The Mullahs' Greatest Fear: Kim Kardashian

More than Iran's enemies need artillery, guns, and so forth, they need to spread cultural values that lead to moral corruption.… I recently read in the news that a senior official in an important American political center said: "Instead of bombs, send them miniskirts

Karim Sadjapour explains what most frightens Iran's mullahs, and no it is not an Israeli air strike. It's the insidious Western message of sexual emancipation. You'll want to read the whole lurid piece:

Many Iran watchers assert that to persuade Tehran not to pursue a nuclear weapon, Washington must reassure Khamenei that the United States merely seeks a change in Iranian behavior, not a change of the Iranian regime.

What they fail to consider is Khamenei's deep-seated conviction that U.S. designs to overthrow the Islamic Republic hinge not on military invasion but on cultural and political subversion intended to foment a "velvet" revolution from within. Consider this revealing address on Iranian state TV in 2005:

More than Iran's enemies need artillery, guns, and so forth, they need to spread cultural values that lead to moral corruption.… I recently read in the news that a senior official in an important American political center said: "Instead of bombs, send them miniskirts." He is right. If they arouse sexual desires in any given country, if they spread unrestrained mixing of men and women, and if they lead youth to behavior to which they are naturally inclined by instincts, there will no longer be any need for artillery and guns against that nation.

Khamenei's vast collection of writings and speeches makes clear that the weapons of mass destruction he fears most are cultural -- more Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga than bunker busters and aircraft carriers. In other words, Tehran is threatened not only by what America does, but by what America is: a depraved, postmodern colonial power bent on achieving global cultural hegemony. America's "strategic policy," Khamenei has said, "is seeking female promiscuity."

Khamenei's words capture the paradox and perversion of modern Iran. While dropping bombs on the Iranian regime could likely prolong its shelf-life, a regime that sees women's hair as an existential threat is already well past its sell-by date.

Why Arab women still 'have no voice'

Is the Arab Spring a movement leading to more freedom and equal rights?

Not for women, according to Amal al-Malki, a Qatari author who is very concerned about the rights of women in the Arab world.

She is largely skeptical of recent developments and says, if anything, the Arab Spring has only highlighted the continuing “second-class citizenship" of women in the region.

She argues that despite some progress made Arab women are still largely absent in the public arena.

“We have no voice. We have no visibility... And I am telling you, this is why women’s rights should be institutionalised, it should not be held hostage at the hand of political leaderships who can change in a second, right? Governments should be held responsible for treating men and women equally.”

Will the Arab Spring deliver its promises to everyone? Or is there reason to believe that women will be left behind? What has changed for women in the Arab world?

On this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, we talk to Amal al-Malki, a woman not afraid to ring the alarm bells, about women's rights in the Arab world, political and social empowerment and Islamic feminism.

Lebanon stops ship with Syria-bound weapons

The Lebanese navy has reportedly intercepted a ship loaded with three containers of weapons destined for Syrian opposition forces.

The cargo vessel, which originated from Libya, was found on Saturday. Pictures released by the army showed dozens of crates inside the containers, some of them filled with belts of heavy ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades.

Military prosecutor Saqr Saqr said an investigation was under way, adding that the 11 crew members were being questioned by Lebanese military police.

Labelling on one box said it contained fragmentation explosives, and several identified them as coming from Libya.

A security official said the Sierre Leone-flagged Lutfallah II was bound for members of the Free Syrian Army, an umbrella group of fighters trying to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.

The ship's officers had previously obtained a permit to enter the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon before being stopped by the navy on Thursday night.

The ship was towed to Selaata, a small port some 50km north of Beirut, Lebanon's capital, on Saturday. Three army trucks had reportedly left Selaata for Beirut with the seized cache of weapons, escorted by eight jeeps and a helicopter.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that weapons are being smuggled from Lebanon to rebels fighting to overthrow Assad.

Sea battle

Also on Saturday, state media said gunmen in inflatable boats attacked a military unit on Syria's Mediterranean coast..

Lebanese army released pictures of seized ammunitions [AP]

The official SANA news agency said several fighters and soldiers died in the battle that followed the coastal attack
near the northern port of Latakia, 35km south of the Turkish border.

"The fighting ... resulted in the death and wounding of a number of military personnel while the number of those killed from the terrorist group was not known because they attacked the military unit at night," SANA said.

Meanwhile, a veteran Norwegian peacekeeper was on his way to Damascus to take charge of a UN mission overseeing the country's shaky ceasefire, which has been violated by both government forces and opposition fighters.

Major-General Robert Mood takes over a mission that faces major obstacles and doubts before the full 300-member force approved by the UN Security Council has even gathered.

Mood himself has highlighted the "abyss of suspicion" between Assad and the opposition. The uprising against Assad's rule has killed more than 9,000 people since March last year, according to UN figures.

'Encouraging terrorists'

State media reported on Friday that nine people were killed by a suicide bomber in the Damascus neighbourhood of al-Midan.

In the wake of the deadly blast and several other, smaller blasts in the capital, official Syrian newspapers accused UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of "encouraging terrorists" and UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan, the architect of a six-point peace plan, of failing to deliver on his promises.

