| Editorial: Wrong calculations 23 July 2009 |
Has the Obama's White House started to get its political calculations wrong on Iran? On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the ASEAN summit being held in Thailand that if Tehran did not come clean on and scrap its nuclear weapons program, the US is prepared to boost the defenses of the Gulf countries. That is effectively a ratcheting up of the warnings President Barack Obama has already given, to the effect that Washington's hand of friendship to Iran will not stay open indefinitely. But is this really the time to be reiterating such a threat? The dispute over the Iranian presidential election has still not been resolved. The theocratic establishment is clearly split but President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei are blaming the continuing unrest on outside interference, particularly the Americans and the British. Therefore, this latest intervention from Clinton may very well be untimely, since it reinforces the Iranian leadership's arguments. Obama cannot one moment, while expressing concern at the repression of those protesting the presidential vote, refuse to be drawn into the current imbroglio but then the next permit his secretary of state to launch a veiled threat toward Iran. Besides, can anyone in the White House or the State Department seriously imagine that such a warning is going to bring about a change in Ahmedinajad's hard-line policies? Rather it is going to cause the regime to hunker down and blame even more strongly and rightly or wrongly all its current domestic troubles on outside interference. Then there is the wider consideration that the Gulf states made it clear to President George W. Bush and repeated the message to Obama, that they would prefer that relations with Iran should be conducted on a regional basis and that there should be no need for defense guarantees from outside powers, not least from the United States which has its own particular long-standing differences with the government in Tehran. There is also of course more behind Clinton's statement on Wednesday. It is not simply the Gulf countries that Washington says it is seeking to bolster. The defense of Israel against a possible Iranian nuclear attack actually lies at the real heart of Clinton's words. And here also stands the elephant in the room. Israel has already a nuclear arsenal with technology begged, borrowed or stolen from the US. In its desire to prevent the spread of nuclear weaponry, is Washington also prepared to provide a shield for the Arab world and indeed, even for Iran against Israeli nuclear threats? The major concern at this apparent new shift in Obama's approach to Iran has to be that the Americans are once again allowing one single part of the complex regional issues to divert their attention from everything else. A just Palestinian settlement remains the lynch pin of any successful US Mideast policy, from which so much else is likely to fall into place. If Washington gets confrontational with Tehran, the Lebanese, Palestinians and Iraqis will pay the price with more Iranian-sponsored instability and the chances of a lasting regional peace will evaporate. |
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Arab News Editorial: Wrong calculations
UK: Police not to charge Muslim extremists for hate crime
UK: Police not to charge Muslim extremists for hate crime
UK: Police not to charge Muslim extremists for hate crime
POLICE will be ordered not to charge Muslim extremists in many hate crime cases – to stop them becoming more militant.
Guidelines will tell forces to press for conviction only in cases of clear-cut criminal acts.
Officers will be advised not to proceed when evidence of lawbreaking is "borderline".
Examples of crimes to which a blind eye may be turned include incitement to religious hatred or viewing extremist material on the internet.
Last night critics warned that the move could mean Islamic radicals being give the freedom to encourage violence.
Some saw the move as a politically correct attempt to appease extremists who hate Britain.
It could even mean officers tolerating many activities of Muslim preachers of hate like the hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza.
(more)
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Biography : Dr.Muhammad Ratib Al-Nabulsi
| Biography : Dr.Muhammad Ratib Al-Nabulsi | |
 He was born in 1938 of a relatively poor, but well educated, family. His father was one of the religious scholars ofDamascus city who preached in its mosques and left a large collection of books including some manuscripts.
He completed his primary, intermediate and secondary education, then he studied at the institute of education, from which he graduated in the year 1956, when he completed his higher studies at the department of Arabic literature, faculty of letters, Damascus university, from which he graduated in 1964, after he got a B.A. in Arabic language and literature. Then he went to the faculty of education in Damascus University, from which he got a Diploma in educational accreditation, with a high rating, in the year 1966. After that, he joined the university of Leon (The Lebanon Branch) where he got an M.A. in Arabic literature. It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Culture and National guidance of the Syrian Arab Republic undertook to publish his M.A. thesis on its own account. In 1999, He got a Ph.D. in education from Dublin University, Britain. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled "Education of Children in Islam".
