| Expediency Council Strategic Research Center Director Hassan Rohani has said that Iran should pay money to buy nuclear fuel and should not exchange its low-enriched uranium for 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel. | |
| “We should only pay money to buy 20 percent (enriched) uranium, like the entire world. We need the 3.5 percent enriched uranium for a reactor we are planning to build in Darkhovin. We should produce the (enriched) uranium and work hard to provide fuel for the reactor when it comes on stream,” Rohani stated in an interview with the Mehr News Agency published on Saturday.
Many countries routinely ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide nuclear fuel for their reactors, and the IAEA has a responsibility to supply the fuel for the Tehran research reactor, Rohani said. He stated that Iran asked the IAEA for nuclear fuel during the administration of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1989-1997) and the agency purchased the fuel for Iran fromArgentina and the Tehran research reactor is still running on that fuel. Rohani said exchanging low-enriched uranium for 20 percent nuclear fuel is actually like a suspension of enrichment for four years because, according to the proposed fuel exchange deal,Iran should give foreign countries a large consignment of the enriched uranium it has stockpiled over the past four years. He criticized the officials who put forward the proposal for a nuclear fuel swap and said Iran’ nuclear dossier was referred to UN Security Council because the country refused to halt enrichment. Even if Iran decides to agree to the nuclear fuel swap, it should demand that Iran’s nuclear dossier be sent back to the IAEA, he added. Rohani also said that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program started during former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s administration (1981-1989), and all the necessary equipment was provided during former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s administration (1989-1997), and the country succeeded in domestically producing centrifuges during former president Mohammad Khatami’s administration (1997-2005). |
Monthly Archives: May 2010
Israel attacks Gaza aid flotilla, 20 killed
Zionist regime forces have attacked the international aid convoy Freedom Flotilla en route to the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least 20 people and leaving more than 50 injured.
According to news sources, the attack came on Monday morning after one of the six ships in the convoy was hit by Israeli navy forces before being stormed by commandos descending from helicopters.
The interception reportedly took place in international waters, more than 150km (90 miles) off the coast of Gaza.
The Zionist regime had earlier deployed warships and threatened to stop the flotilla from reaching the Palestinian territory where the war-ravaged residents were impatiently eying the arrival of the aid convoy.
Following the attack on the aid convoy by the Zionist regime forces, the Turkish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have held an emergency meeting and are reviewing the situation of the convoy.
Also the people of Turkey have gathered before the Zionist regime’s consulate in Istanbul in protest to the regime’s brutal measure.
In Gaza, Palestine’s democratically elected Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh strongly condemned the attack on the flotilla and called on the international community to protect the aid mission.
The convoy carries 10,000 tons of supplies and hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.
The flotilla was seeking to break Israel’s crippling blockade of Gaza and deliver basic necessities to the impoverished Palestinians in the coastal enclave.
Spokesman: Iran Fully Supports Freedom Flotilla
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Sunday that Tehran fully supports the anti-siege activists known as “Freedom Flotilla”, which are ferrying aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
According to IRIB, Mehmanparast said that in line with its policy of defending the oppressed Palestinian nation, the lift of the tyrannical siege on Gaza and also full liberation of Palestinian territory, Tehran voices its all-out support and backing for the efforts of the group of pro-Palestinian activists to break the Gaza sea blockade.
The Turkish Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation’s (IHH) bid in sending nine ships, carrying 1,000 pro-Palestinian international activists along with 20 million euros of all kinds of vital aid for those besieged in Gaza. It is the biggest aid convoy observed throughout history.
Meantime, referring to highly probable obstructionist acts by the Zionist regime to prevent Palestinians’ access to the aid, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that the Zionists’ attempt would be a clear violation of the internationally accepted principles and human rights, and is surely unforgivable move.
Terrorists killed another Shia in D.I.Khan
Nasabi terrorists on Sunday killed Mashoor Hussain in Dera Ismail Khan.
The notorious Nasabis terrorists belong from outlawed terrorists outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba and Taliban had abducted the Mashoor Hussain three days ago on Thursday from the Deta Ismail Khan city.
The body of Mashoor Hussain was found in a bag from Qureshi Round about D.I.Khan.
Thousands of innocents people were martyred by the terrorist organization in the country but the Government has failed to arrest the culprits involved in the killing of innocent Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Most people want 'US nukes dismantled'
An opinion poll suggests that the international community should force the US to accept Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposal for dismantling its nukes.
Nearly 53 percent of respondents to the Press TV poll held that the international community should step up pressure on the Obama administration to dismantle its nukes.
Some 38 percent of the respondents said that this feat is impossible because the US would never agree to Ahmadinejad’s proposal. Only seven percent believed that the US has the right to possess nukes.
At the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the UN headquarters in New York, Iran’s president called for the dismantling of all atomic weapons, starting with those in the possession of the US and its allies.
The Iranian president said the United Sates, despite being a signatory to the NPT, is the “main suspect” responsible for the stockpiling, spread and the threatening of other nations with nuclear weapons.
Maliki discusses new gov't with Grand Ayatollah Sistani
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf Saturday to discuss the political process and the formation of a new government 
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf Saturday to discuss the political process and the formation of a new government.
“Sistani called for positive interaction between political parties to form a government including embrace all Iraqis and abide by the constitution,” al-Maliki told reporters after their meeting.
The results of the March 7 elections showed al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition coming in second place with 89 seats after the Iraqiya List, led by former prime minister Iyad Allawi, which got 91 seats in the 325-member parliament.
Ayatollah Sistani “does not interfere in the Federal Court’s decision on which is the biggest bloc, and as far as I know and understand al-Sistani he will not interfere in such issues,” al-Maliki added.
As the results have not been ratified by the Federal Court yet, and no bloc has patched together a large enough coalition to form a government on its own, Allawi insists he has the right to form a new government because his party won the highest number of seats.
However, al-Maliki said he has the right to form the government after his recent alliance with the Iraqi National list, that formed the largest faction in parliament with 159 deputies.
Yet, that number is still four seats short of a working majority, and both sides cannot agree on who will head the government.
Whole Village in France Converted to Shia Islam + Picture
He (Muhammad) continued to say that his villages in France has converted to Islam and followed the creed of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), explaining that the village embracement of the Islamic religion and the doctrine of the prophet’s household members was due to Dr (Mohamed Tijani) 
Accompanied by an Islamic delegation from France, the Islamic thinker and scholar, Dr. Muhammad Tijani has pay a Visit to the holy Shrine of Imam Hussain peace be upon him (The grandson of the Prophet Muhammed. He is appointed by God as the third successor of the Prophet SAW according to Shia Muslims). After the visit, the delegation has met with the Secretary General of the Holy Shrine Sheikh (Abdel Mahdi al-Karbalai).
In a statement to the correspondent of NON14, on Thursday, Mr Tijani said that “this is the fourth visit, which I have the honour to pay to the holy shrines in Iraq after the fall of the dictatorship, and during each visit, I notice that there are developments in Iraq as whole and in the holy shrines in particular,” he added that “In this trip I came along with Mr (Abdul-Karim Mohammed), a Muslim French man who has converted to Islam since he was 15 years old and followed the doctrine of Ahl ul-Bayt (Shia Islam) through me more than thirty years ago, and his French Muslim wife as well. “
For his part, Mr Abdul-Karim Mohammed has told NON14 : “I came, accompanied by Mr. Tijani and my wife (Zahra), who is French and who has converted to Islam and became a follower of Ahl ul-Bayt (the prophet Household Members A.S). He has elaborated: ” I have embraced Islam since my young age, and met my wife, who embrace the same thoughts that I embrace, so it was a good occasion for marriage. I was participating in the congressional prayers that were held by Imam Khomeini in France, although i had not knew him; however Dr. Tijani introduced me to his character at that time.
