U.S., U.K. companies host Hezbollah-funded propaganda site

Hosting Hate

 

 

A United States-based Internet company is currently hosting a propaganda website operated by the terror group Hezbollah, potentially in violation of a law meant to prevent Americans from providing material support to U.S.-designated terror groups.

The Missouri-based GSI Hosting is granting server space to Al Manar TV, which is owned and funded by Hezbollah, according to research provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

The U.S. has cited Hezbollah and Al Manar as terrorist organizations, a designation that makes it illegal for anyone in America to “knowingly provide ‘material support or resources’” to the groups, according to the State Department.

The U.S., Canada, France, and several other countries have also banned Al Manar, rendering its current dealings with both U.S. and British companies even more problematic to observers.

Al Manar has been known to employ members of Hezbollah, which is committed to Israel’s destruction, and routinely broadcasts anti-American and anti-Semitic propaganda.

GSI Hosting, which is owned by the Texas-based Layered Tech, was notified last month by MEMRI that it was hosting Al Manar’s website.

The site was subsequently removed on Nov. 26, but reappeared on the company’s servers on Dec. 6, according to MEMRI executive director Steven Stalinsky. Stalinsky has authored several reports detailing Al Manar’s emergence on both U.S. and United Kingdom-based Internet servers.

Two U.K.-based companies play host to Hezbollah’s website:
Coreix and ServerSpace Ltd in addition to GSI hosting.

MEMRI has notified all of these companies that it could be violating the law by hosting the terror group’s website.

“It is one thing for a company not to know who’s on their servers, but after having a major terrorism organization on their servers and being notified it’s unacceptable it has happened again,” Stalinsky told the Free Beacon.

Layered Tech, GSI Hosting’s parent company, did not respond to a request for comment about its business dealings with Al Manar.

It was still hosting Al Manar’s website as of Monday.

Hezbollah prides itself on its sophisticated use of the Internet.

The web has become a near-unrestricted breeding ground for terrorist activities and Hezbollah has capitalized on this by disseminating terrorist propaganda and recruiting new operatives.

Hezbollah maintains Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook pages. It also has created applications that have been marketed by Apple and Google.

But the Al Manar site remains its chief propaganda front.

“It’s pretty easy for Hezbollah to have their website and send it to another company to put it on their servers” once one firm has removed it, Stalinsky explained. “But it’s definitely also easy to remove it.”

For this reason the website is known to hop from server to server in multiple countries, MEMRI reported.

“Hezbollah has managed to circumvent the ban with its multiple-language website www3.almanar.com.lb, which live-streams its programming,” MEMRI stated in a recent report on the matter.

The Los Angeles-based web hosting company HopOne also briefly hosted Al Manar though it quickly removed the offending site once MEMRI notified them of its presence on their servers.

Companies located in the Netherlands also have hosted the website in recent weeks.

The precise law governing this activity is murky, experts said.
The U.S. clearly prohibits any American from offering “material support” to those it deems as terrorist organizations. Yet legal experts define this term differently, leaving confusing gray areas.
“There’s always the excuse, ‘We don’t know,’” explained Stalinsky. “It’s a very tricky question.”

“In the case of Al Manar, they have an English page,” he added. “It’s one thing not to know. But when you’re notified, to keep it up” is immoral.

These U.K. and U.S. Internet companies are “in a contract with Hezbollah and helping them disseminate their propaganda,” Stalinsky said.

http://freebeacon.com/hosting-hate/

Iran's death squad is here

 

 

Iran has infiltrated a team of Quds Force terrorist leaders into the United States to attack from within in 2013, according to a source.

The source within the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic regime, said the team is to create instability in America through terrorism should the U.S. fail to accept the regime’s illicit nuclear program, increase sanctions, confront Iran militarily or intervene in the Syrian civil war.

 

Members of the team, no more than 10 Quds Force officers, each lead cells totaling about 50 terrorists already in the U.S.
The source is risking his life not only to reveal the terror operation but to warn that Iran is pursuing its nuclear bomb program around the clock from several secret sites.

Details of the terror plot, meant to disrupt the West, have been passed on to U.S. officials, who are taking countermeasures.

The source said the team members, unlike the alleged Iranian operative Manssor Arbabsiar, who was arrested in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C. in 2011, are highly trained and sophisticated.

The team leaders are all senior Revolutionary Guard officers who were recruited for this specific mission nine years ago on the recommendation of the Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani, and with the approval of security advisers to Khamenei.

Some of these individuals held high-level posts before joining the mission. One served as the security officer in the supreme leader’s office, another was a member of the special forces for intelligence and security in charge of protecting regime officials, two were in charge of security of ground and air transportation, another was a commander of recruiting assets, and others had experience in security and intelligence.

Most of the team members have been in America for a year; a few were successfully placed here about five years ago.

The families of the team members are financially supported by the regime, but team members are financially supported through various means as they do not maintain any contact with Iran.

Two wealthy Iranian businessmen in Iran with ties in Europe are used to finance the team; one routinely travels to the U.S.

One well-established Iranian businessman in America who often travels to Iran was approached by the Quds Force for his collaboration in return for incentives in Iran. He acts as the sponsor of the team, transfers cash to team members, hosts meetings at his residence and passes on information from the regime to the team.

He also takes care of any legal issues, leases, contracts and such.

Information and pictures of potential targets have been submitted for Khamenei’s approval, the source added. They include high-voltage towers to create blackouts, cell towers, water supplies, public transportation and various other buildings belonging to the Defense Department and military.

The source said the planned attacks could be greater than what happened on 9/11 and that in the last phase of the attack, al-Qaida operatives will also be involved.

After Osama bin Laden’s death, Khamenei has taken a greater role in leadership on the collaboration with al-Qaida, and according to the source, four top al-Qaida commanders visit Khamenei every two months.

The plan is that if by next six months America does not accept Iran’s nuclear program and either increases sanctions or a military confrontation occurs, the assets have been ordered to carry out their mission. The regime feels it must act by then because current sanctions, which have already had a serious effect on Iran’s economy, could spark civilian rioting.

