Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 01 /12
DEBKAfile/US disowns Israel over Iran strike: No weapons or military backup
Report: IAEA's findings may move up plans for Iran strike
Ban Ki-moon defends Iran visit, says pushed for change
Khamenei: Time for new world order
Iran rejects IAEA nuclear report as 'political move'
IAEA: Iran doubles underground nuclear capacity
US reiterates commitment to Israel's security
UN chief urges Iran to free political prisoners
Rice: Obama lost Israel's trust
US, Israel scale back joint ballistic missile drill
Cairo rejects Iranian criticisms of Mursi speech
Egypt arrests wanted militant in Sinai
Egypt TV head denies inciting Morsi's murder
Egypt buys new submarines from Germany
US policy: The Syrian curse
Syrian rebels hit back at Assad's air power
Canada ups Syria sanctions, praises Egypt, admonishes Russia
Canada Targets Assad Supporters as Violence Continues
Syrian army crosses into Lebanon, snatches farmer
Kidnapped Turk asks country to secure release of Lebanese in Syria
Syrian army crosses into Lebanon, snatches farmer
Mikati urges Lebanese to put country before personal interests
Hariri says pope's visit to Lebanon sign of hope
Kidnapped Turk asks country to secure release of Lebanese in Syria
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Sept 1, 2012
Lebanese Army commander inspects troops in Tripoli
Abu Dhabi launches new port, may compete with Dubai
Iran, North Korea sign technology agreement
Sleiman: political solution only option for Syria
Security forces await SSNP's handover of fourth man
Charbel: Efforts under way to free hostages all at once

US disowns Israel over Iran strike: No weapons or military backup
http://www.debka.com/article/22324/US-disowns-Israel-over-Iran-strike-No-weapons-or-military-backup
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis September 1, 2012/US Gen. Martin Dempsey’s assertion Thursday, Aug. 30 that the US would not be “complicit” in an Israel strike against Iran, together with the drastic reduction in the scale of next month’s joint US-Israeli war game disclosed by TIME, add up to a blunt message from US President Barack Obama to Israel: You are on your own! See how you manage without special US weapons and US military backup, including a shield against missile counter-attack, if you decide to defy us and go through with a military operation against Iran.
Instead of the 5,000 US troops originally assigned for Austere Challenge 12, the annual joint exercise, the Pentagon will send only 1,200 to 1,500 service members. The missile interception systems at the core of the joint exercise will be reduced in number and potency: Patriot anti-missiles will come without crews and may be one instead of two Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense warships, according to the magazine. debkafile’s military sources: The Obama administration has put Israel on harsh notice that an attack on Iran to disrupt or delay its nuclear armament will be refused US missile backup - both in the course of the operation and to cover Israel’s back in the event of a counter-strike widening into a general Middle East conflict. The Netanyahu government will bear full and exclusive responsibility for the consequences of attacking Iran.
Obama, who has repeatedly pledged his commitment to Israeli security, is the first American president to cut Israeli adrift against a major threat to its security explicitly posed by Iran.
The US president has put his campaign for reelection next month at great albeit calculated risk. His rival Mitt Romney will not doubt follow up on the charges he made during his acceptance speech to the Republican convention Thursday that Obama threw “allies like Israel under the bus” and failed utterly to stop Iran’s centrifuges spinning.
Obama may find the Jewish vote and campaign contributions fading. For Romney an incumbent president throwing Israel to the wolves against the ayatollahs is a dream come true.
Binyamin Netanyahu and his defense minister Ehud Barak must bear some of the onus for one of the most damaging ruptures US-Israel relations have ever faced - as will be discussed later. However, the prime cause must be sought elsewhere.
In the last month, Obama has undergone a change of face: The top US soldier and ambassador Dan Shapiro were told to start treating Israel like a pest and telling its leaders that the administration is fed to the teeth with their clamor for action on Iran.
This change did not come out of the blue. debkafile’s Washington and Moscow sources report it evolved from three events:
1. During this month, President Vladimir Putin severed Russia’s military ties with Iran and Syria as debkafile reported earlier: Obama reciprocated by cutting Israel down to size. Moscow informed Tehran and Damascus that there would be no more Russian arms supplies after the delivery of the last items in the pipeline. Putin therefore left both Iran and Syria high and dry amid war dangers in return for Obama cutting Israel off from advance military hardware at a time of peril.
The Russian and American leaders thus put in place the first bricks of an accord for resolving their disputes over a nuclear Iran and the Syrian crisis by the device of slashing the military capacity of Iran, Israel and Syria.
The Russian president took another step as a gesture to Obama: He pulled Russian warships out of the Syrian base of Tartus and the eastern Mediterranean, leaving only a floating dry dock.
In return, he counted on Washington forcing Israel to abandon any plans to strike Iran.
2. But this exercise in symmetrical reciprocity ran into a major snag: Obama found a tough nut in Jerusalem: Binyamin Netanyahu held out for a pledge of US military action against Iran as his price for holding back. Despite the massive pressure Obama threw at the Israeli government, both through the highest ranking US political and military channels and by mobilizing the government’s most vocal opponents and anti-war circles at home, Netanyahu and Barak did not budge.
They understood, despite Obama’s concealment, that the secret US-Russian deal would in fact preserve Iran’s nuclear program at a point at which Iran’s leaders could have a weapon assembled and unsheathed at any moment.
They also realized that as long as Israel’s military option against Iran was alive, the Obama-Putin deal was stuck, because both Iran’s Ali Khamenei and Syria’s Bashar Assad would likewise refuse to fall into line. When Romney said he would give America’s friends “more loyalty” and Putin “a little less flexibility and more backbone,” he was referring to President Obama’s request from Putin on June 18, at the G20 conference in Mexico, for more time against his promise to the Russian leader of “more flexibility” later.
To keep his deal with Putin in motion, the US president will have to tighten his squeeze on Israel’s leaders to forego an attack on Iran.
3. The Netanyahu government, for its part, committed three tactical errors:
One: They dragged out the dialogue on Iran with the US administration for far too long - three years or more – and come away for it empty-handed. If their purpose was to persuade the United States to carry the can against Iran, as many Israelis believed, they failed. No Israeli leader has the right to procrastinate to this extent on action affecting its fundamental security, if not existence. Netanyahu fell into the trap of crying wolf by shouting year after year that Iran must be stopped – and doing nothing.
Two: Israel’s deterrent capacity, already sapped by inaction, was further eroded by US General Martin Dempsey’s assertions that Israel lacks the capacity to destroy the Iranian nuclear program.
Three: They failed to act expeditiously to prevent the political opposition using a campaign against an attack on Iran as a stratagem for bringing the government down.
It has been four weeks since the former Mossad director Ephraim Halevi said that if he was an Iranian, he would be worried in the next twelve weeks.
That was on Aug. 2.
Thursday, Aug. 30, Halevi said: “It is important for Israel’s military threat to be credible.”
He was throwing down the gauntlet for Netanyahu and Barak to show they were serious about striking Iran – or else back down completely.
His timeline gives them another eight weeks to show their mettle. During that time, they will be under heavy bombardment from Washington.