"Why don't they request the withdrawal of these terrorists?" state newspaper al-Thawra wrote "Why not mention their presence, their role and their supporters and financiers? And the killers who made them and allowed them to infiltrate our streets and exist among us?"

Government newspaper Tishrin wrote in an editorial that "the secretary-general avoids talking about abuses by armed groups and focuses his blame solely on Syria, as usual. He encourages these groups to continue to commit more crimes and terrorist acts, which at the end of the day, the Syrian citizen pays for with his life, blood and security."

The paper asserted that Friday's blast in al-Midan proved that "armed terrorist groups" are continuing their aggression in violation of the UN ceasefire and in spite of the arrival of the international observers.

"Arab and international silence regarding the terrorist bombings in Syria [and] encourages the terrorists to repeat their crimes amid applause from countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey."

Also commenting on the explosions, Russia on Saturday condemned what it called "barbaric" attacks in Syria.

Russia has protected Assad by blocking two UN Security Council resolutions condemning the government's crackdown on the opposition.

In a statement, the foreign ministry accused opponents of the Syrian government of seeking to scuttle Annan's peace plan, which Moscow has backed in the UN Security Council.

"Attempts by the irreconcilable opposition to increase tension even more and incite violence cause particular alarm," the statement said.

"[T[he aim is clear: to ruin a solution in Syria based on Annan's plan, which has begun to be implemented," it added, urging all forces inside and outside Syria to "decisively rebuff terrorists" and ensure they receive no support.

Beyond the Nigeria fuel subsidy crisis

Posted on Friday 20 April 2012 - 08:40

By Yemisi Akinbobola, for Africa Renewal Photo: Isaac Billy, UN photos

One would think that being a citizen of a country with the second-largest oil reserves in Africa came with some perks. Not so in Nigeria where scores of people are up in arms after being stripped of a petrol subsidy in effect since 1973. The price of gas at the pumps more than doubled, sparking massive protests around the nation in early January.

Prior to the subsidy’s removal, the pump price of fuel was 65 naira ($0.40) per litre, against a landing cost of N139. The government therefore contributed a N73 subsidy, for an annual total of N1,200 billion (US$7.6 billion), or 2.6 per cent of the country’s GDP. Divided among nearly 160 million people, the gross domestic product (GDP) averages just $1,695 per person annually.

Reform needed

With 37.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, Nigeria is the continent’s largest oil producer. Yet Nigeria is the only member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that needs to import refined fuel, and often suffers scarcities.

Most economists, both in Nigeria and abroad, believe that removal of the subsidy is a necessary step towards long-needed reform, since the country can no longer sustain the cost. Political analyst Garba Sani points to the colossal sums spent on the subsidy, N3,700 billion ($23 billion) in 2006–2011 alone. As an oil-producing country, he adds, Nigeria should not be importing — and subsidizing — refined oil.

A report by Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank that focuses on emerging markets, argues that removal of the fuel subsidy, combined with other reforms in the power sector, could increase global investors’ interest in the Nigerian market. Potentially, it suggests, Nigeria could become one of the world’s top “frontier markets.”

‘Just the spark’

In 2011, Transparency International ranked Nigeria as among the 40 most corrupt nations in the world. The oil industry in particular is notoriously corrupt, notes Renaissance Capital.

Years of anger and discontent with government performance fuel much of the resentment among ordinary Nigerians, according to Denja Yaqub, the assistant general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

“All sectors have problems in Nigeria, so the subsidy removal was just the spark that Nigerians needed,” says Mr. Yaqub.

Nigeria now has democratic structures, adds Mr. Yaqub, but corruption and mismanagement within the legislative bodies mean they do not adequately perform their democratic duties. “They are constitutionally set up to check each other, but they are all behaving the same way: corrupt, undemocratic, irresponsible and absolutely reckless.”

This corruption, unaccountability and lack of transparency have now been coupled with the government’s apparent inability to tackle increasing religious intolerance, including the attacks of the Islamist sect Boko Haram. All this contributed to the resistance the authorities met when they announced the removal of the fuel subsidy.

Importance of strategy

While President Jonathan may have had the best of intentions for Nigeria’s economic future, observers argue, his government lacked an effective implementation and communication strategy. Subsidy removal may have been the right move, but it was done in the wrong way, and at the wrong time: the country was still recovering from multiple bombings by Boko Haram on Christmas Day.

Mr. Garba Sani argues that it would have been better to remove the subsidy in phases, while at the same time refurbishing the country’s four dilapidated oil refineries. Since 2000 the government has spent $1.78 billion on maintaining the four refineries, with very little to show for it.

They operate at less than a quarter of capacity, and are 30 years behind modern standards. Some maintain that the money used on the fuel subsidy could have been better put to building new refineries and thus ending the need to import refined petroleum.

In addition, tackling corruption and mismanagement within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation would have helped make removal of the subsidy a more acceptable proposition to the populace.

“If they can simultaneously fight [corruption] as well as increase refinery capacity and withdraw the subsidy gradually,” says Mr. Sani, “the country would have then set up a solid foundation for a permanent removal of the subsidy, a permanent capability of domestic production and a more stable economy.”

