Monday, April 28, 2014

FBI Visits Gun Shop to Check Up on ‘People Talking About Big Government’

Apr 17, 2014
By: Joshua Cook
Source: benswann.com

Do you trust the government? As citizen’s civil liberties continue to be squashed, you could be question by the FBI if you don’t like “Big Government.”

A case in point is one reported by the Activist Post‘s Brandon Turbeville.

“While government surveillance of gun purchases and gun owners is nothing new, a recent visit by an FBI Counterterrorism agent to a Columbia, S.C. gun shop has only reinforced the knowledge that the U.S. government is growing more and more concerned by the prospect of a well-armed populace – particularly one that prefers to live without constant government interference in their personal lives.”

Behind the guise of “counter terrorism” prevention, the government has given itself carte blanche to go after law-abiding, gun-carrying citizens and not just the Islamic fundamentalists we thought they were going after…

PA continues to arrest Hamas supporters despite reconciliation agreement

28 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

The Palestinian Authority' security apparatus has not halted the campaign of arrests of Hamas supporters across the occupied West Bank, despite the signing the reconciliation agreement in Gaza four days ago.

In Tulkarm, the General Intelligence Service re-arrested Alaa Kharyosh after he was summoned for questioning on Saturday. Kharyosh is the brother of Mohammed Kharyosh, who was detained a month and a half ago.

In Hebron, the Preventive Security Service (PSS) summoned 27-year-old Taha Mohamed Shalaldeh from the town of Sa'ir north of Hebron on Tuesday. Shalaldeh is a former political prisoner. He spent more than 19 months in PSS prisons.

In Salfit on Saturday, a force from the General Intelligence Service raided the home of the freed prisoner Mohammed Hamada Al-Diek, 37, from the town of Kafr Al-Diek, in a failed attempt to arrest him. At the same time, the force raided and searched the homes of his relatives.

Al-Diek has been arrested numerous times by PA security services in the West Bank.

The PA's intelligence in Salfit also arrested the freed prisoner Osama Shaheen, 42; he was a former political prisoner.

In Jenin on Friday evening the PA's security apparatus attacked a motorcade of vehicles belonging to civilians who were celebrating the exit of a wounded resident from the hospital. He had been injured amid the assassination of Ezzeddin Al-Qassam's Abu Hamza Al-Hija and his two companions.

Local sources reported that dozens of residents' vehicles welcomed Mahmoud Abu Kamel, 22, after he completed his treatment in Nablus; he had been shot by occupation forces in the Jenin refugee camp about a month ago.

The sources said the residents were attacked by elements of the PA security apparatus as soon as they headed to the city of Jenin from the area of the Shohada Triangle towards the camp. Occupation forces fired at them, creating tensions between the two parties.

Link:  www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11133-pa-continues-to-arrest-hamas-supporters-despite-reconciliation-agreement.

Israel punishes Palestinian Authority by freezing construction projects in the West Bank

28 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

An officer of Israel's occupation forces has revealed that political motivations are behind Israel's recent decision to freeze 19 Palestinian construction projects in the West Bank, saying that this is an effort to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority for seeking to join UN organisations and conventions, Israel's Maariv newspaper reported on Sunday.

During a special committee meeting in parliament, Israel's coordinator of government activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, Major General Yoav Mordechai, was quoted as saying that, "Master construction plans for the Palestinian populations have been frozen as a response to [President] Mahmoud Abbas's overtures to the UN organisations."

Israel directly controls Area C of the occupied West Bank and the government has insisted that construction permits are issued based on the decision of planning experts; however, the occupation authorities have instituted a politicised bureaucracy that discriminates against Palestinians, making it very difficult for them to secure any such building permits even when international organisations are backing the projects.

Now, Israel plans to make it impossible for Palestinian to build legally, cancelling the 19 previously approved projects and stopping any future construction projects as well, a policy that is based solely on political considerations.

 

Link: .middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11130-israel-punishes-palestinian-authority-by-freezing-construction-projects-in-the-west-bank.

Israel halts contacts with Palestinians over Fatah-Hamas unity

26 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Israeli cabinet decided on Friday to halt peace talks with the Palestinians because of Fatah-Hamas unity and agreement to form a technocrat government backed by Hamas.

In a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office after a six-hour meeting for the Israeli reduced cabinet, Israel announced it would stop peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) government.

"The cabinet today unanimously decided that Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for Israel's destruction," the statement said.

An Israeli official was quoted by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth as saying: "Negotiations became impossible. Abbas [PA President] has gone a step too far. There will be no political contacts with the Palestinians."

Israel Hayom said that the resolution was supported by all members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet: Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and others.

However, Israel would not completely close the door with the Palestinians and said it would not cause the collapse of the PA. Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni said: "Sanctions will be measured. We will not cause the Palestinian Authority to collapse."

Israeli officials Surprised

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli diplomatic and military officials were surprised by the announcement of the unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas.

"We were busy with the warning by Mahmoud Abbas to dismantle the Palestinian Authority," a source told the newspaper. "The intelligence had not updated the political echelon about developments in talks between Hamas and the PA."

The source added: "It was quite simply a foul-up - we did not know what was going on."

Military officials also voiced their surprise about the agreement. They said they were tracking the incidents, but that they "did not know on which day this would happen. We did not even know for sure that there would be an announcement."

Link:  middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11112-israel-halts-contacts-with-palestinians-over-fatah-hamas-unity.

Haniyeh rejects resettlement of Palestinians in Jordan

28 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday that his government rejects the resettlement of Palestinian refugees within Jordan, or any other country.

Haniyeh's remarks came as he was paying a visit to the Jordanian Military Hospital set up in the wake of Israel's massive assault on Gaza in 2008/2009, what Israel calls "Cast Lead Operation".

The PM hailed the position of Jordanian King Abdullah II, as he also strongly rejects the idea of resettling Palestinians in Jordan. "Both nations, Jordan and Palestine, share the same history and present," Haniyeh said. "Jordanians have sacrificed their blood for the Palestinians."

"Palestinians have no alternative land for Palestine," he said, "we will not accept resettlement or compensation or any other project aimed to liquidate the Palestinian cause. This is our plan: to face the American-Israeli conspiracy against Palestinians and our sister Jordan."

Haniyeh reiterated that this is the official position of his movement Hamas.

He praised Jordan's hosting of Palestinian refugees since 1948 and its efforts to defend Jerusalem, holding continuous guardianship over the holy city and confronting Israel's Judiasation projects. He also noted that King Abdullah II was the first one to donate blood to the Palestinians in Gaza.

While touring the hospital, Haniyeh hailed its staff and their efforts to help the Palestinians by offering distinctive services.

The Jordanian leader of the hospital staff, Colonel Muttaleb Omar Bin Tarif, explained the nature of the services and the mechanisms for offering them to the Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip. He expressed pride for being part of a service mission to Jordan's "Palestinian brothers".

Link: .middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11135-haniyeh-rejects-resettlement-of-palestinians-in-jordan.

Does the Egyptian Church support a military strike on Libya?

22 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Pope Tawadros II of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church supports a planned military operation on Libya, sources close to the Pope told Elshaab newspaper.

