided no medical treatment.
Sudan: Authorities threatened to arrest church leaders if they engage in "evangelistic activities" and fail to comply with an order for churches to provide names and identifications: "The order was aimed at oppressing Christians amid growing hostilities toward Christianity… Sudanese law prohibits missionaries from evangelizing, and converting from Islam to another religion is punishable by imprisonment or death in Sudan, though previously such laws were not strictly enforced." Accordingly, days and weeks later, two evangelists were arrested on spurious charges and beat by police.
Turkey: A Christian asylum seeker who fled from Iran because of his faith "was brutally assaulted by his Turkish employer with hot water and his body was severely burned," due to "the extreme religious views" of his Muslim employer, who "told him he had no rights and that he would not pay him any money," after the Christian asked for his agreed wages. He "is just one example of hundreds of Iranian Christian asylum seekers who are living in such situations in Turkey."
ABDUCTION, RANSOM, MURDER
Egypt: The abduction of a 16-year old Christian girl, who disappeared over a month ago, has become a "tug of war between the Christian family and Muslim lawyers." The court sided with the Islamists, ordering the girl to be held in a state-owned care home till she reaches 18—the legal age of conversion—instead of returning her to her family. Coptic activists argue that the decision "encourages Islamists to continue unabated the abduction of Christian minors for conversion to Islam."
Pakistan: A Christian girl who was abducted in 2001 when she was 15 and forced to marry a Muslim, returned to her Catholic family after 10 years. Her case is not an isolated case: "there are at least 700 cases a year of Christian girls kidnapped and forced to marry Muslims. Likewise, "within the past three months, nine women have been abducted and forcibly converted to Islam."
Sudan: After a large truck smashed through the gates of a Catholic Church compound, Muslims affiliated with Sudan's Islamic government kidnapped two Catholic priests and "severely beat" them and looted their living quarters, stealing two vehicles, two laptops and a safe. Later, the kidnappers forced the priests to call their bishop with a ransom demand of 500,000 Sudanese pounds (US$185,530).
Switzerland: A Muslim man hacked his daughter to death for dating a Christian: were they dating in a Muslim-dominated country, the Christian, as so often happens, would have likely received similar treatment.
Syria: The Christian community in Syria has been hit by a series of kidnappings and brutal murders; 100 Christians were killed since the anti-government unrest began; "children were being especially targeted by the kidnappers, who, if they do not receive the ransom demanded, kill the victim, including some who are "cut into pieces and thrown in a river." These latest reports are reminiscent of the anti-Christian attacks that have become commonplace in Iraq for a decade.
Tajikistan: A young man dressed as Father Frost—the Russian equivalent of Father Christmas—was stabbed to death while visiting relatives and bringing gifts. The Muslim mob beating and stabbing him screamed "you infidel!" leading police to cite "religious hatred" as motivation.
About this Series
Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, "Muslim Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of Muslim persecution of Christians that surface each month. It serves two purposes:
Intrinsically, to document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
Instrumentally, to show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.
Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (tribute); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed "dhimmis" (second-class citizens); and simple violence and murder. Oftentimes it is a combination thereof.
Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to India in the east, and throughout the West, wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.
Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
http://www.meforum.org/3171/muslim-persecution-of-christians-january-2012
Related Topics: Anti-Christianism | Raymond Ibrahim
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