He (Muhammad) continued to say that his villages in France has converted to Islam and followed the creed of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), explaining that the village embracement of the Islamic religion and the doctrine of the prophet’s household members was due to Dr (Mohamed Tijani). The French Muslim (Abdel Karim Mohammed) described his feelings when he entered the pure Shrine of Imam Husain A.S as someone who entered a jewel in Paradise […]. He added “I was very excited to visit the Infallible Imams peace be upon them where I knew them before, but I did not had the privilege of visiting their Holiness, pointing out that this visit, is according to an invitation extended by Tijani to them and they are now hosted by Imam Hussain peace be upon him and he is full of happiness with his wife in the vicinity of the pure Imams. “
On the other hand, the French visitor has expressed surprise of what is announced by satellite TVs and the media, especially on the European ones about the security situation in Iraq; stating that what he saw and touched during his stay in Iraq, is on the contrary of what he had heard of from those western channels.
Pakistan, Iran sign gas pipeline accord
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran signed on Friday an agreement for supply of gas from Iran through the $7.5 billion pipeline project to be completed by the end of 2014. The cost for the Pakistan section of the project is estimated at $1.65 billion.
The ‘sovereign guarantee’ agreement was signed by S.R. Kasaezadeh, Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company, and Irshad Kaleemi, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar and Secretary Kamran Lashari attended the signing ceremony.
Under the gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA), Pakistan will import 750 million cubic feet a day (mmcfd) with a provision to increase it to one billion cubic feet a day (bcfd).
The volume of imported gas will be about 20 per cent of Pakistan’s current gas production and the agreement is for a period of 25 years, renewable for another five years. The gas will be provided to the power sector to generate about 5,000 megawatts of electricity.
As a part of the conditions precedent (CPs) to be completed by the parties to make the agreement effective, the government of Pakistan is providing a ‘performance guarantee’ on behalf of the InterState Gas Company.
Since all other CPs of the agreement have been completed, the project is ready to enter the implementation phase.
The petroleum minister said that construction of the pipeline would create jobs, provide vocational training and develop backward areas of Balochistan and Sindh.
“The IP project will be another testimony of the long historic and cordial relations between Pakistan and Iran,” Mr Qamar said.
Tehran's Friday Prayers Sermons
Tehran’s interim Friday Prayer Leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani has said the tripartite Tehran Declaration is a positive move which came about through the efforts of Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey, and Brazil.. Tehran’s interim Friday Prayer leader referred to the ten-article Tehran Declaration that was signed by the foreign ministers of Iran, Brazil, and Turkey, on 17th May, regarding a proposed nuclear fuel exchange, and stressed that while many countries, and international organizations have welcomed the Tehran declaration and declared their support, a few bullying and domineering countries are still trying to impose a new round of sanctions against Tehran.
In further remarks, Tehran’s interim Friday Prayer Leader referred to a number of advice and guidelines by the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini (may his soul rest in peace), and stressed that unity is absolutely essential for confronting the enemies and their conspiracies.
Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani listed the blessings of the Islamic Revolution, under the leadership of the late Imam, and said with Imam Khomeini arrival, Islam and Islamic jurisprudence went beyond the seminary schools and libraries and reached its culmination
The history of Al-Azhar University; Shia or Takfiri
The grand structure of the thousand-year old al-Azhar University and Mosque stands majestically across the Nile River in the Egyptian capital Cairo. The grand structure of the thousand-year old al-Azhar University and Mosque stands majestically across the Nile River in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Like the Nile, it is the symbol of Egypt. Al-Azhar was built in 359 AH by the Shia Muslim Fatemid dynasty that claimed descent from Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (peace upon her) the immaculate daughter of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Hence, Azhar is a derivative of Zahra which means the Radiant in Arabic. Over two hundred years later after its foundation al-Azhar along with Cairo and the whole of Egypt fell to the Kurdish invader Salaheddin Ayyoubi, who despite his expelling of the Crusaders from Bayt al-Moqaddas, persecuted Shia Muslims and weakened the status of al-Azhar as the leading centre of Islamic teachings. Like the Mongols, who ravaged the eastern Islamic lands and destroyed the written heritage of Muslims, the Ayyoubids also burned hundreds of thousands of books in Cairo and other cities because of their prejudice towards the followers of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt or Blessed Household. Thereafter, al-Azhar turned into a centre of Sunni teachings, especially following the fall of Muslim Spain to the Christians that made the scholars of Andalusia flock to Egypt. Gradually, over the centuries, al-Azhar emerged as a centre of different sciences but it was soon to lose its independent status. In 1954, Egyptian ruler, Jamal Abdun-Nasser, seized the control of al-Azhar and ended its independence by placing it under direct control of the state with the power to appoint and dismiss its Dean. Ever since al-Azhar has became a tool of ruling Egyptian regimes.
However, despite state control al-Azhar’s international fame has remained as students and scholars from various countries come to Egypt to learn. It started branching into other fields of science in the early 1950s before the state takeover, especially when the then Dean Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout founded the colleges of medicine, technology and science. His other measure was setting up of a special centre of learning for female students at al-Azhar. Another important measure of Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout was to strengthen Islamic unity by recognizing the Ja’fari or Shia Muslim jurisprudence as one of the five mainstream schools of Islam. It is also interesting to note that in the 1920s and 1930s the then Dean of al-Azhar, Sheikh Hasan al-Bishri, had a long correspondence with Lebanon’s famous Shia Muslim scholar, Allamah Seyyed Abdul-Husain Sharafeddin al-Muwavi, which resulted in the publishing of the famous book, al-Muraja’at that has been translated into English as the “Right Path”. It is a very fascinating Sunni-Shia dialogue with convincing proofs for strengthening Islamic unity, and has been translated into major world languages.
Last March, following the death of Dean Mohammad Tantawi, the Egyptian government has appointed Ahmad at-Tayyeb as the new Dean. The change comes at a crucial time when President Hosni Mubarak who has ruled Egypt for almost the past three decades with American support and by crushing all opposition, is grooming his son Jamal to take over the presidency. It is also unfortunate that al-Azhar, despite its Islamic prestige, never objected to the policies of President Mubarak including his over dependence on the Americans, his relations with the illegal Zionist entity, his building of the steel wall on the borders of the Gaza Strip to deny access to the outside world to the besieged Palestinians, and his banning of the popular Islamic Brotherhood party and other Islamic groups from actively participating in the country’s political process. As a result, al-Azhar has seen the eroding of its credibility, both among the Egyptian people and in the Muslim. It would be interesting to see what policies the new Dean will follow, especially when Mubarak is facing tough challenges to his rule from all quarters with calls for change and not dynastic rule by the Egyptian Muslims.
Observers, however, consider Sheikh Ahmad at-Tayyeb as an apolitical person more interested in scholarly pursuits and solidarity among Islamic schools of jurisprudence. According to Secretary-General of the Tehran-based World Assembly for Proximity among Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, the new Dean of al-Azhrar opposes extremist or Takfiri/Salafi ideas that brand other Muslims as infidels. But Ahmad at-Tayyeb has taken illogical and irrational stances, perhaps on government orders or under pressure from extremist groups inside and outside al-Azhar. In an interview with the Saudi/Wahhabi funded al-Arabiyya TV channel, he said al-Azhar counters any effort for spread of Shia Muslim teachings in any Muslim state. This is not surprising in view of the fact that last year Saudis provided 86 million dollars to al-Azhar. It should be recalled that the late Sheikh Tantawi had explicitly aired his views against Wahhabism, saying there is no such denomination in Islam. Thus it would be interesting to see how the new Dean confronts Wahabbi/Salafi ideas, especially in view of the tendency towards the teachings of the school of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt among Egyptians who centuries ago used to be Shia Muslims. This revival has alarmed both the Egyptian government and the Saudis who are pressuring Sheikh Ahmad at-Tayyeb Wahabbi to bow to their dictates at the expense of Islamic solidarity.