According to the sources, the Egyptian church is "concerned about the presence of extremist elements in Libya" which it fears would attack Egypt. The church is particularly concerned about a newly formed militant group, the so-called Free Egyptian Army.

The statements could not be independently verified.

The sources added that a delegation from the church visited the military council to offer support for a planned military strike on Libya aimed at attacking militant groups complicit in the killing of Coptic Christians in Libya.

Military sources told Elshaab newspaper Sunday that the Egyptian armed forces intend to start a military operation against Libya with the support of the US to destroy the so-called Free Egyptian Army, which Libyan authorities insist it does not exist.

Military experts, however, questioned the authenticity of these reports, saying they only aim at spreading panic among Egyptians to continue to support Al-Sisi and also to pave the way for another coup d'état in Libya after a failed first attempt.

In an attempt to justify a military action against Libya, journalist Mostafa Bakry, known for his close links to the military leadership, claimed that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahry arrived in Libya. Similarly, another pro-coup anchor, Ahmed Youssef, called on the army to attack Libya after rumours about the formation of the Free Egyptian Army.

Link:  https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/11031-does-the-egyptian-church-support-a-military-strike-on-libya.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Salvation in Islam: Does Islam condemn all non-Muslims to Hell? ~ Dr. Ya...

Israel denies PLO official entry to Gaza Strip

22 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Israel denied the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, and member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation Mustafa Barghouti entry to the Gaza Strip through the Beit Hanoun-Erez crossing, a senior PLO official reported.

PLO Executive Committee member Jamil Shehadeh said: "Israeli forces refused to grant Barghouti, who is travelling as a member of the reconciliation delegation, a permit to enter the Gaza Strip via the Erez crossing."
Shehadeh pointed out that the delegation is determined to enter the Gaza Strip saying that "if Israel insisted on refusing to allow any delegation member to enter Gaza, we will go to Egypt and enter via the Rafah crossing."

Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11026-israel-denies-plo-official-entry-to-gaza-strip.

Israeli forces break into Al-Aqsa and attack worshippers

16 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Tens of worshippers were wounded yesterday when the Israeli army and police broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked Palestinians inside, eyewitnesses reported

According to locals "many worshipers suffocated from inhaling tear gas and others were bruised after the Israeli forces beat them up with batons."

The injured are being treated inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and the medical centre.

The Israeli forces tried to break into the mosque yesterday morning angering Muslim worshippers and prompting clashes.

An official in the Islamic Waqf who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: "The Israeli army seems to be trying to evacuate Muslim worshippers from the mosque to allow Jewish settlers to storm the mosque."
The Israeli forces and settlers gathered outside the Maghrabi Gate in the western wall which the settlers use to storm the mosque.

Hundreds of Palestinian Jerusalemites and Palestinian citizens of Israel gathered in the mosque to prevent the settlers from storming it.

Extremist Israeli groups called to break into Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Jewish holiday of Passover which began on Monday and lasts a week.

Link:  www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10940-israeli-forces-break-into-al-aqsa-and-attack-worshippers.

Pope Tawadros warns EU: Brotherhood would jail me if back to power

14 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

The Egyptian Copts against the Coup Movement revealed details of a meeting between Pope Tawadros and EU's Catherine Ashton in which the Coptic Pope warned the EU that a return of the Muslim Brotherhood to power would lead to his imprisonment.

Mina Magdy, an activist in the "Copts against the Coup Movement", said in a Facebook post that Pope Tawadros told Ashton: "The Muslim Brotherhood will imprison me on charges of supporting the coup if they come back to power, and the EU should protect the gains of Coptic Christians in Egypt."

ICC confirms Egypt complaint still under consideration

22 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that the complaint filed by the Freedom & Justice Party last year on behalf of the constitutional Government of Egypt is still under consideration by the Chief Prosecutor Mrs Fatou Bensouda despite untrue press reports to the contrary.

Following the coup d'état in July 2013 the Freedom & Justice Party submitted a formal complaint to the ICC along with an Article 12 (3) declaration bringing Egypt within the Court's jurisdiction. The complaint asks the ICC Prosecutor to investigate allegations of international crimes alleged to have been committed in Egypt since the coup.

The complaint submitted to the ICC contained evidence that showed that the post coup military regime had presided over widespread and systematic crimes which amounted to crimes against humanity. Since submitting the complaint a number of news organisations have incorrectly announced that the complaint had been rejected.

Lawyers acting for the constitutional Government, who are in contact with the ICC Prosecutor's office, have confirmed that the Prosecutor is still considering the complaint and supporting documentation and had not rejected it or come to a final decision about the status of the complaint.

Tayab Ali, partner of leading London law firm ITN solicitors, said 'The Interim Authority in Egypt is not able to hide from principles of international law. President Morsi's constitutional Government has the legal power to bind Egypt to international treaties and agreements. Accordingly, the ICC has no option but to act under the rule of law and hold perpetrators of International Crimes committed in Egypt accountable for what they have done to enforce their coup'.

Link:  www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/11049-icc-confirms-egypt-complaint-still-under-consideration.

Healing Benefits of Garlic

April 15, 2014
by





Garlic nutritional profile

Garlic is considered one of the most versatile foods when it comes to healing the body. It’s strong antibacterial, viral, and fungal properties support the immune system and helps destroy any foreign invaders which may cause disease in the body.
What are some of the things garlic contains that make it so powerful? Check out the following nutritional profile:
  • Contains beneficial amounts of vitamin B-6 and vitamin C, as well as thiamin
  • Rich in manganese, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and zinc
  • Contains powerful antioxidants
  • Is renowned for allicin, a phytochemical that is a very potent immune stimulator
The healing benefits of garlic are large in part due to its potent allicin content.

 Due to its remarkable immune stimulating properties, garlic has some incredible healing action that is hard to beat. It has been used successfully for the following:
  • Increasing the powers of the immune systems natural killer (NK) cells
  • Shrinking tumours, including stomach, colon, and breast and prostate cancer
  • Detoxifying lead, mercury, and aluminum from your body
  • Promoting cardiovascular health
  • Treatment of yeast overgrowth (Candida)
  • Destruction of meningitis
  • Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol
  • Destroying pathogenic bacteria
  • Repelling mosquitos, ticks, and parasites (as well as removing internal parasites such as tapeworm)
With such a wide variety of benefits and healing action that addresses the root of many diseases today (compromised immune function), garlic is well worth the stink.


How to use garlic in your diet

Garlic has a wide variety of uses in your diet, but the key to its benefits is to eat it as raw as possible, and within 10-30 minutes after being chopped, pressed, chewed, or juiced. This will ensure you get the maximum benefits from the key component, allicin.


For more information: http://www.healingthebody.ca/healing-benefits-of-garlic/.