According to Thomas Sterner, an expert in environmental economics, getting rid of corruption within the industry may not be easy because of the powerful interests involved. Urban elites directly benefit from the petrol subsidy, he argues, as do smugglers and oil companies such as Oando, which took in $1.4 billion from the subsidized fuel imports last year.

The next time the government contemplates removing the subsidy, it must be “more careful,” argues Mr. Sterner. “You need to have a strategy, and say, ‘We are moving the money immediately. We will use it on health or education or something else’.” That, he says, would make it harder for the beneficiaries of the status quo to say that removing the subsidy hurts the poor.

President Jonathan, it seems, has heeded the experts’ advice. In a sign that the government is moving towards a longer-term strategy to win public acceptance for the subsidy removal, recently inaugurated the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme in mid-February.

The programme is intended to monitor the funds saved from the subsidy removal and manage their investment in public works projects that may generate 370,000 new jobs, especially jobs for women and youth.

Taylor guilty of war crimes in Sierra Leone

Posted on Thursday 26 April 2012 - 11:00

AfricaNews Monitoring Team

Taylor guilty of war crimes in Sierra Leone The former Liberian leader Charles Taylor has been found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during the Sierra Leone civil war, at his trial in The Hague. He was accused of backing rebels who killed tens of thousands during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war. Taylor has been on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone for almost five years.

"The chamber finds beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is criminally responsible... for aiding and abetting the commission of the crimes 1 to 11 in the indictment," presiding judge Richard Lussick told the Special Court for Sierra Leone, based on the outskirts of The Hague, as he read the verdict.

The accused had substantial influence over the Sierra Leonean RUF rebels, but this fell short of effective command and control, the judge says.

Judge Lussick also said the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was part of a joint criminal enterprise.

But the chamber found beyond reasonable doubt that the

US found Zia ‘most patriotic liar’ on nukes, reveal declassified memos

WASHINGTON: US officials concluded in the 1980s that Pakistan was lying about its nuclear program but muted criticism due to Islamabad’s support against the Soviets in Afghanistan, declassified documents showed.

The memos released Thursday reveal some of the behind-the-scenes drama between the United States and Pakistan during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, foreshadowing current-day debates in the uneasy war partnership.

The documents included an account of a secret mission in June 1982 by a US envoy who confronted Pakistani military ruler Mohammed Zia ul-Haq with a letter from Reagan and said the United States had “incontrovertible” proof that Pakistan was seeking nuclear weapons.

The emissary, veteran US diplomat and translator Vernon Walters, said that Zia was “extraordinarily courteous, relaxed” and explained that he had no knowledge of nuclear weapons development but would check with his subordinates.

“Either he really does not know or is the most superb and patriotic liar I have ever met,” Walters wrote to the State Department.

The documents, some obtained after requests under the US Freedom of Information Act, were released to the National Security Archive at George Washington University, which made them available to AFP in advance.

Pakistan tested an atomic bomb in 1998, days after tests by neighbouring India. The United States banned assistance to Pakistan in 1990 – soon after the Soviets left Afghanistan – after concluding that it was developing nuclear weapons.

But Reagan exempted Pakistan from a law requiring sanctions, named after then senator Larry Pressler, even though the memos said that officials knew that the country was moving toward nuclear weapons.

The documents showed that the Reagan administration was genuinely concerned about Pakistan’s nuclear program, fearing it would trigger instability, and repeatedly warned Zia that Congress could cut off assistance.

“There is overwhelming evidence that Zia has been breaking his assurances to us. We are absolutely confident that our intelligence is genuine and accurate,” then secretary of state George Shultz wrote in a November 1982 memo to Reagan.

But Shultz recalled the “essential role” played by Zia in Afghanistan, where US and Pakistani agentsfunneled weapons to Islamic guerrillas who successfully fought a Soviet invasion.

“A rupture of our relationship would call into question a central tenet of this administration’s foreign policy – strong support for our friends,” Shultz wrote, calling the Afghan effort “the most visible evidence of the US commitment to counter Soviet military thrusts worldwide.” The memos said that as far back as 1982, US intelligence detected that Pakistani agents were seeking suspicious items from countries including Belgium, Finland, Japan, Sweden and Turkey.

Years later, such efforts were discovered to be the work of scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb. He is also accused of running a vast international black market of nuclear goods.

One secret assessment said that Pakistan was already believed to have enough for one nuclear weapon by October 1985 with assistance from China.

The US memos acknowledged that Pakistan was unlikely to comply with US pleas on its nuclear program in light of its concern over India, which has fought three full-fledged wars with Pakistan since independence in 1947.

The documents said that the United States was also urging “restraint” from India, which had strained relations with Washington during the 1980s.

Despite the criticism of its nuclear program, the United States resumed assistance to Pakistan to the tune of nearly $20 billion after it again offered support in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Islam urges Iran to oppose WMD

Peaceful nuclear technology is one of the greatest human achievements and so far it has brought a lot of benefits for human societies. Nuclear achievements fulfill many of the medical, agricultural, pharmaceutical and industrial needs. Through the course of time the importance of this knowledge will increase more than ever; therefore, attempts for access to and use of nuclear energy will increase as well.

