By: Elias Bejjani*
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends". (John: 15:13)
Crystal clear patriotic stances are extremely hazardous and challenging when against all odds an individual dearly and stubbornly embraces them and holds on to the triangle code of faith, self respect and gratitude. The Holy Bible stressed the crucial importance of stances in many verses: "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:16). "The person who isn't with me is against me, and the person who isn't gathering with me is scattering." (Matthew 12:30).
Colonel Charbel R. Barakat deeply loves his mother country, Lebanon, and her people. He sturdily honors the sacrifices of its martyrs throughout their land’s tumultuous history and genuinely endeavors to show his overt gratitude to their heroism. He also respects himself and never compromises on his faith or patriotic stance. He is a benevolent Lebanese Christian intellectual who has willingly devoted all his life to loudly and staunchly advocating for and defending the cause of freedom of our beloved Lebanon.
Colonel Barakat's main focus since he was a teenager living in his ancestors' ancient Christian village "Ain Eibel", (South Lebanon), was and still is the dignity, culture, education, prosperity, safety, history, traditions and faith of his people. As an officer in the Lebanese army, leader of the South Lebanese Army (SLA), teacher, human rights advocate, writer, and specialist on terrorism he never deviated from these moral paths.
In spite of all the hardships, actual threats from and wars with terrorists, and all kinds of losses and sacrifices, Barakat has never allowed fear, the temptation of earthly riches or authority and positions to stand in his way. He deeply trusted in Almighty God and decided to "strive to enter by the narrow door" (Luke 13:24), unlike so many others.
The salvation of his country and people was and remains his prime goal regardless what sacrifices he had to tangibly pay: “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke12:4-5).
All Colonel Barakat's values, knowledge, honesty, experience, and love for Lebanon and her people are portrayed in his extremely informative book, "The Madameek"
With great interest and self gratification I read Barakat's original Arabic version of "The Madameek" in 2000 and was overwhelmed by the depth and richness of the information it contained about the Middle East, a region that was and remains a puzzle for many Western researchers, politicians, academics and think tanks. Based on his extensive firsthand experience, the author has genuinely portrayed the dire hardships of his people, the Southern Lebanese citizens, who despite their anguish, sacrifices and losses remained tall as the cedars of their country and held dearly to their land, identity, faith and history. They never gave up the hope and dream of freedom, democracy and peace.
I am extremely joyful because last month "The Madameek" appeared in its English translated version. I genuinely believe that this precious book will be extremely informative to all those interested in the Middle East's deeply rooted history of wars, conflicts, terrorism, and diverse cultures. Barakat approaches and addresses all these subjects in an unprecedented informative and unbiased way.
Dr. Walid Phares, the well known Lebanese American writer and scholar in global conflicts based in Washington DC, read the book and wrote: "The building blocks of a nation… I have read Charbel Barakat's powerful story, Madameek, in its original version in Arabic. It is a narrative expressing lived moments and historical stages by a brave population in the most dangerous places on the Planet. Barakat, a retired officer, a historian and a prolific writer, acts as a witness on behalf of a community thrown into the arena of violence and freedom deprivation. The story of the villages and towns of the southern border of Lebanon, of their ordinary people of those who suffered from terror and suppression, was still hidden under the rubbles of the exodus that dispersed thousands of them around the world. Barakat's book reassembles these building blocks and makes the case for them, particularly the suppression of their cause and their rights as citizens of a nation, bleeding and aching still. It is a must read for those who seek the truth, behind the smallest stone".
Much gratitude is due to Colonel Barakat, for his tireless efforts to accomplish this difficult work in making his valuable and informative book available in English. He also deserves our thanks, we the Lebanese activists, for being a role model and witness for the sake of truth that many other intellectuals, leaders and politicians in our Lebanese Christian communities in both Lebanon and the Diaspora did not have the faith, patriotism and courage to do.
It is true that our people in Lebanon are oppressed and persecuted by the Axis of Evil, Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, but what is true too is that they will never, ever under any circumstances accept the status of slavery, or forsake their freedom and faith. Khalil Gibran who was a Lebanese Christian intellectual knew this reality: "Not everyone in chains is subdued; at times, a chain is greater than a necklace."
Those interested in obtaining a copy of Madameek Courses, should click on this link and follow the instructions,
http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000368253 .
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Islamic Radical Regimes and Western Ignorance
By: Elias Bejjani*
On January 31/2011, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted this statement on his website: "there is no doubt that based on realities envisioned by God, a new Middle East will be formed and this Middle East will be an Islamic Middle East."
Apparently, the western world and its US leadership are walking blindly through a field of explosive mines in the entire Middle East. This questionable and confusing path is seen by many Arab, Israeli and Lebanese analysts and politicians as a self destructive act due to the fact that all the pro-western regimes are falling one after the other, while the west it self is paving the way and preparing the milieus for Islamic fundamentalist groups to take over.
Sadly, it makes no difference if western policies are executed intentionally or unintentionally because they are advocating for the model of the two axis of evil regimes, Syria and Iran, which operate using Hezbollah and Hamas as their terrorist militias. The perplexing western acts of hostility toward their own allies by characterizing them as oppressive and not respecting the will of their own people, are portraying these two evil regimes as substitutes for all the pro-western ones.
It is strongly believed that the western cowboy-like policies are completely detached from the Middle East realities and alienated from all its social and religious norms. The policies of the west if not reassessed will definitely lead to more chaos, anarchy, disasters and loses in the whole Middle East.
The west, for reasons that are not understood yet, is abandoning all its Middle East allies under the pretext of the two false slogans of democracy and freedom. Western leaders ignore the deeply rooted fact that the majority of the Middle Eastern people comprehend these slogans in a very different way than to western societies. The criteria for norms in the Middle East and the western world are not only different, but at times completely contradict each other.
One wonders why suddenly the west has decided to get rid of its number one ally in the Middle East, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak after toppling their other loyal ally, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia. There is no doubt Mubarak is a very bad ruler. But if he is compared to the Muslim Brotherhood organization's leadership, who might now get their hands on Egypt and turn it into another Iran, Mubarak looks like a guardian angel. It is worth mentioning that Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri, the number two man in Al Qaeda's hierarchy, is an Egyptian and not much different from his Muslim Brotherhood organization counterparts.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood organization is the oldest and largest radical Islamic group, the grandfather of Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Qaeda. Its main objective is to erect a Muslim regime in Egypt and all other Muslim countries and impose Islamic Sharia law. Dr. Walid Phares, a well known terrorism analyst and writer, has studied the Muslim Brotherhood. Phares says its history shows that the group is not secular and not moderate. “The Muslim Brotherhood is the mothership for the jihadi ideologies and thinking. And therefore one can say today's Al Qaeda, and today many other jihadists, are off shoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
One also questions the western wisdom in keeping a blind eye on what is happening in Turkey whose current Islamic leadership is gradually changing their secular country into another fundamentalist Iran, while still receiving western aid worth billions of dollars. The same Turkish scenario is gradually unfolding in Yemen, Tunisia, Algeria, and Sudan.
The same question applies to the Baathist Syrian regime, the most notorious dictatorship in the world. The USA, and all the European countries are appeasing and cajoling this murderous regime and allowing its merciless leadership to sabotage its neighboring countries Iraq and Lebanon. Syria is given free reign to interfere in their internal affairs through terrorism and murder. Syria's President Bachar Assad was again last month given the West's blessings to abort Lebanon's Cedar Revolution, topple its unity government, and appoint a pro Syria-Iranian PM to form a new anti-Western government. It seems also that the pro-western Jordanian monarchy is on its way to face the same Mubarak fate.