From 1969 to 1999, he worked in the field of secondary, and then university education; and he was appointed a lecturer in the faculty of education, Damascus University. After that, he was appointed a lecturer in the field of Scientific Miracles of the Holy Koran and Prophetic Sunna in the faculties of Islamic Law and Fundamentals of Islamic Religion at Al-Azhar University, branch of Al-Fatih Al-Islami institute of Damascus, a lecturer in the field of Islamic Theology at the university of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Kuftaro Religious Center, and a lecturer in the field of education in the Islamic University of Tripoli, where he is still lecturing.
He has written, and shared in writing several books related to his job, most important of which are "from The Literature of Life", a reading text book for the secondary education certificate (Literary and scientific), which was taught for about ten years, and a book of methodology of teaching Arabic for students of post-graduate studies (Diploma of Educational Accreditation) in the Faculty of Education, Damascus university, and other books. * * *
He studied Islamic Religion and Legislation when he was still young, and he attended lectures given by a number of religious scholars in Damascus. He also studied Quranic Interpretation, Prophetic Tradition, Islamic Jurisprudence, Prophetic biography, Islamic obligations; and he got a license in Prophetic Hadith Narration from his professor at the faculty of literature, Dr. Sheikh Sobhi As-Saleh, professor of Quranic sciences, Al-Hadith sciences and linguistics at Damascus University.
In the year 1974, he was appointed orator in the mosque of his grandfather, Sheikh Abdulghani An-Nabulsi, and a religion lecturer in Damascus mosques, and he orated and taught in An-Nabulsi mosque, and also in other mosques such as Al-Othman, At-Tawousiah, Al-Ahmadiah, and Al-Jisr mosque in Az-Zabadani, where he taught Islamic Theology, Quranic Interpretation, Prophetic Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, Prophetic Biography, Arabic Literature, and Basic Principles of Islamic Call. Then he was appointed principal of Quranic Recitation Institute of An-Nabulsi mosque, a supervisor of "Nahj Al-Islam" Magazine, issued by the ministry of Awqaf in the Syrian ArabRepublic. He was also appointed member of several committees setup by the Ministry of Awqaf, such as Oration Committee, High Committee of the Hajj, Committee of Guidance, Committee of Preachers, Committee of Manuscripts; and he was delegated by the Ministry of Awqaf to the meetings held by the High Committee set up to study the treaty for elimination of all kinds of discrimination against women. And he was a member of the High Hajj Committee for three years. After that, in May 2005, the Minister of Awqaf issued an order whereby he appointed him as one of the orators of the great Umayyad Mosque, and as a religious lecturer there.
He represented Syria in the (Islamic, Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization) ISECO Conference, which was held in Rabat in 1993. He also represented Syria in the Islamic Conference held in Tehran in 1995. He answered an invitation to attend the Islamic Conferences held in Mali and Congo. He shared in the Family Conference, which was held in Abu Dhabi in 1998, the Islamic Jurisprudence Conference, which was held in Detroit in 1999, the two Muslim Youth Conferences, held in Los Angeles in 1998-1999, the eleventh High Council for Islamic Affairs, held in Cairo in 1999, the eighth Al-Barakah Symposium for Islamic Economy, held in Beirut in 2000, Al-Waqf Experiments Symposium in Ash-Sham Countries, held in 2000, the Family Meeting, held in Istanbul in 2000, Conference of the Ministers of Awqaf in the Islamic World, held in Malaysia in 2002, the seventeenth and eighteenth High Council Conferences for Islamic Affairs in 2005-2006, and the Social Education Conference, held in Damascus. He also prepared the worksheet of the Role of Religious Establishments in Social Education in 2005.
