BAN VOICES CONCERN BY WORSENING HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN MALI

BAN VOICES CONCERN BY WORSENING HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN MALI
New York, Jul  1 2012 11:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his concern over the worsening security and humanitarian situation in northern Mali, and by reports that mausoleums in the ancient city of Timbuktu have been destroyed.

"The Secretary-General calls on all parties to exercise their responsibility to preserve the cultural heritage of Mali," said Mr. Ban's spokesperson in a statement. "Such attacks against cultural heritage sites are totally unjustified."

Mr. Ban reiterated his support for the ongoing efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and countries in the region to help the people of Mali resolve the current crisis through dialogue.

Fighting resumed in January in northern Mali between Government forces and Tuareg rebels. The instability and insecurity resulting from the renewed clashes, as well as the proliferation of armed groups in that region, and
 a deepening crisis due to a coup d'état in March, have uprooted nearly 320,000 people, with many of them fleeing to neighbouring countries.

Last month, ECOWAS and the African Union requested a Security Council mandate authorizing the deployment of an ECOWAS stabilization force to ensure the protection of Malian state institutions and assist in upholding the territorial integrity of Mali and in combating terrorism. The request was discussed during a meeting between the Council and a high-level delegation two weeks ago in New York.

Yesterday, the Director-General of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, expressed her distress and dismay over the destruction of three sacred tombs that are part of a World Heritage site in Timbuktu, Mali.

"Reports that the Mausoleums of Sidi Mahmoud, Sidi Moctar and Alpha Moya have been destroyed is extremely distressing," Ms. Bokova said. "There is no justification for such wanton destruction and I call on all p
arties engaged in the conflict to stop these terrible and irreversible acts, to exercise their responsibility and protect this invaluable cultural heritage for future generations."

According to UNESCO, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. The 17 metre high pyramidal structure of the Tomb of Askia was built by the Emperor of Songhai in 1495, and bears testimony to the power and riches of the empire that flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries through its control of the trans-Saharan trade.

On Thursday, the World Heritage Committee had accepted the request of the government of Mali to place Timbuktu and the Tomb of Askia on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.

The list is designed to inform the international community of threats to the outstanding universal values for which a property has been inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action.

{NEWS RELEASE} New Film Reveals Masterpieces of Islamic Art

New Film Reveals Masterpieces of Islamic Art

Documentary to Air on PBS July 6^th

Narrated by Susan Sarandon

 

SILVER SPRING, MD – June 11, 2012 – Perceptions and ideas around Muslim identity and culture vary widely and too few are aware of the significant works of art and architecture that make up a large part of Islamic civilization's legacy. Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World, is a new documentary from award-winning Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) that brings to life this legacy and will be broadcast nationally on PBS July 6^th at 9:00 p.m. EST. 

Narrated by actor, Susan Sarandon, this 90-minute film takes audiences on a global journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years ofhistory to present the stories behind the masterworks of Islamic art and architecture.

 Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World is the ninth film by Executive Producers Michael Wolfe and Alex Kronemer and UPF (Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, Prince Among Slaves). The film was produced to nurture a greater appreciation for the exquisite works of art that Islamic culture has contributed to humanity. "I believe all viewers, Muslim and non-Muslims alike, will bepleasantly surprised with what our film uncovers," states Alex Kronemer. "As a window into an often misunderstood culture, this film has the ability to be a real catalyst for understanding and perhaps offer a new perspective on Islam's values, culture and lasting legacy," continues Kronemer. 

The film will air on PBS as part of the new PBS Arts Summer Festival, a multi-part weekly series that will take viewers across the country and around the world. 

Viewers of Islamic Art are presented with a kaleidoscope of exquisite works of art – from the opulent Taj Mahal of Agra, India, to the written word in the form of Arabic calligraphy with master calligraphers such as MohamedZakariya. A common theme linking each of the showcased works is the way each piece of art is so different from the next – exemplifying not only the beauty, but the diversity within Islamic cultures. Each masterpiece is a contribution to the larger narrative of just how much Muslims have contributed and still contribute to society. 

Michael Wolfe says, "Never before have viewers had the opportunity to explore such richness of Islamic art and history with commentary from some of the world's most renowned experts who have the ability to explain just why these works are so important."  "We hope watching the film will result in Muslims feeling a source of pride, aswell as celebration in their heritage," continues Kronemer. 

After its national television debut July 6^th, Islamic Art will be available on DVD for $19.95 through www.upf.tv.  

Islamic Art has already caught the attention of thought leaders who are calling the film an important contribution to documentary filmmaking about Islamic cultures.

 

"UPF's Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World is a stunning achievement in documentary filmmaking. Itopens a window onto a sight of Islam so often neglected in the west. The aesthetic, beauty, and culture offer an opening for us all to start a dialogue on the values that we share and hold in common."  - Karen Armstrong, Award-Winning author of religion

 

"This film will open the eyes and the imagination of American Muslims, reminding us all of our rich artistic heritage. I highly recommend that all American Muslims watch this documentary and share it with their neighbors!" - Imam Mohamed Magid, President, Islamic Society of North America  

 

Join us on Twitter at @islamicartfilm the evening of the premiere, July 6^th, for a tweet chat using the hashtag #IslamicArt.

  

About Unity Productions Foundation

The mission of Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) is to create peace through the media. A nonprofit organization founded in 1999, UPF produces documentary films for both television broadcast, online viewing, and theatrical release, and implements long-term educational campaigns aimed at increasing understanding between people of different faiths and cultures, especially between Muslims and other faiths. For more information, visit www.upf.tv.