Since the early seventies and up until today the bizarre and questionable policies of the USA and the majority of the European countries have been offering wrong predictions and calculations in regards to all the radical Islamic regimes in the Middle East. Looking thoroughly and objectively in some of the dramatic unfolding events since 1970 we learn with great disappointment that all the Islamic radical regimes were brought in power by the USA and Europe on the account of their pro western allies. The sequence of the following events show plainly this problematic trend:
In year 1975: Arab countries, Europe, and USA gave Syria's notorious butcher and dictator Late Hafez Al Assad the green light and full support to invade and occupy Lebanon, the only multi-cultural, democratic country in the Arab world. In 2005 the Lebanese Cedars Revolution forces Syrian troops to leave Lebanon. Last month Lebanon fell again a prey to Syria and Iran and again the with the blessing of western countries.
In 1979, the USA brought to Iran Ayatollah Khomeini and his Islamic revolution on the account of its strong and powerful ally Shah Reza Shah Pahlevi. The Iranian Islamic Revolution under the late Khomeini and his current his successor, Supreme Leader, Sayyid Ali Khamenei oppressed its people, murdered or muffled all opposition groups' and individuals. Iran is now working hard on owning an atomic bomb, destabilizing Arabian Gulf Emirates and kingdoms through terrorism, demonizing the USA as a satanic regime, and is terrorizing the Middle East through its armed militias Hezbollah and Hamas. Meanwhile, the west has turned a blind eye to Iran establishing a mini-state in Lebanon through its armed militia, the terrorist Hezbollah..
In 2003, the USA invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussien's regime and replaced it by a pro Iran-Syrian one that have massacred the Christians and forced most of them to leave Iraq in fear for their lives.
In Afghanistan the USA nurtured and created the monster Al-Qaida and its devil Ben Laden, who orchestrated and executed the 911 terrorist attacks that instigated the western invasion of Afghanistan. Meanwhile the USA and Europe support and finance the most notorious fanatic and oppressive regimes in the world including Pakistan, Syria and others.
Elections and democracy are not always the road for freedom and liberation. No one should forget that in 1932 Adolf Hitler through structural elections took over Germany and created the worst dictatorship in history.
In this same western kind of mentality and wrong calculations, Ehud Barak's Israeli government abandoned its Lebanese loyal allies in south Lebanon in the year 2000 and handed south Lebanon without any fight to Hezbollah. While in June 2007, Ehud Olmert's government watched silently as Hamas took over the Gaza strip without giving its Palestinian allies any help.
Iran's President Ahmadinejad, Syria's dictator Bashar Al Assad, Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas' leadership, and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez among many leaders supporting terrorism allege that the West is a coward when it comes to confrontation, does not have the guts to fight, and always abandons its allies after using them. Well, the recent events unfolding in the Middle East make these allegations credible.
In conclusion, we believe that the western world has an obligation to help its Middle Eastern allies to gradually adopt a kind of democracy that is tailored to the culture, beliefs, traditions and history of their societies. They should not take any role in toppling them and help the Islamic fanatics to take over. Hopefully, the Western policy makers will wake up soon to the reality that they are playing with fire in the Middle East, because as we say back home in Lebanon, " He who plays with fire ultimately burns his fingers".
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
On January 31/2011, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted this statement on his website: "there is no doubt that based on realities envisioned by God, a new Middle East will be formed and this Middle East will be an Islamic Middle East."
Apparently, the western world and its US leadership are walking blindly through a field of explosive mines in the entire Middle East. This questionable and confusing path is seen by many Arab, Israeli and Lebanese analysts and politicians as a self destructive act due to the fact that all the pro-western regimes are falling one after the other, while the west it self is paving the way and preparing the milieus for Islamic fundamentalist groups to take over.
Sadly, it makes no difference if western policies are executed intentionally or unintentionally because they are advocating for the model of the two axis of evil regimes, Syria and Iran, which operate using Hezbollah and Hamas as their terrorist militias. The perplexing western acts of hostility toward their own allies by characterizing them as oppressive and not respecting the will of their own people, are portraying these two evil regimes as substitutes for all the pro-western ones.
It is strongly believed that the western cowboy-like policies are completely detached from the Middle East realities and alienated from all its social and religious norms. The policies of the west if not reassessed will definitely lead to more chaos, anarchy, disasters and loses in the whole Middle East.
The west, for reasons that are not understood yet, is abandoning all its Middle East allies under the pretext of the two false slogans of democracy and freedom. Western leaders ignore the deeply rooted fact that the majority of the Middle Eastern people comprehend these slogans in a very different way than to western societies. The criteria for norms in the Middle East and the western world are not only different, but at times completely contradict each other.
One wonders why suddenly the west has decided to get rid of its number one ally in the Middle East, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak after toppling their other loyal ally, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia. There is no doubt Mubarak is a very bad ruler. But if he is compared to the Muslim Brotherhood organization's leadership, who might now get their hands on Egypt and turn it into another Iran, Mubarak looks like a guardian angel. It is worth mentioning that Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri, the number two man in Al Qaeda's hierarchy, is an Egyptian and not much different from his Muslim Brotherhood organization counterparts.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood organization is the oldest and largest radical Islamic group, the grandfather of Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Qaeda. Its main objective is to erect a Muslim regime in Egypt and all other Muslim countries and impose Islamic Sharia law. Dr. Walid Phares, a well known terrorism analyst and writer, has studied the Muslim Brotherhood. Phares says its history shows that the group is not secular and not moderate. “The Muslim Brotherhood is the mothership for the jihadi ideologies and thinking. And therefore one can say today's Al Qaeda, and today many other jihadists, are off shoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
One also questions the western wisdom in keeping a blind eye on what is happening in Turkey whose current Islamic leadership is gradually changing their secular country into another fundamentalist Iran, while still receiving western aid worth billions of dollars. The same Turkish scenario is gradually unfolding in Yemen, Tunisia, Algeria, and Sudan.
The same question applies to the Baathist Syrian regime, the most notorious dictatorship in the world. The USA, and all the European countries are appeasing and cajoling this murderous regime and allowing its merciless leadership to sabotage its neighboring countries Iraq and Lebanon. Syria is given free reign to interfere in their internal affairs through terrorism and murder. Syria's President Bachar Assad was again last month given the West's blessings to abort Lebanon's Cedar Revolution, topple its unity government, and appoint a pro Syria-Iranian PM to form a new anti-Western government. It seems also that the pro-western Jordanian monarchy is on its way to face the same Mubarak fate.
Since the early seventies and up until today the bizarre and questionable policies of the USA and the majority of the European countries have been offering wrong predictions and calculations in regards to all the radical Islamic regimes in the Middle East. Looking thoroughly and objectively in some of the dramatic unfolding events since 1970 we learn with great disappointment that all the Islamic radical regimes were brought in power by the USA and Europe on the account of their pro western allies. The sequence of the following events show plainly this problematic trend:
In year 1975: Arab countries, Europe, and USA gave Syria's notorious butcher and dictator Late Hafez Al Assad the green light and full support to invade and occupy Lebanon, the only multi-cultural, democratic country in the Arab world. In 2005 the Lebanese Cedars Revolution forces Syrian troops to leave Lebanon. Last month Lebanon fell again a prey to Syria and Iran and again the with the blessing of western countries.