As reported in the Washington Times on Oct. 5, a secret memo by the regime’s Intelligence Ministry warned that deteriorating economic conditions from international sanctions had greatly increased the possibility of an uprising and urged them to take appropriate action.

The United States has set a March deadline for Iran to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency demands on its nuclear program or face much harsher measures.

The regime believes, the source said, that if the U.S. fails to accept Iran’s nuclear program, Israel will be much more likely to attack its nuclear facilities and military installations.

Previously an exclusive report in WND revealed that terror cells of the Islamic regime were on high alert to attack targets in America.

Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, deputy head of Iran’s armed forces, stated that, “In the face of any attack, we will have a crushing response. In that case, we will not only act in the boundaries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, no place in America will be safe from our attacks.”

Iranian officials also see the possible overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad as a red line, and with the looming confrontation over their nuclear program, they have taken several measures, one of which is to retaliate against Israel through several fronts and in coordination with their proxies, such as Hezbollah. As reported in WND, 170 ballistic missiles have been pre-targeted on Tel Aviv alone, some with biological warheads. And an attack on America from within would create economic havoc on the fragile U.S. economy.

The source warned that the IAEA has no idea that the Islamic regime is actively working on its nuclear bomb program at secret sites, that it has even enriched uranium to over 90 percent – weaponization grade – and that with the help of North Korea, it is working on a plutonium bomb.

The assumption that Iran is far from accomplishing its goals is a hoax, the source warned. The regime next year will make operational intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. Armed with nuclear weapons, it would be too late for the world, he said.

Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and author of the award-winning book “A Time to Betray” (Simon & Schuster, 2010). He serves on the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and the advisory board of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran (FDI).

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/next-911-irans-death-squad-is-here/#wgi0UUvJl74z8kqZ.99 

Report: Iran has nuclear-capable missiles, is developing a space launch program

 

 

Iran possesses the “largest number of ballistic missiles in the Middle East” and is secretly producing long-range missiles capable of carrying a nuclear payload, according to a nonpartisan report authored by Congress’ research arm.

Additionally, Tehran has developed “a genuine and ambitious space launch program, which seeks to enhance Iran’s … international reputation as a growing advanced industrial power,” according to a Dec. 6 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report investigating Iran’s increasingly sophisticated military capabilities.

It is suspected that Tehran’s space program “could mask” the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to targets across the region.

Iran is “developing and producing medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) capabilities with ranges estimated up to about 2,000 kilometers (with some non-U.S. government sources citing slightly higher ranges), sufficient to strike targets throughout the Middle East,” the report states. “U.S. intelligence assessments state such missiles are inherently capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.”

Missiles of this sort are also capable of striking United States assets in the region, as well as any city in Israel.

“Congress is considering the deployment of a ballistic missile defense site on the East coast to defend against possible Iranian ICBMs,” according to the report.

A provision allocating $103 million to the development of this system by 2015 is included in the House’s fiscal year 2013 defense authorization bill.

The report further suggests that Western economic sanctions have failed to fully stymie the regime while frustrating Tehran’s nuclear bid.

“Export controls and sanctions have made it increasingly difficult, but certainly not impossible, for Iran to acquire the best of such items,” the report notes.

Iran has successfully skirted sanctions by exploiting weaknesses in the law and by finding “foreign sellers willing to circumvent those laws,” according to the CRS report, which was authored by missile defense specialist Steven Hildreth.

Evidence from U.S. intelligence sources indicates that Iran has “constructed an underground network of bunkers and underground silo-like missile launch facilities,” the report states.

Tehran also has boosted its air defense capabilities—which include new anti-aircraft missile systems—in an effort to protect its weapons caches against an attack by the U.S. or Israel.

“Although it is not certain that Iran has made the decision to develop a nuclear weapon, it is taking steps to drastically reduce the time needed to obtain nuclear weapons should a decision be made to do so,” the report states.

Iran operates multiple development facilities across the country as another line of defense against a preemptive strike by the West.

“Iran is pursuing its missile and space programs with development and testing facilities that are scattered throughout the country,” according to the CRS report.

Economic sanctions have forced the regime to innovate its own military technology.

“Over the past few decades, Iran has progressed from relying entirely on the outright purchase of ballistic missile systems to becoming nearly self-sufficient in important ways,” according to CRS. “Many now see Iran as a potential supplier to other nations or actors.”

Reports indicate that its military has had substantial success in building advanced weaponry.

“Iran has grown increasingly self-sufficient in the production of [short range ballistic missiles] but it still probably relies on others for some key components,” according to CRS. “The vast majority of Iran’s heavy artillery rockets and ballistic missiles are short-range of less than about 500 kilometers.”

Kermanshah SRBM Base, CRS report / fas.org

 

Iran’s space program remains the most secretive and puzzling aspect of its military program.

The U.S. suspects that Tehran aims to launch “intelligence gathering satellites into orbit.”

Observers remain most concerned about the potential development of an ICBM that could carry a nuclear warhead to either Europe or America.

“Many believe Iran’s space launch program could mask the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)—with ranges in excess of 5,500 km that could threaten targets throughout Europe and even the United States if Iran achieved an ICBM capability of at least 10,000 km,” the report states.

“Since 1999, the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) has assessed that Iran could test an ICBM by 2015 with sufficient foreign assistance, especially from a country such as China or Russia,” the report states.

Current estimates put the date of a potential test later than 2015 due to setbacks resulting from economic sanctions and waning support from China and Russia.

http://freebeacon.com/iranian-ambition/

Naples arms seizure busts Iran’s Balkan-Italian arms smuggling routes

 

The seizure of five containers by the Maritime Police in the Port of Naples last Friday, Dec. 7 - before they were loaded on an Egyptian freighter – shut down two of Iran’s mainline clandestine arms routes to the Hamas-ruled Gaza from Kosovo and Macedonia via Croatia and Italy, debkafile reports exclusively from its military and intelligence sources.