Now is not the time to strike Iran
By: Ron Ben-Yishai/Ynetnews
Analysis: Iran racing towards nuclear 'breakout' capability, but conditions not ripe for solo Israeli attack
Although the most recent report published by the International Atomic Energy Agency supports Israel's claims and indicates that Iran could produce enough highly-enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb within four to six months, this is not the time for an Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic. The report indicates that by February 2013, at the latest, Iran will have nuclear-weapons "breakout" capability, meaning it will have all the skills and parts needed to quickly build an atomic bomb if Supreme Leader Khamenei gives the order to do so. Essentially, this is Israel's red line.
This does not mean that by the end of 2013 Iran will have a nuclear bomb. Khamenei will most likely delay the decision on a measure that would result in additional sanctions and perhaps even a military strike. He will also want to accumulate fissionable material and a few warheads so that when Iran "comes out of the closet" it will already pose a credible nuclear threat.
This may occur in 2015, maybe even toward the end of 2014. But even before this, as a country "on the brink of nuclear capability" at the end of 2013, Iran will be able to directly threaten its neighbors and Israel to achieve its strategic goals and become a regional and global power.
This situation, which would accelerate the nuclear arms race in our region, threatens our security in the long term more than Hezbollah's rockets, Syria and Hamas combined. Washington fears that the Non-Proliferation Treaty will collapse and allow terror groups and other rogue states to acquire a nuclear bomb.
The IAEA's quarterly report is basically an admission that the efforts exerted by the UN and the West to set Iran's nuclear program back have failed completely. The report also determined that the military installation in Parchin was built in 2000, but the IAEA learned of its existence only in 2010.
This forced Iran to halt activity at the site and work to conceal the suspected nuclear weapons-related experiments there. The facility has been covered with pink tarps, effectively blocking the UN agency's attempts to monitor a suspected cleanup of the site. The agency has tried to gain access to Parchin since February – and failed. The Pink plastic sheeting hiding the suspected nuclear facility is apparently also aimed preventing the site's detection by drone and satellite sensors.
In any case, the IAEA said it would not resume negotiations with Iran until its inspectors are given access to the Parchin military site. Even if the inspectors are allowed into the site, the UN nuclear agency sees no point in looking for poof at a site which has been cleaned up.
The IAEA further revealed that Iran is enriching uranium not only with centrifuges but with laser technology as well. Iran, the report said, is also developing new, faster centrifuges for uranium enrichment that will allow it to produce fissionable material at a record pace. It is safe to assume that Iran wants to produce uranium and develop nuclear warheads before the US, Britain and France (and maybe Israel) get organized and launch a military operation against it.
The report also indicates that Iran accelerated the production of low-enriched uranium (a level of less than 5%) and uranium enriched to 20% purity during the months when the "stifling sanctions" went into effect and Tehran was negotiating with the western powers.
Strike justified?
The West demanded that Iran halt the activity at the Fordo facility, near the city of Qom. The site is buried deep inside a mountain to better protect it against any enemy strikes. Defense Minster Barak is referring to Fordo when he speaks of an "immunity zone." According to Barak, Israel will find it difficult to launch an effective military strike to delay Iran's nuclear program after the Islamic Republic implements its plan to install 3,000 advanced centrifuges at Fordo and after it transfers its enriched uranium to the site. Some 1,400 centrifuges have already been installed in Fordo, but most of them are not operational.
The IAEA report says Iran's facilities have produced 189.4 kilograms (417.6 pounds) of uranium enriched to 20%. In order to produce a bomb or a nuclear warhead Iran would need 260kg (about 570 pounds) of uranium refined to a fissile concentration of 20%. This means that Iran is on track to stockpile enough 20% enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon by February 2013.
The report seemingly justifies an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. There is no doubt that if and when Iran installs an additional 3,000 centrifuges in Fordo and activates them, a solo Israeli strike would most likely not succeed in stopping or even delaying Iran's race towards a nuclear bomb.
Iran is not showing any signs that it is succumbing to the West's pressure, and the pace at which it is installing centrifuges (which at the current phase of the nuclear program is more crucial than the actual uranium enrichment) is impressive and poses a major threat. Therefore, if the decision-makers in Jerusalem have decided not to rely on the US and whoever is elected president in November, they must convene the Cabinet and order the IDF to act soon.
True, it would be very risky for Israel to trust an American president to fight its battles, but there are other reasons why Israel should act with restraint:
The fighting in Syria is weakening the army and the regime in Damascus, thus reducing the likelihood that Syria would want or be able to take part in any Iranian response to an Israeli strike. The war in Syria minimizes the threat on Israel's home front and would make it easier for the IDF to act in Lebanon against Hezbollah. The rebels have already taken out two Syrian army anti-aircraft batteries, and they are not through. Therefore, Israel should not rush to launch an attack in Iran.
Moreover, the IDF has also been improving its long range capabilities. Therefore, it is safe to assume that if we wait, Iran's "immunity zone" will shrink as a result of Israel's enhanced military capabilities.
The best way to stop Iran's nuclear program is to overthrow the regime in Tehran or force it to change its policy due to pressure from the masses. Only economic sanctions can achieve these objectives. This is why we mustn't give the international community an excuse to soften the sanctions.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is no consensus within the Israeli public in support of a military strike. The public senses that Iran's nuclear sword is not hanging over its neck just yet, and it is not convinced that setting Iran's nuclear program back a few years justifies the heavy toll Israel would pay for attacking the Islamic Republic. The security establishment is also of the opinion that now is not the time to strike, and it does not believe Iran will obtain nuclear weapons if Israel does not act immediately.
So far, Netanyahu and Barak have failed to create legitimacy in the local and international arena for a military operation. Past experience has taught that we should not go to war in such conditions.
Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

Report: IAEA's findings may move up plans for Iran strike
Roi Kais Latest Update: 09.01.12/Ynetnews
Vienna sources express concern that recent findings by nuclear watchdog as to Tehran's atom endeavors may accelerate West's plans to attack nuclear facilities
The recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which indicated that Iran is forging ahead with its nuclear program, has strained the tense relationship between the West and the Islamic Republic further.
The IAEA's report, released Thursday, announced that Iran has more than doubled the number of centrifuges in its Fordo facility, from 1,064 in May to 2,140 in August. The new centrifuges have yet to become operational. The London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted Vienna sources as saying that the new information may accelerate the West's plans to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.
Saturday's report quoted "a source privy to the IAEA's discussions" as saying that that the relationship between the Austria-base nuclear watchdog and Iran are "plagued by mistrust."
The newspaper's sources – most probably Arab diplomats assigned to the IAEA – expressed concerns that nations vehemently opposing Iran's nuclear ambitions, will use the findings as the "necessary excuse" to strike Tehran, as they show that it is blatantly ignoring the West's demands to suspend the nuclear program.
The report further hedged that the IAEA may choose to issue a censure of Iran, over its repeated violations of its agreements with the international body and its disregard of UN Security Council resolutions barring it from pursuing uranium enrichment.
The London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat quoted Iran's envoy to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh on Saturday, as saying that "Iran has no objections to IAEA inspectors visiting its military bases, including Parchin, as long as it is done as part of a clear plan and only after the IAEA presents the documents and evidence on which it is basing its request."
Tehran, he added, "Has no problem answering the same questions over and over again, but (visits) require a clear framework."
Iran and the IAEA have been able to make progress, he stressed, "But that doesn’t mean we are in full agreement."
Meanwhile, Iranian deputy nuclear chief Mohammad Ahmadian said Saturday that the country's Bushehr nuclear power plant "has reached full capacity of 1,000 megawatts." The reactor went into operation for the first time last year at minimum capacity. The Islamic Republic built the nuclear power plant in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr with Russian help.
Former minister Tzachi Hanegbi, who is considered a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commented on the report Saturday, saying that the IAEA report lends more credibility to the need for an Iran strike.
"The events of the past week have given Israel even more legitimacy to strike Iran – if and when it decides to do so," he said.
"Unless the Americans show true resolution in their intent to attack, we won't have a choice. The Israeli threat to strike Iran is not an empty one," he said.
Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Sept 1, 2012 September 01, 2012/The Daily Star
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Saturday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
As-Safir
Wednesday will be a test of the government’s intentions regarding oil exploration
If the government fulfills its promise, September will be filled with solutions and the first issue to be resolved will be the salary scale, which will finally be removed from the government-union fighting ring.
What is worth noting is that the appointments for the oil committee and the report by Foreign Affairs Minister Adanan Mansour concerning the Special Economic Zone are not on the Cabinet’s agenda for Wednesday.
The Cabinet's agenda was distributed Friday for the session scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at Baabda Palace and includes 68 items, including the salary scale, along with other issues such as extending Middle East Airlines' exclusivity. It does not mention anything about Mansour's report; ministerial sources told As-Safir that they cannot confirm for sure whether or not the oil issue will be on the agenda, considering that it has been discussed but postponed given Mansour's absent.
An-Nahar
Syrian shelling deep into Akkar ... without any [warnings]
The level of tension and fear in the Akkar region was raised with the latest escalation along the Lebanese-Syrian border Thursday and Friday nights, when rockets hit many villages and towns of Akkar in areas that have never witnessed such violations.
What was noticeable about the heavy shelling which reached more than 10 villages is that the town of Manjaz was a specific target – many houses were damaged – as were other towns located more than 8 kilometers away from the border.
Sources told An-Nahar that no security development or accident provoked the Syrian shelling, which could mean that the reason behind it is political. Sources tied the shelling to the tense atmosphere as a result of the escalating campaigns against the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel-Karim Ali.
Al-Mustaqbal
Assad assaults the north in response to the summoning of Mamlouk for questioning
The obsession over security and assaults on the state, its institutions, and agencies continue to dominate the political situation. In parallel, the northern border villages experienced unprecedented attacks by the Asad forces.
While the wait has begun for what Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea will say during an event commemorating LF martyrs, which will include a call to Christians "to return to their reason for existence in this East and meet the challenges of the current phase amid the Arab Spring,” Speaker Nabih Berri renewed his call for "unity in the face of strife." He spoke on the 34th commemoration of the disappearance of Imam Musa Sadr in Libya.
What was noteworthy Friday is that after the military court settled the issue of prosecuting head of National Security in Syria Ali Mamlouk and summoned him for questioning, Akkar witnessed the most violent of shellings by Assad's forces since the Syrian revolution began.
Al-Akhbar
Berri: An important phase in the Sadr case will be revealed today or tomorrow
Hezbollah rejects deployment of international troops on the Lebanese-Syrian border while Speaker Nabih Berri voices concern over strife in the [Middle] East which will enter every home, announcing that a new phase in the case of Imam Musa Sadr will begin in the next hours.
Has Lebanon entered a new phase in dealing with Syrian refugees? Until now, they are still living in misery, to the point that some of them were kicked out of public schools which will open their doors soon. But the new development in this case should come during the Cabinet session Wednesday in Baabda.
One of the items [on the Cabinet’s agenda] includes accepting donations from a nongovernment Norwegian institution: 672 tents, food supplies and other equipment. This will give some politicians the chance to speak about camps for the Syrians, while ministerial sources say that this item represents a danger from the humanitarian and political perspectives.