In 1979, the USA brought to Iran Ayatollah Khomeini and his Islamic revolution on the account of its strong and powerful ally Shah Reza Shah Pahlevi. The Iranian Islamic Revolution under the late Khomeini and his current his successor, Supreme Leader, Sayyid Ali Khamenei oppressed its people, murdered or muffled all opposition groups' and individuals. Iran is now working hard on owning an atomic bomb, destabilizing Arabian Gulf Emirates and kingdoms through terrorism, demonizing the USA as a satanic regime, and is terrorizing the Middle East through its armed militias Hezbollah and Hamas. Meanwhile, the west has turned a blind eye to Iran establishing a mini-state in Lebanon through its armed militia, the terrorist Hezbollah..
In 2003, the USA invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussien's regime and replaced it by a pro Iran-Syrian one that have massacred the Christians and forced most of them to leave Iraq in fear for their lives.
In Afghanistan the USA nurtured and created the monster Al-Qaida and its devil Ben Laden, who orchestrated and executed the 911 terrorist attacks that instigated the western invasion of Afghanistan. Meanwhile the USA and Europe support and finance the most notorious fanatic and oppressive regimes in the world including Pakistan, Syria and others.
Elections and democracy are not always the road for freedom and liberation. No one should forget that in 1932 Adolf Hitler through structural elections took over Germany and created the worst dictatorship in history.
In this same western kind of mentality and wrong calculations, Ehud Barak's Israeli government abandoned its Lebanese loyal allies in south Lebanon in the year 2000 and handed south Lebanon without any fight to Hezbollah. While in June 2007, Ehud Olmert's government watched silently as Hamas took over the Gaza strip without giving its Palestinian allies any help.
Iran's President Ahmadinejad, Syria's dictator Bashar Al Assad, Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas' leadership, and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez among many leaders supporting terrorism allege that the West is a coward when it comes to confrontation, does not have the guts to fight, and always abandons its allies after using them. Well, the recent events unfolding in the Middle East make these allegations credible.
In conclusion, we believe that the western world has an obligation to help its Middle Eastern allies to gradually adopt a kind of democracy that is tailored to the culture, beliefs, traditions and history of their societies. They should not take any role in toppling them and help the Islamic fanatics to take over. Hopefully, the Western policy makers will wake up soon to the reality that they are playing with fire in the Middle East, because as we say back home in Lebanon, " He who plays with fire ultimately burns his fingers".
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Western military fleets are heading to Lebanon & Israel's army is on full alert
By: Elias Bejjani*
Hezbollah, the armed Iranian-Syrian terrorist proxy, is resorting to all sorts of force, terrorism, intimidation, threats, bribery, division, sectarianism, and instigation to install a new puppet government in Lebanon after toppling on January 13/2010 the Hariri national unity one in response to direct orders from its two Axis of Evil supporters, Syria and Iran.
In a report that was published today in the Kuwaiti daily Alseyiasi, veteran analyst and journalist Hamid Gheriafi wrote that many Western and Arabic countries have been lately issuing urgent travel warnings cautioning their citizens who are residing in Lebanon to take the highest required measures to avoid being targeted by Syria's and Hezbollah's armed groups and advising them not to travel deep into Lebanon's southern and Bekaa Valley regions or to go to Beirut areas where there are Sunni Shiite tensions.
The report stated that the whole democratic and Free World and the majority of the Arab countries are extremely concerned that Tehran's and Damascus's allies could take full control of the Lebanese state and all of its institutions, including both the army and internal security forces. USA, European countries, England, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and many other countries have been conducting around the clock consultations on the highest level to abort this vicious Syrian- Iranian scheme. The Syrian-Iran full control of Lebanon will impose a dire threat to all the Arab countries, Israel, and Europe.
Mr. Gheriafi learned from reliable European Intelligence sources in Brussels that at least two well equipped Western military fleets were urgently ordered to move from the Arabian Gulf to positions close to both Syria and Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea with strict instructions to fully monitor and watch the unfolding events in Lebanon, especially in case Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, succeeds in taking over the new Lebanese government.
The intelligence sources did not unveil the identity of the Western fleets, but confirmed that they comprise two nuclear aircraft carriers with 210 jet fighter planes on board, and more than 30 ships carrying about 5,800 marines armed with the latest technologies.
The same sources said that the Israeli air and navy forces have been on a high alert status since last Friday after Lebanon's Druze Leader, MP Walid Jumblat, decided to join Hezbollah and Syria with his parliamentary block, giving them the upper hand and a parliamentary majority that enables them to form a new pro-Syrian and -Iranian government, killing all chances for caretaker PM Saad Hariri to return as a PM.
A new Hezbollah-controlled government will cut all Lebanon’s legal and financial relations with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and force the country to fully join the Axis of Evil terrorist front comprised of Syria, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. The STL is expected to indict members from Hezbollah, Iran and Syria for the assassination of late Lebanese PM Raffic Hariri and dozens of high ranking Lebanese politicians, clergy, journalists and intellectuals.
Meanwhile, Israel's PM Netanyahu, his deputy and other high ranking officials expressed their very serious concerns in regard to the looming possibility that Lebanon will have a pro-Syrian and -Iranian government fully controlled by the terrorist Hezbollah and its allies.
The USA administration and both Houses are looking seriously into the dreadful hazards that could affect both the peace process and stability in the Middle East, in case Hezbollah succeeds in forming and fully controlling Lebanon's new government. The Obama administration will most probably halt all kinds of aid to Lebanon and even impose harsh sanctions.
In this same context, all the 18 countries with troops participating in the UNIFIL forces deployed in South Lebanon on the Lebanese-Israeli border are extremely concerned about their safety. These countries are definitely going to reevaluate their participation in UNIFIL, as well their aid to Lebanon once Hezbollah's government is in office.
In conclusion: The Free World and the Arabic countries have an obligation to help the Lebanese people by all available means, including military forces in a bid to stop Iran and Syria, through its armed terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, from taking over Lebanon and turning it into an arena for evil wars against all the democracies in the world. The confrontation with the Axis of Evil is inevitable and now it is the right time to act before it is too late and before a new Nazi dragon starts goose stepping in to devour all the Arab countries and Europe.
Click Here to read Alseyiasi, Hamid Gheriafi's Arabic repot /http://www.10452lccc.com/h.geriafi07/hamied24.1.11.htm
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Hezbollah, the armed Iranian-Syrian terrorist proxy, is resorting to all sorts of force, terrorism, intimidation, threats, bribery, division, sectarianism, and instigation to install a new puppet government in Lebanon after toppling on January 13/2010 the Hariri national unity one in response to direct orders from its two Axis of Evil supporters, Syria and Iran.
In a report that was published today in the Kuwaiti daily Alseyiasi, veteran analyst and journalist Hamid Gheriafi wrote that many Western and Arabic countries have been lately issuing urgent travel warnings cautioning their citizens who are residing in Lebanon to take the highest required measures to avoid being targeted by Syria's and Hezbollah's armed groups and advising them not to travel deep into Lebanon's southern and Bekaa Valley regions or to go to Beirut areas where there are Sunni Shiite tensions.
The report stated that the whole democratic and Free World and the majority of the Arab countries are extremely concerned that Tehran's and Damascus's allies could take full control of the Lebanese state and all of its institutions, including both the army and internal security forces. USA, European countries, England, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and many other countries have been conducting around the clock consultations on the highest level to abort this vicious Syrian- Iranian scheme. The Syrian-Iran full control of Lebanon will impose a dire threat to all the Arab countries, Israel, and Europe.