The Naples police acted on a tip-off from Israel. Iranian arms smuggling rings were then partly rolled up in other parts of Italy together with “another cache of weapons.”

Western intelligence sources say this Israeli undercover operation was equal in significance and scope to the bombing on Oct. 24 of the Iranian-Sudanese missile industrial center at Yarmouk and the destruction of a stock of Fajr-5 rockets that was bound for the Gaza Strip through Sinai.

The Naples operation shut down two more Iranian clandestine arms-smuggling routes and sources of arms for Palestinian terrorists – this one from southern Europe.

Contrary to the reports that the five contraband containers were seized aboard an Egyptian vessel anchored in Naples, debkafile reveals that they were in fact removed from trucks entering the port with documents for loading the containers aboard that vessel. The documents described the containers’ contents as building materials coming from Verona, 570 kilometers to the north of Naples, which has large factories making tiles and other wares for bathrooms and kitchens.

Forewarned from Israel, Italian security inspectors ordered the truck drivers to pull over to an isolated section of the port and put up an entry forbidden notice. The first containers opened were packed with arms and other military equipment, including electronic devices for improving rocket accuracy, hundred of anti-tank missiles and a large quantity of snipers’ rifles for sharpshooting. The ship’s destination was listed as Alexandria, Egypt on the papers.

An Egyptian man waiting to place the cargo aboard the ship was detained for interrogation and charged with illegal possession of arms. Further arrests in other parts of Italy followed.
The Italian authorities have been uncharacteristically secretive about the identity of the Egyptian detainee, their additional arrests, the name of the Egyptian freighter and even the nationality of its flag - in consideration of the sensitivity of Israel’s undercover work against Iran’s contraband arms networks and routes.

According to debkafile’s intelligence sources, Iran has developed highly sophisticated networks for smuggling arms to its allies which run by land and by sea. Two begin in Kosovo and Macedonia where local Muslim collaborators purchase the weapons and pack them on container trucks ready for their first lap to Croatia, then on to Verona, where they wait for weeks - or sometimes months - before continuing to the next lap. This break in their journey is used to make sure they are not followed and throw of the scent if they are.

For another route, our sources report that Italian sea smugglers offload containers from Iranian merchant vessels in the Adriatic Sea and bring them ashore at small inlets in the northern Italian province of Veneto. They too are trucked to the clandestine terminal Iran has set up in Verona. When they are certain they have not been spotted, the trucks are sent down the long road to Naples.

There, the containers are loaded onto Egyptian freighters bound for Alexandria and Port Said. But first, they stop off quietly at the northern Sinai port of El Arish, where Hamas operatives are waiting to offload the arms and push the new consignment through smuggling tunnels into the Gaza Strip.

http://www.debka.com/article/22606/Naples-arms-seizure-busts-Iran%E2%80%99s-Balkan-Italian-arms-smuggling-routes-

Obama planning direct talks with Iran; US will strike in 4-5 months if they don’t bear fruit, Israeli TV report says

Channel 10 News says US president keeping Israel out of the loop, holds Netanyahu personally responsible for leaks from UN reports

 

 

 

Washington has decided to negotiate directly with Iran, and will resort to military force in four or five months if diplomacy can’t persuade Tehran to relinquish its alleged atomic weapons program, Israel’s Channel 10 News reported on Tuesday night, quoting a senior American official.

 

The channel’s veteran diplomatic correspondent Emmanuel Rosen reported that President Barack Obama had decided to bypass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and leave Israel out of the loop.

 

Rosen said that Obama believed Netanyahu was personally behind a recent series of purported leaks from reports produced by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) about the Iranian program.

 

According to a report Monday in the Guardian, Western officials speculate that Israel could have leaked the information in order to increase international pressure on the Iranian regime.

 

Obama, the report said, had set down some preconditions to negotiations, demanding that Iran cease production of high-enriched uranium and grant IAEA inspectors full access to, and supervision over, its nuclear facilities.

 

Channel 10 suggested that America’s decision to hold off on military involvement in Syria for the time being was due to the fact that it didn’t want to open a new front with the prospect of a war against Iran looming on the horizon.

 

In recent weeks, there have been increasing indications from the US that it is willing to hold direct bilateral talks with Iran.

 

The basic contours of any negotiated solution are clear: US, European and other international sanctions would be eased if Iran halts its enrichment of uranium that is getting closer to weapons-grade, sends abroad its existing stockpile of such uranium and suspends operations at its underground Fordo facility.

 

But Iran’s leadership has refused to bite on that approach, even as the value of its currency has dropped precipitously against the dollar, sparking an economic depression and massive public discontent.

 

That has prompted US brainstorming on ways to reshape the offer to make it more attractive for the Iranians, without granting any new concessions that would reward the regime for its intransigence, administration officials said in November. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

 

Last week, Iran’s foreign ministry said direct talks with the United States were possible, but that such a step would have to first be approved by the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

 

http://www.timesofisrael.com/obama-planning-direct-talks-with-iran-will-strike-in-4-5-months-if-they-dont-bear-fruit-israeli-tv-report-says/

The Khatib Controversy – How Liberal is He? More Countries Recognize National Coalition

Friday, November 16th, 2012

Washington (AP) — Obama says US not ready to recognize new Syrian opposition group as ‘government in exile’. France, Turkey, and Gulf States recognize the National Coalition.

Foreign Affairs

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is urging the Syrian opposition to unite as France pushes for arming the opposition. Lavrov met with Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia stressing the unification of Syrian opposition groups and calling for the establishment of a team to negotiate with President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Syrian opposition groups formed an umbrella coalition on Sunday in what Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad criticized as a “declaration of war.” France said it will discuss arms supplies to the Syrian opposition with its European partners. While French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he was wary of injecting more weapons into the war torn country, the government is looking for a relaxation of a European Union arms embargo which has made it difficult for “defensive arms” to reach opposition fighters.