Like other nations, the Iranian nation is seeking growth, progress and security; so it tries by benefiting from nuclear technology to guarantee its scientific and economic status and to offer a bright position for the coming generations. But unfortunately nuclear-armed governments accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran of attempts for developing such weapons.

The Iranian Muslim nation and government believe that not only nuclear weapons but also any type of weapons of mass destruction, like chemical and biological weapons, is a serious threat to humanity. The Islamic Republic of Iran has from the beginning opposed production, proliferation and application of weapons of mass destruction WMD. Iran, as one of the main victims of chemical weapons, feels the risk of production and stockpiling of such weapons more than other nations. The Islamic Republic, during the very tough conditions, when the country was under chemical bombardment by Saddam forces, had proved its commitment to non-application of WMD. During the 8 year war against Saddam military attack, Iran fully abided by human and Islamic principles and it did not use unconventional warfare to push forward its objectives. The Islamic Republic would always refrain from bombing civilian targets.

After the imposed war, Iran has continued the same policy.

For, the Islamic Republic of Iran's policy is based on the Islamic defence system. From the viewpoint of Islamic jurisprudence, using unconventional weapons, leading to killing a large number of people and has very harmful impacts on future generations, is wrong and seriously rejected. According to Iranian officials, nuclear weapons not only lack deterrent power but the expense of their maintenance and likely risks will be much more.

On this basis, leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei has frequently stressed the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that having nuclear weapons is a great sin ideologically, theoretically and jurisprudentially; and also believes that the maintenance of such weapons is harmful and dangerous. In other words, the leader has explicitly announced the use of nuclear weapons as haraam or religiously unlawful.

Considering the use of nuclear weapons unlawful by the leader is based on Islamic jurisprudence and law. Islam has uniquely underlined the observance of human rights and even humane behaviour with the enemy; thus Islam has strictly forbidden the acts aimed at killing of the enemy's civilians and war captives or annihilation of animals and environment. Prophet Mohammad (Blessing of God upon him and his progeny) once said to a group of combatants setting out for the battle front, “Do not kill old men and women, and do not cut off trees.” In Nahj-ul-Balagha, Imam Ali (PBUH) has been quoted as saying at the beginning of the battle of Seffin, “If with the help of God, the enemies were defeated and ran away, be careful not to kill the fugitives and the disabled. Be careful not to harass women even if they insult your women and commanders.”

In the Islamic rule, preservation of the system is one of the obligatory acts and in the Holy Qur'an, God has commanded Muslims to be strong against the enemies and to be equipped with the most advanced defensive weapons to push back the enemy. Nonetheless, with a glance at the Islamic teachings we well realize that equipment means to be equipped with conventional defense systems.

As per the international system, retaliation or tit for tat is considered a kind of just and logical punishment and legitimate defense. Basically, legitimate defense as a recognized right in the international arena is based on retaliation. The Islamic defense system has also recognized such a right. To the tit for tat principle, either for defending religion and the Islamic territory or defending a Muslim person, one should be so careful that retaliation does not turn into aggression and oppression. For, an act of aggression can never legitimize another aggression and Muslims should observe justice and piety in carrying out the policy of retaliation. God is with the pious and does not like the aggressors. In Ayah 190 of Surah Baqarah, God says:

"And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits."

In Islam, war is based on ethical principles and is always accompanied with restrictions and even if the enemy trespasses all the red lines, Muslims would never transgress the Islamic rules and regulations. For this reason, the holy Prophet has negated pouring poisons in cities and waters of the enemy.

In old times and at the advent of Islam, the only method of unfair killing of the enemy forces was adding poison to the food storehouse, water wells and rivers which led to the massacre of a large number of military and civilians. For sure, the obvious examples of deadly poisons at present are nuclear weapons as well as chemical and biological gases which indiscriminately kill civilians and even plants and animals.

According to the Islamic ideology and the practice of the Prophet and his infallible successors, fighting with the enemy has certain red lines. During the battle of Seffin, at first the army of the Omayyad ruler Muaviyah blocked access to the river Euphrates to the army of Imam Ali (PBUH) but once the control of the river fell to the hand of the Imam's army, Imam Ali (PBUH) did not give permission for retaliation though he and his forces were able to do it.

On this basis of Islamic teachings, the Islamic Republic of Iran's officials have many times stressed that Iran is not seeking atomic weapons and the leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei explicitly released decree on boycotting the production of these destructive and horrific weapons. This is confirmed for someone who is familiar with the jurisprudential bases and the decrees of Muslim Ulema. Once the Fatwas of the Ulema especially the Shiites are declared by Valiy-e-Faqih or the supreme jurisprudent they can not be opposed. In view of this, recently the Turkish Prime Minister said to the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton that the Iranian leader's Fatwa on the illegitimacy of nuclear weapons should be believed, for it was released by the supreme jurisprudent and such decrees are indisputable.

The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that nuclear weapons will not bring victory for anyone and Iran gains victory and overcomes the enemy without these weapons. Ayatollah Khamenei says in this regard, “The Iranian nation has never been seeking nuclear weapons and it will prove to the world that such weapons do not make any country powerful.