Mr. Gheriafi learned from reliable European Intelligence sources in Brussels that at least two well equipped Western military fleets were urgently ordered to move from the Arabian Gulf to positions close to both Syria and Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea with strict instructions to fully monitor and watch the unfolding events in Lebanon, especially in case Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, succeeds in taking over the new Lebanese government.
The intelligence sources did not unveil the identity of the Western fleets, but confirmed that they comprise two nuclear aircraft carriers with 210 jet fighter planes on board, and more than 30 ships carrying about 5,800 marines armed with the latest technologies.
The same sources said that the Israeli air and navy forces have been on a high alert status since last Friday after Lebanon's Druze Leader, MP Walid Jumblat, decided to join Hezbollah and Syria with his parliamentary block, giving them the upper hand and a parliamentary majority that enables them to form a new pro-Syrian and -Iranian government, killing all chances for caretaker PM Saad Hariri to return as a PM.
A new Hezbollah-controlled government will cut all Lebanon’s legal and financial relations with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and force the country to fully join the Axis of Evil terrorist front comprised of Syria, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. The STL is expected to indict members from Hezbollah, Iran and Syria for the assassination of late Lebanese PM Raffic Hariri and dozens of high ranking Lebanese politicians, clergy, journalists and intellectuals.
Meanwhile, Israel's PM Netanyahu, his deputy and other high ranking officials expressed their very serious concerns in regard to the looming possibility that Lebanon will have a pro-Syrian and -Iranian government fully controlled by the terrorist Hezbollah and its allies.
The USA administration and both Houses are looking seriously into the dreadful hazards that could affect both the peace process and stability in the Middle East, in case Hezbollah succeeds in forming and fully controlling Lebanon's new government. The Obama administration will most probably halt all kinds of aid to Lebanon and even impose harsh sanctions.
In this same context, all the 18 countries with troops participating in the UNIFIL forces deployed in South Lebanon on the Lebanese-Israeli border are extremely concerned about their safety. These countries are definitely going to reevaluate their participation in UNIFIL, as well their aid to Lebanon once Hezbollah's government is in office.
In conclusion: The Free World and the Arabic countries have an obligation to help the Lebanese people by all available means, including military forces in a bid to stop Iran and Syria, through its armed terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, from taking over Lebanon and turning it into an arena for evil wars against all the democracies in the world. The confrontation with the Axis of Evil is inevitable and now it is the right time to act before it is too late and before a new Nazi dragon starts goose stepping in to devour all the Arab countries and Europe.
Click Here to read Alseyiasi, Hamid Gheriafi's Arabic repot /http://www.10452lccc.com/h.geriafi07/hamied24.1.11.htm
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Syria, Iran & Hezbollah Occupy Lebanon
By: Elias Bejjani*
Edmund Burke: "Evil Prevails When Good Men Fail to Act"
What is currently going on in my beloved home country Lebanon is extremely pathetic, very bizarre, dreadful and explosive. While the prevailing enforced status quo is unprecedented. It is well known internationally as well as legally that when an occupying force withdraws from a country that it occupies the withdrawal must include all military, civil and paramilitary personnel, and all secret services bodies in a bid to allow the people of that country to run their own affairs independently.
This golden thumb rule was not implemented by the notorious Syrian Baathist occupation when the Syrian authorities were forced in 2005 to withdraw their occupying army from Lebanon after 28 years of barbaric, iron-fisted oppression. Syria left behind fully intact the notorious Hezbollah militia within its de facto mini-state that is much stronger and better equipped than the Lebanese army. It also left intact four Syrian military camps camouflaged under Palestinian armed factions and thirteen other armed Palestinian refugee camps that are all mini-states over which the Lebanese government has no authority or presence.
Since 2005, Syrian intelligence services scattered all over Lebanon have infiltrated all governmental institutions, directly and through their Lebanese and Palestinian armed militias. Hezbollah and other terrorists, mercenaries, and spies have assassinated numerous patriotic Lebanese figures including clergymen, parliamentary members, politicians, journalists, and intellectuals. At the same time Syria, with the help of its 'Axis of Evil' ally Iran, prevented Lebanese authorities from implementing the "Taef Accord" along with UN Resolutions 1559, 1701 and 1757. These resolutions called for the disarming the illegal Lebanese and Palestinian militias, entering and controlling the mini-states, safeguarding the country's borders with Syria, and an independent government free from foreign interference.
In response to direct orders from the two axis of evil countries Iran and Syria and against the wishes of the majority of the Lebanese people, on January 12/2011, Hezbollah toppled Lebanon's national coalition government. It is further threatening to topple by force Lebanon's democratic, secular, and multicultural government if it allows the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) designated by the UN General Security Council to continue its investigation of the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's Sunni Prime Minister Raffic Harriri and twenty-two others.
On January 17th 2011, the STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare submitted the tribunal's indictment to the Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen. It is strongly believed that top members from Hezbollah, Syria and Iran will be indicted. Fransen has up to 10 weeks to either accept the indictment and publicly announce it or send it back to Bellemare asking for more investigation in the crime.
In 2006, Hezbollah instigated a devastating war with neighboring Israel that killed more than 1,500 citizens and injured 4,000 others, displaced almost one third of the country's population, ruined thousands of buildings and houses, and destroyed most of the Lebanon's infrastructure with losses estimated at 20 billion dollars. The UN intervened to put an end to the war and the UN Security Council issued Resolution 1701 that called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and all other armed militias alongside Lebanese authorities to deploying their own armed forces all over the country.
In 2008, Hezbollah invaded the Sunni West Beirut suburbs and a part of the Druze Mount Lebanon killing and injuring hundreds after which it forced the "Doha Accord". This accord gave its leadership the upper hand in the government, legitimized its weaponry, as well as its terrorist mini-state. Meanwhile, Syria and Iran kept on supplying Hezbollah with all sorts of weaponry among which are more than 50,000 long, short and medium range rockets.
Since then, the Lebanese authorities have failed to implement any of the three above mentioned UN resolutions. Lebanon's governmental authorities have become a hostage to Hezbollah which has by force, bribery, and trafficking spread its armed control all over Lebanon and erected military bases on all Lebanon's strategic posts. As of now, the entire South Lebanon is under its full control with attacks on UNIFIL forces through by its militia occurring every so often.
Lebanon is a completely occupied country according to each and every legal criterion. Iran's Hezbollah proxy army in Lebanon has become a lethal threat not only to Lebanon and Israel, but also to peace and tranquility in all the Arabic countries, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and many other states. Sadly, Hezbollah's terrorist military grip on Lebanon's governmental institutions is escalating on a daily basis.
The UN has an obligation to enforce its two major Resolutions 1559 and 1701 and not to bury its head in the sand. Appeasing Hezbollah has only made its UNIFIL troops in south Lebanon mere hostages and under the mercy of both Iran and Syria. We call on the UN Security Council to vigorously implement UN Resolution 1701 lest Hezbollah topple the Lebanese government and replace it with an Islamic republic similar to the Iranian one.
In conclusion, the Lebanese people alone are by any means no longer able to disarm Hezbollah, dismantle its mini-state or rule their country independently as long as this Iranian-Syrian armed terrorist proxy has the upper hand. Needless to say that force and military deterrence are the only two languages that Hezbollah and its evil masters in both Iran and Syria will understand. A final military confrontation between the Free World and the 'Axis of Evil' that includes Iran, Syria and Hezbollah is inevitable. Based on the lessons of Hitler's aggression, the sooner this bloody confrontation occurs the better. Every passing day makes the price of blood and treasure to be paid more and more expensive.
