Bible
Quotation For Today/Instructions for Christian Households
Ephesians 05/21-31: "21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the
husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body,
of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives
should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just
as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy,
cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to
himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but
holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as
their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever
hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does
the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave
his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the
wife must respect her husband."
Source In Lebanon: DNA proves detainee
is Baghdadi's wife
The Daily Star/Dec. 03, 2014/BEIRUT: DNA samples of ISIS leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi were matched Wednesday with three children who are currently being
held by Lebanese authorities over the suspicion of being related to the jihadi
chief. According to a source in the investigation, DNA samples, which were
sent over by Iraqi authorities earlier this week, matched with samples taken
from three children who were detained alongside Saja Hamid al-Dulaimi, allegedly
a wife of Baghdadi. The DNA tests taken from Dulaimi also proved that she was
the mother of the three children, which in turn allowed experts to assume that
she is one of Baghdadi’s wives, according to the source.Iraq's Interior Ministry
said Wednesday that a woman detained by Lebanese authorities was not the wife of
ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but the sister of a man convicted of bombings
in southern Iraq. The suspect also continues to deny any relation to
Baghdadi during interrogations. "The one detained by Lebanese authorities was
Saja Abdul Hamid al-Dulaimi, sister of Omar Abdul Hamid al-Dulaimi who is
detained by authorities and sentenced to death for his participation in ...
explosions," ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Saad Maan told Reuters earlier
Monday. "The wives of the terrorist al-Baghdadi are Asmaa Fawzi Mohammed al-Dulaimi
and Esraa Rajab Mahel al-Qaisi, and there is no wife in the name of Saja al-Dulaimi,"
he said. According to The Daily Star’s source, the Iraqi statement was based on
the fact that official records revealed that Dulami was not listed as one of
Baghdadi’s wives
None the less, the suspect in question may still be Baghdadi’s wife even though
she isn’t officially registered as such, sources said. Security officials
in Lebanon said Tuesday that the Lebanese Army had detained a wife and daughter
of Baghdadi's as they crossed from Syria late last month. Dulami was detained in
north Lebanon after the woman was found with a fake passport, officials said.
Investigators are questioning her at the Lebanese Defense Ministry.
Mashnouq Confirms Held Woman is
Baghdadi's Divorcee, Slams Hizbullah Captive 'Showoff' Naharnet/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq confirmed Wednesday that a
woman detained in Lebanon is a divorcee of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, as he accused Hizbullah of staging a “showoff” stunt in the wake of
the release of its captive fighter Imad Ayyad. “The detained woman is a lady who
has been married three times, one of them to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and they have
a daughter from their marriage, the thing that has been confirmed through DNA
tests,” Mashnouq said during an interview on MTV.
“She is now married to a Palestinian man and she is pregnant,” the minister
added. He confirmed that the woman's name is Saja al-Dulaimi and that the
daughter was traveling with her in a car when they were both arrested by the
Lebanese army several days ago.
Media reports have said that the army detained Dulaimi along with her 4-year-old
daughter and two sons around 10 days ago at a checkpoint on al-Madfoun Bridge in
the North. “Saja al-Dulaimi has ties to extremist groups and she has been in
Lebanon for the past year and a half,” Mashnouq revealed. “The children who were
with Saja al-Dulaimi are now at a child care center and she can help us in the
investigations,” he noted.
Earlier on Wednesday, An Nahar newspaper said Dulaimi's DNA results “and those
of her daughter Hajar matched al-Baghdadi's DNA samples that were provided by a
Western source.”
Mashnouq, however, said al-Baghdadi's DNA samples were provided by Iraqi
authorities. Turning to the issue of the Lebanese troops and policemen held by
al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State, the minister noted that there are
“deliberate attempts to harm the government's efforts through the reports that
are being published in the newspapers.”
Several Lebanese dailies have slammed the government over alleged “lack of
coordination” among its ministers regarding the case of the servicemen. The
reports were published amid a clash between the abductees' families and Mashnouq,
who ordered the use of water cannons to reopen the Saifi road in Beirut after it
was blocked by the families.
The interior minister also slammed the celebrations that accompanied the recent
release of Hizbullah captive Imad Ayyad as a “showoff” stunt. Ayyad was freed in
a swap deal with the rebel Free Syrian Army which involved the release of two
Syrian militants who were in Hizbullah's custody. “Hizbullah made an
extravaganza out of the release of Imad Ayyad to hint that the government is not
capable of achieving anything. The government is not an armed party,” Mashnouq
told MTV.
As for the ongoing negotiations to secure the release of the Lebanese security
personnel, the minister noted the emir of Qatar responded to an appeal by Prime
Minister Tammam Salam and that a Qatari mediator has visited Beirut “seven
times.” Addressing the families, he pointed out that the release of the hostages
will require a “long process.” In response to a question, Mashnouq said the
Qatari negotiator, Syrian national Ahmed al-Khatib, “will not be replaced.” “The
(Lebanese) General Security and (Health) Minister (Wael) Abou Faour are exerting
efforts in all directions, but announcing things in the media every other hour
is not beneficial for the negotiations,” the minister added.