Berri urges unity to keep strife at bay
September 01, 2012/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned Friday of sectarian strife in Lebanon and urged national unity to prevent the reverberations of the 17-month turmoil in Syria from spilling over into the politically divided country. Berri also said the next two days would be decisive in ending the long-simmering mystery over the case of Lebanese Shiite cleric Imam Musa Sadr, who vanished during an official visit to Libya in 1978. He called on the Syrian government, opposition groups and armed rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Assad’s regime to enter into dialogue to end more than 17 months of a bloody confrontation that has left more 20,000 people dead, according to opposition monitors.
Berri spoke at a mass rally organized by his Amal Movement in the southern market town of Nabatieh to commemorate the 34th anniversary of Sadr’s disappearance. The rally, attended by Sadr’s sister Rabab and eldest son Sadereddine, ministers and Hezbollah and Amal MPs, drew thousands of Amal supporters waving the party’s green flags as well as Lebanon’s flag.
“We are living in a state of escalating worry of sectarian and confessional strife, which is threatening brotherly countries,” Berri said in a clear reference to the ongoing sectarian violence in neighboring Syria.
Invoking to the devastating 1975-90 civil war that killed more than 150,000 people, he said: “We, in Lebanon, after having suffered as a result of small and big wars, have the right to draw the attention of everyone that unity is the answer to strife.”
Berri vowed not to be dragged into a sectarian conflict in Lebanon, but warned of Sunni-Shiite strife in the region. “I call on Muslims to be vigilant that the enemies of Islam are trying to take us into strife. We will not go to any strife. I have already cautioned that strife in the [Middle] East will enter every home,” he said.
He added that the current turmoil in Syria was aimed at destroying the country’s regional role, which supports anti-Israel resistance movements, and at establishing a modern Sykes-Picot agreement.
The 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, worked out by British diplomat Sir Mark Sykes and French diplomat Georges Picot, effectively handed over control of Syria, Lebanon and Turkish Cilicia to the French and Jordan, Palestine, and areas around the Gulf and Baghdad to the British.
“Syria does not deserve to be plagued by death and destruction ... We appeal to the Arab mind and the Syrian mind to halt the bloodshed and follow the dialogue road,” Berri said.
He criticized Arab countries for failing to act to put an end to the unrest in Syria. “I don’t see a sufficient Arab role to put a happy end to what is happening in Syria,” he said.
Berri, a strong ally of Assad, called on the Non-Aligned Movement summit, which ended in Tehran Friday, to maintain its support for resolving the Syrian crisis through the new envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi.
Berri, leader of the Amal Movement, said that one of the aims of upheaval in the region was to safeguard Israel’s security and try to change the Arab-Israeli conflict into an Arab-Persian conflict and into a Muslim-Muslim conflict.
Berri welcomed Saudi King Abdullah’s recent call for establishing a center for dialogue among various Muslim sects in Riyadh.
He defended Hezbollah in the face of March 14 parties’ calls for the resistance to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese Army.
“We stress on national unity as being the sharpest weapon to confront any Israeli attack,” Berri said.
“Lebanon’s strength lies in its resistance and its unity. Lebanon’s strength is its Army and so is its unity. We don’t consider the resistance and border as two Shiite attributes. They are the state’s responsibility.” Berri welcomed Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lebanon from Sept. 14-16. “Lebanon is a country of sectarian coexistence and a permanent center of dialogue between East and West and among religions,” he said. The results of investigations, to come in the next two days, will offer a decisive ending to the ambiguity over Sadr’s disappearance in Libya, Berri also said.
Sadr, the founder of the Shiite Amal Movement, went missing along with his two companions Sheikh Mohammad Yacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine during a visit to Libya on Aug. 31, 1978. Berri and Shiite religious leaders have accused Libya’s toppled leader Moammar Gadhafi of responsibility.
“We are examining every detail relating to the [Sadr] case without ignoring anything. But the truth remains confined to the [Libyan] regime’s narrow circles whom Gadhafi had trusted,” Berri said in his speech.
“Our contacts have widened to include Libya’s neighboring states where Gadhafi’s sons and henchmen have been detained. We have received positive signals about the possibility of an interrogation [of former Libyan officials]. Tomorrow [Saturday] or Sunday will be one of the decisive dates in this issue,” he added.
Berri dismissed as “baseless” reports claiming that the bodies of Sadr and his two companions had been found in Libya.
“A crisis cell” including representatives of the Sadr family, the Amal Movement, the Foreign Affairs and Justice Ministries and security agencies, was pursuing the case.
Meanwhile, President Michel Sleiman praised Sadr’s “patriotic stances and his limitless openness to all segments of the Lebanese people.” “He [Sadr] did not differentiate between a mosque and a church. He knocked on all doors in an attempt to safeguard Lebanon and its unity, and ward off strife and dangers. He called for unity to face the Israeli ambitions and aggression,” Sleiman said in a statement released by his office upon his return to Beirut from Tehran after attending the Non-Aligned Movement summit.
Meanwhile, Sidon’s Sheikh Ahmad Assir cancelled his usual Friday protest in order to avert clashes with Hezbollah and Amal supporters on their way to Nabatieh to attend the rally.
A security source told The Daily Star that it would have been a risk for Assir and his supporters to carry out their weekly protest and block the road connecting Sidon to south Lebanon, since the Lebanese Army would have had difficulties intervening in any clashes. “Everyone was waiting for us today to see whether we would take to the streets or block the road,” Assir said in his Friday sermon in the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque. Assir blocked this road in a monthlong sit-in in July and August. Referring to Sadr, Assir said: “He is a generous imam and we support the oppressed. There is freedom of speech in Lebanon.” “It is time our partners realize that we should live as partners and side by side in this country,” Assir said, reiterating his opposition to what he described as Hezbollah’s “hegemony.”
However, he voiced disappointment over Sleiman’s failure to address the issue of Hezbollah’s arsenal, saying: “We received a promise from the leaders but they failed us.”