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Edmund Burke: "Evil Prevails When Good Men Fail to Act"
What is currently going on in my beloved home country Lebanon is extremely pathetic, very bizarre, dreadful and explosive. While the prevailing enforced status quo is unprecedented. It is well known internationally as well as legally that when an occupying force withdraws from a country that it occupies the withdrawal must include all military, civil and paramilitary personnel, and all secret services bodies in a bid to allow the people of that country to run their own affairs independently.
This golden thumb rule was not implemented by the notorious Syrian Baathist occupation when the Syrian authorities were forced in 2005 to withdraw their occupying army from Lebanon after 28 years of barbaric, iron-fisted oppression. Syria left behind fully intact the notorious Hezbollah militia within its de facto mini-state that is much stronger and better equipped than the Lebanese army. It also left intact four Syrian military camps camouflaged under Palestinian armed factions and thirteen other armed Palestinian refugee camps that are all mini-states over which the Lebanese government has no authority or presence.
Since 2005, Syrian intelligence services scattered all over Lebanon have infiltrated all governmental institutions, directly and through their Lebanese and Palestinian armed militias. Hezbollah and other terrorists, mercenaries, and spies have assassinated numerous patriotic Lebanese figures including clergymen, parliamentary members, politicians, journalists, and intellectuals. At the same time Syria, with the help of its 'Axis of Evil' ally Iran, prevented Lebanese authorities from implementing the "Taef Accord" along with UN Resolutions 1559, 1701 and 1757. These resolutions called for the disarming the illegal Lebanese and Palestinian militias, entering and controlling the mini-states, safeguarding the country's borders with Syria, and an independent government free from foreign interference.
In response to direct orders from the two axis of evil countries Iran and Syria and against the wishes of the majority of the Lebanese people, on January 12/2011, Hezbollah toppled Lebanon's national coalition government. It is further threatening to topple by force Lebanon's democratic, secular, and multicultural government if it allows the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) designated by the UN General Security Council to continue its investigation of the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's Sunni Prime Minister Raffic Harriri and twenty-two others.
On January 17th 2011, the STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare submitted the tribunal's indictment to the Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen. It is strongly believed that top members from Hezbollah, Syria and Iran will be indicted. Fransen has up to 10 weeks to either accept the indictment and publicly announce it or send it back to Bellemare asking for more investigation in the crime.
In 2006, Hezbollah instigated a devastating war with neighboring Israel that killed more than 1,500 citizens and injured 4,000 others, displaced almost one third of the country's population, ruined thousands of buildings and houses, and destroyed most of the Lebanon's infrastructure with losses estimated at 20 billion dollars. The UN intervened to put an end to the war and the UN Security Council issued Resolution 1701 that called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and all other armed militias alongside Lebanese authorities to deploying their own armed forces all over the country.
In 2008, Hezbollah invaded the Sunni West Beirut suburbs and a part of the Druze Mount Lebanon killing and injuring hundreds after which it forced the "Doha Accord". This accord gave its leadership the upper hand in the government, legitimized its weaponry, as well as its terrorist mini-state. Meanwhile, Syria and Iran kept on supplying Hezbollah with all sorts of weaponry among which are more than 50,000 long, short and medium range rockets.
Since then, the Lebanese authorities have failed to implement any of the three above mentioned UN resolutions. Lebanon's governmental authorities have become a hostage to Hezbollah which has by force, bribery, and trafficking spread its armed control all over Lebanon and erected military bases on all Lebanon's strategic posts. As of now, the entire South Lebanon is under its full control with attacks on UNIFIL forces through by its militia occurring every so often.
Lebanon is a completely occupied country according to each and every legal criterion. Iran's Hezbollah proxy army in Lebanon has become a lethal threat not only to Lebanon and Israel, but also to peace and tranquility in all the Arabic countries, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and many other states. Sadly, Hezbollah's terrorist military grip on Lebanon's governmental institutions is escalating on a daily basis.
The UN has an obligation to enforce its two major Resolutions 1559 and 1701 and not to bury its head in the sand. Appeasing Hezbollah has only made its UNIFIL troops in south Lebanon mere hostages and under the mercy of both Iran and Syria. We call on the UN Security Council to vigorously implement UN Resolution 1701 lest Hezbollah topple the Lebanese government and replace it with an Islamic republic similar to the Iranian one.
In conclusion, the Lebanese people alone are by any means no longer able to disarm Hezbollah, dismantle its mini-state or rule their country independently as long as this Iranian-Syrian armed terrorist proxy has the upper hand. Needless to say that force and military deterrence are the only two languages that Hezbollah and its evil masters in both Iran and Syria will understand. A final military confrontation between the Free World and the 'Axis of Evil' that includes Iran, Syria and Hezbollah is inevitable. Based on the lessons of Hitler's aggression, the sooner this bloody confrontation occurs the better. Every passing day makes the price of blood and treasure to be paid more and more expensive.
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Terrorism: A Product of Rogue Regimes
By: Elias Bejjani
On September 25th 2010, Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Council, headed by Egypt's Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb issued this statement, "Egypt is an Islamic State, according to the text of its Constitution, which represents the social contract between its people. From this stems the rights of citizenship, as taught to us by the Messenger of Allah, in his pact with the Christians of Najran. In this pact, he decided that Christians would enjoy the same rights and freedoms as the Muslims. However, these rights and freedoms would be conditional to their respect for the Islamic Identity and the rights of citizenship as set by the Constitution." The Christians of Najran, Medina, refused conversion to Islam in 631 A.D. and offered to Mohammad that they could keep their faith in exchange for their acceptance of Islamic dominance and their payment an annual tax (Jizya). He accepted this deal and the pact was sealed between them.
On January the 9th of 2011, in his Sunday sermon, Maronite Catholic Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, strongly denounced the persecution of Christians, as well as all discrimination and acts of violence in the world linked to religion, particularly in Asia and Africa. He stressed that "the majority of the victims were members of religious minorities. These victims were not allowed to freely practice their faith nor celebrate their spiritual rituals and in such, had their basic human rights and freedoms violated". "Cardinal Sfeir proposed that defending and securing these rights of freedom of religion, could be achieved through the advocacy of all universal basic human rights and freedoms. He added that the protection of religious minorities was not a threat to the identity of the majority, but rather an opportunity for dialogue and the establishment of cultural richness and diversity".
Religious persecution and more specifically, Christian discrimination and intolerance, is most rampant in Muslim dominated countries of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The Christian minorities of many of these countries have most recently been facing dire hardships, unprecedented discrimination and even death.
A world wide wave of condemnation, fear and angry protests was waged in the aftermath of the recent savage terrorist attacks that targeted peaceful Christian worshippers and their churches in Iraq, Egypt, Sudan and Nigeria. Sadly, the focus of this wave of global unrest was the crime and not the problem nor the triggers that fuelled these tragedies. The catalyst and sources of this religious terrorism is a deeply rooted, systemic discrimination and suspicion of all things non-Islamic and Western. Unfortunately the Muslim fanatic, rigid and fundamental regimes produce the fertile educational and cultural milieus of hatred, ignorance and transgression.
Both the governments of Iraq and Egypt, where the most recent and bloodiest attacks against Christians took place, have blatantly ignored all precipitating factors that led to these horrific attacks. These governments, in a very superficial and patronizing display of concern, they reacted strongly with a wink and a nod, only to appease global anger and outrage.