“I will pay a visit to the families of the captives and I will convince them
that the blocking of roads is not useful. I have not neglected the issue for a
single hour but the case will take a long time,” he went on to say.
Separately, the minister confirmed that fugitive Islamist militant Shadi al-Mawlawi
has sought refuge at the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon. “Yes
he is,” the minister answered when asked if Mawlawi is in Ain el-Hilweh, noting
that there are mediations to hand him over to the Lebanese authorities. Mawlawi
and his comrade Osama Mansour went on the run last month in the wake of fierce
clashes between the army and Islamist groups in the northern city of Tripoli.
As for the upcoming dialogue between al-Mustaqbal movement and Hizbullah,
Mashnouq said “the first topic on the dialogue agenda is preventing any
Sunni-Shiite strife and keeping Lebanon away from such a confrontation.”
“It is also normal to discuss the issue of the presidency during the talks as
well as other issues, such as the security plan,” the minister added, stressing
that “dialogue will yield results and will at least preserve national cohesion.”
“I'm optimistic that a president will be elected in the first half of 2015 and
the current candidates are confrontational candidates who cannot be elected,”
Mashnouq said.
“Any candidate cannot be elected president without the approval of (Free
Patriotic Movement leader Michel) Aoun, (Lebanese Forces chief Samir) Geagea and
all the other parties,” the minister added.
“The president cannot be imposed,” he underlined. Lebanon has been without a
president since May when the term of Michel Suleiman ended. Ongoing disputes
between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted
the elections.
Peres: There will be no peace or security with Netanyahu
By DAVID BRINN/J.Post/12/03/2014/Unfettered by the office he held for seven years, former president Shimon Peres
has lashed out at the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they
have moved Israel further away from peace and security.
“Do you remember the slogan that Bibi used in the past [in the 1996 elections
versus then prime minister Peres] that said something like ‘since Peres does not
deliver peace, does not deliver security, and brings us fear...we have to change
Peres.’ I suggest he reread what he said back then,” Peres said in a recent
interview with The Jerusalem Post ahead of his appearance next week at the
Post’s annual Diplomatic Conference in Jerusalem.“The challenge that Israel faces is to understand that peace will not come to
us. We have to go to peace. Muhammad did not come to the mountain. The mountains
will not come to Muhammad.
We have to be the initiator of peace and not say ‘since they don’t do, I shall
not do,’ he added.
In the interview, the 91-year-old Peres hinted that he supported early elections
by dismissing the idea that had been briefly raised in recent weeks of
establishing a national-unity government to combat the wave of terrorism that
has swept the country.
“In order to have a national-unity government you must have a united policy.
With all due respect to the prime minister, asking other parties to enter his
government and accept his ideas is not going to happen – it’s as simple as
that,” he said.
“On that basis, you cannot make a national-unity government – you need a
national policy. But you cannot build a national-unity government based on the
policy of one party when there are different views,” he added.
Last month, at the annual memorial for slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin,
Peres’s partner in the Olso Accords, the former president made an only slightly
veiled reference to Netanyahu’s policies in regard to the uptick in violence and
last summer’s Operation Protective Edge.
“We have all sorts of so-called smart people who talk about ‘managing the
conflict’ instead of peace. Take a look at what happened in Gaza over the summer
and what is happening in Jerusalem as of late. That is what ‘managing the
conflict’ looks like,” he told the crowd.
In his interview with the Post, Peres said Netanyahu’s declaration of support
for a two-state solution with the Palestinians had to be backed up with action.
“We have to execute what we say. We cannot declare that we are for two states
and not act accordingly,” said Peres. “Clearly you cannot have a two-state
solution without a territorial compromise.”Regarding whether PA President Mahmoud Abbas is still a partner for peace in his
eyes, Peres referred to the assessment last month by Shin Bet (Israel Security
Agency) head Yoram Cohen to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Abbas
was not inciting Palestinians against Israel.
“Yoram Cohen doesn’t have any other interest but to tell the truth. He is not in
politics. He doesn’t have alliances,” Peres said.
“Abbas has said some things which have been provoking, and he is mistaken.
On the other hand, he has constantly fought against terror. He has a force and
he gave them an order to prevent terror and to cooperate with us.
“So, okay, he is also in politics. But on the basic issues, I do believe that we
could have achieved peace with him, and I still believe that we can achieve
peace with him. I know maybe I am a minority. That doesn’t change my mind.
Between being a majority and being right, all my life I preferred to be right
even if it makes me part of a minority.”
Peres will be speaking at the Post’s diplomatic conference along with President
Reuven Rivlin, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Interior Minister Gilad
Erdan.
The conference will be streamed live on www.jpost.com.
Are negotiations an Iranian appeal for
help?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
There is a prevailing feeling that Iran wants someone to save it from itself,
not from Arabs or the West. Iran’s problem is within Iran itself and not outside
its borders. This seems to have been signaled by Foreign Affairs Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said: “I confirm to you that because of these
negotiations (with the P5+1 group) the Islamic Republic of Iran has become
safer. No one can any longer beat the drums of war against the Iranian people.
The hostile atmosphere created against us has fallen through.”