The Bengal Tigers in the R&AW cage

R&AW trained Crusader 100 in action in Bangladesh

| by Jessica Fox

((http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2012/04/bengal-tigers-in-r-cage.html))

( April 23, 2012, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Strictly scrutinized 100 armed cadres of the ruling Awami League in Bangladesh, who received 6-month long extensive commando training at Dehradun in India under the direct supervision of Indian espionage agency the Research and Analysis Wing are continuing various types of activities, including secret killing, abduction etcetera since June of 2010 with the mission of “clearing” a large number of politicians, media personnel and members of the civil society in Bangladesh. The team codenamed “Crusader-100” went to India during end September 2009 and stayed there till mid June 2010, where brilliant commando trainers of Indian Army gave extensive training to these people under the disguise of “training few young commandos of Bangladesh Army”. The entire project of “Crusader-100” was originally conceived by Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the project was coordinated directly by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and her defense advisor Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui.

Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui maintains special connection with Indian RAW and British MI6 for decades, since he was in army service. Such relations of RAW and MI6 with him was because of his family relations with Sheikh Hasina. When Bangladesh Awami League formed government in January 2009, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui became extremely important in the government due to his official position as the defense advisor to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister as well as his personal identity of being the brother-in-law of Prime Minister’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana. The selection of the entire batch of ruling party cadres, who were sent to India for commando training were directly done by Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui and a few of his loyal colleagues and retired army officers, while on return of the members of the “Crusader-100” team from India, they were provided a hit list comprising names of opposition politicians, members of Bangladeshi media and some members of the civil society. According to information, the list contains names of more than 83 people, who are planned to be “cleared” by the members of the “Crusader-100” gang. The members of these specially trained hitters are housed inside several buildings at Dhaka’s Gulshan and Baridhara areas. The Baridhara “bases” of the hitters is maintained directly by Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui and each of such places are equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipments as well as entry of civilians are restricted within these premises. Leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, M Ilias Ali, who became victim of enforced disappearance recently, was also named in the list of Crusader-100 force. My New Delhi contacts disclosed few of the names of the hit list, which include, political leaders Amanullah Aman, Mirza Abbas, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, M Ilias Ali, Habibun Nabi Sohel, Abdullah Al Noman, Barrister Abdur Razzaque, Shafiul Alam Pradhan, ASM Abdur Rob, Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini and Moulana Fazlul Karim. Awami League and RAW have decided “clearing” the listed names latest by December 2013, which they consider to be “vital” for the ruling party in Bangladesh in returning into power.

The gang of Crusader-100 is equipped with sophisticated small and medium range weapons, mostly with silencers as well as bullet-proof jackets, gas bombs and vehicles for their operations. Some of the members of this gang use satellite phones to skip interception of any of the Bangladeshi intelligence agencies. Each of the members of this gang received healthy financial package alongside various types of extra benefits, including apartments in Dhaka city for the members of their families and small businesses. They are not allowed to show faces during the day-time and mostly required to stay inside their bases in Dhaka city. In case of emergency, when the members of the team are required to go on street during the day time, they are compulsorily required to wear black-tinted helmets, to hide their faces from the public. By rotation, members of the team are secretly taken to India for a break of 7-10 days for “amusement” purposes. In such cases, they are allowed to cross Bangladesh-India borders without any travel documents.¨¨

Bengali Translation

((www.amadershomoy2.com/content/2012/04/25/middle0448.htm))

Is the IDF Chief joining the anti-Netanyahu camp over Iran?

Not that Benny Gantz is suddenly becoming a pacifist, but his assessment of the Iranian leadership lacks the urgency you often hear from Netanyahu and Ehud Barak.

By Anshel Pfeffer Tags: Ehud Barak Benjamin Netanyahu Iran threat

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As Amos Harel notes today in his interview of the IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz has been careful in all of his public appearances when referring to the Iranian nuclear threat and the possibility of an Israeli military strike. That being said, it is hard to ignore the fact that some of the things Gantz said in the interview are almost clashing with recent statements of his ultimate boss, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Most significantly Gantz said that: “The pressure is starting to bear fruit. Both on the diplomatic level and on the level of the general sanctions.”

	Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz
	Photo by: Ron Alon

Which is hard to reconcile with Netanyahu’s recent criticism of the P5+1 talks with the Iraniansin which according to him they were given a five-week “freebie.” Unlike Netanyahu who devoted his Holocaust Remembrance Day speech last week to comparing the Iranian threat with the German mass-murder of six million Jews, Gantz is trying hard to ratchet down the rhetoric.

Asked whether 2012 is also decisive for Iran, Gantz shies from the term. "Clearly, the more the Iranians progress the worse the situation is. This is a critical year, but not necessarily 'go, no-go.' The problem doesn't necessarily stop on December 31, 2012. We're in a period when something must happen: Either Iran takes its nuclear program to a civilian footing only or the world, perhaps we too, will have to do something. We're closer to the end of the discussions than the middle."

“If they have a bomb, we are the only country in the world that someone calls for its destruction and also builds devices with which to bomb us. But despair not. We are a temperate state. The State of Israel is the strongest in the region and will remain so. Decisions can and must be made carefully, out of historic responsibility but without hysteria."