Kidnapped Turk asks country to secure release of Lebanese in Syria
September 01, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The Turkish man kidnapped last month by an armed clan in Lebanon appealed to his country's government Saturday to work harder to secure the release of a Lebanese abducted in Syria so that his captors free him in return. Businessman Aydin Tufan Tekin, 28, was snatched by the Meqdad clan on Aug. 15 upon arriving in Beirut. His kidnapping came as retaliation for the abduction of Hassan Meqdad by Syrian rebels; the Meqdads are trying to convince Turkey to pressure the rebels – with whom it has ties – to release him.
In an interview aired by Al Mayadeen television station, a frail-looking Tekin appealed to his government to help secure the release of the Lebanese kidnapped in Syria – especially Meqdad, given that the latter’s release is tied to his own. He added that the situation was difficult and that he was not well. Tekin fell ill last month but the Meqdads said they were giving him medication prescribed by a doctor. Tekin was also referring to the Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped by the Free Syrian Army on May 22 after crossing from Turkey to Syria. Turkey and Lebanon have been working closely to resolve their case. One of the pilgrims, Hussein Ali Omar, was released last week. Hours later, the Meqdad clan released all but four of the Syrians they had kidnapped on the same day they abducted Tekin.
On Aug. 17, another Turkish citizen, Abdulbasit Arslan, was kidnapped in Lebanon, but the Meqdad family has denied involvement in his abduction. Maher Meqdad, a spokesperson for the local clan, warned that if their relative is killed in Syria, the first of their hostages to be killed would be Tekin. The spree of abductions has raised tensions in Lebanon, prompting several countries – including the U.S. and a few Gulf states – to issue or renew travel advisories.

Hariri says pope's visit to Lebanon sign of hope
September 01, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Saturday that the upcoming visit by Pope Benedict XVI is a sign of hope for Lebanon and that its success will shed light on the coexistence in the country between Christians and Muslims. “We welcome this visit and see in it a sign of hope for ‘Lebanon the message,’ as described by the late Pope Jean Paul II, because wherever the pope goes he carries with him a message of love and peace,” Hariri said in a statement.
“I am confident that the visit by His Holiness will increase the conviction of the Lebanese people in the civilized and humane meaning of their nation and its role in this East, and in the importance of the partnership it is based on, which was and should always be stronger than all misfortunes that beset this country,” he added.
The pope is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Sept. 14 to deliver the 2010 special Synod of Bishops document dedicated to Christians in the Middle East.
He is expected to meet with officials and religious figures from various communities in order to send a message of peace to the region and emphasize the need for coexistence between Muslims and Christians.
“I pray to God Almighty to make [the visit] successful because its success will be a success for the Lebanese formula, in which the Muslims are as keen on [preserving] the Christian presence as the Christians themselves are,” Hariri said. He added that the success of the visit would also emphasize the importance of what he described as the country’s democratic experience, which has seen various sects come together to put an end to oppression and tyranny. Hariri, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, added that the pope’s three-day visit would further strengthen ties between Lebanon and the Vatican, which are “based on the values of justice, equality and freedom.” During his visit to the Vatican in 2012, Hariri said he “felt that the Vatican is keen to preserve the Lebanese experience, which the world needs as a model for dialogue and convergence of civilizations and religions.”

Syrian army crosses into Lebanon, snatches farmer
September 01, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: A Syrian army unit crossed into Lebanon Saturday and kidnapped a farmer from the eastern border area of Masharih al-Qaa, security sources told The Daily Star. Around 4 a.m., Syrian soldiers crossed into Masharih al-Qaa and raided several houses in the village of Dawra. The soldiers then kidnapped Khaled Abu Jabal, 25, and returned to Syria.
The Syrian military unit remained in Lebanese territory for 40 minutes. Since the uprising began in Syria against President Bashar Assad's rule, the Syrian army has on several occasions crossed into Lebanon and raided houses near the poorly demarcated border, which is estimated to be around 550 kilometers long. Lebanese border towns have also witnessed shelling from the Syrian side, damaging houses and at times killing residents. Syria has claimed that it is the victim of violence and crime emanating from Lebanon, and has repeatedly asked Lebanon to better control the border, citing arms smuggling and gunmen entering its land via Lebanon. Earlier this year, President Michel Sleiman asked Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour Monday to deliver a letter of protest to Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel-Karim Ali over Syria’s repeated violations of the Lebanese border. Sleiman also “expressed his displeasure” in July over border violations in which several villages along the northern border were struck by shells fired from Syria, including a direct hit on a house in the Masharih al-Qaa area.

Mikati urges Lebanese to put country before personal interests
September 01, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the Lebanese Saturday to place Lebanon’s survival ahead of their personal interests; separately, he said that the long-awaited salary scale for teachers will be approved by the Cabinet next week. “I want to say this to the Lebanese ... it is not about individuals ... what is important is the survival of the country,” Mikai told reporters following his meeting with Patriarch Beshara Rai in Diman, north Lebanon. “We should abandon the idea of personalizing [matters] and [prioritizing] personal interests ... We are living through hardship right now and should unite,” he added. Mikati arrived in Diman earlier Saturday along with eight of his Cabinet ministers. They met with Rai and discussed domestic developments and the situation in north Lebanon following weeklong clashes in Tripoli. The clashes, which raised fears that the crisis in Syria had spilled over into Lebanon, were the third of their kind in Lebanon's second largest city this year. The fighting left at least 17 dead and over 120 wounded, including 11 soldiers and a foreign journalist.
Mikati’s visit is in line with a longstanding tradition: an annual tete-a-tete between the patriarch and the prime minister at the former’s residence. However, this year, several ministers accompanied Mikati on his visit to Rai. During his brief chat with reporters following his meeting with the patriarch, Mikati also said that the draft law for the new salary scale for the public sector, including teachers, will be approved by the Cabinet during its Sept. 5 session. For months, civil servants and teachers have been holding demonstrations and general strikes to demand the actualization of the raise approved by the Cabinet earlier this year.  Mikati also reiterated his sold ties with Speaker Nabih Berri as well as head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun. “We are in the midst of a political dispute, but these disputes are over the country's interests and are aimed at correcting mistakes ... there is no reason for the government to resign,” the prime minister said. He added that his visit was to thank the patriarch for his consistent support of the government.Following a meeting between Mikati and Rai at 12 p.m., they will be joined for a second meeting by Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, Culture Minister Gaby Layyoun, Industry Minister Vreij Sabounjian, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, Labor Minister Slaim Jreissati, Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, Information Minister Walid Daouk and State Minister Ahmad Karami.

Syria: A profound lack of perception
By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat
I urge you to watch the interview that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad conducted with the Syrian Addounia television channel. Afterwards, you will be able to identify the reasons behind the acute political crisis engulfing Syria and the region, as well as the high volume of victims of civil war massacres in the country.
The highlights of the Syrian President's interview were as follows:
He claimed that the defections that have taken place in the regime recently are a positive sign, for they indicate the “self-cleansing of the government firstly and the country generally”. Commenting on his military operations, Bashar al-Assad added that a military resolution to the conflict has not yet been fully carried out by the Syrian army, but this will happen soon.
He also added "the situation in Syria now is much better than a year ago".
The interview did not lack references to a regional and international conspiracy against Syria, in its capacity as the “main resistance state” in the region.
Finally, President al-Assad emphasized that any citizen who serves his people cannot relinquish his position at a time of challenge, in a clear indication that he rejects the principle of stepping down from power.Hence the Syrian President’s rhetoric can be summarized as follows: the current situation is better than a year ago, a military end is imminent, defections have had a positive impact, and I will remain as President! If this is indeed the essence of President al-Assad’s vision, then this undoubtedly means that the man lives on a different planet to the rest of us.
President al-Assad's rhetoric suggests that his interpretation of the Syrian political scene locally, regionally and internationally is completely wrong.
The gravest mistake a political or military leader can commit is to live in an "illusionary victory"; whilst the tangible reality on the ground confirms that he has suffered a "resounding defeat."
Such a disparity between victory and defeat, and between success and failure, prompts the leader to feel an overwhelming desire to remain in power, although the fact is that he must leave. His mind is deeply convinced that he must continue, whilst reality necessitates that he must step down immediately. The crisis in the mindset of Bashar al-Assad does not lie in the fact that he is governing in the wrong manner, because deep down he is aware of this, rather the crisis lies in the fact that he strongly believes that he is doing a great service to his people and is bringing glory to his nation, and will go down in the history books as a result.This is what psychiatrists call a "profound lack of perception"; a case that eventually prompts one to destroy himself and everyone around him.
All this confirms that the problem runs very deep indeed.