 

Dangers Associated With Vaccinations Have Been Withheld From Public For 30 Years. Here Are The Documents






IvacIn this day and age, it’s very dangerous and naive for us, health professionals included, to assume that health authorities and pharmaceutical companies have our best interests at heart. We are living in a time where people are pushing for the freedom of information and as a result, it’s coming to the surface. For years, a massive amount of advertising has led people to believe that all vaccinations are safe and necessary. Many individuals continue to promote themselves as believers of science, without actually looking at and examining  the science behind vaccinations. Meanwhile, babies and children are bombarded with a rigorous North American vaccination schedule that more and more parents are choosing to opt out of. Much of this mistrust has to do with the lies and cover-ups from health authorities and vaccine manufactures, who have been involved in a 30 year scandal.

Documents obtained by Lucija Tomljenovic, PhD, from the Neural Dynamics Research Group in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of British Columbia reveal that vaccine manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and health authorities have known about multiple dangers associated with vaccines but chose to withhold them from the public. This is scientific fraud, and suggests that this practice continues till this day. (1)

The documents were obtained from the UK Department of Health (DH) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), who advise the Secretaries of State for Health in the UK about diseases preventable through immunizations.(1)


Documents reveal that the JCVI made “continuous efforts to withhold critical data on severe adverse reactions and contraindications to vaccinations to both parents and health practitioners in order to reach overall vaccination rates, which they deemed were necessary for “herd immunity.”(1) Wouldn’t it be illegal to deliberately conceal information from parents for the sole purpose of getting them to comply with an official vaccination schedule? Is this not an ethical violation? All potential adverse affects should be known and completely disclosed, especially with regards to vaccines, which are administered to individuals to prevent disease of which an individual will most likely never be exposed to. Many of them contain harmful toxic chemicals.
The documents further reveal that British health authorities have been engaging in these cover-ups of information for the last 30 years.  As a result many children have been vaccinated with their parents not knowing important information about the serious risks and adverse affects associated with multiple vaccines. (1)
“The transcripts of the JCBI meetings also show that some of the Committee members had extensive ties to pharmaceutical companies and that the JCVI frequently co-operated with vaccine manufactures on the strategies aimed at boosting vaccine uptake. Some of the meetings at which such controversial items were discussed were not intended to be publicly available, as the transcripts were only released later, through the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). These particular meetings are denoted in the transcripts as “commercial in confidence,” and reveal a clear and disturbing lack of transparency, as some of the information was removed from the text (i.e., the names of the participants) prior to transcript release under the FOI section at the JCVI website.” (1)
In summary, here are what the transcripts appear to show with regards to the JCVI/DH meetings that took place from 1983-2010.
  • Instead of reacting appropriately by re-examining existing vaccination policies when safety concerns over specific vaccines were identified by their own investigations, JCVI either a) took no action, b) skewed or selectively removed unfavourable safety data from public reports and c) made intensive efforts to reassure both the public and the authorities in the safety of respective vaccines
  • Significantly restricted contraindication to vaccination criteria in order to increase vaccination rates despite outstanding and unresolved safety issues
  • Persistently relied on methodologically dubious studies, while dismissing independent research, to promote vaccine policies
  • Persistently and categorically downplayed safety concerns while over-inflating vaccine benefits
  • Promoted and elaborated a plan for introducing new vaccines of questionable efficacy and safety into the routine pediatric schedule, on the assumption that the licenses would eventually be granted
  • Actively discouraged research on vaccine safety issues
  • Deliberately took advantage of parents’ trust and lack of relevant knowledge on vaccinations in order to promote a scientifically unsupported immunization program which could put certain children at risk of server long term neurological damage
The report goes on to provide some incredible and shocking information that is important for people to know. The report is cited in the article, but again, you can read the full version HERE.

In the last 30 years, the United States vaccine schedule has tripled, along with various ailments and disease. From birth, babies are bombard with a variety of different vaccinations. As a result, many have died, fallen ill and acquired a number of health problems. A 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, passed by congress as a result of pharmaceutical lobbying shields pharmaceutical companies and drug companies from injuries and deaths caused by the vaccines they manufacture. So, regardless of vaccine manufactures and health authorities knowing about the dangers associated with vaccines, and covering them up, they are still protected. Nevertheless, taxpayer money has dished out billions of dollars in vaccine injury related ailments.

This isn’t a conspiracy, it’s a reality. It’s always important to look at information on both sides of the coin. Sure, some vaccinations may have been successful in disease prevention, that doesn’t mean all of them are and have been. Health authorities and vaccine manufactures do commit scientific fraud and cover up information that might hurt their interests. Apart from this information, there are a number of credible studies that show how some vaccines can, are and have been harmful to human health. To view more articles from CE on this, click HERE


“Just because a study sponsored by the manufacturer does not identify problems with the vaccine does not necessarily mean that the vaccine is safe. In fact, if one looks at the manufacturer studies, their often not designed to detect serious adverse events. Obviously, you’re not going to find what you’re not looking for.” – Lucija Tomljenovic (2)

Sources:
Link seems to not be working for some ***
Here is another one:


Is Organic Farming the Key to Solving Hunger? And Climate Change?

September 24, 2013



Researchers say small-holder farms can produce enough to feed the world without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.



U.N. Report Says Organic Farming Could Solve Hunger...And Climate Change
A four-year-old Colombian child named Andres sows onion on a small farm near Tota lake in the village town of Aquitania, Colombia. (Jose Gomez/Reuters)


 Willy Blackmore is TakePart’s Food editor. He has written for The Awl, The New Inquiry, and elsewhere

Organic produce harvested from small, diverse farms may be fine and good for anyone who can afford to pay $3 or more per pound for tomatoes. But to the hungry masses of the developing world? What’s the heirloom-tomato-and-baby-lettuce model going to do for them? Sating that kind of hunger will take acre after acre packed with staple crops like rice and corn, grown with the aid of whatever chemicals and technology can optimize yields—at least that’s what many think.

A new report published last week by the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development suggests a far different approach, however, one that has more in common with the style of agriculture that produces your favorite tomatoes than a 1,000-acre field of corn in the Midwest. And it might not only be able to feed the world—the authors says it can help mitigate climate change too.

The report is exhaustive, with six full pages dedicated to listing the different acronyms referenced throughout the 321-page document. Topics range from the benefits of locally developed plant varities, to carbon sequestration as social justice, and democratizing access to seeds and other products. Full of sometimes dense, academic writing, it isn’t exactly something you’d want to curl up on the couch with. But the title—“Wake Up Before It Is Too Late: Make Agriculture Truly Sustainable Now for Food Security in a Changing Climate”—comes through like a shout.

The document makes a lengthy case for organic, low-input, small-scale agriculture as the best means for not only feeding the world, but for also managing the stresses of drought, rain and other catastrophic weather brought on by climate change. It’s not a new idea, nor does the U.N. explicitly endorse it—you won’t hear Ban Ki-moon talking about it at the General Assembly this week. But even if the report carries no weight beyond its rhetorical value (the U.N. isn’t making any policy recommendations by publishing it), having the organization’s logo, that top-down view of the globe, stamped on the cover still carries significance.