Japanese Minister fired over US airbase
JNN 29.05.10 The Japanese premier fires a minister for rejecting Tokyo’s recent compromise with Washington on a controversial US air base on Okinawa Island.
Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama dismissed consumer affairs minister Mizuho Fukushima, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Tokyo and Washington have issued a statement, saying that the Futenma air station in the southern island of Okinawa would be relocated to a new site on the same island.
Fukushima told a press conference that she “could not betray the people of Okinawa,” Press TV’s Michael Penn reported. The former minister added that she “could not accept the plan to create a new US airbase on the island which would increase the burden for Okinawan people.”
Fukushima said that politics demanded trust and that if she betrayed her campaign promises to the people, she would be breaking that trust.
Hatoyama had run for premier on a campaign to materialize a “more equal” relationship with Washington. He had also promised to move the base off the island which houses three-quarters of the thousands-strong Japan-based US military.
Locals there have for long protested the presence of the military personnel who are allegedly involved in crime, pollution, noise and accidents.
Fukushima had stood up to Hatoyama’s and other Cabinet ministers’ plea for her to endorse the agreement.
Her party, the Social Democratic Party of Japan, could, meanwhile, leave Hatoyama’s coalition, jeopardizing her chances in the Upper House election set to be held in July.
Berlin bars Muslim boy from prayers
JNN 28.05.10 A German court has rejected a legal bid by a 16-year-old Muslim student to have the right to conduct prayers at his school, reports say.
The court in Berlin ruled on Thursday against Yunis’ bid to pray, stating that it would upset peace in the school, and abuse students’ rights to the entitlement of a calm and educational environment, Reuters reported.
The maintenance of an academic school environment takes precedence over the student’s right to religious observance, the appeals court said.
“The Islamic prayer ritual has a demonstrative character and serves as social control,” a Berlin Senate official said in favor of the ruling.
“This is a good day for the Berlin school,” school director Brigitte Burchardt said after the verdict.
She said the decision would reduce potential conflict that may arise in the school.
Last year the same pupil had initially been given the right to pray once a day in the same school. This year a higher Berlin court overturned that judgment.
With Germany holding more than four million Muslims, such a ruling imposes a heavy burden on the country’s Islamic prayer conducting community,
Terrorists target Lahore’s Ahmadi worshippers; 70 dead
JNN 28.05.10 LAHORE: Gunmen attacked worshippers from the Ahmadi community in two worship places of Lahore on Friday, taking hostages and killing at least 70 people, officials said.
The gunmen opened fire shortly after Friday prayers and threw what could have been grenades at two Ahmadi worship places in residential neighbourhoods in Pakistan’s cultural capital.
Sajjad Bhutta, deputy commissioner of Lahore, said at least 70 people had been killed in the twin attacks on worship places in Garhi Shahu and Model Town. A total of 78 were injured.
The death toll at Garhi Shahu was higher, Bhutta said, because three attackers blew themselves up with suicide vests packed with explosives when police tried to enter the building.
Police are still searching the area as two attackers were still at large.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attacks, expressing “deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives”.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the incidents would generate greater resolve to combat extremism.
“It’s a reminder to the nation that Pakistan will achieve its destiny only after we get rid of the worst type of extremism and fundamentalism,” he told a news conference. “The entire nation will fight this evil.”
He said one attacker had been arrested. Police in Model Town confirmed one gunmen had been arrested and another killed.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion quickly fell on the Pakistani Taliban.
“It’s too early to say who is behind these attacks,” said a Lahore-based security official. “But my guess is that like most other attacks, there would be some link to the Taliban or their associated militants.”
Punjab’s Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the arrested attacker was a teenage Pashtun. This, he said, indicated a link to the tribal area of Waziristan and strongly hinted at a Taliban link.
“The prayer leader was giving a sermon when we heard firing and blasts. Everybody stood up and then two gunmen barged into the place of worship and sprayed bullets,” Fateh Sharif, a 19-year-old student, told Reuters from Model Town.
“They had long beards. They were carrying rucksacks.” Bhutta said a suicide vest laden with explosives was recovered from the Model Town worship place, where some attackers escaped. One fired at a television van before the area was made safe.
“He was young, clean-shaven. He sprayed bullets at our van while fleeing the scene,” Rabia Mehmood, a reporter told Reuters.
ATTACKS LAUNCHED AFTER PRAYERS
Witnesses said the assaults were launched shortly after prayers.
“I saw some gunmen run towards the Ahmadis’ place of worship and then I heard blasts and gunfire,” Mohammad Nawaz, a resident, told Reuters.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it had warned of threats against the Ahmadi community centre in Lahore for more than a year and demanded “foolproof security and protection” from the government.
It expressed concern over “the increasing sectarian dimension” of militancy in Pakistan, which it called “a big security threat to the entire society”.
Friday’s shootings were the worst attacks in Pakistan since March 12 suicide attacks seconds apart killed 57 people in Lahore while targeting the Pakistani military.
Nine attacks have now killed more than 220 people in Lahore over the past year, a historical city, playground for the elite and home to many top brass in Pakistan military and intelligence establishment.
A Momin Martyred By Banned SSP Terrorist Firing
JNN 28.05.10 A Momin Shehzad Hussain was Martyred by the UnProvocative firing of Banned SSP Terrorists , on returning from there Rally ,which was held on Masjid Siddiq Akbar , On there way back to this locality , they first chanted Slogans infront of the houses of the Shia Residents of the Area ,to Provoke the Shia residents of the Habib Bank Quarters , Orangi Town Ship 11 1/2 , and then fired straight on the people standing in the area , which resulted in fatal injuries to other, and one of them could not scumb to the bullet wounds , shot by the terrorists which were among the participants of the rally .
This Brutal and Terrorist Act is highly condemned by all the Leaders and the People of Shia Community , who have asked the Government to immediately arrest these terrorist , and bring them to justice , as this all was done in the presence of the Police and Rangers , who were escorting the rally.
Jafaria Alliance Pakistan hierarchy in meeting with the Government functionaries two days earlier , had already alarmed the government of the nefarious design of these Organisations , who are trying to create Panic and chaos , in the Economic Hub of Pakistan , Karachi, by there acts of Terrorism to promote the design of there masters , who want to disintegrate and destabilize Pakistan , by fanning Sectarianism in the country.
The Government should take a serious action on this Act of Terrorism , as just doing lip service , will help the terrorist to go ahead in there nefarious design , who’s link have already been confirmed with the enemies of Pakistan and Islam .