 Media Contact:  Lisa Mabe, Hewar Social Communications, 202.505.2890, lisa@hewarcommunications.com

 

 

 

Sins & Tawbah

 

 

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

 

Question: Some Muslims who are not practicing say, "I am not on my Deen (Religion) right now because I want to give Islam all of me, and right now I can't do that." So they leave everything that Allaah made incumbent upon them due to this claim. (Meaning) they say: "I don't want to practice just half way (one foot in and one foot out), I want to practice all the way. However because of the sins I'm committing right now, I don't want to mix this with Islam."

 

So what is your advice regarding this?

 

Shaykh: You mean that he is Muslim, but he is a sinner?

 

Questioner: Yes.

 

Answer: We say to him that there is nothing wrong that you remain upon your sins and you continue upon them up until Allaah blesses you to make a sincere tawbah - however with a condition, and it is that you are guaranteed that you will not die except after you make tawbah! Also that you are guaranteed that you will live until a time that these sins will not affect you and your heart.

 

This is because sins place a covering on the heart which can hinder one from making tawbah, may Allaah not decree this.

 

So a Muslim does not have a guarantee for himself that he won't die right now while still upon sins. So what excuse does a person make? They say, "but Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." Yes, but He is also Severe in punishment. So it is incumbent that the Muslim does not feel safe from the plotting of Allaah. And it is incumbent that he does (righteous) actions and repents to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. So I'm mentioning these things in the beginning of this answer - as it is said - to sort of relate to the questioner according to the level of his intellect.

 

However if you are a Muslim who really comprehends what you are saying here, then listen to the following points:

 

The first point: who said to you that Islam wants from you that you be a Muslim who does not commit any sin at all? The Prophet - salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - said: "All of the children of Adam makes many mistakes and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent." [Authenticated by al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah (no.3428).]

 

So he - salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - clarified that the children of Adam (i.e. people) fall into mistakes and errors, excluding the Prophets and Messengers, and the best of these people are those who often repent. He didn't say those who are persistent upon sins, then they make tawbah at the end. So this is the first thing.

 

Secondly: The Prophet - salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - said to his companions: "If it wasn't that you all commit sins, Allaah would have brought a people who commit sins, and He would forgive them," or close to this meaning said by the Prophet, 'alayhis salaam.

 

So who said to you it is requested that you be a Muslim one hundred per cent never falling into error. No doubt that this affair is good but who can guarantee this? This is a high level. If we made it a condition for all of the Muslims, no one would ever repent.

 

The third matter: come with me and ponder over the statement of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic:

 

كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

 

Nay, but Rân has been placed over their hearts because of what they used to earn."

(Al-Mutaffifin 83:14)

 

(The word in the beginning of the ayah) Kalla, is a statement of rebukement. And as for Rân, it means that He placed a seal over the hearts of these people. As for His statement, "because of what they used to earn," meaning the acts they used to commit. So what is the (general) meaning of the ayah? It means, due to their sins, a seal was placed over their hearts, so they could not make repentance nor can they ask for forgiveness.

 

That which supports this is the narration of the Prophet - salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - and this is the fourth matter: "If a person commits a sin, a black spot is placed over his heart. And if he repents and refrains, it will be wiped away. However if he sins and persists upon the sins, the spots will return up until the heart becomes totally black resembling an upside down mug. It will not recognize any good nor will it rebuke any evil." [Declared 'hasan,' by al-Albaanee in Saheeh al-Jami' al-Saghir (1666)]

 

This is because of sins and not making tawbah and not returning to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. Also, shaytaan hopes that he can win over a person by this statement [in question]. Outwardly, this statement seems good but the reality is that it is evil. This is because this means, it is as if you deem Allah too great that you sin and repent, and you deem Allah too great to fall into opposition to His command, so (based on your understanding) you (will just) remain persistent upon your sins until you're ready to repent (for good). However in reality this is an evil (thought). Also look at the advice of the Prophet - salla Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam - to Mu'adh, may Allaah be pleased with him - when he said: "O Mu'adh, fear Allaah wherever you may be." Allaah is with you [by His knowledge] wherever you may be, He sees you, and He knows your condition and He's with you with His Knowledge, the Mighty and Majestic.

 

… وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ …

 

"…And He is with you wherever you may be…"

(Hadeed: 57: 4)

 

"O Mu'adh fear Allaah wherever you may be and follow up a bad deed with a good deed, and it will erase it."

 

These are priceless words of advice. If you fall into a sin, all of the children of Adam fall into many sins, repent to Allaah, seek Allaah's forgiveness, pray two Rak'ahs for repentance to Allaah, give sadaqah, glorify Allaah, read the Qur`aan, do righteous deeds. Why all of this? So sins won't cause a seal to be placed upon your heart.

 

And your statement "I don't want to repent because I want to be a believer 100 per cent." Does not the statement of the Prophet - salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - refute this? "And follow up a bad deed with a good deed." Look: are you better or the Prophet – salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam? Who is more knowledgeable concerning Allaah? The Messenger of Allaah - salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - is the most knowledgeable concerning Allaah, and he is the one who pointed us to that which earns the pleasure of Allaah and he pointed us to follow up a bad deed with a good deed. He didn't say, sin, sin, sin, and then repent.

 

I end this answer with a (another) great hadeeth and it is a glad tidings for me and you and every sinner. The Prophet - salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - informed of this glad tiding. He said: "If a slave commits a sin, then seeks forgiveness, Allaah will say to the angels: My slave committed a sin and then he sought my forgiveness and I forgave him. Then he committed another sin, and Allaah will say: My slave committed a sin and sought my forgiveness and I forgave him. Then the slave will commit another sin (and repented). So Allaah will say: My slave committed a sin and sought my forgiveness, and I forgave him. I testify you O My angels that I have forgiven him."