In the chapter “Strengthening Resilience of Farming Systems: A Prerequisite of Sustainable Agricultural Production,” Miguel Altieri and Parviz Koohafkan offer a lay thesis for the report, one that’s less confrontational than the title. Describing the importance of the various forms of traditional agriculture found around the world, the pair write, “They tell a fascinating story of the ability and ingenuity of humans to adjust and adapt to the vagaries of a changing physical and material environment from generation to generation.”
That’s a very different proscription for the future of agriculture—which will soon be taxed with feeding eight billion mouths—than is often put forward. Last year, for example, the Director of National Intelligence’s Global Trend Report for 2030 singled out biotechnology as the most promising means of managing increased demand and resources diminished by climate change. The report says that GMOs, “hold the most promise for achieving food security in the next 15-20 years.”

“What people are realizing is, first of all, industrial agriculture is not feeding the world,” Altieri, Professor of Agroecology at UC Berkley, said in a phone interview. “Most of what it produces is biomass, which is for cattle, biotech crops, and biofuels.”

What he wants to see instead is an approach to agriculture that does acknowledge the “ancestral knowledge” he writes about, whether it takes the form of drought-tolerant varieties of grains that have been selected over generations or learning more about agroecological (that’s what they call sustainable agriculture in the academy) systems’ abilities to cope with and rebound from catastrophic weather events like hurricanes.

“What we are trying to come up with is a western scientific approach, and people who have been farming for centuries have developed their own ethnosciences and we need to learn from them,” he says. “That’s going to be what helps us in the future.”

“Wake Up Before It Is Too Late” may be passively critical of GMOs, but it directly indicts the Green Revolution, the approach to agriculture championed by Norman Borlaug. In the 1960s, the Nobel Laureate agronomist helped transition farming in Latin America and Asia to modern hybrid wheat and rice varieties grown with the assistance of irrigation and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. “The world needs a paradigm shift in agricultural development: from a ‘green revolution’ to a ‘ecological intensification’ approach,” read the UNCTAD report’s “Key Messages.”

Borlaug, who also advocated for GMOs in the years before his death, in 2009, saw organic farming and criticisms of the Green Revolution as being diametrically opposed to feeding people the world over.

“Some elements of popular culture romanticize older, inefficient production methods and shun fertilizers and pesticides,” he wrote for the Wall Street Journal in 2009. “People should be able to purchase organic food if they have the will and financial means to do so, but not at the expense of the world’s hungry—25,000 of whom die each day from malnutrition.”

The Borlag Institute for International Agriculture declined to comment on the UNCTAD report.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is working to continue Borlag’s approach, but with an eye toward sustainability, and biotechnology—not just hybrid varieties—as the key tool in what some call a second Green Revolution. Addressing the debate over genetic engineering’s role in global agriculture (and not the report in particular), the Foundation’s communications officer Amy Enright wrote in an email, “Essentially, the foundation believes that people in the developing world should have the same access to innovation that benefits the rich world, and we believe that GM crops have the potential to provide benefits to farmers in the poorest parts of the world.”

“Advances in agriculture, just like in medicine, must be guided by regulations to ensure new products (seeds, vaccines or medicines) are safe and effective,” she adds. “We work with many partners across both the public and private sectors to ensure that farmers will have access to seeds that are affordable—so ultimately the farmer can choose what seed or technology is right for them.”

Despite Gates’ clout and cash and the legacy of the Green Revolution, Ben Lilliston of the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy gets the sense that the conversation is changing. “I’m optimistic that there is a shift taking place at the global level in the institutions and in the sort of larger dialog,” he says, referencing other reports from U.N. groups that advocate for sustainable approaches to agriculture.

But Lilliston admits that even if there’s a sense that he and like-minded people and institutions increasingly feel like they’re winning the argument, until ag policy and practice follow suit, it’s all academic. “When it come to global changes that are more concrete,” he says, “we haven’t really got there yet.”

Altieri agrees, saying documents like this, “give credibility to the approach, and it has an impact in academia. But it doesn’t change many things. At the end of the day, the debate isn’t scientific—it’s political.” According to him, reports like “Wake Up Before It Is Too Late,” “strengthens the social movements that are going to put the change on the politics.”

Pointing to the debate over Golden Rice trials in the Philippines and protests against GMO crops in India, Peru and parts of Africa, Lilliston believes that those social movements are already being empowered. “All of that is a sort of push back and resistance to the Green Revolution, chemical approach—and monoculture approach—to producing food.”

Link:  takepart.com/article/2013/09/23/un-report-says-organic-sustainable-agriculture-key-feeding-world.

The Story-Bottled Life

Source:bottledlifefilm.com

While the world's population continues to grow at an alarming rate, water is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity. The Swiss film "Bottled Life" documents the booming business with bottled water, by focusing on the global leader in this lucrative multi-billion dollar market – namely, the Nestlé corporation in Switzerland. Nestlé currently controls more than 70 of the world's bottled water brands, among them Perrier, San Pellegrino and Vittel.

Nestlé's annual sales of bottled water alone total some CHF 10 billion. And yet the company prefers not to discuss its water business – as Swiss journalist Res Gehriger discovered when researching this documentary film. The Nestlé management refused to give any interviews or assistance or to provide information. But Gehriger persisted, and discovered just how controversial and conflict-laden the company's international operations are.

Water war in the USA

tl_files/images/investigator/bl_res_office_atnight.jpgTo be able to sell and make money from water, you first have to own it. In the case of Nestlé this applies to many parts of the United States, by far the biggest market for its booming bottled water business. Whoever owns land or has acquired leasing rights is permitted to pump as much water as he likes. In the rural state of Maine, Nestlé has purchased many such water rights and resources. Every year the company pumps out millions of cubic metres of water, for transportation in road tankers to huge bottling factories. In the small towns of Fryeburg, Newfield and Shapleigh, journalist Res Gehriger witnessed how Nestlé tries to stifle and suppress local opposition to its operations with an army of powerful PR consultants, lawyers and lobbyists.

Nestlé's expansion strategy

tl_files/images/investigator/bl_res_in_hollis.jpg"Bottled Life" focuses a critical spotlight on Nestlé's global expansion strategy in the business of bottled water. In the United States and Europe, the company sells mainly spring water with a designation of origin. In developing countries, however, the corporation pursues another concept – namely Nestlé Pure Life. This product is purified groundwater, enriched with a Nestlé mixture of minerals. Nestlé Pure Life was the brainchild of Peter Brabeck, a Nestlé man almost all his life, a former CEO and currently Chairman of the Board. Today Nestlé Pure Life is the world's top-selling brand of bottled water.

Test market Pakistan

tl_files/images/the_fear/bl_pakistani_drinking_purelife.jpgRes Gehriger's research took him to Pakistan, Nestlé's test market for its Pure Life product. The company refused him access to its production plant in Pakistan – but Gehriger did get to see something of life outside the factory fence. In the nearby village groundwater levels have fallen dramatically, and the village fountain water is nothing more than foul-smelling sludge.
Nestlé Pure Life is a clever business concept. And particularly so in the developing world. In countries such as Pakistan where the public water supply has failed or is close to collapse, the company proudly presents its bottled water as a safe health-enhancing alternative. But for the overwhelming majority of consumers, it is an expensive out-of-reach alternative. In Lagos, for example, the mega metropolis of Nigeria/Africa with its population of millions, water always comes at a price. The scenario of a city in which everyone has to pay for life-giving water, is already a sad reality in Lagos. Families eking out an existence in the slums spend half their meagre budget on canisters of water. The upper class?  They purchase Nestlé Pure Life.