Al-Azhar University at the Crossroads
The grand structure of the thousand-year old al-Azhar University and Mosque stands majestically across the Nile River in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Like the Nile, it is the symbol of Egypt. Al-Azhar was built in 359 AH by the Shi’ite Muslim Fatemid dynasty that claimed descent from Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (peace upon her) the immaculate daughter of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Hence, Azhar is a derivative of Zahra which means the Radiant in Arabic. Over two hundred years later after its foundation al-Azhar along with Cairo and the whole of Egypt fell to the Kurdish invader Salaheddin Ayyoubi, who despite his expelling of the Crusaders from Bayt al-Moqaddas, persecuted Shi’ite Muslims and weakened the status of al-Azhar as the leading centre of Islamic teachings. Like the Mongols, who ravaged the eastern Islamic lands and destroyed the written heritage of Muslims, the Ayyoubids also burned hundreds of thousands of books in Cairo and other cities because of their prejudice towards the followers of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt or Blessed Household. Thereafter, al-Azhar turned into a centre of Sunni teachings, especially following the fall of Muslim Spain to the Christians that made the scholars of Andalusia flock to Egypt. Gradually, over the centuries, al-Azhar emerged as a centre of different sciences but it was soon to lose its independent status. In 1954, Egyptian ruler, Jamal Abdun-Nasser, seized the control of al-Azhar and ended its independence by placing it under direct control of the state with the power to appoint and dismiss its Dean. Ever since al-Azhar has became a tool of ruling Egyptian regimes.
However, despite state control al-Azhar’s international fame has remained as students and scholars from various countries come to Egypt to learn. It started branching into other fields of science in the early 1950s before the state takeover, especially when the then Dean Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout founded the colleges of medicine, technology and science. His other measure was setting up of a special centre of learning for female students at al-Azhar. Another important measure of Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout was to strengthen Islamic unity by recognizing the Ja’fari or Shi’ite Muslim jurisprudence as one of the five mainstream schools of Islam. It is also interesting to note that in the 1920s and 1930s the then Dean of al-Azhar, Sheikh Hasan al-Bishri, had a long correspondence with Lebanon’s famous Shi’ite Muslim scholar, Allamah Seyyed Abdul-Husain Sharafeddin al-Muwavi, which resulted in the publishing of the famous book, al-Muraja’at that has been translated into English as the “Right Path”. It is a very fascinating Sunni-Shi’ite dialogue with convincing proofs for strengthening Islamic unity, and has been translated into major world languages.
Last March, following the death of Dean Mohammad Tantawi, the Egyptian government has appointed Ahmad at-Tayyeb as the new Dean. The change comes at a crucial time when President Hosni Mubarak who has ruled Egypt for almost the past three decades with American support and by crushing all opposition, is grooming his son Jamal to take over the presidency. It is also unfortunate that al-Azhar, despite its Islamic prestige, never objected to the policies of President Mubarak including his over dependence on the Americans, his relations with the illegal Zionist entity, his building of the steel wall on the borders of the Gaza Strip to deny access to the outside world to the besieged Palestinians, and his banning of the popular Islamic Brotherhood party and other Islamic groups from actively participating in the country’s political process. As a result, al-Azhar has seen the eroding of its credibility, both among the Egyptian people and in the Muslim. It would be interesting to see what policies the new Dean will follow, especially when Mubarak is facing tough challenges to his rule from all quarters with calls for change and not dynastic rule by the Egyptian Muslims.
Observers, however, consider Sheikh Ahmad at-Tayyeb as an apolitical person more interested in scholarly pursuits and solidarity among Islamic schools of jurisprudence. According to Secretary-General of the Tehran-based World Assembly for Proximity among Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, the new Dean of al-Azhrar opposes extremist or Takfiri/Salafi ideas that brand other Muslims as infidels. But Ahmad at-Tayyeb has taken illogical and irrational stances, perhaps on government orders or under pressure from extremist groups inside and outside al-Azhar. In an interview with the Saudi/Wahhabi funded al-Arabiyya TV channel, he said al-Azhar counters any effort for spread of Shi’ite Muslim teachings in any Muslim state. This is not surprising in view of the fact that last year Saudis provided 86 million dollars to al-Azhar. It should be recalled that the late Sheikh Tantawi had explicitly aired his views against Wahhabism, saying there is no such denomination in Islam. Thus it would be interesting to see how the new Dean confronts Wahabbi/Salafi ideas, especially in view of the tendency towards the teachings of the school of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt among Egyptians who centuries ago used to be Shi’ite Muslims. This revival has alarmed both the Egyptian government and the Saudis who are pressuring Sheikh Ahmad at-Tayyeb Wahabbi to bow to their dictates at the expense of Islamic solidarity.
Mashal: Palestinians won't abandon their rights
In response to the US plan of settling the Palestinian refugees in other countries permanently, senior Hamas official, Khaled Mashal, has noted that: “We would never abandon our rights.”
According to IRIB, the Head of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Khaled Mashal, in the nationwide congress of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine held in Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus on Wednesday said the people of Palestine would never abandon their rights especially the right to return to their homeland.
In the ceremony held in the presence a number of Palestinian combatant groups and several leading cultural and religious figures in Syria, Mashal added that the Palestinians would continue resistance.
The Hamas official said the Israeli regime cannot declare war against the region or even against Gaza because it knows well that we will turn Gaza into the graveyard of the Zionist forces.
World Bank gives 48-hour ultimatum to Pakistan
JNN 27.05.10
KARACHI: Pakistan received a stern 48-hour deadline to take tough actions that include hiking of electricity tariffs by six per cent and implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from July 1. On failure to do so, Pakistan will not receive $300 million under the poverty reduction support credit, the World Bank (WB) said.
If Pakistan succeessfully implements the two conditions, the approval of $300 million will be made during the World Bank meeting which is to take place on June 29 in Washington.
According to sources, authorities were alarmed and clueless about how to fulfill the conditions till May 27.
Authorities in Islamabad are aware that even if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) allowed Pakistan not to impose VAT in its budget, World Bank would show stiff resistance in providing any aid, as VAT is its brainchild.
The World Bank has been assistng Pakistan in preparations to introduce the VAT law to Pakistan during the past one year. However, there has been hue and cry from the business communities across Pakistan against the imposition of VAT
Iran FTZ exports rise 36-fold
JNN 27.05.10 Iranian Commerce Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari says exports from the country’s free trade zones (FTZ’s) have grown 36-fold over the past few years.
He said the role of free zones in the nation’s economy needs to be revisited.
“There are two different standpoints on free zones”, Ghazanfari was quoted by IRNA as telling reporters.
“In one point of view, free zones are regarded as a launch pad for exports; from the other vantage point, free zones are seen as playing a role in re-exporting goods.”
Based on the second viewpoint, some countries boost the inflow of investment funds by rendering proper commercial services, and re-export Iranian commodities to other nations around the world, a role that Iranian free zones are deprived of, the commerce minister added.
He underlined Iranian free zones should play a more active role in re-exporting goods
Pakistan lifts ban on YouTube
JNN 27.05.10 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan unblocked popular video sharing website YouTube late Wednesday after banning it in the wake of public outrage over “blasphemous” content.
“YouTube has been unblocked, but the links to sacrilegious content would remain inaccessible inPakistan,” Khurram Mehran, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told AFP.
Earlier interior minister Rehman Malik said Pakistan was to lift a ban on Facebook and YouTube in the next few days.
The PTA banned access to Facebook and YouTube and other links, and restricted access to Wikipedia, last week over what it called “growing sacrilegious content”.
Malik said Wednesday pages containing blasphemous material would remain blocked but the ban on popular sites including Facebook and YouTube would be lifted in the next few days.
“We discussed this matter in the cabinet meeting today. I told my colleagues that blocking the websites was not the right thing,” Malik told AFP.
“I said that only particular pages that contain blasphemous material should be blocked, not the entire website,” said Malik, adding that in next few days both Facebook and YouTube would be unblocked.
A government statement later said the federal cabinet “strongly condemned” the sketches of Prophet Mohammed and ordered that such material should not be accessible in Pakistanover the Internet.