Cairo rejects Iranian criticisms of Mursi speech
By Sawsan Abu-Husain
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – Egypt yesterday rejected the Iranian criticism of President Mohamed Mursi’s speech at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran, during which he slammed the Syrian regime as “oppressive” and urged support for rebels seeking to topple al-Assad. An Egyptian diplomatic source, talking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, stressed that “what was put forward in the Egyptian president’s speech on Syria was in order to prevent bloodshed and find a political solution.” He added “Egypt rejects military intervention in Syria and is looking for a political solution that will preserve the Syrian state.” The Egyptian diplomatic source also asserted that “Egypt has not paid any attention to these criticisms.”The Iranian parliament’s Middle East adviser, Hossein Sheikholeslam, criticized President Mursi’s comments on Iran, saying “unfortunately Mr. Mursi did not have the necessary political maturity to lead a Non-Aligned Movement summit.” Egypt has chaired the Non-Aligned Movement over the past three years, with this position being taken over by Iran’s President Ahmadinejad at the beginning of the Tehran summit. Sheikholeslam, who is a former Iranian Ambassador to Syria, told Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency, that “he [Mursi] committed a big mistake by availing himself of his position [as outgoing Non-Aligned Movement chairman] and expressing the standpoints of Egypt while ignoring all Non-Aligned Movement principles.” The Egyptian president, speaking during the opening ceremony of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran on Thursday, said that “solidarity with the Syrian people against an oppressive regime that has lost its legitimacy is a moral obligation.” His comments sparked a walkout from the Syrian delegation.
Sheikholeslam was the first Iranian official to comment on Mursi’s speech, and in fact was the first Iranian official to acknowledge this speech, and its criticism of the al-Assad regime.
Iran’s state-run Radio and Television services also came under fire for reportedly tampering with the translation of the Egyptian president’s speech. Millions of Iranians watching the Non-Aligned Movement summit opening ceremony on television or listening on the radio were unaware of the controversy, after Persian translators swapped the word “Syria” for “Bahrain” in Mursi’s speech.
Conservative Iranian website Farda went even further, quoting the Egyptian president as saying that he hoped Syria’s “popular regime” would survive, and calling on the Syrian people to “resist the will of foreign plotters”. Whilst Mursi’s speech was the subject of criticism from Iran, US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell welcomed the Egyptian president’s comments on Syria, describing them as being “very clear and very strong.” He added “we share Egypt’s goal to see an end to the al-Assad regime, and an end to the bloodshed, and a transition to a democratic Syria that respects human rights.”

Al-Assad is well aware of what he is saying!
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Contrary to what many of those who watched Bashar al-Assad’s most recent television interview believe, al-Assad was well aware of what he was saying, even if some of his answers were characterized by black drama, particularly those regarding defections and conspiracy! Al-Assad is not as disconnected from reality as he appears; rather he was sending specific messages to specific recipients.
What we must pay attention to here is that al-Assad’s televised statements came on the eve of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran. The only thing that al-Assad wanted to say in this interview was that he is making progress on the ground but that he needs more time, nothing more and nothing less. Al-Assad was speaking with one eye on Iran, and the other on his own people and agents in Syria and Lebanon. The tyrant of Damascus explicitly stated “we are fighting a regional and global war, so time is needed to win it. I can sum up [what is happening] in one sentence: We are moving forward. The situation is practically better but it has not been decided yet. That takes time." Al-Assad is promising victory, but he wants his supporters and allies to give him more time, rather than abandoning him or despairing of his ability to achieve this promised victory.
Anybody who has considered what happened in Iran, particularly during the Non-Aligned Movement summit, will understand that al-Assad was well aware of what he was saying. The evidence of this is that Walid Muallem had no choice but to walkout of the summit in Tehran after the Egyptian president launched an attack on al-Assad in front of the Supreme Guide and Iranian president in the heart of the Iranian capital which might be considered a safe haven for al-Assad and his regime. This leads us to contemplate another important issue, namely that al-Assad’s statements have prompted observers to question what truly happened between the Syrian president and his Iranian visitors recently. It appears that these meetings ended with a different result than what has been leaked to the press. What happened in Tehran causes one to think that perhaps these meetings were not to negotiate the merits of the proposed Iranian initiative on Syria, as was claimed at the time; rather it seems that Tehran told al-Assad that it wanted to ensure the success of the Non-Aligned Movement summit by any means possible. Otherwise, how can we explain Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki daring to put forward a proposal to resolve the Syrian crisis during the summit, at a time when the Iranian Foreign Minister announced that his country also intends to launch a special initiative on Syria?
The other important issue here is that the Supreme Guide and President Ahmadinejad avoided talking about Syria during the Non-Aligned Movement summit. This is particularly significant because Ahmadinejad’s speech followed the Egyptian president’s speech, during which he attacked al-Assad and his regime, resulting in Muallem discrediting Iran’s Al-Alam channel, which claimed that he did not walkout during the speech. It is clear that the Iranians were keener to ensure the success of the summit and win over Egypt than stick with al-Assad. It is clear that the tyrant of Damascus was well aware of this, and therefore conducted this television interview to tell his allies and agents that he needs more time. This means that al-Assad is aware of the critical nature of the forthcoming days, for his statements was not the statement of the vain, but rather the frightened!

Al-Assad: Lest we forget!
By Hussein Shabokshi/Asharq Alawsat
Once more, Syria’s “temporary” President Bashar al-Assad appeared on the screen of Addounia television channel, which is primarily owned by his cousin Rami Makhlouf. It is a channel known for its “aversion” to the truth and facts. Al-Assad’s most recent appearance came in the form of an interview billed as an exclusive, in which the Syrian President “clarified” what was happening in his country as a “global conspiracy” led by “hostile imperialist powers” through “armed terrorist groups” and by funding “reactionary forces in the region”. This is a vocabulary that is straight out of the Baathist Party dictionary, filling people with its lies and its ills, and no rational, fair or wise individual would accept such nonsense.
So that people do not forget, it is important to remember and recall the nature of the al-Assad regime that the Syrians are fighting against with valor and courage, in order to rid themselves of it once and for all. Hafez al-Assad first sought to create armed groups, particularly within the regime itself, such as the “Defense Brigades”, a militia loyal to the authorities of the then Syrian Vice President Rifaat al-Assad. The Defense Brigades were used as a means of blackmail against merchants and traders, a means of suppression against the population of Aleppo and Palmyra, and most shockingly they were used in the destruction of the city of Hama in what later became known as the great Hama massacre. Rifaat al-Assad also tried to harness this militia to overthrow the government of his brother Hafez al-Assad, but he did not succeed. The regime knew how to employ its bloodthirsty apparatus to bring about deep rifts between political and religious groups in the neighboring state of Lebanon. The regime introduced the Tawhid organization in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, with its violent Salafist orientation under the leadership of Said Shaaban, in order to serve as a bloody thorn in the side of the Sunni sect. The Maronites also witnessed first-hand the Syrian regime’s ability to disrupt their ranks, taking advantage of their historical attachment to powerful positions. Sometimes, the al-Assad regime exploited Suleiman Frajgieh and at other times Elie Hobeika, and now it is exploiting Michel Aoun with the utmost malice and cunning. Of course, Hezbollah was introduced at the expense of the Amal movement’s militia, and a brutal war erupted between them resulting in the deaths of hundreds. On other occasions, the Syrian regime strengthened the position of Talal Arslan and used the Tawhid movement – this time under the leadership of Wiam Wahhab – against Walid Jumblatt and his family ties with the Druze sect.
In all the above cases blood was shed abundantly, and these battles were driven from the heart of the al-Assad regime. All this took place in the name of Syria, the big sister, "protecting" Lebanon. Of course, we cannot overlook the heinous crimes committed by the al-Assad regime against the Palestinians in their refugee camps, and the massacres that claimed the lives of dozens, hundreds and thousands. Dubious units were spawned from the womb of the regime in Damascus, with controversial and repulsive leaders, who were responsible for the killing and displacement of huge numbers of their Palestinian “brothers”. Throughout all this the regime justified its actions in the names of freedom, socialism, resistance and opposition; all political “bluster” free from any content. These empty goods were promoted by the Syrian regime like broken records for decades. For a while the regime found plenty of buyers until they discovered the slogans to be false and invalid. Finally, we also cannot forget the damage done to the Syrian people themselves, as a result of constant oppression, humiliation and deprivation.
This is the true reality of the al-Assad regime, regardless of how it seeks to promote itself on Addounia television channel or elsewhere. A genuine global conspiracy would be if the world accepted the al-Assad regime staying in power in Syria, because this is an unforgivable crime. The people have called for its end and it is no longer possible to accept the idea of al-Assad forever, instead it is the people forever. The Syrians of the past mocked the gestures of Hafez al-Assad when he greeted them from the balconies saying: “Be patient with me or by God I will grind you”. Now the al-Assad regime can taste the bitterness of its people demanding dignity, and they must triumph.