Whitewashing the water business

tl_files/images/brabeck/bl_brabeck_close_3.jpgNestlé places great priority on promoting its image. And when it comes to water, it's Peter Brabeck in particular who does the promoting. As CEO – and even more so after becoming Chairman of the Board in 2005 – he developed a communications strategy which operates under such noble pretences as "Corporate Social Responsibility" and "Creating Shared Value." A preached philosophy – but a practised one?
In researching this film, journalist Res Gehriger comes to a sad and sobering conclusion. It is that of a company intent on amassing resource rights worldwide. With the aim of dominating the global water market of the future.

Link: .bottledlifefilm.com/index.php/the-story.html?ak_proof=1.

Mecca for the rich: Islam’s holiest site ‘turning into Vegas’

January 17, 2014
Source:World Observer Online
 
 Behind closed doors – in places where the religious police cannot listen in – residents of Mecca are beginning to refer to their city as Las Vegas, and the moniker is not a compliment.

Over the past 10 years the holiest site in Islam has undergone a huge transformation, one that has divided opinion among Muslims all over the world.

Once a dusty desert town struggling to cope with the ever-increasing number of pilgrims arriving for the annual Hajj, the city now soars above its surroundings with a glittering array of skyscrapers, shopping malls and luxury hotels.

To the al-Saud monarchy, Mecca is their vision of the future – a steel and concrete metropolis built on the proceeds of enormous oil wealth that showcases their national pride.

Yet growing numbers of citizens, particularly those living in the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have looked on aghast as the nation’s archaeological heritage is trampled under a construction mania backed by hardline clerics who preach against the preservation of their own heritage. Mecca, once a place where the Prophet Mohamed insisted all Muslims would be equal, has become a playground for the rich, critics say, where naked capitalism has usurped spirituality as the city’s raison d’être.

Few are willing to discuss their fears openly because of the risks associated with criticising official policy in the authoritarian kingdom. And, with the exceptions of Turkey and Iran, fellow Muslim nations have largely held their tongues for fear of of a diplomatic fallout and restrictions on their citizens’ pilgrimage visas. Western archaeologists are silent out of fear that the few sites they are allowed access to will be closed to them.

But a number of prominent Saudi archaeologists and historians are speaking up in the belief that the opportunity to save Saudi Arabia’s remaining historical sites is closing fast.

“No one has the balls to stand up and condemn this cultural vandalism,” says Dr Irfan al-Alawi who, as executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, has fought in vain to protect his country’s historical sites. “We have already lost 400-500 sites. I just hope it’s not too late to turn things around.”
Sami Angawi, a renowned Saudi expert on the region’s Islamic architecture, is equally concerned. “This is an absolute contradiction to the nature of Mecca and the sacredness of the house of God,” he told the Reuters news agency earlier this year. “Both [Mecca and Medina] are historically almost finished. You do not find anything except skyscrapers.”

Dr Alawi’s most pressing concern is the planned £690m expansion of the Grand Mosque, the most sacred site in Islam which contains the Kaaba – the black stone cube built by Ibrahim (Abraham) that Muslims face when they pray.

Construction officially began earlier this month with the country’s Justice Minister, Mohammed al-Eissa, exclaiming that the project would respect “the sacredness and glory of the location, which calls for the highest care and attention of the servants or Islam and Muslims”.

The 400,000 square metre development is being built to accommodate an extra 1.2 million pilgrims each year and will turn the Grand Mosque into the largest religious structure in the world. But the Islamic Heritage Foundation has compiled a list of key historical sites that they believe are now at risk from the ongoing development of Mecca, including the old Ottoman and Abbasi sections of the Grand Mosque, the house where the Prophet Mohamed was born and the house where his paternal uncle Hamza grew up.

There is little argument that Mecca and Medina desperately need infrastructure development. Twelve million pilgrims visit the cities every year with the numbers expected to increase to 17 million by 2025.
But critics fear that the desire to expand the pilgrimage sites has allowed the authorities to ride roughshod over the area’s cultural heritage. The Washington-based Gulf Institute estimates that 95 per cent of Mecca’s millennium-old buildings have been demolished in the past two decades alone.

The destruction has been aided by Wahabism, the austere interpretation of Islam that has served as the kingdom’s official religion ever since the al-Sauds rose to power across the Arabian Peninsula in the 19th century.

In the eyes of Wahabis, historical sites and shrines encourage “shirq” – the sin of idolatry or polytheism – and should be destroyed. When the al-Saud tribes swept through Mecca in the 1920s, the first thing they did was lay waste to cemeteries holding many of Islam’s important figures. They have been destroying the country’s heritage ever since. Of the three sites the Saudis have allowed the UN to designate World Heritage Sites, none are related to Islam.

Those circling the Kaaba only need to look skywards to see the latest example of the Saudi monarchy’s insatiable appetite for architectural bling. At 1,972ft, the Royal Mecca Clock Tower, opened earlier this year, soars over the surrounding Grand Mosque, part of an enormous development of skyscrapers that will house five-star hotels for the minority of pilgrims rich enough to afford them.

To build the skyscraper city, the authorities dynamited an entire mountain and the Ottoman era Ajyad Fortress that lay on top of it. At the other end of the Grand Mosque complex, the house of the Prophet’s first wife Khadijah has been turned into a toilet block. The fate of the house he was born in is uncertain. Also planned for demolition are the Grand Mosque’s Ottoman columns which dare to contain the names of the Prophet’s companions, something hardline Wahabis detest.

For ordinary Meccans living in the mainly Ottoman-era town houses that make up much of what remains of the old city, development often means the loss of their family home.

Non-Muslims cannot visit Mecca and Medina, but The Independent was able to interview a number of citizens who expressed discontent over the way their town was changing. One young woman whose father recently had his house bulldozed described how her family was still waiting for compensation. “There was very little warning; they just came and told him that the house had to be bulldozed,” she said.

Another Meccan added: “If a prince of a member of the royal family wants to extend his palace he just does it. No one talks about it in public though. There’s such a climate of fear.”

Dr Alawi hopes the international community will finally begin to wake up to what is happening in the cradle of Islam. “We would never allow someone to destroy the Pyramids, so why are we letting Islam’s history disappear?”

Under Threat

Bayt al-Mawlid
When the Wahabis took Mecca in the 1920s they destroyed the dome on top of the house where the Prophet Mohammed was born. It was thenused as a cattle market before being turned into a library after a campaign by Meccans. There are concerns that the expansion of the Grand Mosque will destroy it once more. The site has never been excavated by archaeologists.