“The cabinet strongly condemned the blasphemous caricatures on a specific website and directed the Ministry of IT (Information Technology) to ensure that such blasphemous material is not allowed to appear on the Internet in Pakistan.”
When a Facebook user decided to organise an “Everyone Draw Mohammed Day” competition to promote “freedom of expression”, it sparked a major backlash among Islamic activists in the South Asian country of 170 million.
Islam strictly prohibits the depiction of any prophet as blasphemous and the row sparked comparison with protests across the Muslim world over the publication of satirical cartoons of Mohammed in European newspapers in 2006.
Several thousand Pakistanis took to the streets at the behest of religious groups to protest.
In the wake of the Prophet Mohammed controversy, Pakistan blocked hundreds of web pages to limit access to “blasphemous” material, banning access to US-based Facebook and YouTube — the two most popular websites in the country.
A court in the eastern city of Lahore ordered the block on Facebook until at least May 31, when it is scheduled to hear a petition from Islamic lawyers.
Although none of the protests has mobilised the masses, sporadic demonstrators have continued to vent anger in Karachi and other cities.
Pakistan also briefly banned YouTube in February 2008 in a similar protest against “blasphemous” cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed
Mosque at Ground Zero (9 11 World Trade Center site )gains 1st approval
JNN 27.05.10 After a heated four-hour meeting, a New York community board has endorsed a plan to build a mosque and Islamic cultural center close to Ground Zero of the World Trade Center attack.
Community Board 1, which represents the area of lower Manhattan that includes Ground Zero, voted 29 to 1 on Tuesday to back the proposal, with 10 abstentions, the Associated Press reported.
Supporters, including Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, say the proposed center, called Cordoba House, would show tolerance for all religious groups and the space would encourage a moderate interpretation of Islam.
By supporting the multi-faith community and cultural center, the board “sent a clear message that our city is one that promotes diversity and tolerance,” Stringer said in a statement, AP reported.
However, some critics of the plan consider it to be an affront to the victims of the attack to build a Muslim religious space so close to Ground Zero and have said it would be a monument to the terror attacks.
“The pain never goes away,” C. Lee Hanson, 77, whose son Peter was killed in the attacks told The New York Times. “When I look over there and I see a mosque, it’s going to hurt. Build it someplace else.”
The vote, although only a recommendation, is seen as an important barometer of community sentiment since the organization wishing to build the mosque must also obtain approval from the Landmarks Preservation committee because the building it has bought and intends to modify was built in the 1850s and is under consideration to be classified as a “historic landmark.”
Amnesty International: Israel Violates Human Rights Each Day
Secretary of Amnesty International’s branch in Germany, Monika Lueke, detailing the annual report on the state of human rights around the world lashed out on Wednesday at the Israeli regime’s ongoing human rights violations. Monika Lueke stressed: “There are daily human rights violations in Israel.”
According to IRNA, speaking at a press conference in Berlin Monika Lueke said the Zionist regime’s siege of Gaza is a clear example of violation of human rights.
She singled out at least 27 Palestinians, who lost their lives last year, because they could not receive timely medical treatment due to the blockade of Gaza.
Lueke pointed out that 1.5 million Gaza-based Palestinians have been cut off from vital food supplies and 8,000 North Gazans have no access to water.
Referring to the Zionists’ attacks on Gaza in 2008-2009 Gaza war, Lueke stressed that Israeli military attacks against UN institutions, schools and hospitals in the region constituted a clear violation of humanitarian laws of war.
Meanwhile, the Amnesty International official hailed the judge Richard Goldstone designated by the United Nations for his report highlighting Israeli war crimes during the war in Gaza.
The 600-page UN report, authored by South African Judge Richard Goldstone, said Israel had deliberately used disproportionate force against Palestinian civilians, and had employed weapons such as white phosphorous munitions that should not be used in residential areas.
The Zionist regime did not cooperate with Goldstone’s investigation, alleging it was ordered by a UN body with an anti-Israel bias.
Yemen releases 200 Shia Houthi fighters
The Yemeni government has released about 300 detainees belonging to the Shia Houthi fighters in the north and separatists in the south of the country.Official Saba news agency reported Tuesday that 200 Shia Houthi fighters detained in Sa’ada Province and 98 separatists arrested “for participation in unrest in certain provinces of the south” had been released.
The releases came as part of an amnesty initiative introduced by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday. The initiative is expected to apply to a total of 800 southerners and 2,000 fighters in the north, AFP reported.
The president, who has called on “all those released to be good citizens and to respect the constitution and law” had previously proposed the creation of a unity government which includes opposition parties.
The Shia Houthis accuse the government of corruption and discrimination against the Shia minorities in the north, while Yemen’s Socialist Party has also been struggling to re-establish south Yemen as an independent state.
The conflict between the Yemeni government and the Shia Houthis peaked last November when Saudi Arabia joined forces with Sana’a to launch a major crackdown on the Shia fighters.
However, Yemen has been experiencing relative peace since the government and the Shia Houthis signed a ceasefire in February.
The Yemeni government has released about 300 detainees belonging to the Shia Houthi fighters in the north and separatists in the south of the country. Official Saba news agency reported Tuesday that 200 Shia Houthi fighters detained in Sa’ada Province and 98 separatists arrested “for participation in unrest in certain provinces of the south” had been released. The releases came as part of an amnesty initiative introduced by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday. The initiative is expected to apply to a total of 800 southerners and 2,000 fighters in the north, AFP reported.The president, who has called on “all those released to be good citizens and to respect the constitution and law” had previously proposed the creation of a unity government which includes opposition parties. The Shia Houthis accuse the government of corruption and discrimination against the Shia minorities in the north, while Yemen’s Socialist Party has also been struggling to re-establish south Yemen as an independent state. The conflict between the Yemeni government and the Shia Houthis peaked last November when Saudi Arabia joined forces with Sana’a to launch a major crackdown on the Shia fighters. However, Yemen has been experiencing relative peace since the government and the Shia Houthis signed a ceasefire in February.
Pakistan; Shia community starts Long March towards Quetta on 4th July
(JNN)
News Agency , The leaders of Pakistani Shia Community on Sunday warned that they would start a Long-March towards Quetta from across the country and besiege the Governor and Chief Minister house on July 4th, if their demands would not fulfill.
Addressing the meeting and protest rally organized by Shohda-e-Balochistan Organizing Committee to condemn the genocide of Shia Muslims in Balochistan, Tehreek-e-Jaffaria Chief Allama Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi, Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen Secretary General Maulana Raja Nasir Abbas, Allama Ameen Shaheedi, PML-Q leader Marvi Memoon, Maulana Afzal Haideri, Shia Conference Balochistan leader Ashraf Zaidi and others have condemned the genocide of Shia Muslims in Balochistan.
The leaders pointed out that law and order situation in Balochistan was out of control from the provincial government and demanded of the federal government to immediately sack the Balochistan Government over their failure to control the genocide of Shia Muslims in Balochistan Province.
Shia leaders demanded of the government to take stern action against perpetrators involved in the incidents of target killings of Shia Muslims in Balochistan especially in Quetta and Mastung.
They warned that Shia community would march towards Quetta and besiege the Governor and Chief minister house on 4th July, If the government will not taken the action against the terrorists and not fulfill the demands of Shia community till June 20th.
Allama syed Sajid Ali naqvi said that conspiracies had been hatched from the very beginning against the Shia community, while act of barbarism against shia community in Quetta and Mastung were highly condemnable.
He said that Shia c ommunity was played a significant role in development of Pakistan and had never become a part of any conspiracy hatched against the country.
He said that they had raised voice against the incidents of target killing on every platform but the incidents of target killing were still on the rise and government was silent over the genocide of Shia Muslims in Pakistan.