Canada ups Syria sanctions, praises Egypt, admonishes Russia
AFP – Canada expanded sanctions against Syria Friday, praised Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi for slamming Syria's regime as "oppressive" and warned Russia over its support for Syria.
Canada added 50 names to a list of people and organizations linked to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime to be targeted by sanctions. It is Canada's 10th tightening of sanctions against Syria in the past year. "The Assad regime's bloody assault on the people of Syria continues unabated. To date, more than 20,000 have been killed, and more than 180,000 have fled to neighbouring countries," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. "The entire region is becoming increasingly unstable."The expanded sanctions are meant to "further isolate and increase pressure on the regime and to erode its capacity for repression," the minister said. Baird also praised Morsi for having on Thursday urged support for rebels seeking Assad's ouster. "We welcome the comments of the Egyptian president," Baird said.
And he said Prime Minister Stephen Harper would call down Russia over its blocking of UN resolutions to pressure the Syrian regime to rein in its crackdown on the rebellion, when Harper attends an APEC summit next week in Vladivostok, Russia. "We'll bring up our strong objections to the actions of the Russian government which we take great exception to, not just the veto at the Security Council, but moral support and other support that allowed this regime to soldier on. We'll make our views known directly to the Russian leadership," Baird said.

Muslim Persecution of Christians: July, 2012
by Raymond Ibrahim/the Gatestone Institute
August 31, 2012
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/12215/muslim-persecution-of-christians-july-2012
Several reports appearing in July indicate that Christian minorities all around the Muslim world—especially women and children—are being abducted, tortured, raped, forced to convert to Islam, and/or enslaved.
A member of the US-supported Free Syrian Army mocks Christianity by posing in a stolen cleric garment, holding a looted cross from a nearby destroyed church in one hand and a gun in the other, and standing in front of a church funeral car, suggestive of a death threat.
In Egypt, at least 550 such cases have been documented in the last five years, and have only increased since the revolution. Christians who manage to escape back to their families often find the government siding with their Muslim abductors. One young mother who recently testified before the Helsinki Commission explained how she was snatched in broad daylight, as her abductor shouted to bystanders while dragging her to a waiting taxi, "No one interfere! She is an enemy of Islam."
Identical reports are emerging from Pakistan, where "persecution, kidnapping and abduction of Christian women and girls," including many married women with children, are on the rise. Last year the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that 1800 Christian and Hindu girls were forcibly converted to Islam. Most recently, the sister of a pastor was "kidnapped raped and forcibly converted to Islam." She "was kidnapped around a month ago by some Muslim men while returning home from college. She was held for days, suffered sexual abuse, threats and violence. In such a state of terror and exhaustion, first she was coerced into converting to Islam, and then marriage. Her family reported the incident to the police station in Chunian, but no investigations have been conducted and instead her abductors have presented a report to the court attesting to the girl now being Muslim and legally married. Among other things, the girl is a minor and, according to the law, marriage is not permitted to minors."
The tiny Palestinian Christian community in the Hamas-run Gaza strip is also under siege and charges that five Christians were abducted and pressured into converting to Islam. Because they made this forced conversion charge known, "members of the Christian community now fear reprisal attacks by Muslim extremists." Some have appealed to the Vatican and Christian groups and churches in the West for help. Yet "we only hear voices telling us to stay where we are and to stop making too much noise," said a Christian man living in Gaza City: "If they continue to turn a blind eye to our tragedy, in a few months there will be no Christians left in Palestine. Today it's happening in the Gaza Strip, tomorrow it will take place in Bethlehem."
Categorized by theme, July's assemblage 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.
Church Attacks
Indonesia: Muslim protesters forced a church to shut down during a Sunday worship on claims that it was operating without a permit, and hung a banner on the church's gate reading "We the people … hardily reject the use of this building … for religious activities." The church's committee secretary said the church has the necessarily permits to hold services," yet "the majority of the people still reject the church's activity."
Iran: Both the Central Assembly of God Church in Tehran and its summer campsite—once a popular site for Christian gatherings and conferences—were closed by authorities of the Islamic Republic, who also posted a large notice on the gates "warning of severe consequences should anyone try to enter the premises." These latest closures follow the official termination of Friday Persian language services and the compulsory cancellation of all Bible classes and the distribution of Christian literature. Also, as part of the crackdown on house churches, plainclothes agents of the Ministry of Islamic Guidance continued raiding, arresting, and "aggressively interrogating" assembled worshippers.
Lebanon: Ahead of the Maronite Patriarch's visit to Akker, flyers signed by the "Soldiers of the Great Prophet" made anti-Christian threats in what has traditionally been the safest Mideast country for Christians, calling "on the infidels to stop their blasphemy ... We will start from the infidel's church in Akker and we won't stop ... this is not the end but the beginning," read the flyer.
Kenya: Seven Islamic jihadis launched simultaneous grenade and gunfire attacks on two churches while the congregations were at prayer. Five militants attacked the Africa Inland Church, killing 17 people and wounding approximately 60, including many women and children; two other Muslim terrorists attacked the nearby Catholic Church, wounding three.
Kuwait: After approval was issued for the construction of a church, a group of Islamic preachers, echoing the words of the Saudi Grand Mufti, reasserted that churches are not permitted to be built in Muslim countries. One sheikh "expressed displeasure" against those approving the construction of the church, "stressing that it is not permissible as per the Sharia," adding that "excuses" such as saying that the building of a church "is a matter of human rights and international norms is not acceptable, as Islam comes first, and people should respect religion first before serving humanity or anything else."
Turkey: The existence of the oldest functioning Christian monastery in the world, 5th century Mor Gabriel Monastery near the Turkish-Syrian border, is at risk after a ruling by Turkey's highest appeals court. Inhabited today by only a few dozen Christians dedicated to learning the monastery's teachings, the ancient Aramaic language spoken by Jesus and the Orthodox Syriac tradition, neighboring Muslims with the support of an MP member of the Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) filed a lawsuit accusing the Christians of practicing "anti-Turkish activities" and of illegally occupying land which belongs to Muslim villages. The highest appeals court in Ankara, which is close to the government, ruled in favor of the Muslim villagers, saying the land that has been part of the monastery for 1,600 years is not its property, and even claimed that the monastery was built over the ruins of a mosque—even though Mohammed was born 170 years after its foundation.
Apostasy and Blasphemy