• Turkey recognized the Syrian opposition’s new coalition as “the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.”

• Protests against King Abdullah II and rising gas prices continued in Jordan for a third night.

• The Pentagon estimated that it would need 75,000 troops to seize Syria’s chemical weapons.

This Friday is named “Support the National Coalition Friday”

The group posts numerous videos of demonstrations “in support of the National Coalition” (the new anti-regime coalition) it says have taken place today in various parts of the country. The name of today’s protests is “Support of the National Coalition Friday”, according to the LCCS.
 

Islamist-In-Chief
The new leader of Syria’s opposition has a history of statements that are anti-Semitic, outrageous, and sometimes downright bizarre.
BY MOHANAD HAGE ALI | NOVEMBER 14, 2012 – Foreign Policy

Summary by Joshua Landis: Mohanad Hage Ali goes through Khatib’s speeches and website to show that he calls Shiites “rawafid” or rejectors because they reject the first three caliphs of the “Rashidun,” or rightly guided Caliiphs, which Sunnis hold up as marking the “Golden Age”of Islam. This is a common accusation against Shiites, which is used by Wahhabis in Arabia to call Shiites unbelievers and conspirators who have entered Islam to destroy it from within. We have no evidence to believe that Syria’s new leader in exile would go so far as to call Shiites unbelievers because they are rawafid, but he does criticizing Shiites’ for their ability to “establish lies and follow them.” By using the word “rawafid” to describe Shiites, he will not make friends among Shiites. He will also encourage Syria’s Alawites to believe Assad’s propaganda that the opposition is intolerant and sectarian, wishing harm on Alawites because of their religious beliefs and not merely because of their political misdeeds and willingness of many to support the Assad regime even as it carries out brutal crimes against fellow Syrians. It will give liberal Westerners cause to worry about religious tolerance in the Syria they are helping to build. Khatib also has made anti-Jewish statements. He writes that one of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s positive legacies was “terrifying the Jews.” Washington’s liberal establishment will find no comfort in this as they make the case for providing Khatib and his group with legitimacy and weapons. All the same, Sheikh Khatib has made many expressions of religious tolerance.
One of these is this statement to a crowd near Damascus soon after the Syrian uprising began last year: “My brothers, we lived all our lives, Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites, and Druze, as a one-hearted community. And with us lived our dear brothers [Christians] who follow Jesus, peace be upon him. We should adhere to this bond between us and protect it at all times.”
To Alawites he said: “I say to you that Alawites are closer to me than many other people I know,” he said Sunday after being elected president of the National Coalition for Revolutionary Forces and the Syrian Opposition. “When we talk about freedom, we mean freedom for every single person in this country.”]
The battle over ecumenical statements of tolerance comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with religious dialogue in Damascus. Many of Syria’s religious leaders who are most associated with ecumenical dialogue are those who were also closest to the regime. They are accused of being creatures of the Assad regime, for Assad did a lot of arm twisting to get “friendly shiekhs” to make ecumenical pronouncements that would make Alawites and other religious minorities feel accepted and equal. They were also meant to help legitimize the regime, which claimed to be a defender of secularism and religious tolerance. Two of these shaikhs recruited by the state were the Grand Mufti Ahmed Kuftaro and his successor Shaykh Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun.
Sheikh Kuftaro announced during the sixties that Abu Nur was commemorating the birth of Christ and he invited leaders from the Syrian and Lebanese Christian communities. An uproar naturally ensued, but left no doubt who ecumenical dialogue’s strongest supporter was. A later comment on the nature of Jesus perhaps summarized Sheikh Ahmed’s views most succinctly: “If a Muslim does not acknowledge Sayyidna Isa (Jesus), then his Islam is for naught”
Sheikh Hassoun sparked controversy on 19 January 2010 when he commented, “If the Prophet Muhammad had asked me to deem Christians or Jews heretics, I would have deemed Muhammad himself a heretic,” and, “[i]f Muhammad had ordered me to kill people, I would have told him, ‘You are not a Prophet.’” In a later clarification, Hassoun stated that his initial statement had actually been, “If our Prophet Muhammad had ordered me to disbelieve in Moses and Jesus…”
Provoking an outcry amongst many orthodox Muslims, news of the incident reached the English-speaking world primarily after the prominent Muslim scholar Shaykh Muhammad al-Ya’qoubi‘s public condemnation of the mufti. During his Friday sermon of 22 January at Masjid al-Hasan in Damascus, Ya’qoubi decried Hassoun’s indiscretion, imputing disbelief to his words, and demanded that the mufti resign. Ya’qoubi’s comments led to his own immediate dismissal from the pulpit.
Hassoun is vocal in his opinion that states should be ruled on a civil rather than religious basis, believing that secularism is not synonymous with atheism, a sentiment that holds great sway in Syria’s religiously diverse society.

“I don’t believe in religious wars nor in holy wars. The killing of another human is not a holy deed. I never saw religion bid me to kill anyone. My religion has commanded me to try to reach out to people to bring them to a state of peace,” he declares, adding that it is important to teach people, especially the young, to have respect for all sacred teachings. “The Crusades as well the Islamic conquests were to serve political interests and had nothing to do with religion.”

But when the US debated whether to invade Syria after the beginning of the uprising, Hassoun extolled martyrdom operations. In a public address which aired on Syria News TV and was posted on the Internet on October 9, 2011 (as translated by MEMRI), Hassoun threatened to activate suicide bombers in Europe and the United States if Syria is attacked, stating that “The moment the first missile hits Syria, all the sons and daughters of Lebanon and Syria will set out to become martyrdom-seekers in Europe and on Palestinian soil. I say to all of Europe and to the US: We will prepare martyrdom-seekers who are already among you, if you bomb Syria or Lebanon.” He further added that “Do not think that the people who will commit martyrdom in France, Britain, or the US, will be Arabs and Muslims. They will be a new Jules Jammal or a new Muhammad Al-Durrah. They will all be like the righteous [of the past].”