He warned that we could stop the other way of protest, if the target killings of Shia people would not stopped.
Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that those who violated the constitution of the country should be brought to justice and added that the rulers had badly failed to ensure the safety and security of the people.
“Agent s of Israel, India and Uniuted States were started the conspiracies to harm Pakistan, but we will foil their evil designs against the country,he added.
Criticising the Balochistan Government, Raja Nasir Abbas said that Balochstian Government was miserably failed to provide security to the people particularly Shia community and added that if action was not taken against the terrorists and their patrons involved in the target killings of Shia community till June 20, then the people belonging to Shia community from across the country would initiate long march towards Quetta and besiege the Governor and chief Minister house on 4th July.
The participants of the both meetings also adopt many resolutions seeking termination of Balochistan Government forthwith and immediate arrest of perpetrators and action against banned outfits.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010 10:00 The 6th World Islamic Economic Forum
Last week, the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur hosted the Sixth World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF). In the forum, bearing the theme ‘Gearing for Economic Resurgence’ top economic experts discussed the manners of expansion of cooperation among Islamic states.
The Iranian minister of finance Seyyed Shemseddin Hosseini had attended the confab heading a high-ranking delegation. We have prepared a special program in this regard. Stay tuned.
The 6th World Islamic Economic Forum finished its work on Thursday 20th of May by issuing a statement underlining the need to counter the consequences of the West’s Economic crisis and to present new and effective solutions to hinder financial and economic crisis.
Addressing the forum’s inaugural ceremony, the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono considered the current global conditions as a great opportunity to change the image of the Muslim Ummah in the 21st century. He called on the Islamic states to benefit from the existing conditions for strengthening the economic foundations of the Muslim countries by learning lessons from the western countries mistakes during the recent economic crisis. Noting that just half a percent of the world investments are formed through Islamic financial institutions, the Indonesian president called for boosting of cooperation among Muslim states for joint investment.
During the inaugural speech of the WIEF, the Malaysian prime minister Najib Tun Razak raised the proposal on setting up a clean energy bank by the Islamic states. The Iranian finance minister Seyed Shemseddin Hussieni referred at Kuala Lumpur meeting to the need for concluding commercial contracts among the Muslim states, elaborated on the grounds of cooperation between private and investment sects at Iran’s stock market and termed the market as a good opportunity for the presence of foreign investors.
Studies show that over the two decades leading to the 1990s, 42 developing countries that have taken decisive steps to join the world economy have gained access to a higher income, longer life expectancy and better education. Those countries have enjoyed a 5 percent growth rate per capita. Many of the developing countries including China, India, Hungary, and Mexico have adopted policies that provided the use of world markets for their countries to increase the share of trading in their gross national product. Nonetheless, joining globalization has not been successful for all countries. Based on some reports, two billion people especially in the littoral regions of African Sahara, the Middle East and the Central Asian Republics are exposed to economic recession and poverty.
This shows that gaining access to globalization has not been useful for all developing countries. Therefore solving the problems of those countries depends on various factors including improvement of investment conditions. Experts stress that the developing countries can achieve spectacular economic progresses but this objective can be materialized through more efforts and boosting economic relations among these countries.
Presently a number of the Islamic states like Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, and Egypt enjoy economic and scientific capabilities for development. The use of these capacities requires taking measures like creation of a great center of creativity and innovation in the Islamic world and training specialized manpower. These issues were stressed in the final statement of Kuala Lumpur meeting. Nevertheless, materialization of objectives such as development of trade, elimination of poverty and reduction of unemployment are in need of long term and mid term plans and decisions.
In order to push forward part of these objectives, bilateral or multi-lateral economic agreements should be drawn up in the fields of customs cooperation and tariff trading among the Muslim states. According to experts, religious, cultural, and politico-economic convergence of Muslim nations in the international arenas is among the factors which provide appropriate opportunities for pushing forward those objectives.
At the same time, these elements solely cannot solve the problems looming over the economy of the Muslim world in the 21st century. Therefore, the member states of the organization of the Islamic conference should make more serious efforts for implementation of the content of Kuala Lumpur statement.
Israel Can’t Take My Ice Cream Stick from Me Anymore 1982 when Israel invaded Lebanon.
1982 when Israel invaded Lebanon. I was nine years old and my father had promised to give me half a Lira (Lebanese pound) to buy ice cream. But the footage showing Israeli tanks crossing the border into south Lebanon was enough to deprive me of my treat for the rest of the day and deprive southerners of their freedom for the next 18 years. I’m not sure about the relevance of this lead to the rest of the article, but I think this retrospection is as useful as looking at the post 2000 withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from most of south Lebanon.
The pullout was not just an event; it was a historic precedent. True, Israel withdrew from Jordan and Sinai after Amman and Cairo were coerced to sign agreements with the triumphant, undefeatable, and arrogant Zionist state.
THEY FLED UNDER RESISTANCE STRIKES, NOT IN LINE WITH UNSCR 425
However, this was not the case in Lebanon. After 18 years of occupation and war of attrition waged by the resistance, Israel decided to cut its losses and escape, yes escape. “It wasn’t a withdrawal and it wasn’t a retreat…We ran away, pure and simple,” Col. Noam Ben-Tzvi, the last commander of the Israeli occupation forces western sector in south Lebanon, told Haaretz last week. Ben-Tzvi was not in denial; he did not attribute the withdrawal to Israel’s implementation of UN Security Council resolution 425 that stipulates Israel withdraw from Lebanon after its first invasion in 1978.
“Hiding behind UNSC resolutions has always been an Israeli policy,” Lebanese political analyst Michel Samaha told Al-Manar Website. “Then Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his Foreign Minister David Levy were maneuvering with the military leadership and they went to negotiate with UN S.G. Kofi Annan to cover the Zionist state with another international resolution that binds it to implement resolution 425 on the one hand and set new conditions on Lebanon. However the strikes of the resistance and its operational performance in the south forced Israel’s political and military echelons to make a dramatic 24-hour pullout before issuing a new UN resolution,” Samaha added.
LARSEN INVENTED THE BLUE LINE
Still, Israel sought to persuade the international community that its withdrawal was in line with the Truce Line as stipulated in the Truce Agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in 1949. “Annan and then US Secretary of State Madeline Albright conspired to send Terje Rød-Larsen to delineate a Blue Line instead of implementing resolution 425. The aim was to make the pullout look like a full withdrawal according to the Truce Line. So Larsen invented the Blue Line and the Lebanese government cried foul because of the many gaps that kept Lebanese areas, including strategic spots and water sources, under occupation,” Samaha said.
“Our main concern was to determine the international border, but the Israeli enemy had changed the landmarks in several border areas,” Ret. Gen. Amine Hotait, who was the head of the committee to verify the Israeli pullout, told Al-Manar Website. “We started our mission based on official maps, but the Israelis made use of the so called ‘rolling borders’ and sought to delineate a new line that served its avarice, so it demanded a delineation based on more advanced methods. The United Nations adopted the Blue Line but we refused to recognize it as the international border since it missed at least 13 points. After tough negotiations we managed to gain back ten points, and three points remained outstanding: Rmeish, Odayseh, and Metula,” Hotait said.
From a legal point of view, the Blue Line is of no value and does not establish any right for any party. “The idea of the Blue Line was terminated when the Lebanese committee concluded its mission,” the retired general explained.