Egypt: A Christian teacher was arrested and detained after being accused of posting cartoons insulting to Islam and its prophet on Facebook. The man faces up to five years in jail if convicted of blasphemy. While admitting he manages the site in question, he said the site was hacked. Earlier in April, a Christian teenager was sentenced to three years in prison for posting cartoons perceived to mock Islam's prophet on his Facebook page. Likewise, Christian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris posted Disney's Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed in Islamic attire, which landed him in court, though he was later acquitted.
Iran: Pastor Youssef Nadarkhani, who has spent over 1,000 days in prison awaiting execution for refusing to recant Christianity, is only one of many persecuted in Iran for their faith. A six-year prison sentence for Pastor Farshid Fathi Malayeri—another Muslim convert to Christianity—was recently upheld following an unsuccessful appeal hearing. Also, another prominent house church pastor, Benham Irani, remains behind bars, even as his family expresses concerns that he may die from continued abuse and beatings, leading to internal bleeding and other ailments; authorities refuse to give him medical treatment. The verdict against him contains text that describes the pastor as an apostate, adding that apostates "can be killed."
Pakistan: A Christian couple continue to be on the run since they embraced Islam back in 2006, only to reconvert to Christianity. Upon learning that the couple returned to Christianity, neighboring Muslims attacked and persecuted them; one of the husband's best friends abducted and tortured him, while beating the wife. "[One] should have the freedom to choose the religion one wishes to follow," said the Christian husband.
Saudi Arabia: A court is looking into an apostasy case concerning a 28-year-old Muslim woman's conversion to Christianity. The father alleges that a Saudi and a Lebanese played a role in converting his daughter to Christianity and smuggling her to Lebanon, where she has received sanctuary in an anonymous church.
Jihad Death and Destruction
Nigeria: In what is being described as an ongoing genocide of Christians, over 65 people, including two politicians, were killed in triple attacks on Christians. First, Muslims destroyed 43 Christian-owned farms. Nobody was arrested. Then they attacked nine Christian villages around the city of Jos, killing dozens of people. "They came in hundreds," said an official, "Some had police uniforms and some even had bulletproof vests." In one instance, Christians fleeing the violence took refuge in the house of a local church leader, which was bombed and more than 50 Christians were burned alive, including the pastor's wife and children. Then the Muslims attacked the funeral for the victims of the village raids, killing several more people. Security forces said Muslim Fulani herdsmen were responsible but Islamic militant group Boko Haram issued a statement saying "We thank Allah for the successful attack." Separately, Islamic motorcycle assassins gunned down four Christians.
South Africa: The Islamic terror group Al Shabaab is accused of murdering 14 Christians, all Ethiopians, in the Western Cape. A Christian bishop, also a former police inspector, fears more of his flock will be targeted: "We want authorities to do something because we know this is the work of al-Shabaab. If nothing is done, the Ethiopian population will be depleted… [those who died are] holy martyrs who have died because they are Christians." Meanwhile, Father Mike Williams of the Anglican Catholic Church also revealed that members of his congregation have been targeted by gunmen "with connections to Muslim extremists," saying that "In July, we have lost seven members of our church."
Syria: Syrian "freedom fighters" continue showing their true colors as they destroy churches and kill Christians, which has resulted in the mass migration of tens of thousands of Christians, including practically the entire populations of Homs and Qusayr. Surrounding nations that once might have offered refuge—Iraq, Turkey, even now Lebanon—are also increasingly inhospitable to Christians. One Christian girl who escaped said: "They sermonized on Fridays in the mosques that it was a sacred duty to drive us [Christians] away…. Christians had to pay bribes to the jihadists repeatedly in order to avoid getting killed." After making the sign of the cross, her grandmother added: "Anyone who believes in this cross suffers."
Turkey: An article titled "Who Ordered the Murder of Christians?" asserts that a Muslim undercover agent who had worked for the government "penetrated the Christian community and gathered a lot of information, while he was pretending to be a missionary. He became a church leader, and upon receiving another order, he became 'Muslim' again and launched a campaign against missionaries across the country," which culminated in the massacre of Christians.
Dhimmitude
[General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of Non-Muslims as "Tolerated" Citizens]
Egypt: After a Christian laundry worker burned the shirt of a Muslim man, several quarrels ensued and culminated with the death of a Muslim. Accordingly, thousands of Muslims rampaged the village, causing 120 Christian families to flee. They looted Christian businesses and homes "despite hundreds of security forces being deployed in the village. Eyewitnesses reported that security forces did not protect most Coptic property." Family members of the deceased Muslim insist that the Christians must still pay with their lives. Also, during Ramadan, several Christians were attacked and beaten. Dr. Yassir al-Burhami, a prominent figure in Egypt's Salafi movement issued a fatwa forbidding Muslim taxi-drivers and bus-drivers from transporting Coptic Christian priests to their churches, which he depicted as "more forbidden than taking someone to a liquor bar." And a charitable medical center that performs free heart operations on both Muslim and Christian children is under threat from some Muslims, who want it closed down because it was founded by a Christian surgeon.
Pakistan: Days after a Muslim mob doused a man with gasoline and literally burned him alive for "blaspheming" the Koran (graphic picture here), a Pakistani Christian woman, now living in the U.S., explained how when she lived in Pakistan, Muslims disfigured her in an acid attack for being Christian: After one man noticed her wearing a crucifix, he "became abusive," telling her "that she was living in the gutter and would go to hell for shunning Islam. He left and returned half an hour later, clutching a bottle of battery acid which he savagely chucked over her head. As she ran screaming for the door a second man grabbed her by the hair and forced more of the liquid down her throat, searing her esophagus. Teeth fell from her mouth as she desperately called for help, stumbling down the street. A woman heard her cries and took her to her home, pouring water over her head and taking her to hospital. At first the doctors refused to treat her, because she was a Christian. 'They all turned against me… Even the people who took me to the hospital. They told the doctor they were going to set the hospital on fire if they treated me.' … 67 per cent of her esophagus was burned and she was missing an eye and both eyelids. What remained of her teeth could be seen through a gaping hole where her cheek had been. The doctors predicted she would die any day. Despite the odds she pulled through." Separately, Muslim landowners and their police accomplices continue annexing land owned by Christians: "The police pulled away our headscarves from our heads and started hitting us with clubs and punches" reported Christian women, "after news spread that police is harassing and torturing Christian women and men … to grab their agricultural land."
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 persecution 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; apostasy and blasphemy laws; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (tribute); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed "dhimmis" (barely tolerated citizens); and simple violence and murder. Oftentimes it is a combination thereof.
Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the west, to India in the east, and throughout the West, wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.
Previous Reports
June, 2012  May, 2012   April, 2012   March, 2012  February, 2012  January, 2012  December, 2011   November, 2011   October, 2011  September, 2011 August, 2011  July, 2011