Having studied the different faiths in the world, Dr Ahmad Badr says, religions do not conflict as they all invite to one essential value, which is the sacredness of the divine and the inherent dignity of the individual.

But the problem, he says, is that followers do not really comprehend the religion they adhere to and that some political leaders exploit religious sentiment and “light the fire to promote discord and enmity” between the followers of different faiths to advance their own special interest. “Don’t ask me about the Arab lands. I am so saddened by what they are doing in those places. I don’t complain about the enemies,” he says.

He often repeated that he belonged to all strands of Islam, including Shiite: “I am Sunni in practice, Shiite in allegiance. My roots are Salafi, and my purity is Sufi.” This, he said, is the type of international Muslim he is trying to mold: “There is no contradiction in being both Sunni and Shiite. That’s how one’s Islam becomes complete.” “Praying in a church or a synagogue is like praying in a mosque. They’re all houses of God.”
The tolerance controversy is very important to the future of Syria because it goes to the heart of the unresolved question of religion and its rightful role in politics. So long as the major opposition parties and militias are not clear about the role of religion in Syria’s future state, many Syrians will remain concerned.

Syria’s new opposition wins Western backing, but what about Western weapons?

Tony Karon writes: Syria’s new opposition leadership structure announced in Qatar on Sunday could mark a turning point in the stalemated 20-month old rebellion against the Assad regime. But it could just as easily prove to be another chimerical Western attempt to stand up a friendly regime for an Arab country in transition. That’s because [...]

 

http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=16718 

Ahmed Mouaz al-Khatib president of the Syrian National Coalition of Forces of the Syrian Revolution and Opposition

A look into the published writings of Ahmed Mouaz al-Khatib who has emerged as the President of the newly formed ‘Syrian National Coalition of Forces of the Syrian Revolution and Opposition,’ indicates the western powers might not have got quite what they were hoping for in setting up the new body.

 

As far as the western media are concerned, the main object of the new body formed in Doha was to put in place a structure which would allow for more open arming of the Syrian insurgency and the possible imposition of a no-fly zone in order to assist in the ‘overthrow of Assad’ (perhaps more honestly described as the destruction of the Syrian state).

 

The violent insurgency has become deeply unpopular with many Syrians as it appears to entail terrorism, car-bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and the destruction of Syria’s towns and cities. Uncontrolled militias of young men (using child soldiers), apparently addicted to violence and destruction seem hell-bent on killing everyone they perceive as an enemy – including prisoners and unarmed civilians (always called ‘shabbiha’).

 

There is no doubt that for the majority of the Syrian people sectarian violence and destruction is far from welcome and many supporters of the initial protests now feel safer supporting the secular regime and the Syrian Arab Army than the terrorist gangs which largely make up the Free Syrian Army.

 

It is against this background that al-Khatib, a charismatic former Iman of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus with supposedly anti-sectarian views, has emerged as president of the new opposition body. Although it is difficult to be optimistic about Syria’s future, and in the age of Obama and Clinton we are used to seeing a gulf between rhetoric and action as wide as the North Atlantic, examination of al-Khatib’s writings suggests his leadership may provide an opportunity for a negotiated and relatively non-violent end to the conflict and reconciliation between Syrians of different viewpoints.

 

Born in Damascus in 1960, al-Khatib is President of the Islamic Civilisation Society and a member of the Board of Trustees of Sheikh Badr al-Din al-Hassani Institute for Islamic Studies. He graduated from the Department of Applied Geophysics at Damascus University, and holds a Diploma in political science and international relations and a Diploma in the art of negotiation. Here is a video which was put together whilst he was recently held in detention:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkMlGW8L3o8&feature=player_embedded

 

 

Peaceful, peaceful, peaceful…
Back in April 2011 al-Khatib spoke to demonstrators in Douma in Damascus saying:

We call for freedom for every person. For every Sunni, Alawite, Esmailis and Christian, whether Arab or a member of the great Kurdish nation

Freedom is a birthright. No one can grant it. Not the state, nor the ruler. The great people went out in the streets to take their rights without carrying a gun,

They called, and we call with them: peaceful, peaceful, peaceful.

Al Khatib on the religious basis for opposing sectarianism
Al-Khatib has written a paper on the religious basis of opposing sectarianism – a paper which will be anathema to Islamophobes and Al Qaeda-type extremists. Here is an excerpt in which he quotes the Holy Quran:

Diversity is one of the signs of God as stated in the Holy Quran: And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs of men of sound knowledge.

And he quotes another Quranic verse:

And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely have made mankind one nation

 

And he states:

In this earthly world we must do righteous good deeds and we should have mercy on one another and we should invite other people to do good deeds also but only by wisdom and fair preaching. Allah Says that there is no compulsion in religion and that He will judge between people in the day of Resurrection about that wherein they have been differing.

 

Al-Khatib’s anti-imperialism
Al-Khatib outlines the long and nefarious history of colonial powers in inciting sectarian hatred in Syria and then states:

Appearances may differ but the core is similar, and whether that core is French, British, Russian or American, the ultimate goal is the same; intervention, domination and supremacy and all in the name of human rights.

 

The facts have proven beyond any doubt that the claws of international politics are tainted and that the world’s super powers are seeking, through the distribution of roles in the open and behind closed doors, to undermine the legitimate interests of the peoples of the world and trade in them by inciting sectarian sentiments, and the examples are plenty: from Syria and the Middle East, to Sudan and Rwanda, to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his paper Al-Khatib also explores the history of what he calls “Islamic compassion” in Syria. He is an admirer of Badr Eddine Al-Hasani who:

succeeded in bringing all people together; old and young, educated and illiterates, emirs and commons.

 

He made the flags of love, mutual trust, respect of all religions and veneration of human beings fly high in the sky.

Nations are built on the pillars of unity, sacrifice, love and peace between individuals and Sheikh Al-Hasani deserves much of the credit for building our beloved Syria, the country that all Syrians are ready to die for.