 

So look, (that one) makes tawbah, and then falls into a sin and then makes tawbah, and then falls into a sin. This is not from playing games and this is not from making mockery of Allaah or falling short. Rather this is the war between [us and] shaytaan who said:

 

قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

 

[Iblîs (Satan)] said: "By Your Might (Oh my Lord) I will lead all of them astray"

(Sad: 38: 82)

 

And also it shows that the door of tawbah is always open, concerning which Allaah has said: "And by My Might I will indeed forgive them so long as they seek forgiveness from me."

 

So this is the war and struggle between us and shaytaan, so beware, beware of this statement. Repent to Allaah, and seek His forgiveness every time you fall into a sin, and do not despair from the mercy of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. And Allaah said:

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا

 

"Oh you who believe: turn in repentance to Allaah with a sincere repentance..."

(At-Tahrim 66:8)

 

'Umar and other than him from the companions and the Salaf said: Sincere repentance is that after you fall into a sin, then repent from it and never return to it up until death. Yes, this is a very high level and - if you can do it - this is something good. However that you remain upon sins and you say, 'I want to just make one tawbah for everything.' ...Just as I said to you in the beginning, who can guarantee for you that you will live to a time you can make tawbah, and who is it that can guarantee that you will have a heart that will incline to making tawbah after it was sealed due to constant sinning? So - by Allaah - be steadfast in turning (in repentance) to Allaah.

 

 

LIBYA: UN ENVOY CALLS ON AUTHORITIES TO ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF RECENT CONFLICTS

LIBYA: UN ENVOY CALLS ON AUTHORITIES TO ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF RECENT CONFLICTS
New York, Jun 17 2012  3:10PM
The top United Nations envoy in Libya has voiced his concern at renewed fighting in several localities that has led to a number of deaths, injuries and displacement, and called on the authorities to address the causes of the conflicts and protect civilians.

"It is of the utmost importance that the Government acts swiftly to de-escalate these conflicts and to ensure the protection and well-being of civilians," the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Ian Martin, said in a statement.

"The wounded need to be able to urgently access medical care, and basic humanitarian support and services must be restored to the people affected by the fighting in accordance with international humanitarian law," he added.

Mr. Martin welcomed the steps taken so far by the Government, and urged the Libyan authorities and all side
s to end the fighting, particularly in Kufra and in the Zintan-Shaqiqa area.

He also reminded all concerned of their obligation to ensure the protection of civilians and avoid the targeting of civilian areas. Sustained efforts are needed, he added, to address the causes and consequences of local conflicts.

Mr. Martin told the Security Council in May that armed clashes in recent months between various groups have tested the reach and authority of the Government's security apparatus and ability to impose the rule of law. A key issue related to public security, he added, is the integration or demobilization of the revolutionary fighters and the control of weapons.

Human rights, transitional justice, and national reconciliation are among the other issues that need to be addressed during the ongoing democratic transition in Libya, where Muammar al-Qadhafi ruled for more than 40 years until a pro-democracy uprising last year led to civil war and the deposing of his regime.

!! تخيل نفسك في الجنة

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

SECURITY COUNCIL URGED TO TAKE STEPS TO ENSURE ARREST OF SUDANESE LEADERS FOR WAR CRIMES

SECURITY COUNCIL URGED TO TAKE STEPS TO ENSURE ARREST OF SUDANESE LEADERS FOR WAR CRIMES
New York, Jun  5 2012  2:10PM
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo today called on the Security Council to adopt measures to ensure the arrest of Sudanese leaders indicted for war crimes, stressing that the Government's refusal to arrest President Omar Al-Bashir constitutes "a direct challenge to the Council's authority."

"Those who bear the greatest responsibility have been indicted. The current challenge is their arrest," Mr. Moreno-Ocampo <"http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/exeres/FE682E4C-8650-48AA-A5F0-F5A30D182D1F.htm">told a meeting of the Security Council in New York. "It is for the Council to determine the measures to be adopted to ensure the compliance of the Government of the Sudan."

The Security Council asked the ICC, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands, to investigate war crimes in Darfur in 2005 after a UN inquiry found serious violations of international human rights law.

On March 2009, ICC judges issued arrest warrants against Sudan's President Al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have died since 2003 due to fighting between Government forces and allied Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed.

The ICC also issued summonses to appear for rebel leaders Abdallah Banda, Saleh Jerbo and Abu Garda in relation to war crimes. Other officials indicted include government minister Ahmed Harun, militia leader Ali Kushayb and the defence minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein.

"President Al-Bashir is taking advantage of his position of power to continue with his strategy and to ensure his own impunity and the impunity of those who follow his instructions," Mr. Ocampo told the Council. "There is no information to believe that such crimes against humanity and genocide have stopped."

Although Sudan is not a State Party to the Rome Statute which established the ICC, it is obliged to cooperate with and provide any necessary assistance to the Court and the prosecutor in accordance with a Security Council resolution adopted in 2005. However, the ICC Prosecutor cited other options for moving forward.

"The execution of the arrest warrants on the Sudanese territory is the primary responsibility of the Government of Sudan, and UNAMID [the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur] should not be authorized to carry out or assist to secure arrests," Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said. "The Council can, in due course, evaluate other possibilities including asking UN Member States or regional organizations to execute arrest operations in furtherance of the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court."