He delivered a number of religious speeches in the United States of America (Franklin Durban, Flint, Indiana, Miami, Washington, New Jersey, Stanton, Saint Clara and Los Angeles) in the years 1998-1999. He delivered a number of religious speeches inAustralia (in Sidney in 2001, and in Sidney and Millburn in 2004), and in Turkey (Istanbul) for four years. He gave many lectures in Islamic Reform University in Tripoli, and in Al-Makarim Charity. He answered invitations from the Muftis of Lebanon, Sedona, Al-Boqa' and Tripoli, where he delivered a number of lectures. He answered invitations for giving lectures in Kuwait and Dubai. He also answered two official invitations to visit Kingdomof Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Sudan. He gave Islamic lectures in several cultural centers in the Syrian Arab Republic. He taught Islamic theology in the course held for training non-Arab imams and orators for three years in the Faculty of Fundamentals of Islamic Religion in Abu An-Nour Complex in Damascus, in addition to the lectures that he usually delivers to non-Arab imams and orators who come to Damascus from all parts of the Islamic world.
He also delivers a number of lessons, orations, symposiums and interviews broadcast on Damascus radio, Al-Quds radio - which broadcasts its programs from Damascus for four hours a day - a number of Lebanese radios - such as Dar At-Fatwa in Beirut, radios of Tripoli, Sedona, and Al-Azhar in Bouqa' - the radio stations of the West Bank and Gaza strip, radio of Abu Dhabi (UAE), radio of Qatar, radio of Kuwait, radio of Riyadh, radio of the Holy Quran (Cairo), radio of Ash-Sharq (Paris), radio of Ana (Washington), and radio of Detroit (for Arab communities).
He also delivers a number of lessons and interviews on Syrian TV (Channels 1and 2) broadcast on religious occasions, a number of periodical chat programs on the Syrian Space Channel, some of which are entitled: "Islam and Life", "Fiqh of Civilization", and "Faith is Good Manners", broadcast at 12 am (Damascus local time) on Monday, a number of chat programs on Abu Dhabi TV, Sharjah TV (Space Channel) among other Space Channels, like Al-Waha and Infinity Space Channels in the Arabia Gulf.
He has written a number of Islamic books, most remarkable of which is "Outlooks on Islam" (published three times with one version translated into English), "Contemplations on Islam" (four impressions with one version translated into English), "Fruitful Interviews with Sheikh Ash-Sha'rawi" (two impressions), "Al-Isra' Wal-Mi'raj" (The Prophet's Night Journey and Ascension to Heaven), "Al-ijrah" (The Prophet's Immigration", "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Greatest), "Encyclopedia of the Beautiful Names of Allah" (Three volumes) (three impressions), "Scientific Miracles of the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunna" (Allah's Signs in the Universe and Allah's Signs in Man) (Two volumes) (Three impressions), "Glimpses on Islam", and "Pillars of Religious Obligation", the last two books have been recently published.
He has also written a number of articles on Islamic topics for "Nahj Al-Islam" magazine, which is published in Damascus (and he is one of its editors), "Manar Al-Iman", issued by Dar Ar-Rasheed publishing center, "Minbar Ad-Da'iyah" magazine, issued in Beirut,"Al-Mirah" magazine, issued in London, "Al-Aseel" magazine, issued in Damascus, and"Panorama" magazine, also issued in Damascus.
He has written a number of articles and interviews for Syrian "Ath-Tawrah" newspaper, Lebanese "Al-Liwa'" and "Ash-Sharq" newspapers, "Al-Mouslimoun" newspaper, issued in London, "Al-I'tidal" newspaper, issued by the Syrian Community in America, and "Ad-Diyar" newspaper, issued by the Arab Community in Sydney, Australia.
He is also a founder member of "The Fight Against Smoking and Detrimental substances" society in Syria, and chairman of "Children's Rights" society in Syria.
Website: www.nabulsi.com E – mail: alnabulsi@scs-net.org
Mobile: 0096394211927 Fax : 00963113717828 P.O.Box: 7040 (Rukneddin) Damascus - Syria
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| www.nabulsi.com | : Website |