Let’s take a look at Iran from this perspective of self-imprisonment. The
Iranian regime has for a period of over 30 years placed itself in a corner and
locked itself in a box with slogans, political relations and stances. It has
imprisoned itself, its leaders and its mind in this corner at a time when the
entire world around it was changing. Iran is based on a model that is closer to
Communist China and the Soviet Union. China has gotten rid of its Leftist,
Soviet clothing and invented a new regime with a new face. Meanwhile, Basij
militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards continued to guard ideas and
punish whoever opposes them.
Do Iranian leaders really want to exit the prison they inherited from the
revolution? Is Iran really looking forward to openness? Are its negotiations
with the West over uranium enrichment and harmless nuclear energy a mere appeal
for help to catch up with a world which has changed a great deal?
Does Iran feel safe?
Zarif has not clearly stated that Iran wants to change but he did say that his
country feels safe because of negotiations and that Iran feels proud that the
P5+1 group sat down with it to negotiate ending the state of continuous war. If
the minister and the regime feel as such, then what will happen later if an
agreement is reached and the confrontation which lasted for 30 years ends? The
regime’s discourse – which mirrors that of the revolution – is theoretically
built on confrontation and sacrifice. But in case of a nuclear agreement, this
revolutionary discourse will be left outside the new political context. The West
will be a friend and a source of food, toys and movies. If this officially
happens, revolutionary Iran will no longer be the same Iran after the
negotiations.
Are Iran's negotiations with the West over uranium enrichment ... a mere appeal
for help to catch up with a world which has changed a great deal?
This is all dependent on the validity of the theory of the box which the regime
imprisoned itself in. It’s also dependent on whether the Iranian regime is
seeking to find its way into a modern world and a global system that does not
tolerate rebels. It is also dependent on whether Iran becomes a country that is
open to the world and that exports its products and not its rebels and its
revolution. What may thwart the attempt to escape the revolution are the
domestic struggles which haven’t yet been finalized even though the revolution’s
leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, died around a quarter of a century ago. The state’s
celebrations and politicians’ gatherings still feature massive photographs of
the revolution’s leaders, just as the Chinese did in the past as they competed
to show loyalty to Mao Tse-Tung. However, once Beijing opened itself up to the
world, Mao Tse-Tung’s image became like that of China’s other bygone emperors.
China espoused a history of pride but did not feel the need to bow to Mao Tse-Tung
or to his teachings.
Zarif says that the world wants an understanding on the basis of logic, dialogue
and respect but the truth is the world has always tried to reach an
understanding with Iran. It is the Iranian leadership which closed in on itself,
accusing anyone who extends its hand to foreign parties of collaboration,
treason and Zionism. Perhaps these restraints will be broken and the Iranians
will free themselves of their box. If negotiations are a mere trick to escape
the box in order to attack others and expand, then the regime will have chosen
to end its life, just as suicide bombers do.
Assad Says Strikes on IS Not Working
as Coalition Says Halted Group Advance
Naharnet /Coalition strikes against the Islamic State group are having no
impact, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview to be published
Thursday, as members of the U.S.-led offensive claimed to be winning the fight.
"You can't end terrorism with aerial strikes. Troops on the ground that know the
land and can react are essential," he said in this week's edition of French
magazine Paris Match. "That is why there haven't been any tangible results in
the two months of strikes led by the coalition. "They would of course have
helped had they been serious and efficient." the U.S.-led coalition announced
that the jihadist group's advance across Iraq and Syria is finally being
stopped. "Participants noted that the global campaign against ISIL/Daesh is
beginning to show results. The ISIL/Daesh advance across Syria and into Iraq is
being halted," a coalition statement obtained by Agence France-Presse said,
referring to the group by its alternative names. The statement, issued after a
meeting in Brussels led by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, said Iraqi and
Kurdish forces, backed by coalition air strikes, "are now reclaiming territory
in Iraq." The coalition of around 60 mainly Western and Arab nations was formed
after the first U.S. air strikes in August against IS, which has proclaimed a
caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.
They also agreed at the Brussels meeting to develop a "multifaceted" strategy to
combat IS, including stopping the flow of foreign fighters, cutting finance and
"delegitimization" of its powerful, social media-driven brand. Kerry had earlier
warned that the fight against IS could take "years." Separately, Assad said he
does not think about "death or life" when asked whether he was afraid to suffer
the same demise as the late Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gadhafi, who were both
toppled after international interventions in their countries.
"I am doing my best to save the country," he said. "But I would like to
emphasize one thing. My goal has never been to remain president, neither before,
during, or after the crisis." Assad's role in any future transition to end the
bloody, nearly four-year Syrian conflict is the subject of much controversy. A
year ago, Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi said that Assad would remain
president and lead any form of transition, ahead of January peace talks that
ended in failure. But the opposition -- as well as countries such as Turkey and
France -- insist that the Syrian leader must go no matter what happens. Assad
insisted he was "neither a personal enemy or rival of (French President
Francois) Hollande." "I think that Daesh is his rival, their popularity is very
much the same," he said, in a dig at the French leader's record low popularity
ratings. Agence France Presse