"The victims will receive a clear message: they are not ignored. And the perpetrators will receive a clear message: there will be no impunity. Time is running out," he added.
Jun  5 2012  2:10PM


--
Ahmed Hassan Arwo

Ayat of the Quran

Ayat of the Quran

Verse No: 42

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able, 
Al-Qalam (The Pen) »
English Quran »

Daily Remembrance

ذُوالْجَلاَلِ وَ الإكْرَامِ
Dhul Jalali wal Ikram: The Possessor of Majesty and Honour
Meaning: The Lord of Majesty and Bounty, The One who deserves to be Exalted and not denied.

UN-ARAB LEAGUE ENVOY DISCUSSES SITUATION IN SYRIA WITH KING OF JORDAN

UN-ARAB LEAGUE ENVOY DISCUSSES SITUATION IN SYRIA WITH KING OF JORDAN

The Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for the Syrian Crisis, Kofi Annan, today met with King Adbullah II Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, for talks on developments in neighbouring Syria.

"They discussed the complexity of the crisis in Syria and its potential impact on the region," Mr. Annan's spokesperson said in statement. "The Joint Special Envoy briefed him on his recent visit to Damascus and on his efforts to push for full implementation of the six-point plan. They agreed on the importance of ending the violence and finding a political solution."

Earlier this week, the Joint Special Envoy had been in Damascus where he met President Bashar al-Assad. He then travelled to Jordan where he met, yesterday, its Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, with whom he also discussed the situation in Syria.

The UN estimates that more than 9,
000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria and tens of thousands displaced since the uprising against President al-Assad began some 15 months ago. Jordan has received Syrian refugees who have fled the violence in their country.

The six-point plan -- put forward by Mr. Annan in March this year -- calls for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue that takes into account the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.

May 31 2012 10:10AM
________________


--
Ahmed Hassan Arwo

It will be your fault if civil war breaks out in Syria, Hillary Clinton tells Russia

It will be your fault if civil war breaks out in Syria, Hillary Clinton tells Russia


DAVID USBORNE  , LOVEDAY MORRIS


Clang. Another budget u-turn drops. All charity donations will now be exempt from the clampdown on t...




Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, told Russia yesterday it will be responsible for unleashing a full-blown civil war in Syria unless it changes course and sides with Washington and other Western powers in pushing for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and facilitate a political transition.


The comments from Mrs Clinton, made in Copenhagen at the start of a Scandinavian tour, reflect a deepening conviction among top US policymakers that persuading President Vladimir Putin to cut Assad loose is about the only palatable option available in trying to tackle the Syrian crisis.

Finding some way forward is politically urgent for President Barack Obama, who, just five months from the US election, is being accused by Republicans of sitting on his hands. On a visit to Malaysia yesterday, Senator John McCain said it was "embarrassing that the United States of America refuses to show leadership and come to the aid of the Syrian people" and advocated arming the Syrian opposition.

Some diplomats hope that if progress with Russia cannot be made during visits by Mr Putin to Berlin and Paris today, it can be at a G20 summit later this month in Mexico. So far, however, Moscow, which has twice vetoed UN resolutions on Syria, seems intent on maintaining its opposition to outside intervention.

"We have to bring the Russians on board because the dangers we face are terrible," Mrs Clinton told a group of Danish students. In a clear message to Moscow, she said the Russians "are telling me they don't want to see a civil war. I have been telling them their policy is going to help contribute to a civil war."

The international stalemate came as a split in the command of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was exposed when its supposed leader in Turkey dismissed a statement by a colonel on the ground who said the rebels would resume attacks if regime troops do not abide by a UN ceasefire by noon today.

FSA fighters inside Syria reacted furiously after Colonel Riad al-Asaad, who fled Syria for Turkey after his defection from the airforce in July last year and set up FSA with other senior defectors, contradicted Colonel Qassim Saadeddine's declaration of a deadline.

"The true leaders of the Free Syrian Army are inside Syria, not in five-star hotels in Turkey," an FSA spokesman told The Independent. "There are 10 regional military councils across Syria and the one they recognise as their leader is Colonel Qassim Saadeddine."

The friction between the two senior officers illustrates the growing tension in the FSA, with many of the more senior defectors taking up positions of command away from the battlefield in neighbouring Turkey. Col Saadeddine's video statement purported to speak for "the joint command of the Free Army inside Syria which includes all military councils with brigades and units in different governorates" and gave President Bashar al Assad's forces 48-hours to "end all forms of violence".

Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, said the FSA lacked "meaningful command structures" as many groups use the label but said he expects a "new generation" of opposition leaders to emerge on the ground between now and the autumn, both military and non-military.

The fragmented nature of the opposition to the Assad regime, has been one of the main reasons – alongside the lack of a UN mandate – that those calling for the Syrian president to be deposed have been reluctant to give military aid to the opposition.

"For those who are advocating arming the opposition they should consider the consequences of that approach and also to ask frankly, who are they arming?" noted Susan Rice, the US Ambassador to the UN Security Council. "It is not a united opposition, it is fragmented." At a meeting in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Council is expected set up a formal probe into last week's Houla massacre.

Dennis Ross, the respected former special adviser to President Obama, suggested yesterday that the US should be planning to create a "safe haven" for civilians in northern Syria, a step that would necessarily mean deploying troops to defend it. "We need to start planning for it," he said.

The most persistent critic of Mr Obama so far has been his challenger, Mitt Romney. "The world looks to America to lead and we've been sitting in the back burner hoping things would become arranged in a way that was attractive to the world," he said. "What's happening in Syria is unacceptable."

Houla massacre carried out by 'armed gangs'

The Syrian government yesterday claimed that the massacre in Houla was perpetrated by "armed gangs" as part of a plan to bring about civil war and foreign intervention.