Question: "Why is Biblical Creationism so important?"
GotQuestions.org?
Answer: Asking why biblical creationism is important is like asking why a foundation is important to a building. Biblical creationism is foundational to the Christian faith. Christianity is established in the book of Genesis chapter one, with “in the beginning God created . . .” This one statement affirms creationism and opposes any view that embraces evolutionism (the belief that the universe started with a “big bang” and has been constantly evolving ever since). The way we answer this question reflects whether we believe the Word of God or call its truthfulness into question. As Christians, we must differentiate between creationism and evolutionism; i.e. how are they different, which one is true, and as Christians, come to terms with whether it is possible to believe in both. Those questions can be answered by defining what biblical creationism is and how it affects our fundamental belief system.
The importance of biblical creationism is that it answers the fundamental questions of human existence. 1. How did we get here? Where did we come from? 2. Why are we here? Do we have a purpose, and what is the cause of all or our problems? Are the issues of sin and salvation important? 3. What happens to us when we die? Is there life after death? Genesis is the foundation for the rest of Scripture in which these questions are answered. Genesis has been likened to the root of a tree in that it is the spiritual life-blood of Scripture. If you cut the root from a tree, it dies. If you discredit Genesis, you remove the authoritative value of all Scripture.
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” gives us three great truths which are the foundations of biblical creationism and the Christian faith. First, we learn of the oneness of God. This stands in contrast to the polytheism and dualism of modern humanist philosophy. Second, we learn of the personality and attributes of God in contrast to pantheism, where God is imminent in the world but is not transcendent to the world. Last, we learn of the omnipotence of God in contrast to the idols that modern humanists hang on to and worship. This one verse tells us that God is eternal—He was before, is now, and always will be—and that He created all that is out of nothing by His spoken word. This answers our creation question of beginnings, but what about our second question, why are we here?
Biblical creationism and the Genesis narrative answer the question of the condition of the human race. It deals with the fall of man but also leaves us with the hope of redemption. It is important that we understand we are unified in one man, Adam—a literal, real-life person. If Adam is not a literal person, then we have no plausible explanation for how sin entered into the world. If mankind did not fall from grace by Adam, then mankind cannot be saved by grace through Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 15:22 (NKJV): “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” This parallel of Adam as head of the fallen race and Christ as head of a redeemed race is important to our understanding of the salvation process, and it is essential to understanding its efficacy. “Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous” Romans 5:18-19 (NKJV).
Considering this, we must then look upon biblical creationism as not only the basis for our value system, but we must look at the creation narrative as factual and not just a story, for if it is a fictional story, then the values it imports are man-reasoned, subject to change as man “evolves,” and therefore invalid. This is the basis of the conflict between science and religion (especially Christianity), that science is fact and religion is philosophy. If this is true, then our Christian values are just that, values for Christians, but they have no relevance in the secular world.
The last question for mankind is what happens to us when we die? If man is merely part of the evolved universe and returns to the dirt of the ground when he dies, we must contend that we have no soul or spirit and this life is all there is. This belief leaves us with only one purpose in life, that is following the plan of evolution—survival of the fittest. Christianity, on the other hand, presents us with a moral good that has been established by a higher, transcendent, supernatural Being. The morality of God sets an unchanging standard that not only promotes a better life for us personally, but teaches us how to love others and ultimately bring glory to God, which is our highest calling. This standard is exemplified by the life and work of Christ on the cross. It is through His life, death, and resurrection that we find purpose for this life and hope of a future life with God in heaven.
Biblical creationism is important because it is the only system that answers the basic questions of life and gives us significance greater than ourselves to live for and by. It should be clear to all Christians that we cannot believe in both systems as being true; they are mutually exclusive, and stand in opposition to one another.
Recommended Resource: Battle for the Beginning: Creation, Evolution, and the Bible by John MacArthur.

Canada Targets Assad Supporters as Violence Continues
August 31, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
“The Assad regime’s bloody assault on the people of Syria continues unabated. To date, more than 20,000 have been killed, and more than 180,000 have fled to neighbouring countries. The entire region is becoming increasingly unstable.
“Canada is responding today with additional measures to further isolate and increase pressure on the regime and to erode its capacity for repression.
“The Canadian government has added a further 47 individuals and three entities to the list of individuals and entities subject to a prohibition on dealings under existing Canadian sanctions.
“Our expanded sanctions target the regime and its supporters, not the Syrian people.
“We continue to urge the UN Security Council to adopt binding sanctions against Syria to send a clear signal to the Assad regime. Canada calls on all members of the UN Security Council to join in condemning the brutal repression of the Assad regime, including those who have previously blocked action and allowed the regime to soldier on.”
For more information, please visit Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations.
- 30 -
A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
For more information on Canada’s sanctions against Syria, please see Syria.
Context
33.Hala Mohammad Al-Nasser
34.Mohammad Abdul-Sattar Al-Sayyed
35.Yasser Al-Sibaei
36.Hazwan Al-Wazz
37.Omran Ahed Al-Zoubi
38.Radwan Habib
39.Ali Haidar
40.Bassam Hanna
41.Said Mu’zi Hneidi
42.Qadri Jamil
43.Fuad Shukri Kurdi
44.Mohammad Zafer Mihbek
45.Mohammad Yehya Moalla
46.Lubanah Mshaweh
47.Mahmoud Ibrahim Said
48.Nazira Farah Sarkis
49.Jassim Mohammad Zakarya
50.Fahd al-Freij
Individuals
For more information on Canada’s sanctions against Syria, please see Syria.
Context
On May 24, 2011, Canada announced targeted sanctions against the Syrian regime in response to the ongoing violent crackdown by Syrian military and security forces against Syrians peacefully protesting for democracy and human rights. These measures, which remain in place, were a blend of administrative measures and actions taken under the authority of the Special Economic Measures Act and were consistent with initiatives taken by like-minded partners, including the United States and the European Union. They included:
1.Travel restrictions: Canada ensured that persons associated with the Syrian government who are believed to be inadmissible to Canada are prevented from travelling to Canada.
2.Asset freeze: Canada imposed an asset freeze against 25 people associated with the current Syrian regime and seven entities involved in security and military operations against the Syrian people. This included a prohibition on dealing in the property of listed individuals and entities, including the provision of financial services and making property available to individuals and entities.
3.A ban on specific exports and imports: Canada placed a ban under the Export and Import Permits Act on the export from Canada to Syria of goods and technologies that are subject to export controls. These items include arms, munitions, and military, nuclear and strategic items that are intended for use by the Syrian armed forces, police or other governmental agencies.
4.A suspension of all bilateral cooperation agreements and initiatives with Syria.
A news release announcing the May 24, 2011, sanctions can be found at PM announces sanctions on Syria.
On August 13, 2011, Canada expanded sanctions by imposing the asset freeze and travel restrictions on four additional individuals and two additional entities associated with the Syrian regime.
For more information on the August 13 announcement, please visit Statement by Minister Baird on Situation in Syria.
On October 4, 2011, Canada imposed the following additional measures:
1.An asset freeze and travel restrictions on 27 additional individuals and 12 additional entities associated with the Assad regime.
2.A prohibition on the importation, purchase or transportation of petroleum or petroleum products from Syria.
3.A prohibition on new investment in the Syrian oil sector.
4.A prohibition on the provision or acquisition of financial services for the purpose of facilitating the importation, purchase or transportation of Syrian petroleum or petroleum products.
5.A prohibition on the provision or acquisition of financial services for the purpose of investing in the Syrian oil sector.
For information on the October 4 announcement, please visit Canada Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On December 23, 2011, Canada further expanded its sanctions against the Syrian regime. The measures prohibit all imports from Syria, with the exception of food; all new investment in Syria; and the export to Syria of equipment, including software, for the monitoring of telephone and Internet communications. Canada also imposed an asset freeze and prohibited economic dealings with 33 additional individuals and 10 additional entities associated with the Assad regime.
For information on the December 23 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On January 25, 2012, Canada expanded its sanctions by adding the names of 22 individuals and seven entities associated with the Assad regime to its list of designated persons.
For information on the January 25 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On March 5, 2012, Canada further expanded its sanctions by adding the names of seven individuals—all senior members of the Assad regime—and one entity, the Central Bank of Syria, to the list of those subject to a dealings prohibition and asset freeze. The amendments also introduced a complete ban on the provision or acquisition of financial or other related services to, from, or for the benefit of, or on the direction or order of Syria or any person in Syria.
For information on the March 5 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria’s Assad Regime.
On March 30, 2012, Canada imposed further sanctions against Syria by imposing an asset freeze and dealings prohibition on 12 additional individuals and two entities associated with the Assad regime.
For information on the March 30 announcement, please visit Canada Expands Sanctions Against Assad Regime.
On May 18, 2012, Canada imposed further sanctions against Syria by prohibiting the export of luxury goods to Syria. Three individuals and three entities were also added to the list of designated persons and thus subjected to an assets freeze and a prohibition on economic dealings. With these new measures, the total number of designations rose to 129 individuals and 44 entities.
For information on the May 18 announcement, please visit Canada Tightens Sanctions Against Assad Regime.
On July 6, 2012, Canada imposed further sanctions against Syria by prohibiting the export of goods and technology that could be used to further repress the people of Syria, including goods that could be used to produce chemical and biological weapons, beyond those already controlled by Canada. Canada also added the Syria International Islamic Bank and the Syrian National Security Bureau to the list of individuals and entities subject to a prohibition on dealings under existing Canadian sanctions.
For information on the July 6 announcement, please visit Canada Further Tightens Sanctions Against Assad Regime.
The measures announced are consistent with Canada’s foreign-policy priority to promote freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law around the world.