Al Khatib on Israel and Zionism:
Al Khatib draws a clear distinction between what he calls ‘Zionism as a cancerous movement’ and ‘the Jews as the followers of a religion greatly respected in Islam.’ – however (Update 14/11 thanks to As’ad AbuKhalil), in his Arabic writings, he does list among Saddam Hussein’s virtues that he ‘built a gigantic army and frightened the Jews.’

 

Al Khatib on Iran:
Al Khatib’s words on Iran and nuclear weapons might not dovetail too closely with those of Secretary of State Clinton and are particularly worthy of quoting at length:

We should identify our own shortcomings and weaknesses that allowed Western powers to inject sectarian hatred in our societies in order to know why the talk about taking military action against Iran has become very normal.

 

The bitterness in the hearts of Sunnis caused by the alleged Iranian-sponsored Shiite invasion of the Arab World is not a sufficient reason to be silent in the face of a possible military strike on Iran.

 

If we suppose that we have 50% doctrinal differences and 20% juristical differences with Iran, we all know that we have 90% doctrinal differences with the wicked West.

 

Iran’s possession of nuclear capabilities poses no threat to any Sunni but it will be a formidable deterrent to the evil powers that are rushing madly upon the Muslim World.

 

The aggression against Iran is an upsurge of Western domination to snap at the riches of this region and deepen the cultural and social invasion of our Muslim World. In all honesty, it is genuinely logical and Islamic to refuse any action against Iran and to consider such action an aggression against the whole Muslim World.

 

Our refusal to take military action against Iran is a rejection of aggression itself as a mean to implement hidden agendas.

However, there is another dangerous issue that we probably overlooked, which is the fact that nuclear arms are indeed a curse against humanity.

 

We should give this critical moment in our history the importance it deserves and refuse any type of aggression against any Muslim country and even against any tyrannized country in the world.

Israel for example has more than 100 nuclear warheads but it cannot use them, despite its aggressive nature, when the opposing weapon is a stone in the hand of a child. The Zionist state can only deter Arab regimes and cannot deter people, and the soldiers it will eventually face are people not regimes.

Al-Khatib on militarism
Al-Khatib’s views on militarism might not dovetail too closely with those of British Prime Minister David Cameron who has recently been on an arms dealing trip to the Gulf nations:

Our contemporary history recalls the enormous resources and human lives consumed by war and the terror, friction and destruction caused and this teaches us that stockpiling weapons is one of the most hateful sins.

 

The more the Muslim nation spends on weapons the more it will sink in benightedness and ignore education, health, knowledge, research, development and psychosocial stability of their people, and the underdeveloped Arab countries are a living example of such fate.

Al-Khatib on the current conflict in Syria
On 8 October 2012, Ahmad Moaz Al Khatib gave a speech during a seminar on the “Islamists and the Arab Revolutions” in Doha outlining his views in the current conflict in Syria. He holds that the Syrian Islamist movement is not fundamentalist despite ‘continuous attempts by some Islamic forces … backed by financial support, to dominate the scene.’

 

He complains of a ‘lack of awareness by many Islamic powers that Syria has become an arena for conflicts and settling international disputes, and thus the decision has almost slipped from the hands of both the regime and the Syrian revolutionary movement.’

and that

It has become quite clear that it is planned for Syria to come out of its crisis with a devastated infrastructure, exhausted social forces, distorted Islamic image and incapacitated powers, which plays in favour of a known regional force [Israel]. Both sides of the crisis fall into the trap; the biggest trap the opposition has fallen into was militarising the revolution, while the biggest mistake the (Syrian) regime has committed was using excessive brutal violence against one of the world’s most civilised people.

 

On the nature of the Syrian revolutionary movement al-Khatib is hopeful:

Despite all the attempts to divert the events into a sectarian scene, the situation has yet been resilient to be dragged into sectarianism. The crisis is indeed between an authoritarian regime and people longing for freedom.

 

Al-Khatib on negotiations with the regime
We still look for a political solution to save the country more destruction. The dialogue time has expired due to the regime’s procrastination to open its doors to buy itself some time. However, negotiation is a logical, Islamic and political option which should not be overlooked.

 

Negotiation is not surrendering to the cruelty but it is choosing the lesser of two evils.

 

Negotiation is not a rescue to the regime but it is negotiation on its departure with least harm to the country that we love, under international guarantees shared by regional and international sides without patronage. I reiterate here that we do not want nor do we accept destruction or killings.

 

There are some who want the Syrians to exterminate each other so that they may intervene and force their predominance and patronage.

Prospects
According to the BBC, shortly before he was elected head of the National Coalition, Mr Khatib’s tome changed quite fundamentally as he circulated an open letter in which he argued that the actions of rebel fighters, some of whom have been accused of atrocities, should not be equated with those of the security forces under President Assad and his father.

 

“We are required to act peacefully and justly. But… we cannot employ Platonic idealism to judge those who risk their lives against a barbaric campaign,” he warned.

 

In his first remarks as head of the new organization, al-Khatib said Syrians need humanitarian aid and to stop the bloodshed.

 

Ironically the previous opposition body – the Syrian National Council which Clinton disavowed – has a new leader in George Sabra who went further in calling for the international community to arm the rebels saying:

We need arms. We need arms. We need arms.

It is earnestly to be hoped that Ahmed Mouaz al-Khatib will truly help achieve a political settlement in Syria and the side-lining of violence and sectarianism, in line with his professed views, rather than serving as a figure-head, legitimising the intensification of violence and foreign intervention.

 

Update – According to AFP 12/11/2012:

 

“We signed a 12-point agreement to establish a coalition,” said leading dissident Riad Seif, who drew up the US-backed reform proposals on which Sunday’s agreement was based. In a copy of the document obtained by AFP, the parties “agree to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars,” and rule out any dialogue with the regime….

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas….A provisional government would be formed after the coalition gains international recognition, and a transitional government formed after the regime has fallen.