On the Coptic Orthodox Christian celebration of Christmas Day that fell on January 6th, Egyptian authorities, in an apparent display of power, concern and tolerance, deployed more than 70.000 police and security officers throughout the country to guard Churches, while President Mubarak's two sons attended a Christmas mass celebrated by the Coptic Pope Shenouda. In Iraq, a similar display of concern and strict security measures were enacted .
It is with no doubt, that these superficial and temporary displays of power and concern, would not provide a solution to the deeply embedded insecurities, suspicions and rogue elements that helped to fuel these criminal acts of murder nor would they help to foster a safe environment for the persecuted Christian communities.
The persecution of Christians and all other minorities in the Middle East is not a recent phenomena, but rather has been going on for almost the last 1400 years. The worst periods of discrimination and persecution that Christians suffered and endured were during the Ottoman and Mamluke rule that spanned a period of more than 700 years.
It is worth mentioning that in all Muslim dominated governments, their constitutions and judiciaries are based on the Islamic Sharia (law), in which Christians and Jews are treated as second class citizens (Dhimmis), and in such are deprived of their basic human rights. These ‘Dhimmitude’ communities are inferior to their fellow Muslim citizens in all domains and walks of live. The most notorious countries in which the ‘Dhimmi’ class is strictly enforced and abused are Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Iran and Turkey.
The two main retributions that Christians and other minorities endure in Muslim dominated countries are the deprivation of their basic rights and the forced indoctrination through a mandatory Islamic education based on a fundamentalist curriculum. These rigid religious beliefs are often state sponsored and officially fostered in all schools and universities. Discrimination, persecution and humiliation are integrated in the everyday life, while the governments of these countries through their institutions, legislatures, judiciaries, and educational facilities, encourage, foster and legitimize such mentality and practices.
The cure to these problems do not lie in temporary and superficial security measures, but rather through the complete abolishment of the ‘Dhimmitude’ class, ‘infidel’ and "blasphemy" designation. Muslim governments are required to deal with their Christian citizens as equal citizens and grant them all their legitimate rights and freedoms in all domains. The Western free world countries as well as the UN are required to play a pivotal role in helping, encouraging and even politically forcing all Muslim country regimes to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Once these obstacles are addressed, then all terrorist organizations world-wide will be weakened, marginalized and alienated in their own societies. This collapse will be propagated in part due to the reality that these extremist organizations do not stand on their own in terms of identity; instead, they are proxies to regimes that provide them with financial means and an operational framework for their terrorist activities.
The Muslim regimes that have been breeding, recruiting, hosting, sponsoring, training, financing and using terrorist and fundamental organizations are Syria, Iran, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The most notorious are the two axis of evil countries, Iran and Syria. Saudi Arabia has been for years the main source for financing many fundamental terrorist groups among which is Ben Laden's Al-Qaida. For the last few years many fundamentalist groups have been fighting against the Saudi monarchy and threatening its grip on the country. While the Saudi regime is now fighting these terrorists, many Saudi rich men, businesses and institutions are still grossly financing many terrorist groups, especially Al Qaeda.
Fighting only the terrorist organizations is futile and a waste of time, men and resources, because the clandestine nature of the above listed regimes and specially the Iranian and Syrian ones would allow them to quickly and easily reform and restructure new organizations with completely new aliases who are ready to resume operations in full capacity.
One cannot rationally dissociate Syria and Iranian from terrorism all over the world. Both countries provide a safe haven for a myriad of terrorist organizations, (Hezbollah, Hamas and many others), direct their operations, and use Hezbollah's and Palestinians' ministates in Lebanon as their main field of recruiting, training and operations. Like the Mafia which uses money, crime, fear, intimidation, and violence as instruments of pressure to buy silence from otherwise good and honorable people, the Syrian and Iranian regimes use their proxy terrorist organizations (Hamas, Hezbollah and new versions of Al Qaeda) as instruments of pressure on their neighboring countries and as bargaining tool in their foreign policy strategies that has earned them a "no questions asked" attitude from the free world with regard to their bloody interference in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, West Bank, Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, South America and many other countries. In 1983 Syrian and Iranian terrorist proxies were responsible for bloody attacks against the American embassy, Marine compound and French troops in Lebanon costing hundreds of Lebanese, French and American lives.
We strongly believe that the effective long-term solution to the spread of fundamentalism and terrorism is through containing the rogue regimes. At the same time through the spread of democracy and freedom, and abidance of all Muslim countries' regimes with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
An effective global war against terrorism can not by any means be successful if the countries that breed terrorism organizations are not handled and contained first. In this same context, the war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Yemen will not be won unless the Pakistani, Yemeni and Iranian regimes are forced to totally cut their ties with terrorists and honour Humane Rights, freedom and democracy.. In the same token peace and stability in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, West Bank, Gaza, and Egypt will remain out of reach unless the Syrian and the Iranian regimes are international and regionally dealt with in a bid to stop all their terrorist tactics, games and ploys.
In conclusion, All the terrorist organizations all over the world including Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas are mere military tools and proxies that are found, financed, sponsored and fully controlled by rogue regimes. Accordingly the terrorists that attacked Christians and their Churches in both Iraq and Egypt are most probably Iranian and Syrian proxies. Therefore putting an end for such terrorist atrocities necessitate a solid, united and clear crystal world-wide approach towards both the Syrian and Iranian axis of evil regimes.
Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
On September 25th 2010, Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Council, headed by Egypt's Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb issued this statement, "Egypt is an Islamic State, according to the text of its Constitution, which represents the social contract between its people. From this stems the rights of citizenship, as taught to us by the Messenger of Allah, in his pact with the Christians of Najran. In this pact, he decided that Christians would enjoy the same rights and freedoms as the Muslims. However, these rights and freedoms would be conditional to their respect for the Islamic Identity and the rights of citizenship as set by the Constitution." The Christians of Najran, Medina, refused conversion to Islam in 631 A.D. and offered to Mohammad that they could keep their faith in exchange for their acceptance of Islamic dominance and their payment an annual tax (Jizya). He accepted this deal and the pact was sealed between them.
On January the 9th of 2011, in his Sunday sermon, Maronite Catholic Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, strongly denounced the persecution of Christians, as well as all discrimination and acts of violence in the world linked to religion, particularly in Asia and Africa. He stressed that "the majority of the victims were members of religious minorities. These victims were not allowed to freely practice their faith nor celebrate their spiritual rituals and in such, had their basic human rights and freedoms violated". "Cardinal Sfeir proposed that defending and securing these rights of freedom of religion, could be achieved through the advocacy of all universal basic human rights and freedoms. He added that the protection of religious minorities was not a threat to the identity of the majority, but rather an opportunity for dialogue and the establishment of cultural richness and diversity".
Religious persecution and more specifically, Christian discrimination and intolerance, is most rampant in Muslim dominated countries of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The Christian minorities of many of these countries have most recently been facing dire hardships, unprecedented discrimination and even death.
A world wide wave of condemnation, fear and angry protests was waged in the aftermath of the recent savage terrorist attacks that targeted peaceful Christian worshippers and their churches in Iraq, Egypt, Sudan and Nigeria. Sadly, the focus of this wave of global unrest was the crime and not the problem nor the triggers that fuelled these tragedies. The catalyst and sources of this religious terrorism is a deeply rooted, systemic discrimination and suspicion of all things non-Islamic and Western. Unfortunately the Muslim fanatic, rigid and fundamental regimes produce the fertile educational and cultural milieus of hatred, ignorance and transgression.