THE ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL HAD ITS IMPLICATIONS
Speaking to Al-Manar Website, expert in Israeli affairs Helmi Moussa said that some Israeli leaders still have their regrets because the withdrawal was unilateral and without agreement. “The existential threat is cumulating in Israel because of this pullout, especially that their home front has since then become a target for rocket attacks, when prior to the withdrawal they only had to sacrifice 25 to 30 soldiers on yearly basis to preserve their home front security,” Moussa, who writes for the Lebanese daily Assafir, said.
ISRAEL IS WEAKER THAN A SPIDER WEB
The Israeli pullout could not have materialized if it were not for the support of Iran, Syria, and the popular and official positions in Lebanon, particularly during the first term of President Emile Lahoud with PM Salim Hoss and then during Lahoud’s second term with PM martyr Rafiq Hariri. Nevertheless, the internationally backed Israeli move cleared the way for Tel Aviv to demand a similar pullout of Syrian forces from Lebanon and engage in “peace” talks. Israel’s incomplete pullout and its constant threat to Lebanon rendered the years-long pressure on Syria a failure. In 2005, Hariri was assassinated in Beirut and the Syrian leadership decided to speed up the pullout in that same year.
In 2006, Israel waged war on Lebanon with the aim to crush Hezbollah once and for all and to get even with the party’s Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah who – in his famous speech in Bint Jbeil May 25, 2000 – described Israel as an entity ‘weaker than a spider web.’
“Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech in Bint Jbeil established three fundamental principles: First, he described Israel as an illusion and fixed the notion that Israel can be defeated while stressing the necessity to mobilize forces to confront and win over this enemy. Second, the resistance did not act as a party independent from the Lebanese but acted on their behalf because he did not ask for power sharing in return for the sacrifices and the victory; this is why Hezbollah was embraced by the people of Lebanon en route to the 2006 victory. Third, the resistance does not replace the state or its institutions, and this is why, unlike other revolutions throughout history, triumphant Hezbollah did not go on a vendetta spree against those who had collaborated with the Israeli occupation; it left this mission to the Lebanese authorities,” Ret. Gen. Amine Hotait told Al-Manar Website.
SLA AGENTS AND MOSSAD NETWORKS
The failed 2006 war proved Israel’s networks of Mossad agents in Lebanon were useless, and by 2010 dozens of these spy networks were dismantled.
“What’s been said recently about the fate of Antoine Lahed’s South Lebanon Army (SLA) and their suffering in occupied territories highlights another aspect of Israel’s weakness and failure to protect its agents as they promised them. In fact this negatively affects the performance of Israel’s Mossad (mainly in Lebanon) which constitutes the backbone of Israel’s security,” Helmi Moussa said.
“Shortly before the pullout, the Israeli enemy had grasped two facts: First, they cannot rely on their agents as the Israeli leadership predicted the SLA’s breakdown; surprisingly enough, this army of collaborators broke down much faster than Gabi Ashkenazi and his staff had expected. Second, the political and military leaderships were helpless vis-à-vis the sophisticated resistance which dealt the Israeli occupation army and the SLA very severe blows. This same helplessness was the main reason why the so called ‘Four (Israeli) Mothers’ Movement’ came to being and eventually pressured Tel Aviv to take the decision of immediate withdrawal,” Michel Samaha told Al-Manar Website.
MY ICE CREAM STICK THAT ISRAEL CAN’T TAKE AWAY FROM ME AND MY CHILDREN ANYMORE
Today Israel is still threatening Lebanon with war, carrying out large scale exercises to prepare its home front, and making replacements within the top military brass. The resistance leadership has expressed full readiness to deal Israel another blow should it decide to wage war. Syria and Iran have also warned Tel Aviv against making another “foolish mistake”. Until the next war begins and ends, Israel would continue to be the fake entity that destroyed armies and occupied countries in a matter of days, but then defeated at hands of a few determined men and women in Lebanon.
I’ve seen it in 2000 and I’ve lived it in 2006 and I know that what I had seen in 1982 is forever gone. Ever since liberation was fulfilled, I’ve never missed a Resistance and Liberation Day without having an ice cream stick, and today I’m seeing that my children follow suit.
Sayyed Nasrallah: Israeli bomb us, we bomb them, Israeli kill us, we kill them
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We believe we’ll achieve victory in next war and we’d change the face of the region
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We don’t want war but we’re not scared of it
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: It is not likely Israel would wage a war against Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We are the ones who dictated the timing, scenario, and conditions for the enemy’s defeat and escape from Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel used to wage wars knowing that its home front was safe but this has ended in the wake of the 2006 war
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: In Any Next War, Only Israelis Fleeing From Occupied Palestine May Be Safe. *** Sayyed Nasrallah: We believe we’ll achieve victory in next war and we’d change the face of the region
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We don’t want war but we’re not scared of it
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: It is not likely Israel would wage a war against Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We are the ones who dictated the timing, scenario, and conditions for the enemy’s defeat and escape from Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel used to wage wars knowing that its home front was safe but this has ended in the wake of the 2006 war
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: In Any Next War, Only Israelis Fleeing From Occupied Palestine May Be Safe
(JNN) News Agency , Hezbollah marked the tenth anniversary of the Resistance and Liberation Day Tuesday at the Sayyed Al-Shouhada compound in Beirut’s southern suburb. Official, religious, military, and popular figures attended the ceremony in which Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah delivered a speech for the occasion and tackled recent developments in Lebanon and the region.
The Hezbollah chief set a new formula that will be adopted in any new war with Israel saying that Hezbollah will attack Israel-bound ships if the Zionist entity imposed a sea blockade on Lebanon. “When the world will witness how these ships will be destroyed in Palestine’s regional water nobody will dare to go there just as they will block (others) from coming to our coasts,” his eminence told thousands of supporters.
Sayyed Nasrallah’s comments came amid a five-day drill in Israel- dubbed “Turning Point 4”- which was launched on Sunday to test the home front preparedness against possible missile strikes in any future war.
At the beginning of his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah paid tribute to the martyrs “who sacrificed their lives to realize this victory, namely Sayyed Abbas Mousawi, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, and Hajj Imad Moghniyeh.” His eminence also thanked south Lebanon residents “who took part in municipal elections despite of the simultaneous Israeli maneuvers.” Iwould like to thank all the Lebanese who fulfilled the three-of-four phases of the elections and I ask Almighty Allah that the fourth round due Sunday in the north would smoothly,” his eminence said.
THEY SAW WITH THEY OWN EYES WHAT THEY USED TO RIDICULE
The Hezbollah chief divided his discourse into three parts: “The conflict with the enemy, the future, and position and formula which I am committed to and which will be added to the many formulae of confrontation with the enemy.”
Sayyed Nsrallah recalled that the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon was part of a broader US-Israeli scheme. “In 2000, this scheme was thwarted. However they always have other schemes and they will go on plotting until they fall.”
He said that one of the plots was to build Israeli settlements in south Lebanon, “but thanks to the martyrs and particularly the self sacrifice martyrs, this never materialized. We all remember how the first year of the occupation was rife with Jihadi operations against the occupation in several regions and by more than one party and movement.”
The S.G. also reminded how some sides in Lebanon and the Arab world used to ridicule Hezbollah as of 1982 when its leaders spoke about the victory to come. “When Sayyed Moussawi said in 1991 that Israel has fallen and that it will move out of Lebanon humiliated, some used to mock at him. But the year 2000 came and the resounding victory came along, and now I ask all the Lebanese and the entire world: Who would have thought that Israel would withdraw from Lebanon humiliated? What was mocked by many has happened for real and all of you saw it.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said that some Arabs had been colluding against Lebanon before the 2000 pullout. “May 26 is another day and another different shape of the region. The Zionists realized this and Arab leaders as well. Israel revealed that some Arab official sides contacted Israeli counterparts to urge the Zionist entity not to withdraw with conditions. This is not strange because we know that in 2006, some Arabs contacted Israel and urged them not to stop the war so that Hezbollah and Lebanon would not come out victorious.”