SNC member Mahmoud al-Hamza has confirmed that the coalition agreement signed by al-Khatib stipulates that a peaceful settlement will not be pursued. This represents an unacceptable abrogation of the Geneva Communique of the Action Group (as well as a betrayal of al-Khatib’s previously expressed principles).

 

The primary task should be, as stipulated in the Action Plan, to ensure a cessation of violence in all its forms and to work for a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. That the formation of the National Coalition ‘rules out any talks with Mr. Assad and stipulates that his regime must be toppled’ is a victory for the war party and spells disaster for Syria and the region.

 

http://humanrightsinvestigations.org/2012/11/12/ahmed-mouaz-al-khatib-president-of-the-syrian-national-coalition-of-forces-of-the-syrian-revolution-and-opposition/

Mouaz al-Khatib wrote an essay you should read!

“The role of international politics in inciting sectarian strife”

 

http://www.darbuna.net/dls/en/Role_of_international_politics_in_inciting_sectarian_strife2.pdf

LETS GET TO KNOW THE OPPOSITION OBAMA SUPPORTS....MOAZ AL-KHATIB this should concern you people!

Moaz al-Khatib

 

Ahmad Mouaz Al-Khatib Al-Hasani (Arabic: أحمد معاذ الخطيب‎, born 1960) is the President of the National Coalition for Opposition Forces and the Syrian Revolution. He is a former imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.^[1]

Al-Khatib originally studied applied geophysics and worked as an engineer for six years. He is a member of the Syrian Geological Society and the Syrian Society for Psychological Science. He was previously President and remains Honorary President of the Islamic Society of Urbanization.

Early life and career

Born in 1960, Khatib comes from a well-known Sunni Muslim Damascene family. His father, Sheikh Mohammed Abu al-Faraj al-Khatib, was a prominent Islamic scholar and preacher.

Khatib originally studied geophysics. He spent six years working as an engineer. He is also a member of the Syrian Geological Society and the Syrian Society for Psychological Science, and was president of the Islamic Society of Urbanization. His status as the former imam makes him a key figure in Syria's religious establishment.

Khatib also established the Islamic Civilization Society, and taught Sharia (Islamic Law) at the Dutch Sheikh Badr al-Din al-Husni Institute in Damascus, and Daawa (Call to Islam) at the Tahzib Institute for Sharia Sciences. He traveled internationally to teach including Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Turkey, the UK and USA.^[3]

The Syrian journalist and writer Rana Kabbani, a long time friend of Khatib, said "Over the years, we have had a very intense political conversation about what needed to be done in Syria, long discussions about what was wrong with the society and what could be done about it. He was my window into Syria at a time when I couldn't physically go there." Kabbani continued to say"He comes from an area in the old city of Damascus, a part of the city that was noted for its advocacy against French colonialists, producing freedom fighters. It was a traditional Damascene Muslim scene, a devout Sunni area with a long history of resistance. "He cared very deeply about the victims of the 1982 massacre [in the Syrian city of Hama]. He was always seeking for ways to house or educate those [survivors] that the state wanted killed or banished."^[4]

Political and religious views

Al-Khatib has been described by The Guardian as a moderate,^[2] though Al-Khatib has a reputation for anti-Western and anti-Semitic writings. He accused the West for propping up Hosni Mubarak's regime in Egypt, explaining that "the collapse of the Egyptian regime is the beginning of the international regional system's descent..." and that "the collapse of Egypt itself is an enormous Israeli desire [emanating] from its frightening project to split the region into repugnant sectarian entities." He claimed that European countries are committing ethnic cleansing of Muslim minorities.^[5]

Al-Khatib is supporter of Qatar-based Egyptian televangelist cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. He placed al-Qaradawi on equal footing with Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi, whose self-immolation marked beginning of the Arab Spring. He referred to al-Qaradawi as "our great Imam". Qaradawi himself is forbidden entry to France and the United Kingdom for his support of suicide bombings, even calling such acts against Israeli civilians as "evidence of God's justice." Khatib's website called Jews "gold worshippers" and "the enemies of god," whilst himself praising Saddam Hussein for "terrifying the Jews." Khatib has also referred to Shia Muslims as "rejectionists" and stated that they "establish lies and follow them."^[5]

He was imprisoned several times for his criticism of the government during the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad before he fled the country and settled in Cairo. Khatib is not allied to any political party and is known as a moderate who has called for political pluralism and strongly opposes sectarian divisions among Syrians.^[3]

In October 2012, he was critical of the role Islamist militants had played as the civil war violence escalated, saying their prominence had allowed Western countries to portray the uprising as "extremist".^[3]

Khatib is an active proponent of political plurality, including equality for women.^[6]

In his statement to a crowd near Damascus soon after the Syrian uprising in 2011, he said “My brothers, we lived all our lives, Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites, and Druze, as a one-hearted community. And with us lived our dear brothers [Christians] who follow Jesus, peace be upon him. We should adhere to this bond between us and protect it at all times.” Adding that “Any garden is so nice if full of flowers of all kinds."

After being elected president of the National Coalition for Revolutionary Forces and the Syrian Opposition he said “I say to you that Alawites are closer to me than many other people I know,” and “When we talk about freedom, we mean freedom for every single person in this country.”^[7]
 

 

Mouaz al-Khatib, widely seen as a moderate religious figure, also praised Saddam Hussein for ‘terrifying the Jews’ .....These are the PSYCHOS the president supports! For Syria’s new opposition head, Zionism is ‘a cancerous movement’!

The new leader of Syria’s opposition coalition, presented by international media as a moderate Islamic cleric, has called Zionism a “cancerous movement” and praised Saddam Hussein for “terrifying the Jews.”

 

 

 

Mouaz al-Khatib made the “cancerous” reference in an essay published last year titled “The role of international politics in inciting sectarian strife,” in which enumerated the possibility of coexistence between Syria’s Sunni majority and the country’s religious minorities. In it, Khatib includes a chapter titled “Jews in the eyes of the Islamic civilization society.”