Ottoman and Abasi columns of the Grand Mosque
Slated for demolition as part of the Grand Mosque expansion, these intricately carved columns date back to the 17th century and are the oldest surviving sections of Islam’s holiest site. Much to the chagrin of Wahabis, they are inscribed with the names of the Prophet’s companions. Ottomon Mecca is now rapidly disappearing

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
For many years, hardline Wahabi clerics have had their sites set on the 15th century green dome that rests above the tomb holding the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar in Medina. The mosque is regarded as the second holiest site in Islam. Wahabis, however, believe marked graves are idolatrous. A pamphlet published in 2007 by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, endorsed by Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated that “the green dome shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in the Prophet’s Masjid”.

Jabal al-Nour
A mountain outside Mecca where Mohammed received his first Koranic revelations. The Prophet used to spend long spells in a cave called Hira. The cave is particularly popular among South Asian pilgrims who have carved steps up to its entrance and adorned the walls with graffiti. Religious hardliners are keen to dissuade pilgrims from congregating there and have mooted the idea of removing the steps and even destroying the mountain altogether.

Link:  http://worldobserveronline.com/2014/01/17/mecca-rich-islams-holiest-site-turning-vegas/.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The power struggle within the Egyptian army heading toward crisis

21 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Day after day, and as the date of the presidential elections in Egypt approaches, power struggle within the Egyptian military establishment intensifies. According to information circulating at the highest levels in Cairo, conflict is increasing and is intensifying within the Egyptian military establishment so much so that it has now become a major source of concern for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates who fear that such power struggle may lead to a coup against Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi once he becomes president.

A source close to the Egyptian army top command has told Asrar Arabiyah website that the power struggle happens to be over the position of the defence minister. Al-Sisi finds himself in a critical position having immunised the position of the Defence Minister in the constitution lest he failed to become President. But now, and since he is very close to become President, he fears the man holding that immunised position (of defence minister), Sidqi Subhi. The source says that Al-Sisi has endeavoured to keep to himself both the position of President and the position of Defence Minister. Yet, a strong current within the army, headed by Sidqi Subhi, refused (to allow this) and thwarted it. This was the reason why announcing Al-Sisi's nomination for the presidential elections was delayed. When Al-Sisi failed to keep both positions he tried to favour his own relative and close friend General Mahmoud Hijazi with the position (of Defence Minister). But he failed too and a deal was struck according to which Mahmoud Hijazi was appointed Chief of Staff while Sidqi was appointed Minister of Defence. However, the source affirms that the battle is far from over. Al-Sisi is still trying to unseat Sidqi from the Ministry of Defence in the hope of replacing him with Hijazi although the constitution does not grant him that right. There is widespread belief that this file will top his agenda once he becomes President of Egypt.

It is worth noting that General Mahmoud Hijazi was an obscure army officer until he was promoted by Al-Sisi to become Director of Military Intelligence and then Chief of Staff. Although, according to some sources, Hijazi's appointment as Chief of Staff was part of a deal that included the appointment of Sidqi Subhi as Minister of Defence, the latter realises that Al-Sisi will continue after he assumes the presidency his endeavour to remove Subhi from the Defence Ministry so as to turn it over to his own perfectly loyal associate Jijazi.

Sidqi Subhi represents a wide trend within the top army command and enjoys within the security agencies the support of the former Director of General Intelligence Brig. Murad Muwafi who was previously rumoured to have wanted to stand for the presidency in the upcoming elections but eventually withdrew from the battle a few days ago.

This power struggle represents one of the fiercest bone breaking battles facing Al-Sisi. It was also one of the reasons why his nomination for the presidency was delayed because he was looking for a solution to (the problem arising from his loss of) the position he had immunised and rendered the most important of all positions in Egypt but had eventually to abandon so as to become President of Egypt.

Source: Asrar Arabiya 

Link:  .middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/11012-the-power-struggle-within-the-egyptian-army-heading-toward-crisis.

Arabi 21 - Yahya Hamid: We count on the Egyptian people to defeat the coup

21 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Yahya Hamid, President Morsi's Minister of Investment, has said that the anti-coup forces count not on any foreign factor but principally on the awareness and determination of the Egyptian people as well as on the increasing rejection within the people's ranks "of the attempts by the coup perpetrators to return Egypt to the era of the despotic military state".

In an exclusive interview given to Arabi 21, Hamid said that there has been some negative impact on the anti-coup forces due to what some media disseminated in the aftermath of the signing of the Riyad Document by the Gulf states to the effect of alleging that personalities and currents that support legitimacy - and at the heart of which happens to be the Muslim Brotherhood - will be the main victims of any Gulf concord. He also said that London and not the Muslim Brotherhood will be the real loser as a result of succumbing to the dictates of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and ordering an inquiry into the Brotherhood.

Hamid added: "Such (media) analysis is nothing but wishful thinking on the part of those that support the coup or act at its behest. Our stance is unwavering and it emanates from purely internal Egyptian reckoning. We shall continue to resist the coup until it is toppled and until the attempts to return Egypt to the era of military rule are thwarted. It is the people of Egypt living on the proud land of Egypt who will decide and not any external state whether hostile or friendly."

Hamid, who was the second youngest minister in Egypt's modern history, alluded to the importance of the role played by the youth in the Egyptian revolution and said: "The conscientious Egyptian youth are the ones who lead the revolution on the streets. In pursuing peaceful change, we count on the efforts made by these youth who are aware of the magnitude of the challenges (facing them) and they know full well the volume of the foreign aid accorded to the coup perpetrators. Yet, these (youth) are determined to continue the revolution until they bring the coup down and regain freedom and restore dignity for the Egyptian citizen."

Asked by Arabi 21 about (why) the Egyptian (military) regime is still continuing (to be there) despite the passage of more than nine months since the coup, Hamid answered: "Revolutions require patience and peaceful change requires time. As it has been said ‘victory is the fruit of an hour's patience'. We are ready to be patient for as long as it takes. Thanks to our faith in God, to our confidence in the justness of our cause and to the support of our people, we are capable of confronting all the internal and external conspiracies and of enduring until we achieve victory for our people. We shall pursue peaceful struggle for the sake of our country no matter how long this takes or how much effort and sacrifices it requires. The march of the Muslim Brotherhood along several decades has proven this (to be the case). Victory is inevitable, God willing. Once this is accomplished our people will not forget who stood by them and who conspired against them.

Link:  middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/11013-arabi-21-yahya-hamid-we-count-on-the-egyptian-people-to-defeat-the-coup.

Egypt: More than 20,000 detainees to start 'uprising'

19 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

For the first time since the July 3 coup, thousands of Egyptian prisoners announced they would join an "uprising" against the politicization of justice in post-coup Egypt.

In a statement obtained by Middle East Monitor Friday, the detainees claimed their numbers exceed 20,000. According to the statement, the detainees include 1232 medical doctors, 2574 engineers, 124 university professors and scientists, 5342 Al-Azhar University affiliates, 3879 students, 704 women, 689 children and thousands of workers in different sectors. All of them are facing a myriad of charges, including terrorism and violence, brought against them by "a bunch of power-hungry killers and coup commanders who carried out a bloody coup that claimed the lives of thousands."

The statement slammed the unprecedented repression by "military coup militias", citing arbitrary arrests and trumped-up charges brought against "patriotic citizens".

The statement condemned Egyptian judiciary for becoming a tool for the military, politicizing courts and issuing verdicts based on the whims of military coup leaders.