ARMY-PEOPLE-RESISTANCE FORMULA YIELDED VICTORY
The Secretary General stressed that the formula that yielded victory was “the army, the people, and the resistance.” He said that Israel’s home front that used to be safe in most of the post wars, was no longer safe. “This era has ended,” his eminence stressed. “Today the Israelis, through their maneuvers, are trying to pacify their home front by trying to convince the people that they are strong and ready for any new war. Other argue and criticize the drills saying: Let’s see what the maneuvers will result in when rocket shower all of occupied Palestine.”
Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the Scud Missile transfer, “which I don’t deny or confirm,” was raised so the US Congress pays Israel $250 million for their ‘Iron Dome’ which is yet to be proven feasible. Others believe that the Israelis are afraid to wage war and they are concerned about its outcome. This is why the Israeli rhetoric reflects a tendency to calm things down in the north.”
“Israel used to wage wars knowing that its home front was safe. This has ended in the wake of the 2006 war. We have our home front and they have theirs. They bomb us, we bomb them. They kill us, we kill them. This is their strategic weakness today,” his eminence said.
EVEN CLINTON WARNED ISRAEL ABOUT ITS FUTURE
As for “the future”, Sayyed Nasrallah’s second point, the Hezbollah chief cited US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech at the AIPAC conference to address the Israelis on the one hand, and some Lebanese journalists who are still questioning the feasibility of the resistance facing Israel.
“Clinton said: In the face of these unforgiving dynamics of demography, ideology, and technology, it becomes impossible to entrust our hopes for Israel’s future in today’s status quo. These challenges cannot be ignored or wished away. Only by choosing a new path can Israel make the progress it deserves to ensure that their children are able to see a future of peace, and only by having a partner willing to participate with them will the Palestinians be able to see the same future. We cannot be blind to the political implications of continued conflict. There is today truly a struggle, maybe for the first time, between those in the region who accept peace and coexistence with Israel and those who reject it and seek only continued violence. The status quo strengthens the rejectionists who claim peace is impossible, and it weakens those who would accept coexistence. That does not serve Israel’s interests or our own. Those willing to negotiate need to be able to show results for their efforts,” Sayyed Nasrallah read.
His eminence continued to quote Clinton as she spoke about technology. “She finally says: we must recognize that the ever-evolving technology of war is making it harder to guarantee Israel’s security. For six decades, Israelis have guarded their borders vigilantly. But advances in rocket technology mean that Israeli families are now at risk far from those borders.” Sayyed Nasrallah elaborated by saying that manufacturing and acquiring missiles was not a complex process as it used to be. “It is not even costly; however it requires a political decision. Their patriots and their Iron Dome will not be effective against our missiles. The technological development today makes every town and every settlement within the Zionist entity under threat; this is what the Israelis cannot tolerate. Clinton was trying to puch the Israelis into striking a deal or a settlement. I believe that their arrogance and racism will push them into the abyss. Therefore, to those who claim they are intellectuals I tell them: that was Clinton, the US Secretary of State speaking. Those were the Americans telling the Israelis that if you don’t help us to make a settlement, a Jewish state will never exist in the future and you will never find anyone to strike a deal with you. We believe in the future that Clinton was preaching about.”
ISRAEL-BOUND SHIPS WILL BE ATTACKED IF LEBANESE PORTS WE BESIEGED IN ANY FUTURE WAR
Sayyed Nasrallah assessed the current situation based on the May, 2000 withdrawal.
“We are committed to the following position: After trusting in Allah, we have to be convinced that we are protecting our country with the will of our people and our national determination. The Lebanese government is making all necessary contacts to push away any danger Lebanon might be under. This is good and we agree with this, however, we should not bargain on this. The real bargain is on our national capability to defend and confront in the battlefield.”
The Hezbollah Secretary General concluded his discourse with the new equation that the resistance will be committed to. “We will tell the Israelis to be afraid of us. If the war, which we do not want, yet we are not scared of broke out, it will change the face of this region – and Clinton agrees with me. We previously said that the Israeli home front has become exposed and vulnerable and we know everything about it, therefore we know where to strike. In 2006, and even before this date, there were times when the Israelis besiege our shores. Israeli vessels used to deploy in Lebanese waters and besiege our shore; so today we add the sea to the terrain. I am not announcing that we possess a new weapon, but in 2006 we destroyed the Saar 5 vessel. What I am saying is that if you besiege our shore and our ports in any coming war, all of your military and commercial ships heading to Palestine will be under the fire of the Islamic Resistance across the Mediterranean. We are talking about the Mediterranean but we have not mentioned the Red Sea yet. We are determined to enter this new domain God willing. No one will dare sail to any port in occupied Palestine. However, if a ship with Israelis on board was leaving occupied Palestine, we might let it pass. They military power used to scare others, but not today because our hearts are as solid as a rock. Let us flip the picture around. Let us make Israel afraid and then seek for someone to reassure it. For those who are still calling for disarming the resistance I tell them that this rhetoric is behind our backs because it is useless. We shall confront the next war, we shall win and we shall change the face of this region,” Sayyed Nasrallah concluded.
The office of Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: Online answering to religious questions in English
The office of Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi announced a special time for answering to English users for online answering to religious questions. According to (JNN) News Agency – The office of Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi announced a special time for answering to English users for online answering to religious questions.
In order to facilitate for the users to access their answers easily and rapidly, department of the Estefta’at of His holiness’s office has prepared for honorable imitators thispage to gain their answers directly (by chat).
The scholars are available for English users’ everyday at 10 – 12 PM GMT +3:30.
Lebanon warns US of more violence
Lebanon warned the US over the dragging Middle East peace process amid growing skepticism about Washington’s supposed mediation between the oppressed Palestinians and the illegal Zionist entity.
According to AP, on his first White House visit as Lebanese Premier, Sa’d Hariri told US president Barack Obama on Monday that the “clock is ticking … against all those who believe in a just peace.”
Hariri warned Obama of a “pervasive frustration and skepticism” in the Muslim world regarding the issue and that failure in securing a peace agreement will “nurture more extremism and give birth to new forms of violence.”
He said “This poses great dangers to everyone in the Middle East and to the world at large.”
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the Obama regime has failed to make any progress in the Middle East peace process.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad boycott West Bank elections
Major Palestinian factions who are in charge of the elected government in the Gaza Strip have decided to boycott local elections in the West Bank due in July, calling them unwarranted and saying the polls will only deepen divisions among Palestinians.
Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri told Press TV on Monday.
“The vote will worsen the internal Palestinian divide and we are totally against it because it is unconstitutional.”
He said “The results of the municipal elections will lack credibility and integrity and it will be fraudulent as Fatah will do all it can to secure its victory.”
Ahmed al-Mudallal, a senior Islamic Jihad member, also underscored his resistance movement’s opposition to the unconstitutional elections in the West Bank.
China Welcomes Tehran Declaration
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu once more announced that Beijing welcomes Tehran Declaration on fuel swap.
According to IRNA, amid US-led attempts to gain support for new UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Iran, China said diplomacy is the best way to resolve Tehran’s nuclear issue.
Jiang Yu expressed hope that IAEA and the involved sides will reach an appropriate resolve regarding Iran’s nuclear issue through dialogue.
This comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that the five permanent members of the UNSC -the US, Britain, France, Russia and China -plus Germany had reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of Russia and China to impose sanctions against Iran.
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