Not that the general is suddenly becoming a pacifist. He is serious about preparing the IDF for a possible strike making it clear that “the military option is the last chronologically but the first in terms of its credibility. If it's not credible it has no meaning. We are preparing for it in a credible manner. That's my job, as a military man." But his assessment of the Iranian leadership lacks the urgency you often hear from Netanyahu and Ehud Barak.

"The program is too vulnerable, in Iran's view. If the supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wants, he will advance it to the acquisition of a nuclear bomb, but the decision must first be taken. It will happen if Khamenei judges that he is invulnerable to a response. I believe he would be making an enormous mistake, and I don't think he will want to go the extra mile. I think the Iranian leadership is composed of very rational people. But I agree that such a capability, in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists who at particular moments could make different calculations, is dangerous."

So why is the cautious general seemingly opening up a front with the prime minister?

I can think of four possible explanations, all, or a combination of them, equally plausible.

1. Gantz has not given on-record interviews for fifteen months, from before he was suddenly selected as the next IDF chief of staff, after Yoav Galant’s real-estate dealings came to light. One imagines that in such a high-pressure job, one accumulates a major pile of resentment and frustration that would cause even the most prudent officer, when he finally allows himself to speak, to say a few things he may regret later.

2. Gantz is an Israeli patriot and conscientious officer. He feels that he has to supply the Israeli public with the most accurate assessment of the Iranian situation he can, and if that clashes with the prime minister’s version, then so be it.

3. Gantz is not acting on his own. He has the backing of senior past and present figures in the defence establishment and political leadership who are concerned that Netanyahu and Barak are about to go overboard with Iran and jeopardize Israel’s national interest. President Shimon Peres certainly seems to think so if the contrast between his and Netanyahu’s speeches I highlighted here on Holocaust Day is anything to go by. Their backing has emboldened Gantz to put forwards his narrative.

4. There is no real difference between Netanyahu and Gantz on Iran – Netanyahu is simply sticking to his “bad cop” role, keeping up the pressure on Barack Obama before the next round of talks, by ramping up the rhetoric. Gantz’s Independence Day interviews are targeted for the local Israeli audience and therefore can be allowed to be less drastic.

Muslims in Europe face discrimination: Amnesty

LONDON - Agence France-Presse

AFP photo

European countries are discriminating against Muslims for demonstrating their faith, especially in the fields of education and employment, rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday.

In a report focusing on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, Amnesty urged European governments to do more to challenge negative stereotypes and prejudices against Islam.

The report was particularly critical of countries that have brought in outright bans on face-covering veils or on the wearing of religious symbols in schools.

"Rather than countering these prejudices, political parties and public officials are all too often pandering to them in their quest for votes," said Marco Perolini, Amnesty International's expert on discrimination.

"Muslim women are being denied jobs and girls prevented from attending regular classes just because they wear traditional forms of dress, such as the headscarf.

"Men can be dismissed for wearing beards associated with Islam." The Amnesty report comes two days after the anti-immigrant National Front achieved a record score for the party in the first round of France's presidential election, with 18 percent of voters backing leader Marine Le Pen.

The report, titled "Choice and prejudice: discrimination against Muslims in Europe", says legislation prohibiting discrimination in employment has not been properly implemented in Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

Employers had been allowed to ban religious or cultural symbols on the grounds that they would annoy clients or colleagues, or that it conflicts with a company's corporate image or supposed neutrality, it said.

Amnesty said this was in direct conflict with European Union law.

"EU legislation prohibiting discrimination on the ground of religion or belief in the area of employment seems to be toothless across Europe, as we observe a higher rate of unemployment among Muslims," Perolini said.

This was especially true among Muslim women of foreign origin, he added.

In the last decade school pupils have been banned from wearing headscarves or other traditional religious dress in countries including Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, Amnesty said.

The group also criticised Switzerland for a 2009 ban on the construction of new minarets for mosques.

It said that in Spain's Catalonia region many Muslims had to pray in outdoor areas because authorities were rejecting applications to build mosques on the grounds that they were incompatible with Catalan traditions and culture.

Barzani to US: Don’t sell F-16 to Iraqi PM

Arbil-Baghdad tension hits new highs, with KRG leader Barzani calling on the US to halt jet sales to Iraq’s Shiite PM al-Maliki lest he attack Kurdish northern Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (L) meets with Iran’s supreme leader Ali Ayatollah Khamanei in Tehran. Khamanei says Tehran was pleased with the increasing authority of Iraq in the region. AFP photo

Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, has said he opposes the sale of F-16 warplanes to Iraq while Nouri al-Maliki is prime minister, as he fears they would be used against the region.

“The F-16 must not be put in the hands of this man,” Barzani told reporters at his residence near Arbil on April 22, referring to al-Maliki. “We must either prevent him from having these weapons, or if he has them, he should not remain in his position.” Barzani alleged that the prime minister had discussed using F-16s against the Kurdish region during a meeting with military officers. “During a military meeting, they talked about problems between Baghdad and Arbil,” Agence France-Presse quoted Barzani as saying. “They told him, ‘Sir, just give us the authority, and we would kick them out of Arbil.’ And [al-Maliki] answered, ‘Wait until the arrival of the F-16.’” The United States has agreed to sell 36 F-16 jets to Baghdad, increasing the capabilities of Iraq’s fledgling air force.