Brigadier General Qassem Jamal Suleiman, the head of a committee investigating the killings, said the victims were opposed to armed opposition groups in the area and included the relatives of a member of parliament. "The massacre... is part of the plan for a civil war with international intervention," he said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdissi, insisted that security forces never entered the area. "The victims' bodies did not show any traces of bombing," he said. Mr Makdissi's statement is contradicted by videos from Houla before the massacre on Friday.

Loveday Morris

The boy, 11, who played dead as his family were murdered in their home

When the gunmen began to slaughter his family, 11-year-old Ali el-Sayed says he fell to the floor of his home, soaking his clothes with his brother's blood to fool the killers into thinking he was already dead.

The Syrian boy tried to stop himself from trembling, even as the gunmen, with long beards and shaved heads, killed his parents and all four of his siblings, one by one.

The youngest to die was Ali's brother, 6-year-old Nader. His small body bore two bullet holes, one in his head, another in his back.

"I put my brother's blood all over me and acted like I was dead," Ali told the AP news agency over Skype, his raspy voice steady and matter-of-fact, five days after the killing spree that left him both an orphan and an only child.

Ali is one of the few survivors of a weekend massacre in Houla, a collection of poor farming villages and olive groves in Syria's central Homs province. More than 100 people were killed, many of them women and children who were shot or stabbed in their houses. AP

--
Ahmed Hassan Arwo

U.N. official: More than 90 dead in Syria, many of them children

U.N. official: More than 90 dead in Syria, many of them children

AMMAN, Jordan, and BEIRUT — More than 90 people, a third of them children, were killed in what appeared to be the worst violence against civilians in Syria since a U.N.-backed cease-fire went into effect last month, the chief of the United Nations mission in Syria said Saturday.

The casualties were the victims of artillery and tank shells, the U.N. said, strongly suggesting that the government of President Bashar Assad was the likely culprit in the Friday attack.

The killings took place in the district of Houla, a collection of small towns and villages in the central province of Homs, which has been the epicenter of the 14-month rebellion against Assad.

Gruesome video posted online purported to show bloody and battered corpses, including many children.

Observers dispatched to the scene counted more than 90 bodies, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, chief of the U.N. team in Syria, said in a statement that did not blame either side for the killings.

"Whoever started, whoever responded and whoever carried out this deplorable act of violence should be held responsible," Mood said in a statement issued in Damascus, the Syrian capital.


Opposition activists blamed the government for shelling the restive region starting Friday. The state-run news agency blamed "armed terrorists" for attacking authorities and civilians in the town of Teldo.

Each side in the Syrian conflict has repeatedly accused the other of committing "massacres' of civilians, obscuring the identity of the perpetrators in a conflict that has left at least 10,000 people dead, including civilians and security personnel. The government has limited access to foreign observers and journalists, making it hard to determine who is behind the killings.

But the confirmed death toll from Houla would seem to be another sign that the peace plan is fraying.

In a joint statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his predecessor, Kofi Annan, the special envoy for Syria, condemned the killings and said an investigation had confirmed that "artillery and tank shells were fired at a residential neighborhood."

That finding would seem to support opposition allegations that the Syrian government shelled the district.

"This appalling and brutal crime involving indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force is a flagrant violation of international law and of the commitments of the Syrian government to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centers and violence in all its forms," the two U.N. officials said in a strongly worded condemnation of the incident. "Those responsible for perpetrating this crime must be held to account."

--
Ahmed Hassan Arwo

Egypt's inevitable result - or is it?

Egypt's inevitable result - or is it?


Activists in Egypt should take notes from the Muslim Brotherhood's strategy and create grassroots infrastructure now.

Last Modified: 26 May 2012 18:28



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The Brotherhood is popular for delivering health and other services Egyptian officials failed to provide [REUTERS]



Irvine, CA - It was always going to come to this, the Brotherhood versus the military.

More than 1,000 martyrs, 12,000 reportedly imprisoned, tortured and even raped, a military leadership and a newly legalised religio-political organisation that have done nothing to improve the lives of the vast majority of Egypt's citizens since Mubarak's departure. And yet the two most politically and economically conservative forces in the country are now poised to face each other directly for control of the country's "transition" to civilian rule.

What was the point of the 18 days, and all the days that followed? Was the revolt of dignity just an illusion? Did those killed in Tahrir, Alexandria, Maspero, Muhammed Mahmoud, Port Said, and Abassiya, die for nothing?

Mubarak and SCAF could have saved themselves a lot of trouble, it turns out, if they would have fully legalised the Muslim Brotherhood a few years ago and allowed it to run unimpeded for parliament and the presidency. The results wouldn't be very different than they are now and they'd most likely still be as safely ensconced in power as the military is today - maybe even more so.

But while many people lament the strong showing of the Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and regime remnant, Ahmed Shafiq, there are very good reasons why the forces they represent were destined to come out on top - and why, for Egypt's mid and longer term future, such a result is not necessarily a bad thing.

The need for institution builders

Egyptians elect first new president in post-Mubarak era


Despite the beating the Brotherhood has taken in the past few months for its willingness to work with SCAF, its deaf ear to the concerns of labour, and for breaking its vow not to run a presidential candidate, the Brotherhood's massive organisational muscle ensured that whoever was its candidate would come out within the top two or three vote-winners. But its success is down to more than just the ability of the ikhwan to get its people to the polling stations.