"Court rulings are based on fake, unsubstantiated charges, which leads to verdicts that contravene the law, constitution, and all international standards of fair trials. For instance, one court, in two sessions, sentenced 529 detainees to death over the killing of one police officer. Another court handed down a life sentence for other defendants from the first session. Such speedy justice are illegal but above all illogical," the statement added.

According to the statement, the "torture machine" employed by the military included electrical shocks, removing nails, severe beating and cutting parts of the body. The statement claims that 21 prisoners died of torture inside detention centers since the July 3 coup, 618 are suffering serious diseases, including 53 children suffering from Parotitis but authorities still refuse to release them.

Based on the above, the prisoners declared an uprising in all Egyptian prisons to bring down the coup. "It's time to declare anger," the statement read. The uprising will start with a hunger strike and a sit-in inside all cells, boycotting prosecution hearings, and personal visits. It is slated to start on April 30.

Link:  middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/10992-egypt-more-than-20000-detainees-to-start-uprising.

Muslim village not in Wilpattu

By Latheef Farook
Source: latheeffarook.com

A small minority of Muslim families were living peacefully for centuries in the Marichchikatti village in the Musali division in the Mannar District. They were involved in paddy cultivation and other such work. In keeping with their religious requirement they built their own mosque there. To help continue with their cultivation work, the government even built a
dam – before 1970.

Life was simple and they remained a contented lot.

In 1990, with the Tamil Tiger terrorists' ethnic cleansing of Muslims in the North, these families too were driven out, and they lost all their belongings and ended up empty-handed in camps for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Puttalam, where, like other IDPs, they languished in poverty, besides facing numerous other problems.

They were all happy when the government forces defeated the LTTE in May 2009 hopeful that they too could return to their own soil and rebuild their lives.

With the situation improving after the war they started returning to their ancestral village of Marichchikatti only to realize that the entire village had become jungle as it had been neglected for almost two decades.

Yet, they did not lose hope. All what they wanted was to clear the jungle and live in their own soil. Pinning their hope on Allah they jointly and individually cleared the jungle, which was no easy task. They did so with the support of the government and the Divisional Secretary.

They were all poor and did not possess the money to rebuild proper houses. However, they built mud-walled huts covered with palm leaves and settled there. A non-governmental organization helped them put up these huts.

Today there are around 150 families and about 500 people.

This has nothing to do with the Wilpattu National Park. However, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), which is spearheading a fierce anti-Muslim campaign, tearing apart communities and pushing the country towards a disastrous path, began a vicious campaign saying that Marichchikatti is located in Wilpattu and Industries Minister, Rishad Bathiudeen is colonizing the Wilpattu Sanctuary with Muslims.

This was misleading as the Marichichikattu village belongs to the Musali division in the Mannar District.

With the BBS campaign intensifying, a group of eight Buddhist monks led by the Secretary Jathika Bala Sena, Ven Watareka Vijitha Thera, visited Marichchikatti village on a study tour, while so-called Muslim parliamentarians, who have sold their souls for positions and perks, were busy watching cricket.

Contrary to BBS propaganda, they found that Muslims were living in their own village in Marichchikatti and not inside the Wilpattu Sanctuary.

These Muslims have also produced deeds and all other relevant documents for their lands. They had also shown evidence of an old mosque there before they were evicted. This mosque is now under Navy control.

Meanwhile, refuting the BBS allegations, Minister Bathiudeen has said these houses were built with the knowledge of the government.

There is nothing illegal in building these houses as they have acquired permission from the relevant line ministries and this is sanctioned by the government.

Meanwhile, squatters vowed to commit suicide and Mannar District Secretary, M.Y. Deshapriya, has promised some relief. About 70 displaced families squatting at the location said the location was their original residences before they were evicted by the LTTE in 1990

Courtesy: Ceylon Today

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Have GCC countries reached reconciliation?

19 April 2014
Source: alarabiya.net

Statements released following the latest meeting between foreign ministers of the GCC countries in Riyadh said the diplomats conducted “an overall review of the procedures in place pertaining to foreign and security policies,” and that the group “agreed to adopt mechanisms to guarantee a collective framework and to ensure that policies of any of the GCC countries would not affect the interests, security and stability of the countries, nor undermine their sovereignty.”

In this regard, the diplomats have confirmed their respective countries' agreement on the ways to implement the Riyadh agreement, which is based on the principles of the GCC statute.
Of course, it is impossible that anyone can truly understand these statements without using an interpreter. Vagueness is our preferred language in the Gulf, relying on signs, and a sign is all that a free man needs to understand.
The stability of the GCC countries is a very important element, not only to its people, but to the region as a whole; a region that’s in desperate need for a safety net and stability. And if these forces, which might look weak and calm, decided to join hands and unify their policies, they could change the face of the region for the better.
Abdulrahman al-Rashed
In fact, decrypting the statement is quite a difficult task. How would someone understand the meaning of “agreeing on the importance of the strict implementation of the commitments undertaken” when the statement doesn’t define what should be implemented and what commitments were made?

Kuwaiti mediation

It goes without saying that Kuwait played a positive role to stop the defragmentation of the GCC council, the last stable entity in the region.

Prior to Kuwaiti mediation, the dispute was quickly slipping into a point of no return after three countries recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in protest and there were plans to impose sanctions, a move which would extend far beyond the previous symbolic and diplomatic measures.

The expression of “strict implementation” shows us that there are specific measures that need to be taken and that there is a team who is responsible for overseeing the implementation. Without announcing the annexes of the agreement, the door will remain open to speculate on the banned and tolerated activities.

Gulf stability

Some of the reasons behind the dispute between Qatar and its three GCC peers, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain, are known and publicly debated, and are possibly the easiest to resolve. Others, however, are less palpable and could lead to the collapse of the GCC and the Gulf front.

The disputes between GCC countries are as wide as the map of the Middle East; from Egypt to Yemen, Syria, Libya and Tunisia, but the hidden disputes can go as deep as sovereignty itself!

Whether the Riyadh agreement represents a true reconciliation between the countries or is just simply pacification, the leaders of the GCC countries have a major responsibility to admit that the value of their council is greater than their trillions’ rich investment funds, established for rainy days. In the days of calm, it’s easy to mess with relations and turn differences into greater disputes and political games, but nobody knows when the dark clouds will accumulate and a storm will hit.

The stability of the GCC countries is a very important element, not only to its people, but to the region as a whole; a region that’s in desperate need for a safety net and stability. And if these forces, which might look weak and calm, decided to join hands and unify their policies, they could change the face of the region for the better.

This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on April 19, 2014.
____________________
Abdulrahman al-Rashed is the General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. A veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, where he still regularly writes a political column. He has also served as the editor of Asharq al-Awsat’s sister publication, al-Majalla. Throughout his career, Rashed has interviewed several world leaders, with his articles garnering worldwide recognition, and he has successfully led Al Arabiya to the highly regarded, thriving and influential position it is in today.

Last Update: Saturday, 19 April 2014

Link:  alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/04/19/Have-GCC-countries-reached-reconciliation-.html.