Barzani also said he thinks ExxonMobil, which has signed an oil exploration deal with the KRG against Baghdad’s wishes, could provide significant protection for the region. “If ExxonMobil came, it would be equal to 10 American military divisions,” he said. “They will defend the area if their interests are here.” Earlier this month, Barzani met with top U.S. officials including President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.

On Oct. 18, Kurdish authorities signed a deal with ExxonMobil for the exploration of six areas in the Kurdish region, but Baghdad regards any contract not signed with the central government as invalid. The rift between Baghdad and the Kurds worsened this month when the KRG said it was halting oil exports because the central government was not paying oil firms operating in the north.

Al-Maliki’s Iran visit

While ties have been further deteriorating between the central government and the KRG, al-Maliki visited Iran, underlining the close ties between the governments of the two countries. He met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on April 22 and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei yesterday. Khamanei said Tehran was pleased with the increasing authority of Iraq both in the region and in the entire Arab world. He said the full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq was a great success achieved through the resistance of the Iraqi government and public will, according to state-run IRNA news agency.

Tension is also high between Ankara and Baghdad over the Turkish government’s stance toward Iraq.

Al-Maliki was angered when Ankara backed Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, whom he accuses of having formed death squads against Shiites, and who has taken refuge in northern Iraq. The Turkish government has also recently forged close ties with Barzani, who is embroiled in a row with the Baghdad government. Al-Maliki was further annoyed with Turkey for allowing al-Hashemi and Barzani to meet on its territory last week. When Barzani met with Turkish officials, both sides gave warm messages to the other. Barzani also called on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down arms, a message echoed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Iraq summons Turkish envoy

The Iraqi government summoned Ankara’s ambassador in Baghdad yesterday to protest critical remarks by Erdoğan, the Foreign Ministry said. Ambassador Yunus Demirer heard the Iraqi complaint on April 22, after several days of charge and counter-charge.

Erdoğan accused his Iraqi counterpart on April 19 of stoking conflict between Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims and Kurds through “self-centered” behavior. Al-Maliki said Turkey was becoming a “hostile state” with a sectarian agenda, saying it was meddling in Iraqi affairs. Erdoğan returned to the fray on April 21, saying, “If we respond to Mr. Maliki, we give him the opportunity to show off.”

“[Foreign Ministry undersecretary] Labeed Abbawi acquainted the Turkish Ambassador with the Iraqi government’s intense protest against the recent statements,” the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said on its website, Reuters reported. “Undersecretary Abbawi expressed hope that the Turkish government will stop giving statements that affect Iraq’s sovereignty and internal affairs.”

Turkish officials confirmed that Demirer had been summoned, but said Ankara had not yet decided to summon the Iraqi ambassador. No note was given to the Turkish ambassador by Iraqi officials, officials added.

Barzani’s support

In another sign of the KRG’s flourishing ties with Turkey, Barzani has reiterated his opposition to armed struggle as a means of solving Turkey’s Kurdish problem while discussing his recent visit to the United States, Europe and Turkey.

“Our stance is upfront and unequivocal with regard to Turkey’s domestic problems and the PKK. We support all peaceful efforts, but we are not going to side with an armed solution,” said Barzani, according to Doğan news agency. In addition to Turkey’s domestic affairs, Barzani also said he and his Turkish hosts discussed Syria during his visit, noting that the KRG could make no contribution to the unity of Kurds in Syria beyond a conference that it recently organized in Arbil, according to the website Peyamner, which is known to be close to the KRG.

April/24/2012

Turkish foreign minister rules out any cooperation with Israel

KONYA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkey won’t cooperate with Israel unless it apologizes, Davutoğlu says. DAILY NEWS photo

Ankara will not cooperate with Tel Aviv in any international body until it apologizes for the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said yesterday following Turkey’s veto of Israel’s participation at next month’s NATO summit.

The minister made the remarks to reporters in the Central Anatolian province of Konya when asked about yesterday’s Hürriyet Daily News report which said Turkey had recently blocked Israel’s participation at the NATO summit in Chicago.

“It is out of the question for us to be together with Israel in any partnership activity in any international organization, not just NATO. We have already said that we have suspended such cooperation, except for forums such as the United Nations where all countries are members,” Davutoğlu said.

“There are certain conditions to be able to have the opportunity for partnership and cooperation. We believe that Israel has failed to meet those conditions. That’s not something that only concerns NATO,” he said.

The minister said Turkey would not consider Israel to be a country worthy of cooperation unless it “shows its goodwill toward Turkey by fulfilling the basic issues that our government has pointed out.” Ankara has long demanded Tel Aviv apologize for the deaths of nine Turkish aid activists who were killed by Israeli commandos on the Mavi Marmara in May 2010 and compensate the victims’ families.

During a ministerial NATO meeting in Brussels last week, Turkey defied appeals from the United States and other NATO heavyweights and blocked Israel’s participation at NATO’s Chicago summit on May 20-21. The meeting saw pointed exchanges between Davutoğlu and his counterparts, according to diplomatic sources.