Both the governments of Iraq and Egypt, where the most recent and bloodiest attacks against Christians took place, have blatantly ignored all precipitating factors that led to these horrific attacks. These governments, in a very superficial and patronizing display of concern, they reacted strongly with a wink and a nod, only to appease global anger and outrage.
On the Coptic Orthodox Christian celebration of Christmas Day that fell on January 6th, Egyptian authorities, in an apparent display of power, concern and tolerance, deployed more than 70.000 police and security officers throughout the country to guard Churches, while President Mubarak's two sons attended a Christmas mass celebrated by the Coptic Pope Shenouda. In Iraq, a similar display of concern and strict security measures were enacted .
It is with no doubt, that these superficial and temporary displays of power and concern, would not provide a solution to the deeply embedded insecurities, suspicions and rogue elements that helped to fuel these criminal acts of murder nor would they help to foster a safe environment for the persecuted Christian communities.
The persecution of Christians and all other minorities in the Middle East is not a recent phenomena, but rather has been going on for almost the last 1400 years. The worst periods of discrimination and persecution that Christians suffered and endured were during the Ottoman and Mamluke rule that spanned a period of more than 700 years.
It is worth mentioning that in all Muslim dominated governments, their constitutions and judiciaries are based on the Islamic Sharia (law), in which Christians and Jews are treated as second class citizens (Dhimmis), and in such are deprived of their basic human rights. These ‘Dhimmitude’ communities are inferior to their fellow Muslim citizens in all domains and walks of live. The most notorious countries in which the ‘Dhimmi’ class is strictly enforced and abused are Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Iran and Turkey.
The two main retributions that Christians and other minorities endure in Muslim dominated countries are the deprivation of their basic rights and the forced indoctrination through a mandatory Islamic education based on a fundamentalist curriculum. These rigid religious beliefs are often state sponsored and officially fostered in all schools and universities. Discrimination, persecution and humiliation are integrated in the everyday life, while the governments of these countries through their institutions, legislatures, judiciaries, and educational facilities, encourage, foster and legitimize such mentality and practices.
The cure to these problems do not lie in temporary and superficial security measures, but rather through the complete abolishment of the ‘Dhimmitude’ class, ‘infidel’ and "blasphemy" designation. Muslim governments are required to deal with their Christian citizens as equal citizens and grant them all their legitimate rights and freedoms in all domains. The Western free world countries as well as the UN are required to play a pivotal role in helping, encouraging and even politically forcing all Muslim country regimes to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Once these obstacles are addressed, then all terrorist organizations world-wide will be weakened, marginalized and alienated in their own societies. This collapse will be propagated in part due to the reality that these extremist organizations do not stand on their own in terms of identity; instead, they are proxies to regimes that provide them with financial means and an operational framework for their terrorist activities.
The Muslim regimes that have been breeding, recruiting, hosting, sponsoring, training, financing and using terrorist and fundamental organizations are Syria, Iran, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The most notorious are the two axis of evil countries, Iran and Syria. Saudi Arabia has been for years the main source for financing many fundamental terrorist groups among which is Ben Laden's Al-Qaida. For the last few years many fundamentalist groups have been fighting against the Saudi monarchy and threatening its grip on the country. While the Saudi regime is now fighting these terrorists, many Saudi rich men, businesses and institutions are still grossly financing many terrorist groups, especially Al Qaeda.
Fighting only the terrorist organizations is futile and a waste of time, men and resources, because the clandestine nature of the above listed regimes and specially the Iranian and Syrian ones would allow them to quickly and easily reform and restructure new organizations with completely new aliases who are ready to resume operations in full capacity.
One cannot rationally dissociate Syria and Iranian from terrorism all over the world. Both countries provide a safe haven for a myriad of terrorist organizations, (Hezbollah, Hamas and many others), direct their operations, and use Hezbollah's and Palestinians' ministates in Lebanon as their main field of recruiting, training and operations. Like the Mafia which uses money, crime, fear, intimidation, and violence as instruments of pressure to buy silence from otherwise good and honorable people, the Syrian and Iranian regimes use their proxy terrorist organizations (Hamas, Hezbollah and new versions of Al Qaeda) as instruments of pressure on their neighboring countries and as bargaining tool in their foreign policy strategies that has earned them a "no questions asked" attitude from the free world with regard to their bloody interference in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, West Bank, Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, South America and many other countries. In 1983 Syrian and Iranian terrorist proxies were responsible for bloody attacks against the American embassy, Marine compound and French troops in Lebanon costing hundreds of Lebanese, French and American lives.
We strongly believe that the effective long-term solution to the spread of fundamentalism and terrorism is through containing the rogue regimes. At the same time through the spread of democracy and freedom, and abidance of all Muslim countries' regimes with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
An effective global war against terrorism can not by any means be successful if the countries that breed terrorism organizations are not handled and contained first. In this same context, the war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Yemen will not be won unless the Pakistani, Yemeni and Iranian regimes are forced to totally cut their ties with terrorists and honour Humane Rights, freedom and democracy.. In the same token peace and stability in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, West Bank, Gaza, and Egypt will remain out of reach unless the Syrian and the Iranian regimes are international and regionally dealt with in a bid to stop all their terrorist tactics, games and ploys.
In conclusion, All the terrorist organizations all over the world including Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas are mere military tools and proxies that are found, financed, sponsored and fully controlled by rogue regimes. Accordingly the terrorists that attacked Christians and their Churches in both Iraq and Egypt are most probably Iranian and Syrian proxies. Therefore putting an end for such terrorist atrocities necessitate a solid, united and clear crystal world-wide approach towards both the Syrian and Iranian axis of evil regimes.
Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Statement by Elias Bejjani addressing Arizona's tragedy
(Jeremiah 32:17: "Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.")
From the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC), we extend our warmest heartfelt condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the innocent victims that lost their precious lives in the tragedy of Arizona (US) yesterday.
We strongly deplore this senseless and inhuman act of violence, and wish a fast and complete recovery to USA Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and to all others who were injured. Our Sympathy goes in particular to the family of the young girl who sadly was among the victims.
We stress on fact that violence acts against democratically elected officials regardless of where they take place affect and undermine world peace, freedoms and democracy.
As Canadian Lebanese human rights advocates we stands with the people of the United States, our valued friends and neighbours, in this time of grief.
Elias Bejjani/LCCC Founder & Chairman
From the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC), we extend our warmest heartfelt condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the innocent victims that lost their precious lives in the tragedy of Arizona (US) yesterday.
We strongly deplore this senseless and inhuman act of violence, and wish a fast and complete recovery to USA Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and to all others who were injured. Our Sympathy goes in particular to the family of the young girl who sadly was among the victims.
We stress on fact that violence acts against democratically elected officials regardless of where they take place affect and undermine world peace, freedoms and democracy.
As Canadian Lebanese human rights advocates we stands with the people of the United States, our valued friends and neighbours, in this time of grief.
Elias Bejjani/LCCC Founder & Chairman
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Massacre of Egyptian Christians
By: Elias Bejjani
There are no sufficient or adequate words or sentiments that can express our sorrow, grief and pain with regard to Saturday's barbaric and savage attack that targeted by a car full of explosives and a booby-trapped bomb a Christian Coptic church in the vicinity of the Egyptian city of Alexandria as about a thousand worshipers were leaving the church after taking part in the New Year’s mass prayers. Reports stated that 21 Christian worshipers were killed, while more than 80 others seriously injured.