 

“The Islamic civilization clearly draws a clear distinction between Zionism as a cancerous movement and the Jews as the followers of a religion greatly respected in Islam,” Khatib wrote, but then, contradicting that statement, acknowledged ”the historic enmity between Muslims and Jews since the early days of the call to Islam.”

 

Khatib has been described by international media as a moderate religious figure, capable of counterbalancing the growing influence of Islamic extremists within the ranks of the Syrian opposition.

“My brothers, we lived all our lives, Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites and Druse as a one-hearted community, and with us lived our dear brothers who follow Jesus, peace be upon him,” he told a crowd of supporters in a Damascus suburb in April 2011, only one month into the uprising.

 

But it would seem that Khatib holds a different opinion concerning the Jews.

 

In an essay published in January 2007 in which he criticizes the regime of Saddam Hussein, Khatib nevertheless mentions a few of Hussein’s achievements, including “building a massive army; terrifying the Jews; and [creating] an excellent educational system.”

A former Imam at the Ummayad mosque in Damascus, Khatib has repeatedly called for unity among Syria’s religious groups. Arrested four times since the outbreak of the revolution in March 2011, Khatib finally fled Syrian in the summer of 2011.

 

http://www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-opposition-leader-calls-zionism-a-cancerous-movement/

OBAMA ONCE AGAIN SUPPORTS MUSLIMS!

U.S. recognizes Syrian opposition

 

In a diplomatic move that may help pave the way for the creation of a new Syrian government, the U.S. will recognize the Syrian Opposition Council (SOC) as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. This recognition will help pave the way for the creation of a new political structure that fill the vacuum left inside of Syria after Bashar al Assad's regime falls. The United Kingdom and France have already recognized the SOC and have begun providing direct financial assistance.

"The time of a political transition is approaching. It's approaching quickly as events on the ground move," said a senior State Department official who is in regular contact with both the SOC political opposition and with the Free Syrian Army fighters inside of Syria.

In an interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters, President Obama confirmed the move, saying: "We've made a decision that the Syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough, reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population that we consider them the legitimate represent of the Syrian people in opposition to Assad...and we will provide them with recognition and with that recognition comes responsibilities uh, on the part of that coalition."

• Highlights from an interview with Syrian rebel leader Moaz al-Khatib
• Syrian rebel leader commends U.S. endorsement
• Syrian rebels take full control of army base

The diplomatic recognition of the Syrian Opposition Council by the U.S. will most immediately bring with it much-needed humanitarian support to help the 2.5 million Syrians who have been displaced from their homes by the fighting, according to USAID and U.N. estimates.

 

"I think it'll help us better target aid," said USAID Foreign Disaster Assistance Director Mark Bartolini. The U.S. has already provided $200 million in aid to the Syrian crisis, $125 million of which has been delivered to those suffering inside of the country. A large focus of the new aid package will be to ramp up winterization efforts as the cold weather months come. That means giving blankets, cooking sets, mattresses and plastic sheeting to provide warmth in shelters. Many of those displaced Syrians have taken up temporary shelter inside of abandoned buildings.

 "The big new opportunity is the new opposition council," said a senior U.S. official familiar with the U.S. aid package. The official acknowledged that there "is an information gap in terms of what we know" in regard to where aid is most needed inside of the country.

As part of its new role, SOC will set up an Assistance Coordination Unit that will share information with agencies like USAID and the U.N. The efforts will also empower the SOC to establish some legitimacy inside of the country particularly in areas that the Assad regime no longer controls.

"We have not been sitting by waiting for this," said the U.S. official. "From the beginning of the crisis, the President directed us to do everything that we can."


The U.S. has used covert networks of humanitarian groups, local coordinating councils, the U.N. appeal, and trusted contacts to deliver unmarked humanitarian aid. These medical supplies and food supplies do not bear USAID or U.S. government branding because of fear of interdiction of goods by hostile groups. According to USAID, U.S. assistance has treated nearly 290,000 patients in Syria and U.S.-funded field hospitals have performed over 11,350 surgeries. The official declined to indicate the size of the new U.S. financial pledge but indicated that the U.S. is by far the biggest financial donor to the Syrian crisis.


While the U.S. is prepared to give the Syrian opposition political support, it is not yet ready to provide military aid to the Free Syrian Army. However, a senior State Department official made clear that President Obama has never ruled out providing arms in the future. The official made clear that incremental support is contingent on the progress that the Syrian Opposition makes in structuring itself into what may resemble a government and the Free Syrian Army structures itself into a military command.


 "For us, providing arms has to be done in a way that helps promote a political solution. And until we understand how these arms promote a political solution, we do not see how provision of arms is a good idea," said the senior State Department official. The official went on to say that he personally speaks with the Free Syrian Army fighters about U.S. expectations that they adhere to a code of conduct and how to treat prisoners.


In a further move to distinguish between those who the U.S. views as legitimate and illegitimate actors in the Syrian crisis, the U.S. designated extremist group Jubhat al Nusra as an affiliate of al Qaeda in Iraq and Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO.) The designation prohibits any material support or transactions with the group and freezes all property in the U.S. Jubhat al Nusra has not only been an effective fighting force against the Assad regime but it has also provided humanitarian support to the Syrian people.


 "We are trying to strengthen the legitimate opposition, the political opposition, the Syrian-Opposition council, and legitimate political opposition forces inside Syria. We are trying to make the point that those fighting in Syria's name ought to be doing so in a manner that reflects the Syria that they want to have, not reflecting a terrorist- or al Qaeda-shaped future," explained State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland.


Fighting is still raging inside of Syria as President Bashar al Assad's regime tries to hold onto power. Senior diplomats say that Assad has not shown any interest in negotiating an exit. Last week, NATO announced that it is not considering military intervention in the nearly two-year-old conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57558612/u.s-recognizes-syrian-opposition/