MFS - The Other News

                    Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity situation Argentina 6.7 - 6.5 ; Solomon Islands 5.3; Russia 5.1 !More info here.

• Bolton: Why Is Obama Taking Credit For Navy SEAL Team 6 Killing Bin Laden?(Fox).Mitt Romney’s newest foreign policy surrogate didn’t waste any time before going on the attack.Last night, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton made a fierce debut by Romney’s side, delivering some of the harshest criticisms of President Obama’s foreign policy to date.“He’s not only the most radical president in history domestically; he is the first president, republican or democrat, at least since Franklin Roosevelt, who didn’t get up every morning thinking first about what threats the united states faces. he just doesn’t care about national security the way other presidents did, ” Bolton told the audience at a veterans rally in Hilton Head, South Carolina.The American people are looking for a president “who doesn’t believe that the role of America in the world is to be a well-bred doormat,” Bolton said.He also stripped the president of any credit for the killing of Usama Bin Laden.“It’s because navy seal team 6 killed Usama bin laden. that’s his definition of success. as somebody pointed out, in 1969 when Americans landed on the moon, it’s like Richard Nixon taking for credit for that, because it happened to occur during his presidency,” he said.Read the full story here.

• Issa Committee Releases Charts Ahead of Holder Hearing.(BN).Mark this date down. On February 2nd, Attorney General Eric Holder will be in front of the Oversight Committee for the first time to answer questions about Fast and Furious. A website started by the committee chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa has released a couple of very informative charts. One shows who all of the players are and who is ultimately responsible for the operation. Think of it as an accountability flow chart.I wouldn't be surprised if this chart ends up right behind Issa so Holder can stare at it during the hearing.Here is a similar chart that focuses on the victims. Perhaps the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) should take this one to heart. Each member of the CHC is a Democrat and not one of them has called for Holder's resignation.Read and see the full story here.

• National Groups File Challenge to Obama’s Unconstitutional Stacking of NLRB.(BigGovernment).The National Right To Work (NRTW) joined by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), and Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) took off the legal gloves and are forcing the Obama Administration to defend its unconstitutional appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Some say that President Barack Obama is creating a serious constitutional crisis.This is the first legal challenge regarding these NLRB Board appointees who Obama appointed without a U.S. Senate confirmation process; but, more are expected.From the NRTW release: Washington, DC (January 13, 2012) – Today, National Right to Work Foundation attorneys filed a motion in federal court challenging the legality of President Barack Obama’s recent purported recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).The legal challenge is part of a larger case attacking controversial new NLRB rules that require every employer to post incomplete information about employee rights online and in the workplace, even if they’ve never violated or been accused of breaking federal law. The NLRB’s posting rules do not require union officials to issue information about workers’ rights to refrain from union membership or opt out of union dues. Currently employers can only be required to post notices if the Board has ruled that a violation of labor law occurred.The Foundation’s case has been consolidated with other legal challenges to the biased NLRB notice posting rules brought by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), and two small businesses. Those parties filed the joint motion today raising the issue of the NLRB’s lack of authority to implement the rule given the unprecedented recess appointments.The new filings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia case comes after NLRB lawyers notified the court that President Obama’s recent recess appointees were now parties in the ongoing legal battle. Under the U.S. Supreme Court’s New Process Steel decision, the NLRB needs three members to act. However three of the five current NLRB members were installed by unilateral Presidential appointment earlier this year, despite the fact that the Senate was not in a self-declared recess.In the motion papers, Foundation attorneys argue that the controversial appointees to the Board are not legitimate because the U.S. Senate is still in session per the body’s rules, so there was no “recess” for the President to make appointments without Senate confirmation. Therefore the NLRB lacks the necessary quorum to implement the new posting rules. Foundation attorneys are asking the judge to rule on the constitutionality of the three recess appointees.“President Barack Obama has already shown time and again that he is willing to abuse his executive authority to force more workers into union-dues-paying ranks,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Now Obama’s executive abuse jeopardizes the constitutional balance our country holds very dear, all in the name of paying back his Big Labor benefactors.”The implementation of the NLRB’s new posting rules, originally supposed to be in August of last year, has been twice delayed due to the legal challenge in the Foundation’s case. The rules are currently scheduled to be effective on April 30, 2012.The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is also a party in the case, but is not party to the Foundation’s motion.Read the full story here.