Egyptian President Mubarak publicly condemned the massacre and promised to prosecute and punish the criminals alleging that they were not Egyptians. Meanwhile, many countries all over the world, Church leaders, legal advocates and numerous international humanitarian organizations strongly deplored the brutal bloody premeditated attacks that constantly target and persecute Egyptian Christians. In the same context, two days ago 2 Christians were killed and 11 others injured in the Iraqi capital, Bagdad, when their neighborhoods were hit by an orchestrated series of terrorist explosions.
Apparently, rhetorical means of condemnation, denunciation and deploring are falling on deaf ears and numbed consciences in both Egypt and Iraq. We strongly believe that it is time for the UN and its General Council, Arab states, USA, Russia, Canada and all democratic and free countries to immediately step in and take all needed measures on all levels to actually and not just verbally protect Christians in both Egypt and Iraq, where sadly the ruling authorities and their security apparatuses bear full legal and humanitarian responsibility for the attacks. These authorities in both countries do not only abstain from carrying out their designated security duties, but also encourage encroachment on Christians and their churches, turn a blind eye on all terrorist attacks targeting Christians and help the attackers to escape judicial accountability. Ridiculously most of the Egyptian fanatical attackers who assaulted Christians and their churches were falsely alleged to be mentally sick.
Egypt, the biggest Arabic country, is one of the most notorious countries worldwide that systematically oppresses, discriminates and persecutes its Christian citizens. Egyptian authorities deprive their 12-15 million Christian population of most of their basic rights, while rigorously nurturing and promoting a culture of intolerance, hatred, and fanaticism that tags Christians as infidels and heretics. In the same realm, Egypt does not honor the Charter of Human Rights and instead governs its Christian population in accordance to the discriminative, racial and brutal Ottoman law known as the "Hamayouni Decree". It is worth mentioning that the Arab League has always been indifferent and silent in regard to all the assaults that target Egyptian Christians.
We strongly condemn the failure of the Egyptian authorities on all levels in fulfilling their legal, security and human obligations to protect Christians and hold them fully responsible for the heinous crime that on Saturday targeted faithful, peaceful and unarmed Christian worshipers in the city of Alexandria.
We urge our government of Canada to exert its utmost diplomatic efforts in a bid to help the persecuted Egyptian Christians, advocate for their just humanitarian cause at the UN, take all necessary measures to safeguard their rights, and ensure the freedom of their religious belief.
From the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC), we extend our warmest heartfelt condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the victims, and wish a fast and complete recovery for all the wounded and injured.
Our conciliation for the ongoing Egyptian Christian ordeal is in the Gospel of Saint Matthew 5/9-12: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” 5:10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 5:11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” 5:12 “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Background
The Hamayouni Decree (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).
The Hamayoni Decree, also "Hamayonic", or "Hamayouni" (Arabic: الخط الهمايونى), is a clause in Egyptian law, dating back to Ottoman rule (February 1856) that regulates church construction and maintenance. It is currently a cause of much controversy due to the conditions that need to be fulfilled in order for the permit to be granted. These same restrictions do not apply to mosques. The law requires that each permit must be issued by the Egyptian President. The requirements are complex, and frequently arbitrary, for building and repairing churches or church-owned buildings. These culminate in the requirement that the state president must personally approve all building applications, and the provincial governors must approve all applications for repairs, even for something as small as repairing a toilet or a broken window.
Click here to read the Arabic version of the editorial/ http://www.10452lccc.com/elias.arabic09/elias.maser02.1.11.htm
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
There are no sufficient or adequate words or sentiments that can express our sorrow, grief and pain with regard to Saturday's barbaric and savage attack that targeted by a car full of explosives and a booby-trapped bomb a Christian Coptic church in the vicinity of the Egyptian city of Alexandria as about a thousand worshipers were leaving the church after taking part in the New Year’s mass prayers. Reports stated that 21 Christian worshipers were killed, while more than 80 others seriously injured.
Egyptian President Mubarak publicly condemned the massacre and promised to prosecute and punish the criminals alleging that they were not Egyptians. Meanwhile, many countries all over the world, Church leaders, legal advocates and numerous international humanitarian organizations strongly deplored the brutal bloody premeditated attacks that constantly target and persecute Egyptian Christians. In the same context, two days ago 2 Christians were killed and 11 others injured in the Iraqi capital, Bagdad, when their neighborhoods were hit by an orchestrated series of terrorist explosions.
Apparently, rhetorical means of condemnation, denunciation and deploring are falling on deaf ears and numbed consciences in both Egypt and Iraq. We strongly believe that it is time for the UN and its General Council, Arab states, USA, Russia, Canada and all democratic and free countries to immediately step in and take all needed measures on all levels to actually and not just verbally protect Christians in both Egypt and Iraq, where sadly the ruling authorities and their security apparatuses bear full legal and humanitarian responsibility for the attacks. These authorities in both countries do not only abstain from carrying out their designated security duties, but also encourage encroachment on Christians and their churches, turn a blind eye on all terrorist attacks targeting Christians and help the attackers to escape judicial accountability. Ridiculously most of the Egyptian fanatical attackers who assaulted Christians and their churches were falsely alleged to be mentally sick.
Egypt, the biggest Arabic country, is one of the most notorious countries worldwide that systematically oppresses, discriminates and persecutes its Christian citizens. Egyptian authorities deprive their 12-15 million Christian population of most of their basic rights, while rigorously nurturing and promoting a culture of intolerance, hatred, and fanaticism that tags Christians as infidels and heretics. In the same realm, Egypt does not honor the Charter of Human Rights and instead governs its Christian population in accordance to the discriminative, racial and brutal Ottoman law known as the "Hamayouni Decree". It is worth mentioning that the Arab League has always been indifferent and silent in regard to all the assaults that target Egyptian Christians.
We strongly condemn the failure of the Egyptian authorities on all levels in fulfilling their legal, security and human obligations to protect Christians and hold them fully responsible for the heinous crime that on Saturday targeted faithful, peaceful and unarmed Christian worshipers in the city of Alexandria.
We urge our government of Canada to exert its utmost diplomatic efforts in a bid to help the persecuted Egyptian Christians, advocate for their just humanitarian cause at the UN, take all necessary measures to safeguard their rights, and ensure the freedom of their religious belief.
From the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC), we extend our warmest heartfelt condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the victims, and wish a fast and complete recovery for all the wounded and injured.
Our conciliation for the ongoing Egyptian Christian ordeal is in the Gospel of Saint Matthew 5/9-12: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” 5:10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 5:11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” 5:12 “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Background
The Hamayouni Decree (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).
The Hamayoni Decree, also "Hamayonic", or "Hamayouni" (Arabic: الخط الهمايونى), is a clause in Egyptian law, dating back to Ottoman rule (February 1856) that regulates church construction and maintenance. It is currently a cause of much controversy due to the conditions that need to be fulfilled in order for the permit to be granted. These same restrictions do not apply to mosques. The law requires that each permit must be issued by the Egyptian President. The requirements are complex, and frequently arbitrary, for building and repairing churches or church-owned buildings. These culminate in the requirement that the state president must personally approve all building applications, and the provincial governors must approve all applications for repairs, even for something as small as repairing a toilet or a broken window.
Click here to read the Arabic version of the editorial/ http://www.10452lccc.com/elias.arabic09/elias.maser02.1.11.htm
*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)