The Brotherhood has spent the better part of the past century serving as a primary organisational infrastructure for delivering health, education and other services and care that the Egyptian state has been unable or unwilling to provide. And so millions of Egyptians are loyal enough to the organisation to give it a chance at running the country. To paraphrase the explanation of many Egyptians to me after the parliamentary elections in autumn: "We thank the revolutionaries, but did they really think that we would vote for a bunch of kids who've never run anything in their lives? At least the Brotherhood has a record of managing a large organisation. They're the only group with the experience to lead, and we owe them the chance to do so."

There is a big kernel of what the great Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci would have called "common sense" (senso comune) to this belief. The reality is that the only way Egypt can initiate the radical reforms necessary to develop the economy in a manner that serves the interests of the majority of the population is essentially to build a new state structure outside the control of the military and the existing elite.

Anyone outside the elite and who didn't have the organisational resources and muscle to build an alternative from the grassroots up - one that could create new political and economic networks to challenge the existing and highly corrupted and unequal ones - would stand almost no chance of changing Egypt's basic political economy. Even if they had more organisational and economic experience, the more "revolutionary" candidates would have an almost impossible time creating what would essentially be parallel organisational structures to the state and then slowly moving their people into it. They would be co-opted, or chewed up and swallowed down by the system they had pledged to dismantle.

Inside Story - Egypt's Islamists:
Threat or opportunity?


The Brotherhood has the organisational and ideological muscle at least to make a fair try at beginning such a sweeping change. Decades of service to Egyptians in so many areas of social life have given it the right to ask for people's trust, and thus their votes.

But at the same time, however, during the past twenty years, the Brotherhood has slowly but inexorably become part of the economic elite that it must challenge in order to affect serious reform. It has done so both by generating its own economic enterprises that have become extremely successful - as exemplified by disqualified Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat al-Shater - and by forging personal connections - through, for example, marriage into elite families.

It was only a matter of time before the Brotherhood, which despite decades of charity work for the poor - while never supporting the political and economic rights of the working class, became more formally incorporated into the existing system. The "revolution" only pushed this timetable forward a few years.

In fact, given the choice between working with a movement with whom it shared many basic corporatist and patriarchal values, and which would need its support to function politically, and duking it out with Gamal Mubarak and other young members of the economic elite who had little allegiance or connection to the military - and who supported a liberalisation programme that would have challenged the military's control of the economy - the revolution can be seen to have done the military a favour, at least in the short term, by removing the more dangerous adversary.

The people and the army were never "one hand", but it's always been clear that the removal of Mubarak - fils more thanpère - was one goal they genuinely shared.

Egypt's Stockholm Syndrome

If there is a logic as to why so many Egyptians have supported the Brotherhood's Justice and Development Party and now its primary candidate for president, it is on the face of it harder to understand why the felool, or Mubarak-era candidate, Ahmed Shafiq, has done so well, drawing only a couple of percentage points less than Mursi. Why would anyone outside of the elite who were the primary beneficiaries of the old system support him?

Many explanations are centred on his incessant hammering away on the issue of secularism and security; that is, on preventing the Brotherhood from implementing Sharia (which would appeal to Christians, more secular Egyptians and those worried about the impact of such a move on the all-important tourist industry), and on dealing with the rapidly deteriorating situation of crime across the country.

Al Jazeera World:
The Brotherhood and Mubarak


These are no doubt important reasons, but I think there is another reason why someone so associated with the old regime - Shafiq was Mubarak's final prime minister - would capture the votes of the very people the regime so oppressed: a kind of political Stockholm Syndrome.

Many Egyptians, however happy they are to have moved into a new era, maintain a psychological attachment to the man and the regime that held so much power over their lives, and who held that power through a discourse of stability and patriarchal nationalism that, however abusive, still gave them a sense of basic safety and inclusion.

In the chaotic post-Mubarak period, it is not surprising to find millions of people nostalgic for the pre-revolutionary period (I saw a similar phenomenon in Iraq after 2003) and to miss the safety of a system which purported to have a paternal control over their lives and society at large. This sentiment would be strengthened by the fact that, for so many Egyptians, life is objectively worse since Mubarak's departure, which gives added salience to the sense of attachment to the old system, particularly for those such as Coptic Christians, who will undoubtedly be worse off in so many ways with a government led by Islamist forces.

Be careful what you wish for

If there is a silver lining in the scenario of having to live with a parliament and presidency dominated by the Brotherhood and/or Mubarak cronies, it is that the huge expectations placed on whoever wins the presidency will almost certainly be matched by the spectacular failure of the new president to fulfill most of his promises. If there's one thing that has become clear in the past sixteen months, it is that the deep state in Egypt is even deeper than most people imagined, and that SCAF and the economic elite that it represents and protects will not let go of any significant share of its power or wealth without a bloody fight.

In context of a stagnating economy in which tens of millions of people live on two dollars per day or less, and a set of regional and global economic dynamics that render the dream of copying the Turkish Islamist-led economic "miracle" of the past two decades highly unlikely, even a progressive candidate who wanted to improve the situation for the majority of Egypt's population - who are firmly in the poor and working classes - would find it almost impossible to challenge the system. In comparison, the difficulty President Obama has had is but one example of the difficulties of implementing progressive policies when the system is controlled by a massively corrupt and powerful elite.

Inside Story:
The Brotherhood's quest for the presidency


As it is, however, the choice looks likely to be between a Brotherhood that has already been largely co-opted by Egypt's power elite and hasn't exhibited a willingness to empower the poor and working class, and a felool candidate who represents the old system. So there is little chance that either Morsi or Shafiq would have the desire or ability to commence a wholesale "structural adjustment" of the Egyptian economy away from crony, corrupt and neoliberal capitalism and towards one that ensures a fair distribution of wealth throughout Egyptian society.