BBS-Ashin Wirathu Alliance

By Latheef Farook
Source:latheeffarook.com

Is Sri Lanka heading towards a Rohingya type attack on island’s besieged Muslims?

The alliance between anti Muslim Sri Lankan racist outfit Bodu Bala Sena and Burma’s   blood thirsty Buddhist Monk Ashin Wiruthu, responsible for slaughtering thousands of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, spells disaster for the island.

This extremely dangerous alliance, brought together by their common hatred towards Islam and Muslims,
perhaps trained and financed by their new found  Israel and United States friends , has all the ingredients to turn the island into a killing field from which it may unlikely to recover for decades  to come  under the existing  local and global political environment.

This unholy alliance fits into the Zionist sponsored and United States led global anti Muslim campaign to justify the invasion and destruction of   Muslim countries. This is the reason why the Muslims suspect the hate mongers as mercenaries of foreign forces.   

The growing fear among the island’s besieged Muslim community is that “BBS-Asin Wirathu Alliance” may lead to a Rohingya type attack on the island’s Muslims.  

Already the Sinhalese extremists led by Jathika Hela Urumaya and what is perceived as its fronts such as BBS, Sihala Ravaya and Ravana Balakaya managed to poison the minds of Sinhalese against Muslims to justify such an attack on Muslims. In fact JHU’s Udaya Gammanpila even stated once that “a 1915 type Sinhala-Muslim riot is inevitable”. 

It appears this hate campaign unleashed during the past two and half years   had already dented the centuries old traditional harmonious relations between Sinhalese and Muslims.

However there are signs of hope for the island. Responsible elements among the Sinhalese started waking up to the threat posed by theseGnana-Wirathu extremists to their society. Many   admit that extremists have already caused considerable damage to the image of Buddhism and the Sinhalese community.

 On the other hand the Muslims begin to realize that this is not a conflict between Sinhalese and Muslims, but the work of few hundreds of extremists who do not represent   the Sinhalese community as they claim. It was under this atmosphere that the BBS leaders met Myanmar’s Monk Ashin Wirathu, described by Time magazine as the “Monk of Terror”. 

Local mainstream media which usually give wide publicity to Sinhalese extremists and help promote their agendas were quiet. However breaking the news website COLOMBO Telegraph   stated on 12 March 2014 under the headline ‘Buddhist Bin Laden’ To Visit Sri Lanka: “We’ve Not Signed Any Agreement with 969 Movement”: BBS
 
“We have not signed any agreement with Burma’s Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu or the 969 movement”, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bodu Bala Sena Dilanthe Withanage told Colombo Telegraph. He said the caption of the photograph, which is circulating via social media saying “the BBS has come to an agreement with Burma’s terrorist 969 movements”, is a slander. “This picture was taken while our secretary Ven. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara signing the visitors’ book.” he said. Ashin Wiruthu, widely known as the Burma’s ‘Bin Laden of Buddhism’ has been invited to Sri Lanka.
Nine days later on 21 March 2014 Ceylon Today published a report by Ruwan Laknath Jayakody under the headlineBBS invites Ashin Wirathu Thera to visit SL

The man that Time Magazine dubbed 'The Face of Buddhist Terror,' Leader of the 969 Movement in Myanmar, who is notorious for his anti-Islam rhetoric, Ven. Ashin Wirathu Thera, will be arriving in the island on an invitation by the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). 

BBS General Secretary, Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said, "There is no need for a hullabaloo yet. We will let the relevant people know in due course. We have invited him and he will come and we will have a meeting. That is all. The media does not need to know for how long he will stay here. We will plan it and reveal it at the appropriate time." BBS Education and Research Unit Chief Coordinator, Chamila Liyanage, said, "Even though the dates are not confirmed yet, he is definitely coming.

"Buddhist countries in the Asiatic region are facing difficulties and even violence from the Muslims and the other religions in the region. The best example comes from Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh. This is the very reason why Ven. Wirathu decided to start the 969 Movement in Myanmar. We visited Thailand and Myanmar and we will be visiting other countries in East Asia. We will definitely be starting an international network with global reach with likeminded Buddhist civil society institutions, Buddhist scholars and Buddhist activist organizations in these countries. With Ven. Wirathu Thera we will be discussing strategic plans for at least a regional network for the time being, for which we need a concrete plan," he added.

These reports disturb specially Muslims.

rohin 2Ashin Wirathu, leader of the anti-Muslim movement in Burma, has been a "notorious chauvinist”. In its cover story the TIME magazine described Ashin Wirathu: The Monk behind Burma’s “Buddhist Terror”. His apartheid-like speech stirred shocked reaction on Twitter, with users calling the monk a "neo-Nazi" inciting anti-Muslim pogroms in Burma.  

His 969 Anti Muslim organization, together with the Myanmar armed forces, killed thousands of Muslim men, women, children and the aged, burnt Muslim localities and indiscriminately raped Muslim women besides looting Muslim properties and belongings. They   threw bodies of hundreds of Muslims killed into the Bay of Bengal and covered the dead bodies with clothes usually worn by Buddhists   and claimed that they are the remains of Buddhist people who became victims. 

It is this Ashin Wirathu whom the BBS is inviting to Sri Lanka. This is like inviting Hitler, Mussolini, Ariel Sharon or Menachem Begin,
Sri Lanka is not Myanmar. Myanmar is a country which lived in isolation for decades.  It was cut away from the world. However Sri Lanka has a long history of civilization and played a dynamic role in the Third World affairs and earned a name for itself.

Muslim world has traditionally been friendly   with Sri Lanka.

Our economy is tied to many Muslim countries. Almost a million Sri Lankans are employed in the Gulf States and their annual remittance exceeds   six billion dollars. This brings relief to millions of   families.   In fact employment opportunities abroad have become the largest foreign exchange earner to the island. 

Muslim countries always came to rescue Sri Lanka in times of crisis. For example  in the   United Nations sponsored United Nations Human Rights  Council resolution   on March 27 in Geneva calling for a comprehensive investigation    into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights, committed by both parties in Sri Lanka,  of the 12 countries voted against five were Muslim countries. This included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Maldives If not for these five Muslim countries Sri Lanka would have got only seven votes. Four out of 12 countries abstained were Muslims and no Muslim country voted for the resolution in the 47-member UNHRC

Do the Sinhalese extremists who have unleashed an unwanted destructive campaign against Muslims understand the seriousness of their madness?

rohin 4   rohin 3
Burning Muslim villages  Muslim families thrown out of their homes 
 rohin 5  rohin 6
  Body of a Muslim child burnt and another child throat cut


Under the circumstance do we need to jeopardize these friendly relations for the sake of few hundreds of extremists?  Under such circumstance is it wise for Sri Lanka to allow these extremists to hijack the country and hobnob with mass murderers of Myanmar Muslims. 

On the other hand Muslims worldwide are carefully watching the ongoing anti Muslim campaign in Sri Lanka. We are not living in the pre colonial era. We are part of the world and the world is not part of Sri Lanka as these extremists think.  

The price the country will be made to pay for the ongoing attack on the island’s Muslim community will be unpredictable.