Turkey has previously vetoed a number of attempts for closer ties between the alliance and Israel, such as the opening an Israeli office at NATO headquarters and Israel’s participation in the activities of the Mediterranean Dialogue group.

Turkish men hospitalized after drinking camel's milk, urine

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Hürriyet photo

Two Turkish men were hospitalized on arrival to Turkey after drinking camel's milk and urine while on an umrah visit, daily Hürriyet reported.

The men believed the camel's milk and urine to be good for health, claiming it was written in a hadith. An imam, according to the Turkish men, also drank the milk and urine with them.

The visitors were hospitalized due to high fever and unusual levels of liver enzymes. Further tests revealed that the two men had been infected with the "alkhurma" virus, reportedly catching the virus from the milk.

The alkhurma virus is very dangerous and highly contagious and has a fatality rate of 25 to 35 percent, daily Hürriyet reported.

İhsan Özkes, a retired religious cleric and current member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), denied the existence of any hadith that would encourage people to drink camel's milk and urine.

"Those who did drink it must have been ignorant," he said.

Turkey becoming a hostile state in region: Iraqi premier Maliki

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has charged his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan with interfering in his country's internal affairs, saying Turkey is becoming a “hostile state” in the region.
According to Press TV., Maliki said in a recent statement posted on his website “The latest statements of Erdogan are another return to the process of interfering in Iraqi internal affairs,”
The Iraqi premier made the remarks in response to Erdogan accusing Maliki of taking an “egocentric approach” in politics.
Erdogan said after closed-door talks with President of the Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani in Istanbul on Thursday “The current prime minister’s treatment toward his coalition partners, his egocentric approach within Iraqi politics… seriously concern Shiite groups, Mr. Barzani and the Iraqiya group.”
Maliki also said the statements made by the Turkish premier “confirms that Mr. Erdogan is still living the illusion of regional hegemony.”
He added “Insisting on continuing these internal and regional policies will damage Turkey’s interests and makes it a hostile state for all.”
Maliki said “It is regrettable that his statements have a sectarian dimension which he used to deny before but which have become clear, and are rejected by all Iraqis.”

Bangladesh Tour postponed after court order

Bangladesh has postponed its tour of Pakistan following a court order that set a four-week embargo on the national team's plans. The decision, communicated on Thursday to the PCB by the BCB's acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, is the latest twist to a long-running saga that began last December; the tour itself, comprising two limited-overs games, had been finalised last weekend to take place in Lahore at the end of April.

Bangladesh vs Pakistan cricket match

The order came on a day when Pakistan said it had sent a 70-page security plan for the tour to the ICC and announced details of match tickets that were to have gone on sale next week. The events that followed will have added to doubts over whether the tour will indeed go ahead at all.

The PCB reacted sharply to the news. "It is astonishing to note that a matter lacking any legal issue has been dragged in the court by petitioners who appear to have vested interest and want to jeopardise Pakistan-Bangladesh cricketing relations," the statement said.

"It is extremely disturbing to note for the PCB and Pakistan cricket fans and world cricketing nations that such an adverse order has been passed to block a bilateral cricket series."

The court order, delivered by Justices Farid Ahmed and Sheikh Hasan Arif on Thursday afternoon, was in response to a writ petition filed in the morning by a university teacher and a Supreme Court lawyer who, citing concerns over security, challenged the BCB's decision to send the team at the end of April for a three-day tour.

It also said that in the interim period the sports secretary, the National Sports Council chief and BCB chief Mustafa Kamal justify the decision for the tour.

Azim, one of the lawyers for the petitioners, said: "The ICC asked for a security plan from PCB. They have still not given it. Pakistan is not safe for any foreign teams now. Their own media says so. For that reason, no country agrees to play there. Under the same circumstances, we should not go there also."

The petition echoes the prevailing public sentiment surrounding the tour since it was first announced. The mood against the tour - which has been called short-sighted and opportunistic, at the cost of players' safety - grew following the confirmation of dates on Sunday. The tour, of immense importance to Pakistan, is widely seen as a quid pro quo for Kamal getting the Pakistan-Bangladesh joint nomination for the ICC vice-presidency; with the latter in almost certain cold storage, the tour has become an even more complex issue. Kamal's own flip-flops on issues relating to the tour have added to the confusion.

This stadium will host for Bangladesh Pakistan matches

Adding to the complexity is the security angle. The ICC's stated stand is that it has no role in clearing tour; its remit extends to checking to see whether its officials can be deployed. It has, however, scripted its own escape clause by introducing a "special dispensation" that would allow non-neutral officials where the situation did not allow for neutrals.

The security issue prompted the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) to issue a strongly worded statement against the tour.

"This decision of whether Bangladesh should tour Pakistan needed to be a concise and transparent process," FICA CEO Tim May said. "Unfortunately all we have witnessed is seemingly a complete lack of any process and a series of indecisive and contradictory comments, particularly coming from Mustafa Kamal.

"The actions and words of Kamal certainly give the impression of confirming rumors that there has been a deal reached between the PCB and Kamal … What has resulted since has been a series of actions and comments that rather than reassure everyone of the safety of such a tour, only have created heightened apprehensions and doubts amongst players re the safety of the tour and the motives of those involved in the decision."