• Ya'alon dismayed with US response to Iran threat.(JPost).Vice Premier Moshe Ya’alon voiced disappointment with the Obama administration on Sunday, saying "election-year considerations" lay behind its caution over tough Iran sanctions sought by US legislators.While Washington has been talking tougher about Iran's nuclear work and threat to block oil export routes out of the Gulf if hit with harsher sanctions, new US measures adopted on Dec. 31 gave US President Barak Obama leeway on the scope of penalties on the Iranian central bank and oil exports.The senior official contrasted the administration's posture to that of France and Britain, which he said "are taking a very firm stand and understand sanctions must be imposed immediately.""In the United States, the Senate passed a resolution, by a majority of 100-to-one, to impose these sanctions, and in the US administration there is hesitation for fear of oil prices rising this year, out of election-year considerations," Yaalon told Israel Radio."In that regard, this is certainly a disappointment, for now."The remarks by Yaalon, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, appeared to jar with praise centrist Defense Minister Ehud Barak offered last month for what he described as Obama's resolve against Iran.The Democratic president has said he is determined to deny Tehran - which insists its nuclear program is for peaceful needs only - the means to develop an atom bomb. His aides cast their sanctions strategy as a bid to work collaboratively with foreign powers and win over states that import Iranian oil without triggering price-boosting shocks to energy markets.Read the full story here.

• US looking for assurances J'lem won't strike Iran.(Jpost).Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit Israel next weekend as part of a reported new and concerted American effort to prevent Israel from taking unilateral military action against Iran.Dempsey’s visit – reported in The Jerusalem Post last month – comes as US concern is growing over the possibility that Israeli military action is being planned for the near future. It will be Dempsey’s first meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz as the US’s highest ranking military officer.In a recent interview, Dempsey said Israel would likely not update the US ahead of such an operation.On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported on contingency planning by the US in preparation for a possible Israeli military strike.According to the report, the phone conversation between US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday was one of a series of messages warning Israel of the consequences of military action.Israel and the US have reportedly been at odds recently regarding the preferred timetable for a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. The US has said military action will become a real option only after the Islamic Republic begins building a bomb. According to some reports, Israel has warned of other so-called red lines, such as the activation last week of the new underground uranium enrichment facility near Qom.According to The Wall Street Journal, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other officials have failed to receive assurances from Israel that it is not planning a military strike soon.Hmmmm....."Pour les vaincre, messieurs, il nous faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace et la Patrie sera sauvée!" ~ Danton. Read the full story here.

• Car bombs, suicide blasts target police station, mosque in Iraqi city of Ramadi.(AlArabiya).At least five people were killed and six more wounded after a series of explosives-packed cars and suicide bombs were detonated in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday. Four car bombs had targeted a mosque and a police building in the city, AFP news agency reports. The bombs were followed by two suicide bomb blasts inside the police building.Security forces had cordoned off the police building, which also holds several al Qaeda suspects in a jail, officials said.“Police and army are surrounding the building. There is no exchange of fire, but the security forces are studying storming the building and saving the hostages,” the police official said.Ramadi, capital of the mainly Sunni Muslim Anbar province, witnessed some of the worst violence during the height of the war that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. It was the heart of a Sunni Islamist insurgency tied to al-Qaeda.The initial suicide bomb blast killed five people but it was not clear how many possible hostages were inside, one police official at the scene said.Violence in Iraq had ebbed since the height of sectarian slaughter in 2006-2007 when thousands were killed in attacks between Shiite and Sunni groups. But the withdrawal of the last American troops in December has fanned worries of a spike in violence.Read the full story here.

• Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter After Meeting With Badie: I Recognize Egyptian People’s Love for the Muslim Brotherhood.(IW).Dr. Mohamed Badie, Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), and his deputy Khairat Al-Shater met with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, president of the Carter Center international foundation, and his accompanying delegation, at MB headquarters.In a press statement, Dr. Mahmoud Ghozlan, MB spokesman said: “Carter congratulated the Muslim Brotherhood on the legislative elections results, stressing that he’s come to recognize the love of the Egyptian people for the Muslim Brotherhood as a result of their sacrifices and their interaction with all people in society, and that his foundation reports confirm that the Egyptian parliamentary elections were fair and reflect the will of the Egyptian people.”With regard to the Palestinian issue, Carter stressed that the Israeli side did not honour the rights of the Palestinian people enshrined in the peace treaties, as evidenced by its continued settlement activities and the seizure of Palestinian land. He added that he, personally, when he was president of the United States, as well as Bush senior, made real efforts to stop the settlements, but were not successful, and that Bush junior and President Obama allowed the Israelis to increase their settlement efforts.For his part, the MB chairman welcomed Carter’s visit, and hailed the role played by the Carter Center and its testimony for the fairness of the Egyptian elections, adding that the elections result is a huge responsibility placed by the Egyptian people on the shoulders of the Muslim Brotherhood, who vow to effect democratic change and achieve stability, security and rejuvenation of Egypt, hoping that this change should be a role model for all the countries of the region.Dr. Badie also expressed his indignation and condemnation of the continuing gross injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people, and called on the U.S. administration to change its biased and constant support for the Zionist side, to take a practical just position on this issue, and not to resort to “mere soothe-saying as we heard from President Obama”, if it wanted a change in people's hearts, currently overflowing with hatred towards the successive U.S. governments.Hmmm......Carter still fighting strong for the tittle "Worst President ever"?Read the full 'story' here.

• US, Israel in open rift over Iran: Big joint military drill cancelled.(Debka).US-Israeli discord over action against Iran went into overdrive Sunday, Jan. 15 when the White House called off Austere Challenge 12, the biggest joint war game the US and Israel have every staged, ready to go in spring, in reprisal for a comment by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon in an early morning radio interview. He said the United States was hesitant over sanctions against Iran's central bank and oil for fear of a spike in oil prices.The row between Washington and Jerusalem is now in the open, undoubtedly causing celebration in Tehran.Nothing was said about the 9,000 US troops who landed in Israeli earlier this month for a lengthy stay. Neither was the forthcoming visit by Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint US Chiefs of Staff, Thursday mentioned.The exercise was officially postponed from spring 2012 to the last quarter of the year over "budgetary constraints" – an obvous diplomatic locution for cancellation. It was issued urgently at an unusually early hour Washington time, say debkafile's sources, to underscore the Obama administration's total disassociation from any preparations to strike Iran and to stress its position that if an attack took place, Israel alone would be accountable.Israel's Deputy Prime minister further inflamed one of the most acute disagreements in the history of US-Israeli relations over the Obama administration's objections to an Israel military action against Iran's nuclear sites in any shape or form. Yaalon ventured into tricky terrain when he pointed out that US Congress had shown resolve by enacting legislation for sanctions with real bite. But the White House "hesitated." He went on to say: "A military operation is the last resort, but Israel must be ready to defend itself."The friction was already fueled last week by the deep resentment aroused in Israel by Washington's harsh condemnation of the assassination last Wednesday, Jan. 11, of the nuclear scientist Prof. Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, and absolute denial of any US involvement.Although Tehran has since accused the United States of the attack, the White House treated it as the defiant sign of an approaching unilateral Israeli military operation against Iran to which the administration is adamantly opposed.Friday, Jan. 13, the Pentagon announced the substantial buildup of combat power around Iran, stationing nearly 15,000 troops in Kuwait - two Army infantry brigades and a helicopter unit – and keeping two aircraft carriers the region: The USS Carl Vinson, the USS John Stennis and their strike groups.Debkafile's military sources report that a third aircraft carrier and strike group, the USS Abraham Lincoln, is also on its way to the Persian Gulf.This massive military buildup indicates that either President Obama rates the odds of an Israel attack as high and is bolstering the defenses of US military assets against Iranian reprisals - or, alternatively, that the United States intends to beat Israel to the draw and attack Iran itself.The official purpose of Gen. Dempsey's visit next Thursday was supposed to be coordination between the US armed forces and the IDF. But his main object was another try to dissuade Israel's government and military leaders from plans to strike Iran without Washington's prior consent.The "budgetary constraints" pretext for cancelling Austere Challenge 12 is hard to credit since most of the money has already been spent in flying 9,000 US troops into Israel this month. Although the exercise in which they were to have participated was billed as testing multiple Israeli and US air and missile defense systems, the exercise's commander, US Third Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, announced that the event was more a "deployment" than an "exercise."Its cancellation leaves Washington and Jerusalem at loggerheads in four main areas.Neither Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, nor Defense Minister Ehud Barak or Deputy Prime Minster Yaalon, who are responsible for all decisions on Iran, are willing to put all their trust for defending Israel in American hands or relinquish unilateral military options against Iran. They believe US officials when they assert that the administration is prepared to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, but they want to see proof of the pudding and actions to back up the rhetoric. In the light of credible intelligence that Iran is very close to achieving its nuclear goal, Israel is holding on to its military option over American objections.Read the full story here.