Instead, their programmes will be limited to finessing and finagling the contours of the existing system to further entrench their power, while bringing in a few new constituencies and using various ideological arguments - support or opposition to Islamic law, Egyptian nationalism, standing up to the USA, etc - to keep the rest of the country largely quiescent.

And this is where the importance of the 18-day protests that toppled Mubarak and all the struggles since suddenly come powerfully back into view. Fewer than half of the Egyptians who voted - and fewer than half of eligible voters actually voted this round - actually support the two major candidates combined. At the time of writing, it appears that more than half the voting age population has sat out the election, a stinging rebuke to the emerging system. And those who did vote will likely show very little patience for whoever wins the presidency to make a significant improvement in their lives. And given the nature of the existing system and the men who will likely lead it for the coming years, there is very little chance that the system will be changed in any substantial way.

All of which means that the single most important accomplishment of this presidential election, more than who wins it, and of the revolution more broadly, is the institutionalisation of a democratic political system. Voters for Morsi and Shafiq might have done so out of loyalty or ideological commitment, or fear of chaos, but few will stick with their choice if the new leader doesn't manage - fundamentally - to improve the lives and life-chances of Egyptians in the near future. And that is why many movements, especially the more revolutionary groups, have not put their stock in these elections and instead are taking a page from the Brotherhood's playbook and working to begin building relations with the tens of millions of Egyptians who will be the ones to determine how the long-term revolutionary process in Egypt plays out. They have, what Gramsci would call, the "good sense" (buon senso) to think critically about the current political economic dynamics, to sit out a struggle that can't be won, and to plan for a future that could arrive sooner than those currently in power would like to imagine.

Many activists have expressed the belief to me that whoever wins this election will fail to change the still deeply entrenched system, and will either be co-opted or defeated by it (comparisons with Obama's presidency are inevitable). But this may provide an opening for a more radical and pro-worker and human rights agenda to claim a greater share of power the next time elections are held. In the meantime, by presenting themselves as the forces most able to lead the country towards a better future, Morsi and Shafiq, and those they represent, will be held responsible for the almost inevitable failures to come.

If the true revolutionary forces can use the next few years wisely, building roots into the working class in rural as well as urban areas, and developing a political discourse that moves beyond secular/religious and other dichotomies that have long served to divide the population, they will be poised to play a far greater role in Egypt's future than we are seeing today. If this comes to pass, the 2012 presidential election will prove to have been a crucial curve in a revolutionary road that, however depressing events might seem today, is still wide open as it stretches into the future.

Mark Levine is professor of Middle Eastern history at UC Irvine, and distinguished visiting professor at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University in Sweden and the author of the forthcoming book about the revolutions in the Arab world, The Five Year Old Who Toppled a Pharaoh.

Follow him on Twitter: @culturejamming


The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.


--
Ahmed Hassan Arwo

Egypt's Brotherhood would keep Israel treaty-Carter

Egypt's Brotherhood would keep Israel treaty-Carter


Source: Reuters // Reuters


By Tom Pfeiffer

CAIRO, May 26 (Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood may seek to modify, but will not destroy, Egypt's 33-year-old peace treaty with Israel, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Saturday.

Carter, 87, was speaking after initial vote tallies put the Brotherhood's candidate ahead in the first round of Egypt's presidential election, which his Carter Center helped monitor.

The U.S. statesman, who brought together Israeli leader Menachem Begin and Egypt's Anwar Sadat in 1978 to agree the Camp David accords which led to a 1979 treaty, said he had held long discussions with senior Brotherhood figures in Egypt this week.

"My opinion is that the treaty will not be modified in any unilateral way," Carter said at a news conference in Cairo to present the preliminary findings of his election monitors.

Official results in Egypt's first free leadership election are due on Tuesday, but informal tallies put the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi and Mubarak's last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq in the lead. If confirmed, they would fight a run-off in June.

Hamdeen Sabahy, a leftist who has championed Palestinian resistance against Israel, was running a close third.

The peace treaty remains a lynchpin of U.S./Middle East policy and, despite its unpopularity with many Egyptians, was staunchly upheld by President Hosni Mubarak until his overthrow last year in a popular uprising.

The Brotherhood, long suppressed under Mubarak, is vehemently critical of Israel, and its Palestinian offshoot Hamas rules the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials have watched political turmoil since Mubarak's overthrow with growing wariness.



TIES

Mubarak's fall opened up a freer form of Egyptian politics in which the popular mood looms far larger.

Mursi criticises Israel but says he would respect the treaty. One of his aides said Mursi would not meet Israeli officials as president, though he might delegate that task.

Cairo needs good ties with Israel's closest ally the United States, which provides billions of dollars in military and civilian aid and is pressing other major foreign donors to support Egypt's struggling economy.

But some of the election contenders said the peace treaty should be reviewed, partly because of perceptions the deal Carter brokered was biased in Israel's favour.

Carter said the treaty had not been violated by either side since its inception and that any problems had been resolved peacefully, including a flare-up of tension last year over the killing of some Egyptian border guards.

"The Israelis apologised for that. They see great value in preserving the treaty," said Carter.

The Camp David accords were also supposed to guarantee the rights of the Palestinians, at Sadat's insistence, but that aspect had not been honoured, Carter said. (Editing by Alistair Lyon and Sophie Hares)

--
Ahmed Hassan Arwo

Brotherhood claims lead as Egypt vote count begins

Brotherhood claims lead as Egypt vote count begins

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press 

CAIRO (AP) — The Muslim Brotherhood said Thursday that its candidate was leading in exit polls from Egypt's landmark presidential election, as official counting began after two days of voting to choose a successor to ousted leader Hosni Mubarak.

In stations around the country, workers cracked open ballot boxes and started the count after polls closed Thursday night, in Egypt's first truly competitive presidential election. There are five prominent candidates in a field of 13, but none is expected to win outright in the first round. A run-off between the two leading contenders would be held June 16-17.

A Brotherhood spokesman said the group's candidate, Mohammed Morsi, was the leader in exit polls conducted by Brotherhood campaign workers nationwide. Morsi's spokesman, Murad Mohammed Ali, declined to give specific percentages.

"The Egyptian people always amaze us," said Ali. "This is above our expectations."

The reliability of the Brotherhood's polls could not be confirmed. Regional television channels, citing their own exit polls, also placed Morsi as the top finisher, with rivals Ahmed Shafiq and Hamdeen Sabahi vying for second post.

Shafiq, a former air force commander, was Mubarak's last prime minister and was himself forced from his post by protests soon after his former boss. Opponents brand him as a "feloul" or "remnant" of the old, autocratic regime, but he has drawn support from Egyptians who crave stability or fear Islamists.

Sabahi is a leftist who had been a dark horse but gained steadily in opinion polls over the past week, attracting Egyptians who want neither an Islamist or a former regime figure.

The Brotherhood is hoping that a victory in the presidential race will seal its political rise since its longtime opponent Mubarak was ousted on Feb. 11, 2011 in a wave of protests. The group won just under half the seats in parliament in elections held late last year, establishing it as the biggest political bloc.

But it had troubles in the presidential campaign. Its first choice for candidate, deputy leader Khairat el-Shater, was disqualified because of a Mubarak-era conviction. Morsi was the Brotherhood's second-choice and was seen as less charismatic.

He also faced competition for religious voters from Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist who split from the Brotherhood last year and has also drawn liberals with his more inclusive vision.

One of the prominent secular candidates, former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, made an emotional appeal three hours before voting ended, urging supporters to get to the polls. The last-minute call suggested his exit polls were not going his way.

Earlier, Moussa gave a surprise interview to Al-Arabiya television, calling on Shafiq — his main rival for the secular vote — to drop out of the race. Rattled with his hair unkempt, Moussa launched a scathing attack on Shafiq, saying that if elected Shafiq would "recreate" the Mubarak regime.

Both Shafiq and the Brotherhood's Morsi have repeatedly spoken of the dangers, real or imaginary, of the other becoming president. Morsi has said there would be massive street protests if a "feloul" — a remnant of the Mubarak regime — wins, arguing it could only be the result of rigging.

Shafiq, on his part, has said it would be "unacceptable" if an Islamist takes the presidential office, echoing the rhetoric of Mubarak, his longtime mentor who devoted much of his 29-year rule to fighting Islamists. Still, Shafiq's campaign has said it would accept the election's result.

If a run-off is held, the final result would be announced on June 21. The generals who took over from the 84-year-old Mubarak have promised to hand over power by July, but many fear that they would try to retain significant powers after a new president is in office.

--
Ahmed Hassan Arwo

UN PEACEKEEPING IN SYRIA TO ASSESS PROGRESS OF MILITARY OBSERVERS

UN PEACEKEEPING IN SYRIA TO ASSESS PROGRESS OF MILITARY OBSERVERS
New York, May 21 2012  1:10PM
The head of UN peacekeeping, Hervé Ladsous, today met with Syrian government and opposition group representative in the city of Homs, during a visit to assess progress made on the ground by UN military observers.

"During the meeting, both sides expressed their commitment to the Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan and noted the diminishing of violence in the city since the arrival of the military observers," a spokesperson for the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) said.

"Mr. Ladsous affirmed that the focus now needs to be on building dialogue and confidence between the parties," the spokesperson added.

A protest movement – similar to those across the Middle East and North Africa – has claimed over 9,000 lives in Syria, mostly civilians, and displaced tens of thousands since it began in March 2011.

Mr. Ladsous, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, arrived in Syria late last week for a four-day visit to meet with UNSMIS observers and assess developments. In Damascus, the peacekeeping chief met with both government and opposition groups to enhance facilitation and cooperation for the second phase of the observer Mission; the safety and security of the observers was also discussed.

While on the ground, Mr. Ladsous noted the record time in which the UNSMIS observers deployed, and emphasized that the end of the violence will only happen if Syrians and all parties, internal and external, choose the path of dialogue.

The violence in the Middle Eastern country led to the Security Council authorizing the establishment of UNSMIS, with up to 300 unarmed military observers, for an initial period of 90 days. Spread out in various locations, the observers are tasked with monitoring the cessation of violence and supporting the full implementation of the six-point plan put forward by the Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan.

Mr. Annan's six-point plan calls for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue that takes into account the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.

Meanwhile, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Derek Plumbly, today voiced concern over recent violent incidents which have led to loss of life in Lebanon.

"It is important that there be no further repetition of such violence and that the incidents that have occurred be fully and thoroughly investigated," Mr. Plumbly said in a statement, in which he also expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.

According to media reports, the violence in Lebanon has been related to developments in neighbouring Syria, with clashes between sympathizers and opponents of the different sides there.

"Since I arrived in Lebanon, I have been impressed by the efforts of the security authorities and political leaders to safeguard Lebanon's calm and stability, at a time of upheaval and uncertainty in the region," he added. "It is imperative now that all parties in Lebanon continue to put the interests of the country above other considerations. Differences must be addressed through dialogue, not resort to violence."