• Iran warns Gulf states not to replace its oil.(Jpost).TEHRAN - Iran warned its Arab neighbors on Sunday not to raise crude output to replace Iranian oil in the event of an embargo by the European Union, Tehran's OPEC Governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi was quoted as saying."The consequences of this issue are unpredictable. Therefore, our Arab neighbor countries should not cooperate with these adventurers and should adopt wise policies," Khatibi said in an interview with the Sharq newspaper.European Union countries have agreed in principle to embargo imports of Iranian as part of the latest Western efforts to step up heat on Tehran.They will look to other oil exporters to increase output to make up for the shortfall and Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Saturday his country was ready to meet any increase in consumer countries' demand.Iran has threatened to block the vital oil shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf if sanctions imposed on its oil exports.Read the full story here.More here.

• Armenian genocide: Israel must maintain its moral compass.(JPost).Was the recent surfacing of the Armenian tragedy in the Israeli Knesset rooted in political or moral ground? Fully aware that the timing of the public debate on the Armenian tragedy recently held by the Knesset’s Education Committee is political to an embarrassing degree, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin set out to negate this immediate perception by stating, more than once, that the reopening of the debate on the issue was not a matter of political or diplomatic considerations, but a moral duty.Such rhetoric aims to establish a narrative according to which the Israel-Turkey political relationship held Israel’s moral position hostage. Now that Israel is free from its political commitments to Turkey, the argument goes, Israel may officially declare that what happened to the Armenians during WWI was genocide.However, to argue that Israel did in fact keep silent on this issue for the sake of maintaining political ties with Turkey is tantamount to declaring Israel’s moral bankruptcy.A state that prides itself on earnestly trying to do the right thing despite endless and tremendous challenges and unprecedented moral trials cannot afford to abandon its moral compass in this manner.Is Israel prepared to sacrifice the integrity of its current president, whose position symbolizes Israeli consensus, and say that when Shimon Peres announced unequivocally in April 2001 that what happened to the Armenians was tragic but not genocide, he sold morality for political gain? Tragically, by blurring the differences between the Holocaust and the massacre of Armenians, Israel is harming itself by lending a hand to the continued practice of irresponsible use of the term genocide in other arenas of conflict, such as the conflict Israel itself has with the Palestinians. In a growing number of forums, campaigns against Israel’s position in its conflict with the Palestinians are armed with the term genocide as a weapon of mass political pressure.This has already had a detrimental effect on Israel’s international relations, but will surely haunt it to a greater extent in days to come, especially should the United States reduce the level of its commitment to warding off accusations against Israel in the international system. Such a scenario may eventually lead to united international opposition against Israel, and perhaps even to outside interference with Israeli actions through international courts of law. Is it hard to imagine a possible law somewhere in Europe that would make it illegal to deny the “genocide” of the Palestinians? Instead of letting politicians add more fuel to the fire of misuse of the term genocide, careful scholarly work must be done to investigate the transition from Holocaust to the modern-day use of the term genocide and put its politicization in proper academic perspective.Read the full story here.

• Iranian Christian Pastor Nadarkhani Rejects Release Offer.(BNL).By Stefan J. Bos.Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has rejected an offer to be released from prison if he publicly acknowledges Islam's prophet Mohammed as "a messenger sent by God" well-informed Christians and rights activists said Friday, January 13.  Iranian authorities reportedly summoned lawyers for Pastor Nadarkhani to his home city of Rasht on December 30, to explain the deal. Local officials indicated they would release the pastor if he agreed to make the statement about Mohammed, Christians with close knowledge about the situation explained."However, Pastor Nadarkhani has refused to do so, and remains in prison awaiting a final decision on his case," confirmed advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in a statement to BosNewsLife.Christians said the pastor has made clear that making the demanded statement about Muhammed would amount to abandoning his faith in Jesus Christ.Another source assisting the pastor told BosNewsLife there is concern about the renewed pressure on Nadarkhani, who faces execution for refusing to recant his Christian faith and return to Islam."Keep in mind that brother Youcef has not had a Bible the entire two years and about three months that he has been in prison. He has no access to a computer or the outside world other than meeting with his wife and family," the source said.Yet, the Christian said that "The Holy Spirit is sustaining him in his faith and endurance". He added that the 34-year-old pastor, who is married with two children, "is healthy in mind and body and his faith is as strong as ever."Pastor Nadarkhani was detained in the city of Rasht in October 2009, while trying to register his Church of Iran home congregation, with hundreds of members in Gilan province.With international pressure mounting, "I think judges would rather release him, but are under pressure by hardliners to execute him," explained Firouz Khandjani, a council member of the pastor's Church of Iran. "That's why the court asked the Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khameini for an opinion so they can say they are not responsible for his execution," he told BosNewsLife.CSW said Iran's latest conditions for his release violates article 23 of the Iranian Constitution, which states that no-one should be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.“Just as the initial conviction of Pastor Nadarkhani is illegal under Iranian law, the recent offer made by the authorities in Rasht is a violation of the Iranian constitution, and of international covenants to which Iran is a signatory that guarantee freedom of religion and freedom to change one’s religion," said CSW's Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas.He told BosNewsLife that his group has called for his unconditional released and "of all those imprisoned in Iran purely on account of their faith."Read the full story here.

• Syria's First Lady falling from grace.(Emirates24/7).Not so long ago, she was the darling of the international press, described as a "rose in the desert" and "a ray of light in a country full of shadow zones."But today, Syria's First Lady is being likened to a modern-day Marie-Antoinette, drawing criticism for staying mum on a crisis that has left more than 5,000 people dead in her country.The British-born Asma al-Assad, who virtually disappeared from the public eye after the revolt broke out in Syria in mid-March, made a surprise appearance this week to support her husband Bashar as he spoke at a pro-regime rally.Pictures of the 36-year-old, all smiles with two of her children, adorned the front pages of many Arab and Western newspapers."This shows that she is standing by her man, that she and him are on the same page," said Andrew Tabler, an expert on Syria and former press adviser to local charities run by the First Lady."She is clearly part of the regime."Her appearance, however, has also drawn scathing criticism."Bashar's wife and kids cheer on daddy the dictator," one tweet scoffed."The British should withdraw Asma Assad's passport and those of her parents as accessories to a war criminal," fumed another.But the former investment banker continues to attract admiration among supporters of the Assad regime.Syria's First Lady has emerged as a style icon in the world of politics and has been compared to the likes of Queen Rania of Jordan or France's Carla Bruni, with a reported fondness for Chanel in particular.Tall, stylish and charismatic, Asma al-Assad is the picture of glamour: in designer outfits and her trademark Christian Louboutin heels, her impeccable British accent and credentials have helped promote the soft side of an iron-fisted regime."She was an important part of the public relations of the regime," Tabler said."She has an obsession with fashion," he added. "How do you reconcile this princess-like image with one of the poorest countries in the Middle East?"The daughter of a prominent London-based cardiologist, Fawaz al-Akhras, and a former diplomat, Sahar Otri, Asma is seen as the modern, progressive side of the Assad dynasty, with a degree from King's College in London where she was raised.Ten years her husband's junior, Asma has welcomed the likes of the Spanish king and queen and Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to her country.During a 2010 visit to France, Asma told French weekly Paris Match that she had married Bashar for the "values" he embodied.Fashion magazine Vogue even ran a glowing interview with her before the outbreak of the revolt, describing Asma as the "most magnetic of first ladies," but later removed the article from its website.Bashar's rise to power more than a decade ago symbolised the hope for change in a country long isolated internationally.Once a banker with J.P. Morgan, Asma herself is credited with having played a significant role in liberalising the Syrian economy.Bashar and Asma for years have been viewed as a symbol of coexistence in multi-confessional Syria. While the president is a minority Alawite, Asma is a Sunni Muslim who originally hails from Homs -- bastion of the current anti-Assad revolt.But as the death toll in Syria tops 5,000, many find the pair increasingly out of touch with reality.In a 2009 interview with CNN, the honey-eyed Asma slammed Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip as "barbaric" and, "as a mother and as a human being," called for an end to the violence."This is the 21st century. Where in the world could this happen? Unfortunately it is happening," she said in a calm, soft voice.Now her own words have come back to haunt her."Stop being a hypocrite! You are slaughtering your own people!" one YouTube commenter recently wrote beneath the video.Another summed it up in two words: "Lady Macbeth."Read the full story here.

• Kristin Butler: UN Resolution Threatens Freedom of Speech.(Crosswalk).By Kristin Butler. A new resolution introduced at the United Nations Human Rights Council has free speech advocates concerned about a potential backlash against religious minority groups. Previously introduced as Resolution 62/154, “Combating defamation of religion,” the piece was originally written to criminalize the criticism of religion. Advocates worried that the resolution would, at best, limit freedom of speech, and at worst, jeopardize religious minorities in countries carrying heavy punishments for blasphemy and apostasy.Recently the piece has morphed into Resolution 16/18, the goal of which is “Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based upon religion or belief.”But in spite of the seemingly benign language, free speech advocates say there is still cause for concern. According to Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, in some Islamic countries, particularly those with harsh penalties for apostasy and blasphemy, it often doesn't take much for religious minorities to incite extremist rage. "Just the building of churches ... having a cross outside your door can be inciting violence," Sekulow says. "So if you let them define these definitions when there is no problem coming from the minority faiths, this is somehow going to 'green-light' their suppression," he explains.Advocates point to the case of Asia Bibi, a wife and mother who awaits death by hanging in Pakistan after being charged with blasphemy. During a dispute over drinking water, Bibi's Muslim co-workers accused the Christian woman of insulting the Prophet Mohammed – charges that led to her conviction of blasphemy in a Pakistani court. Religious freedom advocates say that religious minorities often bear the brunt of persecution under blasphemy codes in Islamic countries. In Pakistan, Christians, Hindus and other religious minorities comprise only 3 percent of the population of 180 million.Those opposing the resolution say that the countries most heavily lobbying for its passage are those with less than ideal track records for freedom of speech or religious diversity. Jordan Sekulow, Director of Policy and International Operations for the American Center for Law and Justice, says that the countries pushing this resolution are countries whose “populations are 90 to 99 percent one single religious group.” He is concerned that religious minorities in these predominately Muslim countries already face some forms of persecution, and that the passage of this resolution might serve to increase persecution against minority groups. "What is the problem here with the 1 percent speaking out and why is that such an issue that needs to be handled at the international level?" he asks.The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is backing the resolution. Frank Gaffney, president of the American Center for Security Policy, questions the group's goals for the resolution, accusing the group of attempting to promote Sharia, Islamic law, through the passage of the resolution. "It is 57 states and Palestine that have come together to promote what is fundamentally the agenda that is known as Sharia," he says.Read the full story here.

• Kuwait police abused transgender women: HRW.(Alarabiya).Human Rights Watch on Sunday accused Kuwaiti police of torturing and sexually abusing transgender women and called on the Gulf state to hold officers accountable.In a report, the New York-based group said that police have been using a “discriminatory” amendment to the penal code passed by parliament in 2007 which arbitrarily criminalizes “imitating the opposite sex.”Transgender women are individuals who are born male but identify themselves as female.The arbitrary and ill-defined provisions of the law have allowed numerous abuses to take place against them, said the 63-page report based on interviews with 40 transgender women, as well as with interior ministry officials, lawyers, doctors, and members of civil society.The accusations were based on the accounts of the 40 victims “all of whom gave almost a similar story on what they faced,” Rasha Moumneh, HRW's Middle East and North Africa researcher, told a press conference in Kuwait City.“We have met with officials from the interior ministry ... and presented the findings to them but have not yet received any response,” Moumneh said, adding that Human Rights Watch does not know the exact number of transgender women in Kuwait.Kuwaiti police have a free rein to determine whether a person’s appearance constitutes “imitating the opposite sex,” without any specific criteria being laid down for the offence, the report said.Transgender women reported being arrested even when they were wearing male clothes and then later being forced by police to dress in women’s clothing.In some cases documented by Human Rights Watch, transgender women said police arrested them because they had a “soft voice” or “smooth skin.”“No one ̶ regardless of his or her gender identity ̶ deserves to be arrested on the basis of a vague, arbitrary law and then abused and tortured by police,” Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW’s Middle East director, said in a statement.“The Kuwaiti government has a duty to protect all of its residents, including groups who face popular disapproval, from brutal police behavior and the application of an unfair law,” the statement said.Abuses include degrading and humiliating treatment, such as being forced to strip and paraded around police stations, being forced to dance for officers, sexual humiliation, verbal taunts and intimidation, HRW said.“In several cases, Human Rights Watch found that police officers took advantage of the law to blackmail transgender women into sex,” the report said.Redress for these violations was difficult for fear of retribution and re-arrest, said the rights watchdog.“HRW calls on the Kuwaiti government to repeal the amendment to article 198, criminalizing imitating the opposite sex,” the report said.Pending repeal of the law, the interior ministry should issue a moratorium on arrests of individuals and the government also should work to protect transgender individuals, it said.Read the full story here.

• Solving Turkey’s puzzle: Children as brides, parents as abusers.(TodaysZaman).In what activists and legal experts alike hail as a potential precedent-setter in children and women’s human rights, “attempted sexual abuse” charges have been filed in two recent “child bride” cases in Turkey.What makes the action so progressive, though, is the defendants who are charged with sexual abuse are the children’s parents.A prosecutor’s office filed a criminal complaint last week against the parents of a 15-year-old in Bolu on charges of “attempted sexual abuse” and “deprivation of liberty” for trying to marry off their young daughter against her will. The parents of the girl countered that because the marriage has not yet taken place and the child has not been physically abused no crime has occurred.In another incident, Nizip Public Prosecutor Burç Berkan Alp charged the family of a 12-year-old girl who gave birth last week in Gaziantep with sexual abuse, as the young girl was married well below the legal age limit. But these stories are merely the latest manifestations of a chronic malady ailing Turkey.While most young girls busy themselves with classwork and friends, more than 180,000 girls under the age of 18 are married in Turkey, according to the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat).But what does that really mean?If all of the child brides in Turkey were brought to the country’s biggest soccer stadium (52,695 capacity), Galatasaray’s Turk Telekom Stadium, they would fill every seat, more than three times over.Even if they were moved to Atatürk Olympic Stadium (76,000 capacity), the girls and young women wedded under the age of 18 would fill Turkey’s largest-capacity stadium more than two times over.While eastern and southeastern Turkey are traditionally considered the hotbed of early marriage, activists argue it is important to remember nearly 25,000 of Turkey’s child brides live in the western province of İstanbul.According to Turkish women’s rights activist Pınar İlkkaracan, the problem is not the law itself but its lack of implementation. “Early marriage has been forbidden in Turkey since 1926. That is 85 years,” she said.According to the Turkish Civil Code, a person is allowed to marry at the age of 18 without parental consent. An individual may marry at age 17 with parental consent and at age 16 under special circumstances with court approval.Ankara attorney Gürkan Özocak, in comments to Sunday’s Zaman, reaffirmed that the charges have teeth in the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).According to Article 103 of the TCK, “A person who sexually abuses a child shall be punished by imprisonment of three to eight years.” Accordingly, a person entering into sexual relations with a child under 15 years of age whether it is consensual or not is punishable under this article.Özacak then elaborated on the difference between “abetting” and “attempted” sexual abuse charges. “If the families of child brides marry off their children by means of unofficial marriage arrangements and the children enter into sexual relations with the person with whom they are forced to marry, the parents are liable for ‘abetting crimes of sexual abuse’ and face between three and eight years for each person who had sexual relations with their child,” he said.But if the marriage has not yet occurred or if it has not been consummated, as is the case with the 15-year-old in Bolu, the parents could then face charges of “attempted sexual abuse.”“One of the most important reasons behind child marriages in Turkey is the children’s parents. Deterrent penalties for parents who marry off their young children against the law are extremely important,” Özocak commented.Read the full story here.

• Atheism under wraps in Egypt.(BikyaMasr).CAIRO: Outside, the January evening air is blowing wet and cold, better suited to London than Cairo. Inside this brightly lit Nasr City café, all is cozy and warm, as young Egyptians cluster around tables in study groups and discuss politics.The interview has wrapped up and it’s time to go when the couple sitting beside us flags our attention.“Psst, we couldn’t help overhearing you talking to that Muslim Brother,” Sophia says, pushing aside her laptop. “But we just want you to know that in this ‘100 percent religious’ country, we belong to that non-percent.”“And what is that non-percent?”“Atheism,” she says, her dark curls at odds with the sea of hijabs in Cilantro.“We just believe more in science and reason,” 23-year-old recent pharmacy school graduate Sophia, says, glancing around for eavesdroppers.“But,” adds Sam, who is sharing her piece of chocolate cake, “you can get in big trouble for even questioning religious matters or asking theoretical questions. Even with my parents,” 25-year-old telecommunications engineer adds, “I don’t bother bringing it up.”“Sam” and “Sophia” may be well educated, and the setting, Starbucks-esque cafe Cilantro, may be upscale, but what they talk about is still so heretical in this country, that being Jewish is often more acceptable.Sam was raised Coptic and Sophia Muslim. Her father disowned her when she told him she no longer considered herself Muslim.“He disowned her for thinking for herself, can you believe it,” Sam says, in obvious admiration of Sophia’s rationality.Technically atheists can be sued, though it’s rare. In 2000, a State Security Court found atheist author Salaheddin Mohsen guilty of “holding Islam and the Prophet Mohamed in contempt and questioning the divine sanctity of the Holy Qur’an.”Salaheddin had called for the establishment of an Egyptian Atheist association.While still largely underground, atheists in Egypt have found a small community and support online. Sam and Sophia met on the social-networking site thinkatheist.com.“The sad thing is, a few decades back, Egypt was much more liberal,” Sam notes.“People could flirt in public, laugh, wear what they wanted, even, god-forbid, have pre-marital sex.”“Flirt in public”—a bit ironic said in this upscale and urbane cafe where occasionally hand-holding couples who laugh too loudly are asked to leave for “inappropriate behavior.”Hmmmm........There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious." ~ Ayatollah Khomeini